I Heart Margarine

Just One More Reason to Get That Beauty Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Lacking Sleep Boosts Risk of High Blood Pressure, Study Finds
By Nicole Ostrow
June 9 (Bloomberg) -- Sleeping less than seven or eight hours a night as a routine puts people at risk for high blood pressure, a study found.

The less the adults participating in the research slept, the more likely they were to see their blood pressure rise, according to research published in yesterday’s Archives of Internal Medicine. For every hour of missed sleep, odds of developing the condition rose an average 37 percent over five years, said Kristen Knutson, the lead author. Skipping two hours sleep raised the blood pressure risk 86 percent.

More than 73 million American adults have high blood pressure and about 70 million suffer from chronic sleep problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure or kidney failure, according to the American Heart Association.

These study’s results “confirm what we’ve seen in the lab that there are health consequences to not getting enough sleep or not sleeping well,” said Knutson, a research associate and assistant professor at the University of Chicago. “People don’t respect sleep relative to diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.”

Researchers in the study followed 578 adults who had their blood pressure and other health signs measured between 2000 and 2001. At the start of the study, the participants were aged 33 to 45 years old. The scientists also measured how long each participant slept using a sensor on the wrist that chronicles rest and activity at two different points in the study.

After five years, each participant’s blood pressure was checked again and each was asked about their sleep.

Six-Hour Average
The adults in the study slept an average of six hours each night. Only seven participants averaged eight or more hours of sleep each night, the researchers found.

In the study, 14 percent, or 75 people, developed high blood pressure during the trial, the authors said. A U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that the rate of high blood pressure among those aged 25 to 74 years old was 15 percent, she said.

Lack of sleep may affect the body’s sympathetic nervous system, which controls how the body responds to stress through the fight or flight response, Knutson said. Chronic lack of sleep or sleep problems may have a long-term effect on the cardiovascular system, increasing high blood pressure, she said. Not getting enough sleep is also related to obesity and diabetes, affecting overall heart health, she said.

People should focus on sleep as part of a healthy lifestyle that includes diet and exercise, Knutson said. Future studies need to examine whether improving sleep reduces a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure, she said.

The study, sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was part of a larger trial called the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults, which recruited patients aged 18 to 30 years old in 1985 and 1986 from Chicago, Minneapolis, Oakland, California, and Birmingham, Alabama. The study’s results only included participants from Chicago.

Chocolate Toffee Crescent Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Just got back from Little Rock, AR where I stayed at the Capital Hotel. This place is gorgeous and has THE best toffee in the world. This isn't the recipe but for relevancy's sake, I figured I'd post it anyways because it's yummy.

Chocolate Toffee Crescent Bars

Ingredients
1 8 oz. can refrigerated quick crescent rolls
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts, your favorite
6 ozs. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375 F. degrees
2. Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles.
3. Place rolls in ungreased 15" X 10" jelly roll pan, pressing over bottom to form crust, sealing perforations.
4. In small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar, boil 1 minute.
5. Pour evenly over dough and sprinkle with nuts.
6. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips.
8. As the chips melt, slightly spread them over top.
9. Cool completely; cut into bar

Happy Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:46:00 +0000

I hope everyone has a fantastic Memorial Day. I'm off to the University of Texas' graduation in Austin. Safe travels and please don't drink and drive!

Best Lasagna Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:34:00 +0000

This lasagna recipe is out of this world!! The combination of the meat sauce and the cream sauce is simply divine. This is one recipe you don't want to miss out on!

Ingredients

Noodles and Cheese:
1 pound lasagna noodles
16 ounces Parmesan cheese
16 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
16 ounce cottage cheese

Meat Sauce:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 pound mild sausage
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 teaspoons salt
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cream Sauce:
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Instructions
1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with hot water. Drain again. 2. To prepare the meat sauce, brown ground beef in a skillet. Add onion and garlic. Drain grease and add sausage, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in oregano, basil, salt, pepper, fennel seed and parsley. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
3. To prepare the cream sauce, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. To assemble the lasagna, pour 1/3 of meat sauce in bottom of a 15-by-12-inch pan. Lay 6 or 7 noodles over sauce. Pour 1/2 the remaining meat sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 the Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of noddles. Sprinkle on mozzarella. Pour hot cream sauce on top. Layer with remaining noodles, cottage cheese, remaining meat sauce and remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serves 12.

Poor Reporting on Margarine

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:26:00 +0000

There was a really crappy article in The National Post recently that helped to perpetuate the myths that margarine is one molecule away from plastic, was originally used to fatten turkeys AND increases one's risk for cancer five fold.

WOW, that certainly is giving one food product a lot of credit and power! If it can do all of those things, what can't margarine do?

Awful, awful, awful. These myths unduly harm consumers and may prevent them from consuming a product that not is harmless, but can help reduce the amount of saturated fat in one's diet.

Please do not believe these margarine email hoaxes that pop up sporadically. For more information, check out www.margarine.org.

Emma, out.

Take Care of Your ticker - Toddler Style

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:27:00 +0000

I found this cute little poem about heart health. Sure, it's made for young kids but when you get down to it, the advice is applicable to all of us.

The Heart

The heart pumps blood from your head to your toes
Through arteries and veins the blood smoothly flows
It goes round and around and around and around
From side to side
And up and down
The heart can beat slowly or it can beat fast
But good food and exercise will make it last
So be sure to eat all your veggies today
And when you are through
Just go out and play
These are the things we all need to do
Then your heart will be healthy...
And so will you too!

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:26:00 +0000

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."
-Sophia Loren, "Women and Beauty"

I love that quote and how true it seems to be. I'd like to wish my mother, my grandmother and all of the other mothers out there a truly fantastic Mother's Day. There's nothing we as children can do to thank you enough.

Pita Crisps

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:13:00 +0000

I love potato chips but they don't particularly love my waistline so I've become a pretty big fan of pita chips. This recipe is easy and sure to please even the most devoted chip fan

Pita Crisps
Instructions:
Yield: 4 servings
2 Pita breads (6" diameter)
2 teaspoon Margarine
2 teaspoon Oregano
4 tablespoon Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler. Split pitas horizontally into 2 rounds. Spread rough edges with margarine. Place on cookie sheet. In a small bowl, toss together oregano and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over margarine. Cut each bread into wedges. Broil about 5" from heating element until crisp, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully! VARIATIONS: experiment with other herbs of your choice such as chives and parsley; or, omit oregano and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve alone or with dips or pates.
Your Pita Crisps is ready. Buon appetito!

Shopping Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Stress-free shopping
Article By:Marieke Loubser

Can you relate to this scene? After a long day at work, you're tired and hungry and you need to make a plan for supper. You don't know what to make, you aren't quite sure what you already have at home. Solution? A quick stop at the shops on your way home where you fly through the aisles and choose foods that look tasty and quick to prepare. When you get home, you realise that you still don't have all the ingredients you need for a balanced meal... but you did buy plenty of less-than-healthy foods.

Not only is food shopping inevitable but it's where healthy eating begins. What we buy affects the quality of our diets and nutritious meals can't happen without a ready supply of nutritious foods. It's all about shopping strategically.

Plan ahead
Start by planning what you will eat over the next week or two, depending on how often you shop for food. For optimal health, plan meals based on a variety of foods from each food group to build a balanced diet. See our plan for healthy eating.

As a quick rule of thumb, base your plan on the plate model:
Half your plate should be vegetables.
One quarter should be a carbohydrate-rich food, such as baby potatoes, dairy or fruit.
One quarter should be a lean protein, such as grilled fish, skinless chicken or boiled egg.
Add a small amount of healthy fat when cooking (e.g. olive oil) or as additional fat (e.g. low fat margarine) and you have a balanced plate.

Take stock
Then audit what you already have at home and make a list of what you still need. Putting together a master shopping list that you can use every time you shop is a great way to save time and to ensure you never forget anything.

Remember, a balanced, varied diet that incorporates foods from all the different food groups is the key to healthy eating.

Here are some ideas of nutritious basics you can use to create your master shopping list:
Dairy products
These foods are rich in bone-building calcium and muscle-building protein.
· Fresh milk (fat free or low fat)
· Long life milk (fat free or low fat)
· Evaporated milk (low fat)
· Powdered milk (fat free or low fat)
· Soya milk (low fat)
· Yoghurt (fat free or low fat or soya)
Fruit
Boost your immune system with these nutrient power-houses for plenty of vitamin, minerals, phytochemicals and fibre.
Fresh fruit: A variety of different coloured seasonal e.g. apples, bananas, peaches, apricots, grapes, kiwi fruit and strawberries.
Canned fruit: In fruit juice (not syrup) e.g. pears, peaches and apple.
Bottled fruit: e.g. apple sauce.
Dried fruit: e.g. apricots, peaches, prunes, pears, raisins, cranberries and figs.
Vegetables
Choose different coloured vegetables for a wide range of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fibre.
A variety of fresh vegetables e.g. onions, gem squash, brinjals, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, spring onions and peppers.
Canned: e.g. tomatoes, tomato and onion mix, corn, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes and peas.
Bottled: e.g. asparagus, beetroot, baby sweet peppers, gherkins.
Frozen vegetables: plain or mixed.

