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We all have been told that we need to eat three or more servings of fruit per day.   Most people barely get one serving per day and that is one serving is usually in the form of juice and not the actual fruit itself.   One of the main problems is finding easy ways to get your servings of fruit each day without having to work too hard to do it.  Let’s face it, we’re all busy and if we have to remember one more thing, even if it is beneficial to our health, the chances of actually remembering it are slim to none.

Eat Fruit In Its Natural Form

The best way to eat fruit is in it’s natural form. It is sweet and contains nutrients needed by the body. You can take an apple, peach, plum, pear, banana, and various other fruits along in the car, in the elevator, at your desk, and around the store if you are sneaky. No, this is not a recommendation to be fruit stealers at the store. At most, you’ll only be left with a peel or seeds to toss in a trashcan when you carry a piece of fresh fruit with you. Read the rest of this entry »

When you prepare BBQ dishes, the main event is always meat. This doesn’t mean however that you have to limit yourself to grilling meat when summer rolls around. Plus, some of your guests may be vegetarian or do not eat red meat.

 For these people and to add some variety to your BBQ menu you can prepare delicious BBQ side dishes that will only take a little prep time beforehand and can be cooked on your grill. Just make sure that you have some aluminum foil on hand to do your cooking and you’ll be fine.

BBQ Side Dish #1: Wild Rice Pilaf

You can make something as elegant sounding as a pilaf at your next BBQ. The first step is to cook a cup of fresh mushrooms over medium-high heat with a little butter or olive oil for about five minutes. This step should be done in a saucepan and can be done the night before. Read the rest of this entry »

Eating in the car is something you shouldn’t do unless you are highly skilled at juggling. In your defense, if you can get the kids to soccer, ballet, pick up the dry cleaning, conduct the car pool, and get to work on time, you are qualified. Okay, so everyone’s schedule isn’t that busy, but there are times when almost everyone has to be away from home during meal times at one time or another due to hectic schedules.

The goal here is to keep you from being tempted when it comes to eating out just because you can’t be home at dinner time. When there are items on hand that you can reach and eat with the car in motion, it is easier to pass right by those fast food joints and stick to healthier eating habits. Here are just a few choices to help you do just that. These foods can all be prepared prior to traveling so they are right there ready to eat right when that hunger pain hits. Read the rest of this entry »

With the hectic schedules we all have everyday, it's easy to opt for fast food for lunch or dinner instead of cooking.  There’s no telling how much money we’ve spent on that one meal that easily becomes a few (or more) meals a week. Instead of picking up that telephone and calling for delivery pizza, get the family together and make one at home.

You can develop a whole new family tradition of making homemade pizza together.  You will have to choose a day of the week when everyone can get together and enjoy the experience. You can even pretend that you are in a real Italian eatery and go all out by decorating the dining room table to resemble a pizzeria. Read the rest of this entry »

We can learn a lot from our ancestors when it comes to cooking and saving money.  It's amazing how they always seemed to have food on the table even in lean times?  With increasing costs of basic necessities such as gas, rice, wheat and flour,  we may easily end up spending hundreds of dollars in groceries every week.  It would be great to know the secrets of frugal cooking and saving money, wouldn't it?

Actually, it isn’t a secret at all. It is actually good planning and preparation on their part.  Once we realize this and begin doing as they did, we too will see our dollar stretch further.

The items that we have on hand are what determine how far our food will go. Filling your cabinets or pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store each and every week versus once or twice a month. Stocking just a few choice items is all you need to create wonderful meals.  Here are 5 items to stock up on in lean times! Read the rest of this entry »

For many families, a nice juicy ham is the centerpiece and star of every holiday meal.  Even non-holiday meals are made more special with the serving of a delicious ham.  The only problem is that cooking ham can be an intimidating prospect for some cooks.  With so many cooking methods to choose from and so many conflicting sets of cooking ham instructions, making the family ham can be a daunting task.

Cooking Ham Instructions: Grandma's Well Loved Method

One of the classic cooking ham instructions involves boiling the ham in water prior to baking it.  This method for cooking ham is healthy for a couple of reasons: first, if you change the water halfway through the boiling part of the process you can remove much of the salt and nitrates present in the meat.  Secondly, this method lets you cook the meat without the addition of any fats or sweeteners, and the longer cooking time makes the ham more flavorful and moist. Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout America, potatoes are the most popular vegetable, even being ahead of other well known vegetables such as lettuce and onions.  You can cook potatoes in a variety of ways, and they are included in one out of three meals eaten by almost all Americans.  When they are prepared in a healthy way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy and also pack a nutritional punch.

Low In Fat & High In Nutrition

Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that's recommended for good health. Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana. Read the rest of this entry »

If you're planning a party or other get together, then you may find yourself having to cook for a crowd.  In cases like this, preparation is very important.  You will need to make sure that there is enough food to go around, and that the presentation is as good as it can be.  If you have never done it before, cooking for a crowd can be very intimidating, but it does not need to be, and this article will help you get prepared.

Step One – How Many People?

The first thing you will need to do is find out how many people you will be cooking for.  Once you know how many people will be coming, work out how much you will need to feed them, and add a little extra, just in case some people are really hungry. Read the rest of this entry »

Eating leftovers the way they were originally served, is probably what’s turning family members off from wanting it again the next night.  Your family doesn’t have to eat the pork loin as is.  So, chop that pork loin up into bite size pieces.  

Now you’re probably thinking, ok that’s great, but what do I do with it now?  In a large skillet or wok, stir fry the leftover rice with a bag of frozen veggies, an egg, and some of the chopped pork loin to make pork fried rice. Add a little soy sauce and you’ve got a whole new dinner for your hungry family. Read the rest of this entry »

What do you do when a meal is finished?  Most of us wash the dishes and wrap up the leftovers, but what happens to the leftover portions not eaten?  Do they get consumed later or do they sit in the refrigerator until they start to smell and you finally throw them out?  If you tend to do the latter, how about saving some time and money by learning how to use those leftovers in new ways to surprise your family at dinner time.

Some people like leftovers and some do not. Still then, many will eat them one day out, but quickly get tired of eating the same thing over and over.  Here’s a way to fix the problem if you or someone in your family is the same way. Let’s start with an example. Read the rest of this entry »