Tuesday, June 30, 2009

6 Healthy Banana Smoothie Recipes

Are you a smoothie lover? Looking for some new smoothie recipes that use bananas? If so, I would like to share 6 of my favorite banana flavored smoothie recipes with you.

Why are banana smoothies good for you? Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium making them the ideal healthy fruit. Bananas are great for reducing depression, achieving bone and intestinal health, and for regulating high blood pressure.

All of these smoothie recipes use bananas, along with some additional ingredients. If you are looking to cut calories, you can substitute the milk with skim milk, or the ice cream with low-fat yogurt.

If you like your smoothies really sweet, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey to your recipe. I always serve my smoothies in a chilled glass but you can serve them any way that you like. You can drink them straight from the glass, use a straw or eat them with a spoon. It is best to always serve your smoothies immediately.

Banana Mango

1 c. cubed peeled ripe mango
3/4 c. sliced ripe banana
2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

1 medium banana
1 1/4 c. milk
1 c. chocolate ice cream
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Cut the banana into 1" pieces. Wrap pieces in foil and freeze. Unwrap the banana pieces. In blender container combine banana, milk, chocolate ice cream and peanut butter. Cover and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Nana

5 oz. Frozen blueberries
2 bananas
2 c. ice
1 c. water

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Kiwi Banana

1 c. milk
2 scoops vanilla ice-cream
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 Kiwi fruit, peeled and finely diced

Blend the milk, ice-cream, and banana together in a blender till smooth. Add the Kiwi fruit, blend briefly, then pour into glasses.

Banana Cantaloupe

1/2 sliced cantaloupe melon
1 peeled banana
1 c. vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp. honey

Mix all of the above ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.

Boysenberry and Banana

3/4 c. boysenberries
1/2 c. low-fat boysenberry yogurt or vanilla yogurt
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 c. grape juice

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until well blended (about 1 minute).

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989. Shelly is a Manager with Tupperware. You can contact Shelly at:Web: http://www.classybusinesswomen.comRecipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shelly_Hill

Healthy Dinner Recipes For a Healthier You

We know we should eat healthy. We want what is best for our family. So why don't we eat the way we are supposed to eat? Let's take a look at some of the reasons why we tend to make unhealthy choices along with some helpful suggestions for healthy dinner recipes.

No Time to Make and Eat a Healthy Dinner

In today's society, we are always on the go - working, running errands, driving our children to and from school and extracurricular activities; the list is endless. Grocery stores are turning into food malls. With all the aisles and selections to navigate, we may feel we don't have time to go grocery shopping.

Because most people only have a few minutes to get dinner, they usually choose fast food, which is a convenient, albeit unhealthy choice. As a nation, the U.S. is getting fatter and unhealthier. What we need to combat this dilemma are healthy dinner recipe choices that can be prepared fast.

Quick and Healthy Dinner Choices

There are literally thousands of cookbooks on the market and many of them have exactly what we need: quick and healthy dinner recipes. But if you absolutely can't find the time to make a healthy dinner at home; go to the grocery store. Most supermarkets have an area where they sell roasted chicken and deli meats such as sliced turkey. Both these options can be part of a healthy dinner. Grab a loaf of healthy whole grain bread, a bag of apples, and a gallon of milk and you have something much better for you than a quarter pound hamburger with greasy fries.

Healthy Dinners Save You Money

So you've decided that fast food isn't the way to go. What about a sit-down restaurant? The food looks mouth-watering good! At only $12 a meal, you can have enough to satisfy you for hours. They serve steak, potatoes, pastas... and the desserts are to die for! When you look at their fantastic dinner menu you may want to think about what all the sugar, cholesterol and fat will do to your body.

As far as cost goes: It doesn't cost $12 a person to eat at home. In fact, it doesn't have to cost $12 for an entire meal for 5! What is more, you don't save time this way. How long does it take to drive to the restaurant, wait for a table, wait for the food to be prepared, eat and drive home? In that amount of time you could have made an inexpensive, healthy dinner and eaten it at home.

