Share the Love at Food Connect.com

I hate to cook, but love to eat. Such dilemmas are part of life. Fortunately though my hubby loves to cook (most of the time) and nothing gets me more excited than browsing tons of delectable new recipes to leave strategically around the kitchen or wow our guests with at our next dinner party.

Though I don't cook, as a food lover I could think and talk about eating all day. (Not that I live to eat, but still.) Are you a hard core foodie? Now you connect with like-minded others on a new site called www.foodconnect.com where you can learn how to make ordinary mac 'n cheese extraordinary, score tempting new ways to use cherries in your tired old recipes (how about sweet potatoes with cherry-glaze or cherry and chai rice pudding!), and even create online invitations for your next dinner party. Check them out and see what you can find.

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PRESS RELEASE:

www.foodconnect.com is the ultimate tool for every foodie.

What makes foodconnect.com so great? These and many other features:

• Free nutritional analysis, for all recipes on the site and every recipe you submit.
• Share your recipes with your friends and other foodies.
• Discuss recipe ideas and techniques.
• Plan your meal and easily print off your shopping list.
• Create the perfect dinner party.

All of this and much more and best of all its all free. Get to foodconnect.com to get started today.

Band or Bypass: Is Lap Band Surgery Better?

I admit that whenever I hear news about a celebrity undergoing surgery to lose weight I raise an eyebrow. Like many people, my first thought is "why don't they just try to lose weight the normal way?" Right? I know you've thought it too. But obviously, there has to be more to their story or they wouldn't be considering such a drastic option.

Weight loss surgery is the last chance for millions of people. In the past, gastric bypass surgery was the only option for people that have failed to lose weight from diet, exercise, and medication and still remains the most often performed type of weight loss surgery. But now, lap band surgery has become a viable alternative to gastric bypass surgery, an alternative that looks very promising and appears to have a better outcome.

Two of the major differences between the gastric bypass and the laparoscopic band procedures are that lap band surgery is minimally invasive and reversible. That alone makes it worth looking into. Rather than cutting into the digestive system and re-sizing it, the lap band procedure places a band around the upper portion of the stomach to restrict the flow of food into the stomach which results in feeling fuller sooner and for a longer period of time.

Other benefits of the band over the bypass include fewer deaths from the procedure, fewer and less severe complications, weight loss is steady and sustained, and a significantly shorter healing time due to its less invasive approach. Even people who only seek to lose 20 pounds can undergo this procedure to lose weight.

Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Having more choices for healthier living is always good. With a greater range of choices, though, comes the responsibility to be informed about them. If health and weight are serious issues in your life, lap band surgery is worth looking into. It doesn't cost anything to do your research and it could save you plenty.

The Pros and Cons of Coffee Drinking

I've been drinking way more coffee lately than I used to. Way more. I'm talking about "never used to drink it" to "I drink it everyday, sometimes many times in a day." That's why I'm doing a wee bit of research into the effects of coffee drinking. Here's what I found out by looking it up over on WebMD:

Pros

1. reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease (I think only if you also smoke which I don't), and Type 2 diabetes
   
2. increases short term memory and overall thinking
3. it is an antioxidant, diuretic, and laxative
4. reduces risk of gall stones

Cons

1. stains your teeth
2. can dehydrate and constipate you
3. makes for foul-smelling breath (in my opinion)
4. various other issues if it has caffeine (it makes my mom jittery)
5. may raise blood pressure
   

It looks like I will have to make my own decision here. The pros and cons simply aren't convincing enough to sway me either way. There are new brands of so-called healthy coffee we should try. I'd much rather be a tea-drinking person though, than a coffee-drinking one. Maybe my conscience is bothering me because I know the coffee we're drinking isn't fair trade. (Read here about Folgers and their fair trade coffee trials and then go here to help coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives.) I dunno. I'm going to give it some more thought.

save these tomatoes from my evil green thumb!

These sprouted without any help from me. I just left them there, intending to use them, then one day I noticed THEY WERE GROWING. And that's what worries me, that once I touch them, they will die. Any tips?

Tips for Healthy Holiday Feasting

The office Holiday party. Your inlaws' Christmas Eve dinner. Your best friend's kid's Kwanzaa celebration. The New Year's Eve Bash downtown. What do all these gatherings have in common? Yes, food. Yummy-looking food everywhere, the health of which you have no control over. Never fear, there are ways to ensure you don't break your New Year's resolution before it's begun.

