Fun Health Food Tips

Oat-i-quette

(-: Don’t know why that popped in my head, but I like it.

I have rcently purchased some quinoa grains, just to try something different. I also have two fussy eaters. Can anyone give me a good healthy quinoa recipe that children will actually enjoy?

Can Quinoa be cooked in the same way as rolled oats, as in soaked overnight, then cooked in milk then ext morning as a hot breakfast, or is that out of the question as I have heard that Quinoa has a taste that may not be suitable for such cooking.

I found the following recipes on the web sites listed below. Looks like you are correct on the bad taste if not prepared first.

Basic Quinoa Recipe: 4 - 6 Servings: 2 quart pot with tight fitting lid

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Cooking Directions:

Soak the quinoa first for 15 min - 1/2 hour in it’s cooking pot. Soaking loosens up the outer coating of saponin, which can give a bitter taste if not removed.

If you don’t have time for long soaking, use hot water and soak for five minutes, then give an extra rinse or two.

Stir the quinoa with your hand, and carefully pour off the rinsing water, using a seive at the last.

Put the quinoa back in the pot, add more water, and rinse again two or three more times, until the rinse water is pretty clear .

Drain quinoa well in the seive.

Place quinoa in the pot, add the water & salt.

Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer.

Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes with lid on.
Fluff gently with a fork and serve. Quinoa is delicious on it’s own or in any of the recipes below

Quinoa Pudding

1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup light silken tofu
1 cup skim milk (or soy milk)

Heat first seven ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in cooked quinoa. Combine tofu and milk in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir into quinoa pudding. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and becomes the consistency of rice pudding. Serve warm.

Serves 8

Per serving: 193 calories, 4 g fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein, 3% Vitamin A, 1% Vitamin C, 10% calcium, 15% iron

Savory Quinoa Cheese Cookies

6 Tbsp. butter
2Tbsp. Neufchatel cheese (or low fat cream cheese)
1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt (such as Maldon)

Using an electric mixer, cream butter, Neufchatel cheese and cheddar cheese together. Sift together remaining ingredients. Add to butter-cheese mixture, beating with an electric mixer until a soft dough forms. If dough is too crumbly, add water, 1 tsp. at a time, until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a clean surface and form into a log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the dough. Slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Per serving (2 cookies): 152 calories, 9 g fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 12 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 7% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 12% calcium, 3% iron

I’m looking for healthy meat,veggie and food recipes. know any good sites that offer healthy recipes that you’ve tried?

yes try these sites:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_health/

http://www.foodtv.ca/Search/SearchResults2.aspx?query=healthy&site=foodtv_recipes_live

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/search.php?keywords=healthy&publication=

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/healthydiet

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/category.asp?categoryid=4

http://www.kuali.com/recipes/advresults.asp

http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/recipes.asp?sessionid=&login=yes

My other questions are getting violations so here’s some tame ones!

Make a commercial where a group of kids goes around and watches what the other kids are eating. When one of the "group" kids sees another kid eating junk food, they scream and yell, "Oh no, you can’t eat junk food, it’ll kill ya!!!" Then they grab the junk food and replace it with a healthy snack that has vitamins and good stuff in it.

Peer pressure, but in a good way.

sorry, this is just the first thought i had for this question…:)

LOL, Hey, you copied this question from the "featured questions on the home page of Y!Answers!!!!!!! Can’t you think of a tame question of your own?

I am a vegetarian and always looking for new things to try. If anyone has any good vegetarian recipes using ingredients that are easy to find (small town, limited resources!) let me know !

ok here are some really good ones!!!!

~~~~vegetarian Manicotti~~~~
8 ounces manicotti noodles, uncooked (u can find them at wal amrt)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (vegetarian)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Rinse in cool water.
Take Sauce and HALF of the basil and oregano.
Cook 3 minutes.
Makes 6-8 servings
Spread 1/2 cup of sauce mixture into 13×9 baking dish.
In bowl, stir together 1 CUP of the mozzarella, ricotta, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg and remaining basil and oregano.
Fill pasta tubes with ricotta mixture; place in dish.
Pour remaining sauce over pasta.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes

or try these

~~~~~Patatas Bravas~~~~~

3 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I didn’t peel mine)
olive oil spray
1/2 medium red onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
4 -6 green olives, halved
chopped parsley, for garnish

Start a large pot of water on to boil while you preheat the oven to 375 F. When the water comes to a boil, add the diced potatoes. Boil for 5 minutes—no longer or they will start to fall apart. Pour them gently into a colander and allow all the water to drain off.

Place the potatoes into a large, shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with olive oil. Spritz the tops of the potatoes lightly with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes and then stir with a spatula, making sure they aren’t sticking to the pan. Bake for about 30 more minutes, stirring again halfway through. The potatoes should become crispy but not hard and overdone.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce. Sauté the onion in a non-stick pot for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, and cayenne and cook one minute more. Add the remaining ingredients (except parsley) and simmer for about 20 minutes, until thickened. Remove the bay leaf and puree the sauce in a blender or food processor. Return it to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.

