Healthy Home Guide

5 Healthy Entertaining Recipes

1.  Smokey Garlic dip

This quick and easy snack is satisfying without busting your healthy eating goals.

•    2/3 cup non-fat sour cream
•    3 tbs fat-free mayo
•    2 tbs lemon juice
•    1 chipotle pepper canned in adobo
•    1 tsp minced garlic
•    1/8 tsp salt
•    1 tbs fresh chopped cilantro

In your blender or food processor, blend together all ingredients except the cilantro.  Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle cilantro on top and serve with vegetables or fat-free tortilla chips.

•    Calories 36
•    Protein 1g
•    Carbs 6g
•    Fat 0g

2.  Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This amazing bread is tasty for a sweet breakfast, an afternoon snack or a dessert.  In fact, there isn’t any time a slice of this bread isn’t good!

•    1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
•    2/3 cup sugar
•    1/3 cup low-fat semi-sweet chocolate chips
•    2 tsp baking powder
•    ¼ tsp cinnamon
•    1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
•    2 mashed ripe bananas
•    1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
•    1 large egg
•    1 tbs vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients and chocolate chips in a large bowl.  Making a well in the center, add wet ingredients: bananas, apple sauce, egg and oil.  Mix together until just moistened.  Lumps are fine – don’t over-mix.  Pour batter into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook at 350° for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove bread from the oven and let it cool.

•    Calories 133
•    Protein 2g
•    Carbohydrates 28g
•    Fat 2g (1 saturated, 1 monounsaturated)

3.  Breakfast casserole

This recipe is fantastic because you can make it on the weekend and it’ll last all week long.

•    8 ounces crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
•    Cooking spray
•    1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
•    1/2 cup chopped green onions
•    1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
•    1 cup (4 ounces) reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
•    2 large eggs
•    1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
•    2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.

Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.  Add sausage to pan and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. In a large bowl, combine sausage, bread and onions.  Combine milk, cheese, eggs and egg substitute in a separate bowl.  Add milk mixture to bread mixture, tossing to coat.  Transfer mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Uncover casserole. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes, or until set and lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

•    CALORIES 344
•    FAT 10.8g
•    PROTEIN 28.7g
•    CHOLESTEROL 123mg

4.  Chicken Salad

During the work week it is difficult to maintain healthy eating habits without packing your lunch and bringing it to work.  Here is a great recipe that will make you glad to skip the drive-thru.

•    1/3 cup diced celery
•    1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
•    1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
•    3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
•    2 tbs plain non-fat yogurt
•    1 tbs lemon juice
•    1/2 tsp salt
•    1/2 tsp dried basil
•    1/4 tsp pepper
•    1 3/4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and chill.  When you’re ready to make your lunch, spoon it on your favorite bread or a bed of greens and you’re good to go.

•    CALORIES 20
•    FAT 0.7g
•    PROTEIN 2.6g
•    CHOLESTEROL 7mg

5.  Salmon and Edamame Pasta Salad

Fish oil and soy are two excellent nutrients.  Make this dish on a night when you just want to feel a little better.

•    1 1/2 cups uncooked bowtie pasta or shells
•    2/3 cup shelled edamame
•    1 (4-ounce) salmon fillet, skinned
•    2 tsp olive oil
•    1 cup chopped red onion
•    6 cups baby spinach
•    1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
•    4 tsp wholegrain Dijon mustard
•    salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Add edamame; cook for 6 minutes or until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Heat a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add salmon; cook for 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once. Coarsely chop salmon. Add to pasta mixture and toss gently to combine.

Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes or just until wilted, stirring frequently. Add spinach mixture and dill to pasta mixture and toss gently to combine. Add mustard, salt and pepper; toss to coat.

•    CALORIES 262
•    FAT 8g
•    PROTEIN 17.1g
•    CHOLESTEROL 14mg

Create your own natural furniture polish

Five Natural Furniture Polishes

Wood furniture is beautiful, and it is important to give our most prized pieces some tender, loving care.  That means preventing spills on them and polishing regularly.  Most store-bought furniture polishes, however, are full of chemicals that can be unsafe and not environmentally friendly.  But there are natural ingredients that can be used to make safer and less expensive furniture polish.  Here are five recipes:

#1:  10 drops of lemon oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and a small amount of olive oil. This mixture is great for everyday dusting.  The key is to get the right kind of lemon oil.  Many brands contain petroleum distillates, which are not environmentally friendly.  You can find pure lemon oil at an herb store or online.

#2:  1/4 cup of vinegar and a few drops of jojoba (if you can’t find jojoba, olive oil is an acceptable substitute). The type of vinegar you should use depends on the type of wood you are polishing.  Apple cider vinegar is slightly more effective, but it could stain lighter woods.  If you are concerned about staining, use white vinegar instead.

