Eating Healthy

Along with good health comes good nutrition, but it’s easy to get sucked into the convenience of fast food lunches and take-out dinners. Here to help is Max Mozoon, owner of The Borgata’s SLo Foods Organic Café, who suggests visiting local Whole Foods, Fresh & Easy and Sprouts stores for healthy ingredients and fast-but-nutritious pre-made meals. Mozoon suggests these superfoods and nourishing bites to frequently include in your diet:

• Blueberries: An anti-inflammatory that can lower your risk of heart disease and cancer.
• Fish: The omega 3s you get in fish lower heart disease risk, help arthritis and may help with memory loss and Alzheimer’s.
• Spinach: The goal is to eat one cup of fresh spinach or a half cup of cooked spinach a day.
• Tea: It helps to lower cholesterol and inhibits cancer.
• Tomatoes: The lycopene protects against prostate cancer and may protect against breast cancer.

While planning healthy meals for yourself may sound doable, preparing meals the whole family loves is another task. Jacqueline Sieracki, founder of CityCenter of CityNorth’s Oven Mitt Kids! cooking classes, says that parents should include their kids in the cooking process to make eating healthy fun. Read on for two healthy, family-friendly recipes from Sieracki:

Easy Poached Salmon

Salmon fillets (6 ounces per person)
1 carrot, sliced
1 Small onion, sliced
1 Celery stalk, sliced
2 Lemon slices
Several parsley sprigs
6 Bay leaves
Salt to taste
1 C dry white wine
Juice of half a lemon

Cut the salmon fillets into individual portions. Place the carrot, onion, celery, lemon slices, parsley and bay leaves in a saucepan. Add the salmon and cold water just to cover the salmon. Add the salt, wine and lemon juice. Bring the pot to boil, uncovered. Adjust heat to simmer for 5 minutes and turn heat off, allowing salmon to rest undisturbed for an additional 10 minutes. Carefully place salmon on a serving platter.

Pasta with Garlic and Herbs

1 Lb. dried pasta
2 T olive oil
1 Medium onion, diced
3 Cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried whole oregano
2 T chopped fresh basil (or 1 T dried basil)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese
(This is a perfect base pasta to which vegetables, poultry or seafood can be added)

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onion to sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for one additional minute. Add salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil and parsley, mixing well, cooking over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Pour mixture over cooked, drained pasta, tossing well. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.