Make Healthy Meals

Small red and yellow tomatos, about half and half
Sugar, to taste
1 cup orange juice/pint of tomato

Slice tomatos evenly and lay in the dish in alternate layers. Powder lightly with sugar, and turn over them a cupful of orange juice to a pint of tomato, or if preferred, the juice of lemons may be used instead. Set on ice and cool before serving.

I love cooking in my crockpot. It lets me get things started on my own schedule. Time to start dinner early in the day? Low setting. In the afternoon? High setting. Not sure? Medium setting and keep an eye on things in case it’s too fast or too slow.

But when I read about people cooking with their crockpots I can tell there’s a huge range of actual temperatures when you talk about low or high settings. Read the rest of this entry »

1 c Plus 2 tb water
2 tb Margarine or butter
3 c Bread flour
2 ts Chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tb Chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tb Chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 ts Chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
3 tb Dry milk
2 tb Sugar
1 t Salt
1 1/2 ts Yeast

Place the ingredients in the bread machine and select basic white cycle. Use medium or light crust colour.

My husband’s favorite time of year is approaching. Yes indeed, he can’t wait for barbeque season.

Grilling can be a very healthy way to cook. Or it can be really unhealthy. It just depends on what you cook and how you cook it.

Then there are the gadgets. My husband loves getting new tools for his barbeque. Something like the wireless meat thermometer would probably be a delight to him as well as to other grill fans. Read the rest of this entry »

A part of learning to have healthier eating habits is to control the calories you consume. Healthy foods are often lower in calories than unhealthy ones, and you can learn to make healthy foods that you really enjoy the flavor of.

Today I’m going to go over some basic calorie cutting steps. Eating fewer calories is one of the most basic ways of trying to lose weight and live a healthier life. Read the rest of this entry »

Whoops!

Just tried a new whole wheat bread recipe in my breadmaker. It said it was for a one pound load, so I doubled it for my 2 pound bread machine.

Oops.

I think the person who posted it got it wrong. I just checked and the breadmaker was full to the lid, the dough overflowing the bread pan. Read the rest of this entry »

Make that breakfast favorite just a little bit healthier. Still not exactly healthy, but an improvement. Mix in some berries to add a little something more. You can use other fruits as a topping, with whipped cream or syrup if you need that sweet taste.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon common granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
additional oil for frying Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t have to go out for dinner to make Valentine’s Day a truly romantic holiday. You can make something at home. Just make things a little special and you’re in good shape.

Start out by figuring out his favorite dinner. You want something really special, not the everyday. Start on it early enough that you don’t feel stressed by dinnertime. You can chop ingredients in advance to save yourself some time and stress later on. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t do much of this, but it’s fun to get a little special, a little indulgent, for Valentine’s Day. Besides, chocolate covered strawberries are mostly healthy. There are a few options for how you make the chocolate look its best; that is, nice and glossy.

Shortening or wax are common ingredients, but others say that milk can do the job too. Milk is, of course, much better for you than shortening. Or you can skip it entirely and just melt the chocolate.

Strawberries need to be washed first, of course, but give them time to dry after, as water can interfere with the look of the chocolate. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a fair fan of Asian cooking, although I think a lot of it is more some of the techniques than anything else. I do an awfully good beef with broccoli, though! My husband swears my sauce beats the others he’s had at restaurants. Must be doing something right.

It’s also nice that many of the recipes are rather healthy. Not 100%, certainly, but quite good in general. So I was quite happy today to find a site offering asian recipes. It’s Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food. Read the rest of this entry »