Category: Uncategorized

Have refreshing lunch with a crisp Apple lettuce salad

Apple lettuce salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 medium red apple, chopped
6 cups spring mix salad greens

Instructions

Mix the apple juice, lemon juice, oil, brown sugar, mustard and apple pie spice in a large salad bowl. Add the apple and toss to coat. Add the salad greens and toss to mix just before serving.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 80
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Monounsaturated fat: 2 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Sodium: 20 mg
Total carbohydrate: 13 g
Dietary fiber: 3 g
Sugars: 10 g
Protein: 1 g

A bowl of healthy minestrone on this rainy day…

Minestrone is a thick, hearty soup that usually contains vegetables, pasta, and peas or beans. This version uses unsalted chicken broth and fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes to limit the sodium content.

Number of servings

Serves 4

Ingredients

  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 1/2 cup chopped onion
  3. 1/3 cup chopped celery
  4. 1 carrot, diced
  5. 1 garlic clove, minced
  6. 4 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth
  7. 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  8. 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  9. 1 can (16 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups) canned chickpeas or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  10. 1/2 cup uncooked whole-grain small shell pasta
  11. 1 small zucchini, diced
  12. 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, spinach, beans and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Serving size: About 2 cups

  • Total fat 5 g
  • Calories 213
  • Protein 10 g
  • Cholesterol 11 mg
  • Total carbohydrate 30 g
  • Dietary fiber 8 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 3 g
  • Saturated fat 1 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Sodium 400 mg
  • Added sugars 0 g

Bon appetite…

Diet soda DOUBLES the risk of diabetes

Many people have given up their favorite sugary drink for its diet alternative in hopes of losing weight and boosting their health. But according to a study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, zero-calorie diet drinks can be just as bad as sugar-laden, calorie-loaded drinks, especially when it comes to weight gain and diabetes.

Researchers found that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks, such as sodas, stimulate the appetite leading to weight gain. In addition, artificial sweeteners negatively impact the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut, leading to glucose intolerance and triggering type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, while artificial sweeteners contain no actual sugar, they fool the pancreas into secreting insulin. Over time, these “false alarms” can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and diabetes.

Since 55-60% of our body weight is made up of water, that’s what we should be drinking: just plain water. If you need to “jazz it up” a bit, add a squeeze of lemon but no sweetener (not even stevia). If you like your water chilled, that’s OK too.

 

Published December 11, 2017 by