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Healthy Recipes For Memorial Day

Give Memorial Day a new spin with these healthy Memorial Day recipes. Additionaly, try putting out sides of  Glenny’s Soy Crisps, Spud Delites or American Fries for refreshing, delightfully healthy alternatives to regular chips.

Thanks to EatingWell.com for this fabulous burger recipe:

“Fajita” Burgers

This spicy burger is served on an oblong roll, slathered with a spicy chipotle mayonnaise and topped with roasted Anaheim peppers and a delicious slaw.

4 servings

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, preferably New Mexican
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile in adobo, (see Ingredient Note)
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 French rolls, preferably whole-wheat, split and toasted
• 2 roasted Anaheim or poblano peppers, (see Tip)
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 thin slices red onion

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Place beef, 1/4 cup cilantro, onion, scallions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Gently combine, without overmixing, until evenly incorporated. Form into 4 equal patties, about 1/2 inch thick and oval-shaped to match the rolls.
3. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice and chipotle in a small bowl.
4. Peel the roasted peppers, halve lengthwise and remove the seeds.
5. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the burgers until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, about 6 minutes per side. Top with cheese and cook until it is melted, about 1 minute more.
6. Assemble the burgers on toasted rolls with the chipotle mayonnaise, half a roasted pepper, cabbage, tomato and onion.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the chipotle mayonnaise (Step 3) for up to 5 days.

• Ingredient Note: Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful sauce. Look for the small cans with the Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, they’ll keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. You can also find them dried with other chiles or at melissas.com and ground in the spice section of many supermarkets.
• Tips:
• To oven-roast peppers:
• 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet. Arrange whole bell peppers on the rack.
• 2. Roast peppers in the center of the oven, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened in places, 30 to 40 minutes.
• 3. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool.
• 4. With a paring knife, remove stems, skins and seeds. If serving as antipasto, combine accumulated juices with peppers.
• To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

Nutrition

Per serving: 416 calories; 19 g fat (7 g sat, 6 g mono); 82 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrates; 30 g protein; 7 g fiber; 695 mg sodium; 628 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (47% daily value), Vitamin C (35% dv), Iron (30% dv), Vitamin A (25% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 3 1/2 medium-fat meat

3 Healthy Side Dishes Courtesy of Rodale News (click on link for 2 more!):

Tortellini and Broccoli Salad

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

• 1 package (16 ounces) cheese- or meat-filled tortellini
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarse grain mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 4 scallions, sliced 1/2″ thick
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded romano cheese

Directions

1. Prepare the tortellini according to package directions. Add the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Rinse under cold water and drain.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, basil, and salt. Add the tortellini, broccoli, onion, scallions, tomatoes, and cheese. Toss to coat well.

3. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

3. Grilled Mixed Vegetables

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

• 1 red bell pepper, quartered
• 1 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/2″ thick pieces
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2″ thick pieces
• 1 japanese eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2″ thick pieces
• 4 cremini mushrooms
• 4 ounces asparagus
• 3 scallions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat the barbecue to medium-high heat. Brush the vegetables lightly with some of the oil to coat. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell pepper; 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms; and 4 minutes for the asparagus and scallions. Arrange the vegetables on a platter. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining oil, the vinegar, garlic, parsley, basil, rosemary, and salt to blend. Drizzle the herb mixture over the vegetables. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Molasses Baked Beans

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

• 3 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans
• 1 strip bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Drain the beans, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Rinse and drain the beans.

3. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Add the onion to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender.

4. Meanwhile, in the prepared baking dish, combine the beans, reserved bean liquid, ketchup, molasses, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the bacon and onion.

5. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

How To Avoid Overeating On Memorial Day

I always enjoy eHow articles’ formatting: what you’ll need, how to prep (if necessary), what to do & how to do it. Even for Memorial Day BBQ celebrations. Thanks, eHow, for this cool article by Geoffrey Weed, eHow member!

Unhealthy options are the standard American fare at holiday barbeques like those that take place on Memorial Day.

