mini sweet potato samosas

CARMEN! go back in the last four posts and include summary
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon dry onion soup mix
curry powder to taste
20 wonton wrappers
sesame oil for brushing
Directions
Simmer sweet potatoes with a little water until very soft. Drain, and mash with butter, milk, onion soup mix, and curry powder.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place about 1 teaspoon of the sweet potato mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. Brush two adjacent edges of wrapper with water, fold into a triangle, and press the edges together to seal. Brush both sides with sesame oil. Place the samosas on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn over, and bake for 5 minutes more.

healthy crispy crab cakes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 green onions, chopped
3/8 cup olive oil
1 (6 ounce) can canned crabmeat, drained
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
8 ounces buttery round crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular dry bread crumbs
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute green onions briefly until tender; cool slightly.
Combine crabmeat, sauteed green onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with bread crumbs.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

Baked Dijon salmon

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes, cut into large French fries
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place the cut sweet potatoes into a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cook on in the microwave for 5 minutes on full power. Drain off liquid, and toss with Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Arrange fries on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 30 minutes, turning once, or until fries are crispy on the outside.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 174 Total Fat: 6.9g Cholesterol: 0mg
Nutritional Information
T's Sweet Potato Fries
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 174
Total Fat: 6.9g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 226mg
Total Carbs: 26.7g
Dietary Fiber: 4.2g
Protein: 2.1g

Ingredients:For the coulis:
600g raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Chambord liquer
juice of one lemonFor the salad:
1/2 pint raspberries
1/2 pint blackberries
1/2 pint strawberries
1/2 pint blueberriesDirections:Press raspberries through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Reserve raspberry pulp.Combine raspberry juice with lemon juice, Chambord and sugar.Slowly bring coulis to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.Simmer coulis gently 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.Wash fruit.Hull strawberries.Chop strawberries into pieces of similar size to the smaller berries.Gently toss berries together.Drizzle a small amount of coulis over berries and enjoy.

So I had a little extra money and decided to splurge on an extravagant dessert. Unfortunately, my cooking skills are not the same as the creator of this recipe. If this was made right, I'm sure it would have been amazing, but mine came out like fruit mush. better luck to you if you decide to try this one out. This would go great with angel food cake (which is low in calories) if you need a little extra something with this dessert, add light cool whip.

Sushi

Sushi is on the rise in America, showing up in grocery stores, japanese resurants, and even in sushi bars. Sushi is delicious when someone else makes it, but even better when you make it yourself. It is simple once you get the hang of it. Its cost effective and great way to entertain.


Materials needed.


Sushi mat


ceranwrap


nori (the seaweed that holds the sushi together)


sushi rice (its sticky and holds the sushi together)


very sharp knife (this is the most important tool to make sushi because the nori is so delicate that it tears easily).


Any Ingriedents you may want which may include the following and many more- feel free to experiment


Imitation crab


any type of fish (cooked or raw)


veggies like carrot, cucumber


fruit like pineapple, banana


Avacado


Cream cheese-keep it on the light side


green onions


sesame seeds


anything else you want in there :)

Directions:

Lay nori flat on sushi mat. spread a thin layer of rice on the nori. add ingridents in a thin strip one inch from the edge of the nori clostest to you. once all ingridents are combine, roll sushi tight using sushi mat. It may take a few tries to master. Chill rolls for 15 minutes. Slice into 1" pieces and enjoy- goes great with soy sauce.

happy earth day

40 years ago today, Earth day was born to bring attention to many ecological concerns. here we are today still celbrating. Some people celebrate differently than others. I myself am celebrating by not shaving, and making a needed trip to the recycling center. My house is begining to look like a trash can. I saw this television show once where a guy had a hoarding disease and he was obsesive compulsive. So he would wash his recycling like eight times before he did anything with it. He lived llike oscar the grouch. how do people do that? Any ways, back to earth day...The environmental movement in the late ’60s and early ’70s was driven by a strong sense of urgency that I just don't think exists anymore. But in my opinion, Earth day is more than a simple reminder that we need to take care of our planet. To me it represents spring and the rebirth of warmer times. That may sound shallow, but I enjoy the smell of earth day. Can you smell what this big rock is cookin? Its spring time again. finally!

healthier breakfast

By now, it should be no surprise that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After sleeping, your body is deprived and in need of some serious fuel. By getting the essential nutrients your body needs through breakfast, your body is ready to start a fresh day. Breasfast is also good for the mind as some research shows that people who eat breakfast have a higher productivity than those who do not eat breakfast.

