Lettuce Wraps...amaZING!

K...Here are THE most delicious lettuce wraps, ever. Easy to make, too!

Lettuce Wraps by Jalaine

2 tsp olive oil
2- 4oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
2 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
½ to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp cornstarch
1 ½ cups grated carrots
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips
½ cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 cup mushrooms
Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions: Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and ginger; saute five minutes or until chicken is done (Best if marinate chicken in ginger, teriyaki sauce, vinegar and honey). Combine teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, honey, red pepper and cornstarch in a small bowl, stir with whisk. Add teriyaki mixture to chicken mixture in wok, stir in carrot, bean sprouts, snow peas and onions (as well as any other vegetable desired). Cook three minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring often. Stir in almonds. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto each lettuce leaf; roll up. Recipe makes four servings; three wraps each (130 calories per serving)

**I like to use pepper infused oil instead of the crushed red pepper (if using the pepper infused oil don’t use the olive oil as well). Also I like to saute the chicken with the ginger, teriyaki, vinegar, honey and pepper mix overnight and then cook it up separately. Set aside and then cook the vegetables and then add together. Best if you use a wok.

20 Ways to Enjoy More Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains and Dairy

To get the most nutrition out of your calories, choose foods packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients-and lower in calories. Pick fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy more often. Be aware of portion sizes. Even low-calorie foods can add up when potions are larger than you need.

1. Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.
2. Get saucy with fruit: Puree berries, apples, peaches or pears for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, french toast or waffles.
3. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with lowf-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana
4. Heat leftover whole-grain rice with chopped apple, nuts and cinnamon
5. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.
6. Try crunchy vegetables intead of chips with your favorite dip or low-fat salad dressing.
7. Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.
8. Banana split: Top a sliced banana with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.
9. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.
10. Prepare instant oatmeal with low-fat or fat-free milk in place of water. Top with dried cranberries and almonds.
11. Stuff an omelet with vegetables.
12. "Sandwich" in fruit and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumbers and tomato fillings.
13. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready to eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.
14. Stock up: Fill your fridge with raw vegetables and fruit. If it helps cut everything up prior to putting it in the fridge so it's ready to go.
15. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese
16. Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup for a quick afternoon snack.
17. "Grate complement": Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.
18. Stuff a whole grain pita with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith Apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon
19. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). top with a low-fat dressing
20. Try a new fruit or vegetable that you've never tried before.

Leave a comment and let us know how you get fruits and vegetables into your diet everyday. Remember to color your plate throughout the day. Coming up on friday: recipe for lettuce wraps, Yummy!!!!

(Ideas taken from the American Dietetic Association)

National Nutrition Month-Eat Right with Color

Welcome to March and National Nutrition Month. This year the theme for National Nutrition Month is "Eat Right With Color". This is a great way to introduce new and interesting foods and add variety in flavor and color to your plate.

Let's see where you are at with this short quiz:

1. Do you consider nutrition when making food choices?

a.) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

2. Do you avoid skipping meals?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

3. Do you include 3 or more whole grain foods daily?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

4. Do you eat at least 2 1/2 cups of vegetables daily?

a) Most Days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

5. Do you vary veggies with dark green and orange varieties?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

6. Do you eat at least 2 cups of fruit daily?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

7. Do you get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt or cheese daily?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

8. Do you choose lean meats and poultry?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

9. Do you vary protein with more fish, beans and nuts?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

10. Do you try to limit saturated and trans-fats?

a) Most days

b) Sometimes

c) Never

Scoring: Give yourself 2 points for each "Most days" answer, 1 point for "Sometimes" and 0 points for " Never".

16-20 points: Healthy eating seems to be your habit already

10-15 points: Your on track. A few easy changes will make your total eating plan healthier.

0-9 points: Sometimes you may eat smart. For your good health, add more smart choices to you eating plan.

This week try to make changes that will increase your score. If you're already doing good try to add some variety. Next week I'll give you some tips on increasing color on your plate.

(Quiz provided by the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org )

The Chocolate Milk Diet??!!

