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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Undercover: Foods You Wouldn’t Think Were Healthful

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When it comes to food, we think that we know which to eat and which to avoid. We have grown up knowing to eat vegetables and avoid fats, sweets and salt. For the most part, these rules are great ones to live by. However, it’s possible that you may be missing out on all the benefits now being discovered in food you wouldn’t think is healthful.

CHOCOLATE
Rejoice, ladies! Chocolate is actually very healthful. Studies show that a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can actually protect your heart. Firstly, it has been seen to reduce Low-Density Lipids (or bad cholesterol) by as much as 10%.

Know that incredible feeling after biting into a bar of chocolate? That’s seratonin at its finest. Seratonin is the same compound that the brain produces when one is in love. Thus, it also acts a an anti-depressant.

LAMB
A nice rack of lamb can actually be as healthful as a seafood dish. This is because, lamb has been found to contain high levels of omega-3 fats. These are usually thought of to be found in fish, nuts and seeds. Lamb contains, on average, around 40 milligrams of omega-3 per ounce.

Omega-3 oils help to clean up the arteries. They break-up fat and plaque that have built up during the course of our lifetime. This lowers blood pressure and relieves the heart of blockages. Omega-3 also facilitates the brain development of a baby while in their mother’s womb. That’s why pregnant women are always told to ingest omega-3.

CHILI PEPPERS
Another thing most people don’t associate with a healthy lifestyle is the chili pepper. The spice actually benefits the body because of its capsaicin content, the compound in peppers which makes it spicy. Studies have proven that it can be an effective treatment for relieving pain caused by arthritis, diabetic neuropathy and psoriasis. Red chili peppers have also been seen to reduce blood cholesterol, platelet aggregation and triglycerides.

If you’re trying to lose weight, an addition of pepper to your diet can help you shed unwanted fat. That’s because capsaicin can curb your appetite, boost metabolism and break down fat.

Nibbler’s Salad

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Nibbler’s salad is a healthy snack that is easy to prepare. It is a great alternative to popcorn, chips or other junk food. You can serve it at parties or have it while watching television. It makes a great lunchbox snack too. Add some nuts or trail mix and you are good to go.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 celery sticks

1 large carrot

100g low fat cheese

16 small cherry tomatoes

12 canned apricot halves, drained

4 canned pineapple slices, drained and halved

16 pieces of strawberries

4 slices whole meal bread

2 teaspoons polyunsaturated margarine

 

Slice the celery, carrots and cheese into 1/4 inch sticks. Place it in a platter together with the cherry tomatoes, pineapples and strawberries.

Cut a slice of bread into 3 parts. Do the same for the remaining bread. Spread some margarine over the bread. Serve it with the fruits and vegetables.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  [cipher]

Turkey and Avocado Crepes

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Turkey and avocado crepes are healthy snacks that are just extremely delicious. Since the turkey is lean, the avocado gives the dish good fat. Each bite is creamy from the cottage cheese and crunchy from the lettuce too.

Moreover, you may add some hot sauce if you like it spicy or dip it in sour cream the way I like it. I personally think that the filling will work well with pita or tacos. Salsa is also a perfect complement to this dish.

I know that making the perfect crepe can be quite challenging at the beginning, but all you have to do is make sure that you lightly grease the pan and keep it under moderate heat. Try to practice by making small crepes before you proceed to making pan sized ones for this recipe. Once you have perfected making crepes, you can use this skill in preparing fruit or vegetable filled crepes.

Makes 6

Ingredients:

For the batter:

1/4 cup plain flour

1/2 cup whole meal flour

1 egg lightly beaten

1 cup low fat milk

For the filling:

6 slices lean cooked turkey, sliced into strips

1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

 

Sift the flour and whole meal flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well at the center and then gradually add the egg and milk. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined and the batter is free of lumps. Cover the bowl for 5 minutes.

Heat a medium sized non-stick pan over medium heat. Place 3 tablespoons of batter on the lightly greased pan and swirl it so that it covers the base. Cook it for around 2-3 minutes on both sides until it sets and becomes golden brown. Transfer it to a plate and keep warm. Do the same for the remaining batter. Grease the pan if needed.

Assemble the crepes by placing some turkey on half of the crepe. Top it with cottage cheese and lettuce. Fold the other end of the crepe over the filling or roll it up. Serve cold or warm.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:   knittymarie

 

Five Quick & Healthy Snacks

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carrot-sticks

It may not seem like it, but it’s not all about over-indulgent desserts and cooking with lots of butter here at bFeedMe: we really do care about eating “well”- and most of the time, that means sticking to healthy choices. Which is why today I want to post about my favorite healthy snacks- and really, because they’re so quick to prepare, there’s no reason not to grab one of these in a moment of peckishness. Instead of a cookie or that bag of chips, I mean.

Chilled Carrot Sticks
It’s not easy to find fresh baby carrots at my local supermarket, but when I do, I like to wash them, portion them out in small freezer bags, and chill them- to be eaten plain when I’m looking for something crunchy and sweet. Without baby carrots, regular carrots will do as well- wash, peel, and cut into sticks. Can’t get much easier than that.

Boiled Eggs
So after years of telling us to limit our egg intake, it turns out eggs are good for us. I knew that all along, of course- and boiled eggs are probably my favorite quick snack of all time. Hard-boiled or soft-boiled, I can’t really decide which one I like best. Oh, and they must be perfectly done- learn how to make a perfect hard-boiled egg here.

Banana Peanut Butter Smears
I could be the only person on earth who calls them this- but these are basically plain bananas smeared with peanut butter. All you need is a banana, a jar of your favorite peanut butter (I like crunchy, but would never turn my nose up at creamy), and a good spoon. And a napkin. Bananas give you potassium, and peanut butter is chock full of good things like Vitamin B3, Niacin and Protein. Who knew healthy snacking could be such fun, eh?

Hot Cocoa
This is what I reach for when I have a strong chocolate craving, and don’t want to wreck my diet with a slice of chocolate cake. There are so many awesome varieties of instant hot cocoa these days (helloooo, Jacques Torres Wicked), and if you make it with skim milk, and give it a good whisk, it makes for a wonderfully satisfying, luxurious chocolate snack.

Slices of Cheese spread with Jam
A few slices of regular cheddar cheese spread with jam (or natural fruit preserves, if you want to be strict about it) really hits the spot for me. Seriously, if you’ve never tried this one- do. The salty creamy cheese is perfectly offset by the sweet tartness of the jam. I like strawberry, but went through a cheese and marmalade phase not too long ago.

What are your favorite snacks?