Tuesday Tidbit: Penzey's Spices

If you’re anything like me (God help you) you probably never got really involved in using spices in your cooking. Oh, sure, you probably have all the essentials, such as garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, several varieties of Mrs. Dash and five old cans of sage (yes, five – I have an irrational fear of being without it for Thanksgiving).

Enter Penzey’s Spices. There are so many things I love about this store, I don’t know where to begin – so maybe I should begin with their free catalog. You can order this fantastic catalog on their website and you will receive an updated version, full of mostly healthy recipes, every three months.

The catalog was a godsend for someone like me who knew pretty much zilch about spices. Each spice is listed alphabetically and comes complete with a description of how to best use it – usually with more than one suggestion. The spices come in small plastic containers or the economical refill bag.

They have all of the regular spices as well as a large number of spice blends – my usual choice because I don’t have to try to figure out what spices go together – including Chicago Steak Seasoning, Northwoods Seasoning, Chicken and Fish Jerk, and my favorite for vegetables and topping the fat-free sour cream on my baked potatoes, Fox Point Seasoning.

Using different spices has improved the flavor of my baked, broiled, and grilled diet in a way that was simple to do. And I love simple. When your foods are enhanced with the right spices, you don’t even miss the old breaded and fried junk you used to love. Well, not too much anyway.

If you are lucky enough to have a Penzey’s store nearby, go check it out. If you don’t, you can order from their website with confidence. They have fantastic customer service and quick shipping.

Although it’s probably best to make a list first. Your credit card will thank you.

Tuesday Tidbits: Do not fear the avocado

Sure, the avocado is higher in calories than most fruits, but we should know by now that low calorie does not necessarily equal healthy. And, yeah, it has a high fat content, but it’s a monounsaturated fat, the fat we should all be trying to get more of in our diets. We need it – for our hearts, our brain, our joints, and even for healthier hair and skin.

The oleic acid in the monounsaturated fats helps to lower cholesterol and has recently been shown to provide significant protection against breast cancer, oral cancer and prostate cancer.

In addition to their healthy fat content, avocados are also an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin K, folate and copper. The potassium content of an avocado is higher than that of a medium banana – and potassium helps in regulating blood pressure.

And I found this interesting: Adding just a few slices of avocado to your salad will increase your body’s ability to absorb the healthy carotenoids of the other vegetables. Adding it to salsa increases the body’s lycopene and beta-carotene absorption.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, here’s a salad that’s about as healthy as they get – loaded with vitamins A, C and K (more than 100% of the RDA for each), 22 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber. (I’m having this for lunch today, but I’m mixing the salsa with a little sour cream because I’m bad and prefer a creamier dressing.)

Mexican Cheese Salad
Makes 2 servings

1 head romaine lettuce
1 15-oz can black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium avocado, cubed
1 medium tomato, diced
2 oz low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
salsa
lime wedges

Chop lettuce and place on salad plate. Sprinkle beans, avocado and tomato over lettuce. Top with cheddar cheese, your favorite salsa and the juice of lime wedges.

Please share your favorite way to eat avocados. I need ideas!

ETA: I just this minute read that you can make a creamy avocado ranch dressing (I guess this is something you can get at Chili's) by mashing an avocado into ranch dressing. Sounds good to me!

Tuesday Tidbits: Kellogg's FiberPlus Antioxidant Bars

As a rule, I’m not a big fan of snack bars. They usually have way too much sugar and nothing else going for them to make them worth wasting the calories on.

But when I heard about Kellogg’s new FiberPlus Antioxidants Bars, something made me want to give them a try. Okay, honestly? It was the fiber. Nine grams per bar!

The bars are available in two flavors, Chocolate Chip (120 calories) and Dark Chocolate Almond (130 calories). Each flavor has 7 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein. And did I mention the 9 grams of fiber?

I tried the Dark Chocolate Almond and it was delish! I was shocked, actually. Yeah, so they’re not all natural and they’re certainly not organic, but for a once in a while quick fix to a chocolate craving, you could do a lot worse. A LOT worse.

Oh and by the way – there’s a 75 cent coupon on the website. That’ll help since they’re around $3 for a package of 5.

