Prospero's Kitchen

You're too busy, too worn-out, and can't think about being healthy

That sounds like a lot of us, doesn't it? But if you regularly take even a few moments out of your frantic life, you'll see results very soon.

Try walking. You can walk from where you park your car at the end of the parking lot to your office, classroom, grocery story, or shopping mall. You didn't notice that much, did you? If you can't walk, try wall push ups

Try chilling. You're at your desk and the papers are piled up in front of you. They're a mess and you're on edge. Try closing your eyes for ten seconds, breathing deeply, imagining that you're breathing out all that clutter in your mind. Easy. Right?

You're exhausted at the end of the day and can't even think about cooking. What you want to do is stop on the way home and pick up something at the drive-through. Try resisting the urge to grab a quick fix that's usually over salted and high in fat. Instead when you get home, take out a carton of flavored low-fat or fat-free yogurt or a small carton of flavored low-fat or fat-free milk and drink it while you're sitting down. Then, when you've got some energy back, take out some nutritious leftovers or stir-up a Super Easy recipe like the one below. Add an apple or other fruit of your choice and you're on your way to a strong, vital, healthy life!

Toasted Cheese with Tomato Slice

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 teaspoons lite mayonnaise

2 slices whole grain bread

2 slices reduced-fat cheese such as mozzarella or Swiss

2 slices from a large tomato, if available

Method

Cover cookie sheet or toaster oven tray with aluminum foil. Spread lite mayonnaise onto each of two bread slices. Place cheese and then tomato on each slice of bread. Put the cookie sheet into the oven or the tray into a toaster oven. Toast until the cheese begins to melt and the bread turns brown. Remove with a spatula onto plates.

 

What does being healthy mean? Plus Crustless Spinach, Bell Pepper, Feta Quiche Recipe

Trying to let the artist who's making drawings for the soon-to-be released book on healthy living, I told her that being healthy means you can do the things that matter to you. You can garden, do woodwork, hike in the woods, shop, cook, bowl. You can feel good about yourself and life. You can attend your house of worship, volunteer, work on a regular basis. 

And a healthy lifestyle means not only healthy eating, though that's a large part, it also means bringing exercise and stress relief into your everyday life, smoothly and easily. I'll be writing about those aspects of healthy living in upcoming posts. Watch for them.

In the meantime, here's today healthy, delicious, easy to make recipe. These photos were made by my sister-in-law who tested the recipe and has her own blog, CiaoChowLinda.blogspot.com. She focuses on Italian cooking and it's a beautiful and fascinating blog. Visit it.

Here's the recipe for today, and like all the recipes I give you, it's easy and healthy and you'll want to make it part of your cooking and eating life:

Crustless Spinach, Bell Pepper, and Feta Quiche

“Overall, this is a good recipe,” said Linda Prospero, CiaoChowLinda.blogspot.com, and recipe tester.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

½ cup bell pepper, seeds and pith removed, chopped. Red bell pepper adds color to this dish.

1 cup onion, chopped finely

1 package pre-washed fresh baby spinach leaves or 1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and moisture removed by squeezing

About 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste, adding a minimum

½ cup low-fat or skim milk or “milk” of your choice, not sweet

4 eggs

½ cup crumbled feta cheese or shredded parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom of pie plate or baking pan with half the oil.

Chop the bell pepper and onion. Add the other half of the oil to a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté bell pepper, stirring, for about 1 minute, then add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.

Remove water from fresh or defrosted frozen spinach and add to the skillet, stirring for about 1 to 2 minutes, until vegetables are well mixed. Remove skillet from heat and season bell pepper, onion, and spinach mixture with basil, salt, and pepper to your taste. Stir.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk or “milk” of your choice, not a sweet milk.

Sprinkle feta or Parmesan cheese over bottom of oiled pie plate or baking pan. Arrange vegetable and spinach mixture on top of cheese. Pour egg mixture over spinach and bake the  crustless quiche on a cookie sheet in middle of oven for about 20-25 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife in the middle. If it comes out clean, the crustless quiche is ready. Wait about 10 minutes and then slice into serving-size pieces. Serve with a salad (recipes on pages xx, xx, and xx) on the side and warmed whole wheat baguette

Recipe tested by Linda Prospero

 

 

 

What You Eat Determines Your Health--Mostly

The basics of healthy eating are so simple it'll be hard for you to forget them.

• Eat lots of colorful vegetables and fruit. They can be fresh, canned, or frozen, which is especially high in nutrients because they're packed immediately after harvest.
• Use “good” fats. That's olive oil and canola oil. Other vegetable oils work well, too. The polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish lower disease risks. Our bodies absolutely need good fats to function well.
• But we don't need the "bad" fats that clog our arteries and cause diseases. Stay away from saturated fats found in red meats and full-fat dairy and from trans fats, hydrogenated oils, found in processed foods and baked goods.
  
• Whole grains need to be a part of our diets, not white flour, which is considered a "bad" carb. Whole grains are a good source of fiber and needed nutrients such as selenium, magnesium, and potassium.
• Use low-fat proteins, such as skinless chicken breast, beans, and nuts, and lean cuts of beef and pork. And have two servings a week of fish.

Here's today's recipe, a one-pan dish with low-fat proteins, white beans: