Tag Archives: salads

Healthy Recipes for Memorial Day Parties

Memorial Day is one holiday almost everyone looks forward to. What’s not to love? The last Monday of every May, we honor our fallen U.S. soldiers and their families on a weekend when the weather starts to heat up in most parts on the country. Barbecues, camping trips and outdoor parties are how most people celebrate Memorial Day, the sunshine, and show their patriotism.

Memorial Day is tons of fun, but barbecues are notorious for being full of calorie and fat packed foods, so plan ahead. If you are taking advantage of the long weekend and going camping, indulging in 3 days worth of this indulgent food can really do some damage. If you are hosting, you have full control of the menu, but if you are a guest, bring your own “safe” dish that you know is healthy, and you already know the calories and fat per serving.

Whether you’re planning to usher in summer at the beach or with a backyard cookout, there are a lot of tempting, warmer-weather treats that might appeal to you no matter how much you want to stick to a healthy diet. Fend off cravings by making slimmer versions of your favorite meals and treats.

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Posted on May 11, 2023 by Maris

Six Healthy Kentucky Derby Party Recipes

If you already have your elaborate hat and your favorite horses, all you need to do is prep your menu and you’ll have everything you need to celebrate Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Even though the horses are making their famed run at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, people across the country should celebrate in style.

Celery Seed Slaw: Perfect for picnics, most cole slaws are heavy on the mayonnaise and pack a lot of calories into a little serving. Skip the creamy dressings this year and whip up a slaw with fat-free mayonnaise and less than 40 calories per serving.

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Posted on May 7, 2023 by Maris

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Healthier Mexican Fare

Cinco de Mayo, which many Americans know as an excuse to drink Coronas and eat guacamole, is a day that has a great deal of significance in Mexican history. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unexpected victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In Mexico, the day calls for great celebration, and Americans have adopted Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of Mexican culture that often centers itself around food and beverage. We all know that it can be difficult to stick to a diet or healthy lifestyle on holidays that revolve around salty snacks, cheese-drenched main dishes and caloric alcoholic beverages, so we put together a round-up of our favorite Mexican-style recipes for your own celebrations that won’t break your calorie bank.

This year, you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo without forsaking any of your cravings – or expanding your waistline.

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Posted on May 2, 2023 by Maris

Creative Cooking with Matzah During Passover

Growing up, my half-Jewish family didn’t keep kosher during Passover but we still ate a lot of matzoh [or matzah, matza or matzo]. With Passover upon us, it’s time to start talking about creative ways to eat the unleavened, oversize crackers.

While they are fun to munch on alone, perhaps topped with butter and salt, that certainly doesn’t lend to the most diet-friendly snack. If you have more matzah than you know what to do with, think outside the box. Luckily, matzah is a versatile food that you can turn into a variety of delicious dishes that won’t even leave you craving bread or pasta.

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Posted on April 19, 2024 by Maris

Healthy Recipes for Your Passover Seder

Passover, one of the most well-known of the Jewish holidays, is an eight-day festival celebrated in early spring. On Passover, Jewish families and friends gather together for dinners called Seders that involve, prayer, story-telling and some traditional foods.

During Passover, most Jewish people avoid eating anything leavened and opt for matzoh instead of bread or pastries. This year, if you’re planning a Seder or keeping kosher during Passover, get creative with your menu and whip up one of our favorite Passover-friendly recipes.

Russian Salad: The name of this hearty salad honors its ingredients, such as beets, dill, and pickles that are staples in a traditional Russian diet. Delightful with cold fish, poultry, or meat dishes, this is the perfect cold salad to keep in the fridge during Passover for fast lunches.

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Posted on April 18, 2024 by Maris

Grow Your Own Spring Salad on Regis and Kelly

lettuce in a garden bedTune in Friday morning on April 15 to Live with Regis & Kelly for the first of a two-part segment on how to grow your own spring salad. Matthew Benson, a contributing editor at Organic Gardening magazine, will show you everything you need to know about starting your own organic garden. He will discuss fertilizers, planting seeds and protecting them from unexpected frost. Plus, Benson will discuss cool weather vegetables that you can take pride in serving as part of a home-grown salad.

