Supermarket Healthy: a review

I first need to say that if I ever wrote a cookbook, I imagine it would be very similar to Melissa D'arabian's Supermarket Healthy. I remember watching and rooting for her on The Next Food Network Star and was thrilled when she won. Her philosophies on food are very similar to my own and she knows how to feed a family and stay on a budget.

I really love this cookbook. I've found so many practical and healthy meals. The nice thing is that while the ingredients aren't all ones I typically buy, they aren't completely foreign and can be found for reasonable prices.

For a sneak peak at the book, click here.

To test the recipes I made this jambalaya made with quinoa and it was absolutely delicious! The recipe just said quinoa, but I happened to have red quinoa in my pantry, so that's what I used. The best parts about the dish are that it convinced my husband that quinoa can be good and the jambalaya itself wasn't mushy like a lot of recipes with rice tend to get.

The book is full of meals like this that take something familiar to an average family and takes it up a notch in health while still maintaining the family friendliness of the dish.

I highly recommend this cookbook and will be certain to try more recipes from it in the future!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

If you'd like to order the book through my amazon affiliate link, please do so here.

Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos

I made these taquitos for my mom the other day and she was certainly skeptical when I told her what I was making. As she watched me make them, she still wasn't sure. When they came out of the oven, I gave her a small plate and she hesitantly took a bite. To my delight, she loved them and even had seconds. So if you're not sure about these, I dare you to give them a try, because they are healthy and delicious.

The instructions might seem intimidating, because you have to get out your food processor, but it's really very easy and from start to finish and only takes about 30 minutes (longer if you count oven preheating time.) Click here for printer friendly version.

 Preheat oven to 425 F. Process 1 (15 oz) can drained and rinsed black beans, 2 T salsa, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 T lime juice until mostly smooth.

 Add 6 oz thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach to processor and pulse until incorporated

 Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in 1 C shredded Mexican blend cheese and 1/2 C frozen corn kernels until well incorporated.

 Roll 1/4 C mixture in an 8-in whole wheat tortilla and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture ending with 8 or 9 taquitos.

Spray the taquitos with a little oil and bake 20-25 minutes until lightly toasted. Enjoy!

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Meal Plan Monday: Get More Fiber!

This semester I am taking a nutrition class and I am currently working on an assignment about dietary fiber. I have to come up with a full day's meal plan that will meet my Adequate Intake recommendation for fiber. Just in case you're wondering, it's 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men.

Luckily for you all, I'm a total overachiever and I came up with multiple options and even included a calorie count to share with you. The menu is designed so that choosing any 3 meals (even all breakfasts) will provide you with at least 27 g of fiber and keep your intake under 1,500 Calories. For most adults, that leaves room for snacks and/or dessert. Men: you'll need to eat additional servings to make it up to 38 g of fiber the fruits will help you get there with the least amount of calories. (Please note: calories and fiber content can vary by brand, and even vary depending on which website you use to analyze the recipe, so use these as a general guide instead of a hard fast rule)

Breakfast (all contain 9 g of fiber or more):

• 1/2 C grape-nuts cereal, 1 small banana, and 1/2 C skim milk -350 Cal and 9.6g fiber
• 3 100% whole wheat pancakes* (4-5in diameter), 1 tsp butter per pancake, and 1 C halved strawberries -480 Cal and 9g fiber
• 1 C baked oatmeal, 1/2 grapefruit -496 Cal and 10.6 g fiber

*Follow the recipe using all whole wheat flour instead of both whole and all-purpose.

Lunch (all contain 10 or more grams of fiber):

• Black Bean Quesadilla (1/4C black beans, 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1 T salsa) and medium apple -275 Cal and 10.9 g fiber
• 2 Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos, 2 T salsa -472 Cal and 12.2 g fiber
• 1 egg salad sandwich (2 pieces 100% whole wheat bread*, fresh egg salad made with 2 eggs, 1/2 T miracle whip, and seasoning), 10 baby carrots -390 Cal and 10 g fiber

Dinner (all contain over 11 grams of fiber):

• 1 1/4 C Sweet Potato Chili, 1 serving jiffy corn muffins -472 Cal 12 g fiber
• 2 oz 100% whole wheat spaghetti, 1/2 C Prego brand Roasted garlic and herb pasta sauce, 4 1/2oz meatballs, spinach salad (1 C spinach, 2 T grated carrot, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1 T fat free raspberry vinaigrette) -488 Cal 11.37 g fiber
• Salad with everything except dressing (4 C spring mix, 1/4 C chopped sweet red pepper, 1 medium slice onion, 1/4 C sliced carrot, 1/2 C sliced cucumber, 1/4 whole avocado, 8 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 C chopped raw broccoli, 2 T craisins) and 1 100% whole wheat breadstick (made from my pizza dough -look for the breadstick instructions at the bottom of the page) -410 Calories 12.438 g Fiber 

Have you thought about your fiber intake recently?
this post is linked to orgjunkie.com

8 Tips to Help You Drink Enough Water

One of the goals I've spent a lot of time working on is drinking enough water. I imagine we all know that adults should be drinking a minimum of 64 oz a day, but just because you know something is good for you doesn't mean it's easy. 

 During a group discussion last semester, one of my classmates revealed that she is lucky to get 16oz in and wanted to know what tips I had. If one person found this information valuable, I imagine there are plenty of others who would too, so here is the advice I gave her, plus a few extra ideas I came up with while editing.

 Feel free to pick and choose from the suggestions, I have used all of them at one time or another, but not necessarily at the same time:

• Drink good tasting water. Sometimes that means spending extra money on either bottled water or filters, but i consider it a preventative medicine to drink enough water, so if I can make room in my budget, I do.
• Flavor it. Try some lemon, lime, fruit, herbs, or anything that sounds good.
• Drink it at room temperature. It will actually hydrate you better. However, if you prefer it cold, drink it that way.
• Make water available and easily accessible all day. I've tried several variations- After my babies, I've filled the hospital jug and kept it near me all day and night. Sometimes it's as simple as leaving a filled glass of water on the table and refilling it anytime it empties. The goal being to take at least one drink every single time I walk by. 
• Use a straw. For some reason I can gulp down a ton of water if I use a straw.  I can do it fairly mindlessly, so I don't feel like I'm drinking as much.
• Use tall glasses/bottles. I find it less daunting to drink 4 16oz bottles or 6.5 10oz glasses than 8 8oz glasses. It's all mental and it may not work for you, but it helps me.
• Drink while exercising. I aim to drink at least 16 oz before, during, and/or after exercising.
• Drink a glass with any medicines or vitamins. When I take my vitamin or any medicine, I aim to drink at least a full 8 oz (for each medicine) and that helps too.

What tips would you add?