Make Healthy Meals

Great to use up leftover chicken bones if you cook whole chickens ever. I put the bones in the freezer until I need them for broth. This is one of my more or less all day recipes, since I start by making the broth.

bones from 1 previously cooked whole chicken, leftover meat still attached
cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts – 1-2 pounds, depending on what is left on the bones
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs flour
2 diced tomatoes
chopped potatoes
chopped carrots
frozen peas

Boil chicken bones in large stock pan with lots of water. You can use the bones from 1 or 2 chickens. Keep at a very low boil or simmer for two or more hours.

Remove bones and meat from broth. Pull meat off bones and chop meat into bite sized pieces. Return meat to broth, disposing of bones. Add uncooked chicken breasts. Add garlic, onion, ginger and other spices you may like. Cook 20 minutes at a simmer, covered.

Add tomatoes and other vegetables. Cook for 20 more minutes. Stir in flour for some slight thickening.

One option is to add small pasta or barley into the soup. Pasta can easily be overcooked so be careful about this. Play with the spices… soup is such a personal invention and very flexible.

1 bunch beets with greens
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs chopped onion (optional)
1 tbs red wine vingegar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash beets thoroughly. Do not peel. Remove the greens. Rinse the greens and remove large stems. Tear into 2-3 inch pieces.
Toss beets with 2 tbs olive oil. Place in a small baking dish. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes, until a knife can slice the largest beet easily.

A short time before you need to serve them, heat remaining olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook for a minute. Add beet greens. Stir over heat until greens have wilted and are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve beets with red wine vinegar, as is or with butter, salt and pepper. Serve greens as they are.

Listening to the radio I sometimes hear commercials for natural appetite suppressants. The idea behind these is that you’ll lose weight because you don’t feel like eating as much. Sounds ever so easy, doesn’t it?

Natural appetite suppressants come in the form of supplements or whole foods you include in your diet. Supplements tend to be a bit pricey, however, so for most people whole foods may be a better fit to their budget.

My personal favorite is water. Fills you up with no calories. Keeps you hydrated and is good for your skin. Many people mistake thirst for hunger, and so eat when they should be getting a drink. Read the rest of this entry »

2 large artichokes
1 lemon, quartered
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Trim tops and spikes from artichokes. Remove excess stem if necessary. Cut in half lengthwise. Squeeze one lemon wedge into a bowl of cold water and place artichokes in water.

Boil a large pot of water and add artichokes. Cook for 15 minutes. Preheat grill as they cook.

Squeeze remaining lemon wedges into a bowl and add olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain artichokes. Brush with lemon, garlic and oil mixture. Place on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, basting and turning frequently. Cook until tips are slightly charred.

Serve with remaining dip.

Note: If you aren’t in the mood for grilling, finish cooking in the boiling water, rather than on the grill. It takes longer. Artichokes are done when hearts are soft. My husband prefers melted butter in this case to the oil, allowed to cool just a little so that it sticks better to the petals.

1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cuple chopped celery
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tbs butter
2 tbs cornstarch
1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
hot sauce to taste
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tbs lime juice

Melt butter in 2 quart saucepan. Add onion, green pepper, celery and garlic, cooking lightly.

Add cornstarch and mix. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add shrimp and cook for 5 more minutes.

While going on diets isn’t the only way to live a healthy lifestyle, it is one possible aspect of creating healthy eating habits. It’s a way to keep control of what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat.

But the wrong diet is really hard to stick to. You miss those favorite foods. You might not like the recommendations. It’s just plain hard work.

Dieting doesn’t have to be traumatic. Choosing the right diet greatly simplifies matters. Let’s take a look at some of the factors you should consider when choosing a diet. Read the rest of this entry »

Some days it’s really hard to decide what to make for dinner. You look in the cabinets, in the refrigerator, and nothing inspires you.

I’ve come across a website that you might find helpful. They have a software that can help you find recipes that use the ingredients you have on hand. It’s BigOven Recipe Software – 160,000 Recipes.

You can try their software free for 30 days on your PC, after which you can decide if it’s worth it to you. Or you can just search their website for recipes using the keywords of your choice. They have plenty of recipes. But if you decide to buy, the software is quite affordable.

Vegetable oil spray
1 pound boneless pork loin chops. Cut off all visible fat.
1 egg
2 tbs fat free milk
1/3 cup crumbs
2 tbs cornmeal
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp ground ginger
cayenne to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Dip each pork chop in the egg and milk mixture, then coat in spice mixture. Arrange in a pan sprayed with the vegetable oil spray.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn and bake another 10 minutes or until tender and slightly pink in the middle.

Grated zest of 4 oranges
2/3 cups of orange juice
4 tbs honey
3 tbs soy sauce
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (or preferred spices)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1 whole chicken or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste

This is best marinaded at least several hours. Overnight is also good.

Combine the orange zest, orange juice , honey, soy sauce, onion soup mix, oil, ginger, red pepper and garlic in a bowl. Pour over chicken and marinate, covered in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove chicken from marinade and place in roasting pan. You can cook the chicken in the marinade if you like. Add salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour for whole chicken, as needed for chicken breasts.

Alternative for whole chicken: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cook for 5 hours, basting often for the first hour. I also like to lift the skin and squirt marinade directly onto the meat. This works well since I throw the skin out rather than eat it.

1 cup beef broth (or one can)
2 tbs sugar or honey
2 tbs soy sauce (low sodium is a good idea)
1 pound beef, chopped into chunks
1/4 tsp chopped fresh ginger root
1 clove minced garlic
2-3 tbs flour
4 cups chopped broccoli

Lightly brown the beef in a skillet. Combine broth, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl. Place mixture and beef into slow cooker. Mix in ginger and garlic. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3 hours.

About 30-60 minutes before cooking is done mix flour into a little water, then add to liquid in slow cooker. Add broccoli and allow to finish cooking.

Side note: Carrots, snow peas, zucchini, etc are also excellent in this recipe.