Starting My Day with a Super-Food!!! YOU CAN TOO!!!!

Hello All,

I recently read an article that I found very interesting, it listed new SUPER-FOODS - Black Lentils, Black Beans, Black Soybeans, Blackberries, Black Rice and Black Tea.

It seems that these foods are on the rise surpassing the wonderful 'green' good for you foods. The darker the color, the better for you!  Their color comes from anthocyanins, plant pigments that may help lower the risks of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and contain other health promoting benefits. In fact these 'black' super-foods have more antioxidants than light colored foods because of their high pigment  content. Our ancestors must have just known it intuitively since these super-foods have been consumed by primitive man.

TEA - Really!!

Well, I know for some of you, it's hard to incorporate very health benefit we hear of, but I have an easy fix for you, next time you are food shopping, yak a few minutes extra in the coffee, tea isle. Pick a tea that captures your attentions and has you palate salivating for it.


A cup of hot tea chock full of antioxidants is a great way to start your morning and will do wonders for you in so many ways. Antioxidants rid the body of molecules called free radicals, which are side products of damage done to the body by pollution and the natural aging process. I
n addition to what I listed below, a cup or two of hot tea may prevent an extremely wide range of ailments, everything from cavities to Parkinson's disease, and may extend throughout the body. 

Here are just a few reasons to enjoy that cup of tea, regular or decaffeinated:

• Arthritis - older women who are tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis
• Bone Density - Studies have shows that drinking tea on a regular basis for 10 or more years had higher-bone mineral density in their spine -producing stronger bone            
• Cancer - studies have seen tea totaled with a reduction in risk fro several types of cancer.
• Flu - people who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice per day showed a higher immunity to the flu virus.
• Heart Disease - A recent study found that drinking more than two cups of tea a day decreased the risk of death following a heart attack by 44 percent AND Consuming just two cups a day decreased the risk of death by almost a third. If tea isn't your beverage of choice, re-think this because in another study, people who drank about a cup and a half of tea per day were almost 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack.
• Parkinson's Disease - may be protective against developing this debilitating neurological disorder.
• Oral Health - Rinsing with tea may prevent cavities and gum disease because it suppresses the growth bacteria in the mouth, [but tea should be plain] and can be used as a rinse as well. The study had participants rinsing with plain tea for 30 seconds, ice times waiting 3 minutes between each rinse or rinse for one minute 10 times per day. 

Did you know dental plaque contains more than 300 species of bacteria that adhere to tooth surfaces and produce cavity-causing acid?

We're pretty simple here, I enjoy drinking Earl Grey & Lady Grey Tea and just Lipton It just takes a few minutes to read the box and verify your are getting a black tea. 

It takes 21 days to make a habit, so buy two boxes to start your day; EVERYDAY with one cup of Black Tea. Let me know how you feel in a month! I guarantee that you will see that overall you are feeling great, and knowing you will be doing your body good for years to come!                                          
Don't wait to start reaping the benefits and stave off the reaper [couldn't resist that line].

You can even sign up at this website to receive special orders and new blends ....

http://www.twiningsusa.com/newsletter-signup.php?id=15

Look for the next installment on this topic! I'll be experimenting with some new      Super-Food recipes and after taste-testing them, you can find them here!!!

Until next time ~
Eat and Drink Good For You!
Francine

Soup Basics

Hello All,

Today I am starting simple - the basics!

I start out most of my soups without he following ingredients, onions, celery, peppers, and caned beans that I have thoroughly rinsed the sodium from. I will add in diced tomatoes and spices depending on where I am going with the soup. I start with olive oil in a large pot, put it on a low heat as I strait chopping away. I add in the onions, celery and pepper, increase the heat to medium and set the timer on for approximately 10 minutes. Then I will add my spices, let it marry for another 2 minutes, then the beans. While I am waiting for those 10 minutes to pass, I usually am preparing the final ingredients for the soup; usually a protein like chicken. 

When I am ready, I add the last of my ingredients, chicken, turkey sausage, etc., then I add the broth and let the soup cook for awhile.  If the protein is fully cooked when I add it, I just let it come to a boil and we eat in less than 10 minutes; if it is something like lentil soup, well that needs at least an hour to let the lentils cook and soften.

Well, stayed tuned for more tips, tricks and recipes.

Until next time

Eat Good For You!

Francine

Taco Tuesday!!! But with a knife & fork!

Here is one of my favorite dinners!
Why, it feels decadent, almost like a revisit to the days before I started to eat healthy and Taco Bell was always a fun, easy and cheap eat!  
Then, there are the restaurant nights, going out with friends and ordering quesadillas.  You can smell them before they arrive, you can hear them sizzle before the hot pan hits the table.
The next anticipated step is building your personal and perfect quesadilla!


Well, here is new and healthy take on a combined effort of a taco and building your perfect quesadilla.

Instead of using a taco, we opt for the good old large romaine lettuce leaf [however, if you have a yen for a carb, I would highly recommend Damascus Wraps, found near the deli counter usually] ... the stove is working hard, one pot heating the refried [fat free] beans, and the fry pan is sizzling with lean chopped meat; beef, turkey or chicken - it's YOUR choice! The meat, after it is cooked thoroughly is bathed in Ortega Taco Sauce - because it's only 2 sugars. I have shredded mozzarella, shredded cheddar, and shredded american cheese waiting in the sidelines next to the chopped tomatoes. Of course, you can add any additional vegetable like sauteed onions and peppers, or any thing else that is left over in the fridge would be great too!


Ingredients: for 2 people
Damascus Wraps - optional 
2 Romaine lettuce leaves - per person 
1 Can Refried Beans
1/2 cup shredded american cheese - 2%
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese - part skim
1/2 cups shredded cheddar - light
1 - 2 medium sized tomatoes - chopped
1 lb lean meat - throughly cooked through - can be beef, chicken or turkey
Ortega Taco Sauce - I am generous with this, add some, mix & taste - we like the mild one 
1 tablespoon Sour Cream - low fat

Let the Taco layering begin:
We like to roll them - so, keep that in mind as you start the layering process, keep the layers thin and not to close to any of the edges. It's going to be messy - that's half the fun!

• First, I generously frost the leaf with hot refried beans, after washing and drying them.
• Next step is to spread the hot chopped meat to almost all the edges - 
• Quickly spread out your cheeses, a little goes a long way - and feel free to use your favorite cheeses here!
• Tomatoes are next with any other vegetables you may have heated up
• Roll your taco
• Dollop of sour cream as a topping!
• Grab your utensils, an extra napkin and MANGIA!!

Until next time ~
Eat Good For You!
Francine