I heard a prediction that I find incredibly sad. It is predicted that this generation of children will be the very first generation to have a shorter life span than its parents. This stems from the fact that in the past 30 years childhood obesity has tripled for children. Obesity puts children at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and bone and joint problems. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults. Eating patterns and habits develop in childhood and stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Don't drink your fiber; eat an orange instead.
I saw an advertisement the other day for a fiber supplement. It pictured a beautiful young woman dressed in material that used orange slices in its design. The text said that the fiber supplement tasted better than its competitors did, therefore, it was easier to take every day.
I had to laugh at the contradiction in this advertisement. If I had designed the ad I would have used stunning pictures of oranges---on trees, whole, cut with juice squirting out---you name it, but the orange would have been the star of the picture. Why feature the fruit rather than a beautiful woman? If you eat the fruit, you will not have to take a fiber supplement. The fruit tastes better, has the fiber it was born with, has vitamins and minerals and you have to chew it so you feel as if you have eaten something and have something in your belly.
If your doctor suggests you supplement your diet, then follow his advice. If you enjoy supplements, there is no need to stop them, but nutrition is not difficult; anyone can learn to eat to stay healthy. Eat a wide variety of colorful foods as close to their natural state as possible. Cook them gently and dress them lightly. Keep fat and salt in your diet for flavor, nutrition and satiety. If you need more fiber then eat an orange don’t drink the juice, and add some broccoli, whole wheat bread and cabbage while you are at it!
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Store nuts in glass jars in the freezer. They will keep indefinitely
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Cooking is all about memories.
Eleanor, my Scotch-Irish mother in law, did not know how to cook and was grateful for any advice her Italian mother in law was willing to give. Eleanor’s mother in law taught her how to make a tomato sauce for pasta; the exact one I made yesterday.
Twenty-eight years ago, my future husband asked me to learn how to make his mother’s spaghetti sauce. Eager to please, I spent an afternoon with Eleanor diligently writing down everything she did in order to recreate this delicious tasting sauce. It is amazing to me how making one recipe can help me conjure wonderful memories of Eleanor even though she is long gone. I imagine her learning the recipe from her mother in law and I easily recall all of the stories I know about those two women.
Cooking has a way of implanting warm wonderful memories into your mind. I am sure if you think for a moment you can find a memory of cooking or sharing a special food with someone you love. As
Years from now when your children make that dish for their children, a warm comforting smile will spread across their faces as they think of the time spent with you cooking, sharing and eating.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Store ground or whole coffee in a glass jar in the freezer; it will stay fresher longer. In plastic, it will absorb orders.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Cook Once Eat Twice™ (part five)---how to have an instant meal for company.
When I am making a Cook Once Eat Twice™ pasta sauce, I freeze the sauce in the amount I need for one pound of pasta. If you get unexpected dinner guests, and you have pasta sauce frozen, all you need to do is take out the sauce and heat it in the microwave; cook a fresh pot of pasta---one pound serves four adults; add a salad and wine and you are good to go. Your meal will be healthy, quick, and delicious and you will not have the extra expense of having to buy a takeout pizza. It will taste as if you had cooked all day.
Many things freeze successfully if you wrap them correctly. If your have too much ham leftover after Easter do not suffer with weeks of leftover ham. Instead, slice the meat as if you were going to make sandwiches, place the amount you need for one sandwich in a sandwich baggie, squeeze out the air, attach a label with the name and date. Put the individual sandwich baggies in a larger gallon bag, squeeze out the air, close it tight and place in the freezer. You can enjoy a ham sandwich in a few weeks.
In an effort to not eat too much birthday cake, the day after my birthday I cut the remaining cake into serving slices. I wrap each slice in plastic wrap and put the individually wrapped slices in a gallon baggie. Frozen cake thaws very quickly and months later you can still celebrate your birthday. You will also feel good knowing you didn’t eat too much cake. Most cakes freeze successfully including cheesecakes.
If you learn to double, freeze, and use your microwave successfully you will cook more, and get many meals for your efforts.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Salt your pasta water after it comes to a boil. The salt dissolves easier that way.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Cook Once Eat Twice™ (part four)---the microwave is your best friend.
The recipes in my cookbook, Let’s Cook Tonight, that are labeled Cook Once Eat Twice™ were tested to be freezer worthy. The food had to go from frozen solid, to the microwave on high power, to piping hot without any loss in texture or taste. I tested them frozen to microwave on purpose. At 6:00 am, the last thing you are going to remember is to take something out of the freezer for dinner. You think of it when you get home. In addition, I did not want you to think that because you had nothing thawed you had to run for fast food.
