Enjoy Eating Healthy Foods

You don't have to spend countless hours in the kitchen or a lot of money to eat well.

Buy foods that are easy to prepare, like pasta and tomato sauce, rice and beans, or canned salmon. ( Remember to stick with cold water, wild salmon! )

Plan ahead and cook enough food to have leftovers. Casseroles, meat loaf, and whole cooked chicken can feed your family for several days. (Be sure to freeze or refrigerate leftovers right away to keep them safe to eat.)

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. Buy only as much as you will use, so they will not go bad.

Buy frozen or canned vegetables (no salt added) and canned fruit packed in juice. They are just as good for you as fresh produce, and will not go bad.

Try canned beans like kidney, butter, pinto, or black beans. They are loaded with protein, cost less than meat, and make quick and easy additions to your meals.

If your local store does not have the foods you want, or the prices are too high, try another store or your local farmers market when the weather permits. Share a ride or the cost of a taxi with a friend.

Enjoy eating healthy foods with friends. Arrange time for cooking and sharing healthy meals together. Cut the cost of the meals by buying in bulk together.

Many successful and healthy fitness lovers keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel when you eat can help you understand your eating habits. You may be able to see ways to make your eating habits healthier. You can also use your diary to plan weekly menus, make shopping lists, and keep track of recipes you would like to try.

Dinner and A Poem for Your Love(s)

An excellent meal for your favorite Valentine(s):

Here's all you need:

2 8 ounces cuts of your favorite steak
1 garlic clove ( minced )
8 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 big bag of mixed vegetables ( frozen ) or
2 smaller bags of different veggies ( frozen )
1 small bag of pre-washed baby spinach.

First get your steak ready -

Cut the steak into thin strips about 1/2 inch wide.

2. In a medium glass mixing bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Add beef strips and stir to coat with the oil mixture (marinade sauce). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

4. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil for 1-2 minutes until hot.

5. Drain marinade from beef. Put beef in skillet, stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until meat is thoroughly browned.

Then, while your beef is cooking - steam some of your favorite vegetables and drizzle a tablespoon of lemon juice over your steamed vegetables.

Serve the steak and steamed vegetables on a bed of rinsed baby spinach.

After Dinner serve up some delicious chocolates!

Then after a sumptuous Valentine Dinner - share this wonderful old poem with your favorite loved one(s):

Go, Cupid, and my sweetheart tell
I love her well.
Yes, though she tramples on my heart
And rends that bleeding thing apart;
And though she rolls a scornful eye
On doting me when I go by;
And though she scouts at everything
As tribute unto her I bring—
Apple, banana, caramel—
Haste, Cupid, to my love and tell,
In spite of all, I love her well!

And further say I have a sled
Cushioned in blue and painted red!
The groceryman has promised I
Can "hitch" whenever he goes by—
Go, tell her that, and, furthermore,
Apprise my sweetheart that a score
Of other little girls implore
The boon of riding on that sled
Painted and hitched, as aforesaid;—
And tell her, Cupid, only she
Shall ride upon that sled with me!
Tell her this all, and further tell
I love her well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make your Lover Some Hot Chocolate!

The following was written over a hundred years ago:
"After a good, complete, and copious breakfast, if we take, in addition, a cup of well-made chocolate, digestion will be perfectly accomplished in three hours, and we may dine whenever we like. Out of zeal for science, and by dint of eloquence, I have induced many ladies to try this experiment. They all declared, in the beginning, that it would kill them; but they have all thrived on it"

And here is how to make that cup of well-made chocolate -

Use four ounces of Baker's Chocolate,
one quart of milk,
three tablespoonfuls of hot water,
1 teaspoon of vanilla
and 4 tablespoons of sugar


Cut the chocolate in fine bits. Put the milk on the stove in the
double-boiler, and when it has been heated to the boiling point, put the
chocolate, sugar and water in a small iron or granite-ware pan, and stir
over a hot fire until smooth and glossy. Stir this mixture into the hot
milk, and beat well with a whisk.