Tuesday Tidbits: A food-wasting statistic

A study from the University of Arizona found that the average household discards $590 worth of uneaten groceries a year.

I was sickened when I read that because I know I am wasting at least that much. But what can you do if you don’t have the time (or the inclination) to shop for groceries on a daily basis?

I’ve written about my Food Saver before which, although it might seem to be a bit spendy initially, the cost savings on food that doesn’t go to waste makes it worth it in the long run.

But I’ve never really used the Food Saver for fresh fruits and vegetables. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the cost of the bags and I’m too cheap to buy them for short-term storage. Instead, I tend to buy frozen vegetables a lot so I can keep them longer.

What do you use to extend the life of your fruits and vegetables? A Rubbermaid Produce Saver? The FreshVac Food Storage Container? Green Bags? Or the related Green Box? Something else?

Please share your tips for keeping your food fresh longer. I’m tired of pulling slimy mushrooms and soggy lettuce from my refrigerator.

Tuesday Tidbits: Grapefruit and dieting

Remember the “grapefruit diet” – which promised fast weight loss over a period of ten days or so by including grapefruit with every low-calorie meal? Well, maybe there WAS something to that crazy old diet, after all.

Although there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that there is an enzyme in grapefruit that will magically burn fat, recent studies have shown that grapefruit (including unsweetened grapefruit juice) may encourage weight loss and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Study participants who ate a grapefruit at each meal for 12 weeks lost an average of 3.6 pounds (some in the group lost as much as 10 pounds), while a comparison group that didn't eat grapefruit lost 1/2 pound. Researchers noticed that after the meals, the grapefruit eaters also had reduced levels of insulin and blood sugar.

According to the American Dietetic Association, "if you lose weight when you add grapefruit to your eating plan, it's probably because you're substituting it for another food that has more calories."

So? What’s wrong with that? If you’ve ever eaten a grapefruit, you know it takes a bit of time and effort to eat - plus it will give you 3.5 grams of fiber and only 74 calories.

No word yet on the health benefits of adding a shot of vodka to that grapefruit juice…but it sure is refreshing on a summer morning afternoon.

Note: Grapefruit may interfere with the effectiveness of some medications – and may even be dangerous. These drugs include cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure medications, anti-HIV medications and drugs for erectile dysfunction - so check with your pharmacist if you're taking any medication.

Tuesday Tidbits: Go forth and caffeinate

Good news for coffee lovers! Two cups of coffee per day can cut your risk of colon cancer by 25%, cut the risk of gallstones by 50% and cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s disease by 80%.

Consuming 6 cups or more per day (is that ALL?) cut men’s risk of diabetes by 54% and women’s by 30%. It can also help to rid you of a headache.

Unfortunately, researchers aren’t sure yet which specific component of coffee gives you these benefits. And did you know the way you make your coffee can make it worse for you? For example, using the popular French Press method can actually increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Be aware, though: Cardiac and hypertension patients should limit coffee consumption as should those at risk for osteoporosis.

And even visiting Starbuck’s doesn’t have to hurt your diet. One Grande (oh, who am I trying to kid?) one VENTI Skinny Vanilla Latte (made with sugar-free vanilla syrup and non-fat milk) is a great afternoon pick-me-up at 160 calories, 15 grams of protein and 50% of the RDA for calcium.

Tuesday Tidbits: Count with me, now

So my Tuesday Tidbits have kind of gotten away from me. They were supposed to be just short little blurbs – facts and tips that I came across that I found interesting but am too lazy to research. But I have a tendency to not know when to shut up (see? I’m doing it again). So anyway, here’s a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown to healthier eating:

5 half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables per day (green, leafy vegetables should be a full cup serving)

4 servings of nuts, legumes or seeds per week

3 daily servings of low-fat cheese, milk or yogurt**

2 (3 ounce) servings of fatty fish per week

1 multi-vitamin per day

**I was reading an interesting theory the other day on dairy requirements – the author felt dairy was totally not necessary, but the government likes to say it is because if they said you don’t really need it, people would stop buying so much of it and it would hurt the economy in a big way. I think I’ll have to give that particular conspiracy theory some thought.

