Healthy Family Dinner Series - Course 2 Recipe - ASIAN GREEN BEAN STIR FY

RECIPE OVERVIEW:
 
Serves4
Prep Time20 min.
Total Time20 min.

Nutrition Profile:  Diabetes Appropriate, Gluten Free Diet, Healthy Weight, Heart Healthy, High Fiber, Low Calorie, Low Carb, Low Cholesterol, Low Sat Fat, Low Sodium

INGREDIENTS
 
1 teaspoon sesame oil1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, Pinch of crushed red pepper, or to taste1/2 cup water1 14-ounce c mixed stir-fry vegetables, rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables, thawed1 tablespoon black bean-garlic sauce, (see Ingredient note)

COOKING DIRECTIONS
 
Step 1 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring often, until seared in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes for tender-crisp or 6 minutes for tender. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, add stir-fry vegetables and black bean-garlic sauce. Cook, stirring often, until heated through and most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

RECIPE TIPS
 
Ingredient Note: Black bean-garlic sauce: This savory, salty sauce used in Chinese cooking is made from fermented black beans, garlic and rice wine. Found in the Asian-food section of large supermarkets or at Asian markets. Use it in stir-fries and marinades for beef, chicken or tofu.

Healthy Family Dinner Series - Course 1 Recipe - GREEK DINNER SALAD

NUTRITION AND RECIPE OVERVIEW-

Diet Friendly for the Following: Diabetes Appropriate, Gluten Free Diet, Healthy Weight, Heart Healthy, High Fiber, Low Calorie, Low Cholesterol, and Low Saturated Fat

Serves - 4 people

Prep Time - 35 min

Total Time - 35 minINGREDIENTS3 tablespoon nonfat plain yogurt

3 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium zucchini, finely diced
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
1 bunch radishes, finely diced
1 15-ounce c chickpeas, rinsed
4 large Boston lettuce leaves, for serving
COOKING DIRECTIONS
Step 1
Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mint, garlic, honey and salt in a small bowl until creamy.
Step 2
Toss zucchini, bell pepper, radishes and chickpeas in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables; toss gently. To serve, spoon into lettuce leaves, using them as cups.

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MAKE AHEAD TIP

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Store the chopped salad and dressing separately, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

NOW INTRODUCING - The Healthy Family Dinner Series!!!!

For the remainder of the week and moving forward, I will be providing recipes for multi course meals that readers may use to help begin to start incorporating healthy cooking and eating habits throughout their families households.  Furthermore, I have designed the Family Dinner Series, so that at the end of the week, you can put all the Meal Course Recipes together and have a family feast.  Research shows that families who dine together as a whole engaging in fellowship on a regular basis, tend to live lives full of happiness and love and in the long run this contributes to living an overall healthy, wholesome life.
 I will be posting the new course recipes on the blog site and these will be visible on the right navigation pane.  If you miss the recipe from the day before, don't worry, because I will post the entire recipe for the full meal every Friday.  And remember, get your WHOLE family together and prep and cook as a team.  Not only will you be eating a very healthy dinner, you will also enjoy this family time.

If you have any questions or requests for certain foods, please don't hesitate to drop me a message or comment on the post.

Bon Apetit! 

Healthy Recipe for the Week - A Gilding of Shrimp & Saffron Rice

LAST WEEKS RECIPE:

Recipe Overview -

Serves 4

Prep Time - 40 min

Total time - 60 min

Nutrition Info: Diabetes Appropriate, Gluten Free Diet, Healthy Weight, Heart Healthy, High Fiber, High Potassium,Low Calorie, and Low Sat Fat

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4-1 teaspoon saffron threads, (see Ingredient Note)
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

COOKING DIRECTIONS

Step 1
Bring water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and saffron to taste to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, return to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Step 2
About 10 minutes before the rice is done, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (do not brown), 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in mint and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice; remove from heat. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve over the rice.

RECIPE TIPS

Ingredient Note: Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is the dried stigma of a crocus and contributes a pungent flavor and intense yellow color to food. It is sold in threads and powdered form.

HCG DIET - THE DEATH WISH DIET

     So it seems like the new fad out there is the HCG Diet.  Bascially, the HCG diet is a scam diet that is being marketed and sold in Weight Loss Clinics and Doctors offices across the United States.  According to Jennifer Nelson R.D. at the Mayo Clinic, in a nutshell, you go to one of these weight loss clinics or doctors offices and they give you injections of the hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) and they put you on a 500-800 calorie diet.  These clinics market that you lose 1-2 lbs. per week on this diet.  YES, because you are starving yourself because of the restricted calories. 
     Lets take a step back for a second and discuss HCG.  The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that women produce during pregnancy.  When this hormone is prescribed by a doctor, it is prescribed specifically for fertility for women that are trying to get pregnant.  And people are actually paying to get injected with this hormone and then starve themselves.
     Science proves that basic human cell biology is fueled by carbohydrates as the primary source of fuel.  Science also shows that the minimum caloric intake for women is 1200 calories and for men is 1400 calories (American Dietitian Association's Complete Guide to Nutrition).  If you deprive yourself of at least this amount of calories, you will experience many internal physiological complications.  These complications include headaches, feeling tired throughout the day, lowered energy and the list goes on.
     To add to this, there is no scientific data that shows the effectiveness of the HCG hormone actually promoting weight-loss.  The FDA has not sanctioned experimental trials thus far.  If you have talked to a doctor that supports this diet, they know the dangers of this diet, because they know what damage is done when you deprive your body of calories and they know ultimately you will end up right in their office for the complications that will arise.  Its a never ending circle of scams!!
     Finally, as Karen Nelson, R.D. at the Mayo Clinic stated, once you go off this diet, you WILL GAIN ALL YOUR WEIGHT BACK.  This article is just scratching the surface on this topic so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.  If you want to check out articles by the person I cited, her website is http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hcg-diet/AN02091.