Have you ever had food poisoning? Get the down-low on the dirtiest foods.

Source

If you've ever had a case of food poisoning, you'll know why it's so important to keep cooking surfaces clean and to properly wash your food. Every step you can take to minimize the spread of bacteria and viruses is well worth it. All You Magazine has 7 steps for germ-free cooking:

• Use separate cutting boards. Use one cutting board for meats and another for fruit, vegetables, and anything else. Avoid wooden cutting boards as they can trap bacteria. Be sure to clean your cutting boards thoroughly after each use.
• Scrub fruits and veggies. Even if it says pre-washed, take the time to scrub fruits and vegetables off. A good scrub will help remove traces of pesticides (if you don't buy organic) and any other residue on the produce. It's even a good idea to wash fruits that you peel (bananas, oranges, etc.) to avoid transfer of pesticides or bacteria.

Source

When you think about the herb, thyme, what comes to mind? Probably rich, French country dishes, with so many calories and so much fat that it makes your hips bigger just thinking about it!

If you avoid cooking with this fragrant herb, though, you are missing out on thyme's amazing health benefits, like antioxidant power and antibacterial properties. Thyme is such a flavorful herb -- wouldn't it be nice to enjoy it in some healthy dishes?

Remember, you can substitute fresh thyme for dried in almost any recipe (just use a little less) to get more of the beneficial oils in the herb.

This weekend, our family went to a Mexican Fiesta party. I gotta say, not only were the food offerings delicious -- and plentiful! -- they were also healthy. From guacamole and veggies to slow-cooked beans with cilantro, there was something to satisfy every taste, and every nutritional need.

My favorite had to be the Mexican chopped salad with honey lime dressing. This salad had greens, chunks and color, color, color. Everything is fresh and the balanced ingredients are oozing nutrition.

Talk about a masterpiece: romaine, black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, jicama, radishes, red pepper, and a delectable dressing, complete with fresh garlic.

Source

Yes, I'm still trying to increase the amount of beans we eat, as I had mentioned when I posted the polenta and butter bean recipe earlier this month. We love beans, don't get me wrong. What we are finding hard is summertime bean dishes.

It's easy in the wintertime to do a one-pot hearty bean stew or something of the sort, but when we crave grilled food, it isn't as easy to serve up beans with no meat.

This recipe for Chick pea and black bean salad is summery enough to steer us away from our grill once in a while (although I'm sure tempted to serve it alongside a medium-rare grass-fed beef burger). It calls for tomatoes, red and green peppers, onions and other bounty we are getting from our CSA Farm share right now, so that makes it a fresh and nutritious choice.

Source

Have you jumped on board the "eat local" bandwagon yet? We sure have, and we are loving our CSA Farm for the second season this summer.

One thing I look forward to is getting a variety of salad greens throughout the season: Bibb, Boston, Romaine, and Red Leaf lettuces, and my bitter favorite: arugula.

This easy recipe, Garden Greens with Yellow Tomatoes and Peaches -- and I mean easy! -- combines your favorite greens with arugula, tomatoes and peaches, all in a balsamic shallot dressing.

Source

A delicious source of vegetarian protein? Quinoa, of course! It is not a true grain, so it is more protein than carbs, and it offers a plethora of vital minerals as well.

Zucchini, chock-full of vitamin C and minerals, is abundant this time of year and healthy.

Garbanzo beans: high in potassium, vitamins B and E, and fiber; another powerful legume.

How can you go wrong combining these amazingly healthy foods in one delectable dish?

Source

American Idol doesn't typically contain great health and fitness material. I mean, when I watch the show, nowhere in my head do I think I'll grab onto something I can later write about here -- well, with the exception of the show I watched last night, the one where the two Davids -- Archuletta and Cook -- faced off in an attempt to win the entire singing competition.

So these two guys were competing, and their match-up was referred to on the show as a fight, which is all about health and fitness. It went something like this: Train hard. Prepare your body. Because in a fight, it's the first thing to go.

And so it occurs to me that this is so perfectly right. It's exactly what I've been doing for one year now. I've been preparing my body through a clean diet and strenuous exercise so that it won't go. I've had one major fight already -- cancer -- and by the luck of the draw, I won. In the event another opponent faces me, I want to be as fight-ready as I can be.

Train hard. Prepare your body. That's what I'll do. You should too.

When my oldest child's picky-eating nature sends my head spinning, I dump menu planning right in his lap. I figure if he picks the meals, he's likely to eat them. And that's usually how it works. The last time I delegated meal brainstorming to this finicky six-year-old, he chose some pretty good options. Of course, if he veers into junk-food territory, we steer him toward healthier options but overall, he knows what's good for him. And if it's good for him, it's good for us too.

Not only am I recommending you include your stubborn little eaters in mealtime decisions, I also suggest you, or someone in your family, plan meals in advance -- try to stay a week ahead of schedule and you'll save time on daily basis. You're also likely to end up with healthier meals.

Just pick a day of the week -- I say make it Sunday -- and jot down your meal items for the week. Be sure to include lean meats, veggies, fruits, and whole grains and keep to a bare minimum anything with too many calories, fats, and sugars. Then head to the store, stock your cart, and return home and pack that good stuff away. If you're ambitious, you can start prepping your meals ahead of time but at minimum, just get the goods so you're prepared to piece together your dishes on a daily basis.

Want more on this topic? Check out these tips for menu planning from organizedhome.com.

I know there are men out there who cook. I hear about them from time to time, but where are they? They're like Loch Ness ... there's the occasional sighting, but never any proof that they really exist.

Well maybe you can make the legend a reality in your home by getting your guy into the kitchen. Wouldn't it be awesome if he was able (and willing!) to occasionally do the cooking? Try these 6 steps to get him there and let us know how it works out!

• Encourage him to cook what he wants to eat. It may take some sacrificing on your part since his choices probably are not your idea of ideal, but it's about the big picture.
• Help him if he needs it, but let him do it his way.
• Positive reinforcement works! Praise him generously, no matter how the meal turned out. If he feels appreciated he'll be more likely to try it again.
• Offer to do the dishes (I know, but it's better than doing the cooking and the dishes, right?)
• Review basic kitchen safety. If he's really new to the kitchen reminding him of things like where the fire extinguisher is and how to handle hot oil is a good idea.
• Review basic food safety. Nobody can hear too much about the importance of handling raw meat and perishable food items safely.

Source