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Stealthy Meets Healthy: How to Sneak More Fruits and Veggies Into Your Child’s Diet

December 17, 2015 by

Many parents worry about whether or not their child is getting the proper vitamins and nutrients. Until your picky eaters are old enough to fully understand the benefits of healthy eating, you may need to adopt a tactical approach to their meal prep — one that involves sneaking in some fruits and veggies! These recipes are so tasty, they’ll be none the wiser!

  1. Make your own ice pops. Instead of giving your kids sugar-laden, store-bought ice pops, replace them with homemade versions that are just as delicious. Make your own using 100 percent fruit juice and frozen berries in an ice pop mold.
  2. Stir spinach into your pasta. If you make a family-sized pot of pasta for a weeknight dinner, stir spinach into the sauce for a full serving of veggies that the kids likely won’t even notice. You can even add the mild tasting green to macaroni and cheese!
  3. Make a cauliflower pizza crust. If your kids refuse to eat pizza topped with vegetables, cut calories and incorporate a sneaky serving of veggies by using a recipe for cauliflower crust.
  4. Top burgers with fresh veggies. For children who are less squeamish about veggies, make treat meals like cheeseburgers a bit healthier by topping with fresh vegetables. Add fresh spinach, sliced tomatoes, and even onions in addition to the burger patty and melted cheese.

Cooking Tips [Fruits & Veggies More Matters]
5 Ways to Sneak Veggies into Family Meals [Eating Well]
Sneak Vegetables Into Your Kids' Food With These Tasty Recipes [All You]

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Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes for Busy Mornings

September 17, 2015 by

If you find yourself pressed for time once the alarm clock rings, these make-ahead breakfasts may just be the solutions to your busy mornings. Best of all? Some are so portable that you can even eat them as you dash out the door!

Oatmeal With Apricots and Raisins [realsimple.com]
It takes quite a while to boil water and cook oatmeal on the stovetop, but with this pre-planned recipe you can whip up a whole batch of oatmeal for the entire week. With low-fat milk, dried apricots, and roasted almonds inside, it also offers a healthy boost first thing in the morning.

Herby Frittata with Vegetables and Goat Cheese [myrecipes.com]
If you love eating eggs for breakfast, this make-ahead frittata is the perfect choice. It’s filled with savory goat cheese and fresh herbs, as well as colorful veggies that offer essential nutrients that will keep you feeling even more energized than that cup of coffee.

Crunchy Cashew Sesame Bars [bonappetit.com]
Instead of stocking up on store-bought granola bars, make your own much more delicious (and nutritious) options. These cashew and sesame options have much more complex flavors than the standard breakfast bar, but they’re just as easy to grab on busy mornings.

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Creamy Meets Sweet in These 3 Tres Leches Cake Recipes

August 20, 2015 by

Whether you’re interested in the cuisine of Latin America or you’re simply searching for a unique dessert to try out, the traditional tres leches cake is a truly decadent option. Evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream fully saturate a delicious sponge cake base in this rich dish, and a fluffy whipped cream topping is the icing on the tres leches cake. Try out one of these three recipes at your next gathering.

Premium Tres Leches Cake [Betty Crocker]
This recipe from the Betty Crocker website recommends using a box of yellow cake mix to cut down on the prep time for your tres leches cake. The milk mixture is the same as the traditional recipe, which makes this the perfect choice if you want an authentic taste in a shorter amount of time.

Emeril Lagasse’s Tres Leches Cake [Food Network]
While this recipe from Emeril Lagasse takes longer to make than most cake recipes, it’s well worth the effort. The cake is made from scratch using only real ingredients, like whole milk and flavorful vanilla, and the decadent icing topping features subtle notes of mango and papaya for a tropical flavor.

Martha Stewart’s Tres Leches Cake [Martha Stewart]
This is a fairly simple, traditional tres leches cake recipe that incorporates the usual three milks to create a moist mouthful with each bite. Martha Stewart’s version also adds fresh fruit to the whipped cream topping to add a refreshing contrast to the cake’s rich flavor.

