Author Archive
MealEasy puts kids in the Driver Seat
February 27 2013
Chinese style noodles with chicken
One of the best ways to introduce children to new cuisines is to try new dishes in the comfort of your own home. Children are curious and love to explore new things. Making it fun by letting them choose the country not only gets them involved, but puts them in charge.
Kids love being in the driver’s seat. When children are involved in the healthy What’s for Dinner? decision, they will learn to make better choices and be proud to be part of the solution.
MealEasy offers many cuisine options including Chinese, Greek, Italian, Mexian, Middle Eastern and so much more.
Take a stroll around the world with MealEasy. Explore new foods, and have fun with your children.
Get Fresh, but Stay Safe
February 18 2013
Leafy greens have been found to be a common source for food borne illnesses in the United States.
In light of the recent illnesses at fast food chains, eating at home makes more sense than ever.
Many food borne illnesses that surface in green vegetables can easily be avoided by washing greens thoroughly and ensuring fresh fruit and vegetables do not come into contact with raw meats. Cross contamination is easy to do if you’re not careful. Using a separate cutting board and utensils is very important when preparing raw meats for cooking and then chopping fresh vegetables.
Our very own Chef Paul uses many cutting boards when preparing dishes and always washes his hands with hot soapy water after touching raw meat.
Have a look at Chef Paul’s latest video for safety tips:
Plan Portions and lose pounds, Naturally
February 08 2013
What you eat is just as important as your exercise plan. With MealEasy, you can slim down naturally with a stress-free plan.
MealEasy blends the art of cooking with the science of nutrition to ensure each meal has maximum nutritional value to meet your specific health needs and weight goals.
Personal preference settings allow you to set your calorie ranges, eliminate certain food groups and ingredients from your diet.
Don’t want some milk products, but you do like certain cheese types or yogurt? No problem! MealEasy gives you the freedom to choose what you want and leave out what you don’t want in your diet.
You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to eat natural, fresh foods and enjoy life again. There’s no need to stress over counting calories, MealEasy does that for you!
Prepare to eat smart. Stick to your personalized MealEasy meal plan and slim down naturally.
3 Easy Steps to Good Health
February 01 2013
It’s easier than you think!
Follow these three easy steps using MealEasy’s meal planner to help you get on the path to health and keep you there!
Step 1: Plan Easily schedule your meals with MealEasy. Meals are automatically suggested based on your personal preferences. Suggested meals are complete meals; we do the work for you and pair the main-course with the right side-dishes. There’s no need to spend extra time searching. If you’re looking for something specific, use the enhanced search tool.
Step 2: Shop Manage your groceries online. Automatically generate and print a categorized grocery list at the click of a button. We do the math – ingredients are automatically added up with only what you need. Edit your grocery list and add whatever else it is you need to pick up while you’re at the store.
Step 3: Prepare Making MealEasy meals in the comfort of your home is easy. We provide simple step-by-step instructions to guide you from chopping and dicing to broiling and blending. Every meal is quick and easy to prepare so you can enjoy your time at home.
Give MealEasy a try and see how a little planning can lead to a worry free lifestyle. No more, “What’s For Supper?” agony.
All new subscriptions carry a 10-day Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with MealEasy, cancel your subscription within 10 days to receive a full refund.
Save Money by freezing homemade meals
January 24 2013
Prepare to Eat Smart – Freeze your culinary delights
Making meals ahead of time and then freezing them to either take for lunch or to eat for dinner at a later date makes a lot of sense and saves a lot of cents.
Many of MealEasy’s fast and delicious meals are easily frozen and can then be thawed and reheated for a supper quick weekday super. And because the MealEasy Meal Planner allows you to change the portion size of most of the meals, you can plan on cooking extra to save for future meals. Each recipe states whether or not it is freezable, so you don’t have to guess.
The key to successfully freezing meals is to tightly wrap any foods and try to remove as much air as possible; air is the enemy when it comes to freezing foods. Always remember to allow your foods to cool to room temperature before freezing, and it’s best to freeze them in a single layer so that they freeze more quickly; you can stack them when foods are completely frozen.
If you plan on doing a lot of freezing, investing in a vacuum food sealer might be worthwhile. Food sealers are wonderful for freezing uncooked meats and vegetables. If you don’t have a food sealer and are freezing meats, it’s important to double wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag to be able to keep them for a longer period of time. Foods frozen in its supermarket wrapping or butcher shop’s brown paper will not last as long in the freezer.
