The day of cupids and arrows is quickly approaching and love is in the air!  Stores are lined with amorous cards, cutesy stuffed animals, and of course, loads of chocolate.  Valentines Day can be a treacherous day for those watching their weight as it is filled with sweet temptations.  However, it can also be a great opportunity to show love to oneself, friends, and family.

1. Love yourself: Start the day off right with a healthy, Valentines Day themed breakfast.  Strawberries are a great choice.  Not only are they red and heart-shaped when sliced, but also, they are loaded with healthy antioxidants and fiber.  Combine a bowl of Greek yogurt, with sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of honey for a perfectly sweet start to the day!
2. Love your Friends and Coworkers: If you like to bring treats into the office or bake for your friends on holidays, consider swapping out the usual decadent treats for some “Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies.”  At only 94 calories per cookie, they pack an incredible amount of flavor as well as vitamins and minerals.  Waist lines will thank you so will taste buds since tart cherries and dark chocolate are an incredible combination!
3. Love your Honey: Plan a romantic dinner with your sweet heart and cook up a healthy well-balanced meal that will leave you both energized and bloat free.  That way you can fully enjoy the rest of the evening together!  Check out my “Healthy Recipes” board on Pinterest for ideas.  After a healthy dinner, a sweet bite to finish out the day is in order.   Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac, making it the perfect choice.  Share a Chocolate Souffle with your loved one for a sweet finish.  The following recipe from Cooking Light is only 188 calories per serving, yet moist and sexy.

Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)

1 1/2 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup dried tart cherries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add tart cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Souffle for Two

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk

1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 large egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Coat 2 (8-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet; set aside.
3. Combine water and next 5 ingredients (water through egg yolk) in the top of a double boiler. Cook over simmering water until thick (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add vanilla.
4. Beat egg white and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon evenly into prepared ramekins. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until puffy and set. Sprinkle each soufflé with 1 teaspoon powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Assistance provided by Allison van Camp

The mangosteen, looks nothing like a mango, in fact its’ deep blood red colored outside and egg-like creamy inside is an interesting contrast. Native to the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas (everyone knows where that is right?) it is and exotic fruit with a wonderful combination of popular flavors.  The mangosteen can be described as citrus in flavor with a hint of peach. It’s dark near purple color is creamy and delectable. Oddly enough, It comes from an evergreen type tree.

• The mangosteen was considered so rare, Queen Victoria offered a reward to anyone that brought her the fruit.
• The rind is the reddish inner that is eaten not the white seed in the center. However, you will notice that the white center takes up much of the area inside the fruit.
• Mangosteens are rare in the U.S. but sometimes can be found at Asian markets.
• Mangosteen juice has been imported into the United States since 2007, before that there was a ban on importing this fruit.
• As a dessert, the Mangosteen has been used in France as an eloquent dish known as Clafouti which is a cloudlike custard made with the fresh fruit.

If you are lucky enough to come across a Mangosteen and would like to know more about ti and how to use one please visit: www.mangosteen.com

Assistance Provided by: Christina Wolfe

Did you know that there’s a “food holiday” almost every day of the whole year?  Some of them are silly (National Food-on-a-stick Day?!), and some of them promote foods that I don’t think necessarily need more advertising (National Cheese Doodle Day?!), but some of them feature good old fruits and veggies!  Friday August 27^th is National Banana Lover’s Day, and even though bananas are already a popular fruit, I wanted to write a bit more about them and how to include them in your diet.

Why They’re Good For You

• Heart Health.  With an average banana containing almost 500 mg of potassium, bananas are a great source of this vital mineral!  High sodium intakes can increase blood pressure, and with only 1 mg of sodium, bananas are good at helping to regulate high blood pressure.  Sodium and potassium work together in the body to manage blood pressure, so a balance of these two minerals is vital to proper functioning.
• Exercise Fuel.  Grabbing a banana pre-workout is often a favorite form of fuel, as it has provides just enough energy to get the body moving in the morning.  Potassium is also involved in muscle functioning, so bananas may help to prevent cramps post-workout.
• Digestion Soother.  If you’ve ever had any digestive issues (especially diarrhea), you may have heard of the B.R.A.T. diet.  Bananas are a key part of this diet, along with rice, applesauce, and toast, which is designed to calm down diarrhea by acting as binders in the body.