Once the potatoes are cooked, place them in a serving bowl and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve as a side dish or appetizer

~~~~~~Rotini (or Penne) All’Arrabbiata~~~~~~

2 tsp. olive oil
3 tsp. garlic, finely minced (use fresh, not the jarred; trust me)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp dried red pepper (use less if you don’t like spicy)
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes
salt
8 oz pasta (penne or ziti preferred)
2 Tbs parsley, chopped

Sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil for about 3 minutes; do not brown the garlic!

Use a blender to puree the tomatoes. (I use a hand blender right in the can and leave them slightly on the chunky side.) Stir the tomatoes into the garlic mixture. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes; drain. Toss with the sauce and cook for a couple minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a good crusty bread. Serves 4

~~~~~~~Black-eyed Pea Gumbo~~~~~~~

2 medium onions, diced
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. minced garlic
4 cups vegetable broth, water, or a combination
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 pound okra, tops removed and sliced
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1-2 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers (canned in adobo)
1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke (optional)
2 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, plus cooking liquid (1 cup dried black-eyed peas cooked in 3 cups water)*
salt to taste (optional)

*You can use canned black-eyed peas–use 2 16-ounce cans, rinse them first and add some extra water or broth to the gumbo.

Heat a large, non-stick stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until okra is done and mixture has thickened, about 45-55 minutes. Add more water as needed–this will be thicker than a soup but still have a good amount of broth. Serve over freshly cooked brown rice and add hot sauce at the table.

~~~~~~~~BROCCOLI STUFFED SHELLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. minced onion
1 sm. clove minced garlic
4 tbsp. basil
1 3/4 c. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. cooked broccoli, chopped sm.
1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Ricotta cheese
12 shells, cooked and drained (extra lg.)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Cook broccoli and let drain. Cook shells; let drain and partially cool. Mix first four ingredients until well blended. Stir in broccoli, Mozzarella, and Ricotta. Spoon stuffing into shells and placed in greased casserole dish. (At this point the shells may be placed in the refrigerator as long as overnight, to be cooked later). When ready to cook, spoon spaghetti sauce over the shells and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.

/*/*/*/*/*/*Cajun 15-Bean Soup*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

20 ounces dried mixed beans (you can find these prepackaged in most grocery stores), rinsed
12 cups water
1 large onion — chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic — minced
juice of one lemon
15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoons salt — or to taste

Last night I saved some time by putting the beans into the pressure cooker with 8 cups water, cooking at high pressure for 12 minutes, and then releasing the pressure and cooking until the beans were completely cooked. If you use a pressure cooker, I advise letting the pressure come down naturally rather than quick-releasing. And if you have a quick-release setting on your PC, do not use it! I had beans stuck in my valve when I tried that.

If you don’t want to pressure cook them, then place the washed beans in a pot with 12 cups of water and boil covered 60-75 minutes until beans are tender.

While the beans are boiling, brown the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in a non-stick skillet.

Add onion mixture, stewed tomatoes, and lemon juice to beans along with the spices and simmer 30-45 minutes. (If you started the beans in the pressure cooker, add 2 cups water at this time too.) Add liquid smoke and salt at the end. Serve with bread or over rice, or just by itself, as I did

~*~*~*~*Bean and Vegetable Chili~*~*~*~*

Here’s a delicious, fast chili suitable for the Fuhrman program. You can omit the corn completely and just use more zucchini if you’re trying to cut out grains. This is thick enough to serve as a filling for burritos.

1 medium onion — coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper — cored, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic — minced
3 cups pinto beans*, cooked — (or 2 cans)
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes — (I used 1 can w/ green chilies, 1 can regular)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups corn — fresh or frozen
1/4 teaspoon salt — (optional, to taste)
1 1/2 cups zucchini — diced (about 2 medium)

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic just until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Stir in the corn and zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini is just tender, not mushy, about 7 minutes.

*(Black Beans or kidney beans may also be used.)

-%-%-%White Bean Stew-%-%-%

One of my very favorite recipes. Don’t be afraid of all the garlic–as long as you keep the cloves whole, it has a very mellow flavor. Tastes even better the next day!

2 cans cannelini beans — or navy beans (about 3 cups)
1 head garlic — (the whole bulb–15-20 cloves–or more!)
2 tablespoons water
4 carrots — peeled and chopped
2 medium yellow onions — chopped
1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes — chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh parsley — or 2 tbsp dried
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Break the garlic bulb into cloves and peel off the skin.

Heat the 2 tbsp. water in a heavy bottomed stockpot over low heat. Cook the garlic, onion, and carrots in the water until the onion is soft, adding water as necessary to prevent sticking. Keep the lid on between stirrings.

Add the beans to the pot. Then add the tomatoes, crushing any large chunks into smaller pieces. Add the water. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour.

Stir in the salt and pepper. If you’re serving the stew right away, add all the parsley and the lemon juice. If you’re serving it later or at room temperature, add half the parsley and then add the rest and the lemon juice right before serving.

