Archive for the ‘Healthy Eating’ Category
Next week I will be celebrating my 55th birthday and as always around this time of the year I starting thinking of the changes that I need to make in order to live a healthier lifestyle.
Five of those lifestyle changes include:
drinking more water – NOPE;
drinking less alcohol – NO WAY JOSE;
getting more sleep –NEVER;
exercising more – NOT GONNA HAPPEN
and last but not least
eat more veggies – YES YES YES!
I love my veggies especially fresh collards and kale!
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, Kale is an awesome Superfood, one that my grandmother cooked almost every Sunday, or at least twice per month.
On the other Sundays or during the week it would be either collards or cresses, which to this day, I have never seen a “cresse” in the grocery stores.
I normally don’t use much seasoning except for maybe a smoked turkey neck or wing, onion and a little bit of sugar, which is why I decided to try this Greens & Kale Seasoning Mix by Concord Foods. Chicken broth is also good to add to the pot of water for more flavor but it’s not necessary.
The sodium content is extremely high at 320 mg so I didn’t use the entire pack. When cooking Kale, make sure to thoroughly wash the leaves in the sink or in a deep bowl then tear away the stems from the leaves.
I love fresh sweet onions but chose to use several pearl onions as they were in refrigerator – TIP: peel onions under the stove’s exhaust fan turned on low to keep from crying. I also forgot to add some minced garlic but a few teaspoons are great to add on top of the kale once the water starts to boil.
In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water and smoked meat (optional) to a boil. Add diced onions, garlic and seasoning. Pour in a few teaspoons of sugar which is also optional and stir.
Cover pot and simmer on low heat, turning occasionally for about 2 hours or until kale is tender, add more water or broth as needed.
Sprinkle Red Crushed Peppers or Frank’s Red Hot Sauce on top and enjoy.
I need a little spice added to my healthy greens, how about you!
Don’t forget to tune into Social Media Sunday with the Delaware Blogger on Sunday at 6 – go over to the side bar for the link.
We will be discussing Social Media Etiquette for Boomers
Be safe and I’ll see ya next week!
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Spring was cold and damp in Delaware and now it seems as though we are heading into a hot and dry summer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to start a garden and now the Mint has taken over. If you are thinking about starting a vegetable garden at home, here is a great article with tips from my guest blogger, Ella Andrews.
Making your own vegetable garden at home can be an excellent way to save money and to make your extra space useful. You can easily grow about ten pounds worth of fruit over each season if not even more even with a small amount of space. In almost all of your cases the variety and texture of your plants will be something that could even exceed grocery stores if you handle it right. In the end growing vegetables can be fun, as you will spend plenty of time outdoors and you can make use of your gardening efforts in many ways. The following examples will explain how that can be done:
Choosing the right plants for your vegetable garden
The first thing you need to consider is working on the job by starting small. Many gardening chances will open up each season, giving you a chance to plant many of them. A lot of gardeners will end up planting plenty but they may end up overwhelmed by the amount of work necessary. The first thing you should consider is figuring out a good gardening plan with your family, as certain vegetables in general, such as peppers, squash and tomatoes will provide you with what you need. Carrots, radishes and more will be a good addition to your home, so once you figure out the optimal solution for your needs. Keep in mind that not all the space you have will be useful of course, so you may need to work on containers on a balcony for examples or a different solution that would make use of limited options. The following tips will give you the information you may need to make it work:
Choosing the right spot
No matter the size of your gardening space, you will need to carefully consider what you want to plant in there, as not all plants have the same preferences when it comes to soil, sunlight levels and more.
Full sunlight
Most of the vegetables out there will need a good six to eight hours of full sunlight if you want them to thrive. If you don’t do this there won’t be much they can do to survive insects and diseases, so you should look for a chance to make use of the full amount of sunlight each day if possible, especially for leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. If your climate is hot, then you may need to look for better cool season varieties such as peas that would work better in partial shade.
Proper irrigation
Since most vegetables are not exactly tolerant to drought, you will have to give them plenty of water to thrive. A clean and ready source of water should be readily available at any time, especially during summers so make sure you keep your gardening organized and ready at all times.
Choosing the right soil
The choice of proper soil could make or break your efforts to keep things afloat, so you should choose wisely, supplementing the nutrients in the soil with organic matter such as mulch, compost and manure if need be.
