0 New YouTube Channel Cooking With Gram

Hi guys, just wanted to notify everyone of my new YouTube channel that I started today. Its called Cooking With Gram; the idea is that Ill be making recipes and showing some cooking tips with my adorable grandma. Eventually, Ill be doing other videos too, maybe some nutrition education videos, some practical healthy eating tips, etc. Anyway, check it out, like it on YouTube, and subscribe!!

0 Guest Post Musings of a Healthy Cooking Teacher

Stacey is a Registered Dietitian at a large Midwestern university. She teaches healthy cooking classes and is a working mom of four kids ages 10 and under.

Why did I start teaching healthy cooking classes? Simply put, there are too many people who don’t know how to read a recipe or use common kitchen appliances. (Microwaves don’t count.)

It’s becoming generational. I found that when I did demonstrational classes, people loved tasting the food, but never actually thought about making it at home. I call it the “Food Network Halo Effect,” in which viewers watch the network, but never end up cooking anything on screen. However, once they landed in a kitchen, participating in the process made them less afraid to make mistakes, and those small victories gave them confidence to start trying things on their own. As I tell my classes, “It’s only food, not rocket science.”

I had one college freshman approach me during a class, embarrassed he didn’t quite understand recipes. The five minutes we spent learning have unlocked a world of healthier eating and for him, not to mention several ways to save money.

Time and time again, when folks get together and cook, really cool things happen: community development, team building, the melding of cultures and camaraderie. Often they walk in with uncertainties, but walk out laughing, encouraging each other to try recipes. Either way, as an educator, I see behavioral changes happen faster than if they participated in any lecture or demo.

I personally believe food is meant to be enjoyed. It’s a part of our culture, our traditions, our memories. But I also realize that for health’s sake, we need balance, so we can simultaneously enjoy food and nourish our bodies. This is important whether you’re trying to maintain your weight, prevent medical issues, or if you are smack dab in the middle of a health crisis. I try to teach the concept of balance to my own children, as well. If they enjoy a double cheeseburger at lunch, you better believe they’re going to have more health-filled options for supper.

Enough of the sermon, and let’s get to a recipe! Here’s one of my favorites from the Frugal Healthy Foods class I teach. The secret ingredient is surprising and gets folks talking every time. Try it, and I betchyoo like it, too. Better yet, tinker around with the ingredients (I give some options below) and make it your own.

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If you like this article, you might also enjoy:

• American Chop Suey
• Food, Finance, and Judging Others
• Free Cooking Lessons. No, Seriously.

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Sloppy Jacks
Serves 4-6
NOTE: Creative commons photo is from Flickrs Word Ridden, and gives a pretty good idea of what the end product will look like.

1 pound ground turkey (or equivalent Soy Crumbles)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 15-ounce can plain pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Pinch black pepper
Whole wheat buns

In a large nonstick skillet, cook meat and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to pan. Add ketchup, water, chili powder, pepper and vinegar and mix well. Stir in pumpkin, cover,  reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.

Options: Add brown sugar if you like it sweeter, hot sauce if you like it spicier, and chopped green pepper if you want a one-pot meal; you can also serve over baked potatoes.

NOTE: The pumpkin is a power-packed nutrition addition to this recipe as well. It is super high in vitamin A!

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
NOTE: Calculations do NOT include buns, since they numbers can vary wildly depending on brand.
Four servings: 236 calories, 8.5 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, 23.4 g protein, $1.24
Six servings: 157 calories, 5.6 g fat, 2.4 g fiber, 15.6 g protein, $0.82