Carbohydrate-rich foods
These foods provide essential fuel and energy for optimal function and performance.
Bread: e.g. whole grain, low GI bread and whole-wheat, low fat crackers/crisp bread.
Rice: e.g. white, basmati, brown, wild, mixed brown rice with lentils/wild rice.
Whole grains: e.g. barley, stampkoring (wheat rice), millet, quinoa.
Cereals: e.g. oats, high-fibre cereals, oat bran and porridge.
Pasta: All types (preferably wholewheat), such as spaghetti, penne, linguini and lasagne noodles.
Pasta sauces: e.g. low fat tomato and vegetable-based sauces
Couscous: (wholewheat if possible).

Legumes
Beans, peas and lentils are a valuable addition to any healthy eating plan. They are very low in fat but concentrated sources of plant protein, minerals and fibre. They are also very economical and can easily be added to other dishes to enhance the nutritional value!
For example, baked beans, butter beans, sugar beans, kidney beans, green beans, mixed beans, chick peas, lentils, split lentils and split peas.

Protein-rich foods
These foods provide amino acids — the building blocks of protein essential for growth, maintenance and repair.
Fresh or frozen white fish: e.g. hake, sole, haddock and kingklip.
Fresh, frozen or canned oily fish: e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines, pilchards and tuna.
Chicken: e.g. skinless thighs, skinless breasts, whole chicken, skinless kebabs.
Meat: e.g. extra lean beef mince, ostrich mince, ostrich steaks, pork fillet Cheese: low fat cheese wedges (e.g. Laughing Cow Light), fat free and low fat cottage cheese, parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, reduced fat cheddar, reduced fat gouda, reduced fat feta.
Eggs

Fats and oils: Although fats are concentrated sources of kilojoules, some healthy fat is essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, protecting your cells and organs and increasing satiety.
Oils: Cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil; canola oil, avocado oil, low fat cooking spray.
Spreads: Soft, tub 'low fat' margarine, olive oil margarine.
Nuts and nut butters: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, macadamia, hazel and peanut butter.
Seeds: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Olives
Avocado
Condiments and flavourings: Mustard, chutney, balsamic vinegar, low-sodium soya sauce, low-salt stock cubes.
Herbs and spices: Pepper, rosemary, mixed herbs, oregano, thyme, basil, coriander, mint, ginger, curry, garlic and cinnamon. Crushed garlic, fresh ginger, chillies, lemons.
Drinks:
Tomato cocktail, lemon, low-kilojoule cordial, 100 percent fruit juice (always dilute with water or soda), green tea, ceylon tea, herbal tea and decaffeinated coffee.
Before you go
Don't shop when you're hungry. We tend to buy on impulse and items that could compromise your nutrition goals seem more appealing when you are hungry. Have a healthy snack before you go. Arrange your lists according to aisles if you can — this will reduce zigzagging through the shop and save you time.

At the shops
Stick to your list.
Carry a basket where possible as this will limit space available for items not on your list.
Processed foods tend to mainly be displayed towards in the centre aisles of the shop so try to stay on the perimeter of the shops where the less processed items are usually found.
Buy perishable products last to avoid drastic temperature changes between the shops and home. Check your list again before you get to the till.
When you get home
Get your perishable foods into the fridge and freezer first.
Pack items away in clean cupboards and containers at the appropriate temperatures.
Place items with the oldest shelf life in front to be used first.
Making it a habit
Investing some effort into optimising your nutrition empowers you to complement a lifestyle of healthy eating that saves you time, money and frustration. Try it — the benefits will speak for themselves!

Icing in a Minute!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Homemade is almost always better but when it comes to icing for a cake, I usually take the lazy route and go for the store-bought stuff. However, One-Minute Chocolate Icing? I'm in!

ONE MINUTE CHOCOLATE ICING
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 stick margarine (do not use light margarine)
1/2 cup cocoa

Mix all ingredients together and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring while boiling.
Cool. Beat until creamy, then spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Jennifer Garner to be Dipped in Fatty Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:40:00 +0000

I saw this article this morning and just thought it was slightly amusing.

I’m sure we’ve all dreamed at some point of combining Jennifer Garner with butter, but Mandate has taken it a step further and made that dream a reality. They’ve hired Jennifer Garner to star in a comedy about an orphan who grows up to be a champion butter-carver. It’s called Butter, and according to screenwriter Jason Micallef' it’s actually a political satire.

