Category: Recipes

Enjoying Vegetables the Easy Way

3/26/2019

Vegetables are some of the healthiest foods available. Yet, many of us have trouble eating the minimum recommended 3 servings (2 ½ cups) daily. Fresh veggies can be expensive, especially if you are buying them out of season. And, sometimes they go bad before you can eat them. Luckily, there’s an easy solution!

Canned and frozen vegetables are inexpensive, always in season, and last a long time. Give them a try in our easy recipes. You will love them!

Canned & Frozen Vegetables - Just as Good as Fresh!

Before we go any further, let’s get something straight – canned and frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh varieties. You may have heard the saying, “fresh is best.” That’s not really true! Canned and frozen vegetables are picked at their peak of ripeness and then preserved to keep their nutrients. Fresh foods can sometimes taste better, but they are not necessarily better for you. Plus, canned and frozen veggies are already chopped and ready to eat, making them very convenient.

Healthy Tips for Using Canned & Frozen Vegetables

Since canned and frozen vegetables are processed and packaged, there are some tips to follow to make the healthiest choices.

Look for reduced or no sodium (salt) canned vegetables, or rinse canned veggies to remove some of the sodium (salt).
Buy plain frozen vegetables without sauces. They are cheaper and better for using in recipes.
Always read the ingredient list to be sure you are getting mostly vegetables.

How to Use Canned or Frozen Vegetables

Cooking with canned or frozen vegetables is very easy. Generally, canned veggies work best in casseroles or soups because they are a little softer in consistency. Frozen vegetables can taste great all by themselves heated up as a side dish. The following suggestions are popular, flavorful choices.

6 Canned Vegetables You Will Love

Peanut Butter, Banana & Pumpkin Sandwich

Tomatoes – Canned tomatoes are excellent for making a hearty pasta sauce or as a base for soup. [See "Soup in 4 Steps" for easy instructions.]
Mushrooms – Use canned mushrooms as a simple pizza topping or chop them finely and add them to meat. [Visit Blenditarian.com for more on this cost-saving trend.]
Mixed Vegetables – The classic mix of vegetables (carrots, peas, and corn) is perfect as a base for soup or pot pie.Try them in Beef & Vegetable Soup.
Pumpkin – Buying an entire pumpkin is expensive, and cooking it can be lots of work. Canned pumpkin gives you all the nutrients with none of the work. Add canned pumpkin to vanilla pudding or to a smoothie to give it more fiber and a creamy consistency. You can even use it to make a Peanut Butter, Banana & Pumpkin Sandwich.
Corn – Kids love canned corn! It is naturally sweet and also makes a great addition to casseroles or dishes like this Southwest Salad.
OIives – Low sodium black olives make a tasty, filling snack. They also add flavor to salads, casserole, and pizza.

5 Frozen Vegetable Favorites

Peppers or Onions - No one likes chopping onions! A bag of frozen onions can save you a lot of tears. Onions and peppers are flavorful additions to stir fries, casseroles, or omelets; as a topping for pizza; or in a simple quesadilla. Frozen peppers work great in Crock Pot Steak and Peppers.
Frozen Peas – Peas can perk up virtually any dish. Add them to casseroles or macaroni and cheese, or serve them with baked chicken or fish. Try peas in this easy Turkey Tetrazzini.

Chopped Broccoli – Raw broccoli can taste bitter and it can be difficult to prepare. Frozen, chopped broccoli has a milder flavor and takes no prep time. Sautee frozen broccoli with a little garlic and serve it as a healthy side dish, or add the cooked broccoli to eggs for a Basic Vegetable Quiche.
Spinach – If you are trying to get more greens into your diet, frozen spinach is an excellent choice. Toss it into your morning smoothie and you won’t even know it’s there. Give it a try in our Mango Green Smoothie.
Riced Cauliflower – Cauliflower chopped into rice-shaped pieces is super popular. You can use it as a replacement for starches like pasta or rice, or you can eat it on its own as a tasty side dish. If you cook it and then puree it with a little garlic, it tastes like creamy mashed potatoes!

For more tips on using frozen & canned vegetables, see:

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How to Make Meals Healthier

11/27/2018

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In our last blog, we shared some of our favorite ways to make cooking easier. We talked about simple swaps, meal planning tools, and easy recipes that were healthy too. Now we are giving you even more tips and tricks to turn you into a healthy eating pro.

