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How to Keep Leafy Greens Fresher Longer

May 19, 2016 by

Don’t you just hate it when you attempt to buy a healthy batch of vegetables at the grocery store, only to have them go bad before you can even eat them? By using these simple tips, you can learn how to prolong the lifespan of your veggies and keep your greens fresher for longer.

  • Don’t leave leafy greens on the counter. While many types of produce (such as apples and potatoes) are okay when left out in the kitchen, leafy greens are much delicate and require cooler temperatures for safekeeping.
  • Wash them. As soon as you get your greens home, wash them with an all-natural vegetable cleanser and dry with a salad spinner to remove any chemicals, dirt, or pests.
  • Remove bad leaves. If you notice any brown spots on your greens, carefully remove them to prevent them from spoiling the whole bunch.
  • Don’t store them on a shelf in the refrigerator. Because everything in your refrigerator is not created equally, greens cannot by stored in the same way as, say, Chinese food leftovers. Instead, place them in the designated crisper drawer.
  • Plan how you’ll eat them. To prolong their lifespan further, plan to eat fresh salads using greens first and sauté or stir fry them once they near their wilted phases.

Leafy Greens [FreshDirect.com]
How to Store Leafy Greens in the Fridge [The Sprouting Seed]
How to Store Your Leafy Greens to Make Them Last Longer [Eat Local 365]

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Cooking Without Eggs? Bookmark These Two Websites

January 7, 2016 by

Food allergies sometimes make creativity a necessity when it comes to preparing meals on your own. Lucky for those afflicted with allergies, there are many great resources to help people cook delicious food without the ingredient that trigger reactions. If you need to prepare a dish without eggs, bookmark these two websites for help with substitutions.

  1. Cooking and Baking Without Egg Ingredients [Kids With Food Allergies]
    With this website, egg allergies won’t stop you from making your favorite foods like pizza, cake, and pie. Get those recipes, plus suggestions on how to substitute eggs when used in other baked goods.
  2. Egg Substitutions [Chef in You]
    Discover a list of foods that can be used as eggs substitutes in various recipes. They include unlikely items such as bananas, applesauce, and vegetable oil.

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Safety First! Read These Tips Before Preparing Raw Meat

December 17, 2015 by

Lean meats are a healthy part of any nutritious diet, but it’s very important to handle them properly to avoid illness. Be sure to follow these important tips for buying and preparing raw meat.

  1. Purchase only high-quality meats. When shopping for steak, chicken, fish, or other meats, always look for the Safe Food Handling label on the package. Also, use your own discretion to examine meat before purchasing, and be sure that it’s wrapped tightly and packaged in a bag away from other foods.
  2. Store meat safely. Meat must remain at a cold temperature until you’re ready to prepare it, so store it in your refrigerator and put it in the refrigerator’s meat bin if possible. Fresh meats should be used within three to four days, while meats like sausage and ground beef should be used within two days.
  3. Keep yourself (and your counters) safe. Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw meat. It’s also important to only use cutting boards and utensils for meat to avoid cross-contamination.
  4. Cook meat completely. Be sure to defrost meat in the refrigerator or the microwave; never let raw meat sit on the countertop to defrost. Once it’s time to cook your meat, use a food thermometer to see that ground meats reach at least 160°F and that beef and pork reach 145°F.

Food Safety: How to Handle Raw Meat [Beef Retail]
Keeping Your Meat Safe [Home Food Safety]
Meat [FoodSafety.gov]
Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know [FDA]

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Molten Chocolate Cake, Reinvented: Try These Three Recipes

May 21, 2015 by

There may be no more indulgent dessert than molten lava cake, a combination of crumbly pastry and gooey chocolate filling. There are many ways to make this treat with a variety of ingredients, and each rendition is tailored to special tastes and diets. Here are three recipes for molten lava cake that you might want to try.

  1. Red Velvet Molten Lava Cake [Half Baked Harvest]
    Silence your sweet tooth with this delicious twist on red velvet cake. Mix in red food coloring, coconut milk, and melted chocolate for an elegant take on this classic recipe.
  2. Molten Chocolate Cake [Pioneer Woman]
    Real butter, fresh eggs, heavy whipping cream, and semi-sweet baking chocolate all get representation in this authentic molten cake recipe. Enjoy tantalizing step-by-step photographs while you prepare it.
  3. Molten Chocolate Cakes [Food and Wine]
    A mere seven ingredients and four steps; making a fabulous molten chocolate cake doesn’t get any easier than this recipe from Food and Wine.

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How to Reduce Your Daily Caffeine Intake

April 16, 2015 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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USDA Guide to Calorie Counting

December 18, 2014 by

Counting calories is a daily chore that all dieters must face, and it may sometimes seem like it is taking over your life (or at least your meals). These helpful tips from the USDA can help you to manage your meals, keep your calories under control, and do it all while still enjoying the food you eat. Here are some of the tips:

  • Even if you carefully count calories, it's easy to exceed your empty calorie allowance. Empty calories are calories that come from added sugars and solid fats, and they have no health benefits.
  • When choosing proteins, choose only lean versions of beef or pork. A three-ounce portion of regular ground beef contains 64 empty calories, while a three-ounce portion of extra lean ground beef contains zero empty calories.
  • Breads and pastries with added sugar or butter contain significantly more empty calories than those without. A regular piece of white bread contains zero empty calories and approximately 69 calories, but a glazed donut contains 170 empty calories out of its total 255 calories.
  • Check the calories on the label before you consume any food, and make sure to eat only the recommended serving size listed on the label.

