Easy Quick Dinner – Unproccessed

I’m not one for processed foods since there is heart disease in my family and most processed foods are made with hydrogenated oils among who knows what.  Every once in awhile I will have processed food but not too often.  I know a lot of senior citizens eat processed food because it’s quick and easy.  Maybe some of it is healthy.  I don’t know since I don’t use it because of the heart disease in my family. I prefer food as fresh as I can get it.  Here is a quick and easy meal I like.

Chicken – I usually take the skin off & throw it away but for this dish I left it on for half the cooking time .  Chicken is one of the more favored lower calorie meats.  Somewhat high in cholestorel but just don’t eat it too often.  A variety is best anyway for change and nutritional reasons with it being approximately 43% protein.  http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2 1 chicken thigh with skin, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, vitamin B6 for cardiovascular health http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=116 potassium which is good for cells, nerves, slow reflexes, weakness, fatigue. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-effects-of-potassium-deficiency.htm The chicken thigh is higher in fat than a chicken breast but low in socium and juicier and so it works well for this dish.  Just don’t eat it too often.  http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-chicken-thigh-meat-only-i5099 Back to the dinner:

1 chicken thigh, fresh green beans which are low in fat and carbs and high in potassium http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/generic/green-beans  just layed in around the thigh, basil, garlic, pepper and a squirt of Braggs Liquid Aminos (vegetable protein from soybeans).  That’s what I use as a salt substitute most often.  Very tasty.  I put the dish of chicken and green beans in a plastic bag, poke one whole in it and cook it in the microwave for 5 to 10 minutes depending on your microwave temperature.  You can also put it in a small pan with a little water and steam the whole dish if you don’t like to cook in a microwave.

Of course I don’t have to tell you you can use a variety of vegetables, what ever you have or what ever is in season.  Top it off with a fresh tomatoe just before eating if you have one. 

There you go – a tasty, healthy, inexpensive quick fresh dinner that anyone can easily make.

Green Brunch

Today I made a green brunch, a sort of a huervos rancheros meal which I am still working on eating.  I find that working on the computer is a lot like painting because I get so envolved I don’t stop to eat.  Good for dieting though. 

1 Stalk of cerery chopped, which is good for lowering blood pressure and good for hot days because it’s juicy.  1 Stalk of bok choy chopped, also juicy and full of nutrition.  I won’t go into the nutritional details of bok choy because I just posted an article on bok choy recently.  See Cheap Eats in this blog.   1/2 clove garlic http://honeybee57-herbsandme.blogspot.com/  for the many benefits of garlic and plenty more I didn’t list.  About 3 tblsps of left over blackeyed peas which had cabbage in it.   1 egg on top or egg beaters.  I seldom use egg beaters.  Sprinkle some basil and pepper on top.  Pop in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes then  a couple pinches of grated cheddar/jack cheese sprinkled on top and about 5 green pimiento olives.  A quick twirl of mustard to give it a tangy flavor.  A very tasty low calarie balanced meal with lots of  nutritional energetic vitamins.

Cheap Eats – Healthy Too

     Rather than a fast food burger that isn’t too healthy and is only good for one meal I often go the the market and get salad fixings.  I try to pick inexpensive produce (which is getting hard to come by) and toss a salad together which is usally good for a few meals.  The other day I bought a bunch of Bok Choy for $1.01 which to me tastes very good, is very thirst quenching as it is aproximately 66% water, has about 9 calories per cup, zero cholesterol and is also loaded with much needed body enriching vital nutrition.  Too many to list.  See the website below for nutritional value of Bok Choy.    http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/BokChoy.htm

Not to mention the various ways to fix it if you don’t want salad.  I use it mostly in salad but like it steamed or stir fried also.  I always feel the less it’s cooked the more nutritional it is.  Bok Choy is from the cabbage family of vegetables and cabbage is very healthy also and is another inexpensive vegetable that goes a long way both in nutrition and in many meals if you need to streatch your dollars.  A head of cabbage which will keep in the fridge for 10 days or longer can be used in a variety of tasty dishes.  I don’t buy cabbage very often simply because it does last so long and honestly I’m tired of it by the time I finally finish one head of cabbage.   That’s another story in itself.

Back to the  first cheap eats recipe:  Bok Choy $1.01, red bell pepper – $1.50, expensive for me but rich in vitamin C and very flavorable.  Also good for two meals, tomatoe – less than a dollar for the oblong one, garlic – less than a dollar and good for several meals.  Basil.  Throw some grapes in if you have and some nuts if you have.  I usually throw some flax seed on top too.  (helps with hormonal issues such as hot flashes)  Good for men and women.  I most often don’t use salad dressing and this particular salad didn’t need it.  When I do use salad dressing it’s usually olive oil and balsalmic vinegar or a spoon of honey and some mustard.  If the leaves go limp on the bok choy before I use it up that’s when I steam it or stir fry it.  Still very tasty with no dressings.

I often just grab a red bell pepper and eat it like an apple for lunch or an avacado which I like with red hot sauce on it. 

So there’s some of  my favorite cheap eats. 

Tip for today – Try to eat a few nuts daily.   Just a few.

Unfat Green Breakfast

     I was out of  the B vitamin rich eggs today so I want to share with you another unfat breakfast that I whipped up.

Cabbage – High in Boron which helps raise estrogen levels in the blood.  Estrogen helps preserve bone strength.  Cabbage is also a known as a cancer fighter.

Asparagus – a good source of vitamin A, C, K, Folate, protein, choline, omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium – no cholesterol, no sugar, low in fat.  http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Onion and bacon bits, what ever I had on hand to give it flavor and a good balance of nutrition. 

Avacaado – Vitamin E & D.  (cut up and put on top after cooking vegetables)

Garlic, basil, pepper, red pepper flakes, curry, oregano, ginger, soybean in some form.  I use liquid.

Eat  up and enjoy!

Eat Green Daily

      Eating greens really makes me feel good.  I feel more energetic which makes me more active.  In turn being more active kills two birds with one stone.  I am too busy to eat and also desire less food.  Eating less helps keep me trim.  When I don’t eat greens I feel tired and drug out.  Not much energy.  I try to eat greens 1 to 3 times a day.  Fresh greens like fresh spinach, Asparagus, celery, spring mix, green onions, just something green every day.   What ever is in season.

An example of a favorite breakfast is:

1 egg, bacon bits, asparagus, basil, green olives, garlic and cheese.  Top with fresh tomatoe after cooking.  All fresh or as close to fresh as you can get.  I rarely use salt and you probably won’t need it anyway with the olives and bacon.  I do use lots of pepper because I love pepper.  I have this breakfast almost every day with what ever greens I have on hand. 

Vitamins in eggs – A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12

Minerals in eggs – zinc, iron, selenium, phosphorous iodine, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, xanthophyll pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.  See Suite101.com for the nutritional and beneficial value of eggs for your body.

Vitamins in bacon – A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, E

Minerals in bacon – Calcium, copper, folate, folic acid, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.   See calorie-counter.net  for more info.

       The basil is good to use with garlic to cut gas and is also good for headaches which I rarely have anymore.  Garlic is an antitoxidant and natural blood thinner.  Green olives have little or no calories and I like them.  Tomatoes are low in fat and sodium, high in potassium which helps leg cramps and they lower blood pressure.  Celery can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

       I use the greens mentioned above because I like them and they are all low calorie and healthy.