Greetings!
Happy Taco Tuesday! I've got a lot of catching up to do!
Today's post is going to be all about the latest project I've been working on with the Wellness City Challenge. After hours working in the kitchen learning the simple, yet powerful tips of cooking healthy, it's time to Eat! And Learn too!
You're invited to my blog version of an "Eat and Learn". By the end of this blog, I hope you'll feel empowered to make better choices when buying food at the store.
First, I'll introduce the Healthy Eating Guidelines. You may recognize them from my previous post about the Wellness City Challenge.
1. No sugar in the first 3 ingredients or it's considered a dessert! There are over 40 different names for sugar, including my favorite, high fructose corn syrup. Others include organic evaporated cane sugar, dextrose, and even honey!
Here is a link to a very interesting talk about sugar by Dr. Lustig, from UCSF.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
2. 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories. Look for a "whole grain" as the first ingredient. Rice, barley, quinoa, and corn all count as whole grains.
3. No trans-fat! This one might be obvious, as they've made it clear on the labels, but still check the ingredient list to make sure there are no partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fat has been linked with heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes!
If you make these three simple changes when shopping for food, you'll be surprised by the impact is has on your long-term health!
Now, the above rules apply to processed foods that require a label. The ultimate goal is to eat less processed foods and more whole foods.
Whole foods include: fruits, vegetables, roots and whole grains, legumes and animal protein (dairy, eggs, and meat)
This is where I give you a recipe for a whole food meal that you can make for yourself (since I can't jump through the computer and bring it to you!). It's an example of what a healthy meal looks like. No added sugar. All REAL FOOD!
Tonight's Dinner: Poached Salmon with Roasted Veggies, Green Salad with Feta, Strawberries, and Slivered almonds, and Creamy Polenta
So there you have it, 3 simple rules and a healthy meal to get you headed in the right direction! I'd love to hear your comments as you begin to follow the guidelines!
Now, going back to my original blog entry, I'm starting up the sustainable Taco Tuesday Challenge again but with a new twist.
Goal: Create a different meal (for 4) each week, for $10 or less, that contains all whole foods, with at least half coming from local farms. I'd like to get to 100% local and seasonal, but half is a goods start!
Recipes for Tonight's Dinner
Roasted Veggies
Ingredients
Carrots, largely chopped
Zucchini, largely chopped
White or Yellow onions, largely chopped
Brussels Sprouts, each cut in half
Red and yellow bell peppers, largely chopped
Small mushrooms, whole
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), 3 T.
Sea Salt
Directions
1. Rinse and chop all vegetables (“Jungle Cut”—2 in. thick wedges).
2. Mix veggies in bowl with EVOO and a little bit of salt.
3. Line a sheet pan with veggies.
4. Roast in oven at 450 degrees until lightly browned (about 40 minutes).
Fish
Ingredients
Wild Alaskan Salmon, Halibut, or Swordfish
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 T.
Sea Salt
Directions
1. Take fish out of packaging. Keep skin on.
2. Rub the fish with EVOO and salt.
3. Heat a saucepan on HIGH heat. Add 1 T. EVOO and 1 tsp. salt
4. Add fish to saucepan. (Keep the thickest fillet in the middle of the pan).
5. Turn over after about 6 minutes.
6. Take off heat when the fish becomes flaky.
Polenta
Ingredients
Packaged dry Polenta
5 Cups water
Directions
1. Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Lightly salt (like the Mediterranean Sea).
2. Turn to LOW.
3. Whisk in 1 cup polenta, slowly but consistently.
4. Stir every 10 minutes for 1 hr. (The goal is for the grains to open up, so that they are neither hard nor mushy).
Green Salad with Strawberries, Feta, and Slivered Almonds
Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce, torn into bite size peices
Strawberries, sliced
Feta, crumbled
Slivered Almonds
Dressing: Mix equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
1. Wash lettuce and strawberries.
2. Tear lettuce into bite size pieces, put in bowl.
3. Add strawberries, feta, and almonds.
4. Drizzle with olive oil/balsamic mixture just before serving.
ENJOY!!!
Thanks for reading!
