Living It With Lisa

From frozen foods to meatless meals, here are five time-saving strategies to help you prepare nutritious meals quickly and easily.

With all the pressures on our time, many of us cut corners. We resort to fast food, restaurant take-out, and frozen entrées that may be loaded with salt, fat, and calories. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With a little advance thought and planning, you can prepare nutrition-packed meals even on the busiest of days. Here, then, are some of our favorite time-saving strategies.

Nutrition Tip 1 — Shop the Freezer Aisle
Frozen vegetables are great timesavers. They can be prepared in a few minutes in the microwave or quickly steamed in an inch or two of water. For the best nutritional value, choose frozen vegetables without added sauces and seasonings. You can even select some frozen entrées — if you peruse the nutrition labels carefully before purchasing. Look for products with less than 4 g of saturated fat and no more than 400–600 mg of sodium.

Nutrition Tip 2 — Portion and Prepare Ahead of Time
Buy uncooked chicken breasts, fish, or lean meat at the supermarket. When you get home, unpack and repackage it in freezer bags in the portions you need for one meal. Then add marinade and freeze — be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag to prevent freezer burn. Label and date the items, too. The night before you want to serve the protein, put the bag in the refrigerator to thaw. By dinnertime the next day, all you’ll need to do is grill or broil the entrée.

Nutrition Tip 3 — Cook Once, Eat Twice
When you’re cooking, make extra for another dinner. It doesn’t take much effort to double a recipe for spaghetti sauce, chili, a casserole, stew, or soup. Freeze the extras in the desired serving size.

Nutrition Tip 4 — Make Eggs the Center of Attention
Eggs are quick and easy to prepare. Try using eggs or egg substitutes as a main dish at dinner. For instance, create an omelet with low-fat cheese, leftover chili, or Chinese food. Use one whole egg and one to two egg whites to get the volume of two eggs for the cholesterol content of just one.

Nutrition Tip 5 — Prepare a Meatless Meal
Dinner does not always have to include meat. Instead, try topping a baked potato with a frozen vegetable, beans, and low-fat cheese. You can quickly prepare white and sweet potatoes in the microwave oven. If you prefer the flavor of potatoes baked in a regular oven, cook them halfway in the microwave and then finish them off in the oven.

Well its that time of year when eggs are being dyed and deviled!  The conversation has come up … just how long is an egg good?  I thought I had the answer but found alot more information on Wiki.com

Here is what they found from their various contributors:

• Eggs can remain edible for even longer than a month, but freshness (egg yolk that sits firm and high, and a thick viscous egg white) will be noticeably less after two weeks.If eggs start out as Grade AA, they remain AA for only two weeks if properly refrigerated. After that, they’ll be Grade A for another 2 weeks.

• Here is a true test of freshness: Get a bowl of cold water. Put the whole egg in the water. If it sinks, it’s fresh; if it floats to the top, it is old. It will kind of lay almost on its side. You can see the age of it by how much it floats. It’s a good idea to do this test before selling any eggs if you suspect they are older than two weeks.However, by putting the eggs in water, you wash away the bloom from the egg, a protective layering that prevents bacteria from entering the egg. Therefore, unless you are not expecting to keep the eggs for very long, you should not put them in water. If you must wash the eggs, use HOT running water.

• Farmers have 30 days from the day an egg is laid to get it to stores. Then, the stores have another 30 days to sell the eggs. The USDA recommends a maximum of 5 weeks in your refrigerator before you discard your eggs. What does this all boil down to? On April 1, you could be eating an egg that was laid on Christmas.

• Many eggs in the U.S. get to market within a few days of laying. If there is a USDA shield on the carton, it must have at least a Julian pack date. A use-by is not required, but if used, it must not be more than 45 days from packing. If the eggs are not distributed interstate, state laws will apply and are variable.

• Keep in mind that farmers generally get their eggs to stores within a week, and both the “pack date” and “sell by” date are stamped onto the carton. The numbers run from 1-365, depending on the day of the year. Lastly, there is a big difference in taste between farm fresh eggs and week-old eggs. If you want the freshest eggs, you can buy from a local farmer.
• There is an expiration date on the carton. If in doubt, put the egg in water. If it floats on its side, do not use it.

Eggs last about 4-5 weeks in your refrigerator. If you don’t know how long the egg has been in the refrigerator, fill a cup with water (enough to cover the egg), and put the egg in the cup. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it is still good to eat, but if the egg floats, it is bad and should be discarded.

You’re rushing down the aisle at the grocery store, checking things off your shopping list, when you spot an attractive bag of frozen strawberries that would be perfect for the next morning’s breakfast smoothie. The label says “Canada A.” You toss the bag into the cart, thinking that you’ve just scored yourself some yummy local berries frozen at the peak of freshness.

