Break out of a Diet Rut

Sure, eating the same meals week after week is easy and time-efficient, but it might not be the best thing for your diet. After a while, even the meals that were once considered favorites can start to become less appealing. And when this happens, it's more likely that you'll reach for additional food to feel satisfied—and that can easily lead to overeating. So instead of letting yourself fall into a food rut that leaves you less than excited about eating—and possibly even a bit heavier—try these tips for adding variety without too much effort.

1. Get creative. You don't have to visit specialty stores or order hard-to-find, exotic ingredients online. In fact, you can look no further than what you already have: Sometimes it's the times when you have little in the house that you are the most creative with a meal. That's because when all your standard ingredients are gone, you're forced you to branch out. Instead of picking out the first thing you see in the refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets, make sure you take an inventory of what you really have. Then ask yourself how you could make a meal out of it. For example, have quinoa that you used once in a recipe but never again sitting in the back of your cabinet? Make a quinoa veggie pilaf using any chopped fresh or frozen veggies that you have left.

2. Keep an "I like it" recipe database. It only takes a few minutes to look up recipes online. There are so many quick and easy options that there are no excuses! Simply make it a goal to look up one or two new recipes each weekend. If you're a member of TheBestlife.com, you have access to lots of delicious, quick, and healthy recipes in the recipe database. Other great places to find recipes are Eatingwell.com and Cookinglight.com. Keep the recipes that get a "thumbs up" in a binder, recipe box, or in a file on your computer. Continue building that database and then when you go to make your shopping list, remember to refer to it so that you don't forget to include in your weekly shopping list the ingredients you'll need to make one or two of the recipes.

3. Swap some of your staples. Most of us have a pretty standard set of items that we buy each week, and in many ways this works to our advantage as long as we're choosing foods that can be used in multiple ways. But don't let this become an excuse to have the exact same shopping list each week. You should switch out certain items, especially ones that end up being accent foods. For example, if you normally buy two types of cheese (one for sandwiches and one for salads or pasta) try switching the types that you purchase (instead of feta buy gorgonzola). The same goes for things like nuts or nut butter; if you always buy walnuts, try pecans. This might prompt you to change your traditional grilled chicken salad with the same old veggies to one using toasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles and apple slices.

4. Visit a farmers market. There's no better place to get seasonal ideas than your local farmers market. Pick up produce, meat/poultry, herbs, etc,. and brainstorm creative ways you can incorporate them into a meal (ask the farmer for some suggestions; he'll probably be more than happy to share). Even through a single season, the crops that are most available change, so you may never eat the same thing twice!

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Cut-Up Vegetables

You've probably heard us say before that small changes add up to big results. This week's must-have—cut-up veggies—falls into the category of a 'small change' that makes healthy eating easier, more enjoyable, and more doable, especially for the long-run! Here's how this simple trick helps you stay on track.
 
You'll save time. Washing and cutting vegetables for the entire week probably takes only about 20 minutes, but if you wait until during the week when things are crazy or right before you need them, you'll likely find that you just don't have the time to spare. Instead, wash and cut them right when you get them home from the grocery store—before you put them away. I'd heard this tip before, and I always knew it could save time, but until I actually started doing it, I never realized just how valuable it would be! After you cut your veggies, put them in air-tight containers and store them in the fridge front and center so you don't forget they're there.

You'll waste less. I make it a point to take inventory of all the produce in my refrigerator and use the first-in, first-out method as much as possible so nothing goes bad. But even still, the veggies that aren't already cleaned and cut tend to spoil before those that are ready to go. When I open the fridge and see the containers of prepared veggies just sitting there, I'm much more likely to use them.

You'll eat more veggies, guaranteed. Most people don't eat enough veggies each day—you need at least five servings (1/2 cup each)—so anything that makes it easier and more automatic is a good thing.

You'll be more creative with weeknight meals. One of the most time-consuming parts of making a meal is the prep work involved.  But if you have the slicing and dicing out of the way, you're more likely to be motivated to throw something together. And once you see the variety of vegetables you have ready to go in the fridge, you'll find yourself being more creative, adding them to dishes you never even knew were in your head! For example, if have baby bella (aka crimini) mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and bell peppers all cut up in the fridge, it's easy to add some garlic and white wine, and mix with whole wheat pasta and/or quinoa for a satisfying meal. Or, if you have leftover cooked chicken breast, chop it up and mix it with celery, onion, and light mayo to create a chicken salad to serve over a green salad for lunch or dinner. The possibilities are endless, but here are some of my favorites veggies (and what's currently in my fridge!) 

