Did You Know?: Popcorn is a whole grain

That's right. If you're looking for an easy way to incorporate more whole grains or healthy snacks into your diet, try popcorn. The catch? Homemade air-popped popcorn is best. Two cups of plain air-popped popcorn provide 2 grams of fiber and only about 60 calories. If you want to add some flavor to your air-popped corn, try a sprinkling of cinnamon or parmigiana cheese (about a teaspoon, grated, per cup), or take a tip from Martha Stewart and add chili powder and lime. If you're a traditionalist, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spray will provide all the flavor of butter but with zero calories, cholesterol, fat or sodium.

If you're buying ready-made or microwave popcorn in the store, read the nutrition labels and opt for products with the lowest calorie, total fat, saturated fat and sodium levels. Movie theatre popcorn is overflowing with calories, saturated fat and sodium, so if you must indulge in popcorn the next time you go to the movies, go for the smallest size available, even the child size if possible.

That's right. If you're looking for an easy way to incorporate more whole grains or healthy snacks into your diet, try popcorn. The catch? Homemade air-popped popcorn is best. Two cups of plain air-popped popcorn provide 2 grams of fiber and only about 60 calories. If you want to add some flavor to your air-popped corn, try a sprinkling of cinnamon or parmigiana cheese (about a teaspoon, grated, per cup), or take a tip from Martha Stewart and add chili powder and lime. If you're a traditionalist, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spray will provide all the flavor of butter but with zero calories, cholesterol, fat or sodium.

If you're buying ready-made or microwave popcorn in the store, read the nutrition labels and opt for products with the lowest calorie, total fat, saturated fat and sodium levels. Movie theatre popcorn is overflowing with calories, saturated fat and sodium, so if you must indulge in popcorn the next time you go to the movies, go for the smallest size available, even the child size if possible.

Bulgur Wheat & The Good Mood Food Blog

When my husband and I went vegetarian for Lent, we discovered the beauty of Bulgur and some of the delicious dishes one can make from it. Bulgur is a whole grain. One cup of cooked Bulgur contains only about 150 calories, but provides about one-third of your daily fiber needs, 11% of your daily protein needs and 10% of your iron needs (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

Now that I’ve got you all excited about Bulgur, you could probably use some recipes to get started. Enter my new favorite recipe site: The Good Mood Food Blog. Blogger Donal Skehan has put together a visually appealing website full of mouthwatering recipes for “simple, healthy, homecooked food,” paired with beautiful photographs of his recipes that he has taken himself. Below you’ll find a link to a handful of Donal’s recipes for Bulgur, including one for a simple preparation of Bulgur, as well as a beautiful roast vegetable and Bulgur wheat dish. You will find that, as Donal is writing from Dublin, Ireland, you may sometimes have to make minor conversions or translations (e.g., “rocket” is arugula, “aubergine” is eggplant and “courgette” is zucchini; 200g of Bulgur comes out to slightly more than 1 cup), but I think it’s well worth it for the great recipes and beautiful imagery.

The Good Mood Food Blog – Recipes for Bulgur

If that’s just too much work to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table quickly, try any of these recipes for Bulgur, from the Vegetarian Times website.

Vegetarian Times – Recipes for Bulgur

When my husband and I went vegetarian for Lent, we discovered the beauty of Bulgur and some of the delicious dishes one can make from it. Bulgur is a whole grain. One cup of cooked Bulgur contains only about 150 calories, but provides about one-third of your daily fiber needs, 11% of your daily protein needs and 10% of your iron needs (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

Now that I’ve got you all excited about Bulgur, you could probably use some recipes to get started. Enter my new favorite recipe site: The Good Mood Food Blog. Blogger Donal Skehan has put together a visually appealing website full of mouthwatering recipes for “simple, healthy, homecooked food,” paired with beautiful photographs of his recipes that he has taken himself. Below you’ll find a link to a handful of Donal’s recipes for Bulgur, including one for a simple preparation of Bulgur, as well as a beautiful roast vegetable and Bulgur wheat dish. You will find that, as Donal is writing from Dublin, Ireland, you may sometimes have to make minor conversions or translations (e.g., “rocket” is arugula, “aubergine” is eggplant and “courgette” is zucchini; 200g of Bulgur comes out to slightly more than 1 cup), but I think it’s well worth it for the great recipes and beautiful imagery.

The Good Mood Food Blog – Recipes for Bulgur

If that’s just too much work to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table quickly, try any of these recipes for Bulgur, from the Vegetarian Times website.

Vegetarian Times – Recipes for Bulgur

A new take on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich

On a recent sick day I caught an episode of Dr. Oz and was inspired by something I saw: a peanut butter sandwich that featured sliced strawberries in place of jelly or jam! I've heard of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but as I'm still learning to like raw banana, it's not something I eat. For a healthier take on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, try starting with 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread (aim for one with, per slice: 70 or fewer calories, fewer than 200 mg of sodium, and 2 grams or more of fiber) and all natural peanut butter, then add either sliced strawberries or sliced banana instead of jelly or jam. Can't say goodbye to the jiggly stuff just yet? Try using Polaner All Fruit 100% All Natural Fruit Spread. My favorite is seedless raspberry.

On a recent sick day I caught an episode of Dr. Oz and was inspired by something I saw: a peanut butter sandwich that featured sliced strawberries in place of jelly or jam! I've heard of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but as I'm still learning to like raw banana, it's not something I eat. For a healthier take on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, try starting with 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread (aim for one with, per slice: 70 or fewer calories, fewer than 200 mg of sodium, and 2 grams or more of fiber) and all natural peanut butter, then add either sliced strawberries or sliced banana instead of jelly or jam. Can't say goodbye to the jiggly stuff just yet? Try using Polaner All Fruit 100% All Natural Fruit Spread. My favorite is seedless raspberry.