Here are some tips to help you eat sensibly while enjoying all the festive fare before you. CAUTION: Failure to follow at least 1 of these guidelines may result in the need for a good colon cleanser later to relieve your guilt and your gut:

• eat before you party, you'll be less tempted to gorge yourself on all the goodies
  
• bring your own healthy dish so you can pig out on something
• sit next to the health nut in the group for some more positive peer pressure
  
• don't deny yourself, just fill up on the healthier victuals first, then sample the more sinful offerings
• get smaller portions
• eat slowly
• don't talk while you eat (for more reasons than one)
  
• pop a mint between plates of food to curb your appetite for more
• if you feel awkward without something in your hand, grab a handful of dried fruit and nuts
  
• opt for water or wine instead of beer or liquor
  
• use smaller plates and taller, skinnier glasses
• when offered more food, ask if you can take it to go
• don't give excuses if asked about your eating/dieting habits, they'll only leave loopholes for Aunt Sally to give you that extra serving of pecan pie she made
  
• squeeze in an extra workout or physical activity before the event
  

Or, you could just stay home. But then you may be so depressed and bored that you are compelled to clean out your fridge -- with your mouth. Studies show Americans gain 3-5 pounds during this festive season so you better be on guard. Make a plan and stick to it. Those extra pounds will show up wielding a fork and knife and you don't want to be too unprepared to defend yourself.

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Is there a such thing as HEALTHY fried chicken?

Sure! Last night, following some tricks lifted from Deceptively Delicious, my hubby cooked up some tasty southern fried chicken and mashed potatoes with a side of sweet corn and a salad. I took pictures but they didn't come out. For the chicken batter, we used some organic flaxseed meal mixed in with the flour and seasonings. Flaxseed contains fiber, lignans, and Omega-3 fats that help control cholesterol. Then we boiled and mashed some cauliflower in with the potatoes. Cauliflower, which contains vitamin C and folate, has been shown to boost immunity. I know, I'm not impressing any of you who've been doing this for ages right? Whatever. I'm so proud of us and excited to be giving my family a little extra nutrition. No one knew any different and it was delicious! We don't eat fried chicken often, but when we do, I can feel a bit less guilty now.

Maybe I should email Paula Dean this little tip to help her offset all that lard and butter she uses in every recipe.

Secrets of Deceptively Delicious Revealed!

Vegetable purees!

That's the secret behind Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious! I bought the book Sunday and have been pouring over it since. She keeps tons of pureed veggies handy and adds them to everything she makes. No, nothing new really, but nonetheless helpful to this mommy who sometimes finds herself in a food rut. Actually, we've been doing something similar ever since we got our juicer but nowhere near as much as I'd like to.

Jessica's recipes are perfect for preschoolers and will certainly be tempting to my 9 year old step-daughter. What I like about the cookbook is that the recipes and cooking instructions are simple, fast and easy enough for me to cook. My anxiety about cooking usually comes if I have to cook a complete meal for my husband. It seems so complicated and I guess I think it won't be good enough. But I can whip up some tasty snack for my little one like it's nothing, probably because there's no pressure, her tastes are still forming, and I'm reasonably sure she'll like it.

The Deceptively Delicious recipe I'm most skeptical of, and dying to try, are the Brownies featuring spinach puree. Jessica recommends that you don't serve these warm because the taste of the spinach doesn't disappear until they've cooled. Hmm. Not sure about that one but I'll give it a try soon. Maybe in everyone's Christmas brownies I have to bake this weekend. Or maybe not.

Once you read through the recipes, it's easy to get a feel for which purees work best with which types of dishes. This way you can make your own original recipes and add the appropriately deceptive veggie puree.

Now I just have to get a food processor so I can puree the day away!

Here are some other cookbooks with recipes that show you how to hide veggies in your family's food:

Recipe Rally: Squash (Casserole)

I don't cook. I'd rather do anything but cook. (In my defense, I do however love to bake.) I am one of those lucky women married to a man who loves cooking and does it better than anyone else I know. Yea for me! Occasionally though, I will find something that sounds so easy that even I can't screw it up, and here is the recipe for one of those dishes I actually made myself and did so successfully. I made this recipe for squash casserole for my Bible study group but the true test of it's character is that it was eaten without one single derogatory remark by all 3 of our kids -- that would be the leary 17 year old, the picky, ever-gagging 9 year-old, and the spit-it-out-anywhere-I-can 2.5 year old. You can find some other really delicious sounding squash recipes here at CHBM's Recipe Rally.

Disclaimer: I've already stated that I DO NOT COOK. I found about 4 different versions of this recipe online so I combined some things from each one. That was months ago and I do not remember exactly what I did. I also consulted my husband every other step of the way. Anyway, here is a close approximation...

Squash Casserole

3 medium yellow squash, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4-6 slices dried bread, toasted and crumbled
1 egg, beaten
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream

Boil the squash, onion, bell pepper, and celery in water (salted, seasoned, or not, depends on you) until very tender and drain the liquid. Reserve some if you want. Mash until unrecognizable. Mix with all other ingredients and transfer to a baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes or until slightly browned on top.