Archive for grains/oats/wheats

6 foods that fight pain

2012/05/14 at 00:00 · Filed under bean/soy/tofu, beverage, caffeine, cooking, education, food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, health, nuts, seafood-fish, spices/herbs, tv/web, vegetable/fruit-savory, yogurt

instead of taking medication, changing one’s diet can help fight pain.

  1. Anti-inflammatory herbs and spices:
    turmeric, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, tart cherry, curry rosemary
  2. Non-animal sources of protein:
    fish (canned salmon, black cod, tuna, sardines, halibut, mackerel, herring, anchovies), legumes, dried beans (lentils, soybeans, black beans), grains (quinoa, millet, spelt), and plant (pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flaxseed)
  3. Healthy fats:
    coconut oil, olive oil, grape-seed oil, avocado, ground flax, nu butters, omega-3 fortified eggs
  4. Wide variety of plants:
    kale, whole grains, beans, lentils; whole rainbow: dark green, red, orange, yellow, blue and purple fruits and vegetables; whites (cauliflower, garlic, onion); blacks (black beans)
  5. Probiotics:
    any yogurt containing live cultures (check for Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. bifidus) and any fermented food (kimchee, sauerkraut, kefir
  6. Water and other anti-inflammatory beverages:
    water, green tea, black tea, coffee

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read article on Yahoo! Health by Paula Spencer Scott for Caring.com: 6 Foods That Fight Pain

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healthy crust salmon

2012/04/02 at 00:00 · Filed under cooking, food, grains/oats/wheats, healthy, lactose-intolerant, recipe, seafood-fish, spices/herbs

since the flaxseed mixture from the healthier nuggets recipe has so many healthy ingredients, i didn’t want any of it to go to waste.

so i added the remaining flaxseed mixture as a healthy crust to  my salmon steak. it works really well together! have it on a light arugula salad and you have a well balanced and delicious meal!

Ingredients

For the salmon

  • leftover flaxseed mixture from healthier nuggets recipe
  • 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning, optional
  • 1 salmon steak
  • sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the salad

  • 1 bag of arugula
  • juice of 1 lemon – or lime
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Dressing seasoning
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Place salmon steak on the parchment paper and lightly salt and pepper. Coat the salmon steak with the flaxseed mixture. Top with parsley and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, Italian Dressing seasoning, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Add arugula and toss.

On individual plates, put a heaping of salad. Top with a slice of salmon. Enjoy!

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modification of healthier nuggets with salmon

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herbed quinoa and mango salad

2012/04/01 at 01:00 · Filed under cooking, food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, healthy, lactose-intolerant, nuts, recipe, salad, spices/herbs, vegetable/fruit-savory, vegetarian

to go with my healthier nuggets, i found this herbed quinoa and mango salad recipe while browsing new cookbooks.

this recipe was similar to the herbed quinoa recipe from giada that i made around two years ago. the main difference, it adds a little sweetness with mango.

in addition, i added a hot long green chili pepper instead of the mild long red chili pepper to bump up the spice. yum!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces quinoa
  • 2 cups organic low sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 mango
  • 1 cup pine nuts – or -
    1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 mild long fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped – or -
    1 hot long fresh green chilli pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Prepare quinoa per package instructions, substituting water for vegetable stock.

Cut mango into bite size chunks.

Toast pine nuts for a few minutes in a dry frying pan until golden brown. Remove from heat.

Transfer cooked quinoa to a bowl and add the mango, herbs and chili. pour the dressing over the quinoa, tossing lightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the salad to a plate. Serve.

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original recipe from Vegetarian Cooking: delicious meat-free dishes for every occasion, cookbook by Emma Summer

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healthier nuggets

2012/04/01 at 00:00 · Filed under cooking, cooking tips, egg, food, grains/oats/wheats, healthy, lactose-intolerant, meat-chicken/turkey, recipe, snacks/appetizers, tv/web

ever since i saw an episode of jamie oliver’s Food Revolution about how chicken nuggets are made, i have not been able to eat nuggets. but i do miss them … so this recipe sounds healthy and young snacking fun!

this crust is a mixture of oat, quinoa and flaxseed, all high in fiber, protein and iron. to make these nuggets spicy, i added some leftover Emeril’s Essence into the crust mixture. it added an awesome kick to these nuggets!

give these healthy nuggets a try!

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce organic free range ground chicken or turkey
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup quinoa flakes**
  • 1/3 cup golden flaxseed meal
  • 1/3 cup oat flour**
  • 1 tablespoon Emeril’s Essence, optional***
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot* – or -
    1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon safflower oil, divided – or -
    1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place chicken in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using a 1-oz. melon baller, scoop out 26 portions of chicken, transferring them to prepared baking sheet as you go. Chill chicken on sheet for 20 minutes.

Combine quinoa flakes, flaxseed meal, and flour (and essence, for a spicy kick) in a small bowl. Place arrowroot in another small bowl. Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Gently press chicken portions to flatten slightly.