One major problem with holiday gatherings is that we all tend to overindulge a bit. This is largely due to the fact that, when it comes to holidays, it’s easy to rationalize overeating and to stray from our healthier everyday routines. On this Memorial Day, however, there’s absolutely no reason that you need to pack on any extra pounds. If you follow these simple steps then you’ll be sure to be ready for the upcoming bathing suit season and to not wake up on Tuesday morning with a serious case of regret.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Discipline
• Desire
• A little know-how

Step 1: Bring your own snacks. If you’re heading to someone else’s Memorial Day barbecue then don’t expect that there’ll be any healthy options provided to you. So, bring a veggie platter or a fruit tray. Not only will you get credit for being a conscientious guest by doing so, but you’ll also give yourself some healthy snacking fodder.

Step 2: Nosh on healthy foods before you head to the barbecue. By snacking on healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and sources of lean protein, you’ll help control your hunger once you get around the not-so-good-for-you foods that Memorial Day barbecues are famous for.

Step 3: Load up with veggies whenever possible. Can’t resist that juicy hamburger? Make sure, when you give into that temptation, that you load your burger up with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and any other healthy options. This can really help you to limit your Memorial Day calorie influx and nip your desire to head back for seconds.

Step 4: Avoid costly condiments. Mayonnaise is probably the worst offender, but ranch dressing, cheese and barbecue sauce aren’t considerably better. To lessen your Memorial Day load, try replacing those calorie-dense condiments with healthier options like mustard and oil-and-vinegar.

Step 5: Stick to the fruity desserts. Desserts that include fruit, while often just as bad for you in terms of caloric content as are their non-fruity counterparts, have the decided benefit of containing fiber, vitamins, and other nutritional boons. So, if you have to choose between brownies and apple pie, skip the empty calories and get a little bit of healthy fruit with your unhealthy dessert.

Hangover “Cures” version 2.0: The Home Remedy Edition

OK, so, first of all, I’m no scientist. While concepts and events ranging from the tornado scale to the recent oil spill have indeed piqued my scientific interests from the norm, I continue to beg the question so many of us do: how to effectively cure a hangover? As it is Memorial Day Weekend and a time when many of us um…overindulge, shall we say? I figured it would be a good way to begin the weekend…

This is my blog post and, therefore, my $0.02. So, let us begin…

They say that an ounce of prevention can prevent a pound of cure…of in this case, a couple of liver-detox capsules can prevent and nasty nausea-and-headache combo. So if you can get ahold of some milk thistle and/or similar liver-cleansing agents–available at your local natural-foods store, not necessarily the local liquor store–and take one, two or whatever the recommended dosage is (if you think you’ll have beer goggles on by then, write how many you should take on the cap with a Sharpie) with a serious 8oz (or more) glass of water before hitting the hay, you might wake to a much more pleasant morning. Or at least, somewhat more pleasant, as the milk thistle (and.or other agents) work to flush your liver of toxicities.

If you forgot this crucial step, a few ideas:

Boil 8 oz of water, then toss in an herbal tea bag and cover. Leave it alone for 10-15 minutes. My faves are Traditional Medicinals’ Throat Coat and Herba Tussin, due to the lack of proper hydration and, often, dry throat that results from too much imbibing, but any herbal tea will likely warm, you, wake you slightly and make you feel a bit better, and those containing caffeine might just zing up your day a notch.

Loaded with B-Vitamins and Vitamin C, Alacer’s Emergen’C could just as easily be marketed as an effective hangover remedy…and it is, often by word of mouth. Lightly sweet, gently carbonated, this beverage often soothes throats as well as replenishes much-needed post-indulgence vitamins and minerals, delivering a faster, clearer head (and steadier handshake, too).

As numerous studies have shown, protein can also be an effective hangover remedy. If cholesterol and saturated fat isn’t a concern, by all means, scramble some eggs. For a heart-healthy, zero-colesterol alternative, though, reach for a package of Glenny’s Soy Crisps, loaded with up to 10 grams of heart-healthy soy protein to help defeat the shakes and regain your dignity (if only temporarily).

Good luck and take it easy! Don’t forget that your body is an intricate, incredible machine…feed it well!

BBQ the Healthy Way: On A Stick!

One of my fave ways to enjoy BBQ during the summertime is by making kebabs…delicious, filling and, if you want them to be, SO good for you. So I was stoked to catch up on my reading recently and snag these awesome kebab recipes from Women’s Health…check ‘em out!

