4 tablespoons prepared salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 15-ounce can beans, pinto or black
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 diced tomato, optional
1 can diced green chilies, optional

The first thing you do is rinse the beans thoroughly. Canned whole beans can be very convenient to use, but also have unneeded sodium. A good rinse removes up to 35 percent of the sodium. While the beans are draining in your colander, mix the salsa, lime juice and minced onion. Put the cabbage in a large bowl, add the beans, and pour the salsa mixture over all, mixing thoroughly. Place bowl in refrigerator and allow mixture to chill for about an hour so the flavors blend together. Take out of refrigerator and top with avocado, tomato and chilies, if desired.

I recently tested it and my reminder said:
“Hi, This is a hassle to remind you to Exercise and eat right. So get to it!
- - - - - - -
You’ll be sent one of these hassles roughly every 3 days.”

As far as I can tell, they don’t spam you with anything, it just seems to be a fun way to remember a few chores and tasks that you need to do.

While oven is preheating to 325, spray non-stick cooking spray into a baking dish. Put cornflakes, cayenne pepper, paprika and black pepper into a zip top bag and crush everything together. Personally, I like the texture the cornflakes add, but you can also crush them into a powder if you want. When it’s the consistency you want, empty the bag into a shallow dish.

Put the egg and egg white into a separate shallow dish, and whisk it completely. Dip the fish into the eggs, then completely dredge it in the dish with the cornflake mixture, then put it into your oiled baking dish. Keep a close eye on it because it bakes quickly, 15 to 18 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork and is opaque.

This is a great alternative to fried fish, and the cornflakes add a unique flavor too. It serves 4, with only 164 calories per serving and 199 mg sodium per serving.

I’m surprised that I didn’t come up with this earlier. Now that I think of it, scissors could be used for all sorts of food, like green beans, pea pods, etc. It would probably be a lot easier to chop olives in two with them, instead of having them roll around on a cutting board.

Can you think of other foods that would be easier to chop with scissors?

Is this a great idea, or am I the last person on the planet to think of this?

1/4 medium chilled watermelon
1 peeled and segmented lemon
4 cubes of ice
1 tsp. cherry baking extract* (see notes below)

Remove seeds from watermelon and chop into chunks. Crush ice and lemon together, may need to add a bit of water. Add the chunks of watermelon a bit at a time as well as the cherry extract and blend till the consistency of a smoothie. Garnish with lime wedge or mint sprig if desired.

*Variations: If you prefer, you could substitute vanilla or orange extract in place of the cherry. I’ve never tried it like that, so if you decide to experiment, please let me know how it tastes.

IMPORTANT: NEVER use imitation vanilla. It may taste fine, but one of its main ingredients is Propylene Glycol, aka car antifreeze! While it may not be as toxic as other forms of antifreeze, why would you put this in your body? Also, Propylene Glycol is irresistible to pets, but it also kills them. So put pure vanilla in your food, and throw out the imitation vanilla garbage.

4 cups sauerkraut - rinsed and drained
1 cup seedless raisins, any variety (use organic if possible)
2 cups applesauce
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tblsn butter (optional. May also use olive oil instead)

Mix all ingredients and put them in a greased large (3 1/2 quart) slow cooker. Put on lid, and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Some people, reading my last few posts, may think I’m a vegetarian, or that I’m trying to convince people to eat less meat. The truth is, I love many forms of meat and don’t plan on giving it up anytime soon. Having said that   here’s a great alternative to using ground beef for hamburgers:

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable broth OR low sodium V-8 juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 large portobello mushrooms

Combine the liquid with all the ingredients EXCEPT the mushrooms in a large resealable plastic bag.

Remove stems from mushrooms, wash and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Place mushrooms, in a single layer, in the marinade. Press out excess air and seal bag. Marinate at room temperature for at least one hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Adjust your broiler’s cooking rack 4 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with vegetable cooking spray.

Place mushrooms on broiler pan. Broil, turning often until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Watch carefully, especially the first time you cook them. They’re easy to make, but don’t trust your timer, its better to gauge the results on your eyes, not on the clock. Some people like to serve these whole on a bun, while others prefer to slice them thinly. This recipe makes 4 servings about 80 calories a serving and less than 200 mg of sodium per serving.

Note: You may want to sprinkle them with a just a bit of parmesan cheese while they’re broiling, but if you do so, you may also want to lessen the amount of salt you use.

I’ve never tasted the “chicken” variety, but I have eaten the Loma Linda Redi-Burger, and would do so again gladly. It contains 87% less fat than beef burgers and its made with grain protein and rice flour. It doesn’t quite taste like ground beef, although the consistency is similar. I think it tastes best when it’s crumbled up, fried and added to something like stuffed bell peppers, or maybe sprinkled with cumin and used in tacos. It may be an acquired taste to eat it plain, but I think it tastes great when its used like ground beef and added to dishes like pasta, soups or even enchiladas.

Hmmm… going back and looking again… those Worthington Veja-Links look interesting to me. One of the reviews says “They only have 50 calories each, and 3 grams of fat, only 0.5 grams of that is saturated. They have 0 cholesterol and 0 trans fats.They only have 180 mg of sodium.” A case of 12 is 45.45, but with the discount, the price becomes 29.58 or about 2.50 for a can of nitrate free vegetarian hot dogs.

One of the best things about ordering from Amazon is that the shipping is free after spending $25 or more, so that means the delivery guy uses up his gas, and not me. The only downside I can think of is that it is a gamble to buy 12 of them at a time. I mean, if no one likes them, then I’m stuck with 11 cans of food that can’t be used. Then again, if they don’t taste good to us, I guess I could donate them to the local food pantry or something similar.

(Oh, here’s an idea: If you want to try this brand, but are hesitant about getting stuck with a case, look for their brand on the organic food aisle at your local grocery store. I’ve heard that Wal-mart sometimes has it in stock, as well as Krogers/Fry’s, so grab yourself one can to see if you want to order 12 at a time.)

For me, considering how much I liked the Redi-Burger, I am willing to take a risk to find out how the Veja-Links taste. Look for an update and a review as soon as the UPS guy shows up.