Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Grits

foodnetwork.com

A healthier take on a Southern favorite!  

 

3/4 cup instant grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley 

 

 Read More Food Network.com

The Worst Foods for Sleep

A glass of warm milk, a cup of chamomile tea, a few slices of tryptophan-laced turkey breast -- a number of foods are at least rumored to help us drift off to sleep. But, besides the obvious (hello, 4 p.m. Starbucks run), could there be foods that are actually keeping us up at night?

For the most part, the research surrounding sleep and diet focuses on how your sleep patterns affect what -- and how much -- you eat, says Kelly Glazer Baron, Ph.D., M.P.H, a sleep researcher and neurology instructor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. We know that too little sleep clouds our food judgementand that the most sleep-deprived among us are likely to serve ourselves larger portions. We also know that both too little and too much sleep can lead to weight gain, for the reasons above and more.

Still, says Baron, "we've known for a long time that there are foods that promote or inhibit sleep."

Of course, no one food or drink is likely to cure a true sleep disorder, like insomnia. But there are some foods that, when consumed too close to bedtime, could be stealing your slumber. Here are some of the worst offenders.

Chicken, Sausage & Peppers

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 jarred pickled cherry peppers, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar


Read More at Food Network.com

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

• 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
• 5 cups bagged prewashed kale
• 2 slices center-cut bacon 
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Apple Maple Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

from kokopaleo.com

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened and room temperature
• 2 crisp, sweet apples
• maple syrup
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Get the how to and make this delicious main course from kokopaleo.com!

Pan-seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger & Lime

from Tyler Florence at FoodNetwork.com

from thepreppypaleo.com

• 2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Pinch sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

get the how to and enjoy this delicious recipe!

Meyer Lemon & Tangelo Chicken

from cavemanconnoisseur.com 

from cavemanconnoisseur.com

1 pasture raised chicken, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, quartered

zest and juice of 1 meyer lemon+  1 meyer lemon sliced and reserved

zest and juice of 1 tangelo, + 1 tangelo sliced and reserved

4 tsp honey, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Fresh ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds small red potatoes, cut in large chunks or quartered

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

3 small red onions quartered

1 leek sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de provence, divided

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar+2 tsp honey

Get the how to from CavemanConnoisseur.com!

4 Skills That'll Make You a Healthy Home Cook

by Leta Shy for fitsugar.com 

The first step to eating healthier is to nix the three-times-a-week delivery habit. But the second step is a little more difficult; if you're not used to cooking your own meals, knowing how to whip up a healthy meal in your kitchen takes effort. Master these four skills and you'll be a healthy home cook in no time.

• Keep the nutrients in: Boiling, peeling, and steaming can strip those veggies of their nutrients. Instead of peeling potatoes and carrots or throwing away the leaves of your radishes, scrub your veggies until they are clean and use them with skin and leaves on to keep vitamins intact. And when you are done boiling or blanching a pot of vegetables, save the nutrient-rich water to use later in stocks, stews, or sauces. Get more tricks on how to keep the nutrients in your food here.
• Stay well stocked: A kitchen well stocked with healthy supplies will ensure that you have practically all you need for a quick and healthful meal. Keep this printable poster of healthy pantry staples on your fridge and take it with you to the store when it's time to restock.
• Swap the fat: Sautéing in butter and oil can make even the most vegetable-filled dinner high in calories or fats. And even if you're cooking with healthy fats like olive oil, there can be too much of a good thing. Instead of dumping more butter and oil into your pan, use one to two tablespoons of low-sodium broth when you sauté. You can also invest in a qualitycast-iron skillet to cook without the need of a potentially chemically laden nonstick pan or too much butter or oil. Keep Reading. . .

Creamy Pea & Chicken Stew

Soups are a quick and yummy meal, check out this take on one that may be a little different then what you've been making. 

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups small cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• get the how to from foodnetwork.com 

Cauliflower and Tuna Salad

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I love cauliflower and tuna but before this I never imagined they could go so well together.  What do you think-will you try this recipe from the nytimes.com?

1 large or 2 small or medium cauliflowers, broken into small florets

1 5-ounce can water-packed light (not albacore) tuna, drained

1 plump garlic clove, minced or pureéd

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

get the how to at nytimes.com 

Soda Consumption Linked With Higher Depression Risk In Study (And The Opposite Goes For Coffee)

from huffingtonpost.com 

What you drink could be linked with how you feel, according to new research.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurologysuggests an increased risk of depression from drinking sweetened beverages, as well as a decreased risk of depression from drinking coffee.

