Category: Healthy (Page 16 of 24)

      Healthy breakfast bowl

      September 13, 2011 /

      Last week I posted something on easy breakfast tacos, but it doesn’t always have to be about tacos or burritos when you are making a quick and healthy breakfast. What follows is my take on the breakfast bowl, something that has become more prominent in fast food chains as carbs have fallen out of favor the last few years.

      So here we go…..

      Chop some tomatoes, shred some cheddar cheese and open a can of pinto beans.

      Prepare some quick brown rice (I like the Trader Joe’s kind in the freezer section, that you nuke in three minutes) and put about 1/2 cup of the cooked rice in a bowl. Set the rest aside (or multiply this recipe out for more servings).

      Cook 2 eggs in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until the whites are just set (don’t overcook–you want a runny yolk). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the beans and tomato in the bowl with the rice, top with the cooked eggs and shredded cheese. (Other options and add-ins are green pepper, jalapenos, cooked corn off the cob, or diced avocado.)

      Top with salsa or hot sauce and serve.

      Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Trader Joe’s Chile Mango Popsicles

      September 9, 2011 /

      Chef JimTrader Joe’s is awesome. There, I said it. They have great, fresh food at very reasonable prices. It’s sort of like Whole Foods with less selection and at far better prices. They also have some unique food items, and last week I took a chance on another one of those–Chile Mango popsicles.

      You might think, why would a food blog geared toward dudes be writing about popsicles. But note the first word–chile. These are mango and hot pepper frozen treats, and they are awesome.

      Trader Joe’s makes excellent frozen fruit desserts like this, and this chile-mango combination is a great blast of cool, sweet and then spicy that makes for an amazing taste explosion. And I do mean explosion, because they are about a 6 out of 10 on the spice scale, something you wouldn’t expect from a popsicle. In fact, I had to make a concerted effort to keep these away from our 4-year old son.

      But for the rest of you, go grab a 4-pack of these and serve them up during Sunday football. It might not go with beer, but hey, maybe I’m wrong!

      Healthy, Product Reviews, Tailgating, Your Kitchen

      Easy breakfast tacos

      September 8, 2011 /

      It’s not always easy to make a quick, healthy breakfast, but here is one you can do that is way better than something you can get at any drive-thru. Breakfast tacos, and super easy ones at that.

      For one person, you’ll need 2 corn tortillas (I like the white corn rather than the yellow), 2 eggs, some shredded sharp cheddar, optional bacon and some good salsa or hot sauce or both.

      You can either warm the tortillas by wrapping them in foil and putting in the oven or toaster oven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. OR my way is to quick fry them in a nonstick pan by spraying both sides with cooking spray and cooking over medium high heat for about 30-45 seconds per side.

      If using bacon, cook 2 slices according to package directions (I use the microwave for this).

      Meanwhile, heat another nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with salt and pepper. Pour into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until just set. Divide the egg on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, crumbled bacon and hot sauce or salsa.

      Fold in half and eat!

      Food on a Budget, Healthy, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Easy summer pasta with corn and tomatoes

      August 25, 2011 /

      I submitted a recipe last year for the Dane County Farmer’s Market newsletter using fresh, locally grown produce as well as ravioli from RP’s here in Madison. So here is an adaptation of that recipe, since summer is winding down and you’re looking for ways to stretch the last of the sweet corn as well as your tomatoes and zucchini that are very much in season right now.

      Ingredients
      1 lb. dry or fresh pasta
      2 ears corn on the cob
      ¼ cup olive oil
      2 garlic cloves, minced
      1 large tomato, chopped
      ½ cup diced zucchini
      ¼ cup minced basil leaves
      1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
      salt and pepper to taste

      Directions:
      Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain, reserving about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. Cook corn in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes. Drain and cool, then cut off kernels and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic, fry for 15-20 seconds. Add tomato, corn and zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes. (Yes, it’s a lot of oil, but it will be absorbed by the pasta and cheese, and olive oil is supposedly good for your arteries.) Add the basil leaves, then the pasta, cooking water, and finally the cheese. Heat for a minute or two or until warmed through, add the salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Serves 3-4

      Food on a Budget, Green Living, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Wheat Thins Stix

      August 23, 2011 /

      Wheat Thins have always been an under-the-radar, good snack–at least in my opinion….with a salty, slighty nutty and sweet taste that makes it hard not to eat half the box. So when I was approached about two new flavors of Wheat Thins Crunch Stix, I happily obliged. I’d never had the Honey Wheat or Fire Roasted Tomato flavors before, which came first, so I was trying these two new flavors first.

      Before I talk about these flavors themselves, first let me say that I was pleasantly surprised that whole grain wheat is the first ingredient, something you don’t see often in snack foods (and there are a whopping 11 grams of whole grains per serving). There is also no high fructose corn syrup, another thing you don’t see often in snack foods these days. It also comes in a cool shaped box that you can open like a tub of popcorn. And now for the taste test…..

      Chipotle Pepper--A mildly spicy and smoky taste, with a nice balance to the slightly nutty and sweet flavor reminiscent of Wheat Thins crackers. There is a faint tomato taste as well and since tomato powder is one of the ingredients, my taste buds did not deceive me. However, if you’re looking for these to knock your spice socks off, that isn’t going to happen. But that means more people in your family will enjoy them.

      Cinnamon Kick–Amazingly, these might be even spicier than the Chipotle flavor, courtesy of jalapeno extract. But the combination of salty, sweet, spicy and of course cinnamon are a really pleasant flavor explosion. Imagine having a cinnamon roll with a hint of cayenne, and that’s these snack stix in a nutshell (well, not literally).

      Anyway, if you’re a snack food junkie (and that I DO mean literally!), you should check these out.

      Grocery stores, Healthy, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

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