“Skipping breakfast only delays hunger, and often leads to overeating later in the day,” explains Bob Greene, an exercise physiologist, personal trainer to Oprah Winfrey and author of ‘The Best Life Diet Cookbook.” “But not just any breakfast will do. Some standard options like Danishes or doughnuts are simply empty calories. Instead, choose a balanced, nutritious dish.”

That means your breakfast should include all three “macronutrients”:  carbohydrates, such as whole-grain toast; healthy fats like nuts or nut butters; and lean protein (such as egg whites and nonfat or 1 percent dairy). This combination offers a wealth of nutritious ingredients, but is also the most satisfying for the calories and will keep your hunger in check until lunch, Greene explains.

Protein — especially high-quality protein, such as eggs — helps quell appetite. Greene recommends Crystal Farms AllWhites and Better’n Eggs as a convenient way to add lean, high-quality protein to your morning meal. Made from real eggs — but with no fat, no cholesterol and half the calories — AllWhites and Better’n Eggs are optimal sources of protein. Both products come in easy-to-pour cartons and can be found in the dairy case of your local grocery store.

“We all have busy lives, but it couldn’t be easier to add lean protein to your breakfast,” Greene says. “From traditional scrambled eggs to increasing the protein in a smoothie recipe, egg alternatives bring healthy convenience right into your fridge.”

For an on-the-go breakfast option packed with protein, Greene recommends this makeover of the traditional greasy breakfast sandwich. Prepared in just 10 minutes, the Spicy Bacon and Cheese Eggwich combines high-protein egg substitutes with cheddar cheese and lean turkey bacon in a whole-wheat English muffin. With 17 grams of protein, this sandwich also includes good sources of fiber and calcium — two other essential nutrients that are often lacking from morning meals.

Spicy Bacon and Cheese Eggwich

Time to Table: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup  (8 ounces) Better’n Eggs

1/4 teaspoon cayenne hot pepper sauce

1/8 cup (1/2 ounce) shredded Cheddar cheese

2 slices turkey bacon, cut in half crosswise

2 whole-wheat English muffins, split

Directions:

Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Heat over medium heat.  Add Better’n Eggs and stir in hot pepper sauce.  As egg substitute starts to set use spatula to lift edge of eggs, letting uncooked eggs flow to bottom of skillet.  Cook until egg substitute is set but still moist.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and then fold over the egg substitute so the cheese melts in the middle.

Place turkey bacon on microwave safe plate.  Cover with paper towel. Microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds or until warmed.

Toast each half English muffin in toaster.  Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture on top of two toasted muffins.  Top each with one piece cooked bacon.  Top with remaining toasted muffins.

Makes two servings. Nutrition per serving: 226 calories, 54 from fat; 6 grams total fat; 2.5 grams saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 534 mg sodium; 27 grams total carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams protein.

For more healthy on-the-go recipes, visit www.betterneggs.com and Bob Greene’s Web site, www.TheBestLife.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Many grocery shoppers are seeking ways to lead healthier lifestyles but also want foods that offer value, selection and convenience. Research shows that they prefer organic and natural foods — the demand for these foods has grown 10 to 15 percent annually over the past 15 years as shoppers have become more mindful of the ingredients in foods they buy.

The increase in demand for organic and natural foods is partly attributed to parents who see the value in feeding their families food that is free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Others eat organic and natural foods because they believe they taste better since they have not come in contact with pesticides.

Eat well, live well
The secret to eating well and living well can be as simple as choosing organic and natural foods from the wide array of privately branded supermarket foods. These store brands are often as good or better quality than their national brand counterparts, and are priced lower. And, because of recent demand, shoppers can now expect to find all their favorite foods in an organic or natural variety.

For example, the Wild Harvest brand of organic and natural foods, available nationally at SUPERVALU stores including Acme, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Shaw’s and others, offers 250 organic and natural products, all priced at approximately 15 percent lower than national-brand organic and natural foods.

Products include mealtime staples like milk, eggs, meat and fresh produce, and other foods like pastas, sauces, cookies, crackers, cereal and juice. Recently the Wild Harvest brand expanded to include more family favorites, including pizza, kids’ juice pouches, ready-to-drink tea, fresh herbs, artisan bread and muffins and organic baby food.

Food experts have long known the appeal of fresh and organic foods. Among them is Chef Bill Telepan of New York City’s highly acclaimed Telepan restaurant and author of the cookbook, “Inspired by Ingredients.” Telepan has been using fresh, natural and organic foods for more than 15 years, cooking for his family and customers alike. “Today’s families, like my own, want affordable, natural and delicious foods — I feel the impact of this trend through the requests I receive from customers for these types of foods in my restaurant. Wild Harvest organic foods address the need for a good selection of fresh and healthy foods that are convenient and a good value,” says Telepan.

