Sharing Recipes: Sunshine Salad

The Erie Beach Hotel in Port Dover has a luncheon special which includes fresh perch and a portable salad bar. Before leaving, each patron is given a small pamphlet with six of their salad recipes.

I liked the sunshine or orange mandarin salad. This light and delicious salad is easy to prepare and involves a handful of ingredients.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 cups sour cream
500 grams miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tin of pineapple chunks
2 small tins of mandarin oranges

Procedure

• Combine the sour cream, marshmallows and coconut in a large salad bowl.
• Drain all the liquid from the pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.
• Add to the sour cream mixture.
• Chill and let it stand for a few hours.
  

All About Seafood

When I visited Halifax a couple of months ago, I attended the annual Seafood Festival at the Cunard Center on the waterfront. In addition to feasting on seafood and wine, I also sat in on Leslie Beck's presentation: Seafood: Why it's good for your health. Leslie Beck is one of Canada's leading nutritionists and writes a weekly column in the Globe and Mail.

Here are a few highlights...

• The average Canadian eats only 2/3 of a fish serving per week.
• 50% of all North Americans do not eat any fish.
• Beck recommends that we eat two servings of fish, especially fatty fish twice a week. That can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36%.
• Studies have shown that older adults who eat fish once a week are 60% less likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease.
• Cook fish at a high temperature (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for a short period of time.

Beck also pointed out the four most common excuses that people give for not eating fish:

1. I can't get the rest of my family to eat fish.
2. I don't know how to cook fish.
3. Cooking fish makes that house smell.
4. Buying fresh fish is inconvenient.

Sharing Recipes--Donna's Beer Muffins

This is the weekend for all beer lovers to head out to the C.N.E Bandshell in Toronto. The Toronto Beer Festival will be in full swing until Sunday, August 8th.

According to Global News, there will be hundreds of different beers and a variety of beer-infused, barbecued foods to sample. I have decided to offer my own contribution to all the beer lovers out there.


Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp white sugar
1 bottle beer
butter
grated cheese

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
• Add the beer and stir to blend.
• Spoon into greased muffin tins and brush the tops with butter.
• Sprinkle a bit of grated cheese on each muffin.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 9 large muffins

Source--Muffin Mania by Cathy Prange & Jan Pauli

Sharing Recipes--Blueberry Loaf

Enjoy this quick and easy-to-make loaf throughout the day. Have a piece with yogurt for breakfast or save it for a snack later in the day.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine
• Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture.
• Fold in the blueberries.
• Pour into a greased loaf pan.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan.
  

Better Teeth

Over the years, I have experienced a number of dental problems and, as a result, have a few crowns and missing back teeth. I do not enjoy going to the dentist, but I visit him regularly, floss, and use Sensodyne toothpaste.

In a recent column, Dr. Oz provided a few additional ways of protecting our teeth and gums from decay and infection.

• Use tap water instead of bottled water. The former has more enamel-protecting fluoride than store-bought water.

• Eat apples and celery; both contain substances that fight gum disease.

• Low-fat yogurt is good for our gums. Japanese researchers fond that people who eat about two ounces of sugar-free yogurt a day are less likely to have severe gum disease.

• Avoid pop and sports drinks. The acid in these drinks erodes tooth enamel.
  

• Consider diet cranberry juice. There are ingredients in cranberries which keep cavity-causing bacteria from sticking to teeth and also inhibit the inflammation of gum disease.
  

Sharing Recipes--Peanut Butter and Jam Muffins

These moist and peanut buttery muffins are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Enjoy!


Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp strawberry jam
2 tbs smooth peanut butter

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use a wire whisk to beat the egg, 1 cup peanut butter, and oil in a large bowl.
• Add the sugar and mix well.
• Gradually add the milk.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and stir until moistened.
• Spoon enough batter into each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups to cover the bottom of the cup.
• Spoon the jam and remaining peanut butter into each of the cups.
• Cover evenly with the remaining batter.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrtiton at Tim Hortons

While travelling up to Northern Ontario, I like to stop at one of the many Tim Hortons along the way. I was happy to learn that a Nutrition Guide is now available at these popular eating places.

A detailed chart provides information on the serving size, calories, protein, fat, and vitamin content of the different snacks and baked goods. I also liked the following helpful hints:

• Try a soup that is low in fat like Chicken Noodle.
• Low Fat muffins contain only 2.5 grams of fat.
• Any size Iced Cappuccino made with milk or chocolate milk contains less than 2.5 grams of fat.
• Bran and whole wheat muffins are high in fibre.
• Yogurt and berries is a source of calcium.
• Order a Breakfast Sandwich on a low-fat bagel like Wheat 'N Honey.
• Three filled or yeast Timbits contain fewer than 200 calories.
• Try 2% milk or 1% chocolate milk instead of cream in your beverage.

