Fiber? Why should I care about eating fiber, and how much fiber do I need? This article gives a summary of why fiber is important, and daily fiber recommendations based upon your age and caloric intake.

And the following recipe gives you a delicious way to increase your fiber intake. This is a classic bran muffin recipe that I have tweaked over the years to improve flavor and texture and also reduce the sugar and oil content without sacrificing taste. These muffins are moist and bursting with flavor, everyone I serve these muffins to asks me for the recipe.  

 

Lisa's Tropical Bran Muffins
(Makes 16 regular size, or 8 large muffins)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Kellogg brand "All Bran Buds"
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce plus 2 Tbsp....

Continue Reading

Lemon Ricotta Rigatoni is a classic Italian dish and comfort food. It's not exactly "healthy" because it is high in fat and carbs, but it is oh-so delicious and a perfect "treat yourself" meal on a cold snowy Monday, like today.

This my version of the classic Italian dish, which calls for basil instead of arugula. I think basil overwhelms the delicate, simple sauce and arugula adds a peppery flavor that compliments the cheese, and I love it. But you can modify this recipe to suit your tastes. This dish can be made with any type of pasta noodle you like or have on hand. Try it your way and let me know what you think. This sauce does not require cooking, so this dish is ready in under 20 minutes, making it a winner in my book.

Ingredients:

Continue Reading

"Good Food, Fast: Outstanding Recipes For Busy People, Pantry To Plate In A Half-Hour" is my latest passion project. This collection of recipes are my own creations, complied from 10+ years of making delicious meals, in a hurry.

This is the second cookbook I've written and will be the third book I publish.

If you'd like to pre-order a copy, shoot me a message. I anticipate it being in print by Holiday 2020.

Here's a sample recipe from the cookbook:

Continue Reading

Continue Reading

This year has been the best year I can remember in a very long time for tomatoes, and I have a bumper crop! I did water-bath can some of them as sauce last month, but honestly, it's an ordeal. So here's a super easy method for freezing diced tomatoes so that you have them all winter long to be used in soups, chili, stews, and sauces, any recipe that calls for a can of diced tomatoes. Roasting them first adds so much flavor!

Let's Freeze 'Em!

Preheat oven to 390 degrees.

No need to blanch and peel the tomaotes, they taste fine with skins on. This cuts your work into a fraction of the time it would otherwise take. Chop the tomatoes into 16th (that's in half, then half the halves and half again - got that?) You can add fresh basil if...

Continue Reading

Dinnertime often sneaks up on me. Suddenly it's 6:00 pm and I'm starving. But when I'm tired from working all day, cooking feels like a big deal that I don't care to tackle.

Up until a few years ago, that mindset is how I'd end up eating junk-laden foods like frozen pizza, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Chinese carry-out and my dirty little secret addiction: a drive-thru Big Mac and fries wolfed down in the car on the ride back home. And now the empty nest dragon is trying to hurl me back into these old habits.

The key to breaking that bad habit has been to come up with meals that I can prep, cook, and have on my table in under 30 minutes. By "on the table" I mean, eat standing up at my kitchen island, another empty nest gut-punch because sitting alone at...

Continue Reading

Homemade pasta sauce, made from homegrown tomatoes, is far superior to anything you're going to buy in a grocery store. If you don't grow tomatoes, head to the Farmers Market this week and buy them because tomatoes are in season and at their peak in August. I use a combination of any and all of the tomatoes I've grown, paying no attention to what the experts say are the "best" for sauce (ie: Romas). They're all good!

I found this recipe years ago online, I wish I could remember the source, but I can't. It's got a kick, so if you do not like a bit of heat, omit the red pepper flakes. And if you like a lot of heat, add more. Yes, this recipe is a lot of work but if you love fresh...

Continue Reading