Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Beans, Beans, the Magic Fruit...

Looking for a reason to add beans to your daily plate? Check out this article outlining the benefits of this power packed food...

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/sheah-rarback/story/974831.html

Recipe ideas for beans: they're great in any Mexican style dish - fat free refired beans or canned black beans - add them to a nacho, burrito, quesadilla, etc.
Add them to salads - I love garbanzo beans in mine!
Mix them with some rice for a great dose of protein in a vegetarian favorite!
Add them to soups - beans aren't just for chili - they're great in other soups, too!

Beans are a great alternative to meat in most dishes. The best part being they are packed with protein, fiber, and folic acid. Help you heart and your waistline : ) Add some beans to your menu this week!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Recipe for Baked Oatmeal

I have an old time client who has lost tons of weight (about 4o lbs) and still has problems with his cholesterol. He hates eating oatmeal, so we were trying to find different ways for him to get it in his diet. His lovely wife came across this recipe and its worked! He enjoys oatmeal regularly now, while its not doing a ton for his cholesterol (down only a couple points more), its another great breakfast or snack option packed with soluble fiber and a few other things.

Hope you like it as much as he and I do : )

Here it is:
2 cups of quick cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar *
1/3 cup raisins or other no sugar added dried fruit
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups fat free milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp butter, melted *
1 Large egg, beaten *
cooking spray

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coat an 8 inch square dish with cooking spray. Combine the oats, sugar, fruit, nuts, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture and stir. Poar into baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut into about 8 pieces. Served best warm!

*TIPS:: Here are some ideas for making it a little lower in fat: use a low fat butter; use 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg or 1/4 cup of egg substitute. If you want to lower the sugar content, try using Splenda brown sugar for baking instead of regular brown sugar.

In good health,
Julie