Edamame

My girls and I love edamame. It's one of those quick, healthy snack ideas that is easy to prepare and doesn't make you feel guilty when you eat it. But, lately we've gotten into a rut with edamame. Basically, I just steam it and sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt and munch away. But after awhile that gets to be boring. Well, if you love edamame as much as we do, but you're looking for some new ways to spice it up, I've got some yummy recipes that you've got to try:

Spiced Edamame Recipe
This recipe from the Food Network kitchens has recieved five stars on their website. If you like ot spicy, this recipe sounds like a winner.

http://bit.ly/JP8d3w

Easy Edamame Recipes
The online healthy eating magazine, Eating Well, has an article with 13 amazing recipes that use edamame. From Provencal-Style Edamame Saute, to Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame & Tarragon, these recipes offer fabulous ways to add more of this healthy, protein-rich food to your repertoire.

http://bit.ly/JP9B64

Crispy Edamame Recipe
This popular Allrecipes.com recipe has 94 comments that contain additional ideas for tweaking this simple recipe for kicking plain-Jane edamame up a few notches.

http://bit.ly/JPa2NK

Try these new recipes and leave a comment to share what you think of them.

Related articles

• What You Didn't Know About Edamame(superherounderpants.com)

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• Edamame Hummus(realmomsrealfood.wordpress.com)

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photo credit: thetechjournal.com

I was reading the Healthy Living section of the Huffington Post this morning, and I found this fabulous article by Dr. Deepak Chopra, A Personal Mission: Define Your Wellness. The article is in two parts. In this short series Dr. Chopra walks readers through the steps required to define your own wellness plan, and them he talks about how to maintain your new, healthy habits into the future.

Part 2 has an excellent video on the concept of neuroplasticity. This video has amazing visuals, and it contains information that will be helpful to you if you want to change any aspect of yourself.

I love this piece of advice that Dr. Chopra shares, "You can't be on autopilot to maintain your healthy lifestyle. Every day you'll be making conscious decisions to determine the staying power of those new good habits. Instead of taking on awareness as a burden, accept it as the source of your power as a conscious person."

Reading these articles will help you to raise your awareness about the importance of establishing positive wellness habits, and it will equip you with the knowledge to lean into the new changes, grow with them and make them an integral part of your life going forward.

Deepak Chopra speaks to the Microsoft PAC on January 13, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deepak Chopra: A Personal Mission: Define Your Wellness http://huff.to/H4pvUP

Deepak Chopra: A Personal Mission: Define Your Wellness (Part 2) http://huff.to/H4pyQw

photo credit: istock photo

Marsh is National Diabetes Awareness Month, but it's also National Nutrition Month, and here at the Healthy Snack Blog we are all about focusing on making it easy for our readers to choose healthy snacks.

Nutrition, or the lack of good nutrition is what brings on Type II diabetes. The disease can be managed with good nutrition and exercise, but don't forget that untreated, diabetes is a killer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention share these shocking numbers about Type II diabetes in the U.S.:

• Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
• Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

In this guest post, Beverleigh H. Piepers writes about the important role healthy snacking plays in the life of someone with diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes - Why Diabetics Should Eat Healthy Snacks!

by Beverleigh H. Piepers

If you have been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, I hope you find some comfort in knowing this is the best time to start to manage your diabetes. Diabetics no longer need to eliminate all carbohydrates from their diet but they do need to choose foods with a lower glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a numerical measure of how quickly food raises your blood sugar level. The goal of a diabetic is to maintain a steady blood sugar level and avoid high peaks throughout the day. High blood sugar is bad for your body; keeping the level of blood sugar as normal as possible prevents the complications associated with diabetes.

The beta cells of the pancreas produce a hormone of major importance, insulin. Wherever insulin travels in your body, it opens up the cells so that glucose can enter them. After sugar leaves your blood and enters your cells, your blood sugar levels falls. Your pancreas can tell when your blood sugar is falling and it then turns off the release of insulin. This prevents your blood sugar becoming too low.

You become a diabetic when:
the beta cells of the pancreas have been destroyed or are unable to produce insulin... this refers to Type 1 diabetes.
your pancreas manufactures insulin in adequate amounts and although sugar is delivered to your body's cells, your cells will not let the insulin and sugar enter. This is known as insulin resistance, the base cause of Type 2 diabetes.
Blood sugar control is then achieved through healthy food choices and, sometimes prescribed medication: injectable insulin or a variety of oral drugs such as glucophage, gliberide or glucatrol. Thankfully, Type 2 diabetics can actually reverse their condition if they are willing to make some major alterations to their diet, and add exercise to their daily routine.

To maintain an even blood sugar, diabetics are advised to commit to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a few snacks. Monitor your blood sugar so you can start finding out what types of meals put you into the best blood sugar zone.

