Author: Lisa P

How to Prepare and Cook Kale

Posted on by Lisa P

I’m sure a lot of people have never tried kale because they don’t know how to cook kale. I was one of those people too until just a few years ago. That was when I discovered that kale is a great tasting, highly nutritious leafy green vegetable, similar to spinach.

Kale is best when fresh, so cook it within a few days after you buy it at the grocery store. Make sure it’s a nice dark green with firm leaves and no brown spots or flimsy areas.

Kale is also very inexpensive, especially when you buy it in season. I can get a huge bunch of it in season (January-March) for about $1.29.

[Time saving tip: Make the whole bunch at once, even if you won’t eat it all that night. Store the rest in the frig for a few days. Then you can briefly microwave it and serve with another meal. That’ll save you a lot of time.] Continue reading “How to Prepare and Cook Kale” →

Pink Slime in Your Ground Beef Called “Safe” — Really?

Posted on by Lisa P

Pink Slime is Safe but Not NutritiousI recently saw this blog post, linked from a friend’s Facebook page.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/is-pink-slime-in-the-beef-at-your-grocery-store/

It reminded me of the movie, “Food, Inc.“, where I learned of that disgusting pink goopy chicken filler that’s used to make fast food chicken nuggets. It’s probably also used in those cheap frozen “Cordon Bleu” two-packs I used to eat before I knew better. I won’t say the brand in case I’m wrong (but I’m probably not), but I’m sure you’ve seen them in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Anyway, the point of this post is that this is exactly why we need to 1) cook for ourselves as much as possible, and 2) buy organic ingredients. Continue reading “Pink Slime in Your Ground Beef Called “Safe” — Really?” →

Quick and Healthy Steamed Zucchini Recipe

Posted on by Lisa P
Steaming Zucchini
Zucchini, Ready to be Steamed

There are lots of ways to cook zucchini, but the most important thing to remember about cooking vegetables, especially the summer squash variety, is to cook it as little as possible.

I used to cook zucchini by sauteing it with oil and butter in a frying pan and then sprinkling it with salty parmesan cheese.  Delicious?  Yes!  Filled with calories?  You betcha!

How I cook zucchini now is not only a lot lower in fat and calories, it actually tastes better because I can taste the yummy and unique flavor of the vegetable instead of just the cheese.

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchinis (preferably organic) Continue reading “Quick and Healthy Steamed Zucchini Recipe” →

What Does “Cooking Healthy” Mean?

Posted on by Lisa P

Prepare a Healthy LunchWho do you know who’s NOT busy these days?

One of the first things we sacrifice when life gets too busy is our health.  We push off doctors appointments, we postpone the morning walk, we work late and skip the gym, we stop at Subway on the way home and convince ourselves we’re eating healthy.

Eating a yogurt for lunch at your desk is not healthy.  I actually know people who keep a stash of peanut butter crackers (yup, the packaged kind you get from the wholesale grocery store) in their desk drawer because they usually don’t have time for lunch.

Eating this way will hurt you.  It will sap your energy and rob you of the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy.

Cooking Healthy is about quickly and (almost) effortlessly preparing your own food so that you can …

  • know exactly what you are putting into your body
  • be prepared with something good to eat when you run out of time
  • spend less time in the kitchen
  • have more energy
  • lose weight
  • feel happier about yourself
  • save money on food bills

Cooking healthy is not only about cooking.  By planning ahead, using time-saving techniques, and focusing on preparation, the cooking part becomes nearly effortless.  In some cases there’s no actual cooking involved.

So come on in and look around.  I’m here to help you, so please ask questions.   I hope you’ll also feel free to comment on what you read here.  I’d love to hear your story, your thoughts, and your ideas for how to make things work better for you specifically.

Thanks for coming!

Lisa