This segment combines two of my passions: sustainable food and healthy eating. Not only are organic vegetables good for your health, they’re also good for the planet’s health. Check your local listings for exact show times.

Organic Gardening magazine is a valuable resource to gardening enthusiasts who are interested in cultivating their own food.

Subscribe to Organic Gardening here.

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Margaret

Healthy Green Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

Both St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of spring are right around the corner, making this the perfect time to celebrate with a bit of green! Whether you’re Irish or not, March 17th is as good a time as any to honor the Irish heritage and help usher spring in on the 20th. What are you’re favorite ways to celebrate? Shamrocks, leprechauns and rainbows are just the beginning of all the fun things you can bring out for your St. Patrick’s Day party.

Green beer is fun but let’s be honest, it’s incredibly overdone. There’s nothing wrong with including some but to really rev up the fun, expand your St. Patrick’s Day festivities to the food.

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Posted on March 10, 2024 by Theresa

Healthy Recipe: Italian Turkey Burgers with Cauliflower and Carrot Salad

Guess what? Burgers don’t need to be bad for you. They also don’t need to be served alongside a heaping pile of French fries. With this healthy turkey burger recipe, you get nearly 3 tablespoons of heart-healthy monounsaturated olive oil paired with veggies and lean protein.

Italian Turkey Burgers with Cauliflower and Carrot Salad
Serves 4

Burgers

  • 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey breast
  • 1/2 sm onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted tomato paste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 4 slices provolone (1/2 oz each)
  • 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
  • 6 tsp no-salt-added ketchup
  • 4 leaves romaine

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Posted on February 26, 2024 by Maris

McDonald’s Healthiest Menu Choices

It’s happened to all of us. You’re on the road, you’re hungry and your only option is fast food. So what do you do? You choose the healthiest option possible! But looks can be deceiving. We did some research on what is the healthiest menu option at the popular fast-food chain McDonald’s and if you’re looking for a meal, there weren’t a lot of choices, but there are some.

We selected the below food options based on feedback from registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. All meals have less than 500 calories and about 500 milligrams of sodium, as part of the new daily sodium recommendations from the U.S. government.

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Posted on February 4, 2024 by Jennipher

Four Healthy Holiday Menus Sure to Please

If you’re planning a holiday party, planning the menu is probably the most stressful part of the event (not counting the post-party clean-up, of course). To simplify your party preparations we’ve put together a menu for several festive celebrations, whether you’re throwing a New Year’s Eve Bash, a holiday cookie swap or an open-house soiree.

Potluck Dinner: If you’ve invited each of your guests to bring a favorite dish, you’ll still want to serve a few versatile staples for early-arriving guests.

Rosemary Skewered Chicken: Simple and tasty, you won’t have one leftover.
Stuffed Mushrooms: A simple, classic appetizer filled with the “good stuff.”
Quick Bake Lasagna: Wow, your guests with an easy, pleasing lasagna.
Goat Cheese Salad with Spinach & Tomatoes: A flavorful combination for a great salad.
Almond Biscuit Ring: A great dessert or snack, even for diabetic diners.

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Posted on December 14, 2023 by Maris

Salad Dressing May Not Break Your Healthy Diet

Salads are a convenient and tasty way to make sure you’re getting enough vegetables in your diet but sometimes, the addition of salad dressing can add fat and empty calories to your otherwise healthy plate.

Luckily, recent studies show that some salad dressing varieties, like types made with vegetable oils, can actually help your body absorb nutrients.

According to Patricia Groziak, M.S., R.D., the senior nutrition manager for Unilever, the presence of dietary fat is important for the body’s absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A and E.

“A variety of studies have looked at the body’s absorption of these vitamins from common food sources, including raw vegetable salads,” said Groziak. “Research has shown that absorption of carotenoids (vitamin A) and vitamin E is greater when salad vegetables are eaten with full-fat or reduced-fat dressings as compared with a dressing that contained no oil.”

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Posted on December 9, 2023 by Maris