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10 May 2013

Strawberry Chia Pudding

A healthy treat enjoyed alone, or topped on your favorite yogurt, fresh fruit, or warm oatmeal!

Ingredients (Serves: 4)

300 grams strawberries, roughly cut up. (300 grams = about 1½ cups)
3 oz almond milk
10 whole dried figs
½ tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
3 Tbsp chia seeds

Instructions

Add strawberries, milk, figs, cinnamon, and sugar to food processor and completely mix ingredients together until completely smooth.
In a small air-tight container, add strawberry mixture, then add chia seeds and stir. They will not completely incorporate. Place lid on container and place in refrigerator, let sit for 4 hours or overnight, then stir before serving. The strawberry mixture will be thick and similar to pudding from the chia seeds.
Enjoy on your favorite treat or alone!

About the Author: For her day job, Terra works as a Senior Food Safety/Quality Assurance Auditor, for restaurants, hotels, resorts, amusement parks and even jails! Food safety is not her only love, making-baking-cooking fun, sometimes healthy meals is her love and passion. She is a food writer, recipe developer, and self-taught pastry chef. You can follow her on her Facebook page Cafe Terra, on Twitter at CafeTerraBlog, Instagram at CafeTerraBlog, and also on Pinterest as CafeTerraBlog.

Posted in EatSmart Products, Recipes and tagged recipe | Leave a Comment

07 May 2013

Show Mom You Care with Healthy Recipes

Instead of breakfast in bed with syrupy pancakes, cholesterol-filled eggs and buttered toast, make mom some healthy and nutritious foods. Substitute the traditional flower bouquet for a fresh fruit basket, which pairs nicely with any of these healthy Mother’s Day recipes:

Peach Cobbler

This dessert-style breakfast is certainly to die for and isn’t filled with the guilt the traditional dessert comes with.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving: Calories 210; Fat, total 3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Fiber 8g.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups fresh, sliced peaches

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot)

1/4 tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup shredded wheat, crushed

3 tbsp applesauce

1/4 tbsp salt

1 container yogurt

Mix peaches, lemon, cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/2 of salt in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 350F. Stir crushed shredded wheat remaining salt and applesauce in a small bowl until blended. Spread the peach mixture in a small baking pan and top with the cereal mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.

Healthy Waffles

What’s breakfast without the crispy, crunchy goodness of a waffle? But traditional waffles are filled with unnecessary fats. This waffle recipe from EatingWell uses whole-wheat flour and nonfat buttermilk.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving: Calories: 241; Total, fat 4g; Cholesterol 37mg; Total carbohydrate 41g; Fiber 3g; Protein 11g.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1/4 tbsp baking soda

2 cups nonfat buttermilk

1 large egg, separated

1 tbsp canola oil (you can substitute the canola oil for applesauce for a healthier alternative) 1 tbsp pure vanilla (optional)

2 large egg whites

2 tbsp sugar

Stir flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, egg yolk, oil (or applesauce) and vanilla (optional) together in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Beat egg whites in mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Whisk a small amount of the egg whites into the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Place batter in a heated, oiled waffle iron for five to six minutes. Serve with a side of fresh fruit.

Mini Quiches

Mini quiches make the perfect portable omelet. Turkey sausage and mushrooms keep these little bites of heaves healthy, light and savory.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving: Calories 90; Total, fat 5g, Cholesterol 105mg; Total carbohydrate 3g; Protein 9g.

Ingredients:

8 ounces turkey sausage

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 tbsp freshly ground pepper

5 eggs and 3 egg whites

1 cup of 1 percent milk

Lightly grease a muffin tin and preheat oven to 325F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned, about six to eight minutes. Place sausage in a small bowl and let chill. Add oil to hot pan and add mushrooms. Cook five to seven minutes and transfer to the bowl with sausage. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper. Whisk eggs, and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle sausage mixture into each cup and bake 25 minutes.

Do you cook for Mom or take her out to meal? Please share your traditions below!

About the Author: Guest post by Courtney, a yoga teacher and naturopath who writes for a variety of health and exercise blogs from her home in Maine.

Posted in EatSmart Products, Healthy Living Tips and tagged mothers day recipes | Leave a Comment

05 May 2013

2 Comments

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Salsa

Ingredients

Lime Zest 1 lime
Lime Juice, Fresh 2 limes
Cayenne Pepper ¼ teaspoon
Salt, Kosher 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon
Black Pepper, freshly ground 1/8 teaspoon
Corn, rinsed & drained 1 can (14oz)
Black beans, no salt added rinsed, & drained 1 can (15.5 oz)
Red Bell Pepper, small dice ¼ cup
Orange Bell Pepper, small dice ¼ cup

Method of Preparation

Gather all necessary equipment
In a medium bowl zest one lime. Zest the second lime used later for juicing and set aside zest for the shrimp marinade.
Juice the two limes into the bowl
Add cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper, mix until well combined. Set aside
Open cans of corn and black beans. Drain and rinse corn first, and then add to a medium bowl.
Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the bowl with the corn and lime juice mixture.
Dice bell peppers and add to the corn, black beans, and lime juice mixture.
Mix well, cover and store in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Mix well before serving.
Serve with grilled shrimp tacos and/or corn tortilla chips.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos – makes six tacos

Ingredients

Olive Oil 2 tablespoons
Cayenne Pepper ½ teaspoon
Lime Zest 1 lime
Salt, Kosher 1/8 teaspoon
Jumbo Shrimp, peeled, deveined, cleaned 10 each
Corn Tortilla, soft 6 each
Avocado, halved and sliced 1 each

Method of Preparation

Gather all necessary equipment
In a small bowl combine first four ingredients and mix well.
Add shrimp and toss to evenly coat all shrimp.
Cover and marinade in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Heat grill to medium high
Either skewers your shrimp or use a grill basket to cook shrimp.
Cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Shrimp should be opaque and cooked throughout.
Remove shrimp from grill and cut up into large chunks or leave whole.
On the cooler part of the grill add the soft corn tortilla shells.
Grill until you see grill marks – about 3-4 minutes per side (this all depends on how hot your grill is, and how crispy you want them…at this stage they are still quite pliable).
To assemble your tacos add 2-3 tablespoons of corn and black bean salsa on each grilled corn tortilla shell.
Top with equal portions of diced or whole grilled shrimp and slices of avocado.
Enjoy the extra salsa with some gluten-free corn tortilla chips.

About the Author: Jenny Manseau is a Chef, Culinary Nutrition student and author of the blog Creative Cooking Gluten Free. Jenny created her website after being diagnosed in 2008 with Celiac Disease and takes many “regular” every day recipes and alters them to the gluten-free diet.

Posted in EatSmart Products, Recipes and tagged gluten free, healthy eating, recipe

30 Apr 2013

Charity of the Month May 2013 – The Wounded Warrior Project

EatSmart fans will continue to select each Charity of the Month in 2013. Fans will submit short stories about the charity’s mission and why it’s meaningful to them. We began our Charity of the Month donations in 2011.

May’s Charity of the Month has been chosen by loyal EatSmart Fan, Jennifer Hall. She selected The Wounded Warrior Project.

We will be donating 50 cents for every new Twitter follower during the month of May. (So spread the word!)

Read why Jennifer picked The Wounded Warrior Project:
The Wounded Warrior Project holds a special place in my heart. The men and women of the Armed Forces give everything to us and ask for nothing in return. There are many obstacles that Veterans face upon returning home. As the wife of a Veteran I know first hand the obstacles that Vets and their families face. The Wounded Warrior Project offers family support, health and wellness, combat stress recovery programs, higher education programs, employment assistance services and more. Our Armed Forces have given so much its time to give back to them.

The Wounded Warrior Project is there to help any way they can.

Their Mission:
To honor & empower wounded warriors.
Their Vision:
To foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history.
Their Purpose:
To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members.
To help injured service members aid and assist each other.
To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

They offer a variety of resources to Veterans and their families.

