This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Healthy whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce

Everyone has a recipe they make in a pinch out of what’s in the cupboard. Mine is spaghetti and meat sauce, since we always have ground venison in the freezer and healthy, whole wheat pasta and canned tomato sauce on hand.

It took awhile to get the family used to whole wheat noodles. (Our two favorite brands are Barilla and Pasta Garofalo.) But now I rarely hear a complaint, especially when I make venison meat sauce from scratch. As my 10-year-old son, Nathan likes to say, “Mom, my compliments to the chef!”

Healthy meat sauce

This recipe is loosely based on the homemade sauce my husband made for me on our first date.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground lean meat such as venison, buffalo or turkey
• 3-15 ounce jars of canned tomato sauce, such as Muir Glen Organic’s No Salt Added Tomato Sauce, 15 oz.
• 3 cans of Muir Glen Organic’s Diced Tomatoes No Salt Added, 14.5 oz
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a hearty, red wine (Cabernet, Shiraz or Merlot)
• 2 teaspoons of dried basil
• 3 teaspoons of dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium to medium high heat.
2. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute.
3. Add ground meat and cook until meat has browned. Break up any large pieces with a spoon as it cooks.
4. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, wine, basil, and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer while you cook the pasta and set the table.

Variations:

• All ingredient portions are totally to taste. Add more (or less) garlic or basil, if you like. Wine is optional, but I find it takes the acidity of the tomatoes down without having to add sugar or honey.
• Substitute fresh herbs for dried ones. Add other herbs like parsley.
• You can add a chopped onion and/or sliced mushrooms along with the garlic, if you like.
• Try Muir Glen Organic’s Chunky Tomato Sauce, Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic, Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Onion or  Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs. Adjust seasonings appropriately.

Tips:

• The sauce tastes better the longer you simmer it. It also tastes better the next day.

A healthy, gluten free summer dish: Cherry Quinoa & Shrimp

After a very meat-heavy July 4th weekend, I’m looking to make something lighter. This recipe from Northwest Cherries fits the bill – quinoa, shrimp and cherries. Yes, cherries, which are on sale this time of year and oh-so-good for you.

Not only is this dish high in protein and fiber, it’s low in calories and gluten free, too. If you’re doing Weight Watchers, each serving is only 4 POINTS.

Update: I made this dish tonight and it was terrific! I doubled the recipe, substituted jalapeno peppers for the Anaheims (and used half the amount). I also used 2 tablespoons dried parsley instead of 1/2 cup fresh. It was slightly spicy, but not overpoweringly so.

Cherry Quinoa & Shrimp

From Northwest Cherries

Yield:6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped Anaheim pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 cups pitted Northwest fresh sweet cherries
• 8 ounces small cooked peeled shrimp
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Prepared salsa, optional

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil.
2. Add broth, quinoa, Anaheim pepper, salt, and ground pepper. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 12 to 18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
3. Fluff mixture with a fork and gently stir in cherries, shrimp, and parsley.
4. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 215 Cal., 13.1 g protein, 5.5 g fat (23% Cal. from fat), 29.5 g carb., 74 mg chol., 3.3 g fiber, 596 mg sodium.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4

This Mama’s Tips:

• If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick or plastic straw to remove the pits. In this recipe, a few torn apart cherries is no big deal. Or you can buy a Westmark Cherry Pitter from my This Mama Cooks OpenSky shop.
• You can make this vegetarian by using veggie broth instead of chicken broth and substituting tofu for shrimp.
• Check out the Northwest Cherries website for the latest health information about Northwest cherries as well as recipe ideas and tips on freezing, canning and drying cherries.
• You can learn more about cherries at Health Castle’s Food of the Month – Cherries.

July 2010 edition of the This Mama Cooks Healthy Posts Carnival

Thanks for taking time out of your busy summer to stop by and peruse the This Mama Cooks Healthy Posts Carnival.

If you’d like to participate next month and share your healthy recipes, diet and weight loss tips, healthy product reviews and exercise and fitness posts you can submit your blog article here. The next link roundup is scheduled for August 1, 2010 and you must turn in your submission by midnight on May 31.