My favorites:
• Sliced bell peppers: Eat plain or dipped in hummus; or add to stirfries, fajitas, salads, wraps, pizza, pasta or veggie lasagna
• Sliced cucumbers: Eat plain with vinegar; add to salads; or layer on sandwiches
• Diced or sliced red onion: Add to salmon, tuna, or egg salad; or toss into omelets, stirfries or soups
• Celery sticks: Spread with peanut butter and top with dried fruit like raisins, dried cranberries, apricots; or dip in hummus or salsa
• Grape tomatoes: These don't really require any prep, but they're great to buy because they're ready to add to salads or pasta dishes; or to pop in your mouth as-is, or dipped in hummus or yogurt dip.
• Broccoli florets and cut stalks: Add to stirfries, pasta dishes, pizzas, cold salads like pasta salad; or steam and mix with a touch of olive oil and garlic
• Mushrooms (baby bellas or crimini): Add to pasta dishes, omelets, stirfries, or salads for a meaty texture
• Washed and dried arugula: Use as a base for salads, in sandwiches and wraps; or even cook in a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a tasty side dish to serve with fish or poultry.

In the Kitchen with Sidra: A Tasty Homemade Dish—No Cooking Required

This time of year, I start to do lots of non-cooking, meaning I make dishes that don't require heat—think cold salads and soups, chilled entrées and fresh fruit for dessert. This helps keep the house cooler (no extra heat coming from the stove or oven) and it also keeps me from having to eat something warm when it's warm out.

One of my favorite healthy non-cook dishes is a fennel salad (see the recipe below). Fennel is crunchy vegetable (similar to celery), with a fresh, slightly licorice taste. It's available year round, but right now it's just starting to show up at my local farmers market—and it's at its best.  (You may even be able to find baby fennel right now, which is slightly sweet and even juicier than larger fennel.) I love the veggie because it's versatile—it adds flavor and texture to salads as well as it accompanies fish, meat and poultry. Plus, it's easy to use; simply slice the bulb and enjoy.  

You can follow the recipe below exactly or feel free to experiment, incorporating other herbs and vegetables as you like. For instance, if you have your own garden and have some extra tomatoes or cucumbers, you could throw them into the salad.

Fennel Salad
Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 large bulb fennel, sliced thinly
½ cup chopped mixed herbs (such as chives, basil, parsley, etc.)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and season with black pepper. Serve immediately as a salad or as a side dish that will pair well with pretty much anything. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before serving.

Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 49
Protein: 1 g
Carbohydrate: 4 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 0 g
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 35 mg
Sodium: 322 mg 

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Veggie Burgers

Sure, veggie burgers are healthy—they're lower in fat and calories than many meat options. And studies show that people who eat the most meat consume more calories, are more prone to packing on dangerous belly fat, and are more likely to be obese than people who eat the least. Veggie burgers are also flavorful; they vary in taste from dead-ringers for beef burgers to brands that taste like roasted vegetables. But there’s another reason I love them: They're really versatile. In fact, you can eat them any time of the day (including breakfast) and in a variety of meals, from soups to pasta. And because they come pre-cooked, all they need is a quick thaw in the microwave and they're ready to go. Check out my favorite ways to enjoy veggie burgers:

Breakfast of Champions
This is often my go-to breakfast when I'm in the mood for something savory (which is most of the time): I top a warm veggie burger with cooked spinach (or whatever veggies are leftover from last night's dinner), a slice of reduced-fat cheese, and an egg fried in cooking spray. It's great served with one or two corn tortillas or a slice of whole-wheat toast.

That's a Wrap
Spread reduced-fat cream cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla and top with salsa, arugula or baby spinach, tomato, avocado, and a thawed and diced veggie burger. Wrap up burrito-style, and you have lunch. If you're packing your lunch to go, wrap it in foil and hit the road.

A Hearty Stew
Stir sautéed spinach and onion, and a chopped-up thawed veggie burger into reduced-sodium tomato soup. Before serving, stir in cooked quinoa or any other whole grain (try wheat berries!) and top with a dollop of nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt and diced avocado.