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These Tips Can Help You Enjoy Fruits and Veggies on a Budget

April 16, 2015 by

If you think that you have to increase your grocery budget in order to begin a healthier diet plan, think again. There’s no reason why a meal plan filled with fresh fruits and veggies should cost more than one filled with snacks and sweets, and these helpful tips will show you how to do it — even on a tight budget.

  1. Buy in-season produce. You’ll often find better deals on fresh produce when it’s in season, so consider stocking up on large quantities of, say, apples in the fall or berries in the summertime. If you buy more than you can consume, freeze the fruit for future use.
  2. Plan meals in advance. One of the best ways to make the most of what’s in season (and avoid throwing away produce that has gone bad) is by planning a week’s worth of meals in advance. You can even make a few meals over the weekend and freeze them to eat on busy weekdays.
  3. Use sales to get adventurous. If you purchase only fruits and veggies that are on sale at the grocery store, it won’t just save you money, it will also give you an excuse to experiment with new foods that you wouldn’t normally try. Rhubarb, anyone?
  4. Store produce properly. If you get frustrated about how quickly your fresh produce goes bad, create a more organized storage system to maximize its lifespan. Keep vegetables separate from fruits, as many fruits emit a gas that causes veggies to spoil more quickly.

Fruits and Vegetables on a Budget [Fruits and Vegetables More Matters]
10 Smart Tips for Eating Healthy on a Super Tight Budget [The Kitchn]

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How to Reduce Your Daily Caffeine Intake

December 18, 2014 by

You might feel like you simply can’t function without your morning coffee, but that boost of caffeine may be doing you more harm than good. Caffeine addiction causes you to rely on drinking coffee, soda, and energy drinks throughout the day, and it is also proven to contribute to stress and anxiety. If you want to cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume per day, these simple tips will make it easier.

  1. Examine your intake. Studies show that 200 milligrams of caffeine or less is a healthy amount for the average adult to consume per day. This translates to about two strong cups of coffee, so this is an easy way to decipher how much you need to limit yourself. If you can’t make it through the workday without that third cup in the afternoon, that’s a good place to start.
  2. Gradually cut back. Quitting caffeine cold turkey is just as painful as quitting any other bad habit. To prevent headaches, grogginess, and other signs of caffeine withdrawal, mix your usual coffee with a bit more decaf every day, or work your way down to just two cups of coffee instead of your usual amount.
  3. Be smart about caffeine. Once you know that you can only have two cups per day, you should choose when to drink them wisely. If you feel most tired early in the morning and around 2 p.m., plan on drinking your cup of joe about an hour before those times.

Easy Ways to Reduce Caffeine Intake [U.S. News]
How to Lower Your Caffeine Intake Without Headaches [Fitday]
10 Ways to Start Your Day Without Caffeine [Everyday Health]
Caffeine [McKinley Health Center]

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4 Heart-Healthy Desserts That Won’t Ruin Your Diet

August 21, 2014 by

Even when we’re dieting, it can be hard to resist having dessert every now and then. The key isn’t cutting out dessert completely; it’s about changing the desserts you decide to indulge in. These decadent-tasting recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining your diet.

Frosted Cake
Perfect for birthday parties or family dinners, this sweet frosted cake tastes just like the original, without all of the added sugar. By using things like low-fat cream cheese and skim milk, this cake becomes a smart alternative to the traditional bakery variety.

Tropical Fruit Compote
Because it has a fruit base, this fresh and summery dessert is a much smarter option for an after-dinner treat that’s also low in calories.

Crunchy Pumpkin Pie
Serve this traditional treat for Thanksgiving dinner and your guests won’t be able to tell the difference from its high-calorie original. Whole wheat flour and ground almonds make for a healthier crust, while canned pumpkin is a nutrient-rich base for its creamy middle.