Fun Ways to Include Bananas In Your Diet

• Buy a couple of bunches of ripe bananas, peel and slice into chunks and freeze for quick smoothies later
• Bananas ripening faster than you can eat them?   Mash them and make banana muffins, breads, or even cookies!
• Frozen banana chunks, on their own, can be blended together for a version of ice cream “soft-serve”! (Powerful blenders are required for this – try the link on the left side of this page to check out the VitaMix – I’ve got one at home!)
• Use bananas as the base for a fun yogurt “sundae” : Slice a banana lengthwise and place in a dish, layer plain or vanilla Greek yogurt over top, along with fresh berries, mini chocolate chips, and chopped almonds!

Peanut Butter-Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup of milk (organic cow’s, almond, or hemp)
• 1 frozen banana, sliced into chunks
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup old-fashioned oats

Toss the first 5 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Add the oats and pulse for a few times until the oats are broken down.  Pour into a large glass or travel mug and enjoy!

Assistance provided by Megan Skinner

You already know about all the health benefits of herbs and spices and their ability to give your food antioxidant boosts, now let’s focus on just how on earth you can use the various types of herbs out there. First stop…parsley.

Whether you are using fresh or dried parsley, here are some of my favorite (and easy) ways to add it into your cooking.

4 Ways to Get Your PARSLEY On…

1. Oven-baked seasoned fries. Try tossing potato wedges in olive oil then seasoning with garlic powder, onion powder, parmesan cheese, dried parsley and chilli powder before popping in the oven for a healthier alternative of deep-fries french fries!
2. Garnish soups, baked/mashed potatoes and pasta. Sprinkle some dried parsley on any one of your favorite dishes to please the eyes!
3. Parsley Pesto. Combine fresh parsley, olive oil, salt and some parmesan cheese in a blender and use this pesto on tops of sandwiches, salads, etc.
4. Lemon Parsley Chicken. Marinate chicken breasts in some olive oil, parsley and lemon and bake in the oven for a simple, healthy dinner idea!

It’s so easy to add herbs/spices into your every day cooking. With just one dash, sprinkle, spoonful…you get all the antioxidant benefits your body needs to fight away free radicals. Keep in mind that when using in recipes, 1 tablespoon of a dried herb is equal to 3 tablespoons fresh! Which ever one you decide to choose, always remember why you’re using them in the first place.

Have you tried any of the above? What are some of your favorite ways to use parsley?

Research assistance provided by Monica Lobo, RD.

Improve Your Health . . . It Only Takes 1 Day a Week! What do the following people and places have in common: Sir Paul McCartney; Israel’s top restaurants; Kim O’Donnel of the Washington Post; Ghent, Belgium; and Michael Pollan?

They’re all going meatless on Mondays!

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative, in association with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which encourages people to have one meat-free day a week.

Did you know . . .

-our modern food system contributes approximately 1/3 of all greenhouse gases to the atmosphere?
-our diets are bigger offenders to our carbon footprint than gas-guzzling cars?
-the climate cost of food production is worse than the distance traveled for food transportation?
-that reducing your meat intake also reduces your risk of preventable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease?
-that eating less meat can improve the quality of your diet and help you maintain a healthy weight? Plant-based foods are full of fiber, which helps to keep you full so you’ll consume fewer calories throughout the day. Beans and legumes are also full of protein, without the saturated fat and cholesterol found in meat.
-that the meat industry produces 1/5 of manmade greenhouse gas emissions?
-that 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce just one pound of beef?

In other words, cutting meat out of your diet just once a week will improve both your health and the health of the environment!

Now I know you’re just about sold, but maybe you’re wondering how to replace the meat in your Monday diet with other protein sources. Here are some ideas:

Breakfast: oatmeal with honey and slivered almonds, fruit salad, and a hardboiled egg.
Lunch: Hummus, sundried tomatoes, romaine lettuce, red onion, and yellow bell pepper on multigrain bread with tomato soups on the side.
Snack: apple with peanut butter
Dinner: whole wheat linguine tossed in olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice with spinach, yellow squash, and navy beans.
Dessert: mango sorbet

For a bonus meatless recipe try my family’s favorite spinach lasagna.

I want to hear from YOU! Leave a comment on this post with your favorite meatless meal.