The theme of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) National Nutrition Month (R) this March is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” As spring approaches and fitness routines move outdoors, AND reminds you that healthy snacks can fuel a workout, get you through the day and taste delicious.

“It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with snacks,” notes Becci Twombley, director of sports nutrition at the University of Southern California and ambassador for the American Pistachio Growers. “Spring is a time for renewal – cleaning out closets, setting new goals and making a fresh commitment to health and nutrition. Just as it’s important to switch up your exercise routine every few weeks, you want to experiment with different snack combinations and have fun with your food. You’ll be more likely to stick with a healthy routine if you keep it interesting.”

Twombley’s “snacks from scratch” involves some creativity. Try one of her snacking experiments below if you need a snack makeover this spring.

1. Pick one protein-based ingredient and think about different ways to eat it as a snack. Twombley often recommends pistachios as a performance snack for exercise because, calorie-for-calorie, pistachios pack more protein than most common snacks. Additionally, a serving size of pistachios is 49 nuts (more than any other tree nut), which provides 6 grams of filling protein and 3 grams of fiber for only 160 calories.

Research at the University of Toronto and Pennsylvania State University suggests that eating about 1.5-2 ounces of pistachios (about 20 percent of calories) per day helps curb the rise in blood glucose after a meal and lowers blood pressure, blood triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol, all of which, in turn, lower the risk for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Researchers at Loma Linda University found that high tree nut consumption was associated with a lower occurrence of obesity and metabolic syndrome, increasing a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke.

As a snack ingredient, pistachios can be baked into homemade energy bars, sprinkled on yogurt or combined with dried fruit in a make-your-own trail mix.

2. Work backwards. Think about your favorite snacks, and then experiment with different ways to add new proteins to that snack. For instance, Twombley loves the portability of sport bars, but not the lengthy ingredient list that can accompany some store-bought brands. Instead, Twombley encourages her athletes to make their own sport bars. The Pistachio Sport Bars recipe below combines the protein power of pistachios with energizing carbohydrates and allows you to control the ingredients in your own kitchen.

3. Get creative with the ultimate snack duo: protein and fiber. Rather than buying a traditional trail mix, make your own mix of pistachios and your favorite dried fruit. Mix pistachios with air popped popcorn for a satisfying and filling post-workout snack. Or make your own easy and portable American Pistachio Fruit Chews, which combine a mixture of fresh and dried fruit and pistachios.

Pistachio Sport Bars

Serving: 24 pieces

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups pistachios

1 cup dried banana chips

1 1/2 cups cornflakes

1/3 cup dried pears

1/3 cup dried apricots

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup crisp oat flakes

Directions:

Chop the pistachios coarsely and banana chips finely. Partly crush the cornflakes. Cut the pears and apricots into small cubes.

Heat the honey and sugar over a double boiler until the honey and sugar are well combined. Mix in the pistachios, banana chips, cornflakes, pears, apricots and oat flakes. Spread the mixture in a square dish lined with baking paper (9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches), approximately 1/2 inch deep, and press well into dish. The bars can also be formed individually and then be put on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake the mix in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for about 10-15 minutes. Cut into bars of approximately 1 1/2 x 2 inches and leave to cool on a tray.

For more information about the health benefits of pistachios and recipes developed by renowned chefs, visit www.AmericanPistachios.org.

The post Spring into health with these tasty snack recipes first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Even if you send packages home with guests, it’s inevitable that you will have leftovers. You might even have enough for a few days’ worth of meals. But eating the same dishes day after day gets old quickly. Instead of letting your menu get stale, rethink the concept of leftovers. Rather than viewing leftovers as a finished dish, consider these foods as ingredients for delicious new entrees.

When you find yourself staring down a refrigerator full of holiday leftovers, use these tips to transform these dishes into new meals your family will love.

* The centerpiece of many of those holiday meals is often a turkey, and there’s nothing quite as lovely as a golden brown bird ready for carving. One simple tip can make your turkey taste better on the day of the celebration – and as leftovers. As you’re seasoning the turkey prior to roasting, spread on Hellmann’s(R) Real Mayonnaise for a juicy, crispy, flavorful meal.

* Mashed potatoes are a universally loved side dish during the holidays. They can warm up even the coldest days and make any meal more comforting. With the extra helpings left from your holiday-sized batch of mashers, make your own interpretation of shepherd’s pie. Mix the vegetables and meat of your choice with herbs, salt and pepper to taste before adding them to a baking dish or casserole. Top the mixture with mashed potatoes (and a few small dabs of butter), and bake until warmed through. If your potatoes have gotten a bit stiff, add a bit of cream or milk to soften them up.

