Healthy Home Foods Blog

The holiday season brings plenty of joy to the Low Country every year as families look forward to parties and events. However, for those trying to watch their waistlines or on restricted diets, the thought of all that marvelous holiday food can turn jolliness into worries.

But don’t let your Ho Ho Ho’s turn into No No’s! Healthy Home Foods has you covered with plenty of easy ideas and recipes to turn your holidays into a time of healthy eating! Here are some of our favorites:

Breakfast Quiche for Holiday Guests

Ingredients:

• 1 Thawed Package of HHF Hash Browns
• 1/2 cup of flour
• minced onion
• salt & pepper
• Browned pork or bison sausage (drained)
• 4 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup of HHF organic mayonnaise
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

Crust

Mix hash browns with flour, onion and seasonings. Lightly grease pie plate and press the hash brown mixture to act as crust. Bake @ 425 degree until lightly browned. Fill with your quiche mixture and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

P.S. This Hash Brown Crust also makes a wonderful base for your favorite meat casseroles (beef soup mix, browned ground beef, HHF organic mushroom soup + veggies. Just change your temp & cooking time.

Healthy Home Foods Holiday Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Healthy Home Foods Boneless Breasts
• 1 T Oil
• 1 Onion (sliced)
• 1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
• 2 Carrots (sliced)
• 1 pepper (green or red – chunked)
• 16 oz. can of pineapple
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 6 T Healthy Home Foods Honey
• 6 T Healthy Home Foods Ketchup
• 6 T Soy Sauce
• 2 T Cornstarch
• 1 t ground ginger

Cooking Directions

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Brown in oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Add carrots and peppers. Combine remaining ingredients in bowl and add to skillet. Cook 10 minutes. Serve with HHF white rice or rice noodles.

Dont want to do all the cooking yourself? No problem! Healthy Home Foods now offers event catering for your special holiday gatherings! Just contact us today for a fresh meal made from all natural and organic ingredients that’s perfect for any size family and delivered right to your door!  Call us today at 866-913-3663 or drop us an email here.

And from all of us at Healthy Home Foods, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and may the miracle of Jesus Christ shine in your hearts always.

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Getting in shape and losing weight by eating healthy foods is on everyone’s minds nowadays.

Being able to look good for work, school and personal reasons is of utmost importance, but with so many people on the run it’s hard to fit nutrition into the average day. Luckily, eating healthy to lose weight is made easier by choosing foods that are organic and filled with the wholesome nutrients that a busy person needs to stay on track. Here are some natural food alternatives to help you eat healthier at home and on the go:

Fruits and Veggies

The Creator had convenience in mind when He invented fruits and vegetables. Not only are fruits and veggies a rich source of vitamins and nutrients – they come in their own easy to carry “packages” with outside skins designed to hold in all those lovely flavors and benefits. Grab a fresh piece of fruit or a bunch of carrots for a quick snack anytime of the day or evening. Keep fresh frozen veggies on hand for a healthful dinner at home with the family and weekends when the temptation to eat badly creeps in.

Meats and Proteins

Need a quick pick me up anytime for long last energy? Instead of getting addicted to caffeine and energy drinks, why not choose a healthy alternative of some organic peanut butter or natural meat jerky? Or include a protein in your morning breakfast like bison sausage or turkey bacon. Protein is something that every human needs to keep the energy levels going strong. Instead of filling up on carbs in the morning, try adding some protein in to help burn calories faster and lose weight.

Whole Grains

It’s easy to head for the nearest fast food restaurant or vending machine when hunger strikes, but it’s hard to find anything that includes the wholesome goodness of natural grains. Instead, make a sandwich from whole grain bread or a pita and fill it with hummus, veggies or low fat meats for a great alternative to the burger. You will feel better, your weight will be easier to maintain and you will experience more regularity which will keep toxins from building up in your body.

Eating healthier isn’t hard when you have the convenience of healthy foods and groceries in your home pantry. Buy your groceries affordably from Healthy Home Foods and enjoy meals at home anytime and make ahead lunches and snacks that appeal to any pallet – and help you to lose weight.

Summertime is the perfect time to try some of the all natural meats that Healthy Home Foods sells. While they are delicious on their own, adding a marinade or dressing made from natural ingrediants adds the final touch to any meal. Here are some tips for using marinades for summertime delight with your Healthy Home Foods products:
Grilling marinade will be made of three basic ingredients; Oils, Acids, and Seasonings. These three categories are the beginning of a grilling recipe that you create. Oils will not penetrate meat, they’ll simply coat the surface. However, many of the most flavorful oils have low temperature “smoke points”, not the best choice for the grill so they are not always the best choice when cooking natural meats.

Acids and seasonings will dictate the flavor of your grilling marinade. Acids are used because of their ability to tenderize items. This is largely overstated, though. Acids have a SLIGHT tenderizing effect, but not enough to make a big difference in your grilling marinade. The acids most effective at tenderizing tough cuts of meat are from tropical fruits like mango and papaya, but most often tomato products, vinegar, wine, or soy sauce are used.

Choosing the right cut of meat to marinate is the most important step. A cup of ketchup in a marinade will not make a tough cut of meat magically tender. Don’t expect your grilling marinade to turn tough beef into filet mignon, it won’t happen. Acids will break down connective tissues, but it’s the intense direct heat of the barbeque grill that will toughen and dry meats quickly. That’s why it’s important to choose a tender cut of meat to grill, because the cooking method of grilling won’t tenderize your item, regardless of which grilling marinade you choose.

The general rules of marinating Healthy Home Foods meats are easy:

1) Longer = Stronger. The longer you marinate something, the stronger the flavor

2) Thicker = Longer. The thicker the product, the longer you’ll need to marinate it.

3) Tender = Shorter. A tender product will not need to be marinated as long.

4) Cooler = Cooler. ALWAYS marinate under refrigeration to keep bacteria growth down.

5) Acid resistant container = No Brainer. ALWAYS marinate in plastic or glass, never in copper or reactive metals.

A grilling marinade is perfectly matched for a dry cooking process like grilling. The marinade will add flavor and moisture for the quick, intense heat of the barbeque grill. You can create your own complex flavors of oils, acids and seasonings and invent the latest grilling marinade.

Used with permission from:

Chef Todd Mohr who is a classically educated chef, entrepreneur, educator and entertainer. The chef wants people to “Burn Your Recipes” and cook with basic methods. Free yourself from the written recipe with his cooking DVD series, “Burn Your Recipes, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. http://www.webcookingclasses.com/does-your-grilling-marinade-have-these-3-simple-elements/cooking-classes/