Smart snacking can make all the difference to your total daily food intake and the right snack also helps keep your blood sugar level from going too high. Foods with a low glycemic index are recommended for snacks. The following foods are considered to have a low glycemic index:

• Fruit,
• Vegetables,
• Whole grain or minimally processed grains,
• Legumes (bean type food that grows in a pod or a shell)

A 100 to 200 calorie (420 to 840 kilojoule) snack may be just the thing to ward off hunger so you don't overeat when mealtime comes around. Be careful you don't get into the dangerous all day grazing pattern though... this makes it very difficult to control your calorie intake.

A few snack ideas:

• Low-fat cheddar cheese with a small pear,
• Beef jerky with a large rice cake,
• Celery and carrot dipped in ricotta cheese spread, or maybe a low-fat dressing,
• No-sugar-added peanut butter on celery sticks,
• Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese and a cup of cantaloupe,
• No sugar-added low-fat yogurt,
• 2 tablespoons of nuts and vegetable juice,
• A whole grain cracker with cheese or cheese spread.

If you're back in the kitchen at 9 or 10 at night looking for chips, cookies, or crackers to munch in front of the TV, maybe you didn't eat enough calories during the day... eating high carbohydrate food is your body's attempt to pick itself up. But these foods not only send your blood sugar skyrocketing immediately, they help to pack on the pounds, increasing insulin resistance and the risk of heart disease.

If you indulge in any food after dinner, the buildup of triglycerides and cholesterol becomes much worse. During sleep fat is burned but it can only happen if there's no food in the gut.

As with any diet change, it's important to find what you like and make it work. Otherwise, you will be sidelined with Type 2 diabetes and medications for the rest of your life.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link: Natural Diabetes Treatments

Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Type-2-Diabetes---Why-Diabetics-Should-Eat-Healthy-Snacks!&id=6808723] Type 2 Diabetes - Why Diabetics Should Eat Healthy Snacks!

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The trick to sticking with your weight loss program is to make sure that you keep a good supply of healthy food options on hand both at home and at work. Plan ahead when you are going to be running around all day long. Pack a healthy snack in your bag, or schedule in time to stop somewhere to grab something healthy. Don't let your hunger and low energy cause you to make poor food choices.

Celebrity Natural Foods Chef Bethenny Frankel teaches you how to make healthy quick and easy snacks.

Related articles

• Healthy smoothies: 1 in the most effective solutions to lose weight (boldstate.com)
• Four Weight Loss Secrets You Wish You Knew Yesterday (johnisfit.com)

By now I hope you get the real facts about weight loss. Starving yourself is not a sustainable way to lose weight and keep it off. Instead replace the empty, sugary, fatty, and salty foods with whole, healthy foods from close to the earth. Instead of eating three big meals and stuffing yourself into a food coma, work towards eating more frequent, smaller meals and incorporating healthy snacks into your daily routine.

Planning ahead and having the healthy snack foods that you want easily on hand will lessen the chances that you will get really hungry and feel vulnerable to slipping back into your poor eating habits.

Here are a few articles that speak to how healthy snacks can help you achieve your weight loss goals:

• From the Mayo Clinic Diet:   Snacks: How they fit into your weight-loss plan

"Your stomach is growling, but lunch is hours away. You could indulge yourself with a snack, but you think it's best to grit your teeth and wait for lunch. Not so, if weight loss is your goal.

Although you may feel guilty about snacking, snacks aren't necessarily bad. "
Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/nqHtzL

• Video: Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss

• Healthy Snacks for Dieters from Women's Health Magazine

"These five can't-go-wrong munchies will satisfy your craving and help you lose pounds."
Source: http://bit.ly/wQbTIh

photo credit: webmd

•  Slideshow: 25 Super Snacks With 100 Calories or Less

Source: http://bit.ly/A0KT37

Pick a weight loss plan and stick with it. Keep a food journal and write down every single thing you eat or drink, and how much you exercise so that you can track your progress. Finally, find a weight loss coach who will help you when you get stuck, yet hold your feet to the fire, so to speak, and encourage you to stick with your plan to lose weight and get healthy. Believe in yourself and your ability to change your life and you will get to that goal weight and feel great about yourself.

Photo credit: sixsistersstuff.com

OK, so this is gonna be a quickie, drive by kind of blog post today. I wanted to take a minute to share with you my latest social media obsession. It's called Pinterest, and by now you've probably heard of it. But, just in case you haven't it's a really cool social media site where you can collect and share images of things that you love.

When you join Pinterest, you create a virtual pin board under topics that you can make up yourself such as food, fashion, architecture, travel, etc. Then you pin images of the things you love to your boards. Others can comment on things you've pinned, you can re-pin an image that someone else has pinned, and you can 'like' images.

