I'm trying to lose weight and have been eating some of the healthy frozen meals from the grocery store. Are these good for you?
The following was originally published 02/05/2004.
Many people try to lose weight by eating diet foods that claim to be prepared in a healthy fashion. Whether they are "nutritionally balanced" frozen dinners, supplement shakes or meal replacement bars, they may not be truly healthy alternatives to whole food.
Many of these prepared foods contain poor ingredients - especially unhealthy fats. Manufacturers love partially hydrogenated oils because they extend shelf life, but in my opinion they are dangerous. For one thing, these oils are sources of trans fatty acids (TFAs), which increase risks of both cardiovascular disease and cancer. TFAs are just as bad, if not worse, for the heart and arteries than saturated fats. They increase total cholesterol, raise "bad" LDL (low density lipoprotein) and lower "good" HDL (high density lipoprotein). Beyond that, TFAs may also have adverse effects on cell membranes and the immune system, and may promote inflammation and aging.
As a matter of fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently ruled that starting in 2006, food companies must list a product's amount of trans fats on its label. While other fats now are listed in the "Nutrition Facts" box, TFAs can only be found in the long list of side-panel ingredients, where they usually are listed as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils." The amount of trans fat typically is not given, however a general rule is that the higher these oils are on the ingredient list, the more trans fat there is.
Until 2006, I suggest that you avoid TFAs altogether by checking the labels of any processed foods you buy - even those claiming to be healthy - and stay away from those containing margarine, vegetable shortening and fractionated or partially hydrogenated oils of any kind. I have no objection to frozen and other convenience foods made from healthy ingredients. Read labels!
Andrew Weil, M.D.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA326162
Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
Edamame Salad
My mom's friend, Jocelyn, developed this recipe and I created the variation.
Notes:
1) Edamame is a type of soy bean. You should be able to find it at most grocery stores in the produce section.
2) There are no particular amounts in this recipe; it's all done to taste.
Ingredients:
Edamame
Mango
Corn
Red onion
Cilantro (very little is needed)
Coconut (optional; see variation)
Directions:
Put edamame in a bowl
Add diced up mango (which is a pain to peel and dice, I know, but it's taste contrasts perfectly with the edamame so it's really the key ingredient.)
Add diced up red onion
Add corn
Mix everything up and finish with a bit of cilantro on top
Variation:
Skip the red onion and cilantro
Add in some shredded coconut
We were out of red onion and cilantro, so this is just with edamame, mango, and corn.
Notes:
1) Edamame is a type of soy bean. You should be able to find it at most grocery stores in the produce section.
2) There are no particular amounts in this recipe; it's all done to taste.
Ingredients:
Edamame
Mango
Corn
Red onion
Cilantro (very little is needed)
Coconut (optional; see variation)
Directions:
Put edamame in a bowl
Add diced up mango (which is a pain to peel and dice, I know, but it's taste contrasts perfectly with the edamame so it's really the key ingredient.)
Add diced up red onion
Add corn
Mix everything up and finish with a bit of cilantro on top
Variation:
Skip the red onion and cilantro
Add in some shredded coconut
We were out of red onion and cilantro, so this is just with edamame, mango, and corn.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Spicey Vegetable Stew
This recipe is a baked potato topper or sweet potato topper. I have also tried it over rice or thrown in 1 pound of cooked pasta. It is versatile in that you can use all the veggies in the kitchen and will not be bad if there are one or two things missing.
1 T vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced (or shredded) carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomoatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 c diced yellow squash
1 c diced zucchini
2 T chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1. heat oil in large skillit over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic....cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, for about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, chili power and cumin. Reduce heat to ow and cook 20 minutes.
3. Add yellow squash and zucchini.and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 min more. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
1 T vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced (or shredded) carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomoatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 c diced yellow squash
1 c diced zucchini
2 T chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1. heat oil in large skillit over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic....cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, for about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, chili power and cumin. Reduce heat to ow and cook 20 minutes.
3. Add yellow squash and zucchini.and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 min more. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
Mexican Lasagna
We've had this one a few times and really liked it. It comes from vegetarian times complete cookbook.
