More than 100,000 cases of refrigerated ready-to-eat foods have been recalled by Reser’s Fine Foods over concerns of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, Food Safety News reported.

The problem was detected after tests were conducted by both the Canadian Food Inspection agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration. As of now, no illnesses related to the recall have been reported.

The items recalled were sold in retail and food service establishments in both the U.S. and Canada, Food Safety News reported.

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You probably saw the news last week about what’s really in chicken nuggets.

Researchers at University of Mississippi Medical Center performed what they called an “autopsy” of nuggets from two different national fast food chains and found that chicken meat was not the predominate component–in fact, fat made up an equal or greater portion of the nuggets, in addition to bone, nerve, and connective tissue. Lovely, huh? If you’re grossed out enough to say sayonara to fast food all together (virtual high five!), I have several still quick, but much healthier alternatives.

Supermarket smorgasbord

Grocery stores are generally in the same vicinity as fast food joints. So rather than pulling into a drive-through, pop into the supermarket and stroll through the express line. Most chains now have prepared food sections, with ready-to-eat options like chilled vegetable salads and grilled salmon. Other healthy items that don’t require prep include baby carrots and hummus, mini bananas, and nuts.

Fast casual

The concept of fast casual is ‘fresh food fast,’ and establishments that fit the bill, including Chipotle, Panera Bread, and Pei Wei are popping up all over. Many of these restaurants serve up freshly prepared dishes, made-in-house, with ingredient lists that read like a recipe from a healthy cookbook. For example, the chicken at Chipotle is made from hormone and antibiotic free chicken, water, chipotle chili, rice bran oil, cumin, garlic, oregano, black pepper, and salt. (Note: according to the web site, some cities use soybean oil.) To be sure of what you’re getting, hop online, check out the nutrition facts, and always read ingredient lists. One of my favorite go-tos is a Chipotle salad, made with Romaine lettuce, fajita veggies, black beans, mild salsa, and guacamole. Super satisfying, and about as quick and clean as it gets.

Pack a meal

If you tend to be stuck with lesser-of-various-evil options, invest in an insulated lunch sack, and toss in a meal you can whip up in a jiffy. For example, in a sealable container, combine a few handfuls of veggies, like grape tomatoes, chopped red onion, baby spinach leaves, and sliced mushrooms, and a small scoop each of quinoa and chickpeas. Sprinkle with Italian herb seasoning, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, close the lid, give it a shake, and toss it in the bag. Easy peasy.

Whipped up options

Smoothies aren’t just for breakfast. Whipping one up and taking it with you can be a great way to sidestep processed alternatives. For the best nutritional balance, and to stay full and satisfied, include a combination of good carbs, lean protein, and healthy fat. Reach for: frozen fruit and a handful of leafy greens; organic skim milk or almond milk and a plant-based protein powder like pea protein; a dollop of almond butter; and a small scoop of old fashioned rolled oats. To add flavor, aroma, and an extra dose of antioxidants, season your smoothie with spices, like cinnamon or ginger. For convenience, make a few smoothies at a time, stock them in the freezer, then transfer to the fridge to thaw a bit before you head out the door.

Make ahead re-heats

Many of my clients have time to cook on weekends, but not so much during the week. To resist the temptation to grab fast food or order take-out Monday through Friday, I recommend making “homemade frozen dinners” that can be re-heated when needed, from soup or chili to stuffed peppers. Simple stews are another great option. For a single serving, sauté a few cups of veggies in a saucepan, in a little extra virgin olive oil, along with minced garlic and herbs. Add low sodium organic vegetable broth, bring to a quick boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add a small scoop of a healthy starch, like wild rice or cubed baked sweet potato, and a cooked lean protein, such as lentils, cubed chicken breast, or extra lean ground turkey. Ladle into a BPA free freezable container, and your future meal will be ready in minutes.

Source: http://www.airingnews.com

Before you reach for another piece, consider how much exercise it will take to burn off those calories.

Starbursts

8 pieces = 160 calories

They may be flavored with real fruit juice, but these chewy candies are mostly just corn syrup and hydrogenated oils—AKA sugar and fat. Because of that, one or two pieces isn’t likely to satisfy your hunger. Since each Starburst square is 20 calories, to burn off a recommended serving of eight pieces, you’d have to do about 50 minutes of Pilates.

York Peppermint Patties

3 miniatures = 150 calories
They may be a low-fat food, as their package claims, but each miniature Peppermint Pattie still contains about 50 calories.

“The dark chocolate on the outside isn’t so bad, but that creamy filling is all sugar,” said Karen Congro, R.D., C.D.N., director of the Wellness for Life Program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. “It’s easy to overdo it when you think it’s a healthier choice.”

