February 2013
Easy Solutions:
A warm bowl of soup is your dinner solution! Click here to learn more about healthy homemade soups.
Click here to read more blogs by Cindy.
Seasonal Choice: Meatless Meals!
It’s Heart Month and one smart plan for keeping your heart healthy is to incorporate meatless meals into your repertoire for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that everyone becomes a vegetarian. But, I am suggesting that you add one or more meatless meals to your weekly plan and your meal table. It’s a great way to focus on the kinds of ingredients that keep your heart fit.
Meal planning for meatless meals is not difficult. All it takes is a few substitutions:
Breakfast: Replace bacon, ham or sausage with a small handful of nuts or a tablespoon of nut butter. Nut butter includes peanut butter, almond butter, soynut butter, all of which are deelicious.
Lunch: Replace roast beef or turkey in your sandwich with chickpea hummus or sauteed Bell peppers, mushrooms and/or eggplant. Stack on the veggies, too, such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots. Then, sprinkle with herbs and drizzle with olive oil. Yum.
Dinner: Replace a ground beef hamburger with a veggie burger. Replace chicken chili with a vegetarian bean or lentil chili. Experiment with whole grains, too, such as brown and wild rice, quinoa and whole wheat pasta. They all taste amazingly good with a Marinara sauce (see recipe below)…and, so does spaghetti squash.
Easy Recipes For Everyone!
Homemade Marinara Spaghetti Sauce
This rich and tasty red sauce will make the whole kitchen smell good! Kids can help by measuring the ingredients, tearing the basil leaves and stirring, with supervision.
Makes 2 servings
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup Crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Water
Pinch Red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon Salt
4 Fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- Heat a medium-size skillet or frying pan on the stove to medium heat.
- Place olive oil and garlic into the pan. When garlic begins to sizzle, cook about 3-4 minutes, stirring. Garlic will turn golden.
- Add crushed tomatoes and all remaining ingredients to the pan.
- Cover pan with a lid and simmer over low heat, stirring once every 5-10 minutes.
- Simmer sauce for 45-60 minutes to develop flavors.
Nutrition per serving: 100 calories; 7 gm fat; 1 gm saturated fat; 0 trans fat; 0 cholesterol; 300 mg sodium; 9 gm carbohydrates; 2 gm fiber, 2 gm protein; 15% DV vitamin A; 20% DV vitamin C; 4% DV calcium; 8% DV iron
Cooking Tip: For a change, add 6-8 sliced mushrooms or a cup of leftover, cooked broccoli florets.
Copyright 2011 – Cindy Silver, Registered Dietitian, LLC. www.marketbasketnutrition.com
Kugel Noodle Pudding
This creamy and satisfying noodle dish works as an entree or tasty side dish. Kids can help by measuring the ingredients and stirring everything up, with supervision.
Makes 12 servings
16 ounces Wide egg noodles, dry
2 tablespoons Butter
4 ounces Cream cheese, fat free type
3/4 cup Cottage cheese, 1%
3/4 cup Yogurt, plain, nonfat skim
|1/4 cup Milk, nonfat skim
6 large Eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Raisins
6 small-medium Apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well.
- While noodles are warm, add butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt. Stir.
- Add all other ingredients. Stir.
- Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan lightly with cooking oil spray.
- Add noodle mixture to pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, if desired.
- Cook 1 hour until heated through and golden on the top.
- Cool.
- Eat warm or refrigerate, covered, and eat cold.
Note: Kugel Noodle Pudding freezes well.
Nutrition per serving: 260 calories; 6 gm fat; 2.5 saturated fat; 0 trans fat; 125 mg cholesterol; 160 mg sodium; 45 gm carbohydrates; 2 gm fiber; 10 gm protein; 6% DV vitamin A; 6% vitamin C; 10% DV calcium; 8% DV iron
Money Saving Tip: Make this recipe using apples sold in the bulk bag!
Copyright 2011 – Cindy Silver, Registered Dietitian, LLC. www.marketbasketnutrition.com
Nutrition Inspiration!
Where do you get inspiration to eat nutritiously? Outdoor farmer’s markets may be found all over the world and their colors and freshness are a feast for your eyes and your meal plate. This market is in Salzburg, Austria. You may notice there are a lot of root vegetables and squash for sale and it makes perfect sense since it was late in November. Does this give you any new ideas for making roasted vegetables or a hearty vegetarian stew for a tasty family meal? I hope so!
Take Action Now!
Jump on board with a healthier lifestyle for you and your family! Please LIKE my facebook page and read my weekly blog for everyday solutions to a healthier meal plan, grocery list and home kitchen. And, be sure to bookmark my website as a trusted destination for tasty and sensible nutrition and wellness information.
Please note that I am an in-network provider of nutritional counseling for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.* I am accepting new clients in January 2013 and will be delighted to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals. Contact Cindy to find out more or to set up your first appointment!
*Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Wishing you a Happy Heart Month!
Cindy