#3:  2 1/2 ounces of olive oil, 1 1/2 ounces of coconut oil, 1 ounce of beeswax, 1 ounce of carnauba wax, and 4 ounces of distilled water. Put oils and waxes in a double boiler and melt them, then pour in the water and mix thoroughly.  Rub the mixture into your furniture and work in with a soft cloth.

#4:  Juice of one lemon, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of water. Put a thin coat on furniture, let sit for a few minutes, and buff with a soft cloth.

#5:  1/8 cup of linseed oil, 1/8 cup of vinegar, and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Linseed oil has a pleasant fragrance and polishes well.  But it is important to get the food-grade kind, as the type found in hardware stores contains ingredients that may dry your furniture out.

When mixing your own cleaners, it’s important to consider the shelf life of the ingredients.  Most oils and lemon juice can turn rancid, but some will last longer than others.  Vinegar has an unlimited shelf life, and it is a preservative, so cleaners containing it will last much longer.

Making your own furniture polish allows you to be in control of its ingredients.  That means you don’t have to worry about having an allergic reaction or exposing yourself and your family to substances that may be harmful to your health.  It also means that you can be more considerate of the environment than using store-bought polishes will allow.  Natural furniture polish provides an inexpensive and effective way to care for your furniture and protect your family and the environment at the same time.
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How to Eat a Balanced Diet as a Vegetarian

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of any balanced diet. But nutrition experts also recommend eating a certain number of servings of meat and dairy products each day. It’s not surprising that many people who are considering becoming vegetarians hesitate because they fear that they will not get adequate nutrition.

The truth is that vegetarians can eat balanced diets too. It takes careful planning, but it’s not as difficult as one might imagine. The key to eating a balanced diet as a vegetarian is to know what foods give you the vitamins and nutrients that most people get from animal sources.

Include the following in your daily diet…

Calcium

Calcium is important because it strengthens our bones. Most people associate calcium with milk and cheese, but these are not the only sources of the important mineral. There are many vegetables that contain calcium.

Leafy green vegetables are one of the most popular sources of calcium among vegetarians. Broccoli and beans are also rich in calcium. Soy products provide lots of calcium as well, as do fortified fruit juices.

Lacto and ovo-lacto vegetarians can consume milk and milk products, so it’s easier for them to include calcium in their diets. But vegans can get the calcium they need for strong bones as well.

Protein

A common myth about vegetarianism is that it is extremely difficult to get enough protein. The fact is that although vegetarians usually eat less protein than those whose diet includes meats, meat-eaters often eat too much protein. Plant proteins can also be healthier, because they do not come with the large amounts of fat and cholesterol that animal proteins someetimes do.

Beans are a great source of protein for vegetarians. Grains, nuts, and seeds are also protein-rich. Even many vegetables, such as corn, provide a large amount of protein.

Vitamins

One thing that vegetarians usually get plenty of is vitamins. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with them, and many of these foods have several different vitamins in one delicious package. But there are a few vitamins that vegetarians need to take extra care to include in their diets:

- Vitamin B12 is one important vitamin that is usually obtained through meat, eggs or dairy products. Lacto and ovo-lacto vegetarians do not need to worry about getting enough B12 in their diets. Vegans, on the other hand, might want to consider taking B12 supplements.

- Vitamin D is also often lacking in vegan diets. Those who consume dairy products that are fortified with Vitamin D do not have to worry about it, but strict vegans usually don’t get much of the important nutrient. Two solutions are to get plenty of sunshine, which causes our bodies to create Vitamin D on their own, or to take Vitamin D supplements.

Eating a balanced diet is no harder for a vegetarian than it is for anyone else. Getting all of the vitamins and minerals we need requires us to eat a variety of foods, and to make sure those foods have enough of the things we need in them. By educating yourself about which foods have the nutrients that vegetarian diets often lack, and making it a point to include those in your diet, you can be a healthy vegetarian.

Burning Love Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons oil
1 C. rice, uncooked
1 clove minced garlic
½ C sliced green onions
2/3 C. chopped, canned hot chilies
½ C. diced fresh tomatoes
2 C. low-salt broth (vegetable or beef)

Directions:

Heat oil in a heavy skillet and sauté rice. Stir until rice is golden brown. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer thirty minutes. (Serves 6)

Low calorie, low fat, low salt

Apple of My Eye Dessert

Ingredients:

4 medium Red Delicious apples, unpeeled
2 teaspoons light margarine, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons brown sugar, packed
¼ C. light whipped topping

Directions:

Wash and core apples, taking care not to cut through the bottom of the apple. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar. Stuff each apple with about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and pour one-half teaspoon of margarine into each apple. Bake at 350 degrees F for thirty minutes. Cool and top each apple with 1 tablespoon of whipped topping. (Serves 4)

Low fat, low carbohydrates, low calorie, low salt