Keeping the refrigerator stocked for healthy eating!

Here are some ways I make life easier and my meals healthier and even save some $:

1. Vegetables:

I buy large bags of frozen organic beans and mixed vegetables to have in the freezer ready for times that I am out of fresh veggies.

Check for specials in the grocery ad and choose those vegetables that are featured that week. You'll have variety week to week and generally these are fresher because of the turnover of lots of people buying the specials.

Garlic and onions keep pretty well if they are kept dry. I keep them in an open bowl.

2. Meats:

I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they are featured at a special price and package them in sandwich baggies... one or two to a baggie. Costco actually has their chicken already in individual plastic. These keep well in the freezer. It is a good idea to put the bagged chicken breasts in a second plastsic bag to prevent freezer burn. You should mark with a permanent marker so you use them up in the order you buy them.

Safety tip: Never use a wooden cutting board for cutting raw meats. It is very difficult to get all of the meat out of the wood. There is danger of salmonella or ecoli from raw meat. Using a plastic board that can be washed in the dishwasher or thoroughly in soapy water, you will be avoiding this risk.

When lean ground beef is on sale, I buy it in quantity and make hamburger patties and freeze in sandwich bags. Again, mark with the date and put the small bags into a larger plastic bag.
Sometimes I cook a couple of pounds of lean ground beef with chopped onions and garlic until brown. I package this mixture in plastic containers, ready to thaw and use for tacos, in omelets...anyway you'd like. It's great not to have to make the mess again...quick and easy!

If you like meatloaf, you can use some of the ground beef to make meatloaf. Sometime I'll post a good meatloaf recipe. These can be frozen and are ready to pull out and bake.

Shrimp is reasonably priced in the large bag at Costco. It is easy to take out a few at a time to thaw and use.

Turkey meatballs are also sold in a large bag. I take out a few, cook for a while in a non stick skillet and add some tomato sauce for use with pasta or with some zucchini.

Salmon is sometimes sold as a whole fish. You can buy it this way and cut it into individual portions and freeze them in baggies.

3. Breads

I have discovered wonderful whole wheat kaiser rolls that are perfect for burgers or chicken sandwiches. They have fewer carbs or calories than having a normal bun or two pieces of bread. I cut a center slit before freezing so that they are ready to be pulled out, thawed for a little while and filled with yummy stuff!

Any bread without preservatives needs to be frozen to avoid mold... at least in Phoenix this is true!

These tips are GREAT for cooking for one or two, but are also perfect for having family meals ready to go.

Chicken With A Difference

Ingredients for a great meal:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Broccoli
Fresh garlic
Olive oil
Good seasoning without salt as one of the ingredients
Some of my favorites:

• Steak & Chop Grill & Broil (Trader Joe's)
• Barbecue Grill & Broil (Trader Joe's)
• Jamaican Jerk Blend (Spice Hunter)
• Barbecue Grill Spice (Spice Hunter)

Chop garlic and put in skillet with a small amount of olive oil.
Heat the skillet on medium high.
Coat chicken breasts on both sides with the seasoning of your choice.
After garlic has browned slightly, add the chicken to the skillet.
Cook on both sides until quite brown.
Cover the skillet so that the lid does not fit completely...allowing steam to escape.
Cook for about 5 - 8 minutes or cut a chicken breast in half to make sure it is no longer pink inside. The time will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
While chicken is cooking, cut broccoli into serving size pieces and microwave.
Serve the chicken and broccoli.
You might want to add some brown rice, whole grain pasta, or baked potatoes to the meal!
What I love about cooking the chicken is that I save part of what I cook for several other options for the next day!
I'll share some of those next week!
s:)

If you have a healthy recipe or menu you'd like to share, feel free to
add it to the comments on here!

Also, if you have tried any of the recipes on here, I'd love to hear your comments
about that too.....good or bad!!

Italian Meatballs and Zucchini

Frozen turkey meatballs
(big bag from Foster Farms available at Costco)
Fresh zucchini
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pasta sauce (low in fat and sugar)

Prepare the meatballs by either microwaving or putting them in a
skillet (no oil needed) and allowing them to brown slightly while warming up.
Slice zucchini and cook in a microwaveable casserole.
I add the sauce to the skillet with the meatballs after they are brown and warmed through.
After the sauce is hot, serve the meatballs with sauce and the cooked zucchini.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the meatballs and the zucchini.

You could add some garlic bread and/or some pasta to this menu.

Black Bean Soup

from my daughter-in-law, Meredith

1 medium onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 (16-ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
3 cups medium or hot chunky salsa
Juice and grated peel of 1 lime

Optional toppings:
1/2 cup nonfat fat free sour cream
Shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese
Tortilla strips or broken chips
Rice
Chopped, cooked seasoned chicken
Chopped cilantro

1. Cook onion and cumin in oil in 4-quart sauce pot over medium heat until onion is tender, about 3 minutes; remove from heat.

2. Puree 2 cans beans and their liquid in batches with chicken broth in electric blender; add to pot. Stir in remaining beans, salsa, lime juice and peel.

3. Heat mixture to boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle 1 cup soup into bowl; top with any of the toppings or something else that sounds good to you!

Black Currant Lemonade

I created this combination as an alternative to water that is not sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened. I've always enjoyed the drinks in glass bottles like Snapple or Arizona Ice Tea or Fuze drinks.

The problem is that there are not any drinks that I have found in glass bottles that are sweetened with Stevia, the only natural artificial sweetener. It is actually made from the Stevia plant. So I save the glass drink bottles and wash in the dishwasher. Wash caps by hand so they do not rust.

What I enjoy is fresh lemon juice squeezed and sweetened with Stevia.
When the fresh juice is not readily available, I use unsweetened Kool-Aid lemonade packets.

Black Currant Lemonade

1 packet Kool-Aid lemonade
three droppers of liquid Stevia (available at Sprouts or health food stores)
2 quarts of water
1-2 cups of unsweetened Black Currant juice

(Other juices I use are Just Cranberry, Just Pomegranate, Just Raspberry.
I get my juices at Trader Joes or Sprouts. They have no added sweetener.)

Fill recycled glass drink bottles and refrigerate.
Enjoy a wonderfully chilled, refreshing and healthy beverage!