Delicious and Healthy Eating and Cooking

Here are some basic tips for those starting out on the healthy, yet delicious venture:

1. I know this may seem almost too basic to list, but a lot of people still do not always check the nutritiional information on food labels. The information is there. Use it. Read it.

2. There is a HUGE difference between "low" and "lower" or "less." So be careful. For example, there is no such thing (at least that I have found) as "low" sodium soy sauce. The word actually used is "less" sodium soy sauce. If you read the nutritional information (see I told you!) you will discover much to your dismay, that the sodium content in this product is astronomically high. It is, however, "lower" or "less" than the sodium content in regular soy sauce.

3. If there is a grocery store near you that is more devoted to health than the average grocery store (think Whole Foods or Trader Joe's), they have lots of low or fat free items (salad dressings, soups, sauces), gluten free items, sugar free items, and vegetarian and vegan items.

4. Main stream grocery stores now carry many fat free, low fat and sodium free items too. For example, if you use a lot of soup stock in your cooking like I do, there are many selections available. I have even found sodium free ketchup and sugar free ketchup in my local grocery chain.

5. Many mainstream grocery stores also have a plentiful vegan and vegetarian sections too.

6. Remember that processed items containing turkey or chicken instead of beef or pork may or may not be any healthier than the beef/pork selections. Often times a lot of extra sodium is added for flavor. Again, check the nutritional information.

7. Fresh salsa is a great, healthy and delicious addition to many dishes. I use salsa to add a wonderful burst of flavor my low-fat chicken tortilla soup and my low-fat chili.

8. Marinara sauce is another surprising, yet terrific addition. It is usually very in low fat and you can purchase lower sodium versions too. Try adding it to your favorite low fat, low sodium vegetable rice soup recipe and you will be pleasantly surprised at the great flavor it brings to the dish.

9. Some fresh sliced chili or jalepeno peppers, or a touch of your favorite hot sauce can also add just the right to kick to take a dish from slightly dull, to pleasantly yummy.

You asked for it in the polls, so you got it here. See! Someone does listen! Anyway, many of you seem to love snacking almost as much as I do. So here are some healthy snacking ideas. Hopefully some of them are new and inspiring to your taste buds.

1. POPCORN! It is high in fiber and contains potassium and protein. So if you eat it right, it is quite good for you. Air-popped popcorn without butter or other toppings has so few calories and fat that you can easily eat a few cups or more, easily, without adding to your wasteline or blood pressure. If you like, you can also sprinkle some Molly McButter on it for just a touch of flavor. Their are also healthy microwave selections with a little bit o' butter for taste that are also healthy. For example, right now, as I write this, we have in our house Act II Light Butter microwave popcorn. One (1) cup of that popped is only 20 calories, 5 of which are from fat. Again, a few cups will make for healthy and delicious eating. NOTE that the nutritional information on popcorn packets is very strange. A lot of the total values are given for unpopped popcorn instead of popped. Well, who on earth is going to eat unpopped popcorn? The small print will usually contain the same information for the popped version, which is far more favorable.

2. Fruits and vegetables of course are an obvious choice, but worth mentioning. For a raw vegetable that many kids and adults love, but didn't know it until they tried it, try some raw sugar snap peas. They are sweet and delicious. In fact, my 7 year old daughter has had them stolen from her during lunchtime at school and she complained bitterly about it. If you like, you can add a little fat free or low fat ranch for dipping.

3. Dip apple slices in fat free or low fat vanilla yogurt. For a little extra bang factor, after dipping them in the yogurt, dip again in some crumbled up granola. That is a triple treat.

4. Freeze your favorite fat free yogurt. It does get really hard, but it is fun to scrape it with a spoon while it is melting. A good thing to know is that the live active yogurt cultures do not die when you freeze the yogurt, so that health factor remains.

5. A lot of peanut butter is very fattening, but a little goes a long way. Try dipping apple slices in just a little peanut butter. One tablespoon can actually go a long way. A serving size is considered to be 2 tablespoons, so the fat is cut in half simply by using one spoonful only.

6. Laughing Cow now makes light cheese wedges. One triangle is only about 35 calories and only 1 weight watcher point.

7. Mozzarella is naturally low fat. It is a good cheesy snack choice. So go ahead, enjoy that stick of that string cheese!

8. Many cereals are low in sugar and fat. A handful or small bowl of dried cereal can make for a tasty treat, or even add some skim milk. You can even have a bit of cereal with a little bit of fat free or low fat cottage cheese. Just measure so you don't overdo it. Cereal--it's not just for breakfast!

9. A tablespoon or two of hummus with some vegetables is also a healthy and low calorie choice.

10. Do not overlook the incredible, edible egg. I often hardboil a carton of them, and we eat them for breakfast and snacks. The whole family loves them and they are only about 70 calories each. The days o the great cholesterol scare when it comes to eggs was is mostly in the past amd was largely based on incomplete information. Today, most health experts recognize the great health value of eggs, and acknowledge the myth of eggs causing cholesterol problems. See, for e.g. (1) http://www.physorg.com/news139156140.html and (2) http://www.naturalnews.com/025815_eggs_health_cholesterol_levels.html There are still counter arguments, so I leave it to your own research and make no guarantees. But I am a true egg advocate.

11. A very small handful of nuts is healthy snack choice. If you have big hands, take less than a small handful please. Yes, nuts are fattening, but are also good for you in small amounts and very filling. So, in moderation are a great addition to your diet.

12. Make popsicles out of juice. There are some light juices now that significantly cut down on the calories, so go for it.

Please feel free to post your own great and healthy snack discoveries in the Guestbook at the end of this page. We are all interested.

Just to get you started, I am posting an extremely easy spaghetti squash recipe that my whole family loves. If you have a marinara sauce recipe you love, you can obviously use that. I generally opt for as easy as possible, so I used jarred sauces, often times from a health food store. You can also find fairly low, or at least lower sodium marinara sauces in many main stream grocery stores. (Ahem! Read the labels.)

Ingredients:

- 1 spaghetti squash
- Marinara sauce to taste
- (optional) Freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
- (optional: pre-cooked turkey meatballs)

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Puncture holes with a fork or knive all around the whole spaghetti squash.
3. Place the whole squash directly on oven rack. Do not even bother to cut the squash first unless you have a hacksaw or better yet, a chainsaw. Cooking it whole is definitely the best method I have found.
4. Cook squash for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on the size of the squash, turning it several times as the down side cooks a bit faster.
5. Remove squash using some sturdy oven mitts. You many want to let it cool for a bit before cutting.
6. Cut squash in half length-wise and remove seeds with a big spoon. Some of the yummy squash strands may accidently be removed during this process, but that is fine. There are plenty of them.
7. With a fork, scrape meat of squash. Yes, when you do this, spaghetti like strands really do come out! Scrape them into a bowl.
8. Add marinara or other pasta sauce to taste and mix together. It is now ready to serve.
9. If you like, add just a little freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese.
10. If you are adding turkey meatballs, add the cooked/heated meatballs to the top of each serving. I confess, when I am adding meatballs, I use pre-made turkey meatballs.

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