He’s a better writer than me, because I can’t think of any parallels between margarine and the Iraq war. HR says the idea came from a trip to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, which is exactly where I’d have thought to look if I were out to find champion quality butter-carving. It sounds like the film will take place in a similar setting, with the movie’s orphan hero pitted against the ambitious wife of the retired reigning champion in an annualbutter-sculpting contest. No word on whether Garner plays the orphan or the orphan’s competition, but either way expect to see her greased up and shaping a block of butter into an exact likeness of Barack Obama’s head.

Get Your Zzz's

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:33:00 +0000

Late Bedtimes Linked to Heart Disease
Men who Turn In After Midnight Show Early Signs of Atherosclerosis
By Charlene Laino, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 30, 2009 (Orlando) -- Burning the midnight oil may be hazardous to your health.
Men who go to bed after midnight have significantly more arterial stiffening -- an early stage of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries -- than men who turn in earlier, a new study shows.
Several large studies have linked chronic sleep loss to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other health problems, says Yu Misao, MD, of the Misao Health Clinic in Gifu, Japan.
But whether bedtimes also have an influence on heart health has not been explored, he tells WebMD.

Too Little Sleep Affects Heart Health
So Misao and colleagues put that question to the test in a study of 251 healthy men 60 and younger. They had an annual checkup, during which their blood pressure, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and lipid levels were measured.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity was used to examine the men for evidence of arterial stiffening. This measures how fast blood is rushing between the brachial artery in the arm and the tibial artery in the ankle. When blood pressure is high, blood flow accelerates, and the arterial walls stiffen.

All the participants filled out questionnaires that asked how many hours of sleep they got each night (six hours and 20 minutes, on average) and what time they went to bed (11:30 p.m. on average).

The fewer hours a man slept each night, the higher his BMI, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels, the study showed.

“This is consistent with previous reports showing that short sleep duration may negatively affect cardiovascular risk factors, Misao says.
There was no significant relationship between how many hours a man slept and arterial stiffness.

Late Bedtimes Linked to Arterial Stiffness
The men were then divided put into three groups according to the number of hours they reported sleeping at night: less than six hours, six to seven hours, and seven hours or more.
In each of these groups, the men who reported going to bed before midnight had more relaxed arteries, as shown by significantly lower brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity levels, than the men who went to bed after midnight.

The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 58th Annual Scientific Sessions.

“While the study doesn’t tells us why, a previous study suggested that people who go to bed late might eat more at night,” Misao says. Evening snacking may raise the risk of obesity, a risk factor for heart disease, he says.

Other research suggests that turning in after midnight might activate the sympathetic nervous system, which accelerates body functions, including heart rate, and helps control how the body responds to stress, Misao says.

Daniel Jones, MD, past president of the American Heart Association and dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, says it’s possible that “there’s some physiological [explanation] for the finding.”

For example, turning in after midnight might throw your internal biological clock out of synch, he says.

“But people who go to bed late are different from people who go to bed early. They may be more likely to smoke. They may be more likely to drink, They may be more likely to overeat. These are all heart disease risk factors that [weren’t taken into account in the analysis],” Jones tells WebMD.

At this point, “I wouldn’t recommend changes in my sleep behavior based on this study,” he says.

Misao agrees that further research is needed.

“From the point of view of preventing cardiovascular disease, we have to focus not only on diet and exercise, but also on how we sleep, including when we go to bed,” he says.

There's No Place Like Home

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Home sweet home. It's good to be back! I just returned from a week and a half long business trip in Tucson, AZ. Let me just tell you that I thought living in Houston was hot but whoa, Tucson takes it to a whole new level. It was mid-March and it got into the 90's a few days last week!

The terrain in Tucson is like nothing I've ever seen before. While trees are (very) limited, there are beautiful cacti all over the place. Plus, the sun setting over the mountains is like nothing I've ever seen before. Simply stunning.

I've got to go catch up on buckets and buckets of work but I'll be back later this week!

Celebrity Chefs Criticized by UK Fat Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:05:00 +0000

I am loving this article below! I watch The Food Network constantly and am frequently amazing at how much FAT is in the recipes that celebrity chefs make. I can almost feel my butt getting bigger as I watch the show. There are simple tricks, as this UK Fat Panel recommends, to cut calories such as switching from butter to margarine, using skim milk instead of cream, incorporating fat-free or reduced-fat versions of your favorite products, etc. that can really lighten the caloric load of a recipe. Be sure to check out Gordon Ramsey's "Sticky Toffee and Chocolate Pudding" recipe and ways to make this "fatty recipe" much lighter without skimping on taste.

Read on...

