Sink your teeth into this!!!

Here is one of the best articles I have found so far on how to add some healthy good foods to your diet. I hope you enjoy reading this....and eating some of it's suggestions!

Cooking Cures

By: Reader's Digest

Homemade is healthier.

We eat 50 percent less calories, fat, and sodium when we eat at home than when we eat out, notes the American Dietetic Association, the nation's premier source of nutritional knowledge. Nevertheless, lots of obstacles can get in the way of putting a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner on the table. But, these cooking cures won't take any more time than you're spending now to make a meal.
Strategy #1

Use lots of precut, pre-washed, and/or frozen fruits and veggies

The cure for: Thrown-together dinners that feature no produce because you don't have the time or energy to buy, clean, chop, and cook it.

Heart-healthy bonus: Frozen veggies and fruits have as many, and sometimes more, nutrients than fresh because they're usually frozen soon after picking, when nutrient content is highest. Precut produce is also usually as nutritious as fresh.

The plan:Load your refrigerator with precut, pre-washed, and/or frozen veggies, as well as frozen berries (and in winter, other frozen fruits, such as peaches). These convenient veggies cook up fast in the microwave, and having a variety on hand could double or triple a meal's veggie servings because it's so easy to open the bag, heat, and eat.

Strategy #2

Stock your pantry for heart-healthy "magic meals"

The cure for: Nights when you're too tired to even figure out what's for dinner, and you've prepared nothing in advance.

Heart-healthy bonus: Fiber to lower cholesterol, spices and flavorings rich in antioxidants, good fats to please the palate and protect against atherosclerosis, and calcium to help control blood pressure.

The plan: Think like a short-order gourmet cook, and you could sit down to a cheese omelet with a spinach, mandarin orange, and pecan salad on the side; pasta with clam sauce and mushrooms and a glass of merlot; bean burritos with guacamole; and more--in just 15 minutes. The key? Your imagination--and a pantry stocked with healthy basics and a few fun, high-flavor extras.

By keeping quick-cooking items (such as eggs high in omega-3 fatty acids; whole wheat pastas; nuts; canned beans; canned seafood; whole grain breads; and reduced-fat, low-sodium cheese) on hand, you'll be ready to whip up something fast and flavorful even on nights when you're drop-dead tired--the nights when you most need a good meal and are most vulnerable to eating too much of the wrong stuff. Here are four more fast, flavorful ideas.

* Supercharged soup. Add rinsed, canned beans and frozen veggies to low-sodium canned minestrone or vegetable soup. Serve with whole grain toast and a fruit salad (canned fruit mixed with frozen berries).
* Field greens with chicken. Rinse bagged spinach, arrange it on a plate, and top with nuts, precut carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Add strips of precooked chicken breast and dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Have sliced melon for dessert.
* Simple pasta with white beans. Cook whole wheat spaghetti, then toss with olive oil; Parmesan cheese; black pepper; and rinsed, heated canned white beans. Serve with steamed broccoli and fruit. (Variation: Toss the spaghetti and beans with a spoonful of pesto from a jar.)
* Turkey melt with cranberry sauce on whole wheat. Arrange sliced turkey on whole wheat bread and top with cranberry sauce and one slice of reduced-fat, low-sodium cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts. Serve with a green salad and top off the meal with mixed berries and a dollop of low-fat frozen yogurt.
Strategy #3

Make small changes

The cure for: A pretty good diet that could use a nutritional upgrade--more fruit and veggies, more fiber, more good fats, more dairy, or whatever applies to you.

Heart-healthy bonus: These changes are small enough, and tasty enough, that you'll soon make them part of your cooking repertoire--giving your cardiovascular system a steady dose of antioxidants, good fats, and vitamins and minerals.

The plan: You don't have to overhaul your kitchen and cooking style to eat for a healthy heart. Start with these smart cooking cures.
o Garnish fruit salads, green salads, and cooked veggies with chopped nuts for an extra helping of monounsaturated fats. Toss a handful into muffin and pancake recipes or add some to yogurt. For extra flavor, first toast the nuts in a 350°F oven until golden, 5 to 10 minutes.
o Top salads with avocado slices, rich in monounsaturated fat. Skip the bacon bits and croutons, which are dripping with saturated fat and trans fats.
o Cook or serve veggies with a drizzle of olive or canola oil. Fat helps your body absorb more of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in vegetables.
o Think in color. Serve fruits or veggies in contrasting colors: red peppers with broccoli, blueberries with peaches, or carrots and peas. New research suggests that the antioxidants in vegetables and fruits work harder when they're combined.
o Use canned salmon instead of tuna in your lunchtime “tuna salad” for a hefty dose of omega-3 fatty acids.
o Toss rinsed, canned beans into everyday foods--chickpeas on salad and kidney beans in spaghetti sauce. Beans are rich in appetite-controlling fiber.
o Keep a jar of minced garlic and a jar of minced ginger in the fridge. Use each at least once a week to season veggies, meats, or soups. Garlic may help lower cholesterol and cut the rate of plaque buildup in arteries, and antioxidant-rich ginger fights inflammation and may discourage formation of blood clots.