Healthy cooking tips, recipes, food facts and more from a Registered Dietitian!
Archive for February, 2007
Cereal Bars
Feb 27th
Coming up with healthy snacks and lunches every day is a challenge for many of us. Below is a recipe, made by Rachael-Catherine Hartnett, that is a sweet, but healthy, snack or lunch addition. You can cut it into bars or break it up and use it as snack mix!
Cereal Bars, Trail Mix, or Whatever
1 tablespoon lite butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Life cereal
2 cups Crisp Rice Cereal
2 cups Cheerios
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Line a 13″ X 9″ baking pan with foil, extending the foil to the ends. Coat the foil with cooking spray. In a large, nonstick saucepan, melt the butter, honey, and brown sugar over low heat, stirring frequently. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until the mixture is well blended and melts. Remove pan from heat and add cereals, peanuts, and chocolate chips. Stir until evenly coated with peanut butter mixture. Turn into prepared pan and press firmly into the pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
To serve: either cut into bars (for cereal bars) or break into pieces (for a snack mix or cereal topper). Enjoy!
More healthy snack options:
- Put baby carrots and celery sticks in a zip-lock bag and take it along as a snack.
- Bring an apple.
- Pack a few graham crackers or animal crackers and some peanut butter to munch on.
- Grab a granola bar for a healthy option (that doesn’t include the vending machine.
- If you do go to the vending machine, always use the one at the opposite side of the building. This will help you get in more steps and by the time you get there you might have talked yourself out of that fat-laden snack!
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Chicken Noodle Soup – for your sick days!
Feb 20th
This is cold and flu season, and boy is it going around! Studies are showing that, like grandma said, chicken soup really can make your cold better! The hot soup opens and helps clean out nasal passages and studies point to an amino acid in the soup could help you get better. Getting up and moving around while making this soup could make you feel better as well! Get well soon!
3 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
Generous dash of black pepper
Dash salt
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
3/4 cup uncooked wide egg noodles
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
Heat broth, pepper, carrot, and celery in 2 quart
saucepan over medium-high heat until broth boils.
Stir in noodles and chicken. Reduce to low-medium
heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until noodles are
tender.
Enjoy! – makes 4 servings
Adapted from Swanson recipes; information from mayoclinic.com
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Stuffed Chicken Florentine
Feb 13th
12 small (or 6 large – cut in half) chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
6 ounces mushrooms, fresh, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp lite butter OR olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic, diced in water
16 ounces frozen chopped spinach
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pepper for seasoning
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp garlic, diced in water
Thaw chicken and spinach overnight under refrigeration. Heat butter in saucepan. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
Mix spinach, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper into cooked vegetables.
Spread chicken breast flat, skin side down. Place 1/4 cup spinach mixture in center of chicken breast and fold tightly, securing with a toothpick.
Combine lemon juice and garlic. Baste chicken with mixture. Season with pepper (I used an Italian-style pepper grinder blend). Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until done. Brown chicken under broiler for several minutes, if necessary, until golden. Remove tooth picks before serving. Serve with pan juice.
Yield: 12 servings
Nutritional information (approximate): 150 calories, 0 g carbs, 2 g fat, 25 g protein, 2 g fiber
Adapted from the Oktibbeha County Hospital Recipe file
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Valentines Party Treats – Chips and Dip
Feb 6th
Chips:
4 flour tortillas (low fat or whole wheat preferred)
1 egg white
¾ cup Fruity Pebbles Cereal (can substitute Cocoa Pebbles)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas in single layer on large baking sheet; brush evenly with egg white. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons of cereal.
Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Cut each tortilla into 8 pieces.
Dip:
1 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt
1 cup lite cool whip
½ cup chopped strawberries
Combine ingredients and use as dip for chips or fruit.
Adapted by Sarah Easley from Kraft.com
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
