It�s a well-known fact that people need to have about five fruit and vegetable servings each day. The secret is how to get those servings in our busy lives. Convenience foods just don�t provide what we need and it is easy to let weeks pass by without getting the necessary fruit and vegetable intake that we need.

There are some easy ways to sneak in the valuable servings. The suggestions may take some practice but it pays off in the long run. Adopting some of these simple suggestions into your daily routine will help you get the fruit and vegetable quota without much thought.

Sometimes we obsess too much about what we are eating. It is great to be health conscious but we may have a setback if we feel overwhelmed. The good news is that the five fruit and vegetable servings are not quite as difficult to fit into our menus as some may think.

There are plenty of products that offer quick fixes to the problems and these include fruit and vegetable juices. While thes...

Five Halloween recipe ideas for entrees, a side and dessert

Whether you\'re just planning a family dinner, or want to host a party for Halloween, you can bring a bit of fun and spooky ambience to the celebrations with a few Halloween recipe ideas, reflecting the traditional colors associated with the holiday. Every cook knows that color is an important element of a successful dish. Here we\'ve got some ways to use those colors to your advantage, in easy, tasty recipes.

A big pot of chowder provides a hearty main dish for those cool evenings. The traditional ingredients fit well into the Halloween color scheme. Corn, sliced black olives, diced purple or red-skinned potatoes (leave the skins on) and orange bell peppers, or sliced carrots, if you prefer, cover a few of the bases. Add 4-5 medium sliced mushrooms and you\'re all set with the veggies. Chowder is one of those dishes that offers a lot of latitude in what you add to the mix, so if some...

Try lemon pepper chicken for a healthy, zesty taste

We\'re all fairly health conscious these days. At least we know we should try to cut back on sweets and fats, but we also want food that tastes good, not just healthy. Rising food costs make it even more difficult to put together a meal that is good for you and pleases your palate too. Chicken is still relatively inexpensive and some of us rely on this white meat for its value and health benefits. Do you sometimes puzzle over a new way to fix chicken? Well, here\'s a great variation on the old bird that\'s sure to please. Lemon pepper chicken isn\'t a new recipe, but you may not know how many ways it can be prepared to look and taste like a new invention.

Lemon pepper chicken can be prepared using a marinade, combined in flour to dredge the meat in or applied directly to the meat and baked. For an extra lemony taste, try brushing the meat with a lemon pepper marinade, followed b...

Quick, inexpensive and nutritious fish chowder recipes are a crowd pleaser!

In the Northeast, where seafood is abundant, fish chowder recipes are family favorites. From the French, chaudiere, a pot, chowder is usually made with onions, potatoes, a thick milk base and often, clams. However, Americans are innovative cooks and have devised many imaginative takes on the original Northeastern fish chowder.

While the staunch Boston cook may look with disdain on these many variations, fish chowder recipes that employ a variety of fish and seafood are nonetheless popular all over America. Here, we take a look at some of these variations which you can put to good use in your kitchen.

Beginning with the basic chowder ingredients, you can build on this simple recipe in ways you might never have thought of, resulting in a meal of dreamy, gourmet proportions.

No matter how fanciful your fish chowder,...

Healthy low fat snacks to ... uh, live for!

When we think of \'healthy\' and \'low fat\' in the same thought, we tend to follow that thought with \'ugh ... diet food\'. However, there are an abundance of healthy low fat snacks that are absolutely delicious ways to indulge and eat healthy at the same time. Don\'t believe me? Hey, let\'s see.

Mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper and pineapple chunks on a skewer, takes just minutes to make and stick under the broiler. A healthy and delicious snack indeed.

Spinach dip, from the deli check that it\'s a low fat version or a homemade dip made with fresh spinach and low fat sour cream can be teamed with a variety of fresh veggies, such as broccoli florets, carrot sticks, button mushrooms and pearl onions for a gourmet, but healthy, low fat snack that seems more like party food than diet food.

Here\'s one of my very favorite healthy low fat snacks: A plateful of whole grain crackers, like Triscuit(TM) Fire Roa...

Having a party? How to make a vegetable platter that generates applause!