Serve over rice.

^*^*^Ethiopian-Inspired Red Lentil Soup^*^*^

1 large onion, chopped
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 + 1/4 cup red lentils (picked over and rinsed)
3 cups water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 tablespoons berberé spice mixture, below
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 cups water
salt to taste
3-4 cups fresh spinach

Berberé Spice Mixture (mix all together and store in jar):

1 Tbs. ground cardamom
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. fenugreek
1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
1 Tbs. ground cloves
1 Tbs. ground allspice
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne (use more to taste)
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. ground sea salt (optional)

Sauté the onion in a non-stick pan until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes, lentils, 3 cups water, garlic, and spice mixture. Simmer, covered, over low heat until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green beans, and enough additional water to create a thick soup. Check the seasoning, adding salt and more of the spice mixture if needed, and cook for about 15 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in the spinach. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings

-_-_-_-Vegetable Penne_-_-_-

Ingredients:
175 g Penne Pasta
1 Red Pepper, cut into chunks
1 large Onion, thickly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
A handful of Cherry Tomatoes
A handful of fresh Spinach leaves
2 tbsp Red Pesto
300 g Mushrooms, quartered
50 g Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 tbsp Olive oil
Black Pepper

——————————————————————————–
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 C/ gas mark 6.
Mix pepper, onion and mushrooms in a roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
Add tomatoes to the vegetables and roast for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cook penne until al dente and drain.
Mix the penne with pesto, then tip the penne to the vegetable tray with spinach and mix well. Scatter with grated cheese and black pepper and cook in the oven for another 5 minutes.

my bf is still in college and is looking for some healthy snacks that are low in fat and/or calories.

we’d really appreciate suggestions that don’t require cooking cos he doesn’t have time. he does have a minifridge.

thank you for your help! i look forward to everyone’s responses these are all really great suggestions!

knowing my bf, he may want more pre-prepared foods. anything he can pick up at a supermarket w/o having to prepare himself?

Granola bars, celery sticks, carrot sticks or other cut up vegi’s. Also, yogurt tubes, rice cakes, trail mix, cheerios (alone in a baggie), nuts, cheese sticks, apples, pears, banana’s, grapes; basically any fruit.

Requires her to find a healthy recipe from anywhere around the world which is nutritious, high in fibre and low in fat and sodium. It needs to be a simple recipe that can be made at school but something the children will eat…………I am at a complete loss and need some help from you lovely lot!
I look forward to some yummy answers. Thankyou!

My little sister used to watch a programme on BBC cbeebies called ”big cook, little cook”, they make lots of healthy snacks but aim them towards kids, making the food shaped like something interesting but it’s also really simple to make and fun for the kids.

The website is

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/bigcooklittlecook/cookerybook.shtml

The recipes are split into categories such as sweet, savoury and fruit but there is also loads of recipes to choose from, so you might find something on there to use.

Maybe it would be much easier to get people eat healthy if healthy food tasted good.

Everything that tastes good is bad for health, but not necessarily every food that tastes bad is good for health too. For me, it is a matter of how your brain thinks, if it thinks that grass is delicious, you would eat it anyway.

The reason why healthy food doesn’t that good is that it’s lack of spices, essences, and or oil / fat. These things are usually the problem-maker for our health. Healthy foods are not exactly taste bad, they are simply lack of flavor.

From we were young, we have trained and spoiled our tongue to accept only food that tastes good. That’s why it is hard for us to eat food that smells green, plain flavorless, fibrous, and sometimes look unfamiliar.

There’s one Chinese saying that I find it very useful:
"Your mouth is the source of problems"
Why?
First, it is the food that you eat that determines your health. You eat junk food, you get bad health. You eat good food, you get good health. If you smoke and drink…you know the rest.
Second, it is what we say that changes how people think of you. If you like to swear, people would avoid you. If you speak good and decent, people likes you.

Lastly, here’s an advice from my own.
"It takes only a few seconds to chew your food, once you swallowed it, you could immediately forget how it tasted"
No matter how good the food taste, it will eventually end up in the toilet.

With the holidays coming up, and everyone worrying about their waste-lines, we must make sure not to forget about our children and their nutritional needs. What are some fun ideas for healthy holiday foods?

An example might be serving sweet potato fries as "Halloween Fries" (they are orange for any that might not know).

Other suggestions?

Make pumpkin pie and put a little wipped cream ontop, to make them draw to it! Just buy some pumpkin in a can and follow the recepie on the can. Another way is you can take some Ragu and put it in a pan, about 1 jar, and then take some fresh chopped vegtables and put them in the food prosser until they are really tiny. Then, when the kids arnt looking, sneak them in the sause and stir. Serve the sause with fun shaped noodles and serve. They’ll never know. It just tastses like pasta sause. Maybe throw in some meatballs with cheese in them!

any good recipes that even the most cooking-impaired teenaged girl can make?
actual links to recipes or writing out how to make them please! no more search engine recipe finders
yes, I’ve been able to cook pasta since I was 9, a little more originality please…

There is a cookbook called "vegan lunchbox" which has a lot of easy recipes that kids can make.