Okra and Corn Maque Choux

I’ll admit: I haven’t made this yet. I’m planning to make it for friends this weekend, and I couldn’t wait to share the recipe — that’s how confident I am that it’s going to be delicious. I saw this recipe in Southern Living Magazine, and I altered it a little. (I’m using turkey sausage instead of pork sausage, and I’m adding crushed red pepper for a little kick.) It’s so simple, and it sounds so fresh and tasty. Not to mention, it’s different from the same ol’ side dishes we see at all the summer barbecues.

My first thought was, what the heck is a Maque Choux (pronounced mock-shoe)? I Googled it and found that it’s a traditional Cajun dish made with the freshest of fresh corn kernels, scraped off the cob. Also in my search I found another recipe that called for butter and bacon (instead of sausage), and it certainly looked a lot creamier than this one. However, I’m opting to go with the recipe below because it’s lighter.

Let me know what you think!

1/4 pound smoked turkey sausage, diced
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup sliced fresh okra
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Olive oil

Drizzle sauté pan with olive oil; sauté sausage over medium-high heat until browned. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add corn, okra, and tomato; cook, stirring often, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add crushed red pepper flakes for an extra kick. Enjoy!

Grill It!

Here's a great article with lots of yummy tips for utilizing your backyard grill this summer... grilling is fun AND it's a healthy way of cooking!

The most important meal of the day

Today's health tip has to do with breakfast, and I can't agree more!

Eat breakfast so that you don't pig out later on.

Skipping meals will not help you lose weight. Eating well-balanced, regularly-spaced-out, small healthy meals throughout the day will!

Today's health tip...

...is a good one! Especially with summer right around the corner.

Don't forget to drink plenty of water! When you are participating in vigorous physical activity, it's important to drink before you even feel thirsty.

I would be willing to bet a lot of people don't drink nearly enough water every day. And, if you think you do... drink more! You'll be amazed how much better you feel when you're properly hydrated.

15 Smart Snacks to bring to work

Every morning I gather up some snacks to take with me to work. I'm the hungriest in the mornings, it seems like, so I usually eat these up before lunchtime. I typically bring an apple (already cut up at home, so it's easy to eat!), reduced-fat string cheese, nuts (almonds or peanuts), yogurt and other miscellaneous things, such as strawberries (when good and in season, like now!), clementines or "cuties" and whole wheat crackers with cheese. Here are 15 ideas (from today's South Beach Daily Dish):

1. Raw veggies, such as celery, green or red bell pepper strips, cauliflower, and broccoli florets. Use hummus or two tablespoons of natural peanut butter for dipping.
2. Cold cuts (turkey, chicken, lean roast beef, boiled ham)
3. Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks
4. Nuts (15 almonds, 20 peanuts, or 30 pistachios), but be sure to stick to one serving
5. Cottage cheese (reduced fat or fat-free) with salsa or chopped cucumber
6. Dry-roasted or boiled, ready-to-eat edamame (green soybeans)
7. Sunflower seeds (count these toward your daily nut/seed allowance)
8. Greek yogurt (plain, fat-free)
9. Tomato juice or vegetable-juice cocktail, single-serving cans
10. Water-packed tuna and salmon (individual cans or pouches)
11. Carrot sticks with hummus
12. Whole-grain crackers and reduced-fat cheese
13. A serving of high-fiber whole-grain cereal (a great snack without milk)
14. Dried apricot halves with almonds (seven apricot halves and seven almonds)
15. Microwavable popcorn, individual pack (check the label to make sure it does not contain trans fats)

Tuna Noodle Casserole

8 ounces whole-wheat egg noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cup nonfat milk
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Dash salt
Dash black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 5-ounce cans tuna, drained
Whole wheat bread crumbs

Cook noodles according to package, omitting salt and fat. Drain, set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan. Add onion, carrot and celery, cooking until tender, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until slightly thick. Stir in cream cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in noodles, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and tuna. Spoon mixture into 2-quart baking dish, coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with whole wheat bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, then finish off under a low broiler. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Banana Muffins with Flaxseed

Banana Muffins
2 medium-size ripe bananas
1 cup nonfat milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup Splenda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray. Smash the ripened bananas in a bowl, along with the milk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Combine flour, flaxseed, oats, Splenda, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture, stirring just until blended. (Be careful not to over-mix.) Pour the batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake muffins about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Optional: Add ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ cup toasted pecans or walnuts, or 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

The Facts on Flax
Flaxseed is high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals called lignans. According to Dr. Katherine Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic nutritionist, flaxseed may be used to improve digestive health and lower total cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol levels, thus potentially reducing the risk of heart disease. Ground flaxseed is recommended over whole flaxseed because the body is better able to digest the ground. Flaxseed can be used in all sorts of recipes, from baked goods to smoothies. You can also try adding a teaspoonful to your mustard or mayonnaise the next time you make a sandwich.