* Whether you know it as “dressing” or “stuffing,” the dish is a staple of Christmas and Thanksgiving. Regional naming differences aside, it’s a versatile leftover that should be praised as much on the day after your celebration as the day of. These rich, herbal flavors pair exceptionally well with pork, so use it (or reuse it) to create delectable stuffed pork chops.

* The sweet-tart taste of cranberry relish is great with turkey, but you can also add it to sweeter dishes for a different spin. Get started the very next morning after your gathering by heating up a griddle for crepes or pancakes. Mash your cranberries to a more jam-like texture to use as a zingy topping on whichever kind of griddle cake you prefer.

Your loved ones will certainly appreciate your efforts to make the holidays delicious, but the praise will go even further when you test out tasty new recipes for leftovers. For more ideas, visit www.hellmanns.com, and get started by trying Hellmann’s(R) Turkey Casserole recipe.

Turkey Casserole
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
4 cups leftover prepared stuffing, divided
4 cups coarsely chopped leftover cooked turkey (about 1 pound)
3/4 cup Hellmann’s(R) or Best Foods(R) Real Mayonnaise, divided
1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Spoon in 2 cups stuffing, then top with turkey.

Combine 1/4 cup Hellmann’s(R) or Best Foods(R) Real Mayonnaise with cranberry sauce; evenly spread over turkey.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup Mayonnaise, potatoes and cheese in large bowl. Evenly spread on turkey, then top with remaining 2 cups stuffing.

Bake 40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with dried cranberries.

Also terrific with Hellmann’s Light Mayonnaise.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories 680, calories from fat 350, saturated fat 9 grams, trans fat 0 grams, total fat 39 grams, cholesterol 100 grams, sodium 1330 grams, total carbohydrates 47 grams, sugars 7 grams, dietary fiber 5 grams, protein 35 grams, vitamin A 10 percent, vitamin C 8 percent, calcium 20 percent, iron 15 percent

The post Transforming Holiday Leftovers into Mouthwatering Meals first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Building a gourmet menu doesn’t mean that you’ll have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing before guests arrive. By keeping the menu simple and focused on the foods and flavors that are perfectly in season, you can showcase what makes summer special without sacrificing time spent with your guests.

When it comes to the ingredients you’ll use, take a fresh approach by visiting local farmers markets or your own garden plot. Blue cheese varieties from Salemville, for instance, are rBGH free, contain no preservatives or chemical additives, and are sustainably produced by an Amish community in Cambria, Wisc., where cows are hand-milked twice daily without the use of machines or electricity. And since steak is the perfect main dish for a grilling get-together, look for steaks with labels with identifying information, letting you know that it is grass-fed or pasture-raised.

Plan on serving at least four dishes: a salad, a side, a main dish and a dessert. A green salad topped with rich blue cheese and herb dressing is a wonderful, fresh start to the meal. Follow it with a side dish of seasonal vegetables and cheese-topped steak. Depending on the vegetable you choose, it’s possible to prepare both your side and main dishes on the grill, allowing you to spend more time outside with your guests. Complete the meal with a sweet treat of ripe summer fruits – baked into a rustic French galette or tossed with fresh mint as a topping for a light sorbet.

Try these recipes for your salad and steak courses and you’ll be preparing fresh gourmet dishes that perfectly capture the essence of summer. For more recipes and grilling tips, visit www.salemville.com.

Blue Cheese Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup green onions (including green tops), thinly sliced
1/4 cup Salemville Amish Blue or Salemville Smokehaus Blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
Dash salt, to taste

Salad:
1 large head iceberg lettuce
6 slices thick-cut bacon
1 cup Salemville Amish Blue or Salemville Smokehaus Blue cheese, crumbled
Black pepper, to taste
Chopped pears, walnuts, red onion and/or tomatoes, to taste

In small bowl, stir together yogurt and milk. Mix in onions, cheese, garlic, herbs and salt. Cover and chill 30 minutes or more to blend flavors.

Cook bacon until crisp and crumble into large pieces. Cut lettuce into four to six wedges. Pour blue cheese dressing over the top. Sprinkle bacon over dressing. Add additional crumbled cheese, freshly ground black pepper,  chopped pears, walnuts, red onion and/or tomatoes, if desired. Makes four servings.

Steak with Gorgonzola Thyme Crust
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 beef tenderloin or small rib eye steaks (about 6 ounces each), cut 3/4-inch thick
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup Salemville Amish Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preheat broiler. Spoon Worcestershire sauce over both sides of the steaks and let stand five minutes. Sprinkle garlic and pepper over steaks.

Place steaks on rack or broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source three to four minutes per side for medium rare steak.

Remove pan from broiler. Sprinkle thyme, then cheese over steaks. Return to oven and broil two minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.

The post Gourmet and Simple: A Meal Perfect for Summer Entertaining first appeared on The How Do Gardener.