Serve at once!

For a little extra flair - put a tablespoonful of whipped cream in each cup and before filling up with your hot chocolate.

This plain chocolate may be used instead of the vanilla, but in that case
use a teaspoonful of vanilla extract and three generous tablespoonfuls
of sugar instead of one.

More about the benefits of chocolate!

A Valentines Day Chocolate Fudge!

Share a chocolate treat with your favorite valentine(s) and watch as they light up with the joy of tasting a true classic!

Here's how:

Melt one-quarter cup of butter.

Mix together in a separate dish one cup of white sugar, one cup of brown sugar, one-quarter cup of molasses and one-half cup of cream. Add this to the butter, and after it has been brought to a boil continue boiling for two and one-half minutes, stirring rapidly.

Then add two squares of Baker's Premium No. 1 Chocolate, scraped fine. Boil this five minutes, stirring it first rapidly, and then more slowly towards the end.

After it has been taken from the fire, add one and one-half teaspoonfuls of vanilla.

Then stir constantly until the mass thickens.

Pour into buttered pan and set in a cool place.

Share some chocolate with those you love on Valentines Day!

Here is another easy and delicious idea for Chocolate.

Lentils - A Super-Food

Lentils offer a whole bunch of healthy benefits and are so easy to cook. One cup of lentils provides about a third of your daily fiber needs and a healthy mix of vitamins and minerals. Good for the heart - Lentils serve up excellent doses of folate and magnesium. Lentils are inexpensive and easy to include in just about any soup or crock-pot recipe!

Here is an excellent dish - sure to warm you up on a chilly Winter night!

Here's all you need:

1/2 lb. of lentils - rinsed and cooked ( Boil for 10 minutes and let simmer for another 10 or 15 minutes )

1 lb. of potatoes - rinsed well and sliced

1 lb. of tomatoes

1 Large red or purple onion

1 heaping teaspoonful of your favorite herbs ( we like cumin, mint and thyme

3 hard-boiled eggs

1-1/2 oz. of butter

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

pepper and salt to taste.

Peel, wash, and dice the potatoes and onion,

and fry them in 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil until nearly soft.

slice the tomatoes ( Or use a small can of chopped tomatoes )

mix the fried vegetables, lentils, tomatoes, herbs, and seasoning well together.

Turn the mixture into a pie-dish, and pour over as much water or vegetable stock as may be required for gravy.

Quarter the hard-boiled eggs and place them on the top.

Cover with a short crust, and bake at 300 for 1-1/2 hours.

Enjoy this delicious dish at your next family meal. If you enjoy staying healthy or maybe even want to lose a few pounds this year - keep eating healthy foods this winter!

Give her Chocolate!

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, and if you hesitate to shell out for a diamond this Valentines Day - Give Her Chocolate!

Chocolate is a substance "very temperate, very nourishing, and of easy digestion; very proper to repair the exhausted spirits and decayed strength; and very suitable to preserve the health and prolong lives"

You can buy months-old chocolates at any discount chain - or really impress your lover with some chocolates you pour a piece of yourself into.

Here is an easy recipe for chocolate creams:

Beat the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth.

Gradually beat into this two cupfuls of confectioners' sugar. If the eggs are large, it may take a little more sugar.

Flavor with half a teaspoonful of vanilla, and work well.

Now roll into little balls, and drop on a slightly buttered platter.

Let the balls stand for an hour or more.

Shave five ounces of Baker's Chocolate and put into a small bowl.

Place on the fire in a saucepan containing boiling water.

( Use a double boiler if you have one to melt the chocolate. )

When the chocolate is melted, take the saucepan to the table, and drop the creams
into the chocolate one at a time, taking them out with a fork and dropping them gently on the buttered dish.

It will take half an hour or more to harden the chocolate.

Enjoy some homemade chocolates this Valentines Day with your special loved one. Or share some with some of your favorite loved ones! Chocolate truly is a superfood - a gift from the Heavens!