Click here and EatSmart will donate:

About Jennifer: Jennifer Hall is a homeschooling mom who loves to blog, take photos, and spend time with her family. She blogs daily at Southern Belle, and she and her daughter run a blog called Biscotti and Bracelets together.

If interested in submitting a charity for consideration, please email karen@eatsmartproducts.com. The donation amount will be capped at 500 new followers/likes.

Posted in Charity, EatSmart Products | Leave a Comment

26 Apr 2013

135 Comments

5000 + Mother’s Day Giveaway

Mother’s Day is a time to remember all of the wonderful women in our lives who mean so much to us. In addition to this special day for our important ladies, EatSmart has another reason to celebrate. The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale has garnered over 5000 stellar reviews on Amazon.com! Why not combine these noteworthy occasions and celebrate with a giveaway! 3 lucky winners will each receive a Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale for you AND Mom!

Entering the contest is easy and can be done through the form below. Here is how you can win:

Fill in your name (1 Entry)
Fill in you email (1 Entry)
Comment at the bottom of this post and let us know what color Precision Pro you would pick. [White, White Chrome, Black Chrome, Silver or Red] (1 Entry)
Like this blog post (1 Optional Entry)
Like us on Facebook (1 Optional Entry)
Click here to share the giveaway on Twitter (1 Optional Entry)

Giveaway ends on Monday, May 6th at 12 noon EST. The winners will be selected at random and notified by email. They will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. (Sorry, but it’s limited to US residents only!)

Posted in EatSmart Products, Giveaway

23 Apr 2013

1 Comment

A Surprising, New Way to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables

I am SO looking forward to all the fresh fruits and vegetables that will soon be available at the farmers market . Are YOU considering buying a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a summer supply of local, seasonal food directly from a farmer? Me–I can’t wait.

I do spend a considerable amount of time picking out the perfect bunch of broccoli, the plumpest, bruise free strawberries–just ask my husband and he will confirm. I enjoy the challenge of picking out, what I consider to be, the best of the bunch, the freshest for my family. What I do not enjoy is finding the produce wilted in my refrigerator because I was too busy to cook (really?). What a shame–what a waste!

There is hope–I recently caught this article in our local newspaper that explained the benefits of HEAT-SHOCKING to extend the life of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by days or even a week. Heat shocking? I had my doubts but after reading the complete article, I am a believer and can do this! Even better is the fact that it doesn’t involve chlorine solutions, irradiation or peroxide baths. Heat- shocking is 100% organic and all you need in your kitchen is hot water.

Basically, you submerge your produce in a large pot of hot water (between 105 and 140 F) and hold it there for several minutes. Drain, dry and refrigerate as you normally would. The optimum temperature and time submerged varies depending on the fruit or vegetable but general guidelines to follow are listed in the referenced newspaper article.

The biochemistry behind this process is beyond the scope of this blog. I do know that my family and I will be benefiting from eating a summer’s bounty of fresh fruit and veggies and cutting down on unfortunate trips to the trash.

Have you tried this technique?

Story by: Maria Geronimo, PR Director of EatSmart Products

Posted in EatSmart Products, Healthy Living Tips, Nutrition Tips

19 Apr 2013

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal with Walnuts (and Pomegranates)

This Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal is a great way to start your day. It’s loaded with healthy ingredients and baking a batch of it allows you to have a “go-to” breakfast all week long. If you have a sweet tooth, I would recommend increasing the amount of sweetener in the batter. However, I find that using a topping such as maple syrup or peanut butter adds enough “sweet”.

Ingredients

3 cups of Rolled Oats (240 grams)
1.5 cups of Pumpkin (366 grams)
1/2 cup of Almond Milk (use the milk of your choice)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1.5 teaspoons of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 tablespoons of Almond Butter *or the nut butter of your choice
2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup (32 grams) *or the sweetener of your choice – agave or honey
1 tablespoon of Hemp Seeds (15 grams) *OPTIONAL
1/4 cup of Chopped Walnuts (30 grams) *or the nut of your choice
Pomegranates to sprinkle on top *OPTIONAL

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl
Grease 9×12 inch baking dish
Spread evenly into pan and sprinkle extra walnuts on top
Bake for about 20-25 minutes
Serve with maple syrup or topping of choice; honey, yogurt, peanut butter, pomegranates, etc.

Can you believe it? This recipe is actually vegan!!

About the Author: Karen Welby is the Marketing Director of EatSmart Products. Outside of EatSmart, she is a certified Health Coach and Personal Trainer.

Posted in EatSmart Products, Recipes | Leave a Comment

16 Apr 2013

BREAKING NEWS -The Presidents Have WON the Battle of the Bulge

Back in June 2012, we had shared on the EatSmart blog, the story of Bill, President of EatSmart Products and Gary, President of ToiletTree Products and their 10 lb weight loss challenge. The contest required that both Bill and Gary would lose 10 lbs in 2 months and both met the challenge. They decided to extend the contest for another year to see if they could keep the weight off.

Good News–one year later, they are both WINNERS and have maintained their weight loss.

A January 2012 article in USA TODAY , Keeping Weight Off Is As Much a Challenge As Losing It, speaks to this very topic. The article explains that people, like Gary and Bill, who are able to maintain their weight loss accomplish this in various ways. The majority follow a low-calorie, low-fat diet of about 1,800 calories a day, keep a food journal and walk about an hour a day or burn the same calories doing other physical activities. These findings were compiled from a group of 10,000 successful dieters in the National Weight Control Registry, who have lost 30 pounds or more and maintained that loss for a year or more.

A key point that resonated with me was that these dieters, who were successful in maintaining their weight loss, did so by making these healthy eating and exercise habits part of their daily routine and not a chore. Food for thought as we all work towards healthier lifestyles.

Another important update, the brand new EatSmart Precision Tracker Bathroom Scale, that Bill and Gary introduced as part of their weight loss/maintenance challenge, was successfully launched in Fall 2012 to great reviews!

About the Author: Maria Geronimo is the Public Relations Director at EatSmart Products.

Posted in EatSmart Products and tagged weight loss challenge | Leave a Comment

09 Apr 2013

Easy Recipe Substitutes for Healthier Meals

We all want to eat healthier, and sometimes it is really easy to do so. With ingredient substitutions you can still use your favorite recipes that you love, just with less fat and more nutrition. Here are some of my favorite substitutions that give all of the flavor of the original but in a healthier way:

Plain yogurt for sour cream – While I would not recommend putting yogurt on your tacos, in a recipe it works as a great substitute for sour cream. I have a Mexican casserole recipe that I love but it is full of cheese and sour cream. Now I have learned how to make it with less cheese, and low fat cheese at that, and substitute in yogurt for the sour cream. My family still has not noticed the difference!
Whole grain pasta for regular pasta – I don’t know about you, but my family loves, loves, loves pasta. From mac and cheese to angel hair, fettuccini, and lasagna they can’t seem to get enough of it. However I knew it was not giving them the healthy lifestyle they needed. That is when I made the switch to whole grain pastas. Though at first they may seem a little more wheat flavored then normal you can find a brand that fits your family’s tastes. I love one that is white wheat with extra fiber and protein. It fills up my kids in no time and sticks with them all day!
Spaghetti squash for pasta – Who ever thought a vegetable could be a good substitute for pasta? Well the first time I tried spaghetti squash I was hooked. Gluten free, tasty and healthy for you, spaghetti squash tastes great with the same sauces you love on your pasta. It is also fun for kids to help make. They love that a gourd becomes this stringy, pasta like food! Just bake until a fork goes through and then cut it in half, take out the seeds and toss them, and scrape out the delicious innards to make your own veggie pasta.
Brown rice for white rice – My family are big rice eaters. My brother alone can clean out an entire pot of white rice with butter, salt, and pepper all over it. However white rice just doesn’t have the nutrients to sustain a healthy lifestyle. That is why I have switched to brown rice. Not only is it better for you but it has a great flavor and slightly crunchier texture that I find wonderful. There are many ways you can cook brown rice, but my favorite is the boil in bag version that is so easy to cook on busy days. I also love wild rice. Mixing brown and wild rice together with some spices makes for a great side dish that will make anyone happy.
Egg whites or applesauce for whole eggs – I have always used whole eggs in my cooking but after figuring out how much fat that adds now I have changed my mind. After all, if you can’t tell the difference in your food then why add the fat? Now I substitute egg whites for whole eggs whenever I can. Two egg whites work for one whole egg or you can get the egg whites in a carton and use a quarter cup per whole egg. You can also use a quarter cup of applesauce to substitute for one large egg when baking. Although I would not recommend doing that in white or yellow cakes because the apple flavor comes through!

These are just a few of the many substitutions that you can make in your cooking to ramp up the nutrition and tone down the fat or sugar. The next time you find yourself pulling out a family favorite recipe try to come up with ways to make it better for your family without losing the flavor you love.

About the Author: This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of www.liveinnanny.com. She welcomes your comments at jdebra84@gmail.com.

Posted in EatSmart Products, Healthy Living Tips, Nutrition Tips | Leave a Comment

02 Apr 2013

1 Comment

Never Waste Food Again! 10 Tips To Use Your Leftovers

As a child, my parents often reminded me that there were starving children in the world, so I was told to either finish my food or don’t take so much.

Perhaps that’s why I try to use everything I can while cooking. If your goal is to avoid food waste, you can find a great use for pretty much anything. It just takes a bit of creativity, but it’s so worth it when it’s tasty, healthy and saves you money!

Want to know some of my tips and tricks? Here you go!

1. Overripe bananas? Break into chunks and freeze in a ziplock for smoothies. Also, great for banana bread.

2. Extra onions? Chop them up and use for a rice pilaf, stir fry or even in your scrambled eggs.

3. Extra brown rice? I often purposely make too much, JUST so I have leftover to make rice pudding (recipe here!). Also great to toss in tomato soup (or any soup!) and make brown rice pilaf.

4. Extra tomato soup? Have a little extra tomato soup but not enough for a meal? Sauté some onion (that’s possibly leftover too!), add the tomato soup to your extra brown rice and you have Spanish Rice! Ole!

5. Overripe fruit? Cut out the not so pretty parts and chop up the rest. Then cook it down as a compote or fruit topping for waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, hot cereal or over ice cream!

6. Extra avocado? Even a small piece of avocado acts as a great thickener for smoothies and desserts. Make guacamole or add to canned tuna or salmon instead of mayo.

7. Extra mint? Add this to your fruit salad, hot or iced tea (I LOVE fresh mint hot tea!), watermelon cooler, or freeze in ice cubes for use later.

8. Extra fruit or veggies? Make a soup, smoothie or juice.

9. Leftover potatoes? Depending how they are prepared, you could mash them, use them in shepherd’s pie (recipe here!), make a hash brown or toss in your eggs, make gnocchi (recipe here!) or make baked fries!

10. Leftover bread (gluten free or regular)? Make French toast (challah is best!), bread crumbs, bread pudding or croutons!

BONUS TIP!
Lemon peel? Lately I’ve been peeling my lemons for my green juice and then with the leftover lemon peels (pith removed), I make candied lemon peel!

About the Author: Abby Phon is a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She leads corporate workshops on nutrition and lifestyle, conducts food tours, cooking demonstrations and offers individual health and nutrition coaching around the world. She is also a certified Shiatsu practitioner, a licensed massage therapist, an AFAA nationally certified group fitness instructor, an IntenSati Leader and a certified Oneness Blessing (Deeksha) Giver.

Website: feedyourmindbodyspirit.com
Facebook: AbbyPhon
Twitter: @AbbyPhon
Pinterest: AbbyPhon

Posted in EatSmart Products, Healthy Living Tips

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Archive for the category “EatSmart Products”

Strawberry Chia Pudding