A big salad accompanies our dinners most nights of the week. It gets eaten straight out of our wooden salad bowl which is a great way to save on dishes :)

My favorite lettuce types are mixed baby greens, spinach and arugula. But, because these are such delicate varieties you have to buy them fresh and eat them fast to enjoy their delicious crunch.

But, sometimes things get in the way, dinner plans change and our poor lettuce starts to droop and flop in the fridge crisper. Pretty soon we've got lettuce mush and it ends up in the trash (or compost!) I hate throwing away food, it drives me crazy.

How can you avoid wimpy salad greens and have clean lettuce ready to go?
Easy! Store your salad greens in your salad spinner.

As soon as I get home from the grocery I wash my greens and get them nice and dizzy in the salad spinner. Then, I put the spinner in the fridge. Done! I have found that this keeps my greens crisp and fresh much longer then keeping them in a bag. I have even "re-crisped" salad greens that have already started going limp by the time I get home from the grocery. Plus, there are no excuses to not have a salad ready in 5 minutes flat. Toss them in a bowl, drizzle on some oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, maybe some lemon juice, fresh herbs and add chopped tomatoes, avocado, sunflower seeds, blueberries, goat cheese, shredded carrot.....ok, you get the idea.

Pass on the iceberg
Sure, iceberg lettuce is fine. But for me the name says it all....it leaves me a bit cold and doesn't have any personality.

Start incorporating dark and red colored varieties in your diet. Dark leafy greens are packed with lots of wonderful nutrients such as vitamin A, C, K, calcium, folate, fiber and antioxidants (red leaf is especially high in antioxidants).
Plus, you can eat as much as you want. Lettuce has only 7 calories per 1 cup serving - so munch away! Just watch how much dressing and other goodies your adding.

Make your salad a meal
Many of us like to have a salad for lunch. It's quick, light, healthy and easy to transport to the office. But, most salads are not substantial enough to be a meal and usually you're hungry less than an hour later. Start incorporating some healthy fats in your salad to turn your side salad into a delicious lunch that will keep you full longer. Some great additions are:
- Avocado (2 ounces = 100 calories)
- Sunflower seeds (1 tablespoon = 90 calories)
- Whole almonds (10 almonds = 60 calories)
- Hard boiled egg (1 egg = 77 calories)
- Tuna in olive oil (3 ounces = 160 calories)
- Hard salami (1 ounce = 108 calories)

The reason adding healthy fats keeps you satisfiied is that fat takes longer to digest and therefore keeps you full longer. This way you're less likely to go scrounging for snack later on. Add a small sweet potato, a 1/2 cup of brown rice or a piece of fruit (if you have a sweet tooth) and you'll definitely be full until dinner and not tempted by office cupcakes.

RESOURCES:
Read more about the health benefits of different lettuce varieties and see images check out the Colorado State Extension service.

Here in the San Francisco Bay area the market is starting to get really colorful with sweet, tart and juicy fruit. It's already strawberry season and a variety of oranges have been hanging around for a while. This past weekend we picked up both - the strawberries were gone within hours. You just can't leave those sweet beauties sitting around for long!

We also picked up a few naval oranges. Oranges are fantastic to keep on hand for a quick snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth and provide you with a ton of important nutrients, vitamins and minerals. One orange supplies nearly 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C! Sounds like it should be more like an orange a day keeps the doctor away (no offense apples). Plus, the pectin in oranges possesses properties that can lower cholesterol levels.

After all those health benefits how can it get any better, you ask? Hold on to your hat!

Flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which (flaxseed oil contains nearly twice the level of omega-3 fatty acids as fish oil). They have been shown to have cancer fighting properties and can be helpful in reducing cholesterol.

I'm sure you've heard of all the incredible health benefits of flax seeds and flax seed oil. You might even take a daily flax seed oil supplement. I always have a bag of ground flax on hand in my fridge and have been throwing it into our occasional smoothie or in oatmeal.

But, why stop there?

Last night I gave Dani a bit of a shock when I added a tablespoon of ground flax to a few cut up oranges. But, after a face that said "ewww, that looks gross" she took a bite a was pleasantly surprised. Tonight I was asked "where's the flax seed stuff?" after cutting up some oranges after dinner.

STORING FLAXSEED
Flaxseed can be purchased whole or already ground. Whole flaxseed has a longer shelf life and can be stored in an air tight container in your pantry. Ground flaxseed should be stored in your refrigerator or freezer in an air tight container as they can oxidize easily and spoil.

USING FLAXSEED
A typical serving of ground flaxseed is 1 or 2 tablespoons daily. It is recommended to use ground flax over whole flax because you digest the ground version more easily. It's possible that your body doesn't completely digest the whole flax and then you don't get as many of the nutritional benefits. If you prefer you can buy whole flaxseed and grind it in a clean coffee grinder.