How to Pick a Healthy Dinner Recipe

- Use recipes that contain low-fat ingredients like fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meat, whole grains and skim milk.

- Choose the freshest ingredients possible.

- Organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides and hormones and are the best food for your body.

It is all about having the best ingredients on hand at home to select and prepare a healthy dinner recipe for your loved ones.

Preparing dinner at home benefits you in more than time, money and health. It allows you priceless, quality time with your family. Sharing a nutritious meal around the family table is one of the many ways of enjoying healthy dinner choices.

Deborah is a fitness enthusiast and runner. She publishes the website Get In Shape, which focuses on health and fitness for women. You can find out more about healthy dinners on her web page Healthy Dinner Recipes. Download a copy of the the free ebook 'Everyday Tips To Lose Weight' from her website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Prosser

Monday, June 22, 2009

Finding Healthy Eating Recipes Your Kids Will Like

Your kids are probably the most important thing in your life. That’s the way it should be. One thing you want to do raising them is preparing them to be as healthy as they can be. Along the way you need to remain creative to keep them from getting bored with their food. Today there are more opportunities than ever to find qualified sources for good healthy eating recipes that may bring renewed enthusiasm to them when eating.

Looking for Healthy Eating Recipes Online

Today online there are many resources in the area of recipes. Among those you will find many sources such as recipe swapping online communities, many books for reasonable prices, government suggestions related to some study, and if you look hard enough you might even find a random recipe generating web page. This hasn’t been proven, but likely exists somewhere.

Not all recipes are the same though. Some taste great but are packed with saturated fats that may linger in some ways when your children are old. Finding healthy eating recipes for the kids in your family might prove a little more challenging.

The Eating Pyramids May Help

There are a several food pyramids that suggest healthy eating balance among different food groups. The USDA offers MyPyramid.gov with resources that somewhat help plan what is needed for food intake based on your childrens age, gender, and activity levels.

The faculty at Harvard’s School of Public Health offers some guidelines to medical professionals that claim to be more in tune to health needs. They definitely distinguish between good and bad fats, as well as suggest more carbohydrates from whole grains. Reading more on this may help you better decide on healthy eating recipes that your children will like.

The Importance of Diet in Physical Fitness

Physical fitness comes from eating well, exercising well within it, and then resting as well. Without these three put together, there will be an imbalance. Too much food without burning it may leave healthy eating recipes useless. Finding the balance between diet and energy burning will indeed help you raise healthier kids as a result.

Kids Have Always Been Picky

In your search for new healthy eating recipes that your children will like, keep in mind that their tastes will change along the way. And taste is what it’s all about. Paying more attention to what they like and don’t like over years will give you a second sense about what healthy eating they will eat. Often sweeter tastes in the early years go well.

Healthy eating recipes that will fill these years well may be better when the sweet taste comes from fruits. Over the years, use your sense when looking for innovative ways to keep your children eating healthy. It doesn’t hurt to look for recipes that might bring new ideas into your own cooking.

One place to look towards healthy eating recipes your children may enjoy is where you are now reading. You should also find more tips on what makes things healthier, and years down the road you can sit back and appreciate the outcomes in your children.

Find lots of healthy eating recipes for kids at http://healthy-eating-for-kids.com
The recipes are designed to be easy to prepare as well as healthy and fun to eat!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_John

Healthy Beanless Chili Recipe

Healthy Beanless Chili


Everyone has a different idea as to what makes a good chili. To hardened professionals a good chili may be little more than a well spiced bowl of meat, while others make a chili that more closely resembles spicy vegetable soup. To most people, the standard chili contains beef, tomatoes, beans, and chili powder.

But, what if you don't like beans?

Or you're going low carb? Or you just don't want to fart? The following is a tasty, healthy, chili recipe. No beans included.