Mousse a la Banana
If you’re looking for a delicious dessert that’s also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, this is just the thing. At under 100 calories per serving, this sweet banana mousse is one dish that won’t make you feel guilty for indulging.

For more healthy dessert recipes, visit the NIH website here.

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Healthy Eating 101: What Are Empty Calories?

May 14, 2014 by

Counting calories is important for losing weight or maintaining your current weight, but you also need to understand how calories work. Calories are not the same thing as empty calories, and these informative facts from the USDA will show you why.

What are empty calories?
Empty calories are calories that come from solid fats and added sugars. These calories add virtually no nutrients to your food, making them unnecessary and harmful if they're consumed in excess.

What are some foods that contain empty calories?
Foods with empty calories include desserts like cake, cookies, pastries, and donuts, sugary beverages like sodas or fruit drinks, many types of cheeses, and meats like sausage, hot dogs, bacon and ribs. Today, there are healthier versions of many of these foods that contain fewer or no empty calories.

How many empty calories can I have?
The number varies from person to person, and it depends on things like gender, age, weight and level of physical activity. As a general rule, adult women can have anywhere from 120 to 260 empty calories per day, while adult men can have 260 to 330 per day. That number is lower for small children.

For more information about empty calories and how to enjoy them in moderation, visit the USDA website.

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5 of the Best Uses for Day-Old Bread

April 17, 2014 by

Eating bread before it gets stale can be tricky. If you’ve got a surplus of hard, days-old remains on your hands, here are a few ways to ensure your bread doesn't go to waste:

  1. Make a crostini. One way to maximize your stale bread is to act like you wanted it to be hard and crispy in the first place. Toss the bread in the oven on 325°, then top with your favorite bruschetta, cheeses, meats, or spreads.
  2. Top your French onion soup. French onion soup just wouldn’t be the same without the crunchy croutons smothered in gooey cheese. Roughly chop your stale bread and add a few pieces on top of the soup before you melt the cheese topping.
  3. Try out a bread salad. No, this isn’t a ploy to make salad more delicious (and less healthy). Bread salad, also known as “panzanella,” can be topped with sliced tomatoes, artichokes, grilled chicken, and your favorite Italian dressing to create a rustic, hearty meal.
  4. Make a grilled cheese. It may seem counter-intuitive to attempt to use your day-old bread for a sandwich, but lucky for you, grilled cheese and panini are supposed to be crispy anyway.
  5. Give it to the birds. If all else fails, break the bread up into bird-sized crumbs and you’ll make the avian community in your neighborhood very happy campers.

What to Do With Stale Bread [Real Simple]
17 Uses for Stale Bread [Wise Bread]
The 10 Best Things to Do With Stale Bread [First We Feast]
Recipes for Stale Bread [Saveur]

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4 Unique Dishes to Take to Your Next Potluck

March 20, 2014 by

A potluck dinner is a fun way to experience a wide variety of different cooking styles, inviting every guest to bring a covered dish to contribute to the meal. Whether you’re tired of your usual potluck recipes or you’ve never brought a dish to a party before, don’t sweat it. If you’re invited to an upcoming potluck but don’t know what to bring, these four recipes will help make your dish a hit.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Tart [Oprah.com]

Best Broccoli Salad [Mr. Food Test Kitchen]

Make-and-Take Potluck Dishes [Chow]

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down Cake [All Recipes]

Public Domain/Public Domain
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5 Ridiculously Easy Dessert Recipes

October 23, 2013 by

Have a tiny bit of time to spare and a need for a sweet treat? Only requiring a few moments to prepare and little or no cooking time, these five dessert recipes will add a sweet finish to any meal or party.

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks [Disney Family]

Death by Chocolate [Allrecipes]

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake [Allrecipes]

Sweet Grilled Cheese [Food Network]

Nutella No Bake Cookies [Shugary Sweets]

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