If you only remember ten things...

The following list was created by by Scott Kustes over at Modern Forager and posted on January 1, 2008, to serve as a reminder to all about the importance of healthy eating and adopting a balanced lifestyle.

Though we're already halfway through the year, it's never too late to take these pointers to heart and incorporate them into everyday life. There's no better time than the present!

On tonight's healthy menu: Stuffed Peppers

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Ten Things to Remember In The New Year

1. Junk food doesn’t exist; there is junk and there is food.
2. Similarly, real food has no nutrition label. Food products have nutrition labels.
3. If a label tells you how healthful the product inside is, it’s probably not. Don’t be deceived by marketing.
4. Sugar is detrimental to your body in more ways than you can count.
5. Organic/natural junk is still junk. Thirty grams of sugar from honey is not more healthful than 30g of sugar from other sources.
6. If you are wondering if you should eat more vegetables, the answer is yes. I don’t care how many you eat, you should probably eat more.
7. Similarly, you should probably sleep more. Turn off the TV and go to bed. Given the quality of most TV programming, you aren’t going to miss anything of importance.
8. Don’t let “I can’t afford organic” keep you from eating enough produce. Organic vegetables are best. However, eating conventional is better than not eating produce at all.
9. You’re human and you will eat something too sugary and too carby. Don’t stress; just get back on the wagon.
10. And finally: health is a lifelong journey, not a quick-fix. Find something you can stick with.
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I particularly like #9. All too often we adopt an all-or-nothing stance when it comes to healthy eating, which makes it easy to fall off the wagon entirely, and completely blow our carefully-plotted nutrition plans in a single moment of folly. Relax, we're only human, and mistakes happen.

I guess the important thing is not to be suckered into thinking that one cupcake proves entirely damning to your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Cripes, you've already eaten it - moping isn't going to magically dissipate the calories, and further binging doesn't help matters any - you might as well polish off the crumbs, lick your lips, and get right back on track!

Image courtesy of AllRecipes.Com.

Baked Paper-Wrapped Tilapia and Cabbage Cakes

Recipe for Cabbage Cakes adapted from Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw
Makes 6 pancakes

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Cabbage Cakes
Ingredients:
3 cups loosely packed thinly shredded green or red cabbage
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tbsp nonfat half-and-half
2 tbsp Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup minced chives (I left these out because I didn't have chives)

mixed greens, to serve

Directions:
Steam the cabbage on the stove top or in a microwave. Drain well in a colander.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg substitute, half-and-half, yogurt, and flour. Stir in the cabbage, garlic, and chives.

Heat a nonstick griddle (lightly greased if foods tend to stick to yours anyway) over medium heat. When hot, give the batter a stir and drop 1/4 cup of batter for each cake onto the griddle, cooking up to 4 at a time.

Cook until bubbles form on the surface, and the cake has browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Using a plastic spatula, turn to brown the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Repeat, stirring the batter before dropping it onto the griddle, until you've used up all of the batter. Transfer to a warm plate and serve right away, together with mixed greens.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving - 2 pancakes):
Calories: 94
Total Fat: 0 g
Protein: 8 g
Carbs: 16 g

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I would call this Tilapia en Papilotte but it just makes it sound too fancy! Haha.
Recipe inspired by the amazing baked tilapia I had at Sharon L.'s place.
Makes 2 servings

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Baked Paper-Wrapped Tilapia
Ingredients:
2 medium tilapia fillets (about 5-6 oz)
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp capers, drained
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

For each portion -
Fold a 12-inch square of baking parchment in half diagonally and crease the corners. Grease the parchment with baking spray. Arrange one portion of tilapia fillet on one side of the paper.
Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the fish and add salt and cracked black pepper as desired. Arrange half the sliced cherry tomatoes and sprinkle one teaspoon of capers over the fish. Drizzle lemon juice over.
Fold the other side of the paper over the fish and seal the package into a half oval with a series of creases, starting with one corner and finishing with a twist at the opposite end. Repeat for the remaining portions.

Bake the packages on a sheet pan until the paper is browned and puffy, 10-12 minutes. To serve, slit open each package and slide the contents, out onto a plate; or serve in the paper, letting each diner cut open his own.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 228
Total Fat: 6 g
Protein: 40 g
Carbs: 6 g

Broiled Teriyaki Salmon with Thai Salad

Adapted from The Food Bible by Judith Wills
Makes 2 servings

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Ingredients:
Salmon
2 medium salmon fillets (about 5 oz)
2 tablespoons teriyaki marinade
Salt and pepper, to taste

Thai Salad
1 mini cucumber (approx. 3-4 inches)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium mango
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1 tsp peanut oil
juice of 1 fresh, juicy lime
2 tsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves
1 small hot green chili pepper, seeded and chopped
pinch of sugar
few fresh mint and cilantro leaves, chopped

2 lime wedges, to serve
mixed greens, to serve

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Directions:
Place the salmon fillets in a dish and pour the teriyaki marinade over them, coating well. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but not more than an hour.

Peel and stone the mango and slice into thin strips. Peel the cucumber and cut into thin strips. Slice the zucchini similarly. Pluck the heads and tails of the beansprouts and discard them. Combine the cucumber, zucchini, mango, and beansprouts.

When the salmon is ready, preheat the broiler. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.

While the salmon is cooking, mix the peanut oil, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar, and herbs together, and toss with the salad.

Arrange the salad on serving plates. Remove the skin from the cooked salmon once it is ready, then cut it into chunks and serve on a bed of mixed greens, along with the Thai salad and lime wedges. Season with cracked ground pepper as desired.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 391
Total Fat: 15 g
Protein: 37 g
Carbs: 27 g