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How To Store Salad Greens

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:45:00 -0700

The vegetables of summer are amazing, making it so easy to eat healthy.

I love to buy baby lettuce and freshly harvested mesclun from local farmer's markets and vegetable stands. They taste amazing, and they're so crisp, but if you don't eat them within a couple of days, they can turn soggy and slimy.

Here's a great little trick I learned from a farmer friend on storing precious fresh salad greens:

Place greens in a plastic bag, close the top of the bag lightly with your fist, blow into the bag and fill it with air (carbon dioxide). Then seal the bag by twisting the top a few times before closing it firmly with a twisty-tie. Place it in the fridge and your greens are good to go.

Pretty simple, huh? The bag might take up a little bit more room in your fridge, but the loss of space is totally worth it. Your greens will stay bright, crisp and flavorful, so you can enjoy healthy salads all week long.

Fit's Tips: This tip works for all leafy greens - basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano, spinach, kale, and arugula.

Fit's Healthy Valentine's Dinner: Arugula-Pomegranate Salad

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0800

A Sugar user recently asked for menu ideas for a romantic, yet healthy Valentine's dinner. A couple of days ago, I shared my recipe for the main dish, but for me dinner is not complete unless there is a salad to accompany the main course. After reading that arugula is considered a savory aphrodisiac, I knew I would make a salad featuring this dark and pungent green.

Also known as rocket, which might be why it is considered a food to get you in the mood, arugula is high in folate, a nutrient important for expectant mothers. I added pomegranate for a little color as well as antioxidants and fiber - a half a pomegranate offers about five grams of fiber. Top it all with a little goat cheese and some bosc pear and your have a lovely and romantic salad, plus you are well on your way to eating your five servings of daily fruits and veggies. To see my salad recipe, dressing and all, just read more.

Arugula-Pomegranate Salad
FitSugar's Kitchen

Ingredients

Salad:
3 large handfuls of arugula (or three cups)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 Bosc pear, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Dressing:
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
A splash or two of low sodium soy sauce
Squirt of agave nectar
3 shakes of Tabasco
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Place vinegar and orange juice in a small bowl. Add olive oil, agave nectar, soy sauce, and Tabasco. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk well.
Dress arugula in a large bowl, then divide evenly onto plates.
Arrange pear slices on mounds of arugula in a flower like formation
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese.
Serve with freshly grated black pepper.

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Be sure to check out the other dishes I am serving for my healthy Valentine's dinner - spicy scallops and Mediterranean couscous. For more options, PartySugar has created her own Valentine's menu that won't break the scale.

Evert-Fresh Bags

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:30:58 -0700

When I first saw Evert-Fresh Bags, I thought they were a gimmick. The thought of a bag being able to keep produce fresh for up to a month seemed impossible. But one of my old colleagues said that they worked for her, which made me curious enough to try them myself.

The bag is supposed to keep produce fresh by slowing down the ripening process and keeping bacteria from forming. The claims are pretty impressive - it absorbs the harmful gases that fruits and veggies give off like ethylene and ammonia, controls humidity, and minimizes moisture. From a scientific standpoint I have no idea if that's what's really happening inside those bags, but I can say that they do work.

To hear how they worked for me, read more.

I think I store my fruits and veggies pretty well to begin with, so I was pretty shocked that the bags impressed me. I use mine to store lettuce and berries, and they definitely work in keeping my produce fresh longer than my previous storage methods. I don't let produce sit around too long to begin with, but after returning from a week-long vacation nothing I left in the fridge spoiled - not my strawberries, arugula, or peppers, all of which had been there two weeks!

I still try and eat my produce ASAP, but the bags are a great option if you're worried about letting produce you buy from a farmers market go to waste or for times you can't get through your produce fast enough.

Raw Leafy Green Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:35 -0700

It's harvest time and farmers markets as well as local grocery stores are booming with fresh produce. Take advantage of the abundance by enjoying a delicious salad. All those veggies and greens are refreshing and satisfying, and since they're in season you can find an amazing variety this time of year.

This got me thinking about leafy greens and whether there is a huge difference nutritionally between them. I know dark-green spinach is much healthier than light-colored iceberg lettuce, but how much better?

To see the breakdown read more.

