Here's something I never tried before and now has become one of my favorite snacks.
I bought a big box at Costco which has several individual bags of Edamame still in the shells. All I do is put one of the bags in the microwave for 3 minutes. I then empty the bag into a small bowl and sprinkle LIGHTLY with sea salt. I can easily sit and eat the entire bowl myself.
Where I used to grab a bag of chips to munch on I now enjoy these. You can buy them already shelled but I like to pop them out of the shell into my mouth and it seems , well sort of feel more of a treat that way.
Jim also loves them!
Besides the popping of them out of their shells for something fun to do while snacking, you can use them in several types of recipes.
They are known to have many health benefits.
Here is a website about them:
http://aerogreen.tripod.com/edamame.htm

THESE DIPS ARE SO GOOD !

TACO JOE DIP

1 can(16oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can(15oz) kernel corn, drained
1 can(15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can(14oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can( 8oz) tomato sauce
1 can( 4oz) chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onion

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours.

GARBANZO GUACAMOLE

1 can(15oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 avocados, peeled and cubed
1 can(4oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add beans, lemon juice, and garlic.
Process 20 seconds, stopping once to scrape sides.
Add onion and next 4 ingredients; pulse 10 times or until mixture is chunky.
Transfer to a bowl.
Chill for 1 hour.
Stir in tomato and green onions.

YUM, YUM, YUM!

Bean Turkey Chili Soup ?

This is something that I have sort of created and not sure what to name it.
I like it because it not only taste good (especially on cold days), but it's so easy to use the crock pot.

1 pkg,(about 1 1/2pounds), ground lean turkey meat
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can 15oz kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can 15oz garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 can 15oz white beans, drained & rinsed
1 can 4oz mild green chilies
1 can 15oz diced tomatoes, low sodium
2 celery sticks, diced
32oz low sodium vegetable broth
seasoning of choice ( I use Costco's no salt seasoning blend)

Brown the ground turkey meat in skillet with onion and garlic.
Put the meat, onion, garlic in crock pot.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the crock pot.
Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Loaded with good protein and you can add bell peppers to it also......I just didn't have any today :(

Preparing Ahead

There is one thing about eating healthier, you need to have healthy foods stocked in the kitchen.
I try to keep a good supply of fresh fruits and vegetables ready to grab when I need something to munch on. I've found that my grand kids also will grab them to munch on when I have them already prepared in the refrigerator and I like to see them on a healthier track as well.
So I take one day a week, which for me is usually Mondays, to spend some time in the kitchen cleaning and preparing the vegetables and fruits for the week.
I not only have it available for the week but also get all the fuss and mess over at once.
I now have containers with cut up cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, celery sticks, carrot sticks, broccoli, jicama and cauliflower in the refrigerator.

While getting it all prepared I put some chicken strips in the skillet on the stove to cook. Then as I'm cutting up the celery, carrots, broccoli, etc. I throw some in the skillet with the chicken and create a stir-fry meal.

I also put some of the cut up veggies and fruits into small containers to put in Conner's snack bag for his preschool class tomorrow.

So in the process I've gotten all the healthy grabs for the week, a meal done for the day, and preschool snacks prepared for tomorrow!

** Here's a suggestion. When snacking on fresh veggie sticks put some of your favorite dressing (not a dip) in a tiny container. Dip the veggies in the dressing just enough to get the taste. You'll eat more veggies but won't get all the calories or fat from using a dip. **

Gotta love those Smoothies!

I must say that I'm really loving the smoothies for breakfast. I'm finding that I'm drinking much less coffee since I've started having a smoothie in the morning.
So refreshing and full of natural energy and vitamins to get the day started. Much better than the heavy eggs, bacon, potatoes & toast we used to have.

Very simple. All I do is get the blender out.
Put in a large spoonful of low-fat plain yogurt ( which adds thickness & protein).
Pour in some juice ( which for me is usually the 100% orange juice).
I then put in one banana and mix it all until smooth.
Then it's just a matter of preference for the day.....
I have several bags of frozen fruits in my freezer.
Some days I put in some blueberries & strawberries.
Some days I put in strawberries and the tropical mix of mango's & pineapple.

The trick is to experiment and find out what you like and throw it in the blender then mix it all up until thick and smooth. I make ours very thick. I just keep putting the frozen fruits in as it's mixing until it barely moves!

This yummy breakfast will fill you up, start your day with energy, and helps to keep away the sweet cravings!

Better than french fries!

Butternut Squash Fries

Pre-heat oven to 425*.

Peel and de-seed a butternut squash. ( I found that putting the squash whole in oven for about 10 minutes softens it up and makes it easier to peel and cut)

Once peeled and seeded slice into french fry strip shapes.
Place on cookie sheet that is lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil non-stick spray. (be sure to use the olive oil style)
Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes flipping halfway through. Fries are done when they are starting to brown and get crispy.

** I love potatoes! So trying to cut them out of my diet as much as possible was hard to do. I LOVE THESE SQUASH FRIES! They are sweeter than potatoes and sooo yummy! A little work to cut and peel the squash but if you like it you won't mind the job!**

Baked Orange Crumbed Chicken

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard (I used honey mustard)
2 Tbs. orange juice (I used fresh oranges)
1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
10oz skinless boneless thighs
4 oz bread crumbs ( I used Italian Style Panko)
1 Tbs. grated orange zest
1/4 tsp onion powder ( I didn't have any so used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350*
Spray baking sheet with non-stick coating ( I covered baking sheet with foil to make clean up easier)

Combine bread crumbs, orange zest, onion powder and pepper in shallow pan or on wax paper.
In bowl combine mustard, orange juice and soy sauce.

Dip chicken into the sauce then roll in the crumb mixture.
Firmly coating on both sides.

Place on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes. Turn and bake additional 15-20 minutes until juices are clear.

Since I don't fry chicken any more this is a tasty replacement! It was tender enough to cut with a fork and very good! And the foil over the baking sheet made it a very easy clean up afterwards!

Beginning a new year......

My hubby and I decided about six weeks ago that we felt heavy and uncomfortable. We are not obese but were gaining weight we didn't want to gain. We were feeling tired and sluggish and old........well, we are getting old! Let's just say we are between the ages of 55-65.
Since our healthy pursuit we have lost 8 pounds each!

Putting the weight aside we wanted to be healthier. To lower our cholesterol and blood pressure. To be able to move our joints around better and keep up with our very active grandchildren.

So I pulled all my cookbooks off the shelf and began weeding through the thousands of recipes in search of healthy ones. Recipes without all the fat content, starches and artificial ingredients.
I made a list of the recipes I wanted to use and I've listed them by the titles of the cookbooks. When ever I feel free to sit and type I grab the cookbook and begin typing out the recipes listed for that book. I'm printing out the typed recipes and putting them in protective page sleeves. I've bought two good binders and tabbed dividers and I'm making my own recipe books. Books full of only good healthy recipes.

One thing that is most important is taste. Another that is most important is for the recipe to be simple enough that I don't have to spend hours or too much effort in the making.

So here I go. I will post the recipes I use with the changes that I may have made when making it and then I will let you know how we liked it. How we like it is just our opinion. You can try it for yourself and decide!