HalfYourPlate

MyPlate Messages

Find MyPlate tips and solutions that reflect your personal preferences, values, traditions, culture, and budget. The MyPlate consumer messages to help communicate the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are:
Everything you eat and drink over time matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. Start with small changes to make healthier choices you can enjoy.

Find your healthy eating style and maintain it for a lifetime. This means:

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
○ Focus on whole fruits.
○ Vary your veggies.
● Make half your grains whole grains.
● Move to low-fat and fat-free milk or yogurt.
● Vary your protein routine.
● Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.

MyPlate, MyWins Tips: Meal Planning Made Easy
Planning healthy meals ahead of time can help you stick to a healthy eating style. If you’re new to meal planning, start small and work up to more.
( a notebook )
Map out your meals
Outline meals you plan to eat for the week and use it as a guide. Be sure to list beverages and snacks too!

MyPlate
Find balance

If you have veggies, dairy, and protein at one meal, include fruit and grains in the next to cover all 5 food groups.
(such as an egg and a chicken leg)
Vary protein foods
Choose a variety of protein foods throughout the week. If you have chicken one day, try seafood, beans, lean meat, or eggs other days.
small icon of a piece of paper with a list written on it
Make a grocery list
Start by listing ingredients for meals you plan to make. Cross off items you already have on hand.
Love your leftovers
Prepare enough of a dish to eat multiple times during the week. Making leftovers part of your plan can save money and time.

Countryside Citrus

Give the best gift: an orange!
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Bake your own Birthday Cake

Carrot Pineapple Coconut Banana Birthday

2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder (a bit more)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups white sugar (less and add a ripe banana)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (maybe try adding Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup butter, softened (not sure)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple.
Pour into 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Don't panic, the center will sink a little. Allow to cool.
To make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until creamy.

Michael Greger M.D.

Video: Food as Medicine

Food as Medicine: Preventing & Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet
Michael Greger M.D. FACLM August 3rd, 2015 Volume 26

Machine that Makes Cookie Cutters

Beautiful

Welcome Swagat

Roti Chapati and more! Our city has a fabulous new Indian Food and Grocery store. There are many delicious brands of rice spices and freshly made yogurt. They sell bags of multigrain mix to make Indian breads. The staff are super sweet.
Swagat Indian Food and Grocery
480 Diamond Hill Road · (401) 762-0587

Chef Michael Smith's Slow baked Salmon

Here

Favorite recipe serve hot or cold!

Home Pizzelle Factory

12 egg recipe
7 cups of ww flour
3 cups of sugar
2 cups of corn oil
4 teaspoons baking powder
8 pinches of kosher salt

separate out 2 cups and add 2 teaspoons of flavoring per 2c batch

40-45 seconds on our machine (Pizzelle Chef)

use spatula to place on plates on cooling rack and trim while still warm

when cool transfer back to a dry plate and stack them

makes 12 cups of dough refrigerate and use the dough within 24 hours

definitely a two person job

96 pizzelles!

Gingerbread Pizzelles

Recipe

4 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup butter (or cup of corn oil)

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
6 medium eggs

Wine Pizzelle

Wine Pizzelle
By Sandie Longen
12 Eggs, well beaten (2 1/2 cups)
2 scant Cups Sugar
2 scant Cups Oil
2 Tbs Anise, Vanilla or Lemon Extract
3 1/2 Tbs Wine or Fruit Juice (white grape juice is excellent)
4 Cups Sifted Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt

Beat the eggs, then add remaining ingredients and blend well. Cook for about 30 seconds. The come out of the iron soft and stay soft. They have a nice, fruity taste when the juice is used. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
source/

Celeste's Spiced Pecans

1 lb pecan halves, shelled
½ cup maple syrup
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. (we baked at 225°) Line sheet pan with parchment. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Arrange mixture in a single layer on pan. Bake 15 minutes, then stir. 2. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow pecans to cool 5 minutes, then stir to loosen individual pieces. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container. Yield 8 servings
source

Grandma's Pizzelle

http://honestcooking.com/grandmas-pizzelle/

Ashford Castle Soda Bread

Here
Ashford Castle Soda Bread

Ashford Irish Soda Bread is an elevated version of the traditional product typically prepared with the basic of ingredients: flour, baking soda, soured milk to moisten and activate the soda, and salt. It adds the cream of tartar and the malty rich flavor of Guinness to create an enriching bread.
Author: Ashford Castle
Recipe Type: Irish
Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients

3 ½ cups brown flour
½ stick of soft butter
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
½ tbsp salt
1 whole egg
¼ cup honey
1 ½ cup Guinness


Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients with the butter and honey
Add the eggs and Guinness and mix until all combined
Place into a 2lb loaf tin
Bake for 50 minutes @ 340°F
Leave to cool before cutting

http://honestcooking.com/heres-how-guinness-celebrates-200-years-in-the-usa/

More Pizzelle Recipes

Here

Savory Pizzelles

Here

Drink Water

I wasn't much of a water drinker but now I am because I have discovered that I need it. I am an athlete and I didn't realize how much I sweat when swimming in a warm pool. Tap water, ice cold tastes great. I stopped getting dehydration headaches!

A Vat of Cabbage Soup

I bought a big head of cabbage at the local BIG APPLE orchard and farm in Wrentham yesterday along with another big bag of Baldwins.

I just made a vat of cabbage soup.

