It is that time of year again – we have all made New Year resolutions to be healthy, eat well, and be more active. But how do we incorporate all these healthy ideas into the work a day world we live in. Well to begin it is important to not be overwhelmed by the thoughts of getting healthy. Then it is important to prioritize and make reasonable goals and work toward them on a daily basis. The wonderful part of this type of plan is that at the end of the month you will have made good progress on your road to health.

Let’s break our new health plan into two parts; healthy eating and exercise. We have some fitness tips in the healthy tip section of the web site.
First let’s tackle healthy eating. Using the Mediterranean diet as a guideline, the three main recommendations for healthy eating involve increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables we eat each day, choosing whole grains and breads and pastas made from whole grains, and reducing the amount of fat in the diet. These recommendations can easily be incorporated into a gluten-free diet.
This month let’s tackle the fruits and vegetables part of the diet. Including more fruits and vegetables into our daily routine does not have to mean more preparation time or more trips to the grocery store – it just means some preplanning when we do go. Fruits and vegetables can be used in the traditional venues as side dishes, snacks and even desserts, but they can be used in many more dishes and forms. Remember when we talk about increasing g the number of servings of fruits and vegetables it can be in any form, from a smoothie with fruit to a serving of quiche with vegetables. Be sure to gather a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season and reasonably priced. (See box/list of seasonal fruits and vegetables) Next visit the frozen food aisle. Skip any vegetables in sauces – these have more fat and calories as well as they may have hidden sources of gluten. Get a variety of vegetables – broccoli flowerets can be tossed into pasta for a main course, used in an omelet for a quick dinner, or even added to a taco or quesadilla. Chopped spinach can be added to soup, meatloaf, or even a quiche. Mixed vegetable combinations are a wonderful way to decrease prep time for a stir fry dinner.
Don’t forget the frozen fruit! Frozen berries can be thawed and added to yogurt to make parfaits, or cooked with a dash of sugar, sherry, and a touch of nutmeg for a great sauce to go over fish or poultry.
You can also find things like frozen mango, fruit purees, even frozen fruit combinations. These can be used in smoothies, added to puddings, or baked goods.
Winter is a great time to enjoy pumpkin, squash, turnips, potato, leeks, nuts, citrus fruits, pomegranate, cranberries, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli and spinach. You can also find great cold storage apples, pears, beets, turnips and rutabagas.

There are some recipes in the easy life section of the web site that include your fruits and vegetables in some new and tasty ways without a lot of extra prep time.

Apple Crisp
6 large apples; skinned
sliced thin, ¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup corn starch
Topping: 1 cup crushed Schär shortbread cookies
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare apples. Wash, skin, remove core, cut into thin slices. Place in large bowl.
3. Combine corn starch, spices and sugar together.
4. Add to apples, mix well.
5. Place apple mixture into 8 inch baking dish.
6. Make topping:
a. Crush cookies, add cinnamon.
b. Mix butter with sugar, combine with cookies, mix until resembles coarse meal.
7. Place topping mixture on top of apples.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until apples bubble in 350 degree oven.

Mashed potatoes – and more.
Cauliflower, cut into small pieces use mostly the tops
Potato, skinned, chopped
Margarine, salt and pepper to taste.

1. Fill large pot with water, set on med high heat on stove.
2. Add cauliflower and potatoes to large pot.
3. Boil till tender soft.
4. Drain water.
5. Mash the potatoes and cauliflower together.
6. Season to taste.

Spinach pie
Gluten-free pie crust
1 box frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
16 ounces ricotta cheese – preferably part skim
2 eggs
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Crust:
½ cup all purpose gluten-free flour mix
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)
¼ cup butter or margarine
Crust directions:
1. Mix crushed nuts and flour together.
2. Add butter or margarine. Mix until ingredients resemble coarse meal.
3. Press into pie pan.
Filling Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In large bowl combine eggs and ricotta cheese. Mix well.
3. Add grated cheeses and seasoning. Mix well.
4. Add drained spinach. Mix well.
5. Spoon cheese mixture into prepared pie crust.
6. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until middle is done.