Nothing in the world beats a microwave for reheating and you never have to wash a pot. You can put your freezer takeout directly on your dish, cover it, and put it in the microwave. I microwave everything on high power to get maximum speed. The defrost setting takes too long to heat the food. Start the timer with 4-7 minutes, depending on the portion size. When the timer goes off stir the food with a fork. If it needs more time, try another 4-7 minutes then stir again until it is hot. If you remember to cover everything with plastic wrap, wax paper, a paper towel, or another dish your microwave will never get dirty. Be certain you use a potholder to remove the dish.
Once you make Cook Once Eat Twice™ a part of your meal preparation you will wonder how you ever lived without it. You will love getting two meals for the same amount of work and time. Just knowing that you have a freezer full of food to eat eliminates the worry of “what’s for dinner tonight?” You will save money by not “picking up something quick” on the way home. You also will save thousands of empty calories by eating your own freezer takeout and not a restaurant’s takeout. Nothing is better than having a freezer full of your own homemade meals waiting for that hectic weeknight when you want a good meal, but you have no time to cook.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Wrap cut cheese in wax paper. It will stay mold free longer.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Cook Once Eat Twice™---how to freeze food properly (part three).
When I freeze my Cook Once Eat Twice™ meals, I freeze the food in individual portion sizes, but if you prefer, freeze the entire dish in one amount. You need to have a few containers in various sizes to give you options. Once the filled container is thoroughly frozen, take it out of the freezer and either leave it on the counter for a few minutes or put it up side down, in the sink, and run water on it for a few seconds. The food will easily pop out of the container. You may have to encourage it to release by pushing on the bottom of the container with you fingers.
As soon as the frozen food has popped out of its container, put it into a sandwich baggie or gallon size plastic bag, squeeze out all of the air and close it tight. Then take the label off the container and place it on the bag. Put the frozen food into a second plastic bag, again squeeze out all of the air, seal it tight and put it back in the freezer. You now have an empty container to wash and reuse. Without the container, the frozen food takes less room in the freezer as well.
Always squeeze as much air as possible out of the plastic; air is what damages frozen foods. I like the sandwich baggies and gallon size bags that come with wire twist ties because they are flexible and I can get the plastic to conform tightly to the frozen food thus preventing any pockets of air. Always double wrap your food to give it another layer of protection. When you label it, be certain to put the date on the label and make a habit of eating the older food first. Nothing lasts forever in the freezer.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Put bacon on a plate between paper towels. Microwave 1-2 minutes per slice. The towels will absorb the grease and the bacon will be crisp.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Cook Once Eat Twice™ ---how to guarantee you will have a second meal to freeze (part two).
The way to Cook Once Eat Twice™ successfully is to take the doubled amount of food and put it into containers before you serve your family. If you bring all of the food to the table two things will happen. First, everyone will eat too much because the food is delicious and easy to reach. Second, if your family liberally takes seconds, you will have nothing left to freeze because most of it was eaten. You worked too hard to double the recipe; do not take the chance of not having a second meal.
Before you call everyone to the dinner table, take out your containers and put half of the recipe in the containers. The food will be very hot so do not cover the containers, let them sit open on the counter to cool as you eat. When you are done eating and cleaning up the containers will be cool enough to cover. Label them with the date and name of the dish and put them in the freezer. Do not neglect to label the containers. I promise you a month from now you will not remember what you froze and once frozen, the food is completely unrecognizable.
As
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking substitution: 1 cup buttermilk = ¾ cup plain, unsweetened, yogurt + ¼ cup whole milk
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Cook Once Eat Twice™---what does that mean (part one)?
If you are going to take the time to cook, and mess up your kitchen, then it makes sense to double the recipe and put half in the freezer for another day. The clean up will be identical and once you are in the rhythm of cutting the vegetables, it only takes a few more minutes to cut up another pound. Depending on the dish, you often will not have to add any cooking time to the doubled version. Therefore, for a minimum amount of extra work, and time, you get two meals. If you do this every time you cook, before you know it your freezer will be full of your own freezer takeout. As long as it is wrapped well the food will not dry out or get freezer burn.
At any given time, you can have a freezer full of foods you made weeks or months earlier. Once they have been frozen, they have been forgotten so they cease to be leftovers and instead are a completely new meal. When you do not feel like cooking, or you get home too late to cook, open your freezer and take something out, put it in the microwave, add a salad if necessary, and in less than fifteen minutes a home cooked, delicious, nutritious meal is on your table. This is what I refer to as my Cook Once Eat Twice™ philosophy and it is a convenience and time saver like nothing else.
