Breakfast Smoothie

If you are always on the run and do not have enough time to eat breakfast. You can try this delicious and refreshing smoothie taken from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

Strawberry-Peach Paradise Smoothie (1 Serving)

• 1 cup frozen peach slices
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 2/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup fat-free, sugar-free vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

In a blender with ice-crushing ability, combine the peach, strawberry, milk, yogurt, and lime juice. Blend on the puree or ice crush setting until the ingredients are relatively smooth. Serve immediately.

Also, if you are Biggest Loser fan. I hope you have fun watching the following video.

Today's Dinner: Argentinian Spinach and Beef Pie (Tarta de Carne y Espinacas)

Being married with an Argentinian has open up a world of different kinds of food and new flavors.

One of my husband's favorite dishes are pies or Tartas as Argentinians called them. They are served either for lunch or dinner and they can be made with different ingredients.

The filling is usually a mixture of vegetables and cheese but the one I made today has beef. If you you are a vegetarian you can skip the beef and add any other vegetables that you like.

Today, I am going to share with you a recipe my mother-in-law taught me.

This is what you need:

• 1 package (2 sheets) of masa pascualina or pie pastry dough
• 1 big onion, chopped
• 20 oz of cooked spinach, drained
• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 pound of lean ground beef
• Salt
• Seasoning mixture (oregano, paprika, bay leaf powder and white pepper)
• 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil

1. Heat oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Add ground beef, and sprinkle with seasoning mixture, cooked until the beef is not longer pink. Remove from heat.

4. Place one pastry sheet over greased, round baking dish.

5. In a big bowl mix cooked spinach, beef and cheese.

6. Pour mixture into the pastry sheet.

7. Place remaining pastry sheet over mixture; fold and tuck pastry edges.

8. Brush surface with a little bit of milk; pierce pastry several times.

9. Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Makes 7-8 servings

If you want to see more Argentinian recipes, click here.

Adios

Homemade Chicken Soup

I have always heard that there is nothing better for the flu than a chicken soup. Last night, my husband was not feeling well so I decided to prepare him a Colombian style chicken soup to help overcome his sickness.

The difference between this soup and the traditional chicken soup is that I added rice and cilantro, which gives a different taste to the soup. Also to add more flavor to it I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.

Here is what you need:

• 7 cups of water
• 4 chicken thighs without skin
• 1 1/2 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1/2 cup of white rice
• 1 1/2 of frozen carrots and peas
• 1 chopped small yellow onion
• Cilantro (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot place the water, chicken, bouillon cubes and yellow onion. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Add the frozen peas and carrots, and the rice. Simmer it for about 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

When you are ready to serve add a teaspoon of fresh chopped cilantro.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe. If you have a different recipe please let me know.

Bye

Food The Kids Will Love

There are some children that when it comes to food are not easy to satisfy . If you are a parent that is always trying to find new recipes that your children will love.

You may find helpful the websites below, where you will come across different options for the children and the meals are not difficult to prepare.

They have a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas. Some of the recipes that I look delicious not only for your children but also for yourself.

These are the websites:

1. Kraft Foods
2. Family Fun
3. Moms Who Think

I hope you enjoy cooking these recipes.

Vegetarian Food: Fun and Easy to cook

I've notice that most of the recipes that I have posted contain meat or poultry, but I have forgotten to include vegetarian recipes.

Today's posting is for my vegetarian readers or people who like to eat vegetables. I found several recipes that you will enjoy.

Cauliflower Purée

• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and broken into large florets.
• 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Then transfer cauliflower to a food processor; add Parmesan, butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Process until very smooth.

Zucchini ribbons with mint

1. Using a harp-shape vegetable peeler, peel 1 1/2 pounds (4 to 6) small zucchini lengthwise in ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl; toss with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt. Let sit until zucchini releases some of its liquids, about 10 minutes. Pour off accumulated liquid; blot zucchini dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and ground pepper. Pour mixture over zuchinni. Add 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion; toss gently, and serve immediately.

Tomato-cucumber salad with basil dressing

• 3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lenghtwise
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Cut each tomato wedge into four pieces; cut cucumber into 3/4-inch chuncks. In a bowl, whisk vinegar with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, oil, and basil. Add tomatoes and cucumber; toss gently.

Recipes taken from Food Every Day Magazine

Chicken Tostones Recipe

Tostones, also known as "Patacones" in some Latin American countries are a common side dish but they can also be a snack or an appetizer.

