by Amy on April 30, 2012
Cooking simple yet delicious meals help save money in the long run, erasing long lists of ingredients that cost extra cash. My usual dinner menu will consist of a meat and 2 veggies and sometimes a whole grain bread. I do mix it up from that some but it’s a healthy money saving general rule. We love to grill in the spring, summer and fall. It’s an easy way to prepare meals and make them delicious with hardly any clean up. This is definitely a great way to cook simple! Check out our Healthy Eating section for simple recipes.
by Amy on April 29, 2012
This recipe is a quick and delicious way to whip up green beans. My neighbor Florence, who is a 75 year old amazing cook taught me this for our thanksgiving dinner 2 years ago. These green beans are great any time though.
2 Tbsp. of olive oil or butter-butter is great for special occasions but I recommend the olive oil for the healthier option
Fresh green beans-for a family of four you want 2 handfuls of them, it’s best if you can pick them out so that you can go through them and pick out the best looking ones right when you buy them. If this is not an option you can just buy a bag of them.
2-3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
2 pinches of salt
2 pinches of pepper
Boil a pot of water and and place your steaming basket over the water. Place the green beans in the basket with your lid on. Mix them up every now and then so that they evenly cook. Steam for 10-12 min. Your beans are done when soft but not mushy and still have a little crunch. Immediately place them in a bowl and add your olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix them all together and voila! You have delicious fresh green beans ready for your meal.
If you don’t have a steaming basket, I highly recommend getting one. They are pretty affordable and preparing your vegetables this way keeps the nutrients in the veggie. When you cook them in just water, some of the nutrients stay in the water and your body doesn’t get all of the benefits. Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!
Happy cooking!
by admin on April 28, 2012
Ok, How do you get a life long couch potato off of the couch and into an exercise routine? When you’re not passionate about exercise it’s really hard to get excited about going on a jog. My advice to those that hate jogging? don’t jog! find another form of exercise that you can fall in love with.
I can remember when I first started going down this road of getting in shape. I would go on a jog, start panting around the end of the first mile, curse my self for being a whimp, then turn around and walk home. I would then give up for a week or two get up the courage to try again and then repeat the whole process.
Then I remembered back to being a kid and how much I enjoyed riding my bike. I did some research and found out that not only can you potentially burn more calories riding a bike, you can do it without tearing up your joints. Quick point here. Although running is a good workout, its terrible on your knees and hips. In my opinion, unless you absolutely love running you should find a different work out. Since I rediscovered riding the bike I have found a great form of exercise that I actually enjoy. I used to struggle to run for 15 minutes. Now I can easily ride my bike for 2+ hours burning way more calories in the process.
My wife used to laugh at me in my helmet and gear but after seeing me lose weight I actually have her and the girls riding along with me too.
For anyone that’s trying to find a way to get excited about exercise I would suggest that you look into getting a bike.
One quick tip to close with. When purchasing a bike I encourage you to check out your local bike shop. They can help you figure out what type of bike fits your fitness goals, make sure you get the right size bike, and then help fit that bike to your body type. One of the big keys to enjoying the biking experience is making sure you have a bike that fits right. When people complain that riding the bike hurts its usually because their on the wrong size bike or the seat isn’t positioned properly. Both of these can easily be fixed by your Local Bike Shop.
by admin on April 28, 2012
