Everybody Poops

Fiber is an important part of everyone's diet. Some call fiber the roughage of their diet that keeps things moving along. Your fiber-filled diet should include a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Fiber helps to prevent constipation, reduce the risk of heart disease, manage diabetes, and has been linked to helping prevent colon cancer and breast cancers. Not sure where to find dietary fiber, check out this Fiber Chart.

To incorporate more fiber into your diet, you can:

-change from white bread to wheat or multigrain

-eat a fresh garden salad at least once a day

-incorporate fruit into your lunch; such as apples, cherries, grapes, pears, raisins, craisins, dried apricots, or prunes

-top your bowl of cereal with strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries (instead of sugar)

-snack or try to incorporate more vegetables in your cooking; such carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, onion, spinach, or celery

Also, there are a variety of fiber supplements out in the form of powders, pills, capsules, and tablets. Figure out what works best for your needs! It may be as easy as changing your vitamins or you can make several lifestyle changes to ensure you're getting enough dietary fiber in your life.

Chicken Quesadilla

Calories: Approximately 325

-Wheat Tortilla
-2 oz chunked & skinless Chicken Breast
-1/4 cup Four Blend Cheese

In a frying pan, heat the tortilla at medium heat. Put the cheese on one half and then put the chicken on top. Fold the tortilla and keep flipping (as not to burn the tortilla) until the cheese is melted.

Notes:
-I serve this with sour cream and homemade guacamole dip.
-The guacamole dip I make is two avocados mashed with half of a diced red onion and the juice of a small lemon (or a large lime). You can also add in salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes... as with all of my cooking, I suggest making it to your taste or the tastes of your guests. Just remember to try to keep it healthy so you can eat enough to be satisfied with the meal and not jeopardize your diet.

Meal Makeovers

Many of my recipes are healthy and written for my specific tastes. If you are looking for more options, I would suggest checking out Meal Makeovers which is a part of The Food Network website. I am a member of their newsletter which sends me monthly meal makeovers. This month's recipes include a 4 Cheese Mac & Cheese, Sloppy Joes, Rice Pudding, and a few others.

Similar to my blog, they also offer a few helpful tips dealing with ingredients. My favorite part of the website however is you can send in your recipes here and they will rewrite your recipe and create a healthy Meal Makeover for you! You can also watch The Food Network to get ideas for meals, but be careful... I always catch myself craving something after watching this channel.

Buckwheat Crepes

Yeild: About 6 crepes

(Taken for the Taste of Home website: Buckwheat Brunch Crepes)

Ingredients:

-2 Eggs

-1/2 cup Milk

-1/3 cup all-purpose Flour

-3 Tbsp Buckwheat/Whole Wheat Flour

-1/2 tsp Salt

-Your choice of Fresh/Frozen Fruit (cleaned and prepared to serve)

-Powdered Sugar

-Butter

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add flour and salt and beat until smooth. Let this stand for 30 minutes. Melt about one teaspoon of butter in an 8 inch skillet and pour about two tablespoons of batter into the skillet; lift and tilt skillet to evenly coat the bottom. Cook until top looks dry. Turn over and cook bottom until lightly browned. Remove and serve with fresh fruit and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes:

-The website offers recipes for a whipped topping and berry sauce, but for a healthier option go for what I suggest above.

-You can also use a nice pudding as part of the filling. At my university, they used to serve vanilla pudding, banana, and strawberries in the crepes with a little drizzle of chocolate sauce.

-I enjoy going out to pick fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only do I get the freshest ingredients available, but I also am able to get some needed exercise. Check to see if there are any local farmers in your area that allow you to harvest your own ingredients. Usually the prices are more affordable than at your local grocery and most of these farms are organic.