Search Results for: blog salsa and black bean soup

More Ways to Eat Out and Still Stay Fit

In my previous blog I revealed some of the nation’s top-rated healthy eateries. These popular restaurants claim that you can dine at their establishments and still lose weight provided you stick with their portion sizes and get in about 30 minutes of cardio exercise per day. I was happy to see that a few of the places featured in my last blog are ones I frequent on a regular basis. Here now are the rest of Health Magazine’s picks for “Fittest Chain Restaurants in America”: Corner Bakery. This popular eatery scored exceptionally well for offering a delicious and healthy breakfast … Continue reading →

Hawaiian Style Holiday Gifts—Fruit Salsa and Passion Fruit Dressing

While my daughter and I have been icing cookies and dipping pretzel rods in chocolate my best friend in Hawaii has been busy whipping up her own holiday treats. Though hers are decidedly more savory than sweet. My pal Lisa’s handiwork serves as the inspiration for this blog. Her holiday recipes for fruit salsa and passion fruit dressing prove that fancy sweets aren’t the only homemade holiday treats that can be doled out to friends and co-workers. In fact, these recipes offer a welcome change to the traditional sweets given this time of year. Just package each in individual jars … Continue reading →

Ingredients for a Simple Cinco de Mayo Party

Everyone loves a party, but not everyone has the time or the means to throw a full-fledged fiesta to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Instead of renting a tent and filling it with tamales and pinatas, consider having a low-key affair that highlights the Mexican culture. Here are some simple ideas to get your kids fired up about the fifth of May: MEXICAN PLACEMATS Materials: Scissors Glue Ruler Pencil 18-by-12-inch piece of construction paper 16 strips of construction paper in multiple colors (each should be 1-inch wide by 12 inches long) Directions: Take the large piece of construction paper and fold … Continue reading →

Mexican Menu

Unless you are eating off the value menu at Taco Bell (and sometimes even if you are) a run to the border can really add up, especially if you are trying to feed an entire family of hungry chalupa fans. The next time your clan gets a craving for Mexican food, consider saving some dough and making a spicy feast in your own kitchen. Here are some quick and easy recipes to get you started: SPICY TACO SOUP Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice 1 can pinto beans, drained 1 cup … Continue reading →

Super Simple Summer Sides

After months of tolerable temperatures, the heat is finally on in our neck of the woods… and the rest of the nation. From Oregon to Georgia the mercury is soaring. When the temperature is hovering near 95 degrees you can bet that most home cooks aren’t planning menus that require them to stand over a hot stove (regardless of if they have central air). In fact, when it gets this hot I try not to turn on any of my kitchen appliances. Instead, I stick to a simple menu of lighter foods such as salads, sandwiches and refreshing side dishes … Continue reading →

Families.com 2007 Cookbook ‘A’

The families.com cookbook is organized according to ingredients rather than by type of dish. This way if you have an ingredient on hand, and are wondering what to do with it, or if you want a recipe that uses a specific ingredient, then you can look it up in the cookbook. If you want a certain type of dish. . .use the categories on the right! Acorn Squash Ranchy Breaded Fish and Candied Acorn Squash Adobo seasoning Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Tex Mex Marinade Allspice Chai Spice Cutouts Spicy Mixed Nuts Oatmeal Waffles with Homemade Apple Butter Healthy Pumpkin Brownies … Continue reading →

Homemade Holiday Gifts in a Bottle

In a previous blog I revealed that my best friend from Hawaii was forgoing her holiday baking and opting to prepare homemade salsas and a variety of dressings to give as holiday gifts. She’s done with the salsa and is now in full dressing mode. The following recipes are the ones she is using for the remainder of her holiday gifts. Frankly, I thought it was a wonderful idea and wished I had thought of it first. With the push these days to eat healthier the dressings are a wonderful alternative to the traditional holiday candies, cakes, cookies and chocolate-covered … Continue reading →

Three More Easy Lunches

Yesterday I wrote about Three Easy Lunches to make for any day. Those three lunches were Tuna On Crackers + Tomato Slices, Macaroni & Cheese + Grapes, and Grilled Cheese Sandwich + Tomato Soup. Today I want to add three more easy lunches; those three lunches are Beans ‘n Rice, Baked Potato with Salsa, and Scrambled Egg Sandwich. Lunch #1: Beans ‘n Rice Do you like eating beans? I really do, and beans are a good alternative to meat in some dishes, and so much less expensive than meat, too. For Beans ‘n Rice, you could go for any of … Continue reading →

Kid Friendly Meatless Dinners

My children don’t like meat, unless it’s frozen chicken nuggets. So I’ve had to develop a variety of meatless, protein rich meals, although my husband and I usually add meat to ours. So here are a few recipes that you can use to feed the meat hater in your family. Rice and Bean Tortillas 1 cup cooked brown rice (brown has more protein and is healthier than white and your children will never notice the difference) 1 can black beans, drained ½ can enchilada sauce (freeze the other half for another meal) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Mix all the … Continue reading →