1/2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin
pinch cayenne (optional)
1 16 oz can kidney or pinto (we used pinto) beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned, fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup tomato sauce
10 7- inch corn tortillas
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2-1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1. heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in chili powder, cumin and cayenne, and saute for 1 min more.
2. remove from heat and add beans corn and tomato sauce.
3. preheat to 350.
4. place a few corn tortillas, broken into 1/2, in the bottom of a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish. add 1/2 the corn mixture then 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. repeat layers 'til everything is gone and then top with cheddar cheese.
5. bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 min or until heated through.
1/2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin
pinch cayenne (optional)
1 16 oz can kidney or pinto (we used pinto) beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned, fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup tomato sauce
10 7- inch corn tortillas
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2-1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1. heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in chili powder, cumin and cayenne, and saute for 1 min more.
2. remove from heat and add beans corn and tomato sauce.
3. preheat to 350.
4. place a few corn tortillas, broken into 1/2, in the bottom of a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish. add 1/2 the corn mixture then 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. repeat layers 'til everything is gone and then top with cheddar cheese.
5. bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 min or until heated through.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Seriously fast white bean soup
Found this on epicurious and adapted it. It makes enough to feed about three people, so double for leftovers.
* 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 TBS olive oil (it called for 5 times as much but who needs that much oil?)
* 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
* 1 3/4 cups veggie broth
* 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups) any white bean will do
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 10+ cups fresh spinach, kale or other leafy green. About 5-7 oz. (if kale, coarsely chop it and remove stems)
Cook garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add everything but the greens and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add greens and cook a few more minutes. The kale will stay just a bit crunchy.
Serve!
-Anne
* 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 TBS olive oil (it called for 5 times as much but who needs that much oil?)
* 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
* 1 3/4 cups veggie broth
* 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups) any white bean will do
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 10+ cups fresh spinach, kale or other leafy green. About 5-7 oz. (if kale, coarsely chop it and remove stems)
Cook garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add everything but the greens and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add greens and cook a few more minutes. The kale will stay just a bit crunchy.
Serve!
-Anne
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Big Batch Veggie Soup
Here is my version of veggie soup. [I adapted it from a recipe I found online, which I've posted the link to at the end of this.]
You'll need:
Olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
Seasonings (I suggest salt, crushed black pepper, oregano, basil, and celery salt)
Garlic
3 cans of reduced sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz each)
2 cans of diced tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz each)
3 cups water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups potato (small pieces)
2 cups corn
1 cup carrots
1 cup green beans
1 cup peas
1 cup lima beans
(You can do fresh or frozen veggies; no need to thaw frozen veggies first.)
Mozzarella cheese (optional)
In a large pot, put in olive oil, onion, and celery. Cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Add seasonings and garlic; stir. NOTE: I tend to be an estimator with some of my cooking. I add enough olive oil that the onion and celery won't burn, which is probably 2-3 tbsps, and guestimate how much seasoning and garlic (probably about 1 tbsp garlic). I know I've added enough seasoning when I can smell it with the soup.
Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add all the vegetables. Bring this to a rolling boil and allow to boil for at least 10 minutes, then allow to simmer for another 5 (for a total of about 25 minutes of cook time). NOTE: This works well if you have very small/thin pieces of potatoes and carrots. If you have larger chunks, you will probably want to increase the boiling time to 15 minutes in order to properly soften those two vegetables.
My friend Kathleen and Mark both swear the soup is better with shredded mozzarella cheese and cracked pepper on top.
TIP: If you freeze the leftover soup and later re-heat it over the stove, I suggest adding some more of the tomato paste when you re-heat it to help keep the soup from being a little watery.
Original recipe found here:Big Batch Vegetable Soup
Happy eating :-)
You'll need:
Olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
Seasonings (I suggest salt, crushed black pepper, oregano, basil, and celery salt)
Garlic
3 cans of reduced sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz each)
2 cans of diced tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz each)
3 cups water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups potato (small pieces)
2 cups corn
1 cup carrots
1 cup green beans
1 cup peas
1 cup lima beans
(You can do fresh or frozen veggies; no need to thaw frozen veggies first.)
