It’s cherry season, a.k.a. the best season ever. Though my favorite way to eat cherries is just as they are, I’m also a big fan of these cherry recipes and thought they’d be perfect for Memorial Day weekend parties and BBQs.

Pork Fajitas with Smoky Cherry Salsa. The salsa is also great on fish or chicken.

Cherry Rhubarb Crisp. Cherries meet rhubarb. Enough said. See for yourself:

Cherry Mint Spritzer. A crisp and refreshing mocktail, perfect for sunny afternoon sipping.

Have a great long weekend!!

The post 3 Delicious Fresh Cherry Recipes appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Need a few fabulous skinny cocktails for your Memorial Day weekend celebrations? Here are some easy recipes that will wow your tastebuds while respecting your waistline.

Each of the following skinny cocktails makes 2 servings, and can become non-alcoholic simply by omitting the alcohol in the recipe.

Skinnier Pina Colada. In a blender, combine one 11-oz container of pineapple-flavored coconut water, 1/2 cup rum, 1/4 cup light coconut milk, 1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple and 1.5 cups crushed ice. Blend until smooth and serve.

Watermelon Cooler. Blend 3 cups watermelon chunks with the juice of one lime, 1 cup water and 1/3 cup vodka. Chill and serve cold or over ice.

Blueberry Mojito. Combine one cup prepared limeade (such as Santa Cruz Organics) with the juice of one lime, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and 1/2 cup light rum. Add 1 cup sparkling water and serve over ice.

Raspberry Lemonade. Mix together 1.5 cups prepared lemonade, 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, 1/2 cup vodka and the juice of a lemon. After ingredients are well-combined and raspberries are a little mashed, serve over ice.

Basil-infused Salty Dog. Moisten the rim of 2 glasses and sip into Kosher salt to create a salt rim. Fill each glass with ice cubes then pour in 1/4 cup vodka and 1/2 cup red grapefruit juice (fresh is best). Stir in a few roughly chopped fresh basil leaves and serve. [Add a little chipotle chile powder to the salt if you like a kick!]

Spicy Cucumber Margarita. Stir together 1.5 cups prepared limeade, 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or Triple Sec and 1/2 cup tequila. Mix in 8-10 thin slices of cucumber and 4 very thin slices of fresh jalapeno. Serve over ice with a lime wedge.

Peach Mimosa. Peel and cut 2-3 large ripe peaches, then blend with 1/2 cup ice until you have a smooth puree. Gently stir in a bottle of sparkling wine. [Makes 4 servings].

Do you have any favorite lower-cal cocktail? We’d love to get your ideas too!

The post 7 Skinny Summer Cocktails appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

When you want to cut down on sugar, it’s helpful to know what “sugar” really means. Here are some sugar questions, answered.

What’s the difference between sugar and added sugar?

The term “sugar” encompasses both added sugar (sweeteners added to foods to make them taste sweeter) and naturally-occurring sugar (like the fructose in fruit and lactose in milk).

What kind of sugar should you limit in your diet?

It’s the added sugar that you want to limit, since added sugar provides unnecessary calories and no helpful nutrients. Unless you’re a diabetic, you don’t need to pay much attention to the naturally occurring sugar in whole foods like fruit and plain yogurt. These naturally occurring sugars act differently in the body, and because they’re accompanied by protein or fiber and water they’re not likely to make you “crave” more sweets.

Nutrition experts recommend limiting added sugar to 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 tsp per day for men. More on these recs here.

Is the sugar in fruit and dairy bad for you?

No. The protein in dairy, and the fiber and water in fruit helps your body to absorb the naturally occurring sugar slowly and steadily. However, as with any food, you should still monitor portion sizes. 2-3 servings of fruit per day is good amount for most healthy adults. Most of the produce you eat should be vegetables.

For dairy, as long as you’re usually choosing plain, unsweetened dairy products like regular milk, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. the naturally occurring sugar (lactose) is not a concern.

Note: 1 cup of skim milk has about 10 grams of naturally-occurring sugar, and 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt has about 12 grams. These amounts, along with any added sugar, will appear on the Nutrition Facts Label.

How do I know what’s added or not?

Read ingredients lists. If sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, honey, or any of these code words for sugar appear in the ingredients list, you know there is added sugar present. Candy, packaged sweets and other sweet foods usually have more than one type of sweetener added, and sugar or one of its counterparts will likely be in the first few ingredients listed.