As
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Peel the thick stems of broccoli and cook them along with the tops. They will become tender and equally delicious.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Do you inhale your food?
I admit to eating too fast. I’ll blame it on my college years when I was a waitress. I had to eat between customers and in order to never keep a customer waiting, I mastered the art of swallowing with barely chewing my food. Unfortunately, this habit has lasted for years and no matter what the occasion or place, I usually have finished my meal before my husband has finished a quarter of his.
There are a number of reasons to break this habit. It takes a few minutes for you to feel full. When you eat quickly, you consume food so fast that by the time you feel your stomach it usually feels stuffed and not comfortable. By eating slower, you give yourself some time to feel the contents and to stop at a comfortable amount. When you eat slower, you enjoy the taste of the food more. By making yourself chew more deliberately, you get every bit of flavor from the food. You are only allowed a certain number of calories a day; you want to enjoy every one of them. When you eat slowly, you really taste the food.
Eating slower also helps you digest better. We have teeth for a reason. The smaller the food is the easier it is for your stomach to continue the digestive process. Additionally, the digestion of starches starts in the mouth. You need to give your saliva some time to begin breaking down the starch. The less the stomach has to do the happier it will feel.
I have tried to teach myself to eat slower for years and I finally have hit on the one thing that seems to be working---putting the fork down between bites. If I keep the fork in my hand, I shovel food in mindlessly. By literally setting the fork down on the plate, I remind myself to chew. I do not pick the fork up again until my mouth is empty. This is not as easy as it sounds. I have to constantly remind myself to put the fork down and not touch it until my mouth is empty. It is working, however, I am enjoying my food more and I believe I am eating less. There now have been a few occasions when my husband was done before I was; that was sweet.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: It is not necessary to peel carrots, just scrub them.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Do you know why fast food is fast?
You reach for fast food when you do not have time to fix anything else. You are hungry and you have to be somewhere else quickly, so you grab something fast to fill your belly and to give you a bit of energy to make it through the next activity. You reach for fast food because it cooks quickly and you can eat it quickly.
Fast food cooks fast and can be eaten fast because it has been stripped of its fiber. The fiber in food is what makes it take long to cook and eat. White rice cooks in 20 minutes and brown rice, which still has its fiber attached, takes 40 minutes to cook. Mother Nature created food with fiber for a number of reasons. Fiber makes you feel full so you do not eat too much, it reduces your cholesterol levels, and it takes impurities out of your intestines quickly. Fiber is necessary for proper elimination of waste and for colon health.
All foods come with fiber naturally. Have you ever eaten sugar cane? It is like eating sweet wood. In order to make cane sugar every bit of fiber is taken away. Sugar just melts on your tongue; unlike a piece of sugar cane, there is nothing to chew or digest. The body was not designed to eat foods stripped of their fiber. Fast foods can be eaten quickly because there is nothing to chew. Compare the amount of chewing necessary, and the level of fullness you feel, between white bread and whole wheat, between French fries and boiled potatoes with their skins on.
Fast food tastes good and it does serve a purpose on occasion, but that is the most important word---on occasion. As
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: To save clean up, put aluminum foil on the burners you are not using. Grease will splatter on the foil and not on the stove.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Do you know what your children eat?
If you are a normal parent, you want the very best for your children. All of the parents I know would do anything to ensure that their children are healthy, happy and grow into productive adults. Yet, in the past 30 years obesity rates for children has tripled. Obesity puts children more at risk for heart disease, diabetes and bone and joint problems later in life. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults.
What has caused the disparity from wanting the best for children to the rising obesity and the subsequent health risks in children? I believe the problem occurs because you take what your children eat for granted. In the interest of saving time, you resort to buying and serving fast and pre-prepared foods that unfortunately contain high levels of sugar, fat, salt, preservatives, and empty calories. You forget how important nutrition is and that if you aren’t looking out for your children’s health, the manufacturers of fast and prepackaged foods certainly will not.
Do you allow your children to drink unlimited amounts of juice and soda? Do you read the labels from the packaged foods your children eat? Do you find creative ways to give them nutritious foods? Do you cook for your children in order to control the type and quantity of fat, sugar and salt they eat? You tell your child to never drink and drive because you know the dangers are real and immediate. You tell your children not to smoke because you know the results of a lifetime of smoking can be deadly. Yet, you often forget the dangers of unhealthy eating. The results of a lifetime of unhealthy eating may not be immediate, but they can be just as deadly.
