My Surprises this Week! Normally, I have a pretty good grasp on identifying summer vegetables. In fact, I love to learn about and try new varieties of local favorites like kale or leaf lettuce or tomatoes. But this week, I was surprised 3 times by summer vegetables. Elephant garlic caught me off-guard with its mild flavor and huge cloves; blue potatoes amazed me when the color didn't disappear in the pot; and Turkish orange eggplants (see photo to the left) totally fooled me at the Farmer's Market. Cooking with Summer Vegetables! It can be a little overwhelming to put 1 or 2 brand new … [Read more...] about Summer Vegetable Surprises & How to Cook Them!
Picnic Season in a Healthy Style!
July 2013 Easy Solutions: It’s Picnic Month and Blueberry Month! Summer is definitely here so make the most of it with some fun at meal time. In July, two features that spell ‘FUN’ are picnics and blueberries. For a picnic at any time of day, stick to really simple foods and keep them super cold for food safety reasons. With blueberries, there are endless possibilities for good nutrition and sweet flavor. Breakfast Picnic Menu: Kabob of watermelon, cantaloupe and cheese cubes + Fresh blueberries by the handful + Homemade trail mix of nuts, pretzels and baked cheese crackers + … [Read more...] about Picnic Season in a Healthy Style!
Healthy Potato Salad is a Summer Favorite!
Potato Salad Can Be Made Many Ways! I cannot imagine a summer cookout, picnic or simple dinner without homemade potato salad. Can you? I used to make it with mayo and then, at some point, started using light mayo for a healthy twist. After that, I put an even healthier twist on my recipe by using plain and nonfat, Greek style yogurt. And, lately, I've hit on a tasty recipe for potato salad where I don't use mayo at all. Or Greek yogurt either. Instead, I'm going the vinaigrette route and jazzing it up with fresh chopped herbs, garlic and a little mustard. My recipe is below. Potato Salad … [Read more...] about Healthy Potato Salad is a Summer Favorite!
Summer Vegetables Give You Good Nutrition & Dipping Fun!
Fresh Summer Vegetables! I'm not sure which summer month is my favorite for fresh vegetables - probably July. I'm joyful and overwhelmed at the same time when I see all my choices. I'm also grateful for farmers who work so hard to grow all that good nutrition. There's tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, fennel, carrots, peppers, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, eggplant, later season leafy greens and more. Sorting Out All Those Vegetables! There is only one way I've found to sort out July's fresh vegetables. Whether you shop at the grocery store, a fresh market, a Farmer's market … [Read more...] about Summer Vegetables Give You Good Nutrition & Dipping Fun!
Salad Creations With Salad Dressing You Can Make for Great Nutrition and Great Taste!
Salad Creations - Use Your Imagination! I love the crunch of a fresh salad. Do you? Sometimes I use leafy salad greens with grated carrots, olives and tiny tomatoes on top of my salad. Other times I use finely sliced red or green cabbage with diced sweet Bell peppers, cucumber and artichoke hearts on top. When I'm feeling super creative and super hungry, I use all of the above plus canned tuna or crumbled feta cheese on my salad. Yum. The cool thing about salads is that just about anything goes so use your imagination! Salad Dressing To Make Yourself! Let's face it - bottled salad … [Read more...] about Salad Creations With Salad Dressing You Can Make for Great Nutrition and Great Taste!
It’s Back-to-School with a Healthy Breakfast!
August 2013 Easy Solutions: Breakfast is How Every Day Starts for the Best! I’m a hard-core believer in breakfast. I guess it goes back to my growing up years when I was not allowed to leave for school without eating a decent breakfast (Thanks, Mom!) As an adult, I gradually realized that when I ate a hearty and healthy breakfast, I had a better supply of energy all morning long. Not only that, I felt more alert and my stomach didn’t growl as much. When my son went to school, I fed him a hearty breakfast to wake him up and fuel him up. Breakfast is an essential spark that wakes … [Read more...] about It’s Back-to-School with a Healthy Breakfast!