Mozzarella cheese (optional)
In a large pot, put in olive oil, onion, and celery. Cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Add seasonings and garlic; stir. NOTE: I tend to be an estimator with some of my cooking. I add enough olive oil that the onion and celery won't burn, which is probably 2-3 tbsps, and guestimate how much seasoning and garlic (probably about 1 tbsp garlic). I know I've added enough seasoning when I can smell it with the soup.
Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add all the vegetables. Bring this to a rolling boil and allow to boil for at least 10 minutes, then allow to simmer for another 5 (for a total of about 25 minutes of cook time). NOTE: This works well if you have very small/thin pieces of potatoes and carrots. If you have larger chunks, you will probably want to increase the boiling time to 15 minutes in order to properly soften those two vegetables.
My friend Kathleen and Mark both swear the soup is better with shredded mozzarella cheese and cracked pepper on top.
TIP: If you freeze the leftover soup and later re-heat it over the stove, I suggest adding some more of the tomato paste when you re-heat it to help keep the soup from being a little watery.
Original recipe found here:Big Batch Vegetable Soup
Happy eating :-)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls (you won't even miss the white flour)
(from the Beanland blog)
The following is for a stand mixer, but I’ve had great success using the dough setting on my bread machine as well. My roll dough is so sticky, I can’t imagine kneading by hand but perhaps if you used a wooden spoon you could come close?
Add and let sit until until dissolved:
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
Add and mix with the paddle for a few minutes:
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons gluten
3/4 teaspoon salt
Switch to the dough hook and add:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Add by Tablespoons, additional flour if needed. When all the flour is added, mix for 5 minutes more at level 3. It will be sticky, but prefer to stick to itself than to the sides of the bowl. It’s ok to have it stick to the very bottom, but it should clean the sides mostly
Cover and let rise until doubled. About 45 minutes. With oiled hands, form 12 large rolls and put in a greased 9×13 glass pan. Preheat to 375. Let rolls rise covered for a half hour or so (eyeball them to see that they start to squish together). Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until browned.
If they are on the doughy side, leave in pan to cool. If they are perfectly done, take them out of the pan immediately, but refrain from separating until they’re no longer piping hot. Keep covered with a towel, then store in plastic tub when completely cool.
The following is for a stand mixer, but I’ve had great success using the dough setting on my bread machine as well. My roll dough is so sticky, I can’t imagine kneading by hand but perhaps if you used a wooden spoon you could come close?
Add and let sit until until dissolved:
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
Add and mix with the paddle for a few minutes:
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons gluten
3/4 teaspoon salt
Switch to the dough hook and add:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Add by Tablespoons, additional flour if needed. When all the flour is added, mix for 5 minutes more at level 3. It will be sticky, but prefer to stick to itself than to the sides of the bowl. It’s ok to have it stick to the very bottom, but it should clean the sides mostly
Cover and let rise until doubled. About 45 minutes. With oiled hands, form 12 large rolls and put in a greased 9×13 glass pan. Preheat to 375. Let rolls rise covered for a half hour or so (eyeball them to see that they start to squish together). Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until browned.
If they are on the doughy side, leave in pan to cool. If they are perfectly done, take them out of the pan immediately, but refrain from separating until they’re no longer piping hot. Keep covered with a towel, then store in plastic tub when completely cool.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Cinco De Mayo Taco Soup
Oh my gosh. I just made the BEST dinner! I wanted to make something in honor of Cinco De Mayo, so I decided to try a recipe for Taco Soup. Only, I made some changes to make it healthier!
Quick N' Easy Taco Soup
Ingredients:
½ lb. ground beef (browned, drained) I used 98% fat free ground turkey but you can use tofu for forgo the meat all together
½ onion sliced I used probably 1/4 of an onion
28 oz. can stewed or diced tomatoes I only used 14 oz, we're not big tomato fans
15 oz. can kidney beans in liquid I also used a can of black beans
1-2 cans whole corn with liquid I just used one can, since hubby isn't a fan of corn
¼ pkg. taco seasoning
1 tsp. sugar I used Splenda
Directions:
Combine all above ingredients, remembering NOT to drain canned items. Simmer 15-30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, lettuce and guacamole. (I did not add ANY of this and it tasted just GREAT!!!)
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