To burn off a serving size of three pieces, you’d need to do about 17 minutes of biking at a moderate (12 to 14 mph) pace.

Brach’s Candy Corn

19 pieces = 140 calories
For every kernel of this addictive Halloween treat you pop, think about tacking on an additional minute to your tennis game. That means 19 extra minutes of play to burn off the suggested serving size of 19 pieces. Of course, that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that the body won’t burn 140 calories of pure sugar as effectively as it would a balanced 140 calories of protein and fats, says Congro.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins

2 cups = 350 calories
The seasonal, Jack-o-lantern-shaped version of this PB and chocolate staple is larger (and more caloric) than the plain old circles sold year-round—350 calories in a “King Size” pack of two, versus just 210 for one. Eat them both and you’ll need to run about 33 minutes at a 10-minutes-per-mile pace to cancel them out.

“Candies with nuts or peanut butter have more protein, so they may satisfy you a bit more—but they’ll also have more fat and still plenty of sugar, so you shouldn’t really think of them as healthy options,” said New York-based dietitian Rachel Meltzer Warren, R.D.N, author of, “The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian.”

Caramel Apples

1 apple = about 250 to 350 calories
It depends how thick you pour on the caramel coating and whether it’s dipped in extras like nuts or sprinkles, Congro said, but most caramel apples will run you about 300 calories or more. (An apple itself is about 100, but the real damage comes from the sugary extras.)

To burn it off, you’re looking at about 40 minutes of moderate effort—no breaks!—on the rowing machine at the gym. Try not to think of caramel apples as one of your daily servings of produce, Meltzer Warren said; just enjoy them for the sweet treat that they are, and get your eight-a-day elsewhere.

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate

3 Snack Size bars = 190 calories
The iconic candy bar is sold in a smaller “snack size” great for trick-or-treaters, but that won’t necessarily stop you from eating more than one. Perhaps that’s why the suggested serving size is three bars, or 190 calories—a snack that will take about 59 minutes of light to moderate weight lifting to burn off.

If your Halloween spoils include larger chocolate bars (or lots and lots of miniature ones), avoid overindulging by helping yourself to a small portion—and then putting the rest out of reach.

“Instead of leaving the candy where you can mindlessly munch all day, move it to an area where you actually have to get up and make an effort to serve yourself,” Meltzer Warren said. “You’ll eat less, and enjoy the candy you do eat more.”

Smarties

1 roll = 25 calories
They seem so small and harmless—and sure, an entire roll of Smarties is only 25 calories. But they’re little more than pure sugar (6 grams, or a sugar cube and a half each), and it’s easy to eat several packs without batting an eyelash. Just keep in mind the crash that’s sure to follow your fleeting energy high—or the fact that for each roll, you’d have to tread water for six minutes to burn off those calories.

Snickers

2 Fun Size bars = 160 calories
Gooey caramel and peanuts make Snickers one of the most caloric candy bars, ounce for ounce. Two Fun Size bars—somewhere between miniature and full-size—will run you 160 calories, or 22 minutes of vigorous Vinyasa yoga. Even though 160 calories is about right for a between-meal snack, candy shouldn’t be your go-to.

 

“Eating right is about so much more than calories; it’s about getting the right vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help your body thrive,” Meltzer Warren said. “It’s okay to have a treat once in a while, but you don’t want to miss out on too many opportunities to nourish your body by choosing candy over whole foods like fruits and nuts.”

Tootsie Rolls

6 pieces = 140 calories
Each tiny Tootsie Roll (they’re called “midgees”) is about 23 calories—that goes for both the chocolate and fruit flavors. It may only take a seconds to devour the recommended serving size of six pieces, but you’ll need 40 minutes of moderate walking (at 3 miles per hour, or a 20-minutes-per-mile pace) to burn them off.

 

Skittles

1 package (61 g) = 250 calories
What will it really cost you to “taste the rainbow”? If you eat an entire pack of Skittles, about 27 minutes of step aerobics using a 6- to 8-inch step. (Each individual candy contains about 4 calories, but who stops at just one?) A much better way to snack on a wide variety of colors is to stick mainly to whole fruits like berries, grapes, cut up melon and even raisins, Congro said, and enjoy the fruit-flavored stuff as an occasional treat.

Source: ivillage.ca

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound Mushrooms
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• ¾ cup Red Bell Pepper
• ½ cup Mint Leaves
• ¼ cup toasted Pine Nuts
• 4 Lettuce Leaves

Dressing

• 2 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 large crushed Garlic Clove
• Salt (to taste)

How to make
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix together mushrooms, olive oil and lemon juice.