1 cup	Calories	Fiber (g)	Vitamin A (IU)	Iron (mg)	Potassium (mg)	Folate (mcg)
Your RDI (just to compare)	around 2,000	25-30	2,333	18	4200	400
Romaine	8	1	4,094	.5	116	64
Spinach	7	.7	2,813	.8	167	58.2
Iceberg	10	1	361	.3	102	21
Arugula	4	0	474	.2	73.8	19.4
Red leaf lettuce	3	0	2,098	.3	52.4	10.1
Green leaf lettuce	1	0	2,665	.3	69.8	13.7
Bibb (Boston)	7	1	1,822	.7	131	40.1

You'll Never Miss the Meat: Conscious Cook Cookbook

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:30:09 -0700

We know that eating less meat is a good thing - it reduces your carbon footprint, lowers your grocery bill, and makes sense for your heart. But does it taste good? Vegetarian diets are often associated with a bland menu of tofu, sprouts, and brown rice day after day. Chef to the stars Tal Ronnen sets out to bust this myth in his new cookbook, The Conscious Cook - Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat ($20).

The cookbook is divided into sections by meal courses that include starters, soups, entrées, and desserts. I'm most excited about the entire section devoted to sandwiches because of all the new lunches I get to try. There's a nice intro that covers Ronnen's must haves in the kitchen - from what items he always has in his pantry (agave nectar) to the chef tools he can't live without (food processor). Ronnen touches on the importance of a vegan diet but does it without making you feel like you're choking on someone else's politics. It's obvious the chef's main focus is making food that tastes exceptional.

To hear more about The Conscious Cook and see a killer quinoa recipe, read more.

Each of the 75 recipes features a protein and ranges from the comforting - free-form ravioli with tofu ricotta and arugula pesto - to the sophisticated - peppercorn-encrusted portobello fillets with yellow tomato bearnaise and mashed potatoes. And every recipe has an inspiring photo accompanying it.

What's great about this cookbook is its range and its approach to meatless cooking. No main dish ever feels like a side dish, which can happen a lot in vegan and vegetarian cooking. Instead, each meal is made to be complete and satisfying. There are recipes for a quick or casual meal, but if you want to pull out all the stops, there are recipes for that too. As an added nice touch, there are seasonally driven dinner menus included at the end.

Quinoa, Avocado, and Sweet Potato Timbale With Roasted Tomatillo Dressing
The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat

Ingredients

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, cooked in vegetable stock according to the package directions and cooled to room temperature
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the sweet potatoes:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:
2 tomatillos in olive oil, skins removed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the tortilla strips:
Canola oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

To serve:
2 avocados, diced
Microgreens

You'll also need 4 salad plates, a food processor, and a 3-inch ring mold.

Directions
1. Make the quinoa: Place all the of the quinoa ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
2. Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until soft in the middle and lightly browned. Be careful not to let the sweet potatoes burn.
3. Make the dressing: Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the tomatillos with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add vinegar, cilantro, and agave nectar, and pulse to combine. With the motor running, pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a thin stream. Continue blending until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Make the tortilla strips: Pour 2 inches of oil into a small, heavy pot and heat until the oil shimmers. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crisp and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.
5. Assemble the salads: Place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of one of the 4 salad plates. Fill with 1/4 of the quinoa mixture and press down with a spoon to pack the mold, smoothing the top. Place 1/4 of the sweet potato pieces on top of the quinoa and press down gently. Top with 1/4 of the avocado and press down gently. Carefully remove the mold. Repeat on the remaining salad plates.
6. Carefully place 2 tortilla strips parallel to each other about 1 inch apart on top of each timbale. Place 2 more tortilla strips perpendicular on top of those. Top the timbales with the microgreens and drizzle the dressing around the timbales.

Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 45 minutes

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Little Fish Offers Big Doses of Vitamin D

FitSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:03 -0700

Most people in this country aren't getting enough vitamin D - adults and kids alike. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun, but we don't spend much time in the sun these days. And when we do, we wear sunscreen.

This hard-to-come-by vitamin plays an important role in our overall health. Not only does vitamin D help keep our bones strong, it helps prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Added to foods like fortified cereal, milk, and OJ, vitamin D can be found naturally in cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines.

If you haven't already learned to love sardines, vitamin D could be the reason to open your heart to this sustainable fish that is also low in mercury. A half-cup of sardines provides 200 international units (IU) of the vitamin. The new daily recommended intake for vitamin D is for kids it is 400 IU, and investigation to whether the RDI for adults should be increased to 800 to 1,000 IU. Not sure how to add this fish to your plate? Try Yum's sardine and arugula sandwich. It's simple, tasty, and loaded with D!

