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Healthy Seafood Recipes for Lunch or Dinner

March 20, 2014 by

Many home chefs are often intimidated by preparing seafood, either because of its delicate texture or because they simply don’t know which types to buy. These tasty and nutritious recipes can take the guesswork out of cooking with fish, shrimp and other types of seafood.

Baja-Style Salmon Tacos
Unlike many restaurant tacos, this recipe adds up to just 325 calories and is packed with 24 grams of necessary protein. The grilled salmon and whole wheat tortillas give these Baja-style fish tacos a healthy makeover that’s still a flavorful treat.

Fish Veronique
A traditional dish with a healthy, modern twist, this recipe for Fish Veronique creates a comfort food that won’t break your diet. By removing the fat from the chicken broth and using low-fat milk, you can create a decadent, creamy sauce with none of the extra fat or calories.

Baked Red Snapper With Zesty Tomato Sauce
Create an elegant dinner for your family or your guests with this low-fat, low-calorie Italian fish dish. Use your choice of either red snapper or bass to find the taste you prefer, and top with zesty tomato sauce for major flavor.

For more nutritious meals using seafood, visit the NIH website here.

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Learn to Balance Calories for a Healthier Lifestyle

January 10, 2014 by

Counting calories is one of the most frustrating things about any diet, but it’s a necessary step for losing weight. If you want to learn how to properly balance the calories you consume without feeling like you’re constantly scrutinizing the foods you eat, these simple tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can help.

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins all contain calories, and they’re all necessary parts of a balanced diet. A calorie is a unit of energy supplied by food, but unfortunately it is also what can cause you to gain weight if you consume too many. Once you balance the number of calories you eat with your physical activity level, that’s when you’ll start to lose weight.

Being in “caloric balance” means that you’re eating the same number of calories that your body is using, and it is a desirable state once you meet your goal weight. This online guide can show you how to determine if you’re in caloric balance, and it can also show you how much physical activity you should get each day based on this scale. Visit the CDC's Balancing Calories website to learn more!

Balancing Calories [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

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Plan Family Meals with This Deliciously Healthy NIH Guide

December 18, 2013 by

Many people have the best intentions when it comes to eating healthy, but have a difficult time planning to create their own healthful menus. The NIH knows that if healthy foods taste good, people are more likely to eat them, which is why they created the Deliciously Healthy Eating guide.

This NIH guide is an all-inclusive resource for discovering flavorful, healthful meals that are simple to create. It is packed full of nutritious, low-calorie recipes that taste just as good as unhealthy foods, from Oatmeal Pecan Waffles to Quick Beef Casseroles. Browse the website by food categories like beef, poultry, vegetables or pasta to find recipes using ingredients that you have on hand, or search by meals like breakfast, lunch and snacks to plan for every time of day.

The recipes are broken down by cook time and number of servings. They include nutrition facts like calories, total fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates to make it simple to know what you're eating.

Deliciously Healthy Eating Guide [National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute]

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Find Recipes Online with These Websites

December 6, 2013 by

These days, finding and sharing recipes has become an online activity, with dozens of websites full of user submitted meals for lunch, dinner and even dessert. These helpful websites will help you with your own family’s meal planning, as well as connect you to other home chefs to trade tips and tricks.

All Recipes
All Recipes is one of the most popular online cooking resources, with an expansive recipe database for just about any meal or occasion. Search the archives by ingredient, watch video tutorials, view sample menus for the entire week, or even plan your holiday spread all on this simple, friendly website.

Epicurious
The ideal site for the passionate food lover, Epicurious is jam packed with creative, inspiring recipes in the form of traditional text, videos, and slideshows of mouth-watering photos. Epicurious also features a great online community where visitors can follow other members, post their favorite recipes, and discuss topics such as family meal solutions and home brewing techniques. 

FoodNetwork.com
The beloved television cooking channel has a corresponding website, and fans of shows like The Barefoot Contessa are sure to love it. FoodNetwork.com features cooking tips from top chefs and hosts, 30-minute meal recipes, a quick recipe finder with filters for ingredients and prep time, and even a blog full of articles that foodies will find fascinating.

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Farm-To-Table: Understanding Community Supported Agriculture

October 3, 2013 by

The movement towards locally grown food means only good things for the American table. The shorter the distance a food item has to travel to your plate, the more nutrients and favor it retains. Many people now buy much of their produce at the local farm stand or market, which supports the community as well. But if you prefer convenience or don't have the time to get to the farm market, why not have the harvest shipped right to your door?

CSA, which stands for “Community Supported Agriculture,” is a great way to support local farmers while still getting a fabulous deal on your grocery items. The idea is simple: you, the consumer, pay a fee to the farmer at the start of the season, and in exchange, you get a delivery of fresh produce every week for the entirety of the season. If you look into it, keep in mind that most CSAs offer both summer and fall seasons.

The benefits of signing up for a CSA are great, for both farmers and consumers alike. First off, the prices are extremely reasonable, and the convenience of having the food delivered can be a real time saver. For the farmer, getting the money up-front allows them to invest in their business, which helps them to grow, and it also makes for easier bookkeeping.

The one and only disadvantage is that you do not get to choose what veggies and fruit you get each week — but for foodies, this can be a fun challenge.

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The Facts About MSG

September 19, 2013 by

We've probably all heard something about MSG, but do you really know what it is? Is it safe for us to eat? There are labels that proudly boast no MSG but is that necessary?

Here are some facts about MSG from the Food and Drug Administration:

  • MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. It is the salt of a common amino acid called glutamic acid. Basically it's a flavor enhancer for foods to add a savory flavor. 
  • MSG can be found naturally occurring in nature in foods such as tomatoes and cheeses. Added MSG today is made from the fermentation of starch, sugar cane, molasses, or sugar beets. 
  • Is MSG safe to eat? The FDA says yes. While scientists have hypothesized that some people may have a sensitivity or allergy to MSG, it is rare. Reactions to MSG may include headache and nausea. 
  • If you would like to stay away from MSG just look for it on the label. The FDA requires any food with MSG to be listed as monosodium glutamate. Be aware that some foods naturally contain MSG like hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. 

For more information on MSG, visit the FDA website. 

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