Today, I would like to share with you a quick recipe for an appetizer that I tried at Bahama Breeze.

This recipe adds a different twist to the tostones and the combination of flavors is very rich and tasty.

Watch the next video to see how it is made:

To get the recipe, click here.

Healthy Low Calorie Desserts

If you are the kind of person that loves dessert but don't want to feel guilty about eating a lot of calories or if you are trying to lose weight but don't know any recipes that are healthy.

Here are two quick recipes that you can try. The fruit parfait is only 109 calories and the chocolate sandwich 151 calories.

Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 8-ounce containers (2 cups) nonfat peach yogurt
  
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries, (about 1 1/4 cups)
  
• 1 1/2 cups fresh, frozen or canned pineapple chunks

Preparation

1. Divide and layer yogurt, raspberries and pineapple into 4 glasses.

If you are a chocolate lover you can try the following recipe:

Grilled Dark Chocolate Sandwich

(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
  
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
  
• 8 slices thin whole-wheat or white sandwich bread
  
• 3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts, (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat evaporated milk just until boiling. Add chocolate, let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.
   
2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Divide the chocolate mixture on the unbuttered side of 4 slices, leaving a little border. Press chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the chocolate. Cover with the remaining slices of bread, buttered-side up, and press lightly.
   
3. Cook the sandwiches in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over, press with a spatula, and cook until nicely browned and the chocolate is barely melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve warm.

Recipes taken by Eating Well

Cooking for Pets?

It may sound crazy to some people but for others it is a pleasure and it is very common. A few animal lovers enjoy cooking and trying on new recipes for their beloved pets.

If you have pets and currently cook for them. According to a story from the The Early Show you should consider the following:

• Don't substitute pet food for regular food.
• Pets cannot eat the same things humans can.
• It is important to have guidance from a veterinarian nutritionist when cooking for pets.
• Cats and dogs are differente, therefore, they need different diets.
  

One website that can help and give you nutritional advice is http://www.petdiets.com

If you cook for your pets remember to be careful and consult with you veterinarian. If you want to read the whole article, click here.

Less Ingredients Equals Quick cooking

When it comes to quick cooking the less ingredients you use the less time you will spend in the kitchen preparing meals.

Searching on the internet, I found several websites that offer a variety of ideas on five-ingredient meals (salt, pepper and oil do not count).

Click on the links below to take a look at the recipes:

• Five-Ingredient Cookbook: Fresh Food Fast
• Quick & Easy Five-Ingredients Recipes
• Five-Ingredient Dinners

You can also check out these videos to see three great recipes:






Next time you want to prepare something remember, less is better.

Put on your apron with Publix Supermarket

Publix Apron's gives customers the option to learn how to cook quick and easy recipes and to be able to find all the necessary ingredients right at the convenience of the store.

Not only do you have the opportunity to get the recipes and see how they are prepared at the store but you can also go online to get them and watch videos.

According to the web site of Publix Supermarket's, this program was created to help customer discover or re-discover the joy of cooking.

Nothing is quiet as gratifying as creating something delightful in the kitchen and gathering with your loved ones to savor it. And that's why we created Publix Apron's.

These are just a few meal ideas:

25 - 30 minutes meals

• Carne Asada with Salsa and Zesty Pinto Beans
• Ham and Cheese Crescent With Vegetable and Dip
• Chicken and Dumplings Soup With Southern Green Beans
• Citrus Chicken Salad and Cheese Crisps

Check out this video clip for more cooking ideas.



Until next time.

Homemade dinner: Simply Bake Breaded Flounder

During the weekend, I went grocery shopping and while checking for food at the frozen aisle, I came across the Breaded Flounder Simply Bake by Treasures from the Sea.

This is only one kind of many varieties of seafood that the company offers. They also have Crab, Catfish, Halibut, Mahi Mahi, Tilapia and many more.

What I like most about the breaded flounder? It is the idea that I did not have to season the fish and I did not need to thaw it before preparing it.

The only thing I had to do was to preheat the oven to 400° and bake the fillets for about 20 minutes.

While waiting for the fish, I made a lettuce, tomatoes, heart of palms and artichoke salad with an oil and vinegar dressing and voila, dinner was ready.

After a long day at work, cooking gets easier if I have things that are ready to cook and do not required a lot of preparation.