14 Crunchy Snack Ideas

Got this in my e-mail this morning and thought it was a good one... I am always looking for good, healthy snacks, and I especially love crunchy snacks (which explains my addiction to chips).

1. Serve raw veggies — including celery, green or red bell peppers, and cauliflower and broccoli florets — with reduced-fat cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt, or a bean-based dip. Offer a low-cal, low-sugar dressing as an accompaniment, if desired. (This is an especially good one for this time of year with all the garden veggies that are about to be available to us!)

2. Edamame (green soybeans, sold by the bag both in the shell and shelled in the produce and frozen foods section of most supermarkets)

3. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (count 1 ounce or three tablespoons toward your daily nut/seed allowance)

4. Soy nuts or dry-roasted edamame (count 1/4 cup toward your daily nut/seed allowance)

5. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, dry-roasted peanuts, or other nuts. Limit to one 1/4-cup serving once a day.

6. Celery sticks with two tablespoons natural no-sugar-added peanut butter.

7. Carrot sticks

8. Whole-grain crackers (3 g or more fiber per ounce)

9. High-fiber, low-sugar, whole-grain cereal (choose low-sugar with 5 g or more fiber per serving)

10. Air-popped or microwavable popcorn (three cups; check the label to be sure it doesn't contain trans fats) - Instead of butter and loads of salt, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on your popcorn for added flavor.

11. Apple slices - You know what they say... "An apple a day..."
12. Frozen grapes

13. Toasted whole-wheat pita bread (choose varieties with 3 g fiber per pita), sliced into triangles, with hummus.

14. Toasted whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas or wraps, sliced into triangles, served with salsa or a bean-based dip.

Enjoy the Sunshine!

I know I haven't posted much lately... Just wanted to note what a glorious day it is today (and yesterday!), and I hope you're able to get out and enjoy it a little bit. It seems spring may be here to stay... ya think? Fingers crossed. :)

Top 20 Unexpected Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Antioxidants are the cell-protecting nutrients found in a wide range of foods that help combat heart disease, cancer, the effects of aging and other conditions.

Apples (such as Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Delicious, with skin)
Artichokes (cooked)
Beans (such as black, red kidney, pinto, dried)
Blackberries
Blueberries (cultivated, wild)
Cherries (sweet)
Chocolate (dark)
Cranberries (cooked)
Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, brussels sprout, cauliflower, kale)
Pecans
Plums (black, red)
Pomegranates
Prunes
Raspberries
Strawberries
Sweet potatoes
Tea (black, green, white, oolong)
Tomatoes
Walnuts
Wine (red)

Source: South Beach Diet Daily Dish

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5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

¾ cup granular sugar substitute (i.e. Splenda)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup creamy trans-fat-free peanut butter
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar substitute, egg and vanilla with an electric mixer until well-blended, about three minutes. Add peanut butter and baking soda and continue mixing until dough binds together. Form dough into 24 balls (about 2 teaspoons each) and place on baking sheet. Gently press down on the center of each cookie to slightly flatten them. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. You can also add a little dollop of low-sugar or sugar-free jam or jelly to the tops of each cookie before baking for a “peanut butter and jelly” cookie; or a couple of dark chocolate chips if you prefer the peanut butter and chocolate combo.

Note: A reader emailed me yesterday about the amount of Splenda in this recipe. She wanted to make sure I actually meant 3/4 cup of Splenda. I think she thought that Splenda is sweeter than sugar, and the measurements aren't equal. Actually, Splenda and sugar are equal. Anytime a recipe calls for sugar, whether it's 1 teaspoon, 1/4 cup or 2 cups, you can substitute the same exact amount of Splenda instead.

Just Do It

Today's health tip - At times, you will not feel like exercising. If you're just feeling a little tired or low on energy, go ahead and try to complete your routine. The workout will likely boost your energy level and your mood - is a perfect lead in to what I'm working on for next week's Living Well column in the OCT. I struggle with this, just like everyone else. Sometimes the hardest thing is just making yourself do it. But, when you do, you always feel sooooo much better, don't you?

Powerade Zero rocks

I'm not a huge fan of sports drinks, but I do like Gatorade. However, I never drink it because of the sugar/carbs/calories. But then today I discovered Powerade Zero. Zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar. (It's sweetened with Splenda.) I tried the grape flavor. It's really good! (And not bad for you.)