Naughty and not so nice: celebrity chefs in firing line
Recipes by Lawson, Ramsay and others contain too much 'killer' fat, says panel

The popular recipes of celebrity chefs such as Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay are laden with "killer" fats linked to deadly heart disease, strokes and obesity, according to new research.
Recipes of 15 top chefs which have featured in their bestselling cookery books have been scrutinised by a panel of nutritionists and dieticians and found to contain high levels of unhealthy saturated fat by using ingredients such as butter, double cream and cheese.

In some cases one serving contains more than an adult's entire recommended daily limit of saturated fats - 20 grams for women and 30g for men.

The report, The Guilty Secret of Celebrity Chefs, published today by The Fat Panel, analysed the saturated fat content of a variety of starters, main courses, side orders and desserts from popular cookbooks. It warns that people eating these dishes regularly could be putting their lives at serious risk by bumping up their saturated fat intake.

On average, people are eating 20% too much saturated fat, the report says, and there is evidence that it can increase levels of LDL cholesterol, which is a risk factor for causing heart disease, Britain's biggest single killer.

Recipes by Jean-Christophe Novelli and John Burton-Race are singled out for containing a lot of butter and cream. A single portion of Novelli's honey roast pumpkin soup generated 43.2g of saturated fat - well over twice the daily allowance - even before adding the full fat cheese garnish. One portion of Gordon Ramsay's sticky toffee and chocolate pudding contained 23g of saturated fat. Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver are given overall approval, but they are admonished for their frequent use of butter. Burton-Race and Rick Stein are criticised for being "keen to use high saturated fat ingredients constantly", and Nigella Lawson is criticised for using butter instead of margarine in her egg and bacon pie, with a single serving brimming with 36g of fat.

The report says some simple swaps can make a dramatic difference to saturated fat content, without adversely affecting the overall flavour and food experience. The panel - which receives funding from the UK's Margarine and Spreads Association - suggests that consumers use stronger cheese and low-fat polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated spreads instead of butter.

Sian Porter, a registered dietician on The Fat Panel, said: "We are not being the nutrition police here or killjoys, but there are some things that are pure indulgence and should be left as such, to be enjoyed as an occasional treat in all their fat, sugar and calorie-laden glory. We should be cautious of getting into the habit of eating them too frequently."

She said celebrity chefs were hugely influential in the UK but many people did not realise the potential health implications of their "calorie and fat-laden dishes". A spokesman for Novelli said: "Jean-Christophe puts his recipes together for flavour, to give people an exciting eating experience. If people are worried about saturated fat content in any of his recipes, they can easily substitute other ingredients. In the case of the pumpkin soup, for example, by using single cream, creme fraiche or even healthy yoghurt."

The Food Standards Agency has recently launched a multimillion pound advertising campaign featuring TV adverts and cooking tips to encourage consumers to cut down on their saturated fat intake.

The fat factor
Gordon Ramsay's sticky toffee and chocolate pudding
Ingredients for pudding
200g medjool dates
175g muscovado sugar
250ml water
100g lightly salted butter* (use margarine instead!)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
3 large eggs
150g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
For toffee sauce
100g dark muscovado sugar
75g lightly salted butter * (use margarine instead!)
250ml double cream*

*Replacing the butter with the same quantities of low fat vegetable spread and the double cream with thick single cream reduces the saturated fat content by 65%

Fresh Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:59:00 +0000

I adore cream cheese frosting so this cake is always a staple for me. Happy Monday...ick!

Fresh Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
Cake:
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups peeled and chopped apples
1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Icing:
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. 2. Beat sugar, eggs and oil together with a mixer until well blended. Mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in apples and walnuts, mixing well. 3. Pour into baking dish. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool before icing. 4. To prepare the icing, mix butter, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Spread on cooled cake. Serves 20.

I Like to Move it, Move it

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Hey there folks. I hope everybody's staying warm out there. If not, have I got a solution for you! MOVE IT!!!

This week is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's MS Awareness Week. According to its Web site, "MS Awareness Week March 2 – 8 is the time for the nation to go orange and Move It to end multiple sclerosis, a disease where someone is newly diagnosed each hour. Supported by a Congressional Resolution, this year MS Awareness Week and the state of MS research aptly coincide: Move It to create a world free of MS."