As
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Meat browns better if it is dry. Use a paper towel to pick it up when you add it to the hot oil.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Be thin permanently.
Lap band surgery is a procedure where a band is placed at the top portion of the stomach; the band is then filled with saline solution. The amount of saline solution determines the amount of food you can keep down. Very simply, when you want to lose weight, the band is filled and when you do not want to lose weight, the band is emptied.
I have a friend who had this procedure done and has lost almost 80 pounds. She asked her doctor to empty the band so she could eat as much as she wanted for the holidays and while on vacation. In the four months she could eat with abandon, she gained 13 pounds back. Now her band is full again so she can lose those regained pounds and the other 20 she wants to lose.
The problem is she has not learned how to lose weight on her own and keep it off forever. Diets and medical procedures only work while you adhere to them. You do not learn how to change your approach to food, how to eat healthily, or how to stay thin on your own forever.
We need to eat everyday to stay alive; eating is one of the pleasures of life. If you want to be thin permanently, you must teach yourself how to live in a world of food. As
Diets and artificial means of losing weight are expensive and disappointing because they are not permanent. Let’s Cook Tonight™ and
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Never rinse your cooked pasta. The salt and starch that clings to it add flavor and help the sauce adhere better.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Retrain your taste buds.
You were born with a preference for sweet tasting foods; after that, all of your taste preferences are learned. There are probably many foods and flavors you do not eat as an adult because you did not like them as a child. The problem is you are judging a food and its flavor on one cook’s presentation of it. Green cabbage is a good example because most people have only had cabbage boiled or raw in a slaw. If that is the only way you have ever eaten cabbage, I do not blame you for avoiding it. It is a pity, however, to avoid this wonderful vegetable that is so inexpensive and full of vitamins, minerals and fiber, because you think you do not like it.
Like most children, I disliked anything that was bitter and I refused to eat any vegetable that I decided was bitter. As a young adult, I continued with this mindset and avoided all dark green vegetables. When I discovered that my husband enjoyed broccoli rabe, a bitter, dark green, leafy vegetable, I decided to try it. When I did, I enjoyed it and because of that, I subsequently tried all the dark green vegetables that I had been avoiding. Eating those foods opened a significant amount of nutrition, fiber and taste sensations for me.
As
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: When you drain your pasta, always save some of the water. It has starch, and salt, and it is great to use to thin your sauce.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Put a rainbow on your family’s dinner plate.
Manufactures spend a lot of their budget creating the package the food comes in because they know the “eye buys”. If it catches your eye, or your child’s eye, it’s almost a guarantee it will find its way into your cart. If the food looks appealing on the package, if it is colorful and shows a happy environment, you assume it will taste good and make your child happy.
Mother Nature must have known this because she made real foods beautiful to look at. Fruits and vegetables come in all colors: white, gold, tan, brown, pink, red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple. I saw a terrific poster that took fruits and vegetables and made them into a rainbow. Many Masters have made incredible still life paintings using bowls of colorful fruits and vegetables. The more color on your plate, the more nutrition you are getting.
If your dinner plate is white meat chicken, white potatoes and corn, it is time to shake things up a bit and switch to sweet potatoes or winter squash and mustard greens or asparagus. Get out of the rut of what is comfortable and familiar and try something new. If you do not like it, you never have to buy it again. Create your own still life and put a rainbow on your family’s plate.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Do not add oil to the water when you cook pasta. It makes the noodles slippery and your sauce will not stick.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Beans are good for your heart, pocketbook and schedule.
Dried beans are a wonderful real food. They are complex carbohydrates, so your body digests them slowly; this makes you feel fuller longer and gives you long term energy. Beans also have a lot of fiber and contain a wealth of protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
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Beans are wonderful in salads and as a salad. You can make a dressing of fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic for chickpeas or white beans. In fact, you can put any homemade salad dressing on drained, rinsed beans to make a great, room temperature, starch side dish. You can add beans to any casserole dish or ground beef dish. Rice and beans make a great vegetarian meal. Use your favorite type of bean; cook fresh rice, add a salad and you have an easy, nutritious, delicious dinner in 25 minutes.
If you have a belief that beans are poor man’s food, that beans are nothing but starch, or that beans are fattening, rethink your belief. They are a nutrient rich, low fat, real food and whether you make them from scratch or use a canned version, they are a bonus to add to your diet.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: After you soak dry beans, throw out the soaking water, rinse, and cook in fresh water. You will have less gas.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Are you the Cook for your family?