Source: Tim Hortons Nutrition Guide

More Blessed

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the dangers of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost 3 billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish some place, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read anything at all.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

Anonymous

Sharing Recipes--Carrot Muffins

These muffins are an excellent source of Vitamin A and a good source of dietary fibre.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural wheat bran
1/2 cup oat bran
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  

• Combine flour, wheat and oat brans, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

• Blend in sugar until no lumps remain.

• In a separate bowl, beat together egg, milk and butter. Stir in carrots.

• Combine with dry ingredients.

• Add raisins. Stir until just moistened.

• Spoon into greased muffin tins.

• Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 8-10 muffins.

Dieting on a Budget

When reading labels, it is important to be aware of what each label really means. This is especially true for dieters looking for reduced calories and fat.

Calorie Reduced: This food has at least 25% less calories than the regular version.

Low Calorie: There are no more than 15 calories per serving.

Low Fat: There are no more than 3 grams of fat per serving. This does not always mean low calories.

Reduced Fat: This food has at least 25% less fat than the regular version.

Low Cholesterol: There are no more than 2 mg of cholesterol per serving. This food might still have a high total fat content.

Low in saturated fat: This food has 2 grams or less of saturated and trans fats combined per serving.

Sugar Free: This food is low in carbohydrates and calories.

Unsweetened or No Sugar Added: No sugar was added, but sugar may be found naturally in the food.

Source of fibre: There are 2 grams or more of fibre per serving.

Sodium free: There are less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.

Source: Health Canada

Keeping Your Idenity

When identity thieves go through the garbage of potential victims, the only tools they need are a pair of gloves and a flashlight. They wait until it is dark and then start looking for any documents that have not been shredded.

It is important to destroy (tear or shred) all personal information before discarding it. What you throw away can come back to haunt you.

Identity thieves are looking for...

Credit card receipts: Many businesses no longer print the entire credit card number on receipts, but some still do. Check your receipt very carefully. Do not leave it behind if it lists your credit card number.

Financial statements: Any statements that contain your account number and SIN must be shredded.

Preapproved credit card applications: An identity thief can retrieve these applications from your trash, send it in with the address changed, and received the new cards in your name, based on your credit. After receiving your card, he charges items to its maximum and then tosses the card. You are left with the bill.

Cut Clutter

According to Brooks Palmer, author of Clutter Busting, you can't organize until you toss the clutter. Here are some of his tips:

• Toss out anything that is broken, that can't be fixed, or that you won't take to be fixed. According to Palmer, broken things cause disorder in the home. They spread, like a crack in the windshield of a car that eventually spreads across the entire windshield.

• Limit your CDs or MP3 albums to fewer than a hundred. Keep only the music that you will actually listen to now.

• Toss anything that makes you feel that the past is more special than right now. That gives you the feeling that life will never be as good as it once was. I like the following statement: The past is as insignificant as old dishwater.

• If you find yourself defending the object because of how much it cost you, it's clutter.

• If it doesn't fit anymore, physically or psychologically, let it go.
  

Getting Pretty Healthy

In their book, Live a Little: Breaking the Rules Won't Break Your Health, Dr. Susan Love and Alice Domar take on the health police and provide women with more realistic wellness goals. The authors discuss many of the prescribed health "rules" that have very little scientific backing.

I found it refreshing to learn that Dr. Susan Love did not start a fitness program until age 50. She has no regrets regarding this late start; she spent her younger days doing research, working with breast cancer patients, writing books, and raising a family.

Dr. Love designed the following quiz to assess a woman's fitness level:

1. Are you able to walk for one mile in twenty minutes or less?
2. Can you jog a mile without stopping?
3. Can you stand on one foot and maintain your balance for thirty seconds?
4. Sit in a chair. Can you stand up without using your arms?
5. Can you lift and carry two grocery bags--one in each hand?

Anyone who is able to answer yes to every question demonstrates basic levels of cardiovascular fitness, strength, and balance. YOU ARE PRETTY HEALTHY!!

On a personal note...

I was able to answer yes to four of the above questions. I need to work on #2.

Dieting on a Budget

Eating at the appropriate times throughout the day will help us maximize fat burning and keep hunger at bay.

In her book, The Hormone Diet, Dr. Natasha Turner provides a number of easy-to-implement suggestions that can help us stabilize blood sugar balance and boost the hormones that burn fat and control appetite.

• Eat every 4 to 5 hours. It doesn't matter whether you eat 3 meals and a snack or 4 smaller meals.
  

• Eat within 1 hour of rising and never within the 3-hour period before bedtime.

• Stick to eggs or why protein smoothies for breakfast and you will eat less throughout the day. Eat your starchy carbs at lunch, dinner or after your workouts.

• Try cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you can manage it, try doing a 30-minute cardio workout first thing in the morning before breakfast. This could help kick-start your metabolism.
  