In recognition of MS Awareness Week, many organizations, individuals and companies have special events planned. These include:

Phil Keoghan, host of CBS’s The Amazing Race, will Move It on Thursday, March 5 in Times Square when he sets up a cycle-thon training ride for his upcoming bike ride across America that will raise awareness for the Society’s Bike MS ride series;
People across the country are volunteering to help raise funds and awareness to end MS by registering for Walk MS, Bike MS, and joining grass roots activist teams to advocate for health care reform;
Crowds of volunteers and staff from the Society are “taking over” high-traffic/high visibility sites such as Rockefeller Plaza across the country for “now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t” Move It stunts; a “Join the Movement bus” tour will roll across AL; movement marathons including stair climbs are occurring in Chicago and New York, cycle-thons in MI and CA, and a mud-run in Florida, all designed to bring awareness of the impact of MS;
Buildings including the Empire State building and city fountains are going orange; 3,000 orange pinwheels representing the people with MS in Maine will be spread out across a well-known field;
Teri Garr recorded Move It PSAs are now playing nationwide;
and orange bracelets, bumper stickers, shirts and caps will be the dress du jour throughout the week.

Do your part. I know that times are tough and it's hard to donate a lot of money right now, but ever little bit helps. Or, if you can't donate money then donate your time or just wear orange to support the cause.

Off to Publicly Relate for the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Long but exciting weekend ahead! I'm driving to Dallas from Houston this afternoon to attend the Texas Public Relations Association's Best of the Southwest Communicators Conference.

It's a 3-day conference filled with some great speakers discussing timely topics such as making your brand recession-proof, better understanding the role of social media for PR, etc. I'm super exicted about it and think it will be very useful.

The only downside of this conference is that I'll be missing the Houston Rodeo's cook-off. This is basically Houston's version of Mardi Gras...except on hay! It's a weekend of lots of food and fun and I'm very sad to miss it. Oh well, there's always next year.

Talk to you next week!

Cheesy Chicken Chowder Delight

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:29:00 +0000

I am a total chowder freak. I could eat corn chowder, clam chowder, bacon & chowder and so on, pretty much every single day of the week. Of course my butt would be the size of Wisconsin but hey, we all make sacrifices, right?

This recipe below is delish and I think you'll enjoy it too!

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Ingredients
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken

Instructions
1In a large pan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Gradually stir in milk and cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted. Add to broth and vegetables along with chicken. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Serves 6 to 8.

Fight the flu

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Wow, I feel like I'm back from the dead. After almost a week of sitting in bed, miserable and tortured, I can finally say the flu has passed. I'd recommend giving criminals the flu virus as some sort of capitol punishment.

Anyways, this week will be one of relaxation and recuperation. Below are a few steps to avoid the misery I went through:

Get the flu vaccine! Either the shot or the nasal spray if you are eligible.

To help boost your immune system, get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat properly.

Stay home from work or school if you experience flu symptoms. Taking it easy could help you feel better sooner and also will slow the spread of disease to others.

If you think you have been exposed to someone with flu, or are starting to have flu symptoms, call your health care provider. Certain medications can help if you start taking them within the first 48 hours.

To reduce the spread of germs, cover your nose and mouth, preferably with disposable tissue, when coughing or sneezing. Always discard used tissue properly in the trash.

Pay attention to hand-washing. After using the bathroom, before eating and before and after preparing food, clean your hands with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds. Carry a waterless hand gel and wash your hands frequently.

Clean surfaces you touch frequently, such as door knobs, water faucets, refrigerator handles and telephones.

Light & Easy Halibut Hashbrown Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:02:00 +0000

I love me some casseroles and most of us know what when it comes to meat, fish is the healthiest way to go. Here's a healthy take on a halibut casserole from the Recipe Doctor:

Recipe Doctor: Light & Easy Halibut Hashbrown Casserole
By Elaine MageeTribune Media Services

Q: I have a halibut dish that is really tasty but quite high in calories. Can you work your magic and help me make it a bit more healthful?
A: The recipe starts with 2 sticks of butter and ends with a cup of sour cream. Not a great way to serve halibut that on its own contributes a wonderful dose of fish omega-3s (500 milligrams per 3 ounce serving) and protein (23 grams per 3 ounce serving).

Instead of using the two sticks of melted butter to coat the bottom of the 9x13-inch dish before lining the pan with shredded hash browns to create a crust, I used two tablespoons of higher monounsaturated fat margarine to coat the baking dish. To make a lighter cream sauce I used a can of Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup, a cup of fat-free sour cream, a cup of fat-free half and half or lowfat milk along with diced onions instead of the regular options. Reduced-fat sharp cheddar is still sprinkled over the top along with some corn flakes to finish the dish. These changes made big changes in terms of calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Light & Easy Halibut Hashbrown Casserole
(With half the calories and more then 80% less fat and saturated fat)
Original recipe contains 506 calories, 36 grams fat, 21 grams saturated fat, and 108 mg cholesterol per serving.

