Posts Tagged ‘good food’

 

It’s another great food weekend!

 

The traditional fare is really healthy stuff, well, for the most part anyway…

 

Watermelon, cantaloupe, coleslaw, strawberries, veggie trays, salads, yum- yyum!

 

As you’re making your plans, I thought I’d give you some ideas that I came up with while looking through the sale papers –

 

Marinate chuck steaks overnight – then grill

 

BBQ Chicken

 

Ribs ( too much work for me)

 

Of course, if you’re eating healthy most of the time, you can splurge a little and indulge in the sausages and hot dogs.

 

If you don’t like to grill, teriyaki chicken breasts with fresh pineapple, pineapple coleslaw…

 

More great additions –

Corn on the cob

broccoli salad

carrot & raisin salad

potato salad, of course!

Coleslaw

Baked beans

Grilled potatoes

Grilled Vegetables

 

Anything with berries!

 

I’ll pop a couple recipes up later

Or you can find the whole collection here >>>

 

I want to know who decided that good food has to be hard.  It’s not.

 

It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and many of you feel compelled to take mom out for dinner. Personally, heading out to fight the crowds and stand around forever waiting for a table is not really my idea of a good time. If that’s your cup of tea – have at it.

 

If you’d rather have a relaxing day – here are some quick easy ideas.

 

One store by me has Filet Mignon on sale – a 6 oz. steak for $4.99. The secret to a great tasting steak at home? Buy it and bring it home and cook it. Don’t put it in the freezer.

 

I soak mine in Worcestershire sauce for 15 – 30 minutes before grilling. A little garlic and fresh ground black pepper and you’re good to go!

 

Make a big salad full of all kinds of good things.

 

A baked potato or sweet potato.

 

Fresh green beans steamed til they’re crisp-tender, lightly coated with a little butter and maybe some slivered almonds for an elegant touch.

 

Maybe a white chocolate fondue with fresh strawberries for dipping for dessert?

 

All really easy stuff. Takes hardly any time at all.

 

Here’s another recipe that’s a little more elegant –

 

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Marinated Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

Steak

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup minced green onion

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup soy sauce (can be low sodium)

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ teas. black pepper

couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce

2 lbs. flank steak

½ teas. corn starch

 

Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. red, Yukon gold or Idaho potatoes

4-6 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk

2 ½ Tbls. Butter

¼ cup green onions or chives

1 teas. salt

¼ teas. pepper

Steak

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, green onion, bourbon, soy sauce, Dijon

mustard, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

 

Place meat in a shallow dish and pour marinade over. Cover and marinate for

at least 8 hours, and no more than 24.

 

Just before grilling, drain marinade and reserve for gravy. Grill or broil the

steak about 5 min. per side. Watch carefully. Marinade will caramelize and may

flame. I prefer a non flaming grill, like a stove top or counter top.

 

In a saucepan, pour the marinade and cornstarch. Bring to boil and cook until

thickened.

 

Mashed Potatoes

Boil potatoes with garlic until potatoes are very tender. Drain. (keep garlic in)

Mash potatoes with garlic, sour cream, milk and butter. Stir in green onion or

chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

 

I was looking through my cookbook for more ideas.

 

Pecan Chicken is another impressive dish.

 

Caribbean Chicken is fun. So is Mole Chicken (chocolate chicken)

 

Honey-Ginger glazed salmon with grilled pineapple is all the rage these days – and really simple to make. I didn’t see any salmon on sale this week, but when you consider what you’d pay in a restaurant…

 

So, if you’re taking part in the Franken Foods Boycott – Good for you! There’s lots of great real food that’s super easy to make!

 

Gosh, I hate opening that cookbook. I always find all kinds of things I want to eat!

That’s enough food talk for one day.

Oh boy. You might want to check.

 For those of use who are a little older – you might still have some of those cute red square tin spices up in your cupboard.

I came across an ad recently that said that those spices are at least 15 years old! Oh my gosh…

And the ones in the glass bottles with the green lids? If it came from the Baltimore plant, it too is at least 15 years old.

Will it kill you? No.

Will they have much taste? No.

How old is too old? I haven’t a clue!

And there’s the goobeldy gook codes on the bottom that no human can read or understand.

But it seems that McCormick has a service that will read the code for you. You just go to www.McCormick.com/freshflavor and it will tell you how old your spices are.

I’m off to check mine before I make that last trip to the grocery store!

Carole

a.k.a. – ‘Mother’

 

Oh, and this breaking news…

“Blood pressure and weight predict heart failure” – Reuters, October 9, 2007

“Low-fat diet may cut cancer risk” – AP, October 9, 2007

No kidding! I mean really, who doesn’t already know that? If these kinds of headlines are news to you, you really need to get your copy of High Energy Eating right now and read it. I’m not being judgmental. I just can’t believe that people don’t know these things. No wonder everyone is so sick. We really need to get this information out.