COOKING IDEAS

• When adding ground flaxseed to cooked cereal or grain dishes, do so at the end of cooking. The soluble fiber in the flaxseed can thicken liquids if left too long and you may lose some of the nutritional benefits
• Add ground flaxseed to your homemade muffins, cookies, pizza dough or bread recipes
• Add ground flaxseed to cut up fruit or smoothies
• Sprinkle cooked veggies with flaxseed to add a nuttier flavor
• Add ground flaxseed to salads, homemade pesto or sauces

I work from home and with the kitchen only a few feet away I find myself staring into the fridge about every hour looking for something to snack on. So, I've made it a point to have snacks on hand right and easily accessible - ideally positioned right at the front of the fridge so I don't have to dig around too much.

When looking for a nutritious and filling snack I keep versatility in mind as well. I get bored easily with the same thing everyday so I always ask myself "How many different ways can I use this snack?"

Hummus is an incredibly versatile snack. You can use it as a dip for a variety of different veggies, spread on a whole wheat pita (with some more veggies if you wish) or scooped with a crispy Wasa cracker.

I was in the mood for hummus last night and realized we were out. I'd been meaning to make some from scratch for quite a while but kept getting held up every time I saw tahini in a recipe. I figured that there must be a stand in for tahini and after a quick search I read that many people use peanut butter or almond butter instead. It makes sense - tahini is like peanut butter only made with sesame seeds. Why hadn't I thought of this before?

THE RECIPE
I quickly grabbed a can of garbanzo beans out of the pantry, a few garlic cloves, about 3 tablespoons of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, parsley, a few squirts of lemon juice and a few spices (salt, pepper, a pinch of cumin). Within about 10 minutes I had delicious hummus whirling around in my Magic Bullet all for less than $2.00.

THE SKINNY (NUTRITION AND CALORIES)
This recipe has about 120 calories in 4 tablespoons. Paired with 2 large carrots (or any other vegetable) you have a 200 calorie snack. Plus, garbanzo beans are a great source of protein and fiber and carrots have a very high fullness factor. This means they make you more full with fewer calories than many other snack options.

OTHER OPTIONS
If you want variety, hummus is the poster child. You can experiment with other beans, add in some roasted red peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, chives or any other vegetable or herb you want to try. The possibilities are endless and depending on what you add you can add so many great vitamins and nutrients. You can keep homemade hummus in a tightly sealed container for about 5-7 days (if it lasts that long!).

Aside from using hummus as a snack I've also used it on pizza as an alternative to pizza sauce and instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.

Do you have a hummus recipe to share?
What do you use hummus for?
Do tell!

It was one of those nights - when dinner just hits the spot and turns out oh so good. I found the recipe after a quick search this morning and couldn't wait until official "dinner time" started. I was thinking about it all day long.

I went to World Market yesterday to pick up coffee (it was double punch Wednesday. Which means you get two punches on your coffee card :) Even though I was in a bit of a hurry I couldn't help but make a B-line through the food section. On impulse I picked up some polenta, an ingredient I've only used once before a few years ago.

This morning as I was getting ready for my day I was already thinking ahead to dinner. Not unusual for me - I've always got dinner on my mind. After looking at the nutrition label I was impressed that 100 grams of polenta only has 70 calories so I knew this was something that would definitely fit into Dani's calorie count for dinner. After a quick search on thekitchn.com I found Breanne's Polenta with Black Beans and Coconut Tomato. When I saw that I had all the ingredients at home I knew this was what I was making for dinner. And, it turned out delicious!

To prepare the polenta I weighed each slice so I would know the approximate calorie count. Each slice came out to about 50 grams (i.e. 35 calories) so I planned for 4 slices of polenta per serving (140 calories). Together with the sauteed spinach, 1/2 cup of black beans and 3/4 cup tomato topping this dinner came out to about 500 calories. We also each had an artichoke on the side and a salad. It was a full meal and we were both completely stuffed afterwards.

If you've never tried polenta I would encourage you to do so. You can find it in most grocery stores prepared in a little sausage which is perfect for slicing. Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal and can be eaten creamy or solid. It is the staple food of northern Italy and used to be described as peasant food. If you get the prepared kind as I did you can keep it in your pantry for a few months so it's a good staple to keep on hand for a quick, healthy, low calorie meal. Just be sure you don't stir in too much butter or cheese as many recipes suggest!

Here are a few more polenta recipes to try:
Savory Polenta from Alton Brown
Creamy Polenta with Warm Tomato Compote from Cooking Lite (153 calories per serving)
Polenta and Vegetable Bake from EatingWell.com (215 calories per serving)

The way to anyone's heart is through their stomach. So, to celebrate Valentines Day I made special "love" pancakes.

I followed my favorite pancake recipe from The River Cottage Family Cookbook (because the authors live in England they're called "drop scones" in the book). And I used my new KitchenAid mixer which really made everything go so much faster with less mess. Love that!