Tuesday Tidbits: Craving 911

One of the tricks to keeping our sanity while trying to lose a few pounds is finding healthier substitutes for the foods that made us chubby in the first place.

I ran across this Craving 911 tool over at the Good Housekeeping site that offers healthier alternatives for the “bad stuff” you might be craving. It doesn't have a TON of options, but it's kind of fun.

For example, I have really been craving an apple pie lately (yes, I said “an apple pie” not “a piece of apple pie”), so I selected “apple pie” from the drop-down menu and was given this alternative:

Cinnamon Apple Delight

Core a cooking apple (about 6 ounces), and peel one third of the way. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Cook in the microwave, covered, on medium-high (70% power) for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender.

Apple Pie: 295 calories and 14 grams of fat

Cinnamon Apple Delight: 115 calories, less than 1 g fat

Savings: 180 calories and 13 grams of fat

Cool. That’ll work. But maybe I’ll crumble a Vanilla Wafer over the top.

Tuesday Tidbits: Red Robin

This post was originally going to be about Red Robin’s Lettuce Wrap Your Burger option, which allows you the lower carb option of substituting your standard hamburger bun for a lettuce wrap. (And the whole thing comes wrapped in the usual paper holder, making it super easy to eat.) When I went to their website to check the nutrition information on this option, I discovered the most brilliant tool for customizing your meal

The “Customizer” allows you to start with any burger then add and subtract ingredients – giving you updated nutrition information along the way. You can then add side dishes to get the information for your complete meal. I must admit, I spent a good 45 minutes playing with it.

Starting with my previous Red Robin favorite, the Guacamole Bacon Burger, I was appalled to read this nutrition information: 1156 calories, 77 grams of fat, 1588 mg of sodium, 52 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, and 62 grams of protein.

Removing the bun, mayo, cheese and bacon, substituting a Boca burger for the beef patty and adding the lettuce wrap option, my nutrition information became much more palatable:

Calories: 241; fat: 9 grams; sodium: 959 mg; carbs: 19 grams; fiber: 9 grams; protein: 30 grams

And, yes, I know I turned this burger into something totally different than what it started as, but that’s the beauty of this tool. I kept my beloved guacamole and I don’t have to hate myself in the morning. (Oh, and leaving the Swiss cheese intact only increases the calorie count to 461.)

I give giant kudos to any restaurant that provides its customers with an awesome tool to customize their order, in advance, based on their dietary needs. Next time I’m in the mood for a burger, I will definitely be hitting up Red Robin.

Tuesday Tidbits: Adding moisture to lean meats

Trying to reduce fat by eating ground turkey or lean beef can sometimes leave you with a drier burger than you might like. Try these add-ins for your burgers, meatballs, or meat loaf:

Throw in some chopped up mushrooms (99% moisture) to really add some moisture to the meat.

Grated onion.

Shredded zucchini.

Sautéed carrots and celery.

My favorites are the mushrooms and the onion. While shredded zucchini, celery and carrots may work just fine, I’m too lazy. (Dang, I really need to buy a food processor.)

Tuesday Tidbits: Taco Bell

I am in possession of a rather large collection of interesting and/or helpful tips and facts that don’t necessarily merit a full post, so I thought I’d throw one out there once a week. So that I can justify collecting them. And please, if you can come up with a more creative name for it than “Tuesday Tidbits”, I’m open to suggestions. And so, without further ado…

Did you know that you can order any menu item at Taco Bell “fresco style”? What this means is they will remove the cheese and sauce (you know, all of the good bad stuff!) and replace it with a chunky salsa. Ordering this way will not only reduce the calories and lower the sodium, it will also cut the fat content of your order by about 25%.

So not to say I would advocate eating at Taco Bell every day (although that sounds like a little bit of heaven to me), but sometimes you just get stuck. Here are some options:

Two Ranchero Chicken Soft Tacos, fresco style: 340 calories

Two Grilled Steak Soft Tacos, fresco style: 320 calories

One Spicy Chicken Soft Taco: 190 calories

Side of Pinto Beans: 120 calories