Take a closer look, and it turns out the strawberries are far from being close to home ….

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Here’s good food news: The more you munch on healthy eats, the less you need to worry about Friday night’s fat burger and fries. Who says? Harvard. Its medical school has found that women who routinely nibble nutritious foods slash their risk of dying from the usual culprits, including heart disease and cancer. To up your odds of living a long and healthy life—despite occasional blowouts at T.G.I. Friday’s—make sure you regularly include these seven nutritional powerhouses in your diet. “They’re the cream of the healthy-foods crop,” says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Age-Proof Your Body.

Click here for more information

Tomato Sauce Decorative Art Poster Print by Lauren Hamilton

Have you ever opened a can of tomato sauce, tomatoes or tomato paste and the recipe didn’t use all the can? Well don’t waste it … Save it … and NOT in the refrigerator. You may not find it and use it before you end up throwing it away.

Take what’s left and pour it into ice cube trays, cover and freeze. Once it is frozen, place the individual cubes in a zip top bag and label it. Now you will have little cubes on hand to pop into future dishes.

When I have 1-2 tablespoons left of tomato paste, I have also taken a snack size plastic bags and place the leftovers inside and freeze.  I also put all those little bags in one place in the freezer so that I can find them easily when needed.

Now that is being a Conscious Cook!

We know that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you.  Are you scanning your labels to make sure it is not in the food you are buying?  Now, if you aren’t buying processed foods you won’t have a label to read!  Ok, not even I am that dedicate but every little step we take towards conscious choice with more wholesome and natural ingredients helps us feed our body so it is not fighting and protecting us from potential toxins in processed foods.   

So what’s the deal with this sweetener?  The following article by Toby Amidor gives us some insight. 

What is it?
 High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) started making its name in the 1980s as a cheap alternative to sugar. Sugar is made from two sub-units: glucose and fructose.  HFCS is made from those same two subunits — just with some extra help from the lab.  Basically put, HFCS starts out as cornstarch, which is made of glucose, and then some of that glucose is converted via chemical processes to fructose.  So, you see, there’s some manipulation that goes into making it.

Where is it found?
 Everywhere. Yes, everywhere!  Bread, cookies, soda, cold cereals, candy, ketchup, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, jams, chocolate syrup — you name it and it probably contains HFCS.  On a recent supermarket trip, I spent 15 minutes in the bread aisle trying to find a loaf without this sweetener.  It’s become so mainstream in our food supply that it’s sometimes difficult to completely eliminate it from your diet. 

What has sparked the controversy?
  As the use of HFCS increased, so did American’s waistlines. Once that news surfaced, the public went crazy and the HFCS backlash began.  According to The American Medical Association, HFCS does not contribute more to obesity than sugar or other caloric sweeteners.

According to nutritionist, author, professor  Marion Nestle, “Biochemically, high fructose corn syrup is about the same as table sugar (both have about the same amount of fructose and calories), but it is in everything and Americans eat a lot of it — nearly 60 pounds per capita in 2006, just a bit less than pounds of table sugar.”

The Latest Issues
 A study released in January revealed that almost half of the commercial food products tested that contained HFCS also contained mercury.  Understandably, the media went wild because mercury is toxic and has been linked to neurological damage in humans.  Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association released a statement claiming that the study was flawed and failed to properly conduct their study.

The Bottom Line
 HFCS is found in many packaged foods and hard to avoid.  If possible, opt for products without the sweetener or ones that list HFCS lower down on the ingredients (the closer it is to the end of the list, the less it contains).  Sticking to a whole diet with fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, grains and legumes can help minimize your consumption.  And, as we always say, moderation is key.

Okay I am not a food stylist.  I really know that after watching The Food Magicians on the Food Network.  Hopefully you will enjoy my first attempt a sugar free, gluten free cake for Carters 21st birthday. 

That is how my party planning started.  I knew that I wanted to serve an entire meal that was diabetic friendly and that the attendees wouldn’t even realize it…and that included the cake too.  The menu was the easy part, it was the cake that took 3 tries to get it right.  Victoria and I were sick of Chocolate cake by party time since we had been sampling for days.  Vic on the other had was sad to see 

it stop.  I determined that he was not a good cake taste tester.  He liked them all.  Even the one that tasted like an unsweetened bar of Bakers Chocolate!  

So here is the menu:

Gazpacho Soup, Shrimp Cocktail with Cocktail Sauce, Fruit Platter, MamaLisa’s Cauliflower, Zucchini & Squash Slaw, Roasted Artichoke Salad, with Smoked Brisket with BBQ sauce, and Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream, Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce. 

Uncle Jerry brought his yummy Salsa with chips  and Tori had a special request so I also made Roasted Garlic with Toasted Baguettes.  Carter’s Mom Roseanne brought her family favorite Vidalia Onion Casserole.  So those items were the only no-no on the menu. 