New Year, New You
January 17 2013
The New Year brings a promise of renewal and change
No matter what your resolution is, it will only lead to real change if you fully commit to it with a plan.
A goal without a plan is only a wish
If you accept the MealEasy 3-month Challenge, you will see a difference. Not only in the way you feel, but in your relationship with food. Over the last few decades, we have become disconnected with our food, and seem to have lost the enjoyment of preparing meals in our home. The rush of daily life and the complications of meeting the needs of others, tend to push us toward quicker meal solutions such as fast food and drive-thrus. Try MealEasy meal planning for 3 months and see what a difference it makes in your life.
Enjoy our 10-day Trial on Us
All new subscriptions carry a 10-day Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with MealEasy, cancel your subscription within 10 days to receive a full refund. Many have tried to lose weight or get back to a balanced and healthy meal plan, but without the incentives that MealEasy offers, it’s difficult to stay on track.
Let MealEasy be your Personal Nutrition Assistant
We’ll help you stick to your Plan. Just follow our 3-easy steps of Plan, Shop and Prepare, and you will be on your way to a New You!
Not all fats are created equal
January 09 2013
A few easy ways to cut the fat from our diets
Not all fats are created equal. There are some fats that are good for you such as the monounsaturated fats found in avocados and the Omega-3 fats found in salmon and other cold water fish. The key to a healthy diet is reducing and eliminating the fats that are not so good for you. Trans fats should be avoided altogether and you should try to limit saturated fats as much as possible.
There are many ways to reduce the amount of saturated fats in your diet. One of the easiest is to choose lean cuts of meat and to trim all visible fat from your steak before cooking it; also, remove any skin from chicken and cook with less butter and cream whenever possible.
Using olive oil instead of butter will help reduce your overall fat intake and olive oil has been shown to help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure! Try cooking with a non stick pan, this allows you to use less fat than you would with a conventional pan. Although non-stick pans have received a bad rap due to their non-stick coating compounds, there are new products available which are safe and not too expensive.
When shopping for ingredients try to find low fat or non fat versions of sour cream and yogurt. As well, keep away from ready-made snacks such potato chips and buttered popcorn. Make your own popcorn and lightly salt or season it with a mixture of spices instead of smothering it with butter.
Another great way to reduce your fat intake is to choose fruit for dessert instead of calorie rich desserts and treats. Not only will fruit increase your all important fiber intake, many fruits can help fight disease such as diabetes and certain cancers.
Here’s to a healthier, happier and leaner you in 2013!
Healthy Snacks for Kids
January 02 2013
The key to healthy eating for children is learning good eating habits early in life. Most young children graze and snack throughout the day. But is what they are eating good for them? Are they learning healthy habits?
Limit empty calories
Children will ask for food that is marketed directly towards them, such as fast food, candy and foods with empty calories. But by limiting the junk food that gives them empty calories and contributes to restlessness and sugar-rushes, you can help them learn good habits.
Children learn at a young age how food makes them feel. Comfort food such as homemade soup, homeade breads and healthy snacks will give children the association of goodness with good food. After all, junk food is loaded of fat, calories, sugar and salt and do not contribute to a child’s overall nutrition. Rather, they fill their tummies full of nothing, help them choose goodness over junk.
Give Unhealthy Snacks the Boot
Stocking up on sugary drinks and unhealthy lunch box snacks because they are on sale does not bring savings. In fact, if children are raised with unhealthy eating habits, they will continue throughout their life struggling with health issues. Giving your children healthy eating habits at an early age is a precious gift.
Here are a few healthy snack ideas to add to your child’s lunch box:
• Whole grain toast with low-fat cheese spread
• Veggie mixture of sweet corn, snow peas, peas, carrots, cucumber
• Yogurt, preferably natural without added sugar
• Cut up mixed fruit
• Homemade whole grain biscuits – add finely grated apple, cheese, carrots before baking.
• Raw vegetables such as carrots, or baby carrots.
• Dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, apricots, banana
• Seeds and nuts (please follow nut policies in schools and daycare)
• Eggs, scrambled, boiled, mashed
• Salads with healthy salad dressings
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Whole fruit such as a pear, apple, plum, grapes, orange
Chef Paul’s Best of … Food Books
December 20 2012
As the end of the year approaches, we are inundated with anyone and everyone’s “Best of” lists. From movies, to TV shows, to books and twitter feeds, it’s endless. Well, here’s my “Best of Food” books which I’ve read this year, and I hope you take the time to find out more about them, or better yet, read them!
When it comes to nonfiction, I tend to stick to food related books such as cook books or food and farming books. One of the books I quite enjoyed this past year was Joel Salatin’s Folks, This Ain’t Normal which focuses on the sustainability of our food system. It’s very much along the same lines as Michael Pollen’s must read “Omnivore’s Dilemma” but more farm focused.
As for cook books, this year’s stand out titles for me were “Bouchon Bakery” which is every bit as beautiful a book as “Bouchon” and “The French Laundry”, two previous cookbooks by Thomas Keller. Though a bit advanced for most home cooks, the book is worth it for the photos alone.
Two other cookbooks I quite enjoyed were “Preservation Kitchen” by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy as well as “Foraged Flavor” by Tama Matsuoka Wong, Eddy Leroux and Daniel Boulud.
As for other cooking related reads from this past year, I highly recommend “Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer” which I referred to quite a bit during the development our new “Anti-Oxidant Plus” Meal Plan that we will be releasing in the New Year. The book focuses on foods that help prevent and fight off cancer and cancerous cells.
Those are the best of food related books that I read this past year. Bon appétit and happy reading.
If you would like to create Your Own Personalized Recipe eBook, visit www.mealeasy.com/erecipes and get yours today!
Tips to Prevent Holiday Excess
December 13 2012
Attending lots of holiday parties this season?
Here are some helpful tips to prevent overeating this time of year.
The holidays bring to mind parties and large, festive meals full of delicious food. It can be easy to overeat during the holiday season, but there are ways to avoid overindulging while still enjoying yourself. Changing certain eating habits can make a big difference in calorie consumption without dampening the holiday spirit.
Step 1
Have a plan to avoid overindulging in holiday goodies. Bring healthy, low-calorie snacks like fruit to work to avoid snacking on high-fat snacks that coworkers bring in. If you fill up on low-calorie foods, you are less likely to overeat or eat large portions of high-calorie foods. Before attending a party where you know food (and fatty food, especially) will be in abundance, eat some nutritious snacks.
Step 2
Drink a glass of water before a holiday party or meal; this will help you feel full and reduce overeating. Drinking water throughout the day will also help keep you feeling full, making it less likely you will reach for excess goodies. Keeping a water bottle nearby is a good reminder to keep drinking water. And while at the party, instead of drinking soda or eggnog, ask for a glass of water. Sip on it constantly throughout the party so your stomach is always slightly full. In addition, it will save you the extra calories since carbonated beverages like soda and holiday drinks like eggnog are full of empty calories.
Step 3
Choose moderate portions of only the foods you like best during a meal, and only eat dessert if it is one you really like. Do not worry about hurting anyone’s feelings if you do not eat her food; if you really feel bad about not eating something; place a small portion of it on your plate. Reach for a small sized plate for your potluck or buffet dinner. By filling up the smaller plate, you will feel as if you are eating much more than you actually are.
Step 4
Eat slowly during meals. It takes time for your body to signal that it is full, and eating too quickly can lead to overeating. Being mindful of what you are eating allows you to slow down and savor the food. The slower you eat, the more time your brain has to trigger the feeling of being full. You can easily overeat if you eat an entire plate of food in just a few minutes. If you take 30 minutes or longer to eat the same amount of food, your brain will signal the full reflex before you have a chance to overeat.
Step 5
Don’t skip meals. As tempting as it can be to skip a meal or two before the large Christmas meal, this is a bad idea. Waiting to eat will trigger the starving reflex in your body, causing you to want to overeat. If you eat healthy, regular meals throughout the day, you are much less likely to overeat at the Christmas meal. Snacks throughout the day, such as vegetables and healthy nuts, will also help prevent overeating at mealtime.
Step 6
Focus on the reason for the gathering. Start up conversations with loved ones or friends and take the time to be present and engaged. The holidays are all about sharing good times with others; taking the focus off the food can discourage eating when you are not really hungry anymore.