Everyone I speak with who has tried the recipes in my new book, Livin’ Lean with Trader Joe’s is so excited about them and so grateful to have them. What fun!! I will be signing books and offering samples of recipes at three upcoming events in the next couple of weeks. I would love to meet you if they are in your area. Just a Little Something Gift Shop 425 Market Place San Ramon, CA Thursday March 22 5:00-8:00 PM 925-277-1270 www.justalittlesomethinggiftshop.com Miss Trawick’s Garden Shop 664 Lighthouse...
read moreTrader Joe’s used to carry marinated mahi mahi that made this dish super easy. They hope to have it back into our local stores soon according to those I spoke with at my local TJ’s. Meanwhile, I made up my own marinade and it is delicious! I took several packages of mahi mahi in a durable plastic bag with the following marinade on a gals camping trip a couple of years ago. We cooked them on the camp stove and they were the rage! The number of servings depends on how much mahi mahi is in the package (it varies) and of course,...
read moreMany of my weight management clients have a condition called “insulin resistance” and must lower the amount of carbohydrates they are eating to lower their blood sugar as well as to lose weight. When helping them to plan their meals and snacks, I advise them to begin with a protein and vegetables and then add healthy carbohydrates. Healthy carbohydrates are those that are in their natural state or more natural state and contain fiber. Foods with fiber help fill us up and are digested more slowly and affect blood sugar differently than ...
read moreGluten-free Snacks – 100 Calories or Under Snacking can be a very important part of keeping your blood sugar under control and hunger at bay when reducing calories. Here is a list of higher-protein, gluten-free snacks that have 100 calories or less. Find more great gluten-free ideas and recipes in my new cookbook, Livin’ Lean with Trader Joe’s, complete with gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian recipe indexes and 1400-calorie menus with shopping lists available on my website, Amazon and lots of other places. (See my...
read moreI was conducting a tour of my local Trader Joe’s last night with some weight management clients and one of them told us about a new app called “Fooducate”. It’s amazing. Take a picture with your phone of the bar code on the food label and all of the nutritional information appears, along with lots of other information. We were surprised that even Trader Joe’s products showed up. Here is a list from their website (www.fooducate.com) of what the app offers: “Get the Fooducate mobile application and...
read moreI just read a very good article on volume eating or “volumetrics” today in Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Health Letter, www.cspinet.org. The article featured an interview with author Barbara Rolls, author of The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet. To summarize, studies found that people eat about the same weight (or volume) of food day in and day out regardless of the components of the food (high in protein or high in carbs, etc.). When those conducting the study found out how to reduce the calories of the food by...
read moreTarget Heart Rate In order to train your body aerobically, it is recommended that you exercise at an intensity of 50-85% of what your heart can maximally beat at least three non-consecutive days a week for at least 20 minutes each time, with a recommended warm up and cool down of at least 5 minutes each. This heart rate range is called the Target Heart Rate.If you are just beginning to exercise aerobically, it is recommended that you begin at the lower end of the range and slowly work your way up. If you’re not working hard enough, you...
read moreOh no, after 3 professional edits and countless personal edits, I found an error in the nutritional analysis of one of the recipes in my new cookbook, Livin’ Lean with Trader Joe’s! How could this happen after such absolute scrutiny??! Sigh… If you have the cookbook, please turn to the Sassy Black Bean Soup (which one of my book group friends served at the last meeting to everyone’s delight) on page 97 and add a dot between the 2 and the 5 in the grams of fat. It should read 2.5 g fat not 25, which you probably figured...
read moreValentine’s Day is around the corner. Need a good idea or two for what to serve for dinner for Valentine’s Day? With Trader Joe’s curry sauce and already cooked chicken, dinner couldn’t be easier or more flavorful. Add some fun placemats and some candles and voila, you have a great dinner. The entree in the photo is a recipe my cooking class students love and its from my “Quick and Healthy Meals from Trader Joe’s” cookbook and is called Yellow Curry with Chicken and Mushrooms: You will need: 2...
read moreSuper Bowl Sunday is around the corner. While grocery stores are displaying chips and dips, ribs and nibs and much much more, you may be looking for something a bit healthier. Trader Joe’s to the rescue! Yes, they have chips and dips, etc., but they also have open-and-serve options as well as lots of products you can put together easily and quickly that are much better for us. No matter who wins, we all feel better when we don’t overindulge. You may feel self-conscious about bringing something “healthy” but...
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