Keeping dry ingredients with right hand and wet ingredients with left hand, coat chicken portions one at a time:

  1. use left hand to pick up chicken portion and put into the arrowroot bowl
  2. use right hand to coat the chicken with arrowroot and move into the egg whites bowl
  3. use left hand to remove chicken from egg whites and move to the flaxseed mixture
  4. use right hand to dredge in flaxseed mixture and then put coated chicken back to the baking sheet

Repeat this process all of the chicken portions are coated

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken nuggets and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Transfer nuggets back to baking sheet and cook in oven for 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

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original recipe on Yahoo! Shine by Tricia Williams for bon appétit magazine: Junk Food Makeover: Healthier Chicken Nuggets

INGREDIENT INFO:
* Arrowroot, a thickening agent, is available in the spice section of many supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Asian markets.
** Quinoa flakes can be hard to find so I substituted quinoa flakes with quinoa flour – and – oat flour with oat bran. With this substitution, I used 1/3 cup quinoa flour and 1/4 cup of oat bran.
*** For a spicy kick, add Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning to the flaxseed mixture.

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sesame snap peas

2012/03/25 at 01:00 · Filed under cooking, food, grains/oats/wheats, healthy, lactose-intolerant, recipe, vegetable/fruit-savory, vegetarian

one of my favorite pretzels are these 100% whole wheat sesame pretzels. the only problem with them and most pretzel snacks is that they are too salty. with most pretzels, it’s easy to remove the salt but with the sesame pretzels, if you remove the salt, you also remove the sesame seeds so you have to do it slowly. but no matter how carefully you do it, at the end of each bag is a lot of remaining sesame seeds and salt. so i’ve been saving them for future recipes and here is one.

i was browsing through some cookbooks at the bookstore and found one from two ladies who created quick recipes with products from trader joes. i briefly saw a sesame snap pea recipe that was so simple: sesame seeds, snap peas and a third ingredient i don’t remember.

anyhoo, it reminded me of my saved sesame salt from my pretzels so i picked up a bag of snap peas and tried out a version of their recipe. since i didn’t read the directions from the cookbook, i just stir fried them with oil and it came out pretty good! i’ll have take another look at the cookbook to see if other recipes are just as simple and maybe i’ll pick it up to add to my cookbook collection – so far the first recipe i tried was a hit!

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce snap peas
  • 2 teaspoon sesame seed salt, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

In a medium sized pan, heat up the oil in medium heat. Add snap peas and sesame salt, toss and cover pan for 1-2 minutes, allowing the steam to cook the snap peas. Remove cover and toss until snap peas are cooked!

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inspired by a recipe from The Cooking With Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Dinner’s Done! cookbook by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati

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chocolate chip banana pecan pancakes

2012/03/10 at 00:00 · Filed under bread/crackers/muffin, chocolate, cooking, cooking tips, food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, healthy, lactose-intolerant, nuts, recipe, tv/web, vegetarian

m was being adventurous and found this chocolate chip banana pecan pancakes recipe. i’ll admit i was skeptical bcuz i’ve never been a fan of the chocolate and banana combo.

but these pancakes combines the flavors and textures of the ingredients perfectly so you have some melted chocolate, soft warm banana and crunchy pecans with each bite. skip the whipped cream and syrup on this one – it’s so tasty with just the right amount of sweetness that you don’t need anything else!

it’s a wonderful – and healthy – way to start the morning (or weekend afternoon)!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose 100% whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • a pinch of sea salt*
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large banana, diced
  • 1/2 cup miniature semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup chopped raw pecans
  • cooking spray
  • walnuts, optional

Preparation

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set bowl aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the skim milk, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix the batter. Gently fold in the banana, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Top with additional banana slices and walnuts, if desired.

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original recipe from allrecipes.com: Chunky Monkey Pancakes

Prep note:
* If the butter you are using is salted, do not add salt to the mix otherwise the pancakes will taste too salty!

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10 easy ways to meet dietary guidelines

2012/02/01 at 00:00 · Filed under bean/soy/tofu, education, food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, health, seafood-fish, tv/web, vegetable/fruit-savory, yogurt

The majority of Americans are overweight or are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.

Here are the super-simplified, main take-home messages of the 2010 guidelines:

  • Balance your calories: Balance what you eat with what you burn (through just living and breathing and also through exercise) to maintain – or obtain – a healthy weight.
  • Eat more of these foods: Fruits and vegetables; whole grains; fat-free or low-fat dairy; a variety of protein-rich foods, such as poultry, tofu and lean meats and, particularly, seafood; and foods that provide potassium, dietary fiber, calcium and vitamin D (which should be easy to get when you eat the foods just mentioned).
  • Eat less of these: Sodium (less than 2,300 milligrams per day for most Americans); saturated fat (less than 10 percent of calories); dietary cholesterol (less than 300 milligrams daily); trans fat; added sugars; refined grains; and alcohol (up to 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men).

