With the rise of the salad restaurant (think Tender Greens, Sweet Green, Chop't), the kale craze, and the vegan revolution – it’s a good time to examine the building blocks for the oldest healthy dish in the books. With a wide variety of salad greens available, it can be hard to differentiate among them– which is the healthiest? Which has the most vitamins? Which is lowest in calories? And which tastes best?
Time and time again we see recipes that promise to be quick and easy. And sometimes they are. But then no one in our household likes it; or the recipe really isn't that quick or easy...So when we stumble upon one that holds true to the promise, we get excited.
It took a little Google sleuthing to find the recipe we used as our base. As a note, there are MANY versions of this recipe, and of course, we have our own suggested "tweaks". We also noticed that the recipe is "adapted from Trader Joe's Cookbook". Naturally, we like it!
Wow. We were right!
When we saw this recipe in our Cooking Light Magazine, we were intrigued. We love shrimp, and we know that a small amount of Spanish chorizo can go a long way toward adding robust flavor. Other favorite ingredients were also listed: sriracha, basil, green onion, garlic and lemon juice. This dish was begging to be made.
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Stylist: Cindy Barr
A long while back the Wall Street Journal--Marketplace Section--had an informative article on the pros/cons of buying organic produce, meats and dairy. The article was fair and balanced and basically said that:
Your Oatmeal Questions Answered
Steel Cut, Old Fashioned Flakes, Instant? What is the best oatmeal choice when I am making oatmeal at home? And what about instant flavored "packets" of oatmeal? Are they nutritionally bankrupt? And last, how about the oatmeal offered at fast food joints? Thumbs up or down?
We look at the variety of oatmeal available at stores, share our oatmeal recipe, and delve into what is offered "on the road."
Oats at the Grocery Store (Home Base)
Forget every other energy/protein bar review you’ve read. This is different. We dig into the nutrition data to SHOW you how the bars stack up. Taste is subjective. Numbers aren’t. And nothing beats a side-by-side comparison.
Our analysis will help determine if you’re getting the “most” out of your bar. You decide what “most” means. Is it taste? Protein? Natural ingredients? Low Sugar? All of these? This post will make you think twice about your favorite chocolate covered bar.
Our ideal bar:
Have you seen this jar before?
He's well known in quick cooking circles for his garlicky flavor and flexible demeanor. He's also a rather simple fellow made up of diced tomatoes, canola oil, fresh garlic, onions, distilled vinegar, salt, basil, and spices. He's not too salty (180mg, 8% DV in 2 T), and he's quite agile, likely because at 275 calories for all 12 oz, he's a light on his base.
Track him down. You won't be sorry.
Especially for parents, having sensible snacks available is a no-brainer. And if those snacks can provide some legit nutrition, well that’s a big bonus. At our house, cereal reigns supreme--favored over all other crunchy alternatives such as goldfish, whole wheat crackers, chips, anything!
But recently, I’ve investigated popcorn. And while all popcorn is NOT created equal, there are some really good options out there. “Good” meaning, low in saturated fat & sodium but high in fiber and protein. Wow! Some varieties of popcorn are true health foods.
Wow! That was our reaction when we tried out the Caesar Parmigiano Yogurt salad dressing from Bolthouse Farms. We are salad connoisseurs and sampling dressings is a team hobby. But we refuse to stock our fridge with any calorie, salt or sugar bombs. The result is that many dressings under perform in our rigorous taste tests.
There's more than one way to skin a cat. Who came up with that? Mark Twain used the expression...Anyway, let's talk food, specifically a favorite pre and post-workout snack, the peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Just Google "peanut butter jelly sandwich athlete" and a slew of sites appear recommending the sandwich as a worthy source of calories, protein and carbs. (Our recommendation would be to substitute almond butter for the peanut butter. It's healthier.