Please note: if you see a person’s name at the beginning of the entry, my guess is that it’s from an authentic personal blog or a legitimate website. The other links are interesting and of some value, but are from what I’d consider “splogs” or spam blogs.

Also, check out this week's giveaways for a copy of Family Feasts for $75 a week and a $2 off coupon for Attune Probiotic Chocolate Bars!

Food and recipes

• Andrea Dickson presents Gluten Free Carb Free Noodles posted at Wisebread
• 100 Healthy Recipes for Lazy People
• 100 Healthy Celebrity Recipes You Should Have In Your Home
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents How To Eat Healthy & Inexpensively posted at The Digerati Life
• Quirky Momma presents Kid-Friendly Homemade Granola Bars posted at quirkymomma.com
• Marina K. Villatoro presents 3 Must Eats While Traveling in Costa Rica posted at The Travel Expert
• Philip Dean presents Healthy Granola Bars posted at Random Acts Of Parenting
• Todd Dosenberry presents The Primal Blueprint Cookbook Recipes: Coconut Pancakes by Primal Toad posted at Toad's Primal Journey
• Kim Miles presents earth day cake posted at taking the long way home
• Robert Fenn presents Cook a Delicious Tamil Recipe - Vazhakka round Poriyal (spicy bananas) posted at Indian-Tamil-Recipe.com

Keeping healthy

• Joshua Townsend presents Organic Vs. Conventional Produce posted at Healthy Fit Vegan: Nutrition, Diet, Fitness
• 50 “Healthy” Ways to Use Twitter
• Judith Summers presents Habits That Keep Your Skin Healthy and Beautiful Part 3 posted at Holistic Skin Care
• 5 Excellent iPad Apps for “Dr. Mom”
• Native Health Remedies presents Which Produce Should You Buy Organic? posted at Native Remedies Blog
• Top 50 Diabetes Blogs
• 100 County Public Health Blogs Well Worth Reading
• Donald Latumahina presents A Guide to Living a Healthy Lifestyle posted at Life Optimizer
• 50 Best Blogs for Cleaner Eating
• 33 Mind-boggling Stats About Childhood Obesity
• 6 Essential Android Apps for Expecting Mothers
• 25 Facebook Apps That Can Improve Your Health

Weight loss

• Linda presents 5 Ways Massage Therapy Assists In Weight Loss posted at Natural Health Ezine
• Sarah presents I travel with Chocolate posted at Low Stress Weight Loss

Exercise and fitness

• 12 Hottest Summer Workouts
• 100 Twitter Feeds for Your Daily Yoga Inspiration
• Carolyn Strimike presents Tai Chi May Improve Your Overall Health posted at Healthy Hearts with Heartstrong

Healthy summer salads for Fourth of July – eat your red, white and blues!

When learning to eat healthy, you’re always told to “eat your colors.” Well, with Independence Day just around the corner, why not go with a red, white and blue theme when making a healthy summer salad for your picnic or cookout?

Yes, you can incorporate our national colors into healthy eating – just ask the folks at Tossed®, a growing chain of restaurants that serves made-to-order salads and crepe wraps featuring over 50 fresh ingredients and homemade dressings.

Healthy red food

Grape Tomatoes - One cup of grape tomatoes contains 57% of your vitamin C and promotes colon and prostate health. Other nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin K, fiber, and potassium. Their disease-fighting power addresses cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension,

Strawberries - One cup of strawberries contains 136% vitamin C value and are a heart protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit and anti-inflammatory fruit all rolled into one. They also contain riboflavin and folate and help fight cancer, act as an anti-inflammatory and support heart health.

Apples - One cup of apples contains 15% of the daily value of fiber, 13% vitamin C value and is good for supporting good heart health. Eating apples supports good heart health, cancer prevention and lower asthma symptoms.

Healthy white food

Jicama - One cup (raw) contains 24% of your daily value of Vitamin C, rich in folic acid, and boosts the immune system. It’s also packed with fier, potassium, iron, and calcium. The goodness in jicama helps fight heart disease and helps subside symptoms of asthma.