A Super Salad Topper
Top baby spinach with halved grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and a heated and diced veggie burger. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. I also like to add diced baked sweet potato to this salad or sprinkle leftover brown rice or wheat berries onto it.

Pasta Pleaser
Stir chopped thawed frozen broccoli and a chopped-up thawed veggie burger into reduced-sodium marinara sauce and simmer until heated through. Spoon over whole-grain pasta and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan and black pepper.

Note: There are different types of veggie burgers. I usually opt for one that's made from a montage of veggies all mashed together into a patty, as opposed to the ones that look and taste more like beef, which are made of soy protein. If you're counting on your veggie burger to add protein to your diet, the types that are made of mainly vegetables won't offer up as much as the soy protein varieties. Another caveat: Veggie burgers can run quite high in sodium, so I stick with a brand that has no more than 350 milligrams of sodium per patty. 

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Wheat Berries

A few weeks ago I was compiling a grocery list and I had a realization: When it comes to cooking whole grains at home, I'm sort of boring. I pride myself in being an adventurous eater, I enjoy trying new foods, and I often eat a variety of whole grains when I hit the salad bar at work or a restaurant. But as I wrote my list, I realized that my pantry has a constant supply of brown rice/wild rice blend and quinoa. It never changes... until now.

Just last week, I started adding wheat berries to my shopping list. (Wheat berries are the most unrefined version of wheat you can eat—they're just the wheat kernel with the inedible hull removed. If you were to grind wheat berries up, you'd get whole wheat flour; chop them up and you'd get bulgur wheat.) They're my favorite whole grain to scoop onto my salads at the salad bar at work. They are nutty in flavor and slightly crunchy in texture, and they give salads a heartiness that turns them into a satisfying meal. But I'd never made them at home because I'd always heard that they took forever to cook and required overnight soaking prior to cooking. Still, I decided to give them a try, thinking that if I made extra, I could use the leftovers all week and the cooking time would be justified.

I found wheat berries in the section of the grocery store where brown rice and quinoa are sold. It may also be called 'hard wheat' or 'hard wheat berries' and it comes in two colors: Red and white. I chose the red, only because they were more colorful (the nutrition information and cooking directions are the same for each). I bought a pre-packaged bag because I wanted the cooking instructions, but next time I'll look for them in a bulk bin to save money and reduce packaging waste.

Much to my pleasant surprise, the cooking instructions didn't call for pre-soaking. And while the cooking time was an hour and 15 minutes, the wheat berries simply simmer during that time (so you don't need to constantly check on them). Once my wheat berries were cooked, I drained them, mixed 3 cups with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and citrus vinaigrette to create a side dish for dinner. It was delicious.

I put the leftover 3 cups of wheat berries in the fridge, in a sealed glass container, and used them throughout the week in these dishes:

1. With warm fat-free milk, toasted walnuts, raisins, banana slices, and cinnamon for a filling breakfast.

2. Sprinkled over a roasted vegetable salad with grilled chicken for a quick lunch of leftovers.

3. With a stir-fry, instead of brown rice.

4. With melted almond butter and peaches as a snack.

5. Mixed with feta, olives, tomato, and spinach for a side dish with fish at dinner.

6. On top of a spinach, pepper and strawberry salad for lunch (pictured in the above photo).

As you can see, wheat berries are really versatile. And they keep well in the fridge without getting mushy—mine lasted a full week. Another bonus: They pack a big-time nutritional punch. One half cup cooked provides 6 grams of fiber, 8 percent of the Daily Value of iron, 6 grams of protein, B vitamins, and even a little calcium (2 percent of the Daily Value)—all for a mere 150 calories. Cook some up tonight and let me know what you do with them!

Facebook Profile: Garlic

Basic Information
Birthday: April 19, National Garlic Day, is the day to celebrate the veggie that's probably more than 5,000 years.

Current City: Garlic is grown throughout the world, but China produces the most.

Family Members: Relatives include onions, shallots, leeks and chives.
 
Personal Information  
Fans: Chefs love garlic, an essential cooking ingredient that's used in a variety of dishes, from tomato sauce to hummus to Asian-style stir fry. Nutritionists and those watching their weight are also fond of the veggie because it adds a lot of flavor to dishes without adding any fat. Even doctors like garlic because it contains organosulfur compounds, which, among other things, rev up the body's own antioxidant defense system, helping to fight off cancer and to thin the blood, reducing the risk for dangerous blood clots.
 