Imagine if everything you needed to know about weight loss, you learned in kindergarten. Well, if your teacher gave you chocolate milk as a lunchtime treat, she was (unknowingly) giving you one of the most powerful weight-loss tools in the nutritional universe.

Secret #1: The Calcium Effect
A series of studies have shown that calcium can actually impede your body’s ability to absorb fat.

Secret #2: The Vitamin D Factor
All the calcium in the world isn’t going to help you if you don’t get a good dose of vitamin D to go with it. Your body makes vitamin D naturally when you expose your skin to sunlight, but most people spend too much time indoors to benefit. And intentionally spending more time in the sun could put you at risk for skin cancer. The solution? Drink up. Chocolate milk, like most milk, is fortified with vitamin D.

One caveat here: Drink 1% chocolate milk. Vitamin D won't work without a little fat to help break it down. You want to skip the whole milk, too, as it has too many calories to make it a regular habit.

Secret #3: The Endurance Boost

If you want to lose the gut, you’ve got to exercise—no surprise there. Drinking chocolate milk can improve your gains. In a study published in The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, subjects given chocolate milk before hopping on the stationary bikes were able to ride 49 percent longer than subjects given a generic carbohydrate-replacement beverage. And on top of that, they pedaled even harder.

Secret #4: The Protein-Body-Weight Connection

Want to know the secret to staying thin? You need more muscle. That’s because muscle burns more calories than fat, so for every new muscle fiber you create, your resting metabolism receives another surge of fat-torching energy. And chocolate milk can help you do that. Researchers have determined that the ideal protein load for building muscle is 10 to 20 grams, half before and half after your workout. How much protein will you find in low-fat chocolate milk? Eight grams per cup. (That means one serving before your workout and one serving after will give you a total of 16 grams of highly effective whey protein—a perfect serving.) Add that to the extra cup you drank first thing in the morning and you’re looking at a turbocharged metabolism that keeps you burning calories all day long.

For more info search "chocolate milk diet" at yahoo health!!

Beat Hunger with...Bananas?!

Bananas: The ultimate hunger buster

Ever grab a snack but then feel hungry again 20 minutes later? Next time, reach for a banana. It’s loaded with Resistant Starch (RS), a healthy carb that fills you up and helps to boost your metabolism. Slightly underripe medium-sized bananas have 12.5 grams of RS—more than most other foods. Ripe bananas give you 4.7 grams of RS, still enough to keep hunger pangs away. Check out these tasty ways to work in this wonder food.


Banana "Ice Cream"
Peel, slice, and freeze 1 small banana. Place frozen banana pieces in a blender with 3 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk; blend until thick. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts.

Banana Salsa
Make a quick salsa with 2 diced peeled bananas, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 1 teaspoon minced serrano or jalepeno pepper, juice of 1 lime, and brown sugar and salt to taste. Use it to top fish or pork tacos, jerk chicken, or jerk pork.


Broiled Bananas
Slice 1 peeled banana in half lengthwise. Put banana pieces, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the banana pieces with 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and broil on high until the sugar bubbles and the bananas brown (about 2–3 minutes). After broiling, sprinkle with cinnamon—or drizzle with 1 teaspoon rum for an extra-special treat.


Coffee and Banana Smoothie
Place 1 sliced peeled banana, 1 cup 1% low-fat milk, 1/2 cup cold black coffee, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/2 cup ice in a blender. Blend until smooth—and enjoy.


Tropical Fruit Salad
Make a fruit salad with 1 sliced peeled banana, 1 sliced peeled kiwi, and 1/2 diced peeled ripe mango. Squirt juice of 1/4 lime over the salad, and serve.

by Health.com

The Plate Method

The Plate Method is a great and easy way to make sure you are eating the right amount of fruits, vegetables, meats and starches. The main focus of the Plate Method is to provide a template on how to portion out your food without having to use measuring cups, scales, etc. The concept is to divide your plate in half the first half should be compromised of fruits and vegetables. The second half you divide in half again and one side becomes your grains, starches, etc and the other side is your meat, protein portions. Remember the concept of the Plate Method uses a 9 inch plate so if you have larger dinner plates don't fill them up. Below is an example of the Plate Method.