The true challenge is actually implementing the dietary guidelines into your everyday life. Below are some of my tips and tricks to help you do so:

  1. Calculate how many calories you need. To balance what you take in with what you expend (read: maintain your current weight), it’s essential that you know just how many calories your body needs. Use this simple calculation:
    YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT X 12 = calories needed to maintain your weight
    [Note: This calculation works best for people who are fairly inactive. If you exercise regularly and you find that you’re starving - or losing more than 2 pounds a week after the first couple weeks - you may need to bump up calories a tad.]
  2. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. A simple way to eat more is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal.
  3. Simplify. Take a few shortcuts and add chopped fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables (frozen is an equally healthy choice and is cost-effective, especially in winter) and packaged low-fat dairy products (two food groups you should eat more of) to your shopping cart.
  4. Eat breakfast. Regular breakfast eaters get more good-for-you nutrients, including fiber, calcium, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, zinc and iron and less dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. If dairy is a challenge, try a fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Try oatmeal for more whole grains. Make that oatmeal with milk and you’ll get some calcium. Knock off a serving of fruit by keeping frozen or dried fruit on hand and mixing it in.
  5. Plan and pack healthy snacks. Instead of giving in to unhealthy options in the office vending machine or candy in the checkout aisle of the grocery store, aim for your snack to deliver food and nutrients that you typically fall short on.
  6. Swap butter for oil. An easy way to immediately cut back on how much saturated fat you eat is to trade your solid fats (butter and lard) for liquid fat, or oils. Think beyond the bread basket: for example, try canola oil in place of butter when cooking and avocado in place of mayonnaise in sandwiches.
  7. Go meatless once a week. Skipping meat and poultry just one day a week can help you cut your saturated-fat intake significantly. And because we often trade meat and poultry for vegetarian protein sources (think: beans, soy, nuts), we’re naturally getting more good-for-you nutrients like fiber.
  8. Think differently about dessert. Shift your focus to what type of dessert you’re choosing. For example, a fruit-based dessert will tame your sweet tooth and deliver a serving of fruit.
  9. Cook fish on the day you grocery shop. Pick up some salmon on the day you do your weekly grocery shopping and cook it that night. If you have some canned chunk light tuna or canned sardines for lunch later in the week you’ll easily meet the weekly 8-ounce fish recommendation. Vary what you pick up each week (the Dietary Guidelines recommend increasing both the amount and variety of seafood you eat).
  10. Seek out packaged foods with less salt. It’s recommended that most Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day (sounds like a lot, but it’s actually the amount of sodium in just 1 teaspoon of table salt). Adults 51 years and over and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should limit their sodium even more to just 1,500 milligrams daily. On average, Americans currently consume 3,400 milligrams – most of it hidden in processed foods. When buying soups and other canned goods, look for those labeled “no salt added” or “low sodium ” (means no more than 140 mg per 100 grams, or about 336 mg per cup).

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read article by Brierley Wright for EatingWell Magazine: 10 easy ways to meet the new Dietary Guidelines

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foods to help you sleep better

2012/01/17 at 00:00 · Filed under food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, health, rice/noodles, seafood-fish, tv/web, yogurt

adding certain foods to your diet may help to increase your odds of a successful slumber:

  1. Fish: Most fish-and especially salmon, halibut and tuna-boast vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone triggered by darkness)
  2. Jasmine rice: When healthy sleepers ate carbohydrate-rich suppers of veggies and tomato sauce over rice, they fell asleep significantly faster at bedtime if the meal included high-glycemic-index (GI) jasmine rice
  3. Tart cherry juice: In a small study, melatonin-rich tart cherry juice was shown to aid sleep.
  4. Yogurt: Dairy products like yogurt and milk boast healthy doses of calcium-and there’s research that suggests being calcium-deficient may make it difficult to fall asleep
  5. Whole grains: Bulgur, barley and other whole grains are rich in magnesium-and consuming too little magnesium may make it harder to stay asleep

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read article on Yahoo! Shine by Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D for EatingWell Magazine: 5 Foods to Help You Sleep Better

* see post on foods to avoid
* see post on timeline for better sleep

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foods for flat abs

2012/01/13 at 00:00 · Filed under food, grains/oats/wheats, health, tv/web, vegetable/fruit-savory, yogurt

here are some foods that may help trim fat from the abs.

  1. Plain or Greek yogurt:
    The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy, which translates into a lower incidence of gas, bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat.
  2. Whole grains:
    A calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline.
  3. Cruciferous vegetables: That means, broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peppers, and yellow beans, which contain vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, and fiber.
  4. Monounsaturated fats: New research indicates that a diet high in monounsaturated fats like olive oil can help us lose some of that belly fat, even without changing calorie intake or adding in additional exercise
  5. Vinegar:
    Vinegar’s acetic acid, which may switch on genes that pump out proteins that break down fat.

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read article on Yahoo! Shine from SHAPE Magazine: The 5 Best Foods for Flat Abs

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ten power foods

2012/01/11 at 00:00 · Filed under bean/soy/tofu, food, fruit/vegetable-sweet, grains/oats/wheats, health, seafood-fish, tv/web, vegetable/fruit-savory

here are ten gotta-eats to throw in your cart every time for a longer, slimmer, happier life:

  1. Apples
  2. Bananas
  3. Beans
  4. Berries
  5. Cabbage
  6. Canned salmon
  7. Kale
  8. Kiwi
  9. Oatmeal
  10. Papaya

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read article on Yahoo! Shine from Redbook: 10 Power Foods to Eat More, More, More Of

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