Looking for a way to use the beautiful seasonal strawberries?  Try a yogurt and fruit parfait!  This simple treat provides a great source of calcium and protein as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.  Fiber from cereal or other grains and “friendly bacteria” in yogurt help to keep your gut healthy.   This can be made with your choice of yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit and high fiber cereal or chopped nuts.  Try Greek yogurt for a higher protein alternative!  Below are the recipe and alternative ingredients to try.

Ingredients

1 cup vanilla yogurt (low fat or Greek)

½ cup fresh or frozen berries of choice

½ cup Fiber One cereal

Directions

Take ½ cup of yogurt and place on bottom of a glass

Take ¼ cup of berries and place on top of the yogurt

Take ¼ cup of Fiber One cereal on top of the berries

Repeat the above steps to make a layered effect.

Makes 1 serving.  Nutrition information per serving:  259 calories, 4 gm fat, 16.4 gm protein, 47.6 gm carbohydrate, 15 gm fiber, 15 mg cholesterol, 560 mg calcium, 277 mg sodium

While it may still be a little cool to grill outside, this delicious marinade can be used on baked chicken or fish, too.  The combination of sesame, soy and ginger is delightful.  Serve it with sautéed green beans or stir fried peppers and onions over brown rice or quinoa.  If you’re not a fish fan, the marinade also works on flank steak and chicken.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 lb chicken or salmon

Directions

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Place marinade and chicken in a gallon sized ziplock bag.

Shake to coat chicken or fish and marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hr.

Grill meat for 10-15 minutes on each side until done or bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until juices run clear.

 Makes 4 servings.  Nutrition information per serving:  222 calories, 7.5 grams fat, 37 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 97 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium.

*    Calories may vary depending on type of meat or fish used.

Spring is right around the corner, but thankfully, asparagus is already in season!  If you’re like me, you may have not so fond memories of eating khaki-colored, mushy, stringy asparagus at your aunt’s house (or even your mom’s).   I’d like to draw a tiny curtain over this image!  I actually never knew I liked the stuff until I had it cooked properly!  Recently I discovered it’s also quite tasty raw (that’s right- I said naked).

Below is a simple, yet delicious way to prepare asparagus that everyone will love.  And with it being in season, you can eat it as often as you like.

Ingredients:

1 lb asparagus (thick spears are best for roasting)

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice (balsamic vinegar may be subbed here)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Rinse and trim the asparagus of its rough ends

In a plastic bag (gallon size), add the oil, garlic and lemon juice and “rub” together to mix.

Add the asparagus to the bag and toss it in the oil mixture to coat.

In a foil covered roasting pan or baking sheet, lay the asparagus out.

Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper prior to baking.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.  Nutrition information per serving:  56 calories, 3.7 grams fat (.6 gram saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 5 grams carbohydrate, 2.4 grams fiber, 2.6 grams protein, 242 mg sodium.

It’s February, it’s cold and it’s American heart month!  Nothing soothes the heart and soul like a hot, hearty soup.  The beauty of soup is it’s so versatile and simple.  This soup features navy beans, which are a great source of soluble fiber- the type that lowers cholesterol, maintains blood sugar and bowel regularity.  Beans are also high in folate, a nutrient found to reduce homocysteine- a byproduct of protein metabolism linked with heart disease and stroke.  In addition, beans are a great source of protein, which provides satiety (read- you eat a lot less between meals).  If you’re out of navy beans, Great Northern beans or cannellini (white kidney beans) make a great substitute.  BONUS- this soup provides 29% of the daily value for iron!

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