No Fat Refried Beans

by Jamie Hunter

I don't know about you, but I could eat refried beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner! But I couldn't be that cruel to my family and co-workers, so I keep my consumption to an occasional treat. When I was a vegetarian a friend of mine introduced me to this delicious fat free recipe for refried beans. I love it with rice or nachos.

2 cups of dried pinto beans
4 whole bay leaves
1 16 oz. jar of salsa
1 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper (optional)
Salt to taste

Cook your beans thoroughly. This takes about 3 hours so get this step done early. Drain the water, then mash the beans with a potato masher. When you are finished the beans should be smooth in texture without any lumps! Now mix in your bay leaves and let the mixture sit for 3 to 4 hours. If you can let the mixture sit over night the bay leaves will have an even greater affect on the taste. Finally remove the bay leaves, mix in the salsa, red pepper and salt. This can be eaten hot or cold. In fact it tastes great on a taco salad, or in a burrito. For an even better treat sprinkle some fat free cheddar cheese on top, and place in the microwave until melted! Try this one out. It's inexpensive to make and very good for you. Hmmm.... I think I will make some this week!

Eckrich Turkey Sausage Smoked

by Jamie Hunter

While I was shopping last week, I found Eckrich Kielbasa on sale for 5 for $10. Anyone that's shopped for sausage knows that Eckrich hardly ever goes on sale, at least not at Giant Eagle, so I jumped all over this deal. Well, today while I was preparing my lunch I happened to take a look at the label and noticed it said Turkey Kielbasa. Now I've never been a fan of turkey based products. Not because I don't like turkey but because it's always seemed weird to see "turkey burger" or turkey whatever.

At any rate I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of these sausages. They are tremendously lower in fat than the original pork sausages, and they don't taste as salty either. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a healthy alternative to regular Kielbasa. Try them and you just might be as surprised as I was at the flavor.

Italian Crusted Chicken

by Jamie Hunter

This recipe is a household favorite and is sure to please most eaters!

Serves: 2 People

Prep Time: 6 hours

- 2 Whole Chicken Breasts (fat trimmed)

- 1 Cup of fat free Italian salad dressing

- 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning

- 2 Cups of bread crumbs

2 Sandwich bags

Be sure to trim the fat off your chicken breasts. Tenderize your chicken breasts using a meat tenderizer until flat. Take two sandwich bags and place a chicken breast into each one. Next pour half of the salad dressing into each bag, seal with a twist tie or rubber band and place in the refrigerator for 2 or more hours. It's even better if they can soak overnight.

Now take the bread crumbs and combine them with the Italian seasoning.

Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.

Take out your chicken breasts and coat them with the bread crumb mixture. I use a bowl with a lid and shake them until they are evenly covered.

Place them in an oven safe pan, cover with foil then place in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes has expired remove the foil and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes or until done. Use a meat thermometer to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Poultry should reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees before eaten.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables for a really healthy and tasty meal.

Pound It! The Secret To Tender Chicken Breasts Everytime

by Jamie Hunter

Ever wonder how restaraunts are able to serve tender and juicy chicken breasts everytime? Well, I will let you in on two of their secrets.

The first thing you can do is to slow cook your chicken. The slower you can cook chicken or any other meat the more tender it will be. The only thing you have to worry about is overcooking, as this will cause the meat to become stringy and dried out. You can cover it in a pan with aluminum foil, and place it in the oven at 175 to 200 degrees for up to 8 hours. You could also use a crock pot. The only problem with crock pots is that moisture accumulates and if your meat sits in the liquid for too long it can have a "boiling effect" which doesn't work well with some recipes.

The next trick is to "tenderize" the meat before cooking. You will need to purchase or have access to a meat tenderarize for this to work. It's that hammer type utensil that has different sizes of spikes on the 4 sides it. Chicken breasts are usually pretty thick so pound it down until it's flat, being careful not to break through to the other side. It's okay if you do, but be careful when you're handling it or it could fall apart. By tenderizing it you are breaking down the natural consistency of the meat. I prefer using this method as opposed to slow cooking because it works with any recipe involving chicken breats.

