Fruit Kabobs

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 0z) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (7 0z) jar marshmallow cream
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 8 (10-inch) skewers
• 32 Red Grapes
• 32 Fresh Strawberries, hulled
• 3 Cups cubed cantaloupe
• 32 Colby Jack Cheese Cubes

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, combin cream cheese, marshallow cream and almond extract. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving.
2. Meanwhile, on sixteen skewers, alternately thread the grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe and cheese cubes. Repeat once on the skewer.
3. Serve the fruit kabobs with cream cheese dip.

Nutrition Facts:

• Total Fat: 4.5 g
• Carbonhyrdates: 18g
• Calories: 130Kcal
• Cholesterol: 15mg

Top 5 Reasons to Love A.M. Exercise

More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine! If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.

Here are 5 Top Reasons to Exercise in the A.m.:

1. Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours!
2. Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day, not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you've done something good for yourself.
3. Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity, a benefit that lasts for four to ten hours after your workout ends.
4. Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn't be a major problem to get up 30 to 50 minutes earlier. Especially since regular exercise generally means a high quality of sleep.
5. When you exercise at about the same time every morning, your regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms.

Remember these tips to help you have a morning exercise routine!

Salad on a Stick!

Ingredients:

• 4 wooden skewers
• 1/2 large cucumber, sliced 1/2 inch-thick
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into squares
• 2 (1/2 inch thick) sliced salami,quartered
• 8 whole mushrooms
• 2.5 oz mild cheddar cheese, cubed
• 4 grape tomatoes
• Salad dressing, optional

Preparation:

On each of the 4 wooden skewers, thread cucumber slice, bell pepper square, salami, whole mushrooms and cheese cube. Repeat. Top each skewer with a grape tomato.

Serve with your favorite salad dressing, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Know Your Menu Watch Words

There are a few words that easily slip your mind when ordering food that could be keeping you from making a health choice.

When you go out to eat, just go prepared. Know which words to look for and which to avoid. Below is a quick list of "safe" Green Flag and "Warning!" Red Flag options that even young children can understand. Challenge your kids to see how many "Red Flags" and "Green Flags" foods they can find, and let them choose their own meal out of "Green Flag" options.

The watch words below are a guide. Still, food items can be very healthy or unhealthy regardless of the use of any of these words. There are times when thee words are used to mislead you. So use this along with your good judgment to steer clear of the bad stuff. More often than not, you'll end up making a smart decision.

Green Flag:
Steamed
Reduced
Baked
Marinated
Seasoned
Fat Free
Whole Wheat
Multi-grain
Vegetarian
Light
High Fiber
Fresh
Red Sauce
Vinaigrette

Red Flag:
Breaded
Fried/ Deep Fried
Creamed/Creamy
White Sauce
Crispy
Cheesy
Buttery
Loaded
Bottomless
Au Gratin
Country-Style
Volcano

By keeping these things in mind will help you make healthier choices!

Cobb Salad Wraps

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1/2 c. avocado, chopped
• 4 turkey bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 2 T crumbled blue cheese
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T honey
• 1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 t. Dill weed
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/8 t. Pepper
• 1 T Olive oil
• 5 Romaine leaves, torn
• 4 whole wheat flour tortillas warmed
• 1 medium tomato, chopped

Instructions;

1. In a small bowl, combine the chicken, avocado, bacon and celery, onion and cheese
2. In another small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic dill weed, salt and pepper
3. Whisk in the oil
4. Pour over the chicken mixture; toss to coat. Place romaine on each tortilla, top with 2/3c. chicken mixture, then with tomatoes.
5. Roll up each tortilla

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 352

Total Fat: 14.6

Cholesterol: 44.4 mg

Sodium: 754.9 mg

Total Carbs: 35.7 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.8g

Protein: 20.9 g

Healthy Kitcken, Healthy Home

Anytime is a good time to give your kitchen a healthy inspection. Nasty foods and hidden pitfalls are just waiting to sabotage your efforts at keeping your family healthy.

Start with the fridge and pantry. Focus on replacing sugary and highly processed foods with complex carbs and healthy alternatives.

• Throw out: Thick dressings, white rice, creamers, white pasts, white potatoes, chips, dip, soda, and mayonnaise.
• Keep: Vinaigrette's, vegetables, nuts, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, brown or wild rice, tomato sauce, oatmeal, salsa, yogurt, and natural applesauce.
• Put on probation: Cheese, milk, butter, ice cream, eggs, cooking oil and beef.

Then move on to the rest of the Kitchen:

• Learn to read food labels
• Collect healthy, quick recipes
• Toss out all those pizza coupons
• Get a few water bottles to keep cold water handy in the fridge
• Put a bowl of fruit and granola/breakfast bars by the back door.

Invest in:

• Fresh produce
• A pitcher with a filter for water
• Spices so healthy food doesn't get boring
• Healthy cookbooks
• A sturdy cutting board
• Plenty of containers to portion out prepared foods, store leftovers, and pack lunches.

Keep these things in mind when you clean your kitchen and see if they help you!

Southwest Summer Stir Fry

Take advantage of sweet corn when ti's i n season! This recipe can be easily doubled for a larger gathering.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (cut from 3 ears corn)
• 1 large vine-ripened tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts, optional

Preparation:

1. In a work or large skillet, heat oi over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green peppers and onions and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in cumin. Add corn and cook until it is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, honey, salt and hot sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in cilantro or parsley and sprinkle with peanuts, if using.

Nutritional Information per Servings:

• 120 Calories
• 3.2g Fat
• 0.4g Saturated Fat
• 3.0g Protein
• 29g Carbohydrate
• 3.6g Fiber
• 191 mg Sodium

Source Healthy Living Kitchens

Snacking Healthy

Snacking might be the missing ingredient that will help you reach our weight loss goals. But snacking doesn't serve to replace a meal. In fact, you should spread meals and snacks out by an hour or two, and snacks should total a couple hundred calories or less.

Munching between meals can actually reduce your overall caloric intake by curbing overeating at your next meal. By controlling later bringing, snacking can help you stay on track. You can actually use this to your advantage. If you know you are going out to a big dinner with friends later, for example, make sure you have a healthy snack before you head out so you're less likely to order a large entree.

Snacking isn't Grazing:
Mindless eating is often the downfall of many snackers. You may start with only a handful of your favorite crackers, only to finish the entire box, with out even thinking about it. Obviously, this example isn't the healthy snacking that can help you reach your weight loss goals.

To Avoid Grazing:

• Fill a small plate with your snack and leave the kitchen!
• Never bring the entire container with you in front of the television or computer.
• If you stand around the snack table chatting at a party, you may find yourself reaching for food when the conversations lulls.
• Limit yourself to a single serving.
• Plan out your snacks just like you would a meal. Is one cookie worth the calorie cost, when you could eat a plate of fresh fruit instead.

Practice moderation: As with the rest of your diet, moderation is crucial when snacking. Don't sabotage your diet with unhealthy nibbles throughout the day; stick to nourishing food whenever possible.