Random stuff | My Foodie Call | Page 12

Category: Random stuff
- Two Salad Mistakes
  
  Posted at 1:04 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Jul 29th
  The biggest mistake people make when eating a salad is thinking they are going to lose weight. Disagree? Well, of course there are many healthy salads, frankly I live on salads, but here is the big problem and misconception.
  
  Dressing. Dressing. Dressing. Sigh.
  
  Here are a couple of mistakes that truly kill me.
  
  Mistake number 1: Eating/ordering caesar salads and thinking this is a healthy choice
  
  Caesar dressing is LOADED with calories and heart clogging saturated fats. Some chicken caesar salads clock in at 600-1000 calories a pop. Yikes! There is not even close to enough nutritional content in the romaine lettuce to off set the damage from this dressing. Don’t even get me started on the croutons…
  
  The fix? I say stay away from caesar salads, but if you must:
  - Ask your server to hold the croutons.
  - Dressing on the side
  Mistake number 2: Choosing Fat Free Dressings.
  
  Here is the problem. We need fat in our salads. Many of the vegetables like carrots, with beta-carotene (vitamin A) are considered fat soluble. What does this mean? Put simply: In order for our bodies to retain the necessary vitamins from the vegetables that we eat, we must have some fat. All you need is a tiny bit. You could swap out your fat-free italian dressing for light. Or use your fat-free and add a bit of heart healthy avocado slices. Stop being afraid of these healthy fats. Seriously… your heart, blood pressure and skin will love you for it.
  
  Best choice?
  - Clear dressings. Anything you can see through. No Ranch (bleck), 1000 Island (bleck), or Blue Cheese (can you say heart attack??)
  - Oil and Vinegar (Don’t under-estimate these flavors!)
  Not ready to give up your favorite dressing?
  
  Use less of that ranch and add some squeezed lemon or salsa to your salad. Try that for a few months and slowly increase the amount as you get use to the flavors.
  
  Your heart and waistline will thank you for it.
  
  Oh and stay away from that Caesar Salad!
  Posted in Small changes | Tagged healthy salads
- Make friends with…Nutritional Yeast
  
  Posted at 10:46 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 25th
  Make this your new BFF. The possibilities are endless!
  
  Yes, yeast. The good kind. Super healthy.
  
  So I mentioned this a while back. Any vegan or health enthusiast knows that Nutritional Yeast is a “nutritional powerhouse” and needs to be a key item in your pantry. But if you are just starting out, you might not know what nutritional yeast is or what the heck to do with it.
  
  I started on nutritional yeast about 4 years ago when I became vegetarian. Mainly because it is an excellent source of B-12, which is often lacking in a vegetarian diet. Although I added it to my diet for health purposes, I really had no idea what I was in store for. This stuff rocks and does not need to be limited to vegetarians.
  
  NUTRITIONAL YEAST BENEFITS:
  - low calories
  - yay on fiber (has my 3+ grams)
  - awesome protein (has my 6 gram rule)
  Check it out. Your taste buds and body will never be the same.
  
  Things I use nutritional yeast for:
  - sprinkling on popcorn (just spritz with olive oil spray and give it a good shake)
  - mixing into spaghetti sauce (perfect place to squeeze 1/4 cup in)
  - as a salad topper (this is how I started my nutritional yeast obsession)
  - mixed in with Annie’s Mac N Cheese
  If I am going to give the My Foodie Call family Mac n Cheese from a box, you had better believe that it will be Annie’s, Organic, and have nutritional yeast stirred in.
  - mixed into salad dressing
  - mixed into salsa and then added to tacos, burritos, quesadillas. Hungry yet?
  Basically anywhere you want a cheesy flavor!
  
  Where do I get this? Most health food stores will have it, but I find it can be pricey. Like everything, I just order online. My nutritional yeast is on automatic delivery from Amazon and comes 4 packages in a box.
  
  Online shop for this stuff. Way easier.
  
  Besides, it is super fun getting a package in the mail. For real.
  Posted in Make friends with...
- Healthier Ranch Dressing or Dip
  
  Posted at 6:48 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 12th
  For the ranch addicts
  
  So I am not going to pretend that this recipe will taste exactly like your store-bought bottle of ranch. But I’ll tell you what? It’s pretty dang good. Minus all of that artery clogging goop.
  
  Made with soybean oil and has insane calories in just 2 tablespoons (140 cal). Who the heck only uses 2 tablespoons? Certainly not me.
  
  On to the recipe:
  
  Start with a pint of plain greek yogurt
  
  Loads of calcium, no sugar.
  
  Recipe 1: 10 minute recipe
  - 1- 16oz container plain, greek yogurt
  - 2 tablespoons organic dill, finely chopped
  - 4 teaspoons organic parsley, finely chopped
  - 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  - 2 teaspoon sea salt
  - 2 teaspoon celery salt
  - season with pepper to taste
  Mix well in a separate bowl. Creamy baby!
  
  IF THE ABOVE IS A LITTLE TOO AMBITIOUS FOR YOUR HOUSEHOLD, THERE IS STILL HOPE. SEE BELOW:
  
  Recipe 2: 1 minute recipe
  - 1-16 oz container plain, greek yogurt
  - 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
  Mix well in a separate bowl. Easy.
  
  Right near the croutons at your grocery store. No excuses. Oh and skip the croutons. Those will sabotage your salad.
  
  Place this on your table with a pile of cut up veggies and I guarantee people will be munching.
  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides, Small changes | Tagged dip, healthy ranch
- SNACKS for “those” days….
  