Spread them on a large baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove and drain the liquid. Cool the mixture slightly.

Take a large mixing bowl and mix mushrooms, red bell pepper, basil or mint and pine nuts.

Mix extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, garlic and salt together in another bowl.

Toss the dressing into the mushrooms.

Spread lettuce leaves on a serving plate and spoon the mushroom mixture on top.
Source: zee news

Busy parents are always on the lookout for ways to simplify their lives and spend more quality time with their families. Dinner is often the most stressful meal of the day, but taking some time to plan out meals for the week can save you time and money, and keep nutritious food on the table for your family

Here are seven simple steps to quick and easy meal planning.

1. Find new recipes. Meal planning can easily become a fun family activity. Choose some of your favorite cookbooks and involve everyone in choosing new dishes. Keep the recipes simple, and use only one new recipe per meal and keep everything else as simple as possible. Finding recipes that will yield leftovers that can be used in other meals also cuts down on time, like using roast chicken leftovers for simple chicken tacos later on in the week.

2. Make a shopping list. Look through your pantry and fridge first to make sure you don’t buy anything you already have. A shopping list categorized by section will help cut down on time spent at the grocery store, and will ensure you don’t forget things.

3. Prep in advance. Go through the list of meals that you’ve chosen for the week and choose a day to prepare as much as possible. This can also be turned into a family event with everyone tackling a different chore. Onions, garlic, and herbs can be chopped and measured in advance and kept in the freezer until needed and vegetables can be cleaned and prepped as well. Making casseroles and seasoning protein in advance is a good option for freezing and keeping for later in the week.

4. Invest in a slow cooker. This allows for easy prep on nights you have less time than usual. Use some of the ingredients you prepped in advance and put them directly from the freezer into the slow cooker for an easy meal.

5. Cook once, eats twice. Cooking enough for two nights can cut your work in half. Double the amount you would normally have, eat it on Monday night and again on Wednesday night. This can be done with any part of the meal, whether it’s the main dish or a side dish. If you’re seasoning a protein, it can also be doubled and half of it can be frozen for the following week.

6. Think outside the box. Not every night has to look like a traditional dinner. Instead, incorporate easy options such as a salad and sandwiches or even traditional breakfast options like scrambled eggs and whole wheat pancakes, accompanied by a fruit-and-vegetable smoothie.

7. Designate a leftover or going out night. Choose one night per week that involves having a buffet of all the leftovers. Proteins can be tossed into a salad and extra vegetables can be made into a soup. If you don’t want to give up going out for mid-week dinner, designate a day and know where you’re going so you don’t end up at the drive-through window.

Over time, the menu-planning process will become second nature and by saving your menu plans and shopping list, you can easily rotate them and save even more time. With a little planning and teamwork, dinner can go from being a headache to being a time to bond with the family over a nutritious meal

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They say “eat your greens,” but this week Martha Rose Shulman’s Recipes for Health provide ways to eat purple, cooking up eggplant in five new ways.

Even though it’s officially autumn, the summer crop of eggplant is still in full swing at farmers’ markets across the country. I’ve been buying them in all shapes and sizes — small, delicate Italian eggplants and paler Asian eggplants that I buy both at farmers’ markets and at my local Iranian market, as well as the familiar globe eggplants that are widely available in both farmers’ markets and supermarkets.

The darker the eggplant’s skin, the more it has to offer in terms of antioxidant-rich anthocyanins. The anthocyanin phytonutrient in eggplant skin is called nasunin, and scientists have been able to isolate it and identify its antioxidant activity, particularly in protecting lipids in brain cell membranes.

Eggplant is a “meaty” vegetable. When I’m planning a dinner party for a mixed group of vegetarians and carnivores I’ll often serve a dish like the eggplant and tomato tart or the eggplant lasagna in this week’s Recipes for Health as my main course. These dishes please everybody and nobody goes home hungry.

I begin most of my eggplant recipes by roasting the eggplant. It will soften up in a 450-degree oven in about 20 minutes and requires very little oil — a good thing as eggplant is like a sponge and will drink up every tablespoon of oil you give it.

Here are five new recipes with eggplant.

Eggplant and Tomato Pie: This robust summer pie, topped with a layer of tomato slices flecked with thyme, is a nice party piece.

Balkan Eggplant and Chile Purée: This is an eggplant-centric version of ajvar, the Balkan red pepper and eggplant relish.

Lasagna with Tomato Sauce and Roasted Eggplant: This is a great do-ahead dish

Grilled Eggplant and Tomatoes With Chermoula: Chermoula, the pungent Moroccan herb sauce that is traditionally used as a marinade for fish, is also great with grilled vegetables, like the last of the summer’s eggplant and tomatoes.

