http://www.makehealthymeals.com Enjoy making healthy meals for yourself and your family Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:39:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Summer's here, and that means that many children will be at home with more time for snacking. While many would love a cabinet filled with sweet treats for snacks, it's much better if you can get them into the habit of healthy snacks. Now how are you going to do that? The ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/advice/making-the-switch-to-healthy-snacks/ If you haven't done a lot of cooking in your life, it can seem pretty intimidating. Many recipes look really complicated. And of course we've all had to taste the results of cooking disasters. Why subject yourself to that? One of the best reasons to learn to cook is that it ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/advice/simple-cooking-for-beginners/ For many people lunch is one of the great challenges of healthy eating. The healthy options that are easy enough to bring to school or work just get to be so routine. Fast food and eating out quickly becomes more appealing. Lunch doesn't have to be just sandwiches, salads and wraps, ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/advice/how-to-bypass-lunchtime-boredom/ A lot of people make convenience foods when they eat because that's all they're comfortable with. It seems to be the simplest thing to do. But all those convenience foods typically come with the price of added sodium and fat. They just aren't as good for you as cooking for ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/advice/taking-the-complex-out-of-cooking/ 2 (14 ounce) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 4 ounces baby spinach leaves 1 (14 ounce) can of chopped tomatoes 1 small red chilli, seeded and finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 red onion, finely sliced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil Heat the oil in a  wok and add the cumin ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/recipes/baby-spinach-and-chickpea-stir-fry/ 8 ounces of risotto Arborio rice 5 ounces frozen peas 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 spring onions, finely sliced 12 asparagus tips 5 cups vegetable broth 4 ounces chopped mushrooms 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan.  Add the spring onions and sauté lightly for approximately 2 minutes.  Now add the rice and ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/recipes/asparagus-and-mascarpone-risotto/ * this crumble has a greater amount of fruit and only a small amount of topping.  This is a great way to get that extra sweet fix while keep calories low. 4 plums, stoned and cut into quarters 4 apricots, stoned and cut into quarters ¼ cup brown sugar ½ cup whole oats ¼ cup ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/recipes/apricot-and-plum-crumble/ ½ cup unsalted real butter ½ cup caster sugar 1 tablespoon clear honey 1 cup plain flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch of salt 1 cup oatmeal oats ½ cup chopped apricots Topping: 2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots 1/r cup toasted, chopped almonds *note: to toast chopped almonds simply place in non-stick pan over high heat for a minute ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/recipes/apricot-almond-cookies/ Cooking for your family is a great goal, but keeping an appropriately clean kitchen can take some effort. Some habits you may not even realize you have can result in the contamination of the food you prepare. 1. Wash your hands. Not just at the start of food preparation. Wash them often. ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/advice/how-healthy-is-your-kitchen/ 1 tbsp butter 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar vanilla ice cream Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the strawberries, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook over medium heat until strawberries are completely heated. Serve over ice cream. Editor's Note: Also very good over other desserts where ... http://www.makehealthymeals.com/recipes/balsamic-strawberries/