Wow, a Great Summer Salad!

Chipotle ham Salad

Ingredients:
4 lbs Smoked Pit Ham, diced
1 pt. Extra Thick Mayonnaise, blended with 1 tsp ground Chipotle
2 to 3 oz Sweet Pickle Relish
1 to 2 oz Prepared Mustard

Mix the mayonnaise and ground chipotle together. Combine the ham, chipotle mayonnaise, relish, and mustard and mix well. Adjust the seasoning with pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Great over bed of baby leaf lettuce; on toasted English muffin; or as a Croissant sandwich.

Georgia peach season is here!

Living in Florida gives me the opportunity to get nice Georgia peaches when they come in season. There are many roadside vendors selling this suculent gift of the late summer. For the past several months my wife and I have been on a "life style" change. Loosing weight and getting healthier. The makers of Splenda has several recipes that are only low in sugars and fat, they are quite good. Here is one I found that is perfect for the Georgia peach season.

Double Crust Peach Cobbler
From the Kitchen of Splenda

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 9 servings

Ingredients
refrigerated pie crusts 2 sheets
sliced fresh peaches ( about 5 pounds whole) 10 cups
SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener Granular 3/4 cup
all purpose flour 1/4 cup
pineapple juice 1/4 cup
butter 2-tablespoons
almond extract 1/2 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly spray an 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.

Unroll one pie crust round; cut to fit bottom of dish. Place in prepared baking dish. Bake crust for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. Set aside.

Combine peaches, SPLENDA, flour, pineapple juice, butter, and almond extract in a large Dutch over; bring mixture to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until peaches are tender. Cool slightly. Spread peach mixture over baked crust.

Unroll remaining pie crust round, cut into 1-inch strips. Arrange in a lattice design over peach filling. Bake 15 additional minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Serve warm.

This recipe, when compared to a traditional recipe, has a 15% reduction in calories, a 24% reduction in carbohydrates, and a 48% reduction in sugars!

Total Calories 330 per 1/9 serving size
Total Carb's 46g
Total Fat 15g
Saturated Fat 7g
Sugars 18g
Taste...100% Good!

I'm NOT Lovin' it!

Well, the biggest story in the “kid and food” world yesterday was an announcement by McDonald’s USA of its plan to improve the Happy Meal. Rolling out in September, Happy Meals around the country will start to contain a smaller serving of fries (1.1 ounces down from 2.4 ounces) and will now automatically contain a bag of apple slices (without a caramel dipping sauce.) Two bags of apples and no fries will be available upon request. In addition, the meals will also offer a new fat-free chocolate milk along with 1% plain milk.

Somehow this does not seem to be enough to slow down childhood obiestiy. We need additional education for not only our children, but, more importantly the adults and parents. Adults lead the way for nutrition issues in our youth. I am as guilty as the rest for years of fast food and junk going into our home and on our dinner table. It is time to learn to cook at home and teach our children and grandchildren about cooking and nuitrition.