Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

Yesterday, I promised to include some ’superfoods’ in my weekly grocery shopping. One of them is soy, which is my personal favorite because I found that it is so versatile. The recipe below substitutes tofu for the eggs in ’scrambled eggs’. This is a fast, tasty and healthier alternative for breakfast. Yum!

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp onions, chopped
• 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tub (around 400 gms) tofu, drained and mashed
• 2 tbsp milk powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter and saute onions in it.
2. Add tomatoes and cook until limp.
3. Toss in tofu and add milk powder. Mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

In our country, Christmas season starts September and ends around the first week of the New Year. But before the inevitable end to the jolly season, our family celebrates by Grandma’s birthday. She turned 87 last January 3. This year, we had a special surprise party for her at a restaurant. My cousins dressed up the place with a colorful banner and a life-size cartoon of Grandma.

My hubby and I ‘premiered’ a collection of pictures from family members reminiscing the old days. Some of the pictures went as far back as the 1920s! Grandma’s sisters, both octogenarians, were there to celebrate too. Great food, dancing and touching stories made it a party to remember.

These events had me thinking if I will live long enough to celebrate my 87th birthday. To increase my chances, I promised myself to eat better this year. So, these are the foods that will be in my grocery cart each time I visit the store. My top 8 this 2008:

1. Oats - our yummy breakfast staple
2. Walnuts - we love putting this in pancakes
3. Pumpkin - my hubby is not a fan but I’ll try to learn recipes that he will probably like.
4. Fish - the wild, fatty, cold-water variety (sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon)
5. Soy - my personal fave, although this is a no-no for people with a family history of breast cancer
6. Spinach - and other dark green leafy veggies
7. Tomatoes - gotta love the cancer fighting lycopene inside
8. Yogurt - this will be my default snack. Great as dessert too!

I am craving for mussels. The truth is I have not had mussels in a long time. So this is one recipe I am hoping to do, once I get hold of some fresh mussels. Most mussels available in markets are either blue mussels or the New Zealand green-lipped variety.

When buying mussels, you should only get the live ones and you should ask the vendors where they were sourced. You should do this because the quality of shellfish is dependent on the water where it was grown.

Bacteria and red algae blooms in an area would make the shellfishes there unsafe for consumption. You just need to be updated with such occurrences, as shellfish is too delicious and good for you to avoid altogether. It provides Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and protein without saturated fats.

• 60 pcs fresh mussels
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup mozarella or ‘quickmelt’ cheese grated
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the ‘beard’ from the mussels by tugging it off or cutting with a knife. Place the mussels in a pot and let a slow stream of cold water run through them for about 45 minutes.
2. Steam mussels until shells open. Discard mussels that do not open. Remove the top shell that covers the meat. Arrange the open faced mussels on a baking tray.
3. In a saucepan, melt butter and saute garlic. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chicken stock and milk and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat when mixture thickens slightly.
4. Spoon white sauce onto mussels. Top with the cheese.
5. Bake at 350F until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped parsley.

The mussels and cheese in this recipe makes this dish rich in vitamin B. One of the many vitamin groups, vitamin B is a vital one, because of being composed of various related vitamins to perform body functions efficiently. It is a compound vitamin including cobalt which is a trace element and choline that can be easily obtained from egg yolk and animal liver. Sometimes, vitamin B supplements are used in combination with calcium supplements to ensure the adequate intake of both nutrient elements.