Tag: healthy food
Lo Mein with Chinese Broccoli and Mushrooms
I served these noodles with the sweet and sour fish dish I posted last week. Since the fish didn’t have any veggies, I decided to pack the noodles with mushrooms and Chinese broccoli. Unfortunately Chinese broccoli is not available in all supermarkets, so, one can substitute baby spinach for it. I like to visit an Asian store in a neighboring town once a month. I love going through the aisles, not recognizing most of the ingredients. I love buying lots of bottles; dried noodles and fresh vegetables. A must purchase is the Chinese broccoli. I love the sweet, earthy and almost bitter taste of these delicious greens.
I love all kinds of noodles- especially the Chinese egg noodles. I used fresh ginger, green onions as aromatics. I also used flavorful sesame oil to give the dish great taste.
All in all- the dish is self sufficient and great as an entree but it is fabulous with the chili fish…
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Ribbon Salad with Zucchini and Carrots
I loved making this salad. It is a great way of introducing different vegetables without cooking them. I took a vegetable peeler and made lovely ribbons with carrots and zucchini.
Speaking of vegetable peelers- it is very important to have a good one. I would highly recommend a Messermeister peeler. I got one a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. It makes peeling a cinch.
Making lovely ribbons was very easy with my great peeler. I combined feta cheese with the carrots and zucchinis. I made a delicious dressing cumin seeds, orange and lemon juices.
The salad was delicious with the chicken on the side- healthy and yummy…
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Broccolini Rice
I made this side dish with the fish I posted yesterday. I usually make brown rice for my family to keep things healthy. I have tried to make the rice as delicious as possible. I cook it with chicken broth and a tad bit of butter- it makes a big difference.
In this case, I didn’t have a lot of time of cook dinner- a problem most people have. So, I checked my freezer where I always keep packs of frozen brown rice from Trader Joes. It is great to have and use in a pinch. I decided to mimic the same flavors I used in the fish. I started with a shallot and some garlic. I added roasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika. I then added the broccolini and the rice and checked for seasonings. Lemon juice finished off the dish really well. It is great side dish to make with fish or any other meat..
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Wild Cod with Smoked Paprika
Here is another recipe with my favorite ingredient- smoked paprika. I can’t get enough of this delicious spice. I love the smoky, savory and a bit of spicy flavors it imparts to all everything. I keep waiting to get over the flavor and move on to something else.. but so far it hasn’t happened. I guess I will go with it as long as I can come up with different recipes using it.
This is a very easy recipe and best of all- it is very healthy. I simply coated some cod fillets with a mixture of smoked paprika, salt and roasted cumin. I stored them in the fridge for a bit and cooked them under the broiler (make sure you take the fish out at least 20 minutes before cooking). I had broccolini in the fridge. I made some brown rice and added broccolini to it- an easy side dish.
The meal was delicious…
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Jamie Oliver- Food Revolution- Second Episode…
A big hug and kiss for Jamie Oliver for what he is doing for our kids. As I watched the show last night, I couldn’t believe all the hoops he had to go through to get into the Los Angeles school cafeteria. Obviously they have something to hide- why else would they create so many hurdles. Bottom line- we as parents have more power than we think. Our kids should be eating healthy, good food and we should know where the food is coming from. It is important to teach our kids to eat healthy and hopefully keep far away from diseases like diabetes. It was heart breaking to hear that girl’s story about her family being sick all the time.
I love what Jamie did with the healthy burgers. It is amazing how good food can be especially when it is healthy. It is important to bump up the flavor with lots of spices and herbs. I couldn’t believe the owner claimed his customers are not looking for quality- just quantity!! Really??? Maybe that is the problem- we don’t demand good, real food. Well, we should ask for good, reasonably priced food. It doesn’t help matters when places like McDonalds and Burger King are always full and doing better business every year. If we can’t afford to go out to places serving healthier food- we need to cook at home and serve our families good food.
I agree with Jamie- we do deserve better.
Jamie Oliver- Food Revolution- First Episode…
I am so happy to see Jamie Oliver back on television. Don’t get me wrong- I watch him all the time- cooking with the kind of passion that generates huge amounts of pleasure. His passion is contagious. Last year when he started the Food revolution, I was thrilled and grateful.. someone is doing something and getting people aware of what we are feeding our kids and ourselves. I try my best to feed my family healthy food but unfortunately the stuff served in schools is a different story. Right now, my daughter takes lunch from home- thank God.. but I know as she gets older, she is going to want to eat at school- and that thought is super scary, especially knowing what is being served.
It scared me watching the show last night- what was that food they showed??? There is no cooking going on- my rule is – if food given to me that does not have an expiration date- I will not eat it. There is something wrong when our kids are given this crap.
It is so important to know where our food comes from. When Jamie showed what parts of the cow is being used at our schools- I was not shocked. We have the lowest standards for food in our schools- imagine.. that is what our kids are eating. I was sick to my stomach… and at the same time wanted to give Jamie a big kiss for putting this in front of all of us and making us aware.
We need to stop eating fast food and giving it to our kids- to me the big fast food places are the biggest culprits. There is nothing wrong with a burger- but I want good quality ingredients in my food, which most fast food joints don’t use. Good for Jamie to try to revamp the menu in that restaurant… at the end of the day- we need to demand where our food comes from.
Watch this show with your kids- it was amazing to see my daughter’s face last year while watching Jamie’s show. I will be watching it again with her this weekend as we do tv turn off through the week…
Sign the petition for serving plain milk in schools.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution- A Few More Comments…
So the show came to an end last Friday and my daughter was quite upset knowing this was the last of Jamie Oliver for a while. I am not sure if the show is coming back at all- I didn’t tell her that.
What was the show about, you ask? Well, much of the same but also that Jamie returned to the elementary school where it all began. Turns out, since the school started serving fresh food, they had a surplus of frozen, processed food sitting in the warehouse. In order to use it up, they decided to introduce ‘junk food’ Fridays. Seriously? They couldn’t come up with any other solutions other than feeding the kids that crap food again??
Another problem was surfacing at the same time. A lot of kids not wanting to eat the healthy food at school, were now bringing their own lunch. Ordinarily home cooked lunches would be ideal- well, only if the parents are knowledgeable about healthy eating.
As Jamie walked in the cafeteria while the elementary kids ate, he looked through their brown bag lunches and you wouldn’t believe what he found. Jello, juice, candy and potato chips for lunch. I was horrified! Some kids had lunchables– which is a packaged lunch available at the super markets filled with salt, fat and God knows what. What happened to regular sandwiches for lunch??? There are so many ways to pack a healthy lunch for your child- a delicious sandwich made with whole-wheat bread, some fresh fruit and maybe a small cookie for dessert.
I don’t even know what to say about the potato chips and candy for lunch- I can’t believe someone would pack that for their kids. People are so busy these days and are always looking for fast and easy solutions for everything- including what we feed our kids- not realizing what it is doing to their bodies. As parents, it is up to us, to instill healthy eating habits in our kids so they can grow up to be healthy adults.
In a way I am happy the show has come to an end for now- I am not sure if I can handle the stress I feel after watching an hour of it…