Too Much Salad?

 let's face salad is one of the easiest summer dishes to make and to eat. yet there could be trouble with overeating it. As tasty as it is there should be some stops on it. with any food, it should be eaten in moderation.

Yes a bowl of greens any time of the year has so many benefits. Salads provide us with roughage and fiber which eases digestion,Each bite is laded with vitamins and antioxidants , all of which we need.Those shreds of lettuce and slices of tomatoes help with heart health and even keep us hydrated.A salad also keeps our cells strong and healthy too. Yet can too much of a good thing be a band thing? Surprisingly yes. All those greens may result in bloating and even stomach cramps (and who wants those on a hot summer's day?) The stomach cramps are due to the high amounts of fiber along with certain veggies like raw broccoli and cauliflower acting on a delicate digestive system.There's also a nutritional imbalance. While salads provide essential vitamins they are lacking in protein and fat, essential macronutrients for overall health. There can also be allergies too ,especially if kids are eating a lot of them. Then there's always the threat of e coli  which doesn't.happens that much with other foods. ]

What happens then? Do you give up salads? No, you can just modify them. Keep in mind that salads are a great way of repurposing leftovers. Add shredded rotisserie chicken from last night.That leftover London Broil from last night';s barbecue will go great cubed in a salad with tomatoes and broccoli. Try a salad Nicoise that has a good dose of protein thanks to sliced hard boiled eggs and tuna fish. This is an easy and fun way to eat a salad and get a whole meal as well.You can also add other proteins like julienned ham and salame Cheese also works wells in  a bowl of greens.  Try a filling Greek salad with a salty but creamy feta , anchovies and grape leaves. AN Italian cold cut one would be made even more perfect and nutritious by a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.Another idea is subbing in pasta for the greens. You can easily make one using macaroni or fusilli as a base. Add sliced grape or cherry tomatoes,along with small broccoli florets. What's great about a pasta salad is that it can, be used as a main or a side dish.

Salad may be good but there is a bad side to it. Eat it in moderation. You'll enjoy it more with a better effect on your body.

Meals To Go - In A Jar?

A hearty and healthy meal on the go is a a rarity, However it doesn't have to be - thanks to Mason Jars. Mason Jars??? Yes, there is an interesting new cookbook that has all sorts of recipes that involves using these classic containers to make meals. They're great for office and school lunches as well as for picnics.

Tanya Linton, a lifestyle writer and television wrote  150 Best Meals In A Jar.(Robert Rose Press) thanks to her passion for making them. It's an innovative idea because  Mason jars make great containers. Mostly crafty gift givers use them at Christmas to fill with ingredients for soup, cookies and/or hot cocoa. Yet they can be used for so much more and  don't come with any of the health concerns of plastic containers. She includes a thorough explanation of how to scrupulously cook foods and prep produce  because even the slightest  mistake can cause food poisoning, There is even a guide for layering ingredients for both Mason jar salads and Mason jar meals. She also recommends subbing in one ingredient if you don't have the one needed. The book is divided into different sections. There is the breakfast one, a huge one devoted to all sorts of salads from veggie to surf and turf., along with one for dressings .Ms. Linton also includes the trendy rice bowls along with hearty meals and finishes up with desserts.It's a nice variety for those wanting to go from simple salads to more complicated dishes.

Home chefs will love the variety of different recipes. There are the breakfast ones that include an overnight oatmeal one that  will "cook" the grain along with a trail mix and a chocolate ricotta spread. There are some great soup recipes such as the fun pizza soup which has all the pie ingredients plus chicken broth.. There's also chicken soup n the jar, the perfect gift for a sick friend.Ms. Linton's specialty is salads and she shines in all the recipes she gives for them. There are ones that features just veggies such as kale and quinoa salad with a citrus dressing  and the triple berry spinach salad with lemon poppy seed dressing.  The meat ones feature the famed Cobb  salad with  homemade ranch dressing and the classic salad Nicoise, complete with tuna, olives and hard boiled eggs. The salads and dressings are separate so home chefs can mix and match them.I love the rice bowl and layered meal Mason jar recipes. These are full dinners in a jar.Home chefs can make a layered turkey dinner or lasagna, There is the polenta Bolognese and a shepherd's pie with lamb. The rice bowls feature a tasty Santa Fe style complete with avocado , black beans and hot sauce and fried egg rice bowl , a tribute to the Korean dish bibimbap. Finish with a jarred dessert of banana s'mores or brownies smothered in chocolates and the raspberry soaked pretty macaroon pavlova.

