Last night I made one of our favorite meals to share with visitors- Pork Burritos (Cafe Rio style). Although it's not a particularly healthy recipe, and should probably not be featured on this blog, if you email me through my profile or leave a comment, I will send it to you. If enough people are interested, I will post the original recipe and "remodeled" version.
Part of the burrito is Zatarains black beans and rice and I have always added an extra can of black beans to the saucepan after the mix is made. Because Zatarains is high in sodium (I know they also sell a less sodium version of many of their products) and has plenty of flavor, adding a can of rinsed black beans stretches my dollar, increases the fiber and my intake of the healthy minerals found in beans. Always rinse your canned beans as they are canned with a fair amount of salt. I recently read in Ellie Krieger's cookbooks that rinsing decreases the sodium in beans by 40%. Mixes and cans have their place in our fast paced lives. But you can probably always add something to them to make them healthier. Add some fresh, finely chopped veggies to mixes like Suddenly Salad, or a frozen pasta saute dish before making it. Add chopped bell pepper and shredded carrot to hamburger helper. Throw some frozen vegetables into a can of soup you are heating up or mac n cheese just before the noodles are finished cooking. All these things can help increase your veggie and fiber intake and lower the sodium per serving in processed foods.
Last night I also added diced red bell pepper to my frozen corn before heating it in a saute pan and the result is more color and more nutrition. Always try and get more colors on your plate.
~Here's to Healthy Eating
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