Teriyaki Salmon

Pesto Chicken

Mediterranean Scallop

Jerk Pork

Mmm…kebabs…

Recipe of the Week: Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pitas

We absolutely LOVED this recipe from Real Simple magazine. To make it healthier, sub in ground chicken or turkey for the pork…still tastes absolutely fabulous, and it’s ready in a flash.

Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pitas

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1 red or green jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 pitas, halved

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumbers and jalapeño and let sit, tossing occasionally, for at least 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, breaking up with a spoon until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the hoisin, ginger, and 2 tablespoons water.
3. Fill the pita halves with the pork and cucumber salad.

What Medical Professionals Do When They’re Bored…

And you thought life in your work world was wacky…this is what medical professionals who start getting creative in their downtime do…like, create false news stories that are so blisteringly funny, you might need a trauma tech afterwards to keep you from cracking a rib laughing. (Please note that this story is entirely satirical…and then just imagine what it would do to your spam filters if it were true…)

Pharmaceutical Companies To Rename Popular Medications
Many current drug names being blocked by spam filters

NEW YORK , NY-Representatives of Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, and other pharmaceutical giants released a joint statement today confirming that, due to “an increasing difficulty in communicating via the internet and email,” many commonly prescribed medications will be renamed in the coming months.

Diane Mandrill, Pfizer’s U.S. Director of Marketing, says the forthcoming changes are “absolutely necessary” and that they will allow the companies to use email again – something she says has been nearly impossible for several years.

“We can’t send an email about, say, Viagra to anybody else in the company, since the spam filter just kills it as soon as it’s sent. And if we want to get a message out to the public? Forget it! Might as well delete it before even sending it!”

“That’s why we’ve decided to change Viagra to V!@gr@ - the spam filters can’t recognize the different spelling, so the email message will go through fine. And, just to mix things up a bit, every few months we’ll be changing it again, to something like V|a_Gr@, or V1/@gr_a. Basically, we’re gonna outsmart these spam-catching programs at their own game.”

Another of Pfizer’s medications, Celebrex, will be rechristened Ce|`3brex, and their popular drug for hyperlipidemia, Lipitor, will be known in the near future as 1Ip!t0R.

The new names, says Mandrill, have the added advantage of being “much more interesting, and a lot more fun to pronounce.”

Other drug companies, long stymied by the same inability to send email messages about their products to colleagues, physicians, and patients, are following suit. Bayer’s Levitra will be renamed L3v|tr.a, and Merck’s Propecia will be renamed Pr0p.3cia.

Besides medication name changes, the companies will also be implementing system-wide policies on email content, says Merck spokesperson Chris Goode. “It’s going to be recommended that, if you’re referring to any medications at all, for example, you use m3dicat!|on or medic@t10n instead,” he says. “And if you’re sending a message about how much bigger your penis is, you probably should say B!gg3r P*3Ni5, or something like that.”

While the renaming of medications has been met with some resistance by some health professionals, who cite the potential confusion such changes could create, others see the changes as appropriate and overdue.

Tons of thanks to Qfever.com for their deliciously hilarious “news”!

The 125 Best Packaged Foods For Women

I subscribe to Women’s Health magazine, which runs this article every year: The Best Packaged Foods For Women, a guide to…you guessed it, the healthiest, most diet-savvy packaged foods on the market for women. As a hugely loyal fan of unprocessed foods (I practically live on Glenny’s Fruit & Nut Energy Bars), regular farmer’s market shopper, and person who cooks for myself almost every single night-and makes a huge salad to go with whatever I’m eating, too-I tend to be more than skeptical of this list. In fact, I scrutinize, furrow my brow, squint, and attempt to criticize…all before failing miserably. These foods are really good for you, and the article’s worth taking a look at…remember, just a few initial switches and swaps can get you on your way to a happier, healthier you!

Bizarre Diet Funnies…Enjoy!

Ohhh, it’s Monday. I don’t know about you, but I sure could use some humor to bring a bit of cheer to my day…

Even Animals End Up on a Diet

Chubby and overweight animals in a South Korean zoo will be put on a diet after almost ten years of eating processed foods. Animals at the Seoul Grand Park Zoo had been eating more than the normal amount of food intake per day so the animal management have decided to increase amount of their natural food intake and decrease the processed foods.