  Posted at 9:02 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Mar 19th
  I realize some days, carrots and hummus just will not cut it. If you can’t take another celery stick, here are 3 good snack choices from a standard grocer, Wal-Mart, and Trader Joe’s. No excuses. First things first, when buying chips or other snack items, try to find some that have 3 grams of fiber (or more) per serving. Plenty of snacks out there that have this promise. You just have to be willing to flip the bag. Remember, these do not equate to “healthy”, these are HEALTHIER than their standard counterparts.
  
  Regular Grocery Store
  - Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips– Can you step away from the Lay’s chips? I challenge you. Try this ~~healthy~~ healthier alternative.
  These have vitamin A and C. Not too shabby for a chip.
  - Food That Should Taste Good Chips– These are fantastic. Meet the fiber requirement and are made from a blend of stone ground corn, flax, sunflower seeds…. Just good, clean stuff. These are in the Wild Harvest section at Shaw’s. Venture out of the microwave popcorn/cheese curl aisle. You’ll survive.
  These Multigrain chips are the base for the My Foodie Call household “Healthy Nachos.”
  - Kellogg’s All-Bran Crackers- Multi-Grain– The first ingredient on the side panel is actually “whole wheat”. Why does this matter? Well, sometimes these companies try to trick you with the whole wheat angle and plastering the words “multi-grain” on the front . Don’t believe it until you check the ingredient list.
  Love these. Better and healthier than Wheat Thins. 5 grams of fiber? Score.
  
  WAL-MART
  - Snapea Crisps– These things are awesome. My youngest calls these the “long green things” instead of Snapea Crisps and yes, asks for the “long green things” as a snack. These are a crunchy green pea snack that well…taste nothing like green peas. Calcium, Iron, Protein, and my 3 grams of fiber requirement? Yup. Best part? These are $1.50 a bag. For real.
  Great as a snack, or as a soup or salad topper.
  - Annie’s Bunny Grahams-Honey–Did you know that Walmart has Annie’s products? Make Annie’s your new brand to look for. The Bunny Grahams are my go-to Teddy Graham replacement.
  The kids do not even miss those other guys.
  - Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Granola Bars– Kashi. Another brand to seek out at Wal-Mart. These granola bars actually have real cherries, fiber and 5 grams of protein per bar. Take that Quaker Oat bars.
  Cherries, chocolate, and chewy? Yay, me!
  
  TRADER JOE’S
  - Raw Almonds– Protein packed. Grab these handfuls of heaven. Choose raw when possible for the best nutritional benefit.
  0 mg sodium in these. Can you say that about your go-to snack?
  - Roasted Seaweed Snack– Huh? Seaweed? No, not as scary as it sounds. Sea vegetables are true gold mines in terms of health. Lightly salted. Just enough to keep you reaching for another. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, try these.
  These are $1.00? Seriously? Can you even get a candy bar for that price these days?
  - Crunchy Curls– These are probably my favorite snack of all that are listed. Lentil potato chips. These are so good, it’s worth seeking out a Trader Joe’s for these. Even if it’s 100 miles away. Stock up.
  The curly shape makes them kind of fun and you feel like they are junky. But they aren’t.
  
  What snack do you reach for most afternoons?
  Posted in Small changes | Tagged Snacks
- Mason jars have taken over my kitchen.
  
  Posted at 8:37 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Mar 11th
  Gogi, baby.
  
  These are only a fraction of the jars that take up some serious cupboard space in the My Foodie Call kitchen.
  
  Key staples for any health nut. Pun intended.
  
  Here is the breakdown of the items that should take up permanent residence on your shelves.
  - Gogi berries– Considered a top antioxidant and “Superfood”, these babies store easily and no spoilage. Strawberries out of season? that have been sitting on a produce truck for a week? Meh. I’ll pop some gogi and call it a day. Also, these can be sprinkled on oatmeal, greek yogurt, or mixed into baked goods. The My Foodie Call header? Gogi berry and oat cookies.
  - Sesame seeds– More calcium than milk. Bet ya didn’t know that, did ya? Milk is not the golden ticket to bone health, as once thought. Old school thinking.
  - Raisins– Natural sugar? Yes, please.
  - Dark chocolate chips– Love the Ghirardelli dark chips. 60% cacao, bittersweet, large. They rock.
  - Pepitas– AKA: pumpkin seeds. Popular in Mexico. Super yummy toasted. Awesome source of zinc. Who cares about zinc, right? Here’s why: For out-of-this-world immunity.
  - Almonds– Protein source that doesn’t result in heart disease (sorry steak, I am talking to you) . Highest source of vitamin E and fiber of all the nuts. I was to hand out a “top nut” award, it would go to the almighty almond. The biggest bang for your buck.
  - Walnuts– You want to be a smarty pants and impress your friends? Eat walnuts. High omega 3’s. Shaped like a brain for a reason.
  - Sunflower seeds– Super source of Manganese. Meaning…it calms your nerves and muscles.
  - Cashews– Lower fat content than most nuts. Also can be soaked and pureed into some incredibly creamy sauces.
  Oh and let’s not forget my chia jar. This deserves its own picture because these are the Queen Bees of all .
  
  Sad, empty chia jar. I'm off to cry in my pillow. Actually, no. I am waiting on my 5lb replacement bag to be delivered. Hurry up, Amazon.
  - Chia– Omega’s, calcium, fiber. Yes, all of those. But what is most important is that they absorb 10X their weight in water. So what, right? Well, imagine what a spoonful can do in your breakfast? Make you feel full, for longer, that’s what. Oh, and they are way easier for your body to digest than flax seeds.
  Makes one heck of a trail mix, too. Mason jar shopping, anyone?
  
  What item is a permanent fixture in your cabinet?
  Posted in Random stuff | Tagged chia, nuts
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