Showing posts with label Health/Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health/Fitness. Show all posts

Friday, September 23, 2011

Food 101: Three Ways to Wake Up Side Dishes

So I love to cook, but sometimes I don't have time to make everything from scratch. I thought I'd share a few of my go to sides and "wake up" tips to add flavor and a "made from scratch" taste:









1. Frozen Corn - try heating it up in basil butter (use food processor to chop 2 cups of fresh basil, add some softened butter and mix together, then toss it in the pan and add the corn, and salt and pepper to taste--delicioso!





2. Frozen Mixed Vegetables (green beans, corn, carrots, peas)- add a few tablespoons of pesto (I love Classico brand) and a few sprinkles of parmesian cheese. BOOM!








3. Couscous/Rice Pilaf/Brown Rice - add some herb de provence/dried Italian seasoning, fresh diced tomato, and/or fresh chopped Italian parsley, salt and pepper to taste.







4. Frozen Pizza (I use Kashi because they are whole grain) - I'll add fresh sliced tomato, basil, fresh cracked pepper and my own selection of other veggies (mushrooms, red pepper, baby spinach) to make it more healthy.








5. Eggs- Add fresh chopped rosemary, salt and pepper to taste--its a very posh way to have gourmet flavor in a quick breakfast staple.











These are just the ones I can think of that I use most often. If you can think of any other quick tips...add them in the comments! I'd love to hear some more good ideas!








Love,





Rose








Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Food 101: Healthy or A Play On Words?

Hola!


These days it is "in" to be a healthy eater, and trust me, every company in the food industry knows that! This is why many companies skate around the topic of true nutritional content and use "consumer friendly" labels to trick us like "all natural". Yeah that means absolutely nothing--and if you read a little farther on the label, it is usually full of processed ingredients and things you can't even pronounce! Another trick is "whole wheat" when what you really want is "whole grain wheat".

Although learning how to decipher labels/nutrition facts is integral if you are going to eat well, I'm just going to focus on a little trick I just learned the other day.

Ever heard of The Whole Grains Council? They make it easier for us shoppers (especially in a rush) to quickly locate foods that are truly good for us. They do this by slapping on a "Whole Grain Stamp" (see photo) which means that what is inside has been approvel by the council and truly has whole grains.

As expained on their website, there are two different varieties of Stamp, the Basic Stamp and the 100% Stamp. If a product bears the 100% Stamp, then all its grain ingredients are whole grains. If a product bears the Basic Stamp, it contains at least 8 grams – a half serving – of whole grain, but may also contain some refined grain.

Each Stamp also shows a number, telling you how many grams of whole grain ingredients are in a serving of the product. BOOM! So start checking your boxes for this magic little stamp. Be sure to look thoroughly as sometimes its on the bottom of the box or the top/side/back.

This stamp applies to more than just breads, but also: cereals (hot and cold), pastas, rice, tortillas/wraps, dairy, frozen/prepared entrees, flour, baking mixes, soups, waffle/pancake mix, snack bars and a bunch of others!

Here are some of the brands that I found to have these labels:

Nature's Pride breads
Ronzoni pastas
Post/Kellogg cereals
Kashi products
Annie's homegrown
Barbera's bakery
Quaker Oats
Sunbelt
Earth's Best
Nature's Path
Otis Spunkmeyer
Whole Foods Markets


Eat well and prosper!

Love,

Rose

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Food 101: Dish of the month - Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula

Going along with the summer theme--here is the recipe I am attempting to make tomorrow evening. Its great for summer because it is light and refreshing, yet decadent (according to Giada).

I am going to spice mine up a little more by adding salmon instead of tilapia. Aren't they pretty!?



Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula

Ingredients
Wonton cups:

* 12 (3 1/4 by 3 1/4-inch square) wonton wrappers*
* 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Filling:

* 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
* 3 tilapia fillets (about 8 ounces total), cut into 3/4-inch pieces
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1 mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 3 green onions, finely chopped
* 3 cups coarsely chopped baby arugula

Dressing:

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
* Kosher salt

Creme fraiche:

* 1/2 cup creme fraiche
* 1 tablespoon wasabi powder*
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

*Can be found in Asian markets

Special equipment: a 12-count nonstick muffin pan

For the wonton cups: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a pastry brush, brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil. Gently press the wonton wrappers into the bottom and sides of a 12-count muffin pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently lift the wonton cups out of the pan and cool completely, about 10 minutes.

For the filling: In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle the tilapia fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Season with salt, to taste. Add the avocado, mango, green onions, and arugula. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

For the creme fraiche: In a small bowl, mix together the creme fraiche, wasabi powder and salt until smooth.

To assemble the tacos: Put the wonton cups on a platter and divide the avocado mixture into the cups. Top each with 3 to 4 pieces of fish. Spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of the creme fraiche mixture on top of the fish and serve.

Cook's Note: The wonton wrappers can burn very quickly in the oven so check them after 5 minutes.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Health/Fitness: Summer Time Workout Plans


Ok it is officially summer now and guess what needs some extra attention? Your body! Time to get in shape so you can be confident in that new bathing suit you have been eyeing! Spending just 20-30 minutes 3 times a week will have you back in shape in no time!

One of my favorite people to follow is Jackie Warner—she was the star of that Bravo show Work Out—and her workouts BURN, and yield results! Luckily, everyone with a computer can have access to her videos (as well as over 165 videos on abs alone) on www.exercisetv.tv. Click “workout videos” (so if abs aren’t what you need, you can find a video that best suits you!)


Exercise TV also offers a free 14 day cycle work out plan to get you jump started if you need an extra push…just click “workout plans”

Here are some of the ab workouts I have done by Jackie Warner (I know, isn't she scary looking!?):









Clam


Plank


And here is a video I found of her running through some basic ab techniques to try, as well as some helpful tips to lose weight… including how to speed up your metabolism by adding fresh lemon juice to your water and drinking at least 3 liters of water per day…




If you don't want to watch a video, and just want to print some things to add to your gym routine, here is an abdominal circuit a friend shared with me this week:

ABDOMINAL CIRCUIT




Happy workout!!

Love,
Rose

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