2 Tblsp. high monounsaturated fat less-fat margarine or whipped butter
6 cups shredded frozen hashbrowns (no fat added)
4-5 cups chunks of raw halibut, 1-inch pieces (about 24 ounces)
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup, condensed
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup fat-free half and half (or lowfat milk)
1 cup diced or chopped onions
½ tsp. ground black pepper (add more if desired)
½ cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat the bottom and sides of 9x13-inch baking dish with margarine or whipped butter. Add hashbrowns to prepared dish and push them up the sides to form a crust. Spread the halibut pieces evenly over the potato crust. In medium bowl, combine condensed cream of mushroom soup, fat-free sour cream, half and half, diced onions and black pepper with whisk or spoon until well blended. Spread mixture over halibut. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top of cream sauce then crunch up the corn flakes and scatter them on top. Bake in lower section of oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until fish is cooked throughout and the hashbrown crust is lightly browned.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 265 calories, 23g protein, 28g carbohydrate, 6.4g fat, 2.2g saturated fat, 2g monounsaturated fat, 2g polyunsaturated fat, 35mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 408mg sodium. Calories from fat: 22 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .5g, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1.4g. Weight Watchers POINTS = 5.

Spread the Word in the Name of Fashion and Heart Health

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Jane Krakowski from "30 Rock Under the Sun" and Campbell's Soup is teaming together for the "adDRESS Your Heart" Campaign. By visiting this Web site, you can vote on the dress that Krakowski will wear to the Women's Day Red Dress Awards. For each vote you cast, Campbell's will donate $1 to the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" program. The "Go Red for Women" Program helps to educate women about the risks of heart disease, which is the #1 killer of women today.

People, I'm not exaggerating here when I say this will literally take you less than 30 seconds to help out a good cause. And it's FREE!!!! We love free here at I Heart Margarine and I'm sure you do to. So vote!!!

http://www.campbellsaddressyourheart.com/

Vegetarian Buffalo "Wings" for Super Bowl Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!! ...Oh wait, my bad. That's wrestling, isn't it? Whatever it is, this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday and Steelers and Cardinals fans across the nation are ready and rearing to go.

Nothing is more American than football, sauce-soaked buffalo wings and an ice-cold beer. I get excited just thinking about it. But what about the vegetarians out there? Why must they be deprived of buffalo wings? Well deprivation is gone with About.com's vegetarian "Spicy Seitan Buffalo Wings."

I'll be the first to admit that I've not yet tried making these but I plan on giving them a whirl this weekend. They're made with margarine so you've got some heart healthy benefits going on there. Enjoy and please don't drink and drive people!

"Spicy Seitan Buffalo "Wings" are a vegetarian and vegan substitute for tradtional pub buffalo wings. Seitan doesn't come with wings any more than buffaloes do, but these meatless buffalo wings are cooked up with hot sauce and margarine for the same spicy flavor.

Ingredients:
1 pound seitan, sliced into strips
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
olive oil for frying
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup hot sauce
Preparation:Coat the seitan with garlic powder and onion powder then lightly fry in olive oil over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until done.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the melted margarine and hot sauce. Place the seitan in the bowl and stir to coat well.

Serve with ranch dressing if desired."

Puff the Magic Cheese Puff

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love a cheese puff? These are surprisingly a little easier on the waistline than I expected. Plus, they’ve got spinach and margarine in them so you’re actually sucking down so pretty healthful ingredients. That’s all for now folks!

Spinach-Cheese Puffs

Instructions:
Yield: 1 servings
1 10-oz package frozen chopped
1 cups Milk
½ cups Margarine
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cups All-purpose flour
4 Large eggs
¼ lb Gruyere or swiss cheese (shredded)
½ cups Grated parmesan cheese
1 Parsley, beet or salad green

Calories per serving: 50
Fat grams per serving: 4
Cholesterol per serving: 22

Drain spinach; squeeze dry with paper towels. In 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat milk, margarine or butter, and salt until margarine melts and mizture boils. Remove saucepan from heat. With wodden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball and leaves side of saucepan. Add eggs to flour mixture, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is smooth and satiny. Stir in Gruyere and parmesan cheeses and spinach. If not baking right away, cover surface of mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets. inches apart. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until cheese puffs are golden brown. Arrange appetizer and garnish on platter; serve immediately. MAKES 4 DOZEN CHEESE PUFFS.

Simply Deelish!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:13:00 +0000

I can't say enough about this scrumptious, heart healthy chicken dish. I love it and it's super simple to make, even on a weeknight. How can a recipe not be good if it's hazelnut liqueur, almonds, garlic, onions, half and half and margarine?

