My 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, had been wanting quiche so one morning when my husband asked me to make breakfast for him, I took care of both requests by inventing a new recipe. It made enough for our whole family and was absolutely delicious.
You can substitute anything for whatever pleases you more. Makes great leftovers too.
Preheat oven to 450.
1. Saute a bunch of sliced crimini mushrooms and 1 sliced leek in a tablespoon of Greek sheep’s butter in a large, cast iron skillet.
2. When those vegetables are softened, add 1 chopped fresh tomato.
3. Lay cut-up cooked broccoli over the veggies in the pan.
4. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of crumbled goat Feta cheese over the broccoli.
5. Stir 8 beaten eggs into about 4 cups of cooked Japanese rice and pour/spread it over everything.
6. Season with Adobo seasoning salt, freshly ground black pepper, and oregano.
7. Lay slices of leftover cooked sweet potatoes over the top.
8. Set the frying pan in the oven and let it bake for about a half hour or until it’s starting to brown.
9. Cut into wedges and serve.
Employ these strategies that have been found to be the winning formulas of those in the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR is the largest investigation of long-term, successful weight loss ever conducted. The registry has been tracking approximately 5,000 people since 1994.
1. The written word
Recording everything you put in your mouth will increase personal accountability and reveal problem areas. Adding in how you felt at each time you ate is helpful for discerning patterns of emotional eating.
2. Plan all eating ahead of time.
It’s crucial to have quick, tasty food at hand whenever you get hungry so that you aren’t faced with nothing but a selection of poor choices. Weekly planning, purchasing, and preparation is essential for success at eating healthy on a consistent basis.
3. Pay attention to portions.
Go heavy on low-calorie, highly nutritive fruits and vegetables, making them 50% of your meals. Let whole grains and lean protein make up the remainder. No foods must be forbidden, but indulgences in high-calorie goodies need to be small and infrequent.Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re like most people, when you think of collard greens there’s not a lot of interest. Collards rank with kale as the most nutrient dense vegetables you can buy, but neither is very popular with the average American.
One reason people don’t like them much is that the ones we commonly find in stores and roadside stands are large, tough, fully matured leaves. Also, most don’t know ways to cook these vegetables to make them really tasty.
We joined Annie’s Organic Buying Club a few weeks ago so that we can receive a variety of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables every week at wholesale prices. The food is so packed with flavor, very much like what I’ve grown in my former gardens.
This week’s treasure box included some young collard leaves along with a bunch of leeks.
Here’s how I made Stir-fry Collards with Leeks:
Wash and cut up greens.
Blanch in a big pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
Drain in colander.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wok and add greens.
Chop 1 or 2 leeks and add them to wok.
Stir-fry 2-3 minutes until veggies are tender.
Recently I had this for brunch with roasted sweet potatoes and it made a complete and delicious meal. [Cut up taters, toss with a little oil; bake in greased casserole, covered at 450 for 45-60 minutes or till tender and a little crispy at the edges.]
I put a pint of collards in a bowl with an equal amount of sweet potatoes on top. Topped it all with a 6-ounce container of Brown Cow cream-top yogurt. The creamy tart dairy against sweet and crispy taters together with succulent oniony tender greens - wow! Try it and you’ll agree, so good!
I actually brought this food into work in containers and ate it there. If you have a microwave and a refrigerator where you work, there’s no reason you can’t have home cooked lunches. Venture outside the box and enjoy fabulous food in unusual combinations!
I work for Haven Hospice as their dietitian and this year the employees were asked to contribute their strategies for keeping stress under control for the company newsletter. The following is my reply.
My biggest aid in stress management is exercise. All forms of physical activity work to release tension, elevate mood, and increase feelings of self efficacy, but some forms are easier and more effective than others. The fastest, simplest, and most powerful form of stress relief I’ve found is Chi Kung (pronounced chee-gong’).
You can find books, videos, and DVD’s on these ancient Chinese exercises, but it’s easiest to learn from a good teacher. I learned from Anthony Korahais (www.FlowingZen.com) who teaches at the Gainesville Wellness Center. I recommend his teaching highly; he has a free class every month so that people can see what it’s like.
When our family moved to Gainesville in 1992, I began taking yoga classes regularly. The release of tension and increase in energy I received was profound and I’ve been a practitioner ever since. However, yoga takes considerable time and it’s not considered particularly easy or fun. It generally requires 45 minutes to an hour of stretching to reach the stress-free zone.Read the rest of this entry »
I like to keep all kinds of fresh herbs in little plastic bags in the door of my freezer. That way we can conveniently add their gourmet flavor to our cooking.
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that herbs are an abundant source of potent antioxidant compounds. They recommend including more in the diet as an easy, tasty, and virtually no-calorie way to reduce risk for cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Science Daily published a summary of the study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The healthful chemicals in herbs exert their protective effect via two means. First, the antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals, thereby reducing inflammation and protecting our body tissues from oxidative damage. Another important function of the healthful phytochemicals in herbs is their ability to detoxify the body.Read the rest of this entry »
I found this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Cooking Light and when my daughter, Shena, said she’d make me anything I wanted for my recent 58th birthday, I excitedly brought out the magazine. Since I love cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and cooking with spirits, I knew this was going to be fabulous… and it was!
