Do you ever look it a mirror and wonder who the old person is staring back at you? Well, it means your diet is showing.
I have been doing some research regarding foods that help slow the aging process. Many are things that you already consume. Which makes me happy! These are a few ways to revive the beauty within.Drink plenty of water
Cranberry Juice
Avocados
Romaine Lettuce
Oranges-especially Blood Oranges
Salmon
Herring
Cod
Lean red meat and lean meats in general-just because it is chicken may not mean it is lean.
Beans
Lentils
Brussel Sprouts
Jicama
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Oysters
Eggs
Whole Wheat products
Fruits and Veggies as close to nature as possible. Fresh picked is best.
Exercise
and Sunscreen.
Try these for a week and see if you like the changes that you see in the mirror.
Have you ever had ketchup flavored chips? Well, they are different. In Calgary they seem to like ketchup alot. It was served with the breakfast burritos ( which looked more like wraps), they have it in potato chips and many other things. The Salt and Vinegar chips are the best! Better than the US version and I like this brand the best.
Candy is another oddity. The wonderbar is peanut butter caramel and chocolate and was kind of loamy but not very filling. If you see these brands the Salt & Vinegar Chips are definitly worth taking home.
Junk Food Canadian Style.
This is one of my favorite new pizza recipes. Asparagus is readily available right now. If you don't have pinenuts you can use walnuts to make the pesto. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for 7 days and can also be frozen for later date. Just un-thaw completely before using. I like to marinade the chicken and extra asparagus spears in a combination of olive oil, raspberry beer, Moroccan spice blend and lime juice for at least 2 hours. Then later grill. Slice the chicken into thin slices, dice the asparagus into bite sized pieces and leave a few whole for garnish.
Top the pizza with a combination of feta, mozzarella cheese and bake until pizza is warmed and the cheese melted.
Make the pizza crusts ahead of time and store in the freezer too. This is a great weekend project to use later during a busy work week.
I really like the theory of taking a few hours one day a week creating a few meals and then store them for the week. Quick meals are within 30 minutes start to finish. Rachel Ray made this a household word.
I am working in Canada this week so I am hoping to check out all the cool Pantry-Friendly ideas. Met a company out of Idaho that is here for a huge food show. They grow specialty produce like fingerling potatoes, scallions, and pearl onions. They distribute to mostly Safeway but all the major grocery chains have access to them like Walmart. They distribute thru Melissa Food. I am most definitely going to check them both out to see what kinds of delights we may be able to share and create fabulous recipes from.
For all those lactose intolerant ice cream lovers I found a great satisfying substitute Italian Ice. Low in calories and great flavors.
Easy Baked Beans
My baked beans are always the hit of every gathering. They are what I am requested to bring time and time again. They are delicious and vegetarian so many people are happy. I have made them with meat from time to time but really the plain ones are my favorite.
Baked Beans
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can pork & beans if you are not concerned about vegetarian, delete one of the pinto beans or kidney beans.
1 can black beans
1 can white hominy
2 cans pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bottle favorite barbeque sauce ( I really like Sweet Baby Rays brand, Raspberry Chipotle or Honey Chipotle are good)
1 dried chipotle
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 bell pepper,diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apricot or peach jam
Mix all ingredients together and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours until mixture thickens.
If you are limited on time and it is not thick yet. Make a cornstarch slurry and add to the baked beans. This will thicken them for a quicker meal time.
For the 1st good weather day I had to fire up the outdoor grill and cook up some burgers. I wanted the burgers to taste special so I combined 2 lbs ground beef, 1 lb mild ground sausage, 1 packet of onion soup mix, garlic powder, steak seasonings and an egg to bind it all together. Mix together in a large bowl with your hands. Form into patties and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet, cover and place in the refrigerator to set the shape. Once you are ready to cook remove the burgers from the refrigerator while the grill heats up. Your burgers will cook better if they start at room temperature.
I ended up with about 4 leftover burgers and afterwards so I repurposed the meat into a great sloppy joe recipe.
My easy out of the pantry recipe for Sloppy Joes
Leftover burger patties
1 can chili
1/2 can spagetti sauce
Crumble the burgers in a large fry pan and brown. Add the chili and spagetti sauce and heat through. That's it...
Have you heard that the government has ok'd the sale and consumption of a meat product they call "Pink Slime"? I have always advocated to eat as close to the source of the food as possible. Meaning grow a vegetable garden and eat the produce. Buying local is also a good way to stay close to where the food is grown. My beef, pardon the pun, is where is pink slime grown? How is it made and when does it become a food product that is served to humans. Remember the really bad movie called "Solient Green"? Where dead humans were ground up and it was made into food for the remaining people alive. Does the words Pink Slime bring any resemblance to this bad movie? I just read an article about the product and it by no means is a true "meat". I am hoping that someone will make amends for this very strange rumor. I am trusting it is a rumor....
This saturday is the annual Scouting for Food Drive. Most neighborhoods should have a plastic bag on their doorstep but if you didn't get one just use one of your own. The scouts usually come by first thing in the morning so load the bag before you go to bed and then all you have to do is place it on the porch before 9am.
The local food banks need food for hungry families all year long so be generous. In SLC the local food bank also takes cleaning items, baby items and dog food. I also found out on a local food bank visit that they have a large donor of cereal. Try to give nutritional food that can supplement fresh items. Items in individual containers is great for the kids backpack program. Give generously!!!
