Layer 1:

Head of Romaine lettuce, chopped up

Layer 2:

Mix together 1pkg frozen sweet corn, 1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed, ¼ cup cilantro, chopped, 1 TBL cumin, 1 TBL lemon juice, 1 TBL lime juice

Layer 3:

Low-fat sour cream

Layer 4:

Guacamole

Layer 5:

Chopped red pepper

Layer 6:

Mix together in a jar:

Juice of 4 limes.

½ cup cilantro

1 TBL honey

¼- ½ cup olive oil

1 TBL vinegar (preferably apple cider vinegar)

Optional variations:

Add a Pico de Gallo layer

Eliminate the black beans and top with chicken or shrimp

2 cups canned low sodium white beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons water

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Blend the beans, lemon juice, sesame seeds, vinegar, mustard, and water in a food processor until smooth. Add the basil and cilantro and pulse very briefly.

Makes two servings. 272 calories per serving.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box white cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) fat-free instant white chocolate pudding
1 1/4 C water
1/2 C nonfat sour cream

Read more…

Heart Healthy Truffles from Waldo County General Hospital on Vimeo.

Enjoy this heart healthy treat!

Your guide to a guilt-free winter bash.
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic – Expert Column

I know that not everyone feels this way, but I personally love to attend and throw holiday parties. The holiday music twinkling in the background, those festive fashions, and time to visit with people you don’t see often — what’s not to love?

Some might also think that a holiday party is not the place to highlight health. I beg to differ. What makes a party special is the people, the conversation, and the dancing (if you’re lucky) — not the high-cal desserts or greasy finger foods. It is possible to throw a healthy holiday party that will please most of your guests. (I say “most” because there are always a few people who are impossible to please, no matter what!)

That said, here are my top 10 tips for throwing a healthy holiday party. Adopt as many as you like — the more the merrier!

1. Offer no- and lower-calorie drinks galore so your guests have lots of healthy options. Here are a few to try:

* Holiday tea
* Diet soda
* Mineral water
* Coffee
* Light beer and wine spritzers made with club soda
* Holiday punch made with diet soda (like ginger ale or lemon-lime soda) and/or light cranberry juice

2. Serve fruit and vegetable trays. For appetizers and dinner, I use the 50% rule: I try to cover 50% of the food table with fruit and vegetable dishes. Here are some winter options for your fruit and veggie arrays:

* For fruit trays or fruit salads, try apple slices (spray with lemon juice to prevent browning), orange slices or wedges, melon cubes, grapes, canned pineapple, and cherry or grape tomatoes.
* For raw veggie trays, try jicama, baby carrots, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, broccoli, and cauliflower florets.

3. Keep dips and spreads as light as possible by substituting nonfat sour cream, light cream cheese, light or low-fat mayonnaise, and low-fat yogurt for the more caloric versions.

4. Look for ways to add beans to your dishes to beef up the fiber and plant protein, which will help your guests feel fuller faster. It’s easy to use beans in salads, casseroles, and appetizers. One of my favorites is a light 7-layer dip that features canned, nonfat refried beans.

5. Serve whole grains or whole-grain blends. You can use half whole-wheat flour in nut breads, muffins, and even cookie recipes. You can use whole-wheat blend pastas, whole grain crackers, and whole wheat (or whole wheat blend) dinner rolls. Check the ingredient list and the fiber grams on the nutrition information label for the rolls and crackers to make sure you are getting a product with at least half whole wheat and more fiber.

6. Serve lean meats and fish. There are lots of festive meat options that are lower in fat (and saturated fat) and high in protein. Try cooked shrimp served with cocktail sauce, roasted sliced turkey breast, lean ham, and sliced lean roast beef. Grilled or broiled salmon filet makes a great appetizer when served with whole-grain crackers.

7. Dish up lighter (or littler) desserts. Let’s be honest: it wouldn’t be a holiday party without holiday desserts. So make it easy for your guests. Serve light desserts when possible, and offer dessert trays with bite-size samples. When serving up desserts, think about portions that are two to four bites — just enough to taste and enjoy. Your guests can always have more! You can use cupcake papers to hold bite-sized portions (small-sized cookies and even cake or pie can be cut into petite portions). You can also use mini cupcake pans to make bite-sized cupcakes, cakes, brownies, and cheesecake. Also, keep dessert embellishments light when possible (try light vanilla ice cream, fat-free or lite Cool Whip, etc).

8. Encourage physical activity at the party. It depends on the type of party you’re having, but possibilities include:

• Dancing.
• Holiday caroling or a moonlight, candlelight, or flashlight walk around your neighborhood (weather permitting).
• Pingpong, billiards, foosball, or other games that involve some action.

9. Offer light condiments on the buffet. Try spicy mustard, light or low-fat mayo, barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce, fruit chutney, relishes, and so on.