Since our family is large, we made two pies. One was finished off on Tuesday and the other we kept in the extra refrigerator in the garage until our Sunday family meal. It kept perfectly and was just as delicious!Read the rest of this entry »
Elevated blood pressure is a leading indicator of circulatory system dysfunction. When blood vessels contain the plaque of atherosclerosis, the unhealthy fats in our diet cause the red blood cells to clump together and move sluggishly instead of flowing freely. Additionally, the high-fat American diet causes arteries to spasm and constrict, further reducing blood flow for 4 to 6 hours after a meal.
Where arterial plaque exists, less space is available for blood to flow through. In addition, a loss of elasticity in the walls creates further resistance to blood flow. Consequently, the heart has to pump harder to force circulation through the narrow and stiff arteries. This causes pressure on the walls of the vessels to rise.Read the rest of this entry »
There currently is a growing trend for calorie disclosure of menu items. However, you can’t trust that these are accurate. A report on the lack of accuracy in restaurant calorie counts is in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and comes from research done at Tufts University .
Here are some of the findings:
An order of Szechuan-style asparagus from P.F. Chang’s, which was listed at 260 calories, actually contained 558. And the Taco Bell Chicken Taco Salad, listed as 326 calories, was actually 607 calories!
In some cases, serving size is the culprit. A side order of grits from Denny’s is listed at 86 calories. However, the 262-gram serving delivered to patrons is twice as large as the 113-gram serving on the menu. Total calories: 258.
Another problem is that low-calorie entrees often come with high-calorie side dishes that aren’t included in the counts for the dish. For example, the petite sirloin steak served at Ruby Tuesday’s is slightly under the posted calorie count of 271. However, it’s accompanied by broccoli and a baked potato, which add another 667 calories.
Consumers can expect restaurateurs to err on the side of lower calories and neglect to mention anything that could discourage buying. Just like it’s necessary to scrutinize labels in the grocery store to avoid harmful substances, a little detective work whenever you eat out is a good preventive health measure.
I planted an Amber Sweet Orange tree three years ago when we moved into our current home and a Pummelo the year after. They both produced quantities of fruit this winter. The orange (pictured in front of the vase of sesanquas) is easy to peel, very sweet and juicy.
Pummelos are related to grapefruit, but are much larger and have a sweeter, less acidic flavor. The sections are delicious, peeled and eaten out of hand - my children love them!
This also happens to be the season for cranberries. Because of their tartness, these amazing berries are rarely consumed except in sugar-filled sauces and baked goods.
Did you know that cranberries contain one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any fruit? Research conducted at the University of Scranton, Pa, found cranberries to contain the highest level of phenol antioxidants when compared to 19 other common fruits, including apples, grapes, strawberries, pineapples, citrus, and bananas.Read the rest of this entry »
The health benefits of olive oil are well substantiated by research and are due to a number of factors, including the type of fat (monosaturated) and antioxidant content. Additionally, there are a number of different types and grades of olive oil and only certain ones are protective. In Mediterranean countries where people use this oil as their primary fat and eat little meat, there are much lower rates of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Cardio-Protective
Studies reveal that when particles of LDL cholesterol contain monounsaturated fat from olive oil, they have greater resistance to becoming oxidized by free radicals and being converted into sticky lipid peroxides. Since only lipid peroxides are able to adhere to artery walls, protecting cholesterol molecules from oxidation is critical to reducing risk for cardiovascular disease.Read the rest of this entry »
Employ these strategies that have been found to be the winning formulas of those in the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR is the largest investigation of long-term, successful weight loss ever conducted. The registry has been tracking approximately 5,000 people since 1994.
I work for Haven Hospice as their dietitian and this year the employees were asked to contribute their strategies for keeping stress under control for the company newsletter. The following is my reply.
I like to keep all kinds of fresh herbs in little plastic bags in the door of my freezer. That way we can conveniently add their gourmet flavor to our cooking.
I found this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Cooking Light and when my daughter, Shena, said she’d make me anything I wanted for my recent 58th birthday, I excitedly brought out the magazine. Since I love cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and cooking with spirits, I knew this was going to be fabulous… and it was!
Elevated blood pressure is a leading indicator of circulatory system dysfunction. When blood vessels contain the plaque of atherosclerosis, the unhealthy fats in our diet cause the red blood cells to clump together and move sluggishly instead of flowing freely. Additionally, the high-fat American diet causes arteries to spasm and constrict, further reducing blood flow for 4 to 6 hours after a meal.
There currently is a growing trend for calorie disclosure of menu items. However, you can’t trust that these are accurate. A 
I planted an Amber Sweet Orange tree three years ago when we moved into our current home and a Pummelo the year after. They both produced quantities of fruit this winter. The orange (pictured in front of the vase of sesanquas) is easy to peel, very sweet and juicy.
The health benefits of olive oil are well substantiated by research and are due to a number of factors, including the type of fat (monosaturated) and antioxidant content. Additionally, there are a number of different types and grades of olive oil and only certain ones are protective. In Mediterranean countries where people use this oil as their primary fat and eat little meat, there are much lower rates of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