Defining “organic” and “natural”
It’s important to check labels as you grocery shop for healthy and nutritious foods. When foods are labeled “organic” it means they were produced by avoiding exposure to potentially harmful additives such as chemical pesticides, fertilizers and preservatives, which are also environmentally harmful as they can end up in the ground, air, water or food supply. Shoppers concerned about these additives can read ingredient statements and avoid products containing unpronounceable ingredients, as well as look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal on packaging. Products that are labeled “100 percent organic” contain only organically grown ingredients.

When a product is labeled “natural” it means that the food or the ingredients in the product have been minimally processed, contain no chemical or artificial ingredients, and remain as close as possible to their original and natural state.

Five easy tips for “going organic”
With today’s supermarket products, it’s easy to incorporate wholesome and nutritious organic foods into your family’s daily diet:
1. Tuck organic juice pouches, organic applesauce cups and organic animal crackers into the kids’ backpacks.
2. Serve organic pizza at your teen’s slumber party or after sports events.
3. Set the table with a healthy breakfast assortment: cage-free eggs, Wild Harvest Banana Walnut Granola, organic yogurt and vibrant fresh berries.
4. Marinate all-natural chicken breasts using bottled organic marinade. Choose an interesting flavor, such as roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette.
5. Give your baby a nutritional head start with organic baby foods.

With the variety of choices available at today’s supermarkets, one-stop shopping for affordable organic and natural foods is now a reality.

Visit www.wildharvestorganic.com for more information on where you can find SUPERVALU’s Wild Harvest organic and natural foods and for printable recipes and coupons.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

School Lunches the Frugal Way!

My children always wanted to bring their own lunches because they didn’t really like what was offered in the school lunchroom.  But it was sometimes a little difficult to make their lunches nutritious and tasty and also to put a little variety in their lunchboxes without spending a small fortune.

If we let ourselves, we can spend a “lot” on individual servings, lunchables, and treats for lunches.  Here are a few ideas to help you meet the “Frugal Lunchbox Challenge”.

Go to the Dollar Store and buy a few of those individual serving-size storage containers. These are very inexpensive and they are worth every penny.

You can use them for any number of things–like  making your own fruit cups and pudding cups. And they can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks or fill with peanut butter  and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping.

Also at the Dollar Store or discount store, you can pick up one or two of the small “blue  ice” cold packs.  They will help keep lunchbox items cold and safe.  Sandwiches such as egg salad or tuna salad need to have a cold pack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, on the other hand, can be packed without one.

Those zipper bags we all love come into their  own when packing lunches!  They can hold vegetable  sticks, popcorn, crackers, homemade cookies, etc.

Muffins hold up well in a zipper-top bag, as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread.

When the weather turns cool, a small thermos will come in handy for homemade soup or chili. I see lots of these for sale at garage and yard  sales, sometimes for as little as 25 cents.

A thermos is also handy to hold whatever drink your child likes to take.

Try to put some fun in the lunchbox:  keep a stash of small, inexpensive toys, cut sandwich bread into cool shapes with cookie cutters,  write little notes to your child, cut out funny cartoons. Children love surprises.

A good routine to get into is while you are  cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, put leftovers in the storage containers, or make sandwiches and place in the fridge in a designated area for lunch items.  Get your kids to help–the more they are involved, the better!

Put napkins, etc. in lunch boxes or bags and place them where all anyone has to do in the morning is fill with the prepared items. Now you can all be out the door in minutes!

One way that money slips through our fingers without our realizing it is by eating out at lunch every day.

Did you know that by taking your lunch 3 days a week instead of eating out, you could save as much as $800 a year or more? Think what you could do with that much extra money!

Your lunch doesn’t have to be a sandwich and chips, either. With just a little bit of creativity and planning, brown bag lunches can be pretty delicious!

Try these ideas for starters:

Invest in a few of those 1-serving plastic storage containers with lids. These are so handy–when you have just one serving left of any dish at dinner, put it in one of these dishes. Designate a shelf in the fridge for these leftovers. In the mornings, anyone in the family can choose what to put in their lunch bag!

Those little containers can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks; fill with peanut butter and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping. Maybe salsa for dipping tortilla chips (not so healthy, but really good!)

Or make your own pudding cups with your homemade pudding!

Fill tortillas or pita pockets with egg or tuna salad.

Spread cream cheese on a tortilla, add a little salsa, and top with sliced turkey or ham. Place another tortilla on top, cut in fourths and put in zipper top bag.

A good way to carry deviled eggs (that lunchbox staple)– after filling, put the two halves back together, and wrap in plastic wrap or put in a small container!

Muffins hold up well in a lunch bag or box as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread. Great for morning or afternoon breaks.

Of course, if your workplace has a microwave oven, you can always bring leftover soup, stew or chili.

A quick recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder:

1 pouch Chicken Noodle Soup Mix with diced chicken
2 1/4 cups milk
1 can cream-style corn

Combine all ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are tender, uncovered, stirring frequently, because it will stick!

Mix this up in the evening or on the weekend and store in serving-size containers. Just grab a container in the morning, along with some crackers, and you’re good to go!

Try some of these ideas for your lunches this week and start saving some money!

And at the same time, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you and/or your spouse will be having a more nutritious meal than you would get at a fast-food restaurant.