Ingredients

2 onions, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 pasilla peppers, diced
3 lbs beef chuck (cut to 1-inch cubes)
2 Serrano peppers, diced
4 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp coriander
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp Del Arbol chili powder (or Mexican Red)
6 garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
1 can beef broth
3 tbsp canned chipotle chile, diced

Optional Garnishes

grated pepper jack
cilantro leaves
Lime wedges
dollop of sour cream

Preparation

In a large pot, heat half the olive oil with the diced onions and peppers. Cook at medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize.

In a separate skillet, use the other 2 tbsp of olive oil to brown the cubed beef. After the beef is browned, use a spaghetti strainer to drain off the beef renderings into the trash (Hint: Wad up about 5 paper towels into your trash, pour the renderings into the towels. Otherwise there is a chance the renderings will melt the trash bag.)

Add the browned meat to the onions and peppers, and cook for another five minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except vinegar): paprika, coriander, oregano, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, tomatoes, beef broth, and chipotle. Kick the heat up to high, until the chili is boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer (usually lowest heat), cover and cook for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.

After 1.5 hours, remove meat, shred with a fork, and add it back to the pot. Cook for a final 10 minutes uncovered, and add the red wine vinegar right before serving. Garnish as desired. Serves Six.

If you like this beanless chili, or are interested in more healthy ideas, check out some of the delicious recipes over at Mark's Daily Apple.
About the Author: Mark Sisson is a former professional triathlete who runs a popular health and nutrition blog, Mark's Daily Apple. Check it out for more great articles and information on the Primal Blueprint, a revolutionary health plan using the principles of human evolution as the basis for modern, high protein, healthy living.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Sisson

Friday, June 19, 2009

Healthy Soul Food Recipes - The Growing Demand

Healthy soul food recipes continue to grow in popularity and demand. With this nations rising health problems, especially among African Americans, the need for healthy alternatives continue increase. As tasty and filling as the traditional down-home meals our great grandma used to make were, we now know some of the ingredients and methods of cooking were bad for us. Many of the traditional recipes contained high levels of cholesterol, fat and sodium. These ingredients in-turn ignited high cases of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity as well as other health ailments.

To offset the negative results, traditional soul food recipes continue to go through a transformation. As a result it's making a strong comeback among today's health conscious adults and seniors. To help you make the transformation in your own home and family here's a short list on how to cook healthier soul food meals. This list will help you to adjust your cooking methods easier, if you haven't started already. If you've started cooking healthier, these tips will act as your inspiration to continue using healthier alternatives in preparing soul food. These healthy changes allow you to eat healthier without sacrificing taste. It may surprise you how little the original taste is sacrificed. Of course it may not taste as good as your grandmas, but you'll find your taste buds applauding.

Here's a short list of healthier alternatives for cooking soul food.


1. Instead of using whole milk:

Use reduced 1 or 2% milk when a recipe requires milk. For example, use in cornbread, custard, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, etc.

2. Instead of using table salt:

Use Kosher salt. It has less sodium than regular table salt. But the healthiest alternative is using lime juice, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and other various herbs and spices instead of salt.


3. Instead of deep fat frying:

Fry, bake, broil or roast your meats.

4. Instead of flavoring vegetables or beans with fat back, bacon or ham hocks:

Flavor them with smoked turkey necks, turkey ham or turkey bacon.


5. Instead of frying your chicken or fish in lard or vegetable oil:

Use peanut oil or at least canola oil.

6. Instead of pan frying in oil:

Use cooking spray.

7. Instead of cooking chicken with the skin:

Consider removing the skin from chicken before cooking and marinate to add flavor and moistness. By removing the skin you eliminate artery clogging cholesterol.

These are a few examples of using healthier ingredients in your soul food recipes. As you use them you'll discover how little taste you're sacrificing. In addition, your health won't have to suffer like our ancestors may have had to. Because of these healthier cooking tips now you can have your soul food ... at eat it too!

Discover the top 20 Free Soul Food Recipes for this month chosen by readers - based on taste, easy preparation and low cost. Watch video cooking demonstrations - go to ... Soul Food Recipes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Primm

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