Now, I know some people have been resistant, like my sister for one. But she’s actually starting to change her ways! She called to let me know that she actually felt good when she got out of bed the other day, and actually started cleaning house. I was amazed. Won’t she be pissed when she realizes that she probably didn’t need all those surgeries, or years of prescription drugs?

You know – I don’t eat perfect a lot of days. I like a lot of sweets. I don’t get enough sleep a lot of the time. I probably drink too much coffee. And I still smoke. But I’m here to tell you that a reasonably healthy diet will protect you from a lot of abuse. And you’ll lose weight – without silly dangerous diets. Everyone who honestly changes the way they eat does unless they have an underlying medical condition, or are on certain prescription meds that make you gain weight. .

There were quite a few nights over the last couple of weeks when I was tempted to just go pick something up, but I didn’t. I made myself make real food because I knew I needed energy, and to be able to think clearly. I made myself take the 15 or 20 minutes to make real food, and once I had eaten it I was so glad I cooked instead of eating garbage. It tastes so much better and you feel a whole lot better.

If you’re like most people, you’re overwhelmed. Your diet can have a lot to do with feeling overwhelmed, tired, and depressed. Your body, and your mind can’t function right if you’re not giving it the right fuel.

I didn’t mean to get on my soapbox again. It’s just that there is no good reason for all of this disease. Even the American Cancer Society’s latest report says that most cancers could be prevented. That’s why I wrote High Energy Eating. So please, read it yourself and get healthy. Life is so much better when you have your health.  

Maybe, just maybe – we can improve some lives! I’m certainly trying!

We can be good food ambassadors.

My daughter’s father was making hamburger helper the other night. Why? I have no idea. He’s actually a good cook, and that really takes a long time to make. I remember when these kinds of foods started coming out. My grandmother thought they were the coolest thing. I always hated them. My friend says she made it once and her husband said “Don’t ever make that again!” It’s just nasty stuff. Once you start weaning yourself off all this fake food stuff and start eating real food, you’ll never believe that you thought that instant stuff tasted good. You’ll get to where you can taste the artificial flavors. It has a funny taste. Once you start getting it out of your diet, you’ll see what I mean.

I want you to be healthy and happy. I want you to get rid of your depression and excess weight, and disease. I want you to be full of energy to fully enjoy life. And I want you to truly enjoy eating.

And I want our kids to grow up healthy.

We can stop this run-away train. If you haven’t downloaded and read High Energy Eating – do it now. Your quality of life depends on it.

Make some great food

Carole

a.k.a. ‘Mother’

Behavior problems, and life long healthy problems, and even your ability to think clearly all start with what you eat. Getting adults to eat right is hard enough – but how in the world do you get your kids to eat right so they have the best start to a long healthy life? Most people struggle with getting their kids to eat healthy. But it doesn’t have to be a struggle. Here’s what’s worked for me –

1. Eat healthy yourself – they learn from you.

2. Put out lots of food choices and let them taste different foods.

3. Don’t force them to eat something they don’t like. Just ask that they taste new foods. Most kids will accommodate if you start them early. And if they know you won’t force them to eat it if they don’t like it, they’ll be more willing to take the plunge!

4. Remember that kid’s taste change seemingly overnight. Just because they didn’t like it one time doesn’t mean they won’t like it the next time.

5. If you like it, put it out. When they see you enjoying something, they’re more curious.

6. Kids like simpler foods. They’ll eat a hamburger with nothing on it, or a salad with no dressing. You don’t have to be a world class chef.

7. Rather than talking to your kids about how healthy the food is, talk about how great it tastes. They turn off to the notion of healthy eating just the way you do. But if you’re eating it because it tastes really good, you’ll all be a lot happier – and healthier just happens.

Nothing is better than a great example. If you know a lot about foods, and you eat a lot of different foods, kids will naturally learn from you. How can you learn about healthy food?

By the way – These tips also work on adults!

Here’s a quick kid friendly dinner idea -

Creative Wraps Dinner

1 pound chicken or steak cut into strips
Garlic Powder
¼ cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Place chicken or steak in a shallow glass baking dish. If cooking both, marinate separately.

Sprinkle with garlic powder. If using steak, also sprinkle fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Sprinkle orange juice, lime juice, and vinegar over meat. Refrigerate overnight.

Drain meat.

Grill quickly only until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. About 10 minutes. Do not over cook.

Put out –

Warmed Tortillas
Refried beans
Guacamole
Salsa
Diced fresh tomato
Diced onion
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Bacon

Let everyone make their own creations!

Serve with Spanish rice, or beans, or rice and beans, and fresh fruit.

I love good food, don’t you?

Enjoy!

Find hundreds of great tasting – healthy – fast and easy recipes. You’ll never be at a loss again!