Mother’s Day Brunch Menu
May 06 2013
Download Menu (pdf) here: Mother’s Day Brunch Menu
Download Groceries (pdf) here: Grocery List for this Meal
Burger Makeover
April 30 2013
You CAN take an unhealthy meal and flip it into something low calorie, low fat and super yummy.
Take the traditional burger for example. Loaded with high calorie condiments and red meat, the Chicken Burger with Pineapple Salsa is a great alternative. With only 380 calories per serving!
Enter Mom’s MealEasy Recipe Makeover Contest for a chance to win $500 for your charity and add your recipe to the MealEasy meal plan.
Chicken Burger with Pineapple Salsa
Servings: x4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Other Time: 10 minutes
- Ingredients:
-
- 1/2 pineapple, fresh, peeled, cored, diced
- 1 mango, peeled, diced (~1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 onion, red, thinly sliced (~1 1/3 cups)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 12 oz chicken, ground lean (~1 1/2 cups)
- 1 apple, green, peeled, grated (~1 cup)
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
- 4 rolls, whole wheat, sliced in half
- 4 leaf inner lettuce, green leaf
- 2 oz cheese, cheddar, low sodium, sliced thin (~2 slice (1 oz))
- Instructions:
Prep
- Mix together the pineapple, mango, cilantro, lime juice and oil and set aside.
- Mix the chicken with the apple, panko and cayenne.
- Form mixture into 4 equal sized patties.
- Place the patties on a plate and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the barbecue or grill.
Cooking
- Grill the patties until cooked through, about 15 minutes, turning once.
- Serve the burgers on rolls with lettuce, cheddar cheese and topped with salsa
Mom’s MealEasy Recipe Makeover Contest
April 19 2013
Do you have a family favorite recipe that you love to eat but know it’s loaded with fat or sodium? Does mom trot out the same old tired dish each and every Thanksgiving that is in dire need of a makeover…can anyone say herbed oyster stuffing?
Well, now’s your chance to turn that less than healthy recipe into something tasty, nutritious and healthy. Using fresh herbs, fresh vegetables and cutting down on the fat and the sodium you can remake one of your mom’s “family favorites” into something that’s also good for the waist line…and the heart. Maybe you’ve got a pasta with cream sauce recipe that’s to die for? Maybe it’s a breakfast omelette loaded with cheese? Or maybe it’s mom’s bacon wrapped meatloaf…yummy but your arteries are screaming NO!
Send in your creative version of the recipe and I will choose the most appealing three to cook in our test kitchen here at MealEasy and pick the healthiest, tastiest most made-over-iest (is that a word?) to add to the MealEasy Meal Planner…giving you full credit and unending bragging rights.
And we’ll also donate $500US to the charity of your choice! How’s that for a “makeover”?
Chef Paul
Enter here >> Mom’s MealEasy Recipe Makeover
Get the Most from Fresh Garden Goodness
April 03 2013
It’s Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Fall in the Southern Hemisphere
These next few months are an exciting time worldwide. The northern hemisphere is sorting and planting seeds, while the southern hemisphere kicks harvest into gear.
Planning to Eat: For those of us who enjoy gardening, it’s a wonderful cost saving activity, not to mention an inexpensive stress reliever. Planning your indoor or outdoor garden can be a fun, family activity that teaches young children the important connection between health, the environment and food.
Fall in Love with Better Food: Harvest time is a fun time to experiment with new ingredients and try new dishes. There may be certain ingredients that you’re not fond of, so give MealEasy a try. MealEasy offers a quick and easy feature to select foods to avoid so you never have to see a recipe with ingredients you don’t like. Your taste buds will thank you!
Plant a lifetime of good food: Not sure what to plant? Make it a family project and have fun together! Take a trip to the library and select books on gardening for your climate. It’s never too early to plan a garden – no matter what season it is where you live.
Fresh Picks: Choosing what to grow depends on how much space and light you have for the plants. Always consider which plants you will use for cooking and eating. Most people enjoy adding fresh herbs to salads and soups, and the small amount of space that’s needed for herbs pots, means anyone can grow and enjoy fresh herbs.
Start an indoor herb garden and use them to add flavor to dishes rather than using dried herbs. All you need is a pot, soil, sunlight and water. Instant flavor!
Try it, You might Like it! MealEasy provides recipes that are Chef-designed and family tested. We never promote or profile recipes that we would not prepare and enjoy with our own families. Adding a hint of “fresh” is a great way to try new foods and include healthy eating in your day.
Spring is Near – Grow Fresh!
March 06 2013
Even if you’ve never gardened before or you think you don’t have a green thumb, growing your own food can be simple and economical. A huge bonus for your bank account!
Despite what most people think , you don’t need large plot of land to grow a kitchen garden. All you need is soil, light and the ability to water the plants on a regular basis. Growing herbs on a windowsill, in pots on your veranda, or hanging tomato baskets from your balcony is an easy way to cut your food bills.
Cooking with fresh herbs adds wonderful flavor to most dishes but buying a bunch of thyme when you know that you only need a small amount of chopped thyme can sometimes be wasteful. Growing thyme, basil, cilantro and other herbs can be easy, fun and a money saver.