Throwing a party generally involves a lot of work! You want to serve your guests a well-rounded menu that\'s attractive and delicious. One party trick from seasoned hosts? Make a vegetable platter! This is a healthy and easy way to add a festive touch to any get-together without spending days in the kitchen. If you\'ve got any vegan guests coming, a large vegetable platter with all the trimmings is sure to be a hit. So, how do you make a vegetable platter that\'s the star of the buffet? We\'ve got the answers.

You\'ve got to approach this dish as a work of art. In this case, it\'s all in the presentation. A little bowl of broccoli florets and dip on the side is not a...

A great gift idea for your dieting friends: a healthy snack gift basket!

There are probably as many people on diets as those who aren\'t. Snacks, sweets and fatty foods are major culprits in the diet merry-go-round. So here we\'ve got an idea for a terrific, all occasion gift for those who are watching their waistlines: a snack gift basket, filled with delightful snacks that are tasty, but filling, low in calories and altogether satisfying. The truth be told, this snack gift basket is a great gift for anyone, dieting or not. The assortment of goodies listed below may make a few converts to a healthier eating plan!

By the time your recipient gets through this snack basket, they\'ll be feeling better about the whole subject of snacking and might lose a few excess pounds as well.

1.Start with a bag of trail mix, the back packer\'s best friend. Packed with nutrition and flavor, it gives you a burst of energy without the ...

A delicious twist on Lasagna: Crab meat lasagna

Who doesn\'t like lasagna? Oh, I suppose there are a few people out there who don\'t ... for the rest of you lasagna lovers, here\'s a recipe to make an Italian cook proud � a seafood version, made with crab meat. Full of flavor, color, and nutrition, this filling Crab Meat lasagna is a keeper. The fresh veggies, herbs and cheeses combine to produce a richly textured dish that won\'t languish in the frig for long. This makes a great party dish for a buffet. Serve with toasted French bread, spread with garlic butter, for a complete meal. This recipe serves 6-8 people, depending on the appetites of the diners. If you\'ve got a couple of teens at the table, I\'d go with 6 servings.

If you can\'t find dry cottage cheese, regular cottage cheese will work � just drain it in a large, fine strainer over a bowl. The tomatoes and basil are key ingredien...

Staving off facial wrinkles the natural way

The last thing any woman wants to see in the mirror is facial wrinkles! Sure, you can\'t stop time, but then again, there\'s no reason to be aiding and abetting the onset of this natural aging process! With proper care for your skin, you can ward off all but the most insignificant facial wrinkles � those called \'character lines\' - well into your 40s. Let\'s go through the basic program and see how to retain a beautiful complexion longer.

At the heart of a smooth, wrinkle-free skin is a good dietary program. While you can pay hundreds of dollars for facial creams, if your diet is poor, you\'ll start spotting those dreaded facial wrinkles, sooner rather than later. Every woman who wants to look ten year...

Cooking vegetables properly to get the maximum nutritive value on your table

We\'ve all heard so much about eating those 5-9 servings of produce each day. Smart physicians have been promoting this for decades, but it\'s only been in the last few years that the government has made this healthy recommendation official. Many of us gasped at the idea, wondering if it were even possible to consume so much produce and have any room left over for anything else!

Now, we\'re getting used to increasing the amounts we serve and have become more aware of the many health benefits. With the rise in the incidence of cancer and heart disease, it only makes sense. Much of the fruit and fruit products we eat are eaten fresh, or as juice. In the case of vegetables, the reverse is true....

Chicken spaghetti? Why not? A terrifically healthy, new take on our Italian favorite

Traditional spaghetti, with beef or sausage in a tomato-based sauce is a favorite on American menus. Nonetheless, any dish, served too often can lose its appeal with the family. Spaghetti has become a staple of the American diet, as a hearty and filling meal, easy to prepare and a perfect partner for a side of salad and a chunk of garlic bread. If your family no longer looks with favor on this economical dish, it\'s time to think outside the box and throw them for a loop, with a most unlikely variation � chicken spaghetti!

Our chicken spaghetti recipe uses the same culinary concepts as traditional spaghetti: meat, veggies, seasonings and sauce, lavished in generous proportio...

Cajun Fish Recipes

Tasty and spicy but not too spicy is how you could sum up Cajun cuisine. There is a characteristic blend of ingredients and cooking methods that follow tradition and that includes Cajun fish recipes. Seafood plays an important part in that tradition and is often combined with favorite vegetables, rice and seasonings. Cooking is often based on fish stock or shellfish stock. Fresh herbs, paprika and ground cayenne pepper give dishes a distinctive flavor. Onion, bell pepper and celery are key to many dishes.

