Nutrition Label Makeover

Reading nutrition labels can be confusing and involve a bit of serving size conversion.  Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they would like to make some changes - I am all in support of what they propose.

The FDA is proposing several changes to the nutrition labels you see on packaged foods and beverages. If approved, the new labels would place a bigger emphasis on total calories, added sugars and certain nutrients.

The most visible change is that calorie counts are bigger and bolder, to give them greater emphasis. In addition, serving sizes start to reflect the way most of us really eat. The current serving size is a half-cup. Under the proposed new label, the serving size would become 1 cup. A 20-ounce bottle of soda would be labeled as one serving. And with that, the calorie count at the top would come closer to reality.

The FDA says it will accept public comment on the proposal for 90 days.  For more information, visit the FDA website.

Trying Turkey "Steak"

Decided to try something different this evening for dinner...Turkey Breast "Steak". I will confess, I nearly passed it by. The "containing up to 12% of a flavoring solution" note on the label scared the hell out of me.  That solution has ingredients that I am pretty sure that I need a chemistry degree to understand what they are...

Regardless, we decided give it a whirl. While the grill was pre-heating to medium heat, I opened the package and drained away all the fluid that was likely generated in close quarters to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating station.  For extra measure, I blot dried with a paper towel before placing on the grill. Cook ten minutes each side on medium heat.  I would suggest that you add a bit of salt and pepper as well.  The taste of the cooked product was not bad, i just have an issue with food having faux food components.

Better yet, avoid the student loans for the chem degree and stick with something that has 0% of a flavoring solution.

Sensational Chicken Noodle Soup

Rose is sick so, with a little bit of effort, I was able to cobble together a version of chicken noodle soup that was much better for her and a canned option.  Here is what you will need.

• 96 ounces of chicken broth. (I suggest using organic or low sodium versions).
• Two large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Two carrots, peeled and chopped
• Two celery sticks, chopped
• Four Dorot garlic cubes
• Four Dorot basil cubes
• Two Dorot cilantro cubes
• Whole wheat pasta

Grill the two chicken breasts.  Once cooked, bring inside and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.  In a stock pot, combine the chicken broth, basil, garlic, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste and slowly bring to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Pull chicken apart, add pasta, carrots, celery and cook covered for another 8 minutes.  Stir before serving.

While not as easy as a can, it was certainly worth it.  Bonus points awarded for having enough for Rosie to take to work for lunch Monday.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Brown Rice Asparagus

Lemon Butter Sauce with Garlic and Basil

Since I started the workday at 6:30 am and was on back-to-back calls through 11:30,  I decided to work from home. The bonus of this opportunity was that I decided to grill some turkey burgers for lunch. While flipping the patties, I noticed that some of our lemons were ripe for the picking and was inspired to make lemon pepper tilapia for dinner.

Start by preheating you oven to 375 degrees. Place the tilapia fillets on an oiled baking sheet - I used a foil wrapped ceramic flat (the foil is my fail-over to make the clean-up easy) pan. Slice a lemon into thin strips and place on top of the lightly salted fish.  Take a 1/4 stick of butter and gently melt in a small saute pan. Add pepper, the juice of one lemon (two if you want it really tart), two cloves of finely diced garlic (for which I used two Dorot garlic cubes) and some finely diced basil (also two Dorot cubes in my world). Gently stir over medium-low heat until all the components are mixed together.  Once completed pour over the fish and place it into the oven for 12 minutes.

Easy Prep for a Tasty Meal

I tried something different with the asparagus tonight. I had a some leftover turkey bacon that I decided I wanted to use up so that got diced and thrown into the stir fry pan. Add a 1/4 stick of butter (at least I am consistent on the butter tonight), two cloves of diced garlic (again, in my world that is two Dorot cubes) and asparagus tips. Saute covered for ten minutes over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until done.  To further jack things up, I added a package of fresh & easy microwave brown rice (don't judge, seriously, three minutes in the microzap - it is kind of hard to screw up rice) to the wok and mix it all up.

Plate the rice and pull the fish from the oven.  Remove lemon slices and pour the baking pan drippings over the top of the fish. In a little less than fifteen minutes you will be enjoying a great dinner. 

Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Brown Rice Asparagus