Healthy Ingredients = Healthy Meals

Making a recipe or meal healthier can be as simple as cutting back on an ingredient or switching to another ingredient that has more nutrients. It is best to limit or reduce ingredients that add sodium, sugar, or saturated fat. The following small switches can make a big difference over time!

To Lower Sodium (Salt)

Choose frozen or fresh vegetables and season with spices instead of salt.
Buy low sodium canned vegetables or beans.
Rinse all canned vegetables, beans, and tuna with water to remove the extra sodium.
Remove the salt shaker from the table and season foods with citrus juices, herbs, or spices like pepper, garlic powder, or onion powder. [Find sodium free spice blends here.]

To Lower Sugar

Drink flavored water or unsweetened tea instead of soda or sweet tea.
Choose plain yogurt and sweeten with fruit or a touch of honey.
Cut back on starchy foods like pasta and rice and replace with vegetables like riced cauliflower, shredded zucchini, or spaghetti squash.
Watch for sneaky sources of sugar like jarred pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, or breakfast cereals.

To Lower Saturated Fat

In place of butter, use low sodium broth to flavor mashed potatoes or other cooked vegetables.
Buy canned tuna in water instead of in oil.
Remove the skin from chicken or turkey.
Switch from whole or 2% milk to 1% or skim milk.

Give Your Taste Buds Time

You might be thinking – If I cut back on salt, sugar, and fat, won’t everything taste bland? The truth is, making a change in your diet can be difficult at first. But over just a few weeks your taste buds will adjust. It might help to focus on one goal at a time, like switching from whole milk to 2% milk, or from drinking two cans of soda per day to only drinking one. Many people who have made these switches find that they enjoy them even better. For example, after you have been drinking water for a few months, soda tastes much too sweet!

Add Fiber for More Filling Meals

Cutting back isn’t the only way to make a meal healthier. Eating whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds makes meals and snacks more nutritious. One nutrient in particular that makes meals healthier and more filling is fiber. Use the tips below to increase the fiber in your meals.

Eat a whole piece of fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
Choose brown rice instead of white rice, and whole wheat pasta vs. plain white pasta.
Scrub potatoes well before cooking, and then eat the skin.
Add a handful of chopped walnuts to oatmeal for a more filling breakfast.

What a Healthier Recipe Looks Like

Need ideas for exactly what a healthier recipe looks like? Check out these delicious examples:

Smothered Greens

Turkey takes the place of fatty bacon in these flavorful greens.

Yogurt Banana Split

This better-for-you banana split uses Greek yogurt
for the same creamy taste with less calories and fat.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes get their rich flavor from broth, Greek yogurt, and garlic.

Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Brownies with a healthy boost of fiber and
rich flavor from a surprise ingredient. Yes please!

Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies Picture

For Even MORE Healthy Eating Tips See..

Quick Swaps for More Nutrition and
All the Flavor

Making a Recipe Heart Healthy
in 5 Steps

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How to Make Cooking Easier

10/19/2018

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Cooking a healthy meal does not have to be hard. But, it can certainly feel that way when you are busy and living on a tight budget.

Sometimes you don’t have all of the ingredients needed for a recipe. Or, maybe you don't have time to go grocery shopping. That’s O.K.! Recipes can often be changed to fit what you do have. And, you can build a healthy meal from some basic tips. We’ll show you how.

Simple Ingredient Swaps

We've all had times when a recipe called for an ingredient we didn't have at home. Below is a simple guide for ingredient swaps. Swap the item on the left with the item on the right and you will still have a great dish!

1 cup vegetable/canola oil (in baking)--> 1 cup applesauce
1 cup buttermilk --> 1 cup yogurt, or 1 cup milk with 1 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp cream of tartar --> 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice --> 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest --> 2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise --> 1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup ricotta cheese --> 1 cup silken tofu
1 cup sour cream --> 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 egg --> 1/4 cup silken tofu, pureed or 1 Tbs ground flax seed with 3 Tbs water

For more ideas, you might like "Ingredient Substitutions" from food.UNL.edu.

Is the Spice Right?

Spices can sometimes be hard to find, and expensive too! If you don’t have a certain spice you can leave it out.

The following inexpensive spices and flavorings are easy to find, last a long time, and help make everything taste better. Experiment with which flavors taste best to you.