Imam Bayildi: There are many recipes for the iconic Turkish eggplant dish, but this one is a much lighter dish than the classic.

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As the human population continues to inch closer to 8 billion people, feeding all those hungry mouths will become increasingly difficult. A growing number of experts claim that people will soon have no choice but to consume insects.

As if to underscore that claim, a group of students from McGill University in Montreal has won the 2013 Hult Prize, for producing protein-rich flour made from insects. The prize gives the students $1 million in seed money to begin creating what they call Power Flour. “We will be starting with grasshoppers,” team Captain Mohammed Ashour told

Earlier this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a report titled, “Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security.” The document details the health and environmental benefits derived from a diet supplemented by insects, a diet also known as “entomophagy.” Gleaned from the FAO document and other sources, here’s a list of seven edible insects you may soon find on your dinner plate.

Mopane caterpillars

Mopane caterpillars — the larval stage of the emperor moth (Imbrasia belina) — are common throughout the southern part of Africa. Harvesting of mopane caterpillars is a multi-million dollar industry in the region, where women and children generally do the work of gathering the plump, little insects.

The caterpillars are traditionally boiled in salted water, then sun-dried; the dried form can last for several months without refrigeration, making them an important source of nutrition in lean times. And few bugs are more nutritious: Whereas the iron content of beef is 6 mg per 100 grams of dry weight, mopane caterpillars pack a whopping 31 mg of iron per 100 grams. They’re also a good source of potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, manganese and copper, according to the FAO.

 Chapulines

Chapulines are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium, and are widely eaten throughout southern Mexico. They’re often served roasted (giving them a satisfying crunch) and flavored with garlic, lime juice and salt, or with guacamole or dried chili powder. The grasshoppers are known as rich sources of protein; some claim that the insects are more than 70 percent protein.

Researchers have noted that the gathering of Sphenarium grasshoppers is an attractive alternative to spraying pesticides in fields of alfalfa and other crops. Not only does this eliminate the environmental hazards associated with pesticide sprays, it also gives the local people an extra source of nutrition and income, from the sale of grasshoppers.

 Witchetty grub

Among the aboriginal people of Australia, the witchetty grub is a dietary staple. When eaten raw, the grubs taste like almonds; when cooked lightly in hot coals, the skin develops the crisp, flavorful texture of roast chicken. And the witchetty grub is chock full of oleic acid, a healthful omega-9 monounsaturated fat.

Though people often refer to the larvae of several different moths as witchetty grubs, some sources specify the larval stage of the cossid moth (Endoxyla leucomochla) as the true witchetty grub. The grubs are harvested from underground, where they feed upon the roots of Australian trees such as eucalyptus and black wattle trees.

 Termites

Want to get rid of the termites gnawing at your floorboards? Just do like they do in South America and Africa: Take advantage of the rich nutritional quality of these insects by frying, sun-drying, smoking or steaming termites in banana leaves.

Termites generally consist of up to 38 percent protein, and one particular Venezuelan species, Syntermes aculeosus, is 64 percent protein. Termites are also rich in iron, calcium, essential fatty acids and amino acids such as tryptophan.

 African palm weevil

A delicacy among many African tribes, the palm weevil (Rhychophorus phoenicis) is collected off the trunks of palm trees. About 4 inches (10 centimeters) long and two inches (5 cm) wide, the weevils are easily pan-fried because their bodies are full of fats, though they’re also eaten raw.

A 2011 report from the Journal of Insect Science found that the African palm weevil is an excellent source of several nutrients such as potassium, zinc, iron and phosphorous, as well as several amino acids and healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

 Stink bugs

Their name certainly doesn’t lend itself to culinary appeal, but stink bugs (Hemiptera order) are consumed throughout Asia, South America and Africa. The insects are a rich source of important nutrients, including protein, iron, potassium and phosphorus.

Because stink bugs release a noxious scent, they are not usually eaten raw unless the head is first removed, which discards their scent-producing secretions. Otherwise, they are roasted, or soaked in water and sun-dried. As an added benefit, the soaking water — which absorbs the noxious secretions — can then be used as a pesticide to keep termites away from houses.

 Mealworms

The larvae of the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) is one of the only insects consumed in the Western world: They are raised in the Netherlands for human consumption (as well as for animal feed), partly because they thrive in a temperate climate.

The nutritional value of mealworms is hard to beat: They’re rich in copper, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc and selenium. Mealworms are also comparable to beef in terms of protein content, but have a greater number of healthy, polyunsaturated fats.

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