January 28, 2010

Healthy Tip


Selecting meat....

Generally the leanest meat is chicken or fish. I don't cook with much fish because I cant afford it.

What do you do when you get sick of chicken. Go for the lean ground beef and ground turkey.

BUY IT ON SALE. I wait until the 93% lean ground beef goes on sale and buy them out!

I come home and cook 2/3 of it(strain and rinse):
1/3 of it into taco meat and store it in meal size portions in the freezer.
1/3 into plain, cooked ground beef in 1 lb portions and store it in the freezer.
the rest of it I store raw in 1 lb portions in the freezer.

93% lean Ground Turkey:
This is what I buy when I can't find the ground beef on sale (Wal-mart). It is generally under $2 a pound but it comes in those nasty plastic things. I usually come home and store in the same way I do the ground beef. In the pic above I found it at Sam's Club....YIPPEE!

January 23, 2010

Lean Mean Spaghetti Machine

Whole wheat pasta (i used linguine)
1/3 lb lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1/2 t. onion powder or 2 t. onion flakes
1 clove garlic
2 t Italian seasoning
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 cup black beans

Cook pasta according to directions. Brown meat and combine the rest of the ingredient in a sauce pan. heat until warm and then combine.

A green veggie such as salad or green beans would have been a better choice for this meal.

Children: Cut pasta into small pieces. Put sauce on top but drain some of the juice first.

January 21, 2010

Healthy Tip

I LOVE food!

...so when my husband suggested we share a Cafe Rio salad I thought he was CRAZY. I tried it and we will NEVER go back. Restaurants have such large portions and we have become accustom to it. Don't get me wrong my husband is a BIG eater....but we have found that we are completely satisfied when we only eat 1/2. I am not kidding. Every time we go out to eat, we split it. We have never gone away hungry. NEVER!

Try it, you may be a skeptic but you will never go back. PLUS you save $$$

January 16, 2010

Bananies


Loved! Loved! Loved! This idea. This comes from The Clay Family Blog. Click the link above and check it out!

Ingredients:
Sliced Banana
Peanut-butter
Graham Cracker

January 14, 2010

Pasta Primavera

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups whole-wheat noodles, uncooked
1 Chicken Breast cooked and cubed (optional)

Sauce:
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soft margarine
2 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

* Steam veggies until soft
* Cook noodles
* In a small saucepan, melt the margarine; stir in flour until well blended
* Gradually stir in milk, basil and pepper
* Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (about 10-15 min)
* Remove from heat and blend in cheese
* Pour sauce over hot veggies and chicken
* Add noodles to veggies and mix together

This serves 6. We had tons of left overs so if there are only 2-3 of you, you may want to half it. The leftovers are good for lunch too.

Children: You may need to cut food to a smaller size depending on the age of your children.

Baby: Cut everything into bite size pieces

January 8, 2010

Healthy Tip

What is the best way to buy lettuce? Don't buy iceberg....period!

Iceberg has VERY little health value. Buy spinach or a spring mix instead. Even Romain would be better.

We generally use spinach for salad, sandwiches, casseroles and pretty much anything else we can put it in.

If you have a hard time swallowing darker leafy greens, buy the iceberg and then cut the spinach into small shreds and add it in.

Here is a website I found that backs my theory....I love it when that happens :).

January 4, 2010

Hunsaker Family Peach Syrup....made healthy

29 oz can Peaches
1/2 T cornstarch
1/8 c. Water
1/4 t. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Separate the peaches from the juice. Slice the peaches into small pieces. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water. Put the juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When the juice begins to boil add the water/cornstarch mix. Whisk regularly until it starts to thicken. Add peaches back in. Serve warm on pancakes or waffles.