Healthy Menu: Tips for Grilling

Stop larding up meat on the grill! There's no need for oil or other fat-heavy additions. Dry rubs add tons of flavor without adding fat.

Getting Started:

Here are six dry rubs for lamb, beef, chicken, fish, or even tofu. Whisk any one of them together in a large bowl.

All-American Barbeque Rub

2 tablespoons mild paprika
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper


All-American Barbeque Rub

1/4 cup chile powder
1/4 cup mild paprika
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper


Southwestern Rub

2 tablespoons chile powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon mild paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons salt


Jerk Rub

1/4 cup dried crushed rosemary
1/4 cup dried thyme
2 tablespoons dry mustard
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne


Curry Rub

3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon mild paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice


Szechwan Pepper Salt

2 tablespoons coarse-grained or kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground Szechwan peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin

What To Do:

Use the best spices you can find. Only freshly ground black pepper, please.

Dried herbs have a shelf-life, usually about a year. Don't use dried spices that have taken on a bland, tea-like smell.

To grind Szechwan peppercorns and the like, use a cleaned-out coffee grinder, a mini food processor, or a spice grinder.

Use between 1/2 tablespoon and 1 tablespoon per cut, whether steak, fish or chicken thighs.

Now, how do you get it to stick? Rub each cut with about 1 teaspoon unsweetened apple juice, lemon juice, cranberry juice, balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar. Pat the rub in place to make a thin coating on all sides and you're ready to roll.

For a deeper taste, coat with the rub, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

After that, you're ready to roll. Fire up the grill and cook the meat, fish or tofu until done.

These rub recipes make a lot, more than you'll need. Cover the rest in a tight-fitting jar for the next time you're over the heat.

for more healthy recipes......go to: www.weightwatchers.com

Healthy Menu: Skinny Dipping

One of the most fun ways to eat food is to dip it: chips, veggies, even burgers. All are fair game for a bowl of creamy French onion or zesty ranch dip. Although we’ve all heard about the horrors of double dipping, the true crime isn’t in the dipping. It’s in the dip.

Laden with fat, sugar and calories, it’s the dip itself that makes it tough to stick to a healthy eating plan. A naked chip or a plain bag of baby carrots can get boring quickly. Fear not—the answer is in your pantry, on your shelves and in your fridge. Here are some easy skinny-dipping ideas:

Straight From the Jar

Salsa.
Sure, it’s the perfect dip for chips, but it’s also great for raw veggies or a grilled chicken sandwich. Go ahead—if no one’s looking, dip between bites.

Chutney.
It’s always the perfect low-fat spread on a sandwich, but it’s also the perfect dip if you thin it out with a few tablespoons of unsweetened apple or white grape juice. Try it as a dip for skewered meat or grilled chicken tenders. For a creamier version, mix equal parts chutney and plain non-fat yogurt. Now that’s the perfect dip for everything from pretzels to fish sticks.

Fat-free mayo and sour cream.
Both can easily be whipped up into a terrific dip. For each cup of mayo, sour cream, or a combo of the two in equal parts, add one tablespoon of your favorite spice mixture such as lemon-pepper seasoning, curry powder or jerk rub.

Fat-free vinaigrettes and bottled marinades.
They make great dips for meat and veggies. Italian-style dressing goes great with poultry, Caesar dressing with lamb, Asian dressing with beef, and pesto or peanut sauces with veggies.

Mustard of all kinds.
It makes great dips for veggies and chips: honey mustard, coarse-grained mustard, creamy Dijon or even fruit- or berry-laced mustards.

Jarred marinara sauce.
It can be the perfect last-minute dip for everything from bite-sized meatballs to pita chips. Mix it with a little fat-free mayonnaise for an even creamier dip for pita or rice crackers.

Bottled BBQ sauce.
It’s perfect with baked tortillas as well as celery stalks.


DIY Dippers

For a quick and healthy dip with baked chips or cut-up veggies, whir up a couple of jarred roasted red peppers with a can of drained and rinsed white beans, a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of ground cumin.

Puree drained and rinsed canned black beans with a small can of drained mandarin orange segments (packed in juice), some chile powder and a dash of hot red pepper sauce like Tabasco.

Canned black bean soup is the easiest dip around. Simply open a can and puree in a blender or a food processor. Want more spike? Give it a small splash of apple cider vinegar.