Favorite Activities: Besides warding off evil vampires (Edward Cullen and his "vegetarian" family excluded), garlic loves to be roasted. Roasting garlic results in a more mild taste than raw. To roast, try this technique:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate heads of garlic into individual cloves, leaving the papery skin in tact. Place garlic on a sheet pan and lightly coat with vegetable oil cooking spray. Cook until cloves are soft, about 20 minutes. Once garlic has cooled, remove the skin from the garlic. Cut the cloves in half lengthwise and remove the small sprout near the top of the clove using a knife. (The sprout can be difficult to digest and is sometimes bitter.)  Use garlic immediately or store in a refrigerated air-tight container for up to a week.

Favorite quotation: "You can never have enough garlic. With enough garlic, you can eat The New York Times." —Morley Safer

Your Cooking Questions, Answered

Whether you're unsure how long leftovers are good for or how to swap ingredients, Best Life chef Sidra Forman has all the answers. Below, she tackles some common culinary questions. 

How long are leftovers good for?
Typically, three to five days if they're wrapped tightly and refrigerated properly. But always use your senses: If the food looks or smells at all spoiled, throw it out. Lingering leftovers not only taste bad, but they can also make you sick.

How do you convert measurements in recipes?
You could try to remember back to all those high school math lessons, or you could simply Google it. Go to Google.com (or any other search engine) and type in what you're looking for. For instance, you could type "2 ounces to cups," and the answer should pop up at the top of the page.

Is it always OK to divide or multiply a recipe to get the amount of servings you desire?
Yes, most of the time you can do a little simple math to get the number of servings you need. Just be aware that in some cases, cooking times might be less if there is less volume to cook. For example, if you're roasting half an onion in the same pan that you would roast a whole onion, it will cook much faster since more of the onion will be in direct contact with the cooking surface. Also, if you change the number servings in a recipe, you'll need to adjust the size of the pan as well as the ingredients. Take, for example, a fritatta or a brownie, in which the thickness of the final product is important: If you reduce the amount of ingredients by half, you also need to reduce the size of the pan so the finished product will be the desired thickness and consistency.

Can I swap one type of oil for another when I'm cooking?
You can certainly substitute oils, but you should consider taste if you're not cooking and smoke point if you are. Grapeseed oil, olive oil and canola oil can all be used interchangeably when cooking because they all have a high smoke point and will not burn easily. Olive oil also works well raw for salad dressings because the flavor isn't too strong, as do nut oils. But note that nut oils do not work well for cooking because of their low smoke point.

For more healthy cooking advice, check out TheBestLife.com.

Bring on the Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts have gotten a bad reputation–in movies and on TV shows, parents are always forcing or bribing their kids to eat the  veggie. Many blame their dislike of the veggie on their sulfuric smell and taste, but this only happens when you overcook them. If you cook them right, you're in for a treat. In fact, I always gladly finish my Brussels sprouts—and even go back for seconds! Not just because they're so cute (Brussels sprouts resemble tiny cabbages, and are indeed in the cabbage family), but because they are delicious, loaded with nutrients, easy to prepare, and quite versatile.

My favorite way to make them is by roasting them with a little olive oil cooking spray and a crackle of fresh black pepper. To prepare them, simply rinse, remove any loose leaves, trim the thicker bottom portion, and they’re ready to go. (I prefer to slice my sprouts in half—they cook quicker and get a bit crispier on the outside.) Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with pepper, and bake at 400 for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once. If I'm making a small batch, I stick them in the toaster oven; larger batches go in the regular oven.

Eat your roasted Brussels sprouts as is, add them to your salad, or create my favorite side dish by tossing them with balsamic vinegar and freshly grated Parmesan. One cup provides two servings of veggies and packs in fiber, more than 100 percent of your daily needs of vitamin C, and special phytonutrients that may help ward off certain types of cancer. You (and your kids) may want to think twice before bypassing Brussels sprouts!

For more tasty ways to prepare veggies, check out TheBestLife.com.

Great Garlic

Yesterday I went to pick up my share at the CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture, a way for people to buy local, seasonal produce directly from a farmer) that I belong to, and I got about 10 heads of garlic. Other people were complaining that it was too much—but I was excited! I use a lot of garlic in my cooking, most of it roasted because I find that roasted garlic enhances a variety of foods without overwhelming the natural flavor like raw garlic can. Roasted garlic, if cleaned properly, is also easier to digest than raw.