10. Have an appetizer and dessert party or a dinner/buffet party instead of serving appetizers AND dinner AND dessert). When faced with too many food options, most people will eat too much. And while we’re at it, go ahead and banish candy dishes from the party. As long as you have other food on hand, you won’t need them. People can have candy any time of year.

BONUS TIP: Have small plates out at your buffet or dessert/appetizer table to encourage people to serve themselves smaller portions. But I’m warning you, some people will still pile every possible morsel onto their small plate. I’ve seen people at a holiday reception stack dozens of cookies onto their small plates, creating a Christmas tree of cookies.

(makes 8 servings)

2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

¾ cup Grape-Nuts cereal or any high fiber whole wheat cereal

¾ cup rolled oats

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

2/3 cup apple juice

¼ teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange apple slices in a 9” x 9” baking dish, then sprinkle with cranberries.

In a bowl, mix cereal, oats and cinnamon, then stir in brown rice syrup. Spread evenly over apples.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix apple juice and cornstarch or arrowroot, then pour evenly over other ingredients.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until apples are tender.

On Friday, Oct. 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Food for Life instructor MiMi McGee will explore how a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grain, and legumes can increase survival rates for those individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. She will provide information on how various foods and other factors affect breast cancer risk, prevention, and prognosis. The findings are drawn exclusively from scientific studies and updated as new research becomes available. The goal is to provide breast cancer patients, survivors and those at high risk for breast cancer with information to help them prevent and survive breast cancer.

You will also get to enjoy cooking demonstrations, taste healthy delicious dishes and share your experiences in a supportive group setting.

The free class will be offered . in the Education Center at Waldo County General Hospital.

To register, call Barbara Crowley at 930-2650 or email: bcrowley@wcgh.org.

Beets are often shunned, yet they are a favorite in our home.  Baked fresh beets have a rich, sweet flavor that our kids love.  Not only are they delicious, they also double as dinner lipstick, as our girls discovered, to see who got the more ruby lips and tongue.  Bear in mind that beet juice is a formidable dye.  Our little one is famous for wearing parts of her dinner!

I often hear people saying they don’t like beets.  Perhaps it is because they have only had the canned variety, or are a bit concerned as to how to prepare them.  They are actually very easy to make.  Giuliano likes to serve them as a delicious salad, together with their green tops, which are similar to Swiss chard.  We hope your family and friends will delight in this salad as much as we do.

1.  Preheat the oven to 400°.

2.  Wash the beets under cold water and cut the tops away from the root bulbs.  Put the wet bulbs on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and seal them in a pouch, allowing enough space inside for the steam to circulate.  Place the pouches on a baking sheet bake until the beets are tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 1 1/2 hours.

3.  While the bulbs are baking, fill a pot that will comfortably hold the beet tops with water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.

4.  When the water in the pot is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and put the beet tops in.  Cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible by pressing on the leaves with a spoon.

5.  When the root bulbs are cool enough to handle, trim the tops and bottoms then peel them.  The skin should come off easily using your fingers.  Cut the beets in half lengthwise then slice into half moons and put on a serving platter.

6.  Cut the beet tops into bite size pieces, and add them to the platter.  Sprinkle generously with salt, add the oil and vinegar, and toss gently.  The beets are best when served lukewarm or at room temperature.

Note: The root bulbs can be baked 1-2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.  Take them out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving to let come to room temperature.  The tops are best when served within a few hours of being cooked.

Pureed berries give the tangy wine vinegar dressing a creamy texture that gently clings to the lettuce and fruit. This is a salad to enjoy when fresh berries are in the market.

Raspberry, Avocado & Mango Salad Recipe

5 servings, about 2 cups each

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, divided
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
* 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 8 cups mixed salad greens
* 1 ripe mango, diced (see Tip)
* 1 small ripe avocado, diced
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
* 1/4 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts, or sliced almonds (see Tip), optional

Preparation

1. Puree 1/2 cup raspberries, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender until combined.
2. Combine greens, mango, avocado and onion in a large bowl. Pour the dressing on top and gently toss to coat. Divide the salad among 5 salad plates. Top each with the remaining raspberries and sprinkle with nuts, if using.

Tips & Notes

* Tips: To dice a mango:
* 1. Slice both ends off the mango, revealing the long, slender seed inside. Set the fruit upright on a work surface and remove the skin with a sharp knife.
* 2. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the seed, yielding two large pieces.
* 3. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces of fruit from each side.
* 4. Cut the fruit into the desired shape.
* To toast chopped or sliced nuts, heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 215 calories; 16 g fat ( 2 g sat , 12 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 7 g fiber; 122 mg sodium; 564 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (60% dv), Folate (36% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 2 vegetable, 3 fat