Park Seon-Deok, a member of the animal management team said, ‘Feeding the animals according to the 1998 guidelines made the animals overweight. Horses, for example, like processed food better than grass, which is what they would be eating in the wild.’

Food of the Famous
After listening to some bedtime stories, Alex, a little boy, said to his father, ‘Snow White was poisoned by an apple, Jack found a giant on a beanstalk, and just look what happened to Alice when she ate the mushroom. And you wonder why I won’t eat fruit and vegetables.’

One-Liners & Quips

• Did you hear about the gourmet who avoids unfashionable restaurants because he doesn’t want to gain weight in the wrong places?

• Never go back for seconds… get it all the first time.

• A great way to lose weight is to eat while you are naked and standing in front of a mirror.  Restaurants will always throw you out before you can eat too much.

• Do you call a person who has abandoned their diet a desserter?

…and last…but certainly not least…

• Is it true that a number of jokes about dieting can be referred to as ‘a binge of jokes’?

Thanks so much to Will And Guy’s Funny Clean Jokes for these great contributions!

Health Insurance Giant Teams Up With Restaurant Association to Extend Coverage to Employees

An unlikely benefit of the government’s sudden attention to health care? Maybe. But most who work in restaurants don’t get employer-paid health care benefits like many in other industries do. Now a national restaurant trade group and UnitedHealthcare, one of the insurance industry’s giants, are discussing how to get these employees coverage.  Check it out!Excerpted from NBC Dallas-Forth Worth:

A restaurant trade group and a health insurance giant have a plan to provide health benefits to food service workers in the oven.

The National Restaurant Association and United Healthcare Inc. are debuting a menu of benefit options in Pennsylvania and Colorado. The Restaurant Health Care Alliance plans could be offered in Texas in 2011.

Anna Waldron wears about four different hats at any one time while working as a manager at Josephine’s Italian Bistro in Frisco. She said that while she loves her salary and loves working with people, she may not stay because she needs a job with health care benefits.

“My husband was working at a corporation and he got laid off,” she said. “We’ve been on COBRA, and it ends at the end of this month.”

 

COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, allows families to continue their health benefits for a limited period of time after a job loss or change and other circumstances.

Chris Gangi, the owner of Josephine’s, said he doesn’t want to lose Waldron. But talented, valued employees come and go constantly, he said.

“Whether they be managers or servers or bartenders, they do move on, and benefits play a big part in that,” Gangi said.

Smaller restaurants especially have it tough. Gangi said even competitive salaries aren’t enough to retain good workers.

Job turnover requires retraining of new employees, and that costs time, money and customers.

“You have to get them to learn the menu, you have to try the different items on there — I mean there’s all kinds of things,” Gangi said.

The Restaurant Health Care Alliance is being hailed as the largest private-sector expansion of health care benefits in U.S. history.

Between 4 and 6 million of the nearly 13 million food service workers in hte country are uninsured, according to the National Restaurant Association and United Healthcare. Coverage for uninsured food service employees could cut the number of Americans without health care benefits by 10 percent.

Waldron said any health care coverage could mean she could stay at the job she loves.

“You’d have the salary that you want, and you’d also have the benefits that have the health coverage,” she said.

May is Bike To work Month!

And Friday, May 21, was National Bike To Work Day, with the preceding week being Bike To Work Week. In my community all sorts of coll stuff happens for those who choose to cycle on Bike To Work Day: restaurants, grocery stores and businesses around town offer free breakfasts starting as early as 6am, bike shops are on hand for maintenance checks, you can register your bike with the local police department, and cycle gear giveaways happen about every five minutes.

Even though National Bike To Work Day was officially on May 21, Bike To Work Day is held on different dates in different cities, so yours may not have even come yet! If you’re interested in Bike To Work Day/Week/Month, the League of American Bicyclists is an awesome place to start. So check out Bike To Work Month: it’s good for the environment, good for the roads and most importantly, good for your health and diet goals! (You might want to grab a an all-natural Fruit & Nut Energy Bar or a pack of low-cal, high-protein Soy Crisps to nosh en route or after your commute…they make awesome cycling snacks! And don’t forget the water!)

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