Summer Food Tips to Improve Heart and Overall Health Plus a Sloppy Joe Recipe

Looking to add some healthy variety to your diet this summer? Look no further.

Ohio University’s College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) offers six nutritious tips all yours for the tasting.

1. Grilled fish

The sun is shining and the grill is hot. Now it just needs some salmon!

Selena Baker, MS, RDN, LD, a nutrition counselor at CHSP’s WellWorks, suggests lining the grill with a piece of parchment paper and placing your salmon on top to keep the dish moist.

“Spread it with some Dijon mustard, fresh garlic and cracked black pepper,” she said. “The vinegar in the mustard will neutralize the mildly fishy smell if you’re sensitive to that. Lemon juice and malt vinegar have the same effect. Once it’s done, unwrap your packet and you’ve got super moist salmon on the grill.”

2. More fish!

Tuna steaks marinated in avocado oil can add more of the coveted Omega-3 heart-healthy fatty acid to the menu. Baker said avocado oil has a similar fatty acid profile to olive oil but can take the heat better due to a higher smoke point. She also suggests a simple lunch using white albacore tuna.

“Open your white albacore, drain it, throw it directly in a Tupperware-type container and add olive oil or avocado oil mayonnaise. It has heart-healthy fat and half the fat of regular mayo. Add in some Mrs. Dash (the garlic blend) and you have lots of flavor ready to go,” said Baker. “If you have time, mince in some onion, carrots, celery or whatever you want.”

3. Let’s get nuts

Vegetarians or vegans looking for Omega-3 benefits can try walnuts. Baker said eating a 1-ounce portion of nuts most days of the week is a good goal and added that walnuts also contain fiber, potassium, protein and other heart-healthy fats.

4. The power of tomatoes

Scientific results are still mixed when it comes to lycopene in tomatoes but Baker said there are definitely some positive links between lycopene and good prostate health.

Lycopene isn’t destroyed by cooking and tomatoes are also a good source of potassium which plays a role in healthy blood pressure.

“Try a whole wheat pasta salad,” said Baker. “Lightly steam, sauté or grill a bunch of veggies and toss on some vinaigrette or whatever dressing you like. Dice up some sundried tomatoes and you’ll get that concentrated flavor, sweetness and unique texture which is great in a pasta salad along with some marinated artichokes and sautéed zucchini.”

6. MIND your diet

Along with a healthy body, a healthy mind is desirable. Baker recommends trying the MIND diet — a take on the popular Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet. The MIND diet is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and calls for: more than six servings per week of green leafy vegetables, one serving per day of other vegetables, five servings per week of nuts, two servings per week of berries, three meals of beans per week, three servings per day of whole grains, one meal per week of fish, two meals per week of poultry and the use of olive oil as the primary cooking oil along with one glass of wine per day.

Finally, Baker offers the reminder that with the hot sun and all the summer fun, it’s important to stay hydrated!

Lentil Sloppy Joe 

(credit sparkpeople.com)

• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 1 green bell pepper, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard

1. Pour lentils and water into small saucepan. Cover and bring to boil. 
2. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
3. About 10 minutes before lentils are ready, preheat a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. 
4. Sauté onion and pepper in the oil for seven minutes or until softened. 
5. Add garlic and sauté for one minute more.
6. Stir in the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano and salt. 
7. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes. Add maple syrup and mustard and heat.
8. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit on the warm burner for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Serves five people at 142 calories per serving.

Source: Ohio University

Eat Your Way to a More Radiant You this Summer!

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Breakfast Collagen Cookies

Ingredients:

* 1 stick of Hello Beautiful Collagen & Multivitamin Powder (Unsweetened)

* 1 cup steel cut oats

* 2 bananas

* Powder peanut butter

* Chocolate chips

Directions:

* Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine oats, bananas, powder peanut butter until smooth.

* Add in 1/2 chocolate chips.

* Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

* Drop dough by large tablespoons onto cookie sheet; flatten a bit with a rubber spatula.

* Bake for 9-12 minutes or until cookies are set.

Pack the Summer Beach Bag with Gluten-free Snacks

Its summer and time to pack that beach bag with delicious gluten-free snacks!

Gluten-free diets on the rise, reaching out to share an assortment of gluten-free snacks perfect for the whole family to enjoy.

· Munk Pack's ready-to-eat Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes are packed with whole grains, fruit bites and superfoods, making it easy to eat healthy on-the-go. Available in five delicious flavors, including Apple Quinoa Cinnamon, Maple Pear Quinoa, and more, they are gluten-free, non GMO, vegan and high in fiber.

· Munk Pack's Protein Cookies feature 18G of plant-based protein per cookie from nut butters and grains! In flavors like Double Dark Chocolate and Oatmeal Raisin Spice, these vegan, non-GMO and gluten free cookies are soft baked and fueled with 6G of fiber per cookie.

· Go Organically Fruit Snacks are a tasty, gluten-free, USDA-certified organic fruit snack perfect for on-the-go snacking. Made with real fruit and available in three delicious flavors, Go Organically offers an authentic, easy, snack option for both children and adults.

· Welch's Fruit Rolls deliver the same quality consumers love in Welch's Fruit Snacks, in a new, irresistibly fun format. Featuring fruit as its first ingredient, the fruit rolls are gluten-free and come in three mouthwatering flavors: Berry, Tropical Punch, and White Grape Strawberry.