I love the Food & Drink section of Pinterest because I've gotten a ton of recipe ideas. I also pin images of very decadent recipes that look fabulously and amazingly delish, but I'd probably never make them because they are just over-the-top full of sugar, fat and calories. So, I enjoy these decadent desserts vicariously through looking at the beautiful food photography.

One of my latest foodie Pinterest finds is this: Six Sisters' Stuff: Fresh Food Friday: 100 Healthy Snack Ideas http://bit.ly/wXlMzA

When I saw it I squealed and said, "I've got to add that to my healthy snack blog!"  So, there you go. If you're on Pinterest, be sure to follow me: http://pinterest.com/evelynwrites/ Happy Pinning!

Photo credit: Ms. Dotty

Healthy Valentine's Day Treats for Kids
By Pat Gabilondo
Stressing over what snacks to make for your kids that are low in sugar and high

on nutrition? Here are a few tricks.

Source: http://bit.ly/xlxeTh

10 Healthy Valentine's Day Snacks for Kids
by Jenni Grover

Now that you have your Valentine's Day crafts, gifts and wreaths sorted out, it's

time to start thinking about the most important topic of all - food.

Chocolates, cookies with red frosting, sprinkles, cupcakes, and candy hearts

are the typical Valentine's Day sweets our kids eat at school.  Of course, these

kinds of treats are fine in moderation and are used to

celebrate a day of love.

But how about offering some fun, festive, healthy treats as alternatives to some

of the traditional high-fat, high-sugar snacks that accompany Valentine's Day?

Source: http://bit.ly/zCscAR

Healthy Snacks For Valentine's Day
By ELiza Martinez
Valentine's Day is a holiday traditionally associated with giving candy as a gift.

People who are watching their weight may dread this day because tempting treats are

all around them. It is possible to enjoy the holiday without derailing your healthy

eating goals. Choose treats that feel indulgent but are low in fat and calories.

Source: http://bit.ly/ABsW3p

This Sunday will be SuperBowl Sunday. Whether you’re a fan of the Patriots (Go Pats!), the Giants, or not really a fan of football at all, we’ve got some tasty game day snacks that you can feel good about serving to your guests. And if you are not even going to be watching the game, these snacks are perfect for any gathering of friends on a winter Sunday afternoon.

1. Boneless Buffalo Wings

Even though boneless Buffalo wings are made with healthy white-meat chicken, they're usually deep-fried and drenched in hot sauce laced with butter. The solution: chicken tenders are dredged in seasoned whole-wheat flour and cornmeal, pan-fried in only a small amount of oil and then drizzled with a tangy hot pepper sauce. With a fraction of the fat, calories and sodium, these boneless wings are reason enough to throw a party.

Source: http://bit.ly/zCpPSF

2. Easy Bean Dip

¼ cup diced green chilies

¼ cup tomato sauce or salsa

4 green onions, chopped

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 can (30 oz.) refried beans (try to find without added lard)

Combine chiles, salsa or tomato sauce, green onions and seasonings in saucepan and cook until onions are

tender. Add beans and simmer until warmed through. May top with low-fat shredded cheese and serve warm or

cold (makes 4 cups).

Or make a family-sized nacho platter with baked tortilla chips, fat-free vegetarian refried beans, chopped

tomatoes, canned chilies, light sour cream, shredded cooked chicken and low-fat shredded cheese.

Source: http://bit.ly/yE9nKd

3. Zucchini Fries

You can enjoy these crispy, flavorful veggies for half the calories of regular French fries. As a bonus, zucchini is bursting with vitamin C.

http://bit.ly/wtmKKM

4. Mango-Red Pepper Salsa

If you're looking for a fresh new snack that's tastes like summer, make this simple recipe. It's juicy, sweet, tangy, and satisfying. You can make it ahead to enjoy for the week with corn chips, crackers, or toasted bread. It also makes a great topping for grilled fish or chicken. What's great about this recipe is that it's pretty basic, so feel free to get creative. Add beans, pineapple, watermelon, corn, diced cucumber, or tomatoes for even more summery flavor.

Source: http://bit.ly/wM9xbl

5. Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

These wonderful tortilla chips make sturdy dippers and are great for scooping up salsa and dips. These chips can be made with either corn or flour tortillas. You can diet and still enjoy your snacks, as they are a healthy alternative to fried chips.

Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/TortillaChips.htm

Bonus! A dessert recipe

Cheesecake Brownies Recipe

These delicious Cheesecake Brownies have a fancy swirl on top and are a lean 140 calories. You can splurge on dessert and not regret it later.

Source: ://bit.ly/y4PzTb

I hope that you try some of these recipes to add to your celebration this weekend. Leave a comment if you’ve got other healthy game day snack ideas to share.