150 Best Meals In A Jar is a great cookbook for home chefs who want to make hearty and tasty meals on the go. It shows how to take the humble Mason Jar and turn it into a container for a salad, lasagna or even a sweet treat. It's fun and innovative way to cook.

Are You Eating Enough?

It's a question most of us have heard since childhood: Are you eating enough?As adults we would say yes. After all we try to have three meals a day.The problem is are we eating the right foods.Do we just grab a burger and feel satisfied with that? Or should we be eating more helpings of veggies and lean meats.

Any meal is a tricky navigation. Thanks to busy schedules, especially now in the fall, it's hard to find a healthy fast food or actually stay in our kitchens long enough to cook. Sometimes we think a sandwich will do the trick. After all what's so wrong with meat and bread. ? It's just not substantial enough. You may want to put some tomatoes on it or even sliced hard boiled egg for more protein.Don't add chips to round it out. Think grape tomatoes or even a pickle as a healthier alternative. Soup is another good choice for lunch or dinner. Round it out with a small mixed salad.

Sometimes we also feel like forgoing meals to keep on a diet or to have a quick weight loss. Don't. This is not a good way to shed pounds, Eat leaner, lighter fare. Try turkey or veggie burgers as opposed to red meat ones. Ratatouille is a low cal dish, tasty and chock full of tomatoes, onions and eggplant.Never skip breakfast or fill in with a quick breakfast sandwich. Oatmeal is a good choice as is fresh fruit with black coffee or plain tea. Stay away from doughnuts , bear claws and Danishes. Tasty yes, filling, yes, healthy, no

Are you eating enough? Ask yourself at every meal. However make sure you're also asking yourself is it healthy enough or is it a filler? Eat , but eat well

The Garden Freshness of Celery

Even celery's smell means garden freshness and goodness. this is the most aromatic of all garden vegetables and the most versatile too. You can make a fragrant soup with it or the base for a dip. It adds crunch and flavor to salads while giving subtletaste to dressings. It's also refreshing and low calorie - perfect for foodies on a diet.

Celery comes from the Apiaceae family and is a cousin of the carrot , dill, parsnip and even the pretty weed , Queen Anne's Lace. Both the plant's stalks or petioles or roots can be eaten. The seed is ground into a salt and used for Bloody Mary's as well as Old Bay seasoning. It's also the main spice in Chicago style hot dogs.It is a natural diuretic and hence a well preferred diet food. It's also low in calories with only 9 1/2 calories per cup of diced celery. It's also high in calcium which is good for the lactose intolerant tor milk haters out there.Another good thing about celery is that you can grow it in your garden. It''s known as a filler because people use it and lettuce to fill out any bare patches.

My favorite way to have celery is as an hors d'ouevre . This comes from a family recipe where we stuff cut stalks (usually cut tow to three inches in length) with a mix of hard boiled eggs and cream cheese. Salt and pepper are added for flavor and once the stalk is stuffed, then dusted with paprika. This last is done for coloring and taste. To be honest this is the easiest but also the most elegant appetizer to make. It goes well with summer cocktails or decorating a tray of Italian cold cuts. Celery soup is also a good way of using the veggie. The soup is richly laced with root's fresh , taste and blends well with the other ingredients. A great summer recipe is celery salad with red onion. The stalks are diced, mixed with cut Bermuda onions and tossed with just a simple vinaigrette.

Use celery as often as you can this summer. It's a great way of getting much needed calcium but also a versatile stalk. Add it to your Bloody Mary's or serve it up as an appetizer. Chop it in a salad as well. it;s so versatile. You can use it a hundred ways.