Find more calorie counting tips on the USDA website.

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Easy Ways to Incorporate More Folic Acid Into Your Diet

September 18, 2014 by

When you think of the necessary vitamins and minerals that you should be getting from the foods that you eat, folic acid likely isn’t one of the first things that come to mind. It is a very important element in everyone’s diet, however, especially women who are pregnant and those who are susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some of the best ways to incorporate more folic acid into your diet.

  1. Broccoli. You already know that you should eat your vegetables to get the proper nutrients, but broccoli contains a great deal of folic acid as well. Just half of a cup of broccoli contains 52 micrograms of folic acid, which equals approximately 13% of the average person’s recommended daily value. Steaming broccoli or eating it raw is one of the healthiest ways to consume this veggie, but you can also add it to salads or stir fries for a more flavorful taste.
  2. Sunflower seeds. These tiny, toasted snacks are not only tasty, they’re also a very impressive source of folic acid. Just one ounce of sunflower seeds provide 20% of your recommended daily intake, and they also provide Vitamin E, beneficial fats, and other essential nutrients.

Surprising Sources of Folic Acid [Yahoo! Shine]
Foods High in Folic Acid [Prenatal Vitamin HQ]
15 Foods High in Folic Acid [Global Healing Center]
18 Foods High in Folic Acid to Prevent Cancer & Birth Defects [Bembu]

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Easy Ways to Incorporate More Potassium Into Your Diet

August 21, 2014 by

While most people think of bananas when they think of sources of potassium, there are actually a wide variety of other foods that contain even more of the beneficial mineral. Potassium helps to keep your heartbeat regular and your muscles, kidneys, and other organs working to their fullest potential, and it’s even been proven to work better than sports drinks at providing energy before a workout. These great foods can help to ensure that you get enough all-natural potassium.

  1. Sweet potatoes. Along with their numerous other health benefits, sweet potatoes are also very high in potassium. Just one average sized potato contains an impressive 646 milligrams, making it one of the absolute best sources of this mineral. At just 131 calories per sweet potato, they also make a low calorie side dish that won’t derail your diet plans.
  2. Tomato sauces. The zesty marinara sauce that you toss on your linguine is an even better source of potassium than a fresh tomato. Just 1/4 cup of tomato paste contains 664 milligrams of potassium, and plain old tomato juice offers over 400 milligrams.
  3. Beans. Whether you prefer fresh green beans or kidney and lima beans, all types of these beans are wonderful sources of potassium. Half of a cup of white beans contains just about 600 milligrams of the necessary mineral, and they’re good for your heart as well.

Top 10 Foods Highest in Potassium [Healthaliciousness]
15 Foods That Are High in Potassium [Health.com]
Foods With More Potassium Than a Banana [Huffington Post]
Potassium and Your CKD Diet [National Kidney Foundation]

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Move Over, Dairy! These Foods Are Surprisingly High in Calcium

July 24, 2014 by

You learn from an early age that calcium builds strong bones and teeth, but it has a number of other health benefits as well. This beneficial mineral also helps to regulate your blood pressure, maintains healthy blood vessels, and even aids in preventing Type 2 diabetes. Now that you know why you should eat calcium, here are a few lesser-known ways to get it.

  1. White beans. Beans get a good reputation because of their high levels of protein, but white beans are also very high in calcium as well. In fact, just one cup of canned white beans provides 191 milligrams of calcium, which is about 19% of your daily value. These creamy, mild legumes are great in a hearty chili or mashed as a chickpea substitute in homemade hummus.
  2. Sardines. While these tiny fish may have made you squeamish as a child, sardines are actually one of the healthiest fish that you can eat. Like a lot of seafood, they’re rich in omega 3s, but they also provide 321 milligrams of calcium in just seven sardine filets. Many people choose to eat them plain, but if you prefer to cut down on the fishy flavor, you can also add sardines to a salad.

18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [Greatist]
18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [HuffPost Healthy Living]

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Three Heart-Healthy Soup Recipes

February 20, 2014 by

It’s one thing to count calories, but finding foods that are just as beneficial to your health as they are to your weight is another story. These delicious soup recipes provide beneficial vitamins and nutrients, keep your heart strong and help you take control of your weight as they warm you up during colder months.

Homemade Turkey Soup
Perfect for using up those turkey dinner leftovers, this hearty turkey soup is full of flavor from its variety of spices. Turkey is a lean meat that provides energizing protein without the extra fat, and the broth base keeps it from weighing you down. At under 250 calories, this makes a light meal that will still fill you up.

Mexican Pozole
If you love the spicy taste of authentic Mexican food, this traditional soup is for you. With lean beef and a large helping of tomatoes, it provides beneficial nutrients as well as exciting flavor. 

Rockport Fish Chowder
While other chowders are high in calories due to their creamy base, this lighter version provides the same rich texture without the extra calories. By using low-fat milk and a variety of veggies, you can create a delicious fish chowder that will help keep your diet on track.

For more healthy soup recipes, visit the NIH website. 

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