Shellfish is often used and the most popular is crawfish, shrimp, blue crab and oysters. Freshwater fish is likely to be bass, white perch, and yellow perch. Catfish is increasingly popular as the commercial farming of the fish grows. T...

Expand your culinary expertise with Chinese cooking

Almost everyone includes Chinese food as a regular dining experience. Chinese dishes produce flavors, texture and a variety of combinations that you don\'t find in typical Western cooking. However, few of us feel qualified to tackle Chinese cooking in our homes. If you love Chinese food and would like to try your hand, here are a few pointers to help you get started on learning this fascinating and delicious cuisine.

One main difference between Western and Chinese cooking is that Chinese dishes require that most of your ingredients be ready for the pan before you begin cooking. There can be a considerable number of ingredients to slice, dice, season or otherwise prepare. This may seem, at first glance, to be an inordinate amount of work. Don\'t let this factor put you off. Once your ingredients are ready, the actual cooking t...

The 3 bean salad recipe is a favorite in summer and packed with health!

During the hot summer days, many people enjoy the classic 3 bean salad as a side dish or even as a light lunch. The 3 bean salad recipe we give here is modified from a generic, authentic Italian recipe. Italian cooks usually use dried beans it\'s less expensive but we give amounts of beans to use for both dried and canned beans, if you find canned beans more convenient. Both versions are easy to prepare and a good do-ahead recipe. This 3 bean salad recipe keeps well for a week in the frig. Making it ahead also allows the herbs to marry thoroughly with the salad.

Before we get to the recipe, let\'s take a look at the many health benefits of this delicious and refreshing summer side dish. You\'ll then want to make it often!

It\'s rich in fiber, protein and complex carbs (which break down more slowly than s...

The best treatment for pimples? A healthy diet, vitamin supplements and exercise!

Oh, I know, I probably sound just like your Mom. However, that\'s because she knows what she\'s talking about! Although hard to imagine, she was once a teen too! Advances in nutritional research since her time have proven her right.

There are particular nutrients which are important players in the effective treatment for pimples, the nemesis of every teen and young adult. To be sure you\'re obtaining adequate levels of these nutrients, it\'s often wise to take supplements as well. Always consult your doctor before adding supplements to your diet.

Vitamin deficiencies can cause a variety of health conditions and pimples are no exception. Let\'s look at each of these nutrients to see how they can be...

Seven chicken breast recipes: quick, delicious, healthy and easy on the budget!

Chicken, particularly those that are organically raised birds (no growth hormones or antibiotics), is a healthy choice for your menus. The chicken breast contains the least fat and the densest meat, with very few calories to worry over. If you enjoy chicken breasts, but sometimes find that you can\'t think of one more way to prepare this healthy meat, we\'re here to help! We\'ve got seven quick and delicious chicken breast recipes that are economical as well. Let\'s get started!

1.In the oven: Place the chicken in a plastic zipper bag. For each chicken breast, pour 1/4 cup of lemon-pepper marinade over the chicken, to coat thoroughly. Squeeze the air out of the bag and refrigerate fo...

Learn the value of a weekly meal planner and save!

It\'s hard to make ends meet these days. Food is expensive and waste can sabotage your budget. You\'ve got to be clever and organized these days, if you want serve balanced, nutritious meals and still stay afloat. The carefree days of shopping on a whim are gone. This is not to say that you can\'t serve a variety of dishes that fulfill adequate nutrition and deliver a tempting meal at the same time. A weekly meal planner can be your solution.

It\'s easy to set up a weekly meal planner. This task is best accomplished when you work on a month\'s calendar of menus. Why? Every week, all of the grocery stores advertise their sale items, hoping to entice you to do your week\'s shopping with them. However, with food costs being what they are, you\'ve got to forget store ...

Easy finger food recipes for your next casual, or elegant get-together

We\'re all so pressed for time these days, it\'s hard to justify spending days in the kitchen to assemble an array of goodies to serve at a Saturday night get-together with friends. On the other hand, you want to have a more or less lavish spread for your guests to enjoy. So what\'s a good solution?

