Creating Healthy Holiday Leftovers

Holidays mean one thing. Leftovers. Yes, those pesky holiday leftovers. You don't want to throw them away. On top of that, repeating the same meal over and over again  really ruins the eating experience. So, we need creative recipes for these leftovers that will give our taste buds variety. Well, the people at eatingwell.com has   some creative recipes we can use to make those leftovers come to life.


Crispy Turkey Tostadas
Shredded leftover turkey tops homemade tostadas in this Tex-Mex favorite. Making your own tostada shells from fresh corn tortillas is easier than you might think—crisp them up in the oven while you prepare the toppings. Choose either regular petite diced tomatoes or those with added jalapeños, depending on your inclination for spicy food. Serve with black beans, rice and extra salsa or hot sauce on the side.

  Recipe:  Recipe Link

Chicken & White Bean Salad

Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Recipe: Recipe Link 

Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

This is a healthier twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup that hails from Minnesota. Serve with a crisp romaine salad and whole-grain bread.

Recipe: Recipe Link 

Shredded Turkey & Pinto Bean Burrito 

We created this with leftover turkey in mind. Leftover or rotisserie chicken can also be used. Make it a Meal: Serve with guacamole and chopped jalapeno peppers and/or hot sauce - and a cold crevasse.

Recipe: Recipe Link 

These recipes are great to use for leftovers or just stand alone recipes. Also, the turkey can be replaced with chicken. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email. 

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team 

A Practical Guide To Eating Healthy During The Holidays

            Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas parties,and New Years Eve are some of the holidays that are upon us. We want to eat healthy and also want to enjoy those special holiday meals with loved ones. How do we enjoy the holidays and keep balance in our nutritional diet? Well, CPMC Sutter Health and Dr Greta Macaire with Community Health Resource Center has come up with great eating suggestions that are both healthy and practical to enjoy those special holiday meals.

Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

1. Be realistic. Don’t try to lose pounds during the holidays, instead try to maintain your current weight.
2. Plan time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Try 10- or 15-minute brisk walks twice a day.
3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.
4. Survey party buffets before filling your plate. Choose your favorite foods and skip your least favorite. Include vegetables and fruits to keep your plate balanced.
5. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite holiday treats while eating small portions. Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy.
6. Be careful with beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating; non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.
7. If you overeat at one meal go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!
8. Take the focus off food. Turn candy and cookie making time into non-edible projects like making wreaths, dough art decorations or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Try serving a holiday meal to the community, playing games or going on a walking tour of decorated homes.
9. Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering.
10. Practice Healthy Holiday Cooking. Preparing favorite dishes lower in fat and calories will help promote healthy holiday eating. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.
• Gravy — Refrigerate the gravy to harden fat. Skim the fat off. This will save a whopping 56 gm of fat per cup.
• Dressing — Use a little less bread and add more onions, garlic, celery, and vegetables. Add fruits such as cranberries or apples. Moisten or flavor with low fat low sodium chicken or vegetable broth and applesauce.
• Turkey – Enjoy delicious, roasted turkey breast without the skin and save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz serving.
• Green Bean Casserole — Cook fresh green beans with chucks of potatoes instead of cream soup. Top with almonds instead of fried onion rings.
• Mashed Potato — Use skim milk, chicken broth, garlic or garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter.
• Quick Holiday Nog — Four bananas, 1-1/2 cups skim milk or soymilk, 1-1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon rum extract, and ground nutmeg. Blend all ingredients except nutmeg. Puree until smooth. Top with nutmeg.
• Desserts — Make a crustless pumpkin pie. Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in baked recipes. Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk in cheesecakes and cream pies. Top cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of fattening frosting.

        Enjoy the holidays, plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, and don't restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite holiday foods. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

       We hope this helps you to truly enjoy those holiday meals while keeping nutrition in mind. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email. 

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team 

Choosing Healthy Foods At The Grocery Store

            You are at the grocery store and you want to make the right choices during your shopping trip. To do this, we are faced with endless claims of health and are forced to read numerous labels just to find the right food.So, we decided to look for healthy foods in each category to shorten your shopping journey. With Fitness Magazine research and nutrition experts , they make out a list of healthy foods in each category. This is what they found .

How We Choose 'Em...

Four of the best nutritionists in the country -- all FITNESS advisory board members -- created healthy criteria for each category (such as the number of calories and grams of fat each food should contain; that deli meats be low in sodium, breads and cereals high in fiber, and so on). The top three to five brands of each food that met these stringent standards were taste-tested by dozens of staffers throughout our company. (Only nationally available products qualified.)


Our nutrition experts: Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association in Chicago; Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports nutrition at the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Kathy McManus, RD, director of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston; Lisa Young, PhD, RD, adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller Plan


Here is the list : 

The Cereal Aisle

BEST CEREAL: Nature's Path Optimum Blueberry Cinnamon
BEST BREAKFAST BAR: Kashi TLC Pumpkin Spice Flax
BEST OATMEAL: Holly's Wickedly Plain
BEST GRANOLA BAR: Kashi TLC Trail Mix

The Bread Aisle

BEST BAGEL: Thomas' Hearty Grains 100% Whole Wheat
BEST ENGLISH MUFFIN: Food for Life 7-Sprouted Grains
BEST MUFFIN: Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Bun
BEST SLICED BREAD: Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat
BEST WRAP: MexAmerica 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas

The Dairy Case

BEST YOGURT: Fage Total 0%
BEST CHEDDAR CHEESE: Cracker Barrel Reduced-Fat Extra Sharp
BEST SWISS CHEESE: Sargento Reduced Fat
BEST HUMMUS: Sabra Classic
BEST PUDDING: Jell-O 100-Calorie Packs Chocolate
BEST SMOOTHIE: Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino

The Deli

BEST SLICED HAM: Boar's Head Branded Deluxe Lower Sodium
BEST SLICED TURKEY: Applegate Farms Organic Roasted Turkey Breast

The Juice Aisle

BEST SPORTS DRINK: Luna Sport Electrolyte Splash Lime-ade
BEST ICED TEA: Ito En Lemongrass Green
BEST ORANGE JUICE: Florida's Natural Calcium & Vitamin D
BEST JUICE: Naked Bare Breeze Peach Mangosteen Bliss

The Freezer Aisle

BEST WAFFLE: Van's All Natural Multigrain
BEST VEGGIE BURGER: MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger
BEST FROZEN DINNER: Healthy Choice Roasted Sesame Chicken
BEST FROZEN PIZZA: Amy's Margherita
BEST FROZEN VEGGIE DINNER: Amy's Vegetable Lasagna
BEST FROZEN MEAL IN A BAG: Bertolli Mediterranean Style Shrimp & Penne Primavera
BEST CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM: Edy's Loaded Chocolate Fudge Brownie
BEST FROZEN YOGURT: Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends Vanilla
BEST ICE CREAM SANDWICH: Klondike Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie Vanilla
BEST SORBET BAR: Blue Bunny FrozFruit No Sugar Added Chunky Strawberry

The Canned/Boxed Goods Aisle

BEST PEANUT BUTTER: Smucker's Reduced Fat Natural Style Creamy
BEST JELLY: Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves
BEST PASTA: Barilla Whole Grain Penne
BEST PASTA SAUCE: Rao's Homemade Marinara
BEST VEGETABLE SOUP: Campbell's Select Harvest Light Southwestern Style
BEST CHICKEN SOUP: Kettle Cuisine Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles
BEST PREPACKAGED LUNCH: Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers Southwestern Style Chicken
BEST FRUIT CUP: Del Monte SuperFruit Mixed Fruit Chunks
BEST HOT CHOCOLATE: Twinings Chocolate Indulgence

The Snack Food Aisle

BEST BAKED POTATO CHIP: Kettle Brand Baked Lightly Salted
BEST PRETZEL: Newman's Own Organics Hi-Protein
BEST DRIED FRUIT: Sun-Maid Mixed Fruit
BEST PITA CHIP: Athenos Baked Whole Wheat
BEST TORTILLA CHIP: Food Should Taste Good Multigrain
BEST SALSA: Wholly Salsa Medium
BEST COOKIE: Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk
BEST 100-CALORIE PACK: Mister Salty Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels
BEST MILK CHOCOLATE: Ghirardelli Luxe Milk
BEST DARK CHOCOLATE: Cadbury Royal Dark

        We hope this assist you in your shopping and your search to find healthy foods. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email. 

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team 

Discover the Powerful Health Benefits Found in Peaches

        Eating fruit everyday is important to ones  health. It is beneficial to eat fruits full of vitamins because your body has a higher absorbent rate of using those vitamins than  even taking daily  vitamin supplements. Fruits are unfortunately not made equal with vitamins and nutrients. As a result of this fact, the choice of which fruit to eat becomes vital.

       So that brings us to this question. Are peaches really worth eating everyday?  Yes , It is. In fact peaches have been  found to have more nutrients and health benefits than previously thought.

       

       Peaches are a good source of many different vitamins and minerals, but one that particularly prologues life is potassium. Peaches provide a high source for this mineral. If you have a shortage of potassium, you're likely to have fatigue, anxiety, muscle weakness, skin problems, poor memory, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, congestive heart failure or heart deterioration and vibration in your ears. The laundry list of potential diseases low potassium has more potential to develop if you're on diuretics, have abdominal problems or diarrhea or simply sweat profusely.

        Another health benefit of peaches is the amount of beta-carotene it contains. The body changes beta-carotene to Vitamin A.Vitamin A is essential in so many of the body's functions. A recent study showed that people who had higher amounts of vitamin A in their diet had less risk of developing cataracts. Other studies show a derivative of vitamin A might be instrumental in curing COPD, at least in mice. There are presently no studies on humans.

        Peaches also contain lycopene and lutein. These are also carotenes, like beta-carotene and give color to the peach. There are several studies and indications that these two substances, can help prevent macular degeneration, cancer and heart disease.

        Peaches are high in fiber.There are two types of fiber. Insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve in water and soluble fiber does. Insoluble fiber is heart healthy because it collects water and increases the bulk of the stool. Your stool then acts like little scrubbers along the intestines and removes the build up of waste. This helps prevent colon cancer. Cleansing the intestinal wall also increases the amount of nutrients your body can absorb and rids the body of toxicity. Insoluble fiber also helps to lower cholesterol levels.

  
       Almost everyone knows that oranges are a good source of vitamin C. The Florida orange growers won't let you forget. However, peaches are also high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps fight cancer by improving the immune system and preventing cellular change.

Thanks to health food guide.com for this amazing information about peaches.

If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank You for Visiting!

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

How to Read and Understand Organic Food Labels

     Recently, I was shopping and found foods with several different organic labels on them and they looked very similar in quality and price.What is the difference between 100% organic and just organic on the label.I then searched for and found an article called Certified Organic Label Guide from Organic.org to teach me these differences so I know what I am buying.

This is what the article stated -

1. 100% Organic  Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients* and may display the USDA Organic seal.
2. Organic  These products contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.
3. Made With Organic Ingredients—Food packaging that reads “Made With Organic Ingredients” must contain 70–94% organic ingredients. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.
4. Other—Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the packaging. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal.
   
   
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   Joseph A.Jones & The WellLife Team