Calculations
1 pound (93/7) ground turkey: 640 calories, 32 g fat, 0 g fiber, 88 g protein, $2.80
1 small onion, chopped: 29 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1 g fiber, 0.6 g protein, $0.15
1/2 cup ketchup: 120 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein,
1/4 cup water: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.00
1 teaspoon chili powder: 9 calories, 0.4 g fat, 0.9 g fiber, 0.3 g protein, $0.05
1 15-ounce can plain pumpkin (not pie filling): 145 calories, 1.3 g fat, 12.3 g fiber, 4.7 g protein,
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.02
Pinch black pepper: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.01
TOTALS: 943 calories, 33.8 g fat, 14.2 g fiber, 93.6 g protein, $4.94
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 236 calories, 8.5 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, 23.4 g protein, $1.24
PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): 157 calories, 5.6 g fat, 2.4 g fiber, 15.6 g protein, $0.82

0 Ask the Internet Best Cooking Fat

Today’s question comes from reader Alice. She writes:

A: Can we talk about cooking fat for a sec? What do you (and/or the readers) have to say about the pros and cons of cooking with different oils?

I usually save the butter for either baking or direct use (e.g., toast) and then cook with either olive or grapeseed oil (or sesame, if I want that taste). Lately though, Ive head that grapeseed isnt so great (full of omega 6s, which we already get too many of). On the other hand, Ive heard that canola (high in those good for you omega 3s) is a really heavily sprayed crop and its better to avoid it. The trouble with olive is that you cant get it too hot and it has as others and it has a taste.

Thoughts on a healthy, neutral, can-cook-at-high-temperatures-with-it oil? I know youre not a dietitian, but I thought Id throw this one out there. Anyone?

A: Good question, Alice! With a few exceptions, I use three basic cooking fats:

1) EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. I like its heart healthiness, plus the subtle flavor it imparts to some dishes. Good on salads and in nearly all marinades, too. I’ve read lately, though, that it’s almost interchangeable with regular olive oil. Has anyone tried the blends?

2) VEGETABLE OIL. Cheaper and seemingly more neutral in flavor than olive oil, I often saute or bake with this. It’s pretty versatile, especially for the price, and supermarket vegetable oil (usually soybean oil) has a good fat breakdown (15% saturated, 21% monounsaturated, 61% polyunsaturated).

3) BUTTER. Like Holly, butter goes primarily into my baked goods and on toast. But I’ve found that it enhances eggs, mushrooms, and a few other random foods, as well. I don’t use spreads (a la Country Crock), because honestly, they freak me out a little. Ma swears by them, so maybe I’m wrong.

Beyond those, I occasionally whip out canola oil for kicks, peanut and/or sesame oil for Chinese dishes, margarine for lactose-intolerant friends, and shortening for greasing. A small batch of truffle oil sits in the back of my condiment shelf for special occasions. We own corn oil, but I’ve only ever used it once.

Readers, what about you? What cooking fats do you use most often? What do you avoid at all costs? What the heck is a safflower? Alice and the comment section await.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

0 How to Healthy Cooking

Health for human | In addition to seasoning / ingredient dish that can inhibit the formation of fats into saturated fats, how to cook was equally important. With the correct way of cooking, the food will be healthier. go see the tips

Here are tips on how to make healthy meals.

1. Boil. Boil the meat until tender, set aside some time if you need to enter the refrigerator. The goal is fat-fat that rises to the top. Will usually look at the ceiling that covers the surface, immediately remove and discard. After the stew meat free of fat that floats, though as you wish.
2. Grilling. Although there are advantages and disadvantages of each, the principle grilling is better than frying. Use a heavy roasting pan so that the dishes do not get burnt. The difference with burning, roasting is still using the tools that keep food in direct contact with fire. As it is known that baked foods potentially carcinogenic (causing cancer).
3. Using coconut milk. Coconut milk can still be used in cooking during the process it correctly. Heres the correct way megolah coconut milk:

• Boil water, after boiling coconut milk and use to extort directly mixed in cooking. This method can be used to make the compote / cendol for example.
• Use the thin coconut milk processed directly with other food ingredients. Once cooked, squeeze coconut milk with boiled water. This method can be used to make lodeh vegetables, curry and so on.