Give this a try and I guarantee your chicken will be as tender and juicy as the pros!

The High Cost of Eating Healthy

By Jamie Hunter

Did you ever wonder why it costs so much more to buy healthy foods when you're at the grocery store? Well, I came up with a few of my own reasons. Tell me if you think I'm on the right track.

For starters I think its a simple matter of supply and demand. There are far more people purchasing processed food than there are that purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and so on. The majority of the food manufactures are built to produce these types of foods because they are in such high demand. On the contrary since healthy eating is in the minority and the demand isn't as great for these foods it takes more money for manufactures to produce them and still make a profit. If more people demanded these foods, the prices would start to come down.

Transportation for healthy foods is a lot more expensive than foods packed with preservatives. The cost of your produce is directly related to your grocery bill, particularly when you are dealing with perishable goods. I think you would be surprised to learn just how few of our fruits and vegetables are grown locally. Now we know there aren't any orange groves in Ohio, but what about apples, cherries and other fruits that could be produced locally? I know for a fact that Giant Eagle imports the majority of their fruits out of state. Have you ever priced their apples and strawberries year round?!

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot we can do about the prices of fresh foods right now, but in the end I think it's an expense worth incurring. In the mean time, shop around for the best values and even check the Sunday papers for valuable coupons to help soften the blow of these necessary nutrients.

Mandarin Chicken/Tuna Salad

Here's a great idea for a quick salad that's low in fat and calories. The chicken can be subsituted for Tuna.

- 1 small can of tuna

- 1 cup of baby spinach leaves

- 1 mandarin orange or clementine

- 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts (optional)

- 1 half cup of sliced tomatoes

Non fat Caesar Salad dressing.

Drain your tuna before adding it to the rest of your ingredients. Mix together your baby spinach, tuna or cubed chicken breast, tomatoes and orange slices. Add your chopped walnuts to last to maintain their crunchy texture, and finally add your salad dressing to taste.

This is a really fast meal that you can enjoy at home or at work. I find that "eating right" requires that you experiment and treat yourself to different textures and flavors to keep from getting bored with same old food day in and day out. Give it a try. You just might like it!

Jamie Hunter

Beware of the Avalanche!

I've always been health conscious. I know how I should be eating, and I am well aware of the risks of not exercising and taking care of your body. Believe it or not I used to be quite the physical specimen about 15 years ago. I ran 5 to 7 miles per day outdoors, I was meticulous about my diet, and I took great pride in my physical appearance. So what happened? What turned me into this mass of liquid jelly that I am today? Well, I fell victim to the avalanche.

Things were going great. I was in the best shape of my life and I looked forward to working out daily. In fact there were times when I would actually run two times per day. I stayed away from fast food, and rarely ate meat except for chicken and fish. I even made my own milk out of rice and vanilla. My family felt I was becoming too thin, but I felt great so I didn't worry too much about this. You might say that I was the picture of health, so dedicated was I to my well being and appearance! Then it happened. At the time I started dating my wife I also worked in a mall, so we would often frequent the food court for lunch and even dinner. Now in the beginning I stuck to my guns, sticking to steamed vegetables and rice, and maybe a been burrito from Taco Bell. I would later learn that these been burritos weren't exactly a devout health nuts best meal choice. Now, I was still running and working out, but my frequency had changed. Once you start dating you find that you just don't have as much time for other things in your life. Something had to go, and it wasn't about to be my future wife. So I made sacrifices when it came to my workout routine. I started adding sour cream and cheese to my burritos, sweet and sour chicken with my white rice, and fish and chips from Arthur Treachers! The avalanche had begun! Before I knew it I had totally abandoned my work out routine all together! I figured that I had done so much damage with my eating habits that I was spinning my wheels working out. It just seemed futile! I was now burried beneath mounds and mounds of snow and I have not recovered since!
Every time I motivate myself to get back into the habit of working out and changing my lifestyle, I am always weary of the avalanche. It can be set off by an unplanned lunch with friends or co-workers, or by indulging in a little snack that wasn't a part of your meal plan. If anyone has any advice or suggestions to avoiding the avalanche I will listen. It may even help others as well.

Jamie hunter