I was having a conversation with a friend about what the title “cook” means to women. He thinks most women conjure up an image of “chief cook and bottle washer” when they think of the title "cook" and that the title has no elegance, class, sophistication, or power. Unfortunately, I think his assessment is accurate. Many women see cooking as a lowly, disliked, time-consuming chore.
As
Cooking does not make a woman less successful, powerful, or independent. On the contrary, a successful, powerful, intelligent, independent woman will choose to cook for her family not because she has to, but because she understands the value of cooking and that the benefits far out weigh the time and effort it takes to cook. She sees cooking not as one more chore to do in an already exhausting day, but instead an opportunity to show nurturing, love, care and concern for her family.
Rise to the challenge and become the cook for your family and be proud of a title that gives you the opportunity to influence your family’s health and well-being and provide them with physical and emotional sustenance.
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Cut a lemon in half. Stick a fork in the cut half and squeeze the lemon around the fork. You will get all of the juice, and a fork is easier to clean.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Variety is the spice of life.
Have you ever tried jicama, parsnips, kumquats or broccoli rabe? Do you know what they are? I am going to guess you are in a food rut and you only eat what is familiar. I have had many friends over for dinner and I am always puzzled when someone looks at an unfamiliar vegetable with trepidation and reluctance. I often have to reassure them that it is not poison and if they taste it, and do not like it, they do not have to finish it.
I promise you even if the fruit or vegetable is new to you, if you purchased it at a grocery store, it will not harm you. You might not like the taste, but it will not cause shock and sudden death. How many times did your mother tell you to just try one bite? Have you ever used that same line on your children? You know they incorrectly judge the taste by how it looks; set an example for them and be the first to try fruits and vegetables that you have never tried before.
Why is this a big deal? Because as
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Buy mozzarella cheese when it is on sale, cut it into usable portions, label it, wrap it well, and put it in the freezer. After you defrost it in the refrigerator, the taste and texture will be perfect.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 8, 2010
What is a portion size any way?
I asked a friend how she recently lost 20 pounds and she told me she relearned what a reasonable, healthy portion size was. Through the course of time, she had completely lost all sense of what made a healthy serving size. It is not entirely her fault. Go to almost any restaurant and you will be served exaggerated portions; we get them all of the time so we have come to accept them as normal and healthy.
You do not have to subject yourself to the deprivation and disappointment that comes with dieting. Losing weight is easy. First, make sure the majority of the foods you eat are real foods. Real foods do not come with a label, and they give you more nutrition and fiber than manufactured or processed foods. Second, eat smaller portions than you are eating now. For the sake of discussion, let’s say you normally eat 5 cups of food. Do not force yourself to go from 5 cups to 1 cup, instead put 5 cups on your plate, then take ¼-cup and put it back in the pot or serving bowl. You will not miss that quarter cup. Get used to that for at least a week and really study what the new amount looks like on your plate. When you are ready to try less, take another ¼-cup and put it back so you have only 4 ½ cups of food on your plate. Continue that for at least two weeks to let your body get used to the lesser amount. Then take another ¼-cup away etc. Eventually you will be eating half the amount you used to, you will be losing weight and not even miss the extra food because you did it gradually. The same is true for snacks. Do not avoid them or deny yourself the pleasure of salty and chocolate goodness. Denial will set you up for a binge. Take the amount of chips you usually eat and put ¼ back etc.
This will teach you to eat less without feeling hungry, you will be eating more real foods, you will not feel deprived, and you will lose weight slowly and permanently. Sounds like the perfect diet plan.
Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Hard-boiled eggs are easier to peel if they are old. Buy them in advance and let them sit in your refrigerator 10 days or longer before you cook them.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Roasting is not just for meat.
Try this easy delicious way to cook vegetables. Take your vegetable and cut it into medium pieces. Put it in a bowl and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and salt--about 1 tablespoon of oil and ¼-½ teaspoon salt per pound of vegetable. Do not eliminate the salt; it adds flavor and helps the vegetable to cook quickly because it draws out the water. Mix thoroughly with your hands to coat all of the pieces.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. You can find parchment paper in your grocery store near the aluminum foil; by using it, you will not have to wash the cookie sheet. Spread the coated vegetables on the cookie sheet and place in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20-50 minutes. The time will depend on the vegetable. After 20 minutes taste the vegetable and if it is the texture you prefer, firm or soft, it is done; if not, take a spatula and move the vegetables around and continue cooking them until they are done to your preference. Cooked in this manner, the vegetable retains all of its nutrients and has an intense, delicious flavor. Your children will enjoy them so much they will want to pick pieces up with their hands and eat them as if they were French fries. Cooking really is easier than you think.
Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Put eggs in cold water. Bring to a full boil; cover and turn off the heat. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Drain and peel. The yolk will not be green.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Here’s the skinny on asparagus.
Many people believe that real food is more expensive than manufactured, pre-prepared, and packaged foods. There is some truth to this when you go to the grocery store and see asparagus for $4.99 a pound. Every fruit and vegetable has its harvesting season. Asparagus is harvested in the early spring and at its peak, in March and April, you can buy it for $.99 a pound. If you want fresh asparagus in September, it will cost you $4.99 a pound because someone has to pay for the cost of transportation from the other side of the world
Real food is only expensive if you buy it out of season. There is a yearly cycle in your grocery store not only for fruits and vegetables, but also for meat and dairy products. Once you get into the habit of cooking for your family, you will get in tune with that cycle and you can save a lot of money on your grocery bill because you will buy products when they are on sale.
It's March, so asparagus are on sale right now. Buy a few pounds because asparagus are a good source of iron, magnesium, zinc, fiber vitamin A, C, E, K and many other minerals. Cut off the tough stem ends, and then cut the stalks into medium size pieces. For 1½ pounds of asparagus, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 2 tablespoons of butter and add the cut asparagus along with a ½-¾ teaspoon of salt. Mix well, cover and cook on medium until they are the texture you prefer, firm or soft. Do not add water. If the asparagus start to brown before they are cooked, lower the heat. Eat the asparagus as they are, mix them into an omelet or rice, or put them on top of cooked pasta. Asparagus are also excellent raw in salads or with a dip. The possibilities are endless so feel free to overdose on asparagus now while they are inexpensive and plentiful. Then when they go back to $4.99 a pound, you won’t even give them a second glance.
Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: Egg whites freeze well. Put a container in the freezer and label it with the number of whites inside. Keep adding more whites until you have a dozen; then make an angel food cake.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
One potato, two potato, three potato more!
I saw an excellent advertisement for potatoes in a magazine. It contrasted the common belief that potatoes are a worthless starch with the truth that potatoes are fat free, high in vitamin C and have more potassium than bananas. Potatoes have a bad reputation for being fattening and nothing but empty calories. Perhaps if the only potatoes you eat are chips and fries that might be the case, but potatoes are a classic comfort food and they provide some serious nutrition.
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Compare a 100-calorie serving of potato chips with a 100-calorie serving of boiled potatoes. With the chips, you ingest salt, fat and preservatives and the quantity is a tiny handful--hardly enough to put your hunger at bay. With the potato, you get fiber, vitamins, minerals, no fat or salt and you will feel something in your belly. I am not the food police; potato chips taste great and they have a place in your diet. Just use your common sense and eat real potatoes more often, and in greater quantity, than the manufactured version.
Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: If your honey crystallizes, put it in the microwaves for a few seconds and it will become liquid again.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 1, 2010
You have to grow old, but you do not have to grow sick.
Many factors, known and unknown, contribute to your health and wellness. I want to argue for the one you have complete control over and that is what you feed yourself. Because you eat out of habit and you automatically reach for anything to satisfy your hunger, you forget that what you eat is the raw material your body uses to make more of you. Your body processes and breaks down that broccoli or candy bar into the raw materials for your new brain and heart cells. That broccoli or candy bar will also give you the energy to work and play and will provide the nutrients necessary to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses.
Occasionally, we all are pressed for time and grab anything that is available and we all eat and love foods that are not exactly paragons of health and nutrition, but the important word here is occasionally. Nothing done occasionally will hurt you, it is what you eat daily and consistently that play a big part in how you feel and in your overall health. Buying, cooking and eating real food might not guarantee you perfect health through out your life, but it will definitely put the odds on your side.
You have to grow old, but you do not have to grow sick. Do not assume they go together automatically. What you eat is a big factor in keeping you healthy and you have 100% control over what you eat. Let’s Cook Tonight™ and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to start cooking again so you can take back control over what you eat and put one more factor for great health on your side.
Cooking a delicious, nutritious, homemade dinner can be a quick, easy, enjoyable task.
Simple cooking idea: Potatoes spoil quicker if you store them with onions so keep them separate.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
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