There is so much that can be done with the egg (they dont call it the encredible edible for no reason)

Here is a recipe that puts a new healthy twist on a classic favorite: the breakfast sandwich

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
4 eggs and 4 egg whites
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup minced parsley
4 whole-wheat English muffins

4 1/2-inch round slices Canadian bacon

4 slice reduce fat cheese (pepper jack goes well with it)
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
Directions
Crack eggs and egg whites into a bowl and whisk. Add chives and parsley and stir to incorporate. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Ladle 1/4 egg mixture into skillet and cook, omelet style, until eggs are cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Slide omelet onto a plate and repeat with remaining eggs; cover with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, heat Canadian bacon until warm, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Toast English muffin. Fold omelet in to fit English muffin, then place omelet on 1 muffin half. Top with a bacon slice,cheese, then tomato, then top with other muffin half.
Per Serving
Calories 330; Total Fat 13 g; (Sat Fat 5 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 1 g) ; Protein 25 g; Carb 31 g; Fiber 5 g; Cholesterol 245 mg; Sodium 920 mg
Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Selenium
Good source of: Vitamin B6, Folate, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc

smoothies: the best health food

During the summer, theres nothing better than a cold beverage on a hot day. Instead of chasing down the ice cream truck try a smoothie instead. Its a great way to get in those daily serving of fruits as veggies, as well as calcium, protein, or firber. Just make sure to keep it fresh by using only natural ingredients. If you can, make your own instead of trusting the ingredients at your local smoothie bar. Some times, in order to cut costs, smoothie shacks will use sugary substitutes instead of real fruit juice.

To make a great smoothie, just follow these steps.

1) Start with a base: any combination of the following will do, if you're feelin frisky, mix it up a little :)

Yogurt

Orange juice

Apple juice

soy milk

1% milk

skim milk

carrot juice

any other fruit juice with at least 50% real juice

2) Now comes the fun part: add your favorite fruit like

Bananas

Pineapple

strawberries

blackberries

blueberries

mango

kiwi

in order to keep these smoothies on the light side, try and avoid adding sugar, they will be naturally sweet from the fruit.

3)some people add "mix-ins" such as fiber and protein, or even a little bit of penut butter for extra protein.

4) blend and enjoy

aaahhh-choo

Why do people say "bless you" when someone sneezes? It seems like a silly tradition. It origionated because back in the old days, people felt that when you sneeze your soul is trying to escape your body. They said "bless you" to keep a soul from escaping a body. Why is my soul trying to get away from my body so badly? I thought we were having fun. How did this tradition stay around for so long? Do we still believe that the soul can escape through the nostrils? And when did it become the responsibility of complete strangers to keep A soul in tact. How come you've never heard anyone bless themselves? I would think that if a simple "bless me" was the only thing keeping me a whole person, I would do it.

There's a whole social attachment that comes with a sneeze too. Some people say "god bless you" because they feel that they do not have the divine power to bless someone. Others might get offended at this because they are athiest. If you're in a quiest room with one other person and they don't say "bless you" at your sneeze, do you automatically think that they're kind of a jerk. What about if you're in a quiet room with six other people? Who's gonna step up to the plate? And then there's the "excuse me." which basically means "you jerks! how come no one blessed me when I sneezed? My last question is this... How many times does a person have to sneeze before you can legally tell them to leave and go get some cold medicine?

community health

All my life, people have been asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. What a terrible question! First of all, I think it is important to NOT grow up. Ok I have bills to pay and other grown-up responsibilities, but I will always be a child at heart. I think it is important for everyone to keep that youngness about them. Don’t believe me? Just watch a child play with bubbles and see how excited they get. If I got half as exited about a career choice, I would have picked something years ago. Second of all, to ask someone to pick a career is asking a lot. How am I supposed to know at the ripe age of 17 (when I entered college) what I want to do for the rest of my life?
This being said, I am proud to announce that after four years of college, I have finally found my calling. Community health is an awesome field of study. There is just so much that can be done with it. If I want, I can go into school and teach children about the benefits of being healthy, or I can go into the community and spread the knowledge that way. And I know that I'm not the healthies of people, but this degree is good motivation to get that way. What’s good about this degree is that it is so broad, and there is so much that can be done with it. I can even stay in school and get my masters if I want… how cool! Never in my life have I actually been so sure about being able to do one thing for the rest of my life. It’s like I’m finally complete and headed in a good direction.

cranberry walnut salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette

Since I am taking a look at healthy foods that are also delicious, I figured I should include a salad. This is my own personal twist on a classic recipe, and it is the only thing I know how to make by heart (besides toast). In my opinion, everyone needs one dish that they can make well; just to have the appearance of a world renowned chef. This is mine and it does the trick every time. Be careful though, this salad is made best with full fat and full calories, and it is easy to get carried away with the portions. This is a great salad for a summer lunch or if you just want to impress you future baby mama/ baby daddy.
Salad:
Romaine or mixed green lettuce (either one will work)
½ cup dried cranberries
1 Apple (cubed)
½ cup plain goat cheese
½ cup crushed walnuts
1 tomato diced
4 strips extra crispy bacon crushed (If you’re feelin frisky)
If you’re looking to make this more a meal, just add grilled, boneless skinless chicken breast.
Lettuce first then add all other ingredients on top for presentation.
Vinaigrette:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine in blender or combine all ingredients together in air tight container and shake vigorously for 1 min.