Specifically, researchers found an association between drinking four cups/cans of soda daily and a 30 percent higher risk of depression, as well as an association between drinking four cans of fruit punch daily and a 38 percent high risk of depression. The effect was more pronounced with diet fruit punch/soda, compared with non-diet versions of the drinks.

Meanwhile, researchers found an association between drinking four cups of coffee daily and a 10 percent lower risk of depression.  keep reading . . .

Prep Once Eat All Week!

It sounds great; get all your stuff ready to roll Sunday and eat well all week.  When I read this article on shape.com, I   thought "that is doable."  Check it out the ingredient list and click through for the recipes:

Prep!

CHOP
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup lettuce
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp yellow onion
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp fresh basil
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white onion
1/4 cup cauliflower florets
4 cloves garlic

COARSELY GRIND
1 tbsp pecans

DICE
3/4 cup tomatoes
1/3 cup mango, peeled
1/4 cup sweet potato, peeled

HALVE
2 plum tomatoes (lengthwise)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

MARINATE
1 link (3 1/2 oz) turkey sausage, pierced with a fork, in 12 oz light beer

POUND
4 oz chicken breast until 1/4 inch thick

RINSE AND DRAIN
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/3 cup low-sodium black beans
1/3 cup cannellini beans

SLICE (lengthwise)
1 sweet potato (for fries)
1/4 bell pepper

SLICE (widthwise)
1/4 sweet potato (thinly)
1/4 yellow onion (3 thin slices)
1/8 eggplant (two 1/4-inch thick wheels)

TOAST
2 tbsp slivered almonds (Toast in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.)

ZEST AND JUICE
1 lime
1/2 lemon

SHAPE.com for the recipes.  

6 January Superfoods

Eating in season isn't only delicious, it's also cheaper!  Check out the slideshow on huffingtonpost.com to see what's best this month.

Skillet Eggs With Squash

The weekend is a great time to take breakfast to the next level.  Try this take on eggs and get a full servings of veggies.

Ingredients

from foodnetwork.com

• 3 pounds (6 medium) summer squash and/or zucchini
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated pepper jack or sharp white cheddar cheese

get the how to from foodnetwork.com

Trying to lower your carbs this year?  Check out this pasta alternate from clumsywarrior.com

clumsywarrior.com

Zucchini Carbonara

Ingredients (1 serving for a light dinner)
1 zucchini, ribboned
half yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stripes of bacon
1 egg yolk
2 table-spoon of olive oil
1/8 cup heavy cream
parmesan cheese, shaved
salt and pepper

get the how to!

Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

• Try this great alternate to the turkeys and ham!
• 
  
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 pork tenderloins (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total), trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Get the how to from foodnetwork.com

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Many of us are motivated to work out and participate in boot camps to "stay healthy" but rarely do we think about what that means or what we're actually doing for our bodies beyond the physical look of them.  Read this article from Emory University's Tiffany Barrett to find out how you're reducing your risk of cancer when you're out yelling "hooah!"

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Studies consistently show that a good diet and regular exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease, but did you know you can also reduce your risk of cancer by eating well and regularly exercising? Our genes play a large role in whether we develop cancer (some cancer types more than others), but studies show, and our experts at the Winship Cancer Institute confirm, we can take action to lower our risk of developing many cancer types. By avoiding tobacco products, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and staying active, you can dramatically reduce your risk of dying from cancer.

I hosted an online chat on the topic of healthy eating during the holidays this week, and in it we covered lots of topics related to nutrition, health, exercise and wellness. Below are some of the most important takeaways from the chat for you to apply not just during the holidays, but year round!

Exercise: 

• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. We may tire of hearing it, but maintaining a healthy body weight is essential to your health.
• As many as 1 out of 5 of all cancer-related deaths are linked to excessive body weight. Obesity is clearly linked with increase in several types of cancer, including breast, colon and rectum, edometrial, esophageal, kidney and pancreatic cancer.
• Regular physical activity is critical to your health and wellness. Physical activity can help reduce the risk of breast, colon, endometrial and prostate cancers.

• Adults should try to exercise for either 75 minutes per week at high intensity, or at least 150 minutes at moderate intensity each week. The latter equates to just two and a half hours of walking.
• Children should exercise one hour each day at moderate intensity, but 3 days a week at high intensity, and limit sedentary activities such as sitting, lying down, playing video games, watching TV, etc.

Nutrition:

Maintain healthy eating habits by emphasizing consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As I mentioned in the chat, all fruits and vegetables have protective and preventive cancer benefits. Here are some guidelines to consider when it comes to nutrition:

Continue reading . . .