Mushrooms & Pennsylvania When I went to middle school, my family moved from Washington State to southeastern Pennsylvania. That was when I began learning about mushrooms. My mother got into the habit of giving a big basket of fresh mushrooms as a holiday or special occasion gift which might sound odd, unless you know Pennsylvania mushrooms! Mushrooms 101: Nutrition & Health Like so many veggies, mushrooms have a strong nutrition resume. Some of their top nutrients include selenium, copper and potassium along with fiber and health-enhancing phytochemicals. Mushrooms are low … [Read more...] about Mighty Mushrooms Make Healthy Meals!
Pumpkins Make Healthy Eating Tasty & Fun!
What Can I Do with Pumpkins? * Decorate your front door step with pumpkins throughout the fall * Carve pumpkins into funny faces at Halloween * Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and make oven-roasted pumpkin seeds that are a crisp and hearty snack * Scoop out and cook the pumpkin flesh until soft, puree it and use in a muffin recipe or soup recipe * Oven-bake a small pumpkin, whole, and then use the flesh as a side dish on your dinner plate or any way you wish Make Pumpkin Your New Healthy Habit! You will be doing yourself a big favor by adding pumpkin and its 'fall squash … [Read more...] about Pumpkins Make Healthy Eating Tasty & Fun!
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!
Back-to-School with a Healthier and Cheaper Sandwich!
Are you tired of sandwiches? After the first week of kindergarten, my son came home and said to me, "Mom, I'm tired of sandwiches." Oh boy, I thought, what else can I use as the anchor to his healthy bag lunch? I pulled out all my most creative thoughts and came up with things like whole grain crackers with cheese, bread sticks with peanut butter and honey to dip, and a rolled sandwich on a tortilla. Are you tired of the same old sandwich? Unlike my son, I have always been more-or-less a sandwich lover. But I get tired of the same old sandwich. I vary it between tuna salad, hummus and … [Read more...] about Back-to-School with a Healthier and Cheaper Sandwich!