Egg Whites – I love eating egg whites for their protein value. One cup of egg whites contains 26 grams of protein, and the egg whites in one large egg contain 4 grams of protein. Egg whites also contain essential minerals including potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, contains no fat, cholesterol and no carbohydrates as well as riboflavin and B12. But did you know that eating egg whites is good for your heart, too?

Tofu – It’s rich in calcium, protein and iron, a good vegetarian substitute of protein, contains omega-3 fatty acids, reduces bad cholesterol in the body, promotes colon health, and is a good source of B bitamins and iron. Tofu is believed to support heart health and cancer prevention.

Healthy blue food

Blueberries – OK, blueberries may be a bit more on the purple side. Still, one cup of contains 15% of the daily value of Vitamin C, and 14% of daily fiber. Blueberries are the fruit with the highest ORAC value and contains the most health protecting antioxidants of all of the fresh fruits and vegetables. They also contain viamins A, C, E, and K potassium and magnesium. Blueberry consumption helps promotes heart and brain health as well as cancer prevention.

Healthy red, white and blue salad recipes

• Red, White and Blue Pasta Salad (half way down the page) from the American University
• Red and White Salad from Eating Well magazine
• Red, White, & Blue Salad Recipe from Bella Online (just cut back on the provolone or find a low fat substitute)
• Red White & Blue Potato Salad from the Meal Makeover Moms. They use blue potatoes in this healthified potato salad recipe!
• Nutty 4th of July Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad from Food with Kid Appeal

Family Feasts for $75 a Week: review and giveaway

Family Feasts for $75 a Week is written by Mary Ostyn, a mom of 10 who blogs at Owlhaven. Her book is filled with tips on how to food shop guerilla-style, like creating a price book - a notebook filled with prices of all the various food and household items you usually buy. So you don’t feel overwhelmed, she gives you step-by-step instructions on how to pace yourself.

In her Efficient Cooking, Good Eating chapter, Mary gives tips for menu planning, using leftovers and dealing with picky eaters She’s a big advocate of beans and includes a detailed chart on the various types and their cooking times. She’s also into stocking up, so there are quite a few pages on storage and freezing.

However, what really stands out for me is the over 200 recipes for home cooked meals that make the most of economical ingredients. Again, like Dollars to Donuts, it’s not about making meatloaf and dumping cans of condensed soup on stuff. (Mary’s against convenience foods as she feels they’re too expensive.)

Instead, there are recipes for homemade Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern and even Ethiopian food, as well as classics like blueberry muffins and lasagna. There’s also a few slow cooker recipes for you crockpot fans, and many recipes for sauces, salad dressings, and spice mixes along with some canning recipes. (Yes, there are desserts, too!)

For those of us trying to eat healthy and lose weight, you’ll have to use your common sense and use healthier substitutes. For example, Lighter Vegetable Lasagna could be made with a low carb, whole wheat pasta and low or no fat cheeses. Doing so may be a little more expensive, so consider it an investment in your health and well being.

Running the recipes through a nutritional recipe analyzer, like the one offered at CalorieCount will help you fit recipes from Family Feasts for $75 a Week into your food plan, too.

Win a copy of Family Feasts for $75 a Week

Here’s how to enter my giveaway:

1. Leave your name, email address, and blog URL (if you have one) in the comments below for ONE entry.
2. If you have a blog, feel free to post about this contest on it for ONE entry.
3. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE entry.
4. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE entry.
5. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE entry. You must leave your Twitter username in your comment so I can check.
6. If you have done any of these activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
7. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! is FIVE – leaving a comment here (1), posting about it on your blog (1), signing up for my enewsletter (1), signing up for my RSS feed (1), and using Twitter (1).
8. You have until midnight MT on Monday, July 5, 2010 to enter.
9. ONE winner will be chosen at random.
10. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address so I can send it to Mary so she can mail out your book.
11. I will also announce the winner on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.

The giveaway is valued at $17.95 and is only open to legal residents of the United States 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. Up to FIVE entries per person. ONE book will be given away. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! Reviews and This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

____________________

Disclosure: I was sent one review copy of Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary to review.