Children who grow up learning about the connection between growing food and eating food, have a better understanding of the importance of a healthy, nutrient rich diet. Get the kids involved and let them have their own indoor garden pots.
Check out this site for more information on growing your own herbs indoors: Container gardening
MealEasy puts kids in the Driver Seat
February 27 2013
Chinese style noodles with chicken
One of the best ways to introduce children to new cuisines is to try new dishes in the comfort of your own home. Children are curious and love to explore new things. Making it fun by letting them choose the country not only gets them involved, but puts them in charge.
Kids love being in the driver’s seat. When children are involved in the healthy What’s for Dinner? decision, they will learn to make better choices and be proud to be part of the solution.
MealEasy offers many cuisine options including Chinese, Greek, Italian, Mexian, Middle Eastern and so much more.
Take a stroll around the world with MealEasy. Explore new foods, and have fun with your children.
Get Fresh, but Stay Safe
February 18 2013
Leafy greens have been found to be a common source for food borne illnesses in the United States.
In light of the recent illnesses at fast food chains, eating at home makes more sense than ever.
Many food borne illnesses that surface in green vegetables can easily be avoided by washing greens thoroughly and ensuring fresh fruit and vegetables do not come into contact with raw meats. Cross contamination is easy to do if you’re not careful. Using a separate cutting board and utensils is very important when preparing raw meats for cooking and then chopping fresh vegetables.
Our very own Chef Paul uses many cutting boards when preparing dishes and always washes his hands with hot soapy water after touching raw meat.
Have a look at Chef Paul’s latest video for safety tips:
Plan Portions and lose pounds, Naturally
February 08 2013
What you eat is just as important as your exercise plan. With MealEasy, you can slim down naturally with a stress-free plan.
MealEasy blends the art of cooking with the science of nutrition to ensure each meal has maximum nutritional value to meet your specific health needs and weight goals.
Personal preference settings allow you to set your calorie ranges, eliminate certain food groups and ingredients from your diet.
Don’t want some milk products, but you do like certain cheese types or yogurt? No problem! MealEasy gives you the freedom to choose what you want and leave out what you don’t want in your diet.
You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to eat natural, fresh foods and enjoy life again. There’s no need to stress over counting calories, MealEasy does that for you!
Prepare to eat smart. Stick to your personalized MealEasy meal plan and slim down naturally.
Not all fats are created equal
January 09 2013
A few easy ways to cut the fat from our diets
Not all fats are created equal. There are some fats that are good for you such as the monounsaturated fats found in avocados and the Omega-3 fats found in salmon and other cold water fish. The key to a healthy diet is reducing and eliminating the fats that are not so good for you. Trans fats should be avoided altogether and you should try to limit saturated fats as much as possible.
There are many ways to reduce the amount of saturated fats in your diet. One of the easiest is to choose lean cuts of meat and to trim all visible fat from your steak before cooking it; also, remove any skin from chicken and cook with less butter and cream whenever possible.
Using olive oil instead of butter will help reduce your overall fat intake and olive oil has been shown to help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure! Try cooking with a non stick pan, this allows you to use less fat than you would with a conventional pan. Although non-stick pans have received a bad rap due to their non-stick coating compounds, there are new products available which are safe and not too expensive.
When shopping for ingredients try to find low fat or non fat versions of sour cream and yogurt. As well, keep away from ready-made snacks such potato chips and buttered popcorn. Make your own popcorn and lightly salt or season it with a mixture of spices instead of smothering it with butter.
Another great way to reduce your fat intake is to choose fruit for dessert instead of calorie rich desserts and treats. Not only will fruit increase your all important fiber intake, many fruits can help fight disease such as diabetes and certain cancers.
Here’s to a healthier, happier and leaner you in 2013!
Chef Paul’s Best of … Food Books
December 20 2012
As the end of the year approaches, we are inundated with anyone and everyone’s “Best of” lists. From movies, to TV shows, to books and twitter feeds, it’s endless. Well, here’s my “Best of Food” books which I’ve read this year, and I hope you take the time to find out more about them, or better yet, read them!
When it comes to nonfiction, I tend to stick to food related books such as cook books or food and farming books. One of the books I quite enjoyed this past year was Joel Salatin’s Folks, This Ain’t Normal which focuses on the sustainability of our food system. It’s very much along the same lines as Michael Pollen’s must read “Omnivore’s Dilemma” but more farm focused.
As for cook books, this year’s stand out titles for me were “Bouchon Bakery” which is every bit as beautiful a book as “Bouchon” and “The French Laundry”, two previous cookbooks by Thomas Keller. Though a bit advanced for most home cooks, the book is worth it for the photos alone.
Two other cookbooks I quite enjoyed were “Preservation Kitchen” by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy as well as “Foraged Flavor” by Tama Matsuoka Wong, Eddy Leroux and Daniel Boulud.
As for other cooking related reads from this past year, I highly recommend “Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer” which I referred to quite a bit during the development our new “Anti-Oxidant Plus” Meal Plan that we will be releasing in the New Year. The book focuses on foods that help prevent and fight off cancer and cancerous cells.
Those are the best of food related books that I read this past year. Bon appétit and happy reading.
If you would like to create Your Own Personalized Recipe eBook, visit www.mealeasy.com/erecipes and get yours today!