Canned chickpeas make the base for great hummus-inspired dips. Drain and rinse one 14-ounce can; place it in a blender or a food processor with 1/4 cup lemon juice, one tablespoon Dijon mustard and a little dill, chili powder or lemon-pepper seasoning. Blend or process and you’re good to go.

TRY IT!!!!!!!

for more.....www.weightwatchers.com

Healthy Menu: Salad # 2

Leftover Roast Chicken, Pasta, Oak Leaf, Bean and Chèvre Salad with Tomato-Ginger Dressing

Makes 4 servings

You need at least half a chicken to feed four people, so if you have a little less you can bulk this up with extra pasta, beans, peas, tomatoes, etc. For the pasta, there are limitless possibilities, but I'd recommend a short noodle rather than a spaghetti-type pasta—like fusilli, penne or farfalle.

Ingredients

Flesh from approximately ½ cooked chicken
1 medium head oak leaf lettuce, leaves separated
7 ounces pasta cooked in salted boiling water until just tender, but still firm to the bite, drained and refreshed in cold water
7 ounces green beans, blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes and refreshed in cold water
7 ounces chèvre (goat's cheese, but you can use another suitable crumbly cheese, such as feta or English Wensleydale, if you prefer.)
2 heads of red Belgian endive, leaves separated

For the Tomato-Ginger Dressing:

3 large ripe tomatoes
Piece of peeled ginger, about ½- by ¾-inch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

First make the dressing. Place the tomatoes, ginger, lemon juice and olive oil in a blender and whiz on high speed for 30 seconds. The finished dressing should be lump free. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the extra-virgin olive oil and whiz for another 5 seconds.

Cut the chicken flesh across the grain into nut-sized chunks and place in a bowl. Cut the larger oak leaf lettuce leaves into 2-inch pieces and add to the bowl; keep the smaller inside ones whole and set aside to finish the salad. Add the drained cooked pasta and the beans. Either cut the chèvre into small chunks with a knife or break it apart with your fingers and add the pieces to the bowl.

To serve, mix all the salad ingredients together and divide between four bowls. Scatter them with the reserved inside leaves and drizzle with the dressing.

for more....www.weightwatchers.com

Healthy Menu: Salad # 1

Zucchini, Fennel, Apple, Hazelnut and Asparagus Salad with Lots of Greens and Apple-Balsamic Dressing

Makes 4 servings

This is one of those salads that are great all tumbled together, packed with lots of different leaves and fresh crunchy vegetables. It makes the perfect summer lunch salad with a crispy baguette.

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini
3 heads fennel
24 asparagus spears, trimmed and blanched, then refreshed in iced water
2 handfuls of toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
2 large handfuls of assorted greens (watercress, arugula, endive, romaine, etc.)
4 apples (I like to use 2 Granny Smiths and 2 Red Delicious)
Handful of sprouts for garnish

For the Apple-Balsamic Dressing:

1 cup apple juice
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

First make the apple-balsamic dressing. Place the apple juice and balsamic vinegar in a small pan and cook to reduce to about one-quarter of its volume. Season with salt and pepper, then leave to cool. Mix in the olive oil.

Using a potato peeler, peel ribbons from the zucchini, discarding the soft seedy part in the center. Thinly slice the fennel into "rings" (a mandolin grater is ideal for this). Cut the asparagus spears at an angle into short lengths. Cut the hazelnuts in half or roughly chop them.
Divide half the greens between four plates and place the remainder in a large bowl. Quarter the apples and remove the core (you can also peel them if you want), then thinly slice them and add to the bowl with all the remaining ingredients, including two-thirds of the dressing. Toss well together and divide between the plates. Drizzle remaining dressing over and serve immediately.

for more...www.weightwatchers.com

Syndrome X

Belly fat is a common issue for many women—and it’s one of the biggest risk factors for Syndrome X, also known as metabolic syndrome. Syndrome X is a conglomeration of health factors that are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Do you have Syndrome X? You may if you meet three of five criteria, some of which include high blood pressure, low HDL (or “good”) cholesterol levels, and belly fat.

So....why wait?...Start losing some inches....How?..You know it yourselves...Of course...GOOD EATING & EXERCISE HABIT....

so....hut..hut..hut...time to work out..and watch what you eat...Please don't end up like her..............