Entries Tagged 'Diet' ↓

Lately, almost every woman’s magazine and website I read is proclaiming “How to Lose Weight After 40″ as if they’re some secret formula to losing weight. Yes, after 40 your metabolism slows down but when I read the articles it all boils down to calories in versus calories out. The best advice I’ve taken from […]

Writing Nag’s Pear and Cranberry Chutney
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Bartlett pears, peeled and cut into small dice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into small dice
1 small onion, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 cups water
1 1/2-2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground […]

I just posted a holiday recipe for Spicy Penne. Why is is just a holiday recipe? The amount of bacon used may be a little over the top for many people’s diets but in small quantities or the portion size most Italians eat it make this spicy pasta a great first course. Adding more hot […]

How is it possible that Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away? I just heard that some malls and stores will now be opening on Thanksgiving day just so we can start the season a little earlier. I avoid the shopping craziness by buying only at local shops or online. But along with the shopping […]

Although I love the bounty of summer fruits and vegetables, autumn has always been my favorite season . My introduction to seasonal cooking was when I first read Perla Meyers The Seasonal Kitchen: A Return to Fresh Foods. I was just starting as a chef in a small cafe in Connecticut and I wanted to […]

An occasional treat definitely figures into a healthy eating plan. And it incorporates two heart healthy favorites, oatmeal and pumpkin. You can experiment with this recipe to make it healthier. Try substituting whole wheat or oat flour; use less sugar or try it with honey.
Quick & Easy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup low-fat […]

Question: When the pumpkins are on sale I make a good hefty soup with them, but I’d like them to last longer. If I leave them in the kitchen, after a few weeks they die. How do I store them to make them last?

Pumpkins are keepers if you store them correctly. My guess is […]

Adding yoga to your healthy eating plan has many advantages. If you’re stuck at home like I’ve been all week, it’s easy to do. If you’re just starting out I recommend working with a yoga teacher at first until you’re comfortable or take a beginning class. Many yoga studios offer a few classes free so […]

It’s not surprising that most school lunch programs are too high in fat and sugar. With childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes at an all time high, we can’t ignore what our children are choosing to eat. Instead of throwing your children into the marketing mayhem with no education, make it part of the curriculum. […]

Simple Split Pea Soup

2 cups dried split peas
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, small dice
2 stalks celery, include tops finely chopped
3 large carrots, finely diced
1 tsp thyme
3 or 4 bay leaves
1 pound turkey sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. fennel and/or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper for a spicier soup

1. […]

This month’s Cooking Light magazine had a beautiful picture of soup on the cover. Chicken, pasta, and chickpea stew. Great marketing because even though I make a pretty good bowl I’m always looking for new recipes, and I picked up a copy. Now that autumn is here, I start thinking soup. For starters, the farmers […]

Things I did right

Chose fruit over processed sugar most of the week.
Ate 5 smaller meals throughout the week.
4 days of exercise.
Adding stretching to my weekly exercise. Adding yoga next week.
Journaled food and exercise.
Adding healthy soups to meals to feel fuller and increase vegetable consumption. Look for recipes on Sunday’s post.

Things I’m still working on.

Mindless eating.
Increasing […]

Healthy Mediterranean Cooking
by Rena Salaman
If you judge a book by its cover you might have already picked up this beautiful color cookbook with a simple but enticing photograph of fresh fig slices and fresh marinated mozzarella on the cover. The photographs throughout the book by photographer Gus Filgate complement author Rena Salaman’s simple and healthy […]

Today was my weigh in… I needed a starting point, after a vacation where I let go of my healthy eating habits. Although I’ve been choosing more whole foods, drinking copious amounts of water, and eating every few hours to boost my metabolism (which means 5 0r 6 small meals a day) I’m still […]

1. Choose whole foods over processed foods. Apples over apple juice. Banana’s over banana bread.
2. Eat more whole grains. Discover new ones and ways to cook them.
3. Think vegetarian meals more often, the healthiest diets in the world are mostly vegetarian diets.
4. Choose fruits and vegetables for snacks. Shop at the local farmer’s markets to […]