sautéd

These include greens such as collards, kale and spinach.

These are not your grandmothers "cook them all day, smell up the house greens", but they are every bit as good. Collards and kale are easy to cook. They can be mixed with other greens and sautéd with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until tender, only about 8 to 10 minutes.

I usually add the spinach last because it takes less time.

I also remove the thick stems from the collard and kale and also the stems from spinach, even baby spinach.  It may take a few more minutes during prep but stems can be tough and string-y, not good for the new "tummy". 

Oven Fried Chicken

2 to 2 ½ pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast, thighs, and drumsticks) skinned

¼ cup cornflake crumbs

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 clove garlic,minced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or white wine Worcestershire sauce

Dash of ground red pepper

seseme seeds (optional)

• Rinse chicken, pat dry. Place on rack in a shallow baking pan; set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl combine cornflake crumbs and parsley; set aside
• In another small mixing bowl combine yogurt, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
• Brush chicken with yogurt mixture, then sprinkle with crumb mixture.
• Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or til chicken is tender and no longer pink. Makes 6 servings. ( Prep time 15 min, Cooking time 45 min, Low Cholesterol, Low Sodium)

This recipe is from the New Dieter’s Cook Book. Nutrition information per serving: 168 calories, 23 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 137 mg sodium

Before gastric bypass surgery, cereal just wasn’t on the menu. Not only did I not eat breakfast on a regular basis, but when I did eat cereal, I could have eaten a whole box and not been satisfied. Besides, I’m not one for sugary sweets first thing in the morning.

After I began eating breakfast on a regular basis I thought cereal would be a nice change from eggs on occasion. I was looking for a healthy cereal with high fiber and protein. I feel the key to eating cereal is finding wholesome ingredients and keeping your portion size under control. During the process I found that mixing several cereals together was a winner!

I find It’s also great for traveling, and always take a few servings along in a small container. I am a stickler for eating breakfast within an hour of waking. Taking it along ensures that I will have something I can eat most any time, dry or with milk, which is pretty easy to come by in hotels, airports, restaurants, or most convenience stops.

Each serving, for me is a ½ cup. I add 2 % Promised Land organic milk, or a small container of Oikos organic greek yogurt. I suggest keeping the serving size under a ¾ cup. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Julia's Homemade Cereal Mix

1 box Kashi Good Friends cereal

1 box Kashi Go Lean Crunch Almond cereal

1 box Kashi Heart to Heart cereal

1 box Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal

1 bag (or less) Quaker 100% Natural Granola

I usually mix each full box of cereal for a recipe, using a large punch bowl and then store it in an airtight container.

These calculations are not 100 percent accurate, but a close approximation. Based on approximately ½ to ¾ cup serving size. 4 Fat, 29 carbs, 6 protein, 8 fiber (without milk )

Earlier this year I was the “chief chef” at a workshop my daughter held for photographers, called Love Affair. I prepared three meals a day for two weeks for over 60 women. What fun! One of the big hits was served for a quick “take away” breakfast on the morning of departure and was actually a “carry-over” item from the night’s party menu, mini quiche tarts. I made crabmeat, spinach, and spinach and bacon.

Quiche is one of those perfect “anytime” foods in my opinion. It doesn’t show up in many cookbooks these days, perhaps because the name has been given an update. They could be referred to as eggahs or breakfast cups…but it’s still quiche to me.

I make very small ones, and one recipe makes anywhere from 25-30 muffin or tart size quiches. I played around with the recipe and Millie and I had a blast experimenting with ingredients. At one point during our “bake night” I ran to the store to get freezer containers and left Millie making quiches, when I got back…we had enough quiche to feed a thousand attendees! Even after the workshop, we were still eating quiche!

You can make them in pre-made tart size shells or no shell at all. Quiches are a great grab and go food and they freeze well. Just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and off you go!

Hunt around for your favorite recipe ingredients and experiment until you find your favorite. Here are a couple of mine…

Love Affair Crabmeat Quiche

½ c mayo

2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup milk

7-½ oz can crabmeat, drained

8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded

1/3 cup diced onions

Mix first four ingredients until well blended. Add crabmeat, cheese and onion. Pour into small ready made frozen pie tart shells and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until slightly browned.

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

4 oz turkey sausage or bacon, crumbled

¼ onion chopped

5 large eggs

1 (12 oz) can mushrooms

½ cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown sausage and onion until done. Cool. Stir in other ingredients and evenly divide into non stick muffin cups (coat with cooking spray). Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 350 for 20 minutes until set.

Hello to all you Love Affair gals!

When I moved to Wilmington twelve years ago, the most exciting thing for me was that I would be able to get local seafood, often! Soon after, I became allergic to seafood and was not able to eat any for over a year. Finally, I visited an allergist with one request, even if I have to take a shot, I need to eat seafood!    So after a few tests, medication, and some waiting time, I am now able to eat seafood again.    I think I could eat fish every meal!  

Ok…so here’s the scoop on seafood. Yeah…another, “more than you wanted to know” moment!    Did you know that people in Greenland, whose diet consist mainly of fish have less arteriosclerosis and fewer deaths from heart disease than people in the USA?    I am sure you have heard that Japanese women, who consume a lot more fish than American women, have lower incidence of heart disease and breast cancer.    Studies show a 50% lower death rate from heart disease among fish eaters.    It has also been found that men who eat fish at least one meal a week can cut their risk of cardiac death in half.    Amazing.  

Anti-inflammatory effects of fish oils can also reduce the risk of blood clots, lower blood pressure, strengthen the walls of your heart and may prevent stroke and the spread of existing cancers.

I like most any kind of fish, but on the top of the list is salmon.    My favorite way to prepare fish is on the grill.    I have a special fish basket, which allows easy turning without sticking to the grill. Cook about 8 minutes of one side and 5 on the other.    If you haven’t tried it, fresh is nothing like the canned variety.    I just sprinkle a little salt and pepper and when it’s done, add a little lemon juice, a pat of butter and sprinkle of dill and spoon on a teaspoon or so.    Sometimes I don’t add a thing, and it’s still the best thing going!  

If you don’t have time to fire up the charcoal, steaming in the skillet or oven works well.    The secret is not to overcook.    In the oven, I wrap it  tightly  in foil, (make sure no steam can escape) about 350 - 400 degrees for about 20 – 30 minutes or on top of the stove in a skillet with lemon juice and dill, the secret is to cover it and let it steam in the lemon juice. I sometimes add a little olive oil for white or less fatty fish.    When done it should flake apart easily.  

Something fishy is always going on around our house…how about yours?