"We encourage you to eat until you're full and snack before you get hungry"

Now, that piece of advice sounds like it could go really wrong, doesn't it? If you have an insatiable hunger, you might think it means you should eat and eat and eat. but, that's not the point they're trying to make here. That quote is from Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of the South Beach Diet. Now, I know I'm always preaching about the South Beach way of eating, and if you don't like it, I apologize. But, it just really makes sense to me, and it works for me! I never viewed it as "diet," but rather a lifestyle of healthy eating that includes whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and limited sugar intake.

If you eat a big meal of highly processed and refined foods, you'll feel satisfied for a little while, but your body will digest it quickly, and your blood sugar will take a big dip, and that's when you find you feel "hungry" shortly after you eat! Not good. But, when you eat quality, wholesome foods - i.e. whole grains instead of white, processed starches; nuts instead of potato chips; an apple with a little bit of peanut butter instead of a candy bar - you'll feel more satisfied for longer. And, if you snack between meals, you won't feel like you're "starving" when it comes to mealtime, and thus you'll be less likely to overeat.

And finally, when you eat healthy on most days of the week, you shouldn't feel guilty about splurging occasionally. Birthdays, holidays, parties... Have fun!

Buttermilk & Oat Waffles

These waffles are surprisingly delicious. We made them once before, but it's been a while. This snowy morning seemed like the perfect morning to make a big breakfast. Matt came in from shoveling snow off the docks and requested waffles, and this is what we made! He likes these better than regular waffles. They have so much more texture and flavor. He ate his with peanut butter. I ate mine plain with just a little trans-fat-free margarine. They'd also be good with sugar-free jam or jelly, or with yogurt and berries. They're great leftover, too. Freeze them for up to three weeks, and re-heat them in the toaster. Try them! I think you'll like them.

Buttermilk & Oat Waffles

1 cup whole-grain flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons granular sugar substitute (i.e. Splenda)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups low-fat or fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1 large egg
Dash salt

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, sugar substitute and salt in medium bowl. Whisk together oil, buttermilk, water and egg in separate bowl. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Heat waffle iron. Coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 of the batter on the waffle iron and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Makes four large waffles.

Jambalaya

This is what we had for dinner tonight. Quite good! Nice, spicy kick.

Ingredients:
Jambalaya Mix (see recipe below)
2 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I actually used crushed tomatoes)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 pound turkey sausage, browned and diced
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts, browned and shredded

Jambalaya Mix:
1 cup brown rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf

In a small bowl, combine rice, onion, parsley, bouillon, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and bay leaf. (You can make this ahead of time and store in an airtight container.)

Directions:
In a medium size sauce pan combine Jambalaya Mix, water, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Add meat, stir and serve. Serves 3 to 4. (Shrimp would be a nice addition, as well.)

January is National Soup Month!

This is one of my favorite soups! If you have a copy of the Ozark County Cookin' Magazine, you might have seen it already. Either way, you should try it! It's hearty, it's healthy, and even better... it's easy!

Lentil Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (petite or crushed)
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little, and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan.

Sometimes living well means getting away...

Hi, folks! Sorry to leave you hanging like that, but we've just returned from the British Virgin Islands. I am excited to get back to blogging here regularly. I hope all is well with everyone, and your new year is off to a great start! The next Living Well column is coming up in next week's Ozark County Times. I'm working on it now! Cheers to all, and have a good weekend. More soon...

Health Tip

I like today's Health Tip of the Day... (see below, right)

"Surround yourself with people and things that remind you to live a healthy lifestyle."

That's good advice. It's so much easier to eat healthy and exercise when the people around you care about those things, too. Strength in numbers!

Chick-please!

Remember how I said we try to substitute healthier ingredients when we can when cooking our old favorites? Well, here's an example: I made vegetable soup for lunch today, and instead of using white potatoes (a common ingredient in veggie soup), I used chickpeas - or garbanzo beans. Huh? I know, it sounds like a strange substitute for potatoes. But, the texture is similar. And chickpeas are a good source of protein and high in fiber. If you've never cooked with chickpeas, you should! They're great on salads, too. You can buy them in a can, but be sure to rinse and drain them first to wash away all that excess sodium you don't need.

I told you it's a soup kinda week! (If you live here, you don't need me to tell you that. Brrrrrrrrr!) Cheers, and warm thoughts to all!

Interesting article

Saw this article - Top Weight Loss Foods for 2010 - on the Yahoo home page just now. It's interesting... full-fat cheese can help you lose weight? Yee haw!