Spices and Flavorings for Savory Dishes
Pepper, garlic power, onion powder, chili powder, curry powder, lemon / lime juice, or hot sauce

Spices and Flavorings for Sweet Dishes
Cinnamon, vanilla extract, or fruit juice

Building a Healthy Meal

You don’t actually need a recipe to create a healthy meal. MyPlate is a great tool for building a healthy meal using the 5 food groups. Here are some tips to make it easier:

Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Canned, fresh, or frozen all work great!
Include a protein food like beans, lean meats, eggs, nuts, or seeds to help keep you full.
Include whole grains like brown rice, whole grain bread, or whole wheat pasta.
Add a serving of a dairy food such as skim or low fat milk or a dairy equivalent (calcium-fortified soy, almond, or rice milk) which are important for strong bones.

Get your own personal MyPlate Plan here, or take a quick tour with our MyPlate Guide.

Easy Recipes

Another way to make cooking easier is to start with simple recipes. Our recipe categories help you pick recipes based on meal type and also based how much time they will take. The following 2 recipe categories will have you making meals in minutes:

Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Less

Quick & Easy Recipes

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How to Cook with Tofu

4/6/2018

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If you have not cooked tofu before, we're here to make a believer out of you. When made well, tofu is tasty, cheap (3 oz is usually less than $.75), and great for you.

1. Know where to find it

If you haven't used tofu, the first step is to find it! Often grocery stores will place it near the produce. Others might keep it in their "natural foods" section. Tofu always needs to be kept cool, so keep that in mind when you look for it.

Tofu Nutrition

A 3 oz serving of tofu has:
* less than 100 calories
* 0 g saturated fat
* 10 grams protein

2. Use the right kind

You may see soft, silken, firm, and extra firm tofu at the store. The soft and silken types are great for sauces and smoothies. When you want it to be a little firmer, opt for firm or extra firm.

3. Prep it well

For stir-fry and other meals where tofu will be the "meat" of the recipe, be sure to drain and press the tofu before using it. Here's how:

Take the block of tofu from its package. Drain away the liquid around it.
Wrap the block in a hand towel or several layers of paper towels, and place it on a plate.
Place another plate on top of the tofu. Add a large can, pot, or anything that will sit stable and add some weight. Leave for 20-30 min, remove tofu from the towel, and it's ready to use.

4. Add flavor

Much like chicken, tofu gets its flavor from how you cook it. Many recipes use a sauce or marinade to cook the tofu in. Our Simple Veggie Tofu mixes a bit of soy sauce with oil and spices.

5. Choose a cooking method

Baking and "pan frying" in a small amount of oil are great ways to make tofu. Both of these methods give the tofu a crisp outside and tender center. Our Simple Veggie Tofu cooks in the oven, but you can also make it in a skillet.

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SNAP4CT Blog

Enjoying Vegetables the Easy Way

Canned & Frozen Vegetables - Just as Good as Fresh!

Healthy Tips for Using Canned & Frozen Vegetables

How to Use Canned or Frozen Vegetables

6 Canned Vegetables You Will Love

5 Frozen Vegetable Favorites

For more tips on using frozen & canned vegetables, see:

How to Make Meals Healthier

Healthy Ingredients = Healthy Meals

Give Your Taste Buds Time

Add Fiber for More Filling Meals

What a Healthier Recipe Looks Like

For Even MORE Healthy Eating Tips See..

How to Make Cooking Easier

Simple Ingredient Swaps

Is the Spice Right?

Building a Healthy Meal

Easy Recipes

How to Cook with Tofu

1. Know where to find it

Tofu Nutrition

2. Use the right kind

3. Prep it well

4. Add flavor

5. Choose a cooking method

Subscribe to our
blog & receive a FREE cookbook!

Categories

Archives

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Support

SNAP4CT Blog

Enjoying Vegetables the Easy Way

Canned & Frozen Vegetables - Just as Good as Fresh!

Healthy Tips for Using Canned & Frozen Vegetables

How to Use Canned or Frozen Vegetables

6 Canned Vegetables You Will Love

5 Frozen Vegetable Favorites

For more tips on using frozen & canned vegetables, see:

How to Make Meals Healthier

Healthy Ingredients = Healthy Meals

Give Your Taste Buds Time

Add Fiber for More Filling Meals

What a Healthier Recipe Looks Like

For Even MORE Healthy Eating Tips See..

How to Make Cooking Easier

Simple Ingredient Swaps

Is the Spice Right?

Building a Healthy Meal

Easy Recipes

How to Cook with Tofu

1. Know where to find it

Tofu Nutrition

2. Use the right kind

3. Prep it well

4. Add flavor

5. Choose a cooking method

Subscribe to our​blog & receive a FREE cookbook!

Categories

Archives

Services

Support

Subscribe to our
blog & receive a FREE cookbook!