What are the best ways to limit added sugar?

Here are 7 easy ways to cut down on sugar, even if you have a sweet tooth!

Example of sugar vs. added sugar:

This plain Greek yogurt is completely unsweetened, but still shows 4 grams of sugar on the Nutrition Facts label because of it’s naturally occurring lactose:

This pineapple flavored Greek yogurt shows 16 grams of sugar, a small amount from the naturally occurring lactose and the rest from added sugar and fruit:

Buying plain yogurt and sweetening it yourself with just a little bit of fruit or sweetener – is one great way to reduce your intake of added sugars.

The post Sugar vs. Added Sugar: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

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Getting your children to love healthy eating can be a challenge. But since doing so can lead to a life of good health and positive feelings about food, it’s worth a big effort.

The trick is finding fun and inspiring ways to spark a child’s interest in healthy food, particularly vegetables. With Lucy, I’m using a few different tactics (all of which are fun for me too!):

Sometimes I bring her with me to the farmer’s market.

Sometimes I serve her toddler-sized versions of whatever vegetables I’m eating (and always serve veggies before the other food).

Sometimes I ask her to cook with me.

And all the time, I let her do her own “cooking” and creating via imaginary play.

So far, we don’t have much in the way of play food or kitchen gear. But since Land of Nod  is opening a new store at South Coast Plaza on May 31st, I think that’s about to change.

I’ve always liked Land of Nod for things like storage, bedding and furniture, but I only recently spotted their adorable (non-toxic) play food items – many of which would fit quite nicely into my Raise a Healthy Lucy campaign

Salad, anyone?

Market vegetables, complete with a reusable shopping bag?

I think my heart would melt if she played with either of these toys! And beyond that, I really believe that lots of exposure to vegetables and fruits – even in the form of play – can help develop a child’s sense of adventure when it comes to eating.

Can’t wait to see the new store next Friday and share other goodies I find.

If you don’t live in Southern California, check out Land of Nod online or get more healthy play food inspiration from Land of Nod on Pinterest and Instagram. And if you do live near South Coast Plaza, be sure to stop by the new Land of Nod on May 31, 2013 for free goodies and fun giveaways.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Land of Nod, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. #PMedia #NODinCA  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

The post Healthy Eating Inspiration from Land of Nod appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

The other day I came home ravenous. It was dinner time, but before I could eat, I had to make dinner for / feed / clean up after Lucy plus prepare ingredients for our dinner (we usually eat after Lucy goes to bed). More than two hours passed before I sat down to eat. In the meantime, I nibbled on who-knows-what, and by the time I had the time and freedom to have dinner I was hardly hungry. But I ate anyway.

This happens a lot. And it’s gotta change.

Why?

Because mindless nibbling can make weight loss harder and weight gain easier. It’s often the thing that stands in the way of people maintaining a healthy weight. Here’s why.

• Most of us don’t mindlessly eat vegetables. We snack on high calorie things like crackers, nuts, cheese or chips.
• It prevents portion control. When you’re not thinking about how much you’re eating, you’re probably eating more.
• It’s not as satisfying as sitting down to a meal, so you’ll probably still eat as many meals (and thus overdo it on the calories).

Not mindlessly snacking during meal preparation really pays off. A woman I worked with a few years ago lost 20 pounds simply by changing her habit of snacking as she prepared meals for her child and dinner for herself and her husband.

Here’s what her diet looked like before:

And after:

Even making just one of the changes above – not snacking while she packed her daughter’s lunch – would lead to profound results.

At no point did this woman feel like she was on a “diet,” because she was just slightly tweaking her daily routine without much effort.

If you mindlessly eat during meal preparation, here’s how to stop:

1. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. Eat regular meals. Have small, planned, healthy snacks (like fruits and vegetables) between meals so that you’re not overly hungry when mealtime arrives. This allows you to make better decisions about what you eat at meals.
2. Make yourself a snack to eat while you’re making dinner. If you’re starving, serve yourself some carrot sticks with hummus or cup of berries to snack on while you’re making the main meal. This will help tide you over, but it’s low in calories and high in nutrients.
3. Keep a food diary. If you have to remember it and write it down, you’re less likely to pop it in your mouth. There are many smartphone apps that act as food diaries, but if you like the pen & paper version, I personally love fitbook.
4. Save up for what you really love. Before you reach your hand into a bowl of chips, think about how you really want to “spend” your calories. If chips aren’t your absolute favorite, withdraw the paw and save those calories for something you love!