"Fat Free" isn't always the better option

Did you know "fat free" foods aren't always the best choice? For example, fat-free dressings can be so deceiving. Sure, they boast 0 grams of fat, but look at the sugar content! Fat-free stuff is often loaded with sugar - a lot more sugar than the full-fat version. A reader asked me, "What do you count?" Meaning, do I count calories? fat grams? carbs? points? Well, to be honest, I don't count anything. I pay attention to calories, of course, when shopping for and eating food. But, what I really pay attention to - more than fat grams or carbs or anything else - is the sugar content, especially when buying dressings, sauces, marinades, etc.

Tip: When buying salad dressings, pay attention to the sugar content. Dressings should have 2 grams of sugar or less per serving, which is typically 2 tablespoons. We eat a ton of Newman's Own olive oil and vinegar dressing. It's actually a "South Beach" recommended dressing. Or, you can make your own, of course. Very simple and delicious.

Shoveling snow = Good exercise

This I know. For my husband told me so. The several hundred feet of walkways on the dock we manage are covered in snow this morning. And while I don't anticipate too many people using them this week, they still need to be shoveled. Matt set off to start shoveling this morning, and I asked him if I could help. He said, "No, you'll freeze." Then he paused and said, "It does burn calories. I'm sweating out here!" Sigh. But, I don't feel like shoveling snow!

So, what's the moral of the story? If you despise cold weather as I do, yet you have to get out and work in it - i.e. shovel snow - at least you're doing something good for your body. If you love the cold and the snow, then you're in luck! What better way to burn off some of those unneeded and unwanted pounds gained from all the holiday fun than by playing outside in the fluffy white stuff. At least the sun is shining! Shovel away!

Quick & Easy Taco Soup

With temps in the 20s and 5 inches of snow on the ground, it's only fitting that the first two recipes on this blog are for soup! It's just been that kinda weekend. This is a super quick and easy one to fix. If you're like me, you might even have everything you need in your pantry and fridge/freezer.

1 small onion, diced
1 pound ground turkey
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 package lower-sodium taco seasoning
1 can "hot" chili beans
1 can black beans, drained
1 can rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilis), including liquid
1 cup frozen corn

Heat oil in saucepan. Saute onion 5 minutes or so. Add ground turkey, stir until cooked. Add taco seasoning, 2 cans of beans, rotel and corn, plus 1 to 2 cups of water - or however much it takes for your soup to reach a consistency you like. Bring to low boil and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve with reduced-fat shredded cheese.

Your feedback is much appreciated!

An Ozark County Times reader in Koshkonong called me on New Year's Eve. She had read my first Living Well column in the paper in late November, and she was inspired to try the "South Beach" way of eating (notice I didn't use the "D" word). The December 30 issue of the OCT was due in her mailbox that day, and she expressed that she was looking forward to reading my column in it. I was so thrilled to hear from her. If you're a writer, you understand how exciting it is to receive feedback on your work - ANY kind of feedback. The fact that someone is talking about something you wrote is great, but to know you've actually inspired someone... well, that's just super.

She was headed to the grocery store, on a mission to buy healthy ingredients for her refrigerator and pantry, and she wanted some advice on what types of things she should pick up. She had ordered the Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide by Arthur Agatston (the author of the South Beach Diet) after reading about it in my November column, but it hadn't arrived yet. While I'm certainly not an expert or nutritionist, and I don't claim to be, I know what worked for me. And that's what I shared with her. If you're looking to change your lifestyle, including the way you eat, I highly recommend that little guide. It changed my life! I picked it up one day and read it cover-to-cover. It lists just about every food you can imagine and notes whether it's good, should be limited or avoided. (Shop for the book at amazon.com.)

I am just giddy over the Living Well column in the OCT, and I look forward to all of your future comments/questions/suggestions. Please feel free to comment here on the blog or e-mail me at jabetwade@yahoo.com.

Winter Tomato Soup

This soup is so delicious and very easy to make. We made grilled cheese sandwiches on whole-grain sandwich thins (the bread that looks like a really flat bun), using reduced-fat cheese slices. We cut the grilled sandwiches in strips for easy dunking in the soup. Enjoy!

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic from a jar)
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (i.e. Splenda)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, including juice
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt or reduced fat sour cream

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar substitute, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Use a handheld blender, regular blender or food processor to puree until smooth. (Be careful if using a standard blender, as the hot liquid might spray out.)

Heat milk in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm, then stir into puree along with yogurt or sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated parmesan.