We Know You'd Never Make These Grilling Mistakes

With the warm days of mid-summer come the delicious flavors of grilling and outdoor BBQ cooking. However, most people really don’t know how to grill properly, often making mistakes that turn great cuts of meat into rubbery dinner.

1) Don't overcrowd the grill. Don't make the rookie mistake of favoring quantity over quality. Yes, everyone is hungry, but by crowding that meat you are compromising on the best part about cooking over open fire: the crust. Don't succumb to peer pressure! Cooking in shifts might take a little bit longer, but no one will be complaining when they bite into the steak you just grilled perfectly.

2) Don't jump the gun. The enemy of mess-free grilling is a cold grill. If you've just turned the fire on and are itching to get going, DISTRACT YOURSELF. Defer to the nearest toddler for inspiration on messes that take 10 seconds to make and 10 minutes to clean, because you'll need at least 10 minutes to heat a gas grill and 20 to heat a charcoal grill. We repeat: heat the grill fully before you start cooking, or your food with stick so badly, you'll want to throw your grates out and start over. Be patient. It will be worth the wait.

Let your meat rest for at least 10 minutes before you slice it. Photo Credit by Kosher.com

3) Skip the sauce. We know, it's called barbecue sauce. Ignore that compelling logic and avoid using sugary sauces at all cost. You're so great at grilling that you don't need to hide your meat behind sweet, heavy sauces that coat your grates and cause ugly flare ups. Use spice rubs to flavor your meat, and if you MUST use a sauce, use it only at the very end.

4) Menu Plan. We get it, you're gaining confidence and embracing your inner grill master, and that's awesome. Do yourself a favor though, and plan for some non-BBQ items on the menu. It's a good idea to make sure you have some food that can be cooked indoors or prepared in advance, so you don't overwhelm the grill, or the griller. If you're entertaining, having food that's ready to go right away will take a load of pressure off, so you can man the fire, stress free.

 5) Start with a clean machine. But seriously, even if your grill isn't a machine (aka, charcoal, for the purists out there), making sure your grates are clean before you get started will help you avoid any fiery accidents or food that sticks to the grill. You wash your pots and pans in between uses; same principle. We shouldn't have to explain this one too hard. Invest in a new grill brush whenever you see loose bristles.

6) Leave the lid alone. Have some confidence in yourself. You are well on your way to grill mastery, so don't stop now! After searing your food on the hot section of your grill, move it to the cooler section and close the lid. Don't peek, either. You know how your grandmother used to get annoyed at you when you would crack the oven open to look at her sponge cake? Same thing. A watched steak cooks unevenly, or however that saying goes.

7) Let your meat rest. You did it. You cooked a steak that is so beautiful, it rivals any Instagram photo you've seen all day. Fight all urges to slice into it for at least 10 minutes. Yes, ten whole minutes are necessary for your meat or chicken to rest before you start cutting! The juices that got released during cooking need to redistribute in order to give you a juicy, flavorful protein. Skipping this step WILL result in dry meat. (The only exception to this rule is meat that's been cooked sous vide and then finished on the grill. No wait time necessary, and consider that a reward for cooking sou vide like a regular pro.)

8) Grill beef at room temperature. Ever been to a restaurant (you know who you are!) or cooked a steak that had a perfectly charred crust, cooked for the right amount of time, but when you cut into it, the interior was a hint away from still mooing? Firing a cold steak will result in meat that's cooked unevenly. Allow your meat to come all the way to room temperature before cooking for best results every time.

9) Cut against the grain. There's no chance you haven't heard this tip before, so stop ignoring it. Meat muscle fibers generally run in one direction, and you want to slice the meat across those lines of muscle fibers. Yes, it makes a difference! Even if you have one of those weird cuts of meat that has a grain that switches direction half way through, do it. The difference between shoe leather and melt in your mouth could literally be the angle that you are holding your knife.

10) Use the right tools. Thinking you can grab those handy tongs you use in your kitchen to flip those burgers? Think again. You need tools that are formulated to keep you safe while grilling, primarily by keeping your hands away from fire (profound, we know.) Use long handled tongs and spatulas only, and be on guard to swat away wandering plastic forks attached to people who are itching to get their hands on one of your famous burgers straight off the grill. 

Pro tip: use a thermometer with a non-contact infrared sensor for bonus points and perfectly cooked meat.

If you follow these steps, you're well on your way to the best grill season yet. Remember the most important tip of all: outdoor cooking is awesome, so chill out and have fun!

RECIPE: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple from Kosher.com:

Main ingredients - Ingredients (8)

10 pieces deboned chicken thighs

Fresh pineapple, sliced, for grilling

Marinade

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oil

3 cubes frozen garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Start Cooking

Prepare Chicken

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and add chicken and pineapple slices.

Place in a ziplock bag and squeeze out all the air.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grill for only about four minutes on each side, just until the chicken is cooked through. (Check for doneness at the thickest part.)

Grill the pineapple along with the chicken, just for about three minutes on each side.

Note: When taking marinated chicken on a trip, make sure it’s kept cool at all times. I like to put it in the freezer for about three hours before we leave so that it is really cold and can come to room temperature slowly.

These BBQ grilling tips were adapted from Michal Frischman by permission and brought to you by Kosher.com. Kosher.com is the premier site for year-round kosher cooking and conversation, with a huge variety of kosher recipes from top cookbooks and community foodies, plus cutting-edge food videos to entertain you and take your cooking to the next level. You can follow them on Instagram, FaceBook, Pinterest and twitter as @Kosherdotcom. Check out thousands of recipes, articles, and videos on kosher.com!

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