Healthy Eating Tip: Add Greens to Smoothies

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:30:00 -0700

When I recently posted my Almond Berry Banana Yogurt Smoothie recipe, FitSugar reader andrennabird had a brilliant idea - add greens to your smoothies. It's a great way to get more nutritious leafy greens into your diet, without even tasting them. The sweet fruit and creamy yogurt hide the earthy flavor, and since you blend the greens up, there's no chewing involved.

I like adding spinach, but you can also try kale, arugula, or sprouts. Just add a few cups of greens to your favorite smoothie recipe, and sip away. Experiment with combinations to see which taste the best, and if you've come up with any delicious concoctions, please share them below.

Learn to Love Figs

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Eating many colors of the rainbow is easy, but dark purple can be hard to come by. And that is just one reason you should learn to love Black Mission Figs.

While dried figs are available all year round, fresh figs are in season June through September, which means you should start seeing them in the grocery store soon and they should be affordable. Four ounces of fresh figs provides about four grams of fiber. Figs are also a good source for potassium. Most importantly they are a sweet low-calorie food - four ounces is only 84 calories. They make a juicy dessert on a hot night. You can add figs to salads; they pair wonderfully with arugula. I like to eat them as an appetizer. To see how I prepare figs for a pre-meal snack, read more.

After washing the figs, I cut off the top stem and slice the fruit in half. I spread the fig halves with a layer of mild, soft goat cheese that I mixed with freshly ground pepper. I sprinkle the plate with freshly chopped chives. This quick finger food is surprisingly tidy and is great to eat while preparing dinner.

As you can see I was a little heavy handed with the cheese for this round, but obviously the more thinly spread the cheese is the fewer calories. Tell me, do you like figs? If so, how do you eat them?

How to Eat 1,000 mg of Calcium a Day

FitSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Calcium does the body good. Not only does it build strong bones and teeth, it aids with muscle function and helps keep your heart beating regularly. While there are plenty of food sources for this bone-building mineral other than dairy, I am not sure I have been meeting the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 1,000 milligrams. Supplements are always an option, but getting calcium from food sources is better for your bones. With all this in mind, I decided to track what I ate for a day to see if I was meeting the RDI.

See how I did when you read more.

Meal	Food	Calcium
Breakfast	Two whole grain waffles	100 mg
	1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt	200 mg
	1/4 cup lowfat milk in coffee	78 mg
Snack	1 ounce of almonds	70 mg
	1 cup whole strawberries	23 mg
Lunch	1 spinach and jack cheese tamale	320 mg
	1/2 cup carrots	22 mg
	2 ounces avocado	3 mg
Dinner	Grilled chicken breast	12 mg
	1 cup steamed broccoli	45 mg
	1 cup arugula	45 mg
	1 ounce goat cheese	85 mg
	1 slice whole grain bread	20 mg
	TOTAL CALCIUM INTAKE	1,023mg

While I did hit the magic number of 1,000 milligrams, I feel like I just barely made it. I drink a fair bit of milk in my coffee in the morning, and coffee can decrease the amount of calcium absorbed, but only two to three mg per cup. Of more concern is spinach. While it is relatively high in calcium, it contains oxalic acid, which may bind to the mineral preventing absorption.

Source

Build a Healthier Salad

FitSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

In late Spring, I find a crisp salad to be the perfect lunch. When it comes to watching your waistline, all salads are not created equal. Here are a few guidelines to help navigate the salad bar and keep your salad healthy and not a vehicle for unknown calories.

Do make your own salad whenever possible.
Don't think that the pre-made salads are always going to be healthy.
Do get the darker leafy greens, like spinach, romaine, or arugula.
Don't fill your bowl with iceberg lettuce - it offers little to nothing nutritionally.
Do load up on fresh veggies.
Don't load up on roasted veggies - salad bar roasted veggies are often coated with butter and oil.

I've got more tips for building a healthier salad, so read more.

Do get a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing on the side.
Don't drench your salad in a creamy dressing - even lowfat creamy dressings are loaded with sodium.
Do toss a handful raw nuts on top of your greens.
Don't throw a salad on top of your salad - tuna, egg, and chicken salads are loaded with mayonnaise.
Do add a protein like ahi tuna, hard boiled eggs, or baked chicken breast.
Don't add bacon bits rationalizing they're providing protein.

Source