The post A Hidden Cause of Weight Gain appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

About 700 new chemicals are introduced into the U.S. market every year. Seven hundred. Almost none of which are tested for toxicity or safety.

This means that whenever you buy new toys, clothes, household products or even food, you may be exposed to toxic chemicals without even knowing it.

Is there any way to reduce your exposure to these chemicals? Thankfully, yes. By paying attention to what you buy, eat and bring into your home, you can better protect yourself and your family.

Below are just five (of many) ways to reduce your exposure to toxins.

1. Cook with stainless steel or cast iron pots and pans. Nonstick cookware can contain perfluorooctanoic acid, a possible carcinogen, that gets released into food when a pan is heated to above normal cooking temperatures. 
2. Don’t recycle receipts. Though they look like paper, receipts can contain BPA, which might contaminate other recyclables. Toss receipts in the trash, or even better: ask to have receipts emailed to you instead of printed.
3. Use glass containers for food storage and packed lunches. Many plastics can leach harmful substances into your food. Since it’s hard to know which type of plastic your food containers are, go with glass instead. (Bonus: glass lasts longer and doesn’t hold on to old food odors).
4. Drink your coffee out of a mug. Disposable coffee cups are an enormous source of unnecessary garbage. They go straight into a landfill after just one use. Find a coffee mug – or reusable to-go mug – you love and stick to that instead.
5. Beware: unscented is not the same as fragrance-free. Did you know that “unscented” soaps, lotions, and household cleaners might contain toxic chemicals whose scents have been “masked” by other toxic chemicals? Ew! Choose fragrance-free dish, laundry and body soap, plus fragrance-free or naturally-scented lotions, shampoos and household cleaners.

Adapting these tips will mean fewer toxins in your home and our environment. Fewer toxins in our homes and environment means a safer, healthier food supply.

These tips are from Seventh Generation’s Campaign for a Toxin-Free Generation.

The post 5 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Toxins appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

It’s Mother’s Day, and if you haven’t yet determined what to serve the mother in your life, here’s a quick yet sure-to-impress option.

Strawberry Shortcake, made with Greek yogurt instead of whipped cream (a substitution that makes the recipe faster and healthier).

With a dish like this, you’re sure to elicit some enthusiastic responses

Happy Mother’s Day!

The post Quick Strawberry Shortcake appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Today marks the 21st annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, in which letter carriers (a.k.a. your postman/woman) will be collecting food donations in more than 10,000 communities and delivering them to Feeding America food banks.

YOU can help!

Simply leave a bag of non-perishable food items next to your mailbox before your regular mail delivery TODAY, Saturday May 11, and your letter carrier will do the rest.

These are the best kinds of foods to donate to a food drive.

Last year, letter carriers collected more than 70 million pounds of food. Help make this year even better!

Here’s some more information on the campaign and hunger in America, and why hunger and obesity can easily coexist.

Now go grab a few non-perishables and leave them by your mailbox. Thank you!

The post How You Can Help End Hunger Today in One Easy Step appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Anyone else ready to switch up the old yogurt-and-granola combo at breakfast? Me too.

Here are four new ideas for how to top off your yogurt at breakfast time.

See why these combinations offer peak flavor and nutritional value, then share a few of YOUR favorite yogurt toppings!

The post 4 Ways to Turn Yogurt Into a Complete Breakfast appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Kale Salad with Walnuts and Soft Boiled Eggs

Out of laziness I would probably omit the anchovies and garlic, and just add some sliced green onions instead. This would provide a little potent flavor without requiring a food processor to make the dressing.

Strawberry and Avocado Kale Salad

If you don’t have poppy seeds, just leave them out. This salad is also great with goat cheese in place of feta.

5 Step Kale Salad

Add some cooked brown rice or other grain to turn this salad into a main meal.

The keys to a good kale salad

• Remove the stems and ribs from the kale leaves – these are a little too tough to eat raw
• Use a decent amount of acid (citrus or vinegar) + salt in the dressing
• Let kale “marinate” for at least 10 minutes in the dressing, tossing occasionally, to help soften it
• Black kale – the non-curly kind, also called Dinosaur kale – makes especially delicious salads

The post 3 Easy Kale Salad Recipes appeared first on Eating Made Easy.