my fourth essay

So I guess it’s a little late to get full credit for this, but I just wanted to write a little about my fourth and final essay. First of all, let me just start by saying that I am very proud of this last paper that I wrote. I hope you like it professor, because I really did put the time and effort into it that it needed. In order to make it what it is, I took a look at all three previous essays and the thorough criticism you gave me about my papers. By the way, that’s the last time I trust the Purdue Online Writing Lab to teach me how to write MLA format on any of my papers. I feel that I improved my overall writing style in this class by elaborating. I have so many ideas that it’s hard for me to focus on a couple and elaborate on them by using examples and information to back up my statements.
This final essay, I wrote on obesity in America. Since it is an exponentially growing problem in our country, I feel that something must be done to stop it. To be honest, this is an extremely important topic to me because community health is my major and hopefully some day, I will be out in the community spreading the knowledge I have gathered from this paper. In my opinion, the most essential change we can make in our country is changing the eating habits of our children. I explained more in detail in my paper. I hope you enjoy it.

Honey mustard pork chops

to continue in my quest to find healthy delicious foods, I have chosen to make honey mustard pork chops. They're simple and cost effective. Some people like it spicy and add chili powder and crushed red pepper.
Ingredients

4 tsp Honey

1/4 c Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Cider or wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper, freshly ground

4 Loin pork chops (5 oz. bone in, 1" think)
Chopped chives (optional for presentation)

Preparation

1. To prepare the marinade, in a small saucepan over low heat, heat the honey until it liquefies. Stir in the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper; cool to room temperature.2. Place the pork chops in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag; add the marinade. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air; turn to coat the chops. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove the chops from the refrig 30 minutes before broiling.3. Preheat the broiler. Discard the marinade. Place the chops on the broiler rack and broil 3-4" from the heat until cooked through, 6-7 minutes on each side.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chives
Serve hot.

Nutrient Information

Calories: 178

Total Fat: 7g

Saturated Fat: 3g

carbohydrates: 2g

Protein: 26g

Calcium: 27mg

Sodium: 124mg

Yum! Best pork chops ever. I love the simplicity of this dish, as well as it’s affordability. It was sweet and tangy at the same time (just like me). I paired it with chardonnay, and served the pork with brown rice and microwavable veggies (they’re just so easy). The preparation was a little annoying, but if you have the time, and the patience, it’s worth the wait. Plan on eating the day after preperation. Not only did it make a great dinner, but and amazing sandwich the next day. Pork can be lean and fit if you get the right kind. Make sure to watch out for extra fat left on the meat. Portion control is also important when serving this meal as a healthy alternative. A serving of pork should be about the size of a deck of cards. It sounds small, but it will fill you up.

Procrastination

I am a master procrastinator. I feel like I should be standing up in front of a peer support group saying that. “Hi I’m Carmen and I’m a procrastinator.” I have literally spent my 16 years of schooling finding the easiest way to do something at the last minute. I have discovered that there is an art to prioritizing at the last minute. It starts with the question; what is required and not required? Once the required elements have been established, the next question is; what is due the soonest? The most important question to ask is; what is weighted the most and how much effort do I really need to put forth? The final and equally essential question to ask is; how well do I need to do on this assignment to make a decent grade in the class (again asking how much effort should be put into this)? Then I make multiple spreadsheets with this information to keep me organized through the procrastination process.
I’m just being honest.
Wikipedia.com says: "Procrastination refers to the counterproductive deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite such behavior as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. There are three criteria for a behavior to be classified as procrastination: it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying."

(I find all three of those to be essential parts of procrastination.)

“Procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crisis, severe loss of personal productivity, as well as societal disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments. These feelings combined may promote further procrastination. While it is regarded as normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological disorder.”

Psychological disorder?? Whoa! Let’s not get carried away now.

I have usually been proud of my procrastination skills up until this moment when I look at how much stuff I actually have to do. This is the point when I start kicking myself. I literally have 15 more blogs after this one to do. Holy cow! thats a lot. I guess its time to get busy then huh?

political cartoon

First of all, why are a lot of political cartoons in black and white? Politics need color too right? This assignment has made me realize that I do not know very much about politics. I mean, I really really dont know anything. I had to go with a cartoon that was simple and pretty much self explanitory. In this cartoon from marriedtothesea.com, I notice that my eye is imidiately drawn to the suitcases because the writing is so big on it. "Big problems ahead" is what this cartoon is saying to me. the next thing I notice is that the bellhop is saying "Ill deliver these straight to the united states sir" so now I know that there are big problems being delivered to the united states (uh oh). The last thing I notice is the bell hop is actually George Bush, and the whole cartoon makes sense to me now. It should be no surprise that george bush delivered big trouble to the united stated in his eight year reign, so that would make this political cartoon funny. Haha marriedtothesea.com, very funny. this cartoon is laid out very nicely, because all of the elements fall into place just at the right comedic timing. First "big trouble," then, "delivery for U.S.," and lastly, compliments of GW. this cartoon is so simple, it is hard not to love it. tHIS cartoon says less is more to me. over all very funny and simple.