Gearing Up For Fall

Thanks to the late summer heat you may feel like just eating a quick sandwich followed by an ice for dessert. However fall is just around the corner and with it comes chills and cold stormy weather. If you want to maintain that summery glow and good health,it's important to eat right. Take advantage of the harvests right now and rethink your eating habits.

Already doctors and chain drug stores are pushing for flu shots. You can also boost your immunity by eating some of the bounties our gardens and farms are offering right now.Broccoli and spinach are excellent sources of iron and calcium.These can be bought at any stand and can be made into all sorts of yummy dishes. Try them in omelets (eggs are also good immune boosters too) or in a flavorful quiche . Tomatoes are a must too. They are loaded with vital antioxidants and important vitamins and minerals . Again fresh tomatoes are excellent in sauces but also try them sliced on toasted Italian or French bread. Drizzle with olive oil , another very good for you food.

Desserts can also be healthy. Blueberries and raspberries, the last in full harvest right now can provide you with manganese and fiber. Raspberries are surprisingly chock full of Vitamin C and you can have them fresh right now or better yet, atop chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup. Apples, that fall standard, is another good flu fighter.Eat them just a a snack with caramel or in pies or galettes.They also are good in a Waldorf salad and add a certain tartness in grilled chicken salads.Dark chocolate is another diet must have. The candy is full of antioxidants which help the body Have it in moderation from a simple candy bar to shaving it over ice cream (for a yummy stratichella) or over puddings and cupcakes.

It may still be summer but it's time to start eating for fall and winter. The more good food you consume the healthier you 'll be during flu season. Eat right now , fell better later on.

Tough Foodie Resolutions

It's tough being a foodie and dealing with new year's resolutions. After all what's bad for us is usually the tastiest. What's good for us usually isn't. What to do? Try to be good throughout the whole year but throw in a little naughtiness along the way (which I guess can be said for life in general too).


If there's something you crave like soda (my vice) then in once in a while. Slowly wean yourself away from it. Try flavored seltzer which has the carbonation and the taste but no sugar and absolutely no calories. Surprisingly it's a refreshing kick , especially with ice added. There are some great flavors too , like lemon lime, peaches and cream and my fave black cherry. For fast food lovers think about having that burger and fries maybe once a month. That way it's something you can still eat but it;s becomes a treat rather than a habit.

The worst foodie vice - anything dessert or sweet. Candy is just the downfall of anyone making a resolution. You can change your sugar habit Try the extra dark chocolate which is much better for you than the milk. Or better yet. try chocolate covered cranberries and blueberries. Yes. they;re decadent but the dark chocolate and the berries are a little more healthier than those milk chocolate enrobed caramels. Cakes and cookies are another matter. Limit yourself to maybe a treat once in a great while. have a cup cake every so often to satisfy your cravings. That usually does to for many sugar addicted foodies.

I;ts tough making any kind of resolution and sticking to it. Luckily with food there are so man ways t get around it while still resolving . it just takes creativity and a bit of will power.

Coconut Egg That Perennial Easter treat

Nothing says Easter like a coconut egg. Loved by millions over the years, this candy was and still is the highlight of any Easter basket.Nothing compares with the mix of chewy, creamy coconut bathed in milk or dark chocolate (I think the darker the better) and then topped with a sugar candy lily. It also blends well with other traditional favorites like white chocolate and jelly beans.

Coconut eggs have been around for a long time. Candy stores originally made these from scratch , creating a kind of paste using cream of tartar , sugar and shredded coconut and then molding it into an egg shape. Milk or dark chocolate was then poured over it and decorations were later added.If you lived in northern New Jersey, two to one your coconut egg came from Hannah Krause chocolates and was freshly made.

You can still find homemade coconut eggs. Even Almond Joy has a neat coconut egg sixpack that has the traditional bar shaped as an ergg 9with the ubiquitous almond on top). Most candy stores such as Rocky Mountain have a gamut of them running from small to megalarge. There are even recipes on the web where you can make them yourself. If you're ambitious you can also make a coconut egg cake. Bake an egg shaped cake (preferably chocolate) split and fill with a butter cream coconut filling.Drizzle with a chocolate glaze or frost with fudge icing and then decorate with butter cream roses and stems.

Coconut eggs are very much a part of Easter and the joy of Easter candy. They're a sweet special treat that should be savored. Remember to go out and buy yours today!!!