Chicken Frangelico
Serves: 4 / Preparation time: 10 minutes / Total time: 20 minutes

3 tablespoons trans fat-free margarine, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
1 cup fat-free half-and-half (such as Land O' Lakes)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 (4 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons margarine over medium-high heat until it melts. In a shallow dish or pie plate, combine the flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Coat chicken breasts in flour mixture and sauté in margarine, turning until golden brown on each side and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm.

Add the remaining tablespoon of margarine to the skillet along with the onion and garlic. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the Frangelico and continue to sauté an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the half-and-half and cornstarch. Reduce heat to medium low and gradually add the half-and-half mixture to the skillet. Allow the sauce to thicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken, top with toasted almonds and serve. Serve with brown rice, couscous or no-yolk egg noodles.

Stay Lean and Get Fit

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:52:00 +0000

I'm posting this press release from the American Heart Association because this study really goes to show you that all of us, not just women, need to get off our behinds and get moving. enough is enough!

DALLAS, Dec. 23, 2008 — Staying lean and fit can dramatically lower the risk of heart failure in men, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.In the Physicians’ Health Study, researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, followed 21,094 U.S. male physicians, 40 to 84 years old, for 20 years and found lean and active men had the lowest risk for heart failure and obese and inactive men had the highest risk.

After adjusting for risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, the risk of heart failure increased by 49 percent in overweight men and 180 percent in obese men compared with lean participants.• Any amount of vigorous physical activity that caused sweating, ranging from a low of one to three times a month to a high of five to seven times a week, was associated with an 18 percent reduction in heart failure risk, after adjusting for other known causes of heart failure.

Compared with men who rarely or never vigorously exercised, men engaging in vigorous physical activity five to seven times a week had a 36 percent reduction in heart failure risk.• Compared with participants who were lean and active, the risk of heart failure increased 19 percent in the lean and inactive; 49 percent in the overweight and active; 78 percent in the overweight and inactive; 168 percent in the obese and active; and 293 percent in the obese and inactive.

“Whereas previous studies have established that obese men have a higher likelihood of developing heart failure, the present investigation has extended this knowledge by pointing out that even overweight or pre-obese men are not spared from this increased risk,” said Satish Kenchaiah, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and investigator at the Physicians’ Health Study, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “On average, in men who are 5 feet 10 inches tall, for every 7 pounds of excess body weight, the risk of heart failure will go up by 11 percent over the next 20 years”

The study took place from 1982 to 2007, and participants completed questionnaires about demographics, lifestyle and medical history twice in the first year and annually thereafter. The physicians reported height and weight, which was used to calculate body mass index (BMI). Men with BMI less than 25 were considered lean, 25 to 29.9 was overweight, and greater than 30 was obese. Physical activity was based on activity that worked up a sweat with options of rarely/never, one to three times a month, once a week, two to four times a week, five to six times a week or daily. Men who said they rarely/never exercised were considered inactive.

Those who said they exercised one to three times a month or more were considered active. About 40 percent of the participants were overweight and about 5 percent were obese at baseline. A greater proportion of obese men exercised less. Participants who rarely or never exercised were older, had higher BMI, smoked cigarettes more often and had a greater prevalence of high blood pressure and diabetes.

During follow-up, 1,109 of 21,094 physicians developed heart failure.“Another interesting finding of our study is that BMI and vigorous physical activity did not influence each other’s effect on the risk of heart failure,” Kenchaiah said. “Higher BMI increased the risk of heart failure in inactive as well as active individuals. By the same token, the beneficial effect of vigorous physical activity in reducing the risk of heart failure was observed in lean, overweight, and also obese men.”About 67 percent of Americans have excess body weight and only about 30 percent exercise regularly, he said.

“Each year about 660,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with heart failure. Once heart failure develops, the quality of life deteriorates, and about 80 percent of the men and 70 percent of the women <65 years with heart failure die within eight years.”About 1 million hospitalizations and 3 million outpatient and emergency visits are attributed to heart failure in the United States each year, with estimated costs for 2008 at $35 billion, he said.“Adopting a healthy lifestyle, keeping a normal weight, and exercising regularly will go a long way toward reducing one’s risk of heart failure and, in turn, the population burden of heart failure,” Kenchaiah said. “Both staying lean and being fit go hand in hand.”Future studies should focus on the types of physical activity, total energy expenditure and the types of obesity that influence heart failure risk, he said.

“Importantly, clinical trials targeting weight reduction and exercise level on the risk of heart failure will likely provide definitive answers.”Co-authors are Howard D. Sesso, Sc.D., M.P.H., and J. Michael Gaziano, M.D., M.P.H. Individual author disclosures are available on the manuscript. The National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute funded the study.