I used a whole bulb of garlic, onions, one whole bunch of celery, 2 pounds of carrots, 2 chicken bullion cubes, hot chouriço, Adobo, kosher salt, olive oil, and water.

When it cools I might decide if it needs anything more. I might cook a pot of lentils to add. At this late point it's best to add the lentils after wards because the carrots and cabbage are perfectly cooked now and I don't want them to become mush.

Update: I simmered a pound of lentils in my slow cooker and then added them to the big soup pot. I added more Adobo and salt and olive oil and it was fantastic.

Whole Wheat Pizzelle Recipe

re-posted from Sunday, March 11, 2012


3 extra large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
2 pinches of Kosher salt
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder* new addition
1 tablespoon vanilla (experiment with anise, almond, lemon and orange extracts). You can also add grated lemon and orange zest.

Mix eggs with whisk, add sugar slowly, and oil, and keep whisking. Grease the pizzelle iron. When iron is hot use a heaping teaspoon to measure for each large pizzelle. They cook for 30 seconds each. I use a kitchen timer.
Just like with waffles, your first few pizzelles will be funky but delicious then they will come out fine. They will be a pale cafe au lait color but get slightly darker as they cool. I use a spatula to get them out. Let them cool to crisp. Store in a tin lined with paper towels.

This makes a bunch! They are delicious with tea and coffee.

Next I will try cocoa pizzelles as vanilla ice cream sandwiches.

When I made these with Ms Roberts first grade class at Harris Elementary, we shaped the pizzelles over paper cones to cool and then kids ate them filled them with vanilla ice cream.

6 Loaves of Bread

I mixed up 2 buckets of dough. I used a blend of flours and grains (whole wheat flour, rye flour, coarse cornmeal, pinhead oats, bread flour), sourdough starter, a tablespoon of Fleishmann's instant yeast, and 3 T kosher salt. I did this yesterday at 4PM and set it aside in the spare room which is 58 degrees and away from animals. At 4 AM I checked on the dough. It had risen to double the volume. I wondered if I could skip a cooling step and just shape it and bake it. When I tried the dough proved to be too slack. So I punched it down, refrigerated it for 2 hours and then I was able to shape it the way I normally do (into two softball-sized rounds in each greased glass loaf pan. Then I proofed it (warming the oven for 3 minutes) and it was ready to bake in 2 hours. Then I baked it at 450 from a cold oven. The 6 loaves came out great.

Cooking Together

"Marriage is survived just on the basis of ordinary etiquette, day in and day out. Also cooking together helps a lot. I've seen all these marriages that failed. Those people are always hollering at each other. That doesn't work. Do you remember the '70s, they had all these 'empowering' groups where you tell everybody everything? That doesn't work in a marriage either. That's stupid."
-Jim Harrison

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs

source
Potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B-6 and potassium. If you eat them with their skins, you nearly double the amount of fiber.
Ingredients

3/4 pounds potato(es)
small (2-inch) white or red potatoes
4 clove(s) garlic
1 tablespoon oil, olive
1 teaspoon rosemary, fresh
chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, black ground
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoon parsley, fresh
chopped

Instructions

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Lightly coat a large baking dish with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, add the whole potatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly (hands work best) until the potatoes are coated evenly with the oil and spices.

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the lid or foil. Turn potatoes and bake uncovered until the potatoes are soft and slightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl, mix with butter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serving size: About 2/3 cup

Hydrate with Hot Water + Cider

I suffer terrible headaches in the dry cold if I am dehydrated. One way to prevent this is to drink a mug of boiling water with a splash of apple cider in it.

Hot Cocoa in Cold Weather

Tablespoon of cocoa powder
1-2 teaspoon(s) of sugar
pinch of salt
large mug of lowfat milk

Heat a small amount of milk or water in microwave (or in a pan on stove-top) to dissolve then add remaining milk.

Enjoy

Healthy Eating Around the World

Article

Pasta Sfoglini

Amazing video:

A pasta factory Sfoglini in Williamsburg, NY makes pasta from scratch. Learn more at https://www.sfoglini.com/

Isadora Baum

These small changes can lead to big results.
Article
By Isadora Baum
Dec 3, 2018

Simple Kale Soup

I just rinsed and chopped four one pound bunches of kale and put the greens in my stock pot with a gallon of water. As they cooked they shrunk down so I had room to add a bunch more ingredients. I added about six chopped onions, eight garlic cloves and a knob of ginger root, a 4 inch piece of smoked sausage from the neighborhood smokehouse leftover from Thanksgiving. Then I added 2 chicken bouillon cubes, olive oil, Adobo and kosher salt. Then I added a pound of frozen corn and some cooked red kidney beans. Delicious, especially on a cold and windy day.

Everything you Eat and Drink

Everything you eat and drink over time matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. Start with small changes to make healthier choices you can enjoy.

Find your healthy eating style and maintain it for a lifetime. This means:

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

○ Focus on whole fruits.

○ Vary your veggies.

● Make half your grains whole grains.
● Move to low-fat and fat-free milk or yogurt.
● Vary your protein routine.
● Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-guidelines

Kale Soup

This is kale soup weather!

Swimming Gives me Appetite

Swimming gives me an appetite. My new favorite swim meals are:

1. nonfat cottage cheese mixed with nonfat plain yogurt
2. apples and bananas
3. my home made multigrain sourdough toasted with unsalted peanut butter