HEALTHY EATING
Don’t settle for a restaurant smoothie that likely has loads of added sugar and very little nutrition. Instead, use this formula to make your own smoothies at home. All you need is a blender or juicer and the fresh ingredients you enjoy. Have fun with it and try different ingredients each time until you discover your favorite recipe.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
HEALTHY EATING
You don’t have to become a vegetarian to enjoy a meatless meal. Try working more meatless meals into your week, suggests the Recipe Doctor, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, author of Food Synergy.
* Substitute a soy “meat” product for the meat ingredient in casseroles, stews, tacos, and chili.
* Break out a can of beans. They make great meal replacers because they’re super satisfying, with high amounts of protein and fiber. In a nice vegetable stew bursting with beans, you might not notice the meat is missing.
* Try a veggie potpie featuring potatoes, peas, mushrooms, and any other vegetables with vegetarian gravy and pie crust.
* Make Mexican dishes (burritos, nachos, enchiladas, for example) featuring beans and veggies instead of beef and chicken.
* Stir-fry Chinese cuisine with veggies and tofu and serve over rice or noodles.
* Stuff bell peppers with a mixture of rice with spices and vegetables plus vegetarian sausage, tofu, or beans to make the dish more satisfying.
* Layer lasagna with veggies instead of meat. Spinach replaces ground beef.
* A grilled Portobello mushroom can stand in for a burger on a bun.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
HEALTHY EATING
If you’re cutting back on salt to control blood pressure, the Spice Islands Test Kitchen has developed 5 tips to boost flavor in food:
*Increase the amount of herbs when reducing salt.For a great flavor punch, increase your spice and herbs by 25% when reducing or eliminating salt in a recipe.
*Crush herbs to release all flavor.For leafy herbs such as rosemary and leaf oregano, lightly crush the herbs to bring out maximum flavor.
*For soups and stews, reduce the salt and add spices last.For long-cooking soups and stews, reduce the salt. Save about a fourth of the spices called for and add them at the end of cooking. This will give a more intense flavor to the dish.
*Add herbs early in no-cook meals.For salad dressings, fruit dishes, or other no-cook foods, add herbs and spices several hours before serving so flavors can develop and blend. For salad dressings, add seasonings to the vinegar and let stand before adding the oil.
*Give dried spices a boost.If a recipe calls for fresh herbs and you have dried on hand, simply use a third to a half as much dry for fresh.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
HEALTHY EATING
Make a game plan for leftovers to avoid overeating, say experts from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. You can turn holiday leftovers into new healthy dishes by reusing the following foods:
White turkey meat
* Whip up your favorite chili recipe, but use turkey instead of ground beef.
* Wrap turkey, spinach leaves, and 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce in a whole wheat tortilla.
Mashed potatoes
* Mix in a healthy helping of cooked vegetables for a new twist on this side dish. Try cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, or carrots.
Sweet potatoes
* Make a protein-packed sandwich spread or veggie dip by pureeing one-half cup sweet potatoes with one-half cup chickpeas. Eat only 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine