In a perfect world, we would be cooking all of our meals from scratch but when busy schedules get in the way, there is no shame in grabbing a packaged meal from the freezer. Frozen, pre-portioned meals can save time, money and calories and they can even be healthy. Here’s a list of eight of…
Category: Nutrition Observations
Local Flavors of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a stunning, seaside coastal town with cuisine that has been influenced by Italy, Greece, and Turkey. My family and I traveled to Dubrovnik in early September and immediately fell in love the country. Restaurant menus were filled with fresh seafood dishes like grilled octopus, stuffed squid, black seafood risotto, and fried sardines. Seasonal…
A new kitchen gadget that’s worth the counter space!
My family drinks a lot of sparkling water and I was getting tired of schlepping the bottles home from the store. They’re heavy, they take up precious room in my refrigerator, and they overflow my recycling bin. After much thought about adding another piece of equipment to my kitchen counter and after hearing rave reviews…
Cooking and Eating on the Amalfi Coast Part 2
When you’re traveling on most highways in the US, eating fresh, healthy food at a highway rest stop is next to impossible. Not so in Italy. Check out these highway treats at a stop just outside of Rome. Notice the Parma ham on the slicer. Prosciutto with fresh melon and mozzarella. Tuna salads with local…
Cooking and Eating on the Amalfi Coast
Eating and preparing Mediterranean food on the Mediterranean is this dietitian’s dream. I got my Mediterranean culinary fix on a recent trip to the Amalfi coast with my husband. We both enrolled in a cooking class at the Villa Maria Cooking School high up on the mountain in the beautiful town of Ravello. Talk about…
Cooking with a Cuban View
On a recent trip with my husband to Havana, to visit our son who is working and living there, I was surprised at the quality, variety and freshness of the food served at several privately owned restaurants. Menus included lobster tail, lamb moussaka, rabbit pate, a variety of fresh fish and vegetables, and creative cocktails…
Sugars and sweeteners: Putting ‘sweet’ in perspective
I was interviewed for the Main Line Health Well Ahead Blog and thought you might find the article helpful. March 27, 2017 Sugars and sweeteners: Putting ‘sweet’ in perspective One question people don’t often ask—but perhaps should—is how much sugar they’re allowed on a daily basis. “People tend to think that just because they’re not adding table…
Not Your Grandmother’s Prunes
Let’s start by calling them dried plums. Maybe this will help lift the stigma surrounding these sweet, soft, chewy bites. Nutritionally, research indicates that dried plums provide significant protective effects on bones. Dried plums have a high phenolic content (antioxidant value) and contain vital nutrients including zinc, magnesium, manganese, copper, boron, and potassium, all of which are…
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I found this recipe while searching for beet recipes (because that’s what I do in my spare time). The natural sweetness of the beets goes well with the slight bitterness of the dark cocoa and I love the natural pink color of the icing. The recipe is from eatingwell but I made some modifications. I used…
Go for the Grains
Grains have taken a beating lately. Shunned from high protein diets because of their carbohydrate content and maligned by many social media posts. But in most cultures, grains are an integral part of the diet. In the US, we eat way too many refined, nutrient poor grains because we eat too many packaged snacks, white…
Which of These Oils is Highest in Cholesterol?
Answer: None of them. They are all cholesterol-free (cholesterol is found only in animal products). Next question, which of these oils is highest in saturated fat? Answer: Coconut oil. What? I thought coconut oil was good for me? It’s true, coconut oil is wearing a health halo at the moment. The controversy seems to be…
Pickled, Fermented Vegetables Increase Cancer Risk
With the trend of pickled and fermented vegetables on the rise, there is cause for concern. A new report from the World Cancer Research Fund International states there is strong, probable evidence that foods preserved by salting, including fermented and pickled vegetables, are causes of stomach cancer. The risk increases with 1/2 a serving per…