Yes, all the sauces were diabetic.  The BB!Q sauce I made my original BBQ sauce and then updated the recipe to make it diabetic and I am telling you …there was hardly a difference.   My girlfriend Stacy had 

also turned me on to a line of products from Walden Farms that were sugar free.  I took their cocktail sauce which is surprisingly good and added some horseradish.  YummE! 

 The gazpacho and its yummy topping was a hit.  I served it in espresso cups that I bought for our wedding reception, so no spoons needed!  It is the perfect way to serve soup to a crowd.

MamaLisa’s Cauliflower is always a hit and very little is ever left over.  Very simple,  Steam the cauliflower, top with a mustard mayo mix, top that with shredded colby cheese so it will melt. 

The Zucchini & Squash Slaw (gotta figure out a better name for that) is a recipe that I modeled after Cucumber Salad.  Except that I cut the veggies with a mandolin to resemble spaghetti pasta.  The vinegar ‘cooks’ it and it gets al-dente.  There were actually a couple of guests that thought it was pasta when they looked at it.  Then I spice it up a little bit with some Sambal hot sauce and some cilantro.  Carter and Vic LOVE it … Carter requested it to be on the menu. 

Vic make the brisket and it was perfect.  He has mastered brisket in his smoker.  Rubbed some Salt Lick Rub on it the night before and smoked for 12 hours.  Put in the warming drawer till ready to serve and it was tender and moist. 

The cake turned out fabulously.  Some of the comments were that it tasted like a brownie.  If any of you have had a flour-less chocolate cake you will know that it is a dense cake.  So was this one.  It took me a few tries to get the ratio of chocolate right and the ratio of the two sweeteners right.  

Serve it with a dollop of whipped Cream sweetened with Stevia,  a strawberry and a drizzle of Walden Farms Chocolate Sauce. 

Carter took some home with him and called me the next day.  He had taken some to work and the coworkers said they would buy this and they weren’t diabetic.  It is nice to know my perseverance paid off.  My goal was to have a dessert that anyone would eat because it really tasted good and it wouldn’t matter that it was Sugar Free and Gluten Free.  It really was remarkably good if I say so myself!  

So overall the Birthday Celebration was a success.  One of  best complement of the day was from one of Carter’s college buddies as he was leaving.  ”Who knew that diabetic food could be so good!”

Many of you know that I love cookbooks. I have WAY too many. One time I actually counted and there were over 125. So I put myself on a cookbook diet! I wouldn’t let myself buy another one until I made a recipe out of EACH one!

That diet did last for a very long time. But alas I started adding more. When Christopher Guerierro got me hooked on the idea of eating as many raw vegetables as possible in order to utilize all the nutrients that started me on another ‘division’ of my cookbook library. Yes, it is now a library because I love to read cookbooks!

What are some of my FAVs?

The absolutely latest cookbook (purchased on Friday at Michael’s) is THE FOOD YOU CRAVE, Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger. Ok, I bought it at a crafts store! I don’t even have to be in a book store! I am an addict! I have picked out several recipes to try.  If you are looking for fresh ingredients put together in innovative ways with little or no fuss, this cookbook is for you.

SUNDAY SOUP, A Year’s Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rossbottom is a MUST HAVE in your collection.  I made 4 soups the first week and one twice to rave reviews from Vic and Victoria.  The first element I loved is that the cookbook is set up according to seasons so you automatically know what to use at the peak of freshness…so go to your farmers market.  The second element is that there were multiple recipes that you just wanted to try right away … with pictures of course.

Cooking Light’s 5-INGREDIENT 15-MINUTE Cookbook is an all time favorite. I bought this years ago. Beats frozen food any day.  So working moms, college kids, single guys, those who don’t want to fuss and muss to long in the kitchen … must try it.

PS.  and no … I didn’t make a recipe from each cookbook before I broke down and bought another one … almost … does that count?

PS.  and no … I am not going to count my cookbooks … Ignorance is Bliss!

Now you just KNOW that I am always aware of healthy tidbits regarding our lives but now with a much keener eye to the health of a diabetic, since Carter has been diagnosed with Diabetes.  Our goal is to maintain his health without insulin so that means diet.   It has never been truer that “we are what we eat”.  

FRUIT:  Did you know that one cup of strawberries has more vitamin C than an orange?  They are also an excellent source of fiber, which helps your body maintain normal blood sugar levels.

And on the FIBER note … that is something many of us do not eat enough of each day.  In order to keep toxins moving through our colon the average adult needs to eat 25-30 grams of fiber daily.  Whole fresh fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber.  Are you getting enough fiber in your diet?

When tossing pasta, use silicone coated tongs to prevent tearing the pasta.