This time of year especially, I add raw garlic to seasonal vegetables, such as wilted fall greens, roasted tomatoes and cooked squashes. Raw garlic pureed with a little water and seasoned with salt and pepper also makes a great sauce for meat and poultry. Check out the recipe below for instructions on roasting garlic and then use it to spice up your favorite dishes.

Roasted Garlic

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Garlic broken into cloves with papery skin left on
Vegetable oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place cloves on a sheet pan, coat with cooking spray and place in oven.

3. Cook garlic until soft to the touch.

4. Once garlic is cool enough to touch, remove the papery skin.  Split cloves in half lengthwise and look for a small stem that may run down the middle of the clove. If the stem is there, remove and discard. Some young garlic has little to no stem; older garlic has a larger stem that is easy to remove.

For more healthy cooking tips, check out TheBestLife.com.

Five Ways to Get Hooked on Fish

Although fish is a great source of lean protein, and some swimmers, such as albacore tuna* and salmon, are brimming with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, many people pass right by the fish section and fill their cart with beef, chicken, or turkey instead. Maybe you pass on fish because you don't like the flavor or texture—or maybe you like it, but only when it's fried.

If you need an introduction (or reintroduction) to mouth-watering, nutritious fish dishes, you're in luck. Making tasty fish at home is easier than you may think. The real secret to succulent fish lies in selecting the catch. If you're wary of fish, go for fresh instead of frozen; there's less guesswork about safe thawing and you'll be less likely to encounter that stinky seafood smell. Do some research and find a reputable fish dealer where there's great selection, knowledgeable staff, and high product turnover, which often means they offer fresher products. An experienced fishmonger can help you choose the fish that's just right for your taste. For example, if it's the fish flavor that bothers you, he can help you select a mild fish, like Chilean sea bass or tilapia. Or if you prefer a meaty texture, your fishmonger can recommend a firm fish, like tuna. Once you make your selection, give it a sniff—fresh fish should shouldn't smelly fishy at all, rather, it should have a slight marine scent.  

Then once you get home, try these five ideas, which will make even the biggest fish phobe a fish fanatic:

Sauce it
Whether you decide to bake, grill or broil your fish, a tasty topper can add appeal. A fresh mango salsa adds great zip to a grilled grouper* fillet starring in a Mexican-themed meal. Or if you like cool and creamy, finish wild salmon with a dollop of fat-free sour cream mixed with a little fresh dill and a pinch of salt.

Sub it
If you like chicken and veggie kebabs, try substituting a firm fish like mahi mahi instead. Luckily, fish and poultry recipes often use the same seasonings, so it's especially easy to swap fish for chicken. And be sure to include your standby side dishes in the meal, too—it's less intimidating to try a new food when an old favorite is on the same plate.

Encrust it
If it's the texture of fish that you don't like (or you're missing fried fish), try adding a crisp and flavorful coating. A mild fish fillet, like catfish, gains delicious crunch when it's dipped in egg white, dredged in whole-wheat bread crumbs, herbs and a tablespoon of ground pine nuts, and baked. Also, lightly rubbing a thin fish fillet with a purchased seafood seasoning and then "frying" it in a non-stick pan spritzed with cooking spray creates delicious texture, too.

Mix it
If a whole fillet of fish seems like a big step, start small. Try chunks of seasoned, grilled fish, like rockfish, added to your favorite mix of salad greens. Fish can also make a great addition to a pasta salad. Channel a Mediterranean getaway with a Greek-themed pasta salad; it's as easy as tossing whole-wheat pasta, roasted red peppers, onion, cucumber and oregano with a little olive oil, feta and freshly grilled swordfish*.

Marinate it
Perhaps the easiest way to add flavor to fish is by using a simple marinade—either store-bought or homemade. Your options are limitless. Italian, lemon-pepper, and ginger teriyaki, just to name a few, are the perfect blends to quickly and easily jazz up your fish before sending it to the grill or broiler.

With so many fish in the sea, you can experiment until you find your best catch!

* Some fish, including grouper, swordfish and some tuna, are high in mercury. The FDA advises avoiding them if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Instead, make a substitution for a lower mercury fish, such as mahi mahi, sole or flounder.

For more healthy-eating and meal ideas, check out TheBestLife.com.