Ever Heard of MUFA Foods?

Yesterday I was cleaning out a drawer and stumbled across a copy of Prevention magazine from 2 years ago. On the front cover they were advertising a diet that claims I can lose 7 pounds in 4 days - so I had to read it. After reading the article, I was surprised to find that this is a diet I actually think I can do. Tomorrow I will post the instructions for the actual diet, but today I am going to tell you a little about this mysterious MUFA food.

MUFA is short for "Monounsaturated Fats." MUFAs are good fats that come from plant foods like nuts, avocados and olives. MUFAs have been found to help people lose small amounts of weight and overall body fat - all without exercising or lowering their calorie intake! Not only that, but MUFAs prevent the build up of that unsightly belly fat - which also lowers our heart disease risks and type 2 diabetes.

So, just what qualifies for a MUFA food? There are 5 different types of MUFAs. The first basically consists of any type of oil with a plant base. Examples are: Flaxseed oil, olive oil, walnut oil, canola oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil or peanut oil. This can easily be incorporated into a daily meal just by cooking with the oil. You can also drizzle it over salads and grilled meat. One serving is equivelant to 1 Tablespoon.

The second type of MUFAs are from Nuts and Seeds. These include, but are not limited to, Almonds, Peanuts, dry-roasted cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, and walnuts. You can even get this particular type of MUFA from chunky natural peanut butter and sunflower seed butter. One serving size is equal to 2 Tablespoons.

The thrid type of MUFAs come from Avocados. I am not a huge avocado fan, but thought it went pretty nicely with the Spicy Steak Taco recipe I posted on here a while back. Prevention magazine provided the idea of mashing it with lime juice, salt and pepper and serving with chips, or even chopping and folding in with store-bought salsa. One serving size is 1/4 cup.

The fourth type of MUFAs are Olives! This is probably my favorite type right here. I am a HUGE green olive nut. I go to the fridge regularly for a snack of green olives. It's nice to know that these are healthy for me. Both green olives and black olives are great. A serving size is 10 large olives or 2 Tablespoons of tapenade.

Finally, the last type of MUFA is found in - drumroll please - CHOCOLATE! Yep, you read that right - I did say chocolate! I imagine I have several of you on the other side of the screen smiling now while thinking this may be possible to do after all. The best types of chocolate are dark or semisweet chocolate chips, shavings or chunks. One serving size is 1/4 cup.

Be sure to check back tomorrow and find out how Prevention magazine claims you can "Lose 7 pounds in 4 days" by incorporating these MUFA foods in your daily diet.

* Information was found in the February 2008 issue of Prevention magazine.

Quesadilla Casserole

I have stumbled upon another great recipe that I just have to share with you! Once again, this recipe came from Rachel Ray's magazine Every Day with Rachel Ray. I must say that if you have not read this magazine then you are missing out. It is FULL of amazing meal ideas that are worth trying! Last night I decided to try the Quesadilla Casserole and, to no one's surprise, it turned out great. The only change I made was that I added ground turkey to satisfy my meat-loving husband. It turned out great!

Ingredients:

3 T. Vegetable Oil

3/4 C. Chopped Onion

1 29 oz. Can of Black Beans, drained with 1/2 C. liquid reserved

1/2 C. chopped flat-leaf parsley

5 10 inch Flour Tortillas

Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

1 C. Green Enchilada Sauce

For Meat-Lovers add:
1 lb. Ground Turkey, browned and drained

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of black beans and mash into a chunky paste. Stir in the reserved liquid.

2. Grease a heavy, ovenproof skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn, parsley and remaining black beans. Place a tortilla in the skillet and spread with 1/3 cup mashed black bean mixture. Top with 2/3 cup corn-bean mixture. Top with a handful of shredded cheese. Top that with desired amount of ground turkey. Repeat this process with remaining tortillas. Press to compact the layers.

3. Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve with enchilada sauce.

Like I stated above, I altered the reciped by adding meat but it was still wonderful regardless! To find the original recipe go to Rachel Ray's website at: http://www.rachelraymag.com/ and search for "Quesadilla Casserole."

A Sad Farewell...

I was hoping that my freedom would last just a little longer. You know, like until Christmas. My son, however, had another idea. He learned how to crawl out of his play-pen yesterday morning. It has only been a day, but I have already learned that life has changed big time for me now!

Before, I could never understand why people talked about using naptime as a time to catch up on things. I would always do my to-do list while my little man was happily watching Noggin from his play-pen. At that time, I allowed myself to take a small nap on the couch during naptime. It was my small "reward" for getting my to-do list done. Oh, those were the days!

Now, my mornings are spent chasing little man around while trying to get some of my to-do list checked off. But, so far, I haven't mastered finishing an entire project with him up. So, sadly I have to part with my mid-day naps so I can get laundry done or the dishes or cleaning the bathroom or....the list goes on and on. Oh, how I will miss you my beloved naps!