A Cooking Directory

Casseroles are delicious, but they are not the best thing to eat health wise. Casseroles are loaded with calories, fat and sodium, yet you don’t have to deprive yourself of this culinary treat. You can substitute a few ingredients to create a better-for-you version of this popular dish. Check out these tips for making a healthier casserole:

1. Replace full-fat cheese with cottage cheese: Some cheeses are filled with saturated fats and calories. To make your casserole better for [...]

Winterize Your Menus With Healthy Soup and Stew Recipes
To prepare the healthiest soup and stew recipes, begin with the freshest ingredients. Soup and stew recipes can be earthy and tantalizing when the ingredients scream with freshness. There are several healthy soup and stew recipes that can be prepared ahead to save time.

Here’s to a Healthy Chowder
Chowders don’t aren’t always prepared with clams. Whether the family prefers white or red chowders, it’s the ingredients that a hearty chowder that “rib sticking” [...]

Outside of working nearly 50 hours this week, I have to take my youngest son to baseball practice every day, help my oldest son with his calculus homework, pay my ADT Security New York, phone and credit card bills and try to get enough sleep so I don’t fall flat on my face. Come to think of it, this sounds like my routine just about every week. Needless to say, I rarely have more than a few minutes to rustle up dinner for the family. However, this doesn’t stop me from cooking healthy (and delicious) meals. One of my favorite things to make is tacos, because it’s healthy, the kids love them and it takes less than 15 minutes to put together (feeds about 5 people). Here’s what you’ll need:

1. One pound of lean (90 or up) ground beef
2. 10 organic tortillas or all-natural taco shells
3. Two cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican four-cheese blend
4. Two cups of your salsa preference
5. One 16-ounce can of black beans
6. One teaspoon chili powder
7. One teaspoon garlic powder

Optional toppings: peeled and shredded carrots, diced avocado, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, low-fat sour cream

Once you’ve gathered everything, heat the oven to 350F and place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat on your stove. Add the beef (and shredded carrots if you have) to the skillet. Break up the meat and cook until it is no longer pink. It usually takes about five minutes. Don’t forget to drain the fat.

While the beef is cooking, stick the taco shells in the oven and bake per the directions on the package. When the meat is done, mix in the beans, shredded cheese, salsa, chili powder and garlic powder. Cook this mixture for two more minutes until the meat is melted.

And then, presto! Serve the meat in the taco shells/tortillas with any additional toppings.

Believe it or not, pizza-lovers, you actually can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to healthy pizza. All it takes is the right kind of ingredients and the right amount of fun. So grab a chair, fire up the ADT home security and get ready to focus on nothing but cooking as I guide you through the process of making a pizza that is both healthy and tastes great too.

The first thing you will need is a wad of frozen dough which you will need to knead considerably before spreading it across the pan. Since most of the unhealthy aspects of pizza come from sauces packed full of preservatives we are going to skip that in favor of something a little more organic. You are also going to want to stick to cheeses with no trans fats and any vegetables you top should be farm fresh and cleaned. Since most of the time spent making a pizza involves putting on the topping you and your family can have some fun with this one. Be creative. Then put it in the oven and let it cook. Typically, depending on the size, you want to give your pizza at least 30 minutes to cook but you shouldn’t leave it unattended.

A healthy meal helps to make a healthy person. It’s a commonly known fact, if a person eats more calories than they burn up in energy weight gain results. However, many people fail to realize not eating the right foods, regardless of the quantity consumed also leads to weight gain and an unhealthy body. Kick start the day with a healthy breakfast meal that is not only figure friendly, it gives you a boost of energy to keep you going throughout the day.

Whole grain oatmeal is low in calories, sugar and fat. The [...]

Being a vegetarian doesn’t have to be boring. There are several meals that can be prepared in less than an hour that the whole family will love. Vegetarian lasagna is a great family dish. To replace the meat, you could use mushrooms or eggplant. A meatless stir fry is also another easy, family friendly vegetarian dish. You can include as many or as little vegetables as you want in the stir fry, just make sure you season them well. By adding [...]

Trading out your white pasta for whole grain varieties is not difficult. Whole grain pasta is now widely available, and is offered in all of the same shapes and sizes that white flour pasta is. Though it may cost a few cents more, the health benefits are most definitely worth paying a little extra.

When making this change, you will find that is very easy to use whole grain pasta in any dish that you would normally use white flour pasta [...]

Are you looking for a way to lower the amount of fat in your diet without compromising taste? Did you know that ground chicken and turkey can be used in most of your favorite recipes? With the right amount of seasoning and cooking methods you will not even notice a difference and you will be saving on fat, calories and possibly costs. Depending on the cut of meat you ordinary buy, using chicken or turkey may cut your saturated fat intake by as much as [...]