I just made two little adjustments:

1) Peanut Butter - I added about 3 tablespoons of peanut butter to the batter which adds a nice peanut butter flavor to the pancakes and lessens the need for lots of syrup. They are delicious plain right out of the griddle! Plus, while it may be higher in calories and fat peanut butter can lower your risk of coronary heart disease and studies have shown that peanut butter can help you feel full longer.

2) Soy Milk - Because I'm avoiding dairy my heart did sink a bit when I realized that there is milk in the recipe (duh!). But, before I gave up I realized that I could just replace the milk with soy milk. I was a bit skeptical at first and Dani scrunched her nose when I told her, but we were both pleasantly surprised that the soy milk made no difference in taste or texture.

To make these pancakes a little more special for Valentines Day I quickly warmed up some frozen berries with a bit of sugar and vanilla. And, used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to add a little more "love."

This with a cup of coffee made for a nice little Sunday morning breakfast.

Here is the recipe I used from The River Cottage Family Cookbook:

Butter, 2 tablespoons
All-purpose or white pastry flour, 1 1/2 cups
A pinch of salt
Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
Superfine sugar, 2 tablespoons
Eggs, 2
Milk, about 2 cups (add a bit extra if you add peanut butter)
A little sunflower oil for frying

1. Gently melt butter
2. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and baking powder and add the sugar
3. Break in the eggs and add about half the milk. Whisk, gently at first until you get a thick paste, then add the rest of the milk and the melted butter. Beat until you get a creamy batter. It should be thick but pourable.
4. Heat up your griddle with a few drops of the oil. Once it's hot enough turn it down to medium and add a half ladle full of your batter. After about a minute, little bubbles will appear on the surface of your pancakes. Now it's time to flip! Cook the other side for about a minute or so and then transfer it to a warm plate and cover with a tea towel.
5. Let them cool just a bit if you want to use a cookie cutter. It their too fresh they may crumble a bit and if they're too cool they may tear.

Check out the River Cottage blog to learn about River Cottage HQ where founder and author Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall writes about their projects, shares delicious recipes and the cooking school and classes they have planned.

REWARD: My eternal gratitude and some happy people licking their lips.   :)

Ok, seriously. I'm at a loss and need some help.

My friend Beth is leaving for a month long trip around India and is having a little potluck shindig on Saturday evening so we can all wish her safe travels before she leaves. Normally I'm pretty good at bringing along a winning dish or dessert to these types of events but this time I have no clue. My creative cooking juices just aren't flowing and I want to do something new. So, I'm putting it out there to gather some ideas.

Here are a few "rules."

1. It has to be from scratch. (Sorry, picking up hummus and chips on the way there just 'aint my style. No judgement to those who do).
2. It has to be dairy free. (Read my post "Ditching Dairy" to find out why)
3. It has to be vegetarian. (For my non meat-eating friends.) 
4. It has to be healthy, of course! (As if vegetarian and dairy free aren't already healthy enough :)
5. It shouldn't take more than an hour to make from start to finish. 

Don't leave me high and dry here! Leave your recipe idea or link to a favorite recipe in the comment box below.

Thanks!

I just heard about this film and wanted to share it with you. Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with 'incurable' diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin. All within 30 days! Take 5 minutes to watch the video - you will be amazed. Now, I don't claim to be a raw foods expert - but if going on a raw diet can cure someone of diabetes that is pretty awesome . I look forward to checking this film out later this month here in Oakland.

Dani and I do eat some of our fruits and veggies raw but I've never eaten an ONLY raw food diet. For people who are in generally good health I believe moderation is key; eat some raw veggies and some cooked.  Dani takes carrot sticks to work everyday for a midday snack which is a great way to stave off an afternoon craving and get some of those nutritious raw veggies in your diet. We eat steamed or grilled veggies for dinner a few times a week and of course have salad with pretty much every dinner.

When you do cook  your veggies it's HOW you cook them that I think is really important.

How I Steam Veggies: Cut your veggies into equal sizes and place them in a steamer basket with water. Bring the water to a boil and steam for only a few minutes. The colors should pop and they should retain some bite. Broccoli should become bright green, carrots bright orange. Once your vegetables start to look dark and lose color you've cooked the living daylights out of them AND all the important nutrients. Think "cooked broccoli in the school cafeteria".....yuck! To serve sprinkle a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt on top.  If you make too much you can always throw your leftovers into a delicious vegetable soup later.

Unsure about choosing the perfect produce? Check out Home Hacks vegetable selection guide.

Here are a few delicious vegetable recipes to try:
Steamed Broccoli With Miso-Sesame Sauce from Body and Soul Magazine
Steamed Vegetable Ribbons from EatingWell Magazine
Eight Ways to Perk Up Steamed Vegetables from thekitchn.com


If you are interested in hosting screening of Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days go here.