• Always eat within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

• Never do your weight training on an empty stomach. You will need energy from your foods to perform optimally.

• Eat the protein on your plate first to help speed the signal to the brain that you are full.

• If you have alcohol or wine, do so after your meal to enhance the hormones involved in appetite control and digestion.
  

All About Yogurt

I get most of my calcium from yogurt. It contains between one-third and two-thirds the amount of lactose found in milk. This makes it easily digested for those of us who have lactose intolerance.

Yogurt goes with everything--consider the following ways to add yogurt to your daily diet.

Fruit Smoothie: Combine 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup diced ripe fruit. Add one or two ice cubes and puree in a blender.

Yogurt Shake: Blend 1/2 cup fruit-flavoured, frozen non-fat yogurt with 1/2 cup low-fat milk until creamy.

Cucumber Dip: Peel, seed, and dice a large cucumber and combine with 1 cup plain yogurt, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs. Serve as a dip for vegetables.

Mild Salsa: Mix 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1 mashed ripe avocado, 1 diced tomato, and chili powder to taste. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips.

Garnish: Top cold cucumber soup with plain yogurt and minced chives.

Half-Full or Half-Empty?

Positive beliefs come from you. You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can control how you will respond. You can choose to be optimistic and upbeat and see the glass as half-full. Or, you can be pessimistic and unsure and see the glass as half-empty.

I enjoyed reading these half-full/half-empty perspectives from the website www.businessballs.com.

• The engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

• The bar fly says it's not about whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, it's about who is paying for the next round.

• The consultant says let's examine the question, prepare a strategy for an answer, and all for a daily rate of ...

• The worrier frets that the remaining half will evaporate by tomorrow.

• The fanatic thinks the glass is completely full, even though it isn't.

• The entrepreneur sees the glass as undervalued by half its potential.

• The computer specialist says that next year the glass capacity will double and will cost half the price.

• The Buddhist says don't worry, remember the glass is already broken.

• The personal coach knows that the glass goes from full to empty depending on the circumstances and reminds the drinker that he/she can always fill the glass when he/she wishes.
  

Sharing Recipes--Anti-aging Smoothie

Ingredients

1 serving vanilla why protein powder
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup blackberries
1 cup water
1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Procedure

• Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.
• You may use 1 1/2 cups of a frozen four berry mixture instead of adding the four berries separately.

Source: The Hormone Diet by Dr. Natasha Turner

Dieting on a Budget

Research has shown that diets that are higher in protein can help increase metabolism and lead to weight loss. These are safe for most people, but anyone with kidney disease should be careful with increased protein intake.

The following substitutions will add protein to your diet without adding extra fat and calories. Note: The number of grams of protein are indicated in brackets.

• Instead of 1 slice bacon (3 g), eat 1 egg (6 g).

• Instead of 1 glass of orange juice (1.5 g), drink 1 glass low-fat milk (8 g).

• Instead of 2 chicken wings (9 g), eat 3.5 ounces of chicken breast (21 g).

• Instead of 1 hamburger patty (22g), eat 4 ounces lean steak (35 g).

• Instead of 2 tbsp cream cheese(2 g), eat 2 tbsp peanut butter (8 g).
  

All About Yogurt

Low-fat or non-fat yogurt is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. And, yogurts that contain live or "active" bacteria cultures known as probiotics may help suppress the growth of harmful bacteria. Eating yogurt when taking antibiotics (which can upset the intestinal tract) may be helpful.

According to Dr. Oz, regular yogurt consumption will reduce the risk of gum disease, help protect from bladder and liver cancers, and sweeten breath. It also provides about 400 mg of calcium in a cup.

Consider the following tips:

• Select the non-fat, plain yogurt. Dress it up with nuts, wheat germ, or fresh fruit.
  

• Read labels carefully and steer away from high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial ingredients.

• Look for labels that say the yogurt contains probiotics.
  

Better Sleep On A Budget

According to recent statistics, sleep deprivation affects more than 70 million North Americans. We are spending $2.4 billion a year just trying to fall asleep.

In her book, The Hormone Diet, Dr. Natasha Turner offers the following tips:

• Go to bed by 11 p.m. Our stress glands, the adrenals, recharge or recover most between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. And, if we could go to bed before 10 p.m. we would establish optimal conditions for building our adrenal reserves.

• Sleep 7 to 9 hours a night. The American Cancer Association has found higher incidences of cancer in individuals who consistently sleep fewer than 6 hours or more than 9 hours nightly. It is interesting to note that oversleeping is just as harmful a sleep deprivation.

• Keep household lighting dim from dinnertime until you go to sleep. This helps prepare your body and hormones for sleeps and aids digestion.
  

• Sleep in loose-fitting night clothes. Tight clothing will increase body temperature and interfere with melatonin release.