Bio: Ella Andrews is dedicated writer and blogger, who has great flair for home improving and home maintenance projects. She is constantly searching for new sources of inspiration. Presently she contributes articles mainly on gardening and landscaping related themes. For more helpful tips visit: Gardeners Elmstead Ltd.
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Easy like Sunday morning is how I like my breakfast on the weekends. I am always rushing out the door Monday through Friday with a Breakfast Bar in one hand and a Smoothie Shake in the other.
So on the weekends, I like to take my time to not only make but to also eat a healthier breakfast.
Two weeks ago, was one of my unscheduled Saturdays so I took full advantage of it to make this asparagus, tomato and cheese omelette.
Using just these few ingredients:
6 Grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
6 tips of asparagus
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Seasoning Salt
DIRECTIONS:
Coat the pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, cherry tomatoes; saute and stir until the asparagus and tomatoes are fairly soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe pan clean with a paper towel then coat once again with cooking spray.
Whisk together the eggs and milk in a small bowl; pour mixture into pan allowing it to set, then add asparagus, tomatoes and cheese to one side of egg. While the omelet cooks, lift the edge to allow the uncooked egg to flow underneath. When most of the egg is cooked, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
Allow the cheese to melt slightly, then fold in half and serve.
What is your favorite weekend breakfast?
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Disclosure: I received these Slimfast products in exchange for an honest review, however, all opinions are 100% my own. #Slimfast #Influenster #igotitfree #ItsYourThing
I know…I know…everyone is talking about eating right and losing weight but as we all know words means nothing – action means everything! So mark my words, I am going to start the new year eating healthier, drinking more water, less wine and incorporating the Slimfast Advanced Nutrition meal bars, shakes, smoothies and 100-calorie snacks into my meal plan.
I will begin my day with a nutritious and delicious Meal Replacement bar while commuting to work and this Dark Chocolate Sea Salt bar not only fills me up while on the road but it also tastes great! This Advanced Nutrition bar contains 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 18 vitamins and minerals and is Gluten Free and when you mix chocolate with sea salt, there’s definitely going to be a party in your mouth!
My second meal will be replaced with a Creamy Chocolate, High Protein Meal Replacement Shake along with a piece of fresh fruit and water. I love my shakes cold so I will either pour it over ice or put the bottle in the freezer about 30 minutes before drinking. This high protein shake contains only 1 gram of sugar, 5 grams of fiber, 24 vitamins and minerals, contains antioxidants, and is both Lactose and Gluten free.
And of course, when the 3:00 o’clock munchies hit, instead of hitting the vending machine for a bag of chips, I will grab a pack of these light and crispy 100 Calorie Snack Baked Crisps. If you like sour cream and onion you will love these, a lite and tasty treat containing 2 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber will satisfy your hunger between meals.
Once home at the end of the day, dinner will be a healthy meal consisting of a little protein, a few carbs and of course fresh veggies, most likely a salad which is my favorite and of course more water.
Other than the convenience of packing Slimfast products for work during the week, having a large assortment of flavors keeps my taste buds from getting bored.
What is your favorite healthy snack?
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“Eating Clean” are not dirty words, neither is “Diet“, but during this time of year you may not want to hear any of these words. However, eating clean will improve your health and boost your immune system which we all need to hear about especially during the holidays.
I had an opportunity to review the eBook Clean Food Diet by Jonathan Vine, and not only was it a quick read, but it also contained 50 recipes for many of the foods that I already have in my kitchen. Delicious recipes for appetizers such as Wrapped Mango and Spinach Bites, and Mini Spinach Pizzas, soups, Thai Tomato Soup and White Bean and Kale Soup, as well as entrees, Asian Tofu Lettuce Wraps, and Meatless Chili.
Clean eating is not actually a diet, it’s a lifestyle change and in each of the 4 chapters, “What is clean eating”, “What to eat”, “How to Cook Clean” and “How to Cook Clean”, there are easy and realistic ways in which to make the change. We all know that preservatives and processed foods are not healthy so eating whole foods is recommended, and most whole foods are simply fresh fruits and vegetables.
When buying foods, make sure you can read and recognize all the listed ingredients if not, it’s not a clean or healthy choice. Cooking healthy keeps the nutrients in the foods, therefore, steaming foods versus frying is clean cooking.
The Clean Food Diet eBook contains a lot more good and sensible information, so it is definitely worth reading. You can download a FREE Kindle copy today at Amazon.com
Do you Eat Clean?
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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