Easy finger food recipes are perfect for filling out a buffet style party dinner or cocktail get-together, especially when you can get a head start on the preparations with deli and supermarket selections that require little in the way of cooking! The trick to finger food recipes is selecting foods where the prep work is, for the most par...

An easy, yummy chicken pasta salad recipe you can make in less than 30 minutes!

During warm weather, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour or more over a hot stove making dinner. Here\'s a solution that\'s easy, quick and economical. This chicken pasta salad recipe does just as well for lunch or dinner and can be ready to eat in less than half an hour.

Next time you\'re cooking chicken breasts, cook one or two extra. Put these in a freezer bag with chicken broth to cover which keeps your chicken moist and flavorful and freeze. When you make your chicken pasta salad, you can shave even more off your prep time. The night before, take the cooked chicken out of the freezer and transfer it to the frig.

Use three cups of dry egg noodles, bow ties or large shells, as you prefer and cook according to the package instructi...

Comfort food recipes that are healthy, filling and not fattening!

During the cold, blustery days of winter, everyone burns plenty of calories, just staying warm as they go about their daily activities. By the time dinner time rolls around, the family is looking to sit down to a hearty, filling meal to dispel that winter chill. However, we all know that many of the supposed comfort food recipes are so hearty and calorie rich, they often result in unwanted pounds creeping on, in the most undesirable places.

Most commonly, waistlines expand and thigh measurements increase. Some people gain weight, evenly distributed all over the body. In any case, your clothes don\'t fit! This means a diet ensues when the weather warms and you\'re wondering how to look good in your bathing suit. In addition to this, gaining and losing weight quickly tends to throw off your meta...

A proper veggie pizza is diet food!

Pizza is one of America\'s favorite foods. However, most people think pizza is a big caloric splurge that will surely put on a few unwanted pounds. If your choice of pizza is a big, five pound wonder loaded with sausage, pepperoni, salami and other fatty meats, it probably will cause an unpleasant tipping of the scales. Have you given thought to a totally veggie pizza as an alternative? Cheese is, of course, part of the pizza experience, but you can use less cheese than normal. Mozzarella is a part-skim cheese and not particularly fattening. Leave off the cheddar if you\'re really worried about the fat. An all veggie pizza is a marvelous taste treat and so good for you, you should really think of it as health food to chase away any lingering guilt.

We\'re always being chided by doctors and health nuts for not getting our adequate amounts of fruits and veggies. Well, here\'s yo...

Cooking and storing tips for bell pepper, a powerhouse of nutrients

With the price of produce increasing at an alarming rate, it becomes more difficult to get adequate amounts of fruits and veggies on your table. However, there are some very pricey produce items which freeze well. Summer is upon us, with bountiful harvests and lower prices just around the corner. You can save significant amounts on your food budget when you stock up on freezable produce in season. If you shop smart, you can have many produce items stored in your freezer at summer prices, well into winter. If you plan a garden, be sure you plant bell peppers!

The bell pepper freezes wonderfully, is a versatile ingredient and is packed with nutrients. These sweet peppers come i...

Healthy ideas for delicious low fat pasta recipes!

If you need to restrict your fat intake, you might never think of a pasta dish. When you think pasta, rich sauces such as Alfredo come to mind. While mouth watering, these types won\'t fit into your low fat diet plan. However, there are a surprising number of highly taste-worthy ways to prepare low fat pasta recipes. Here we offer several ideas on healthy, low fat dishes, including spaghetti!

If you\'re also trying to cut your carbs, choose pasta that is made with 100% Semolina wheat. Besides, it\'s a better choice for everyone, with fewer carbs, a better flavor and more nutritive value. Just check the package labeling. Certain brands make all of their pasta with Semolina wheat. Check out the tr...

Simple therapy to wipe out acne: Cram your diet with vitamins for acne conditions!

Although it\'s true that most people who suffer from acne are teens, this condition can persist into adulthood. While everybody will experience the occasional zit, for the most part, acne is preventable. Ah, you don\'t believe me! Well, listen up, follow this advice and see if you don\'t get the results you want.

Wouldn\'t it be great if you didn\'t have a raft of blemishes show up just about the time you\'re going to a party? Nutrition is all important in the fight against acne. The best vitamins for acne conditions are found in fruits and veggies.

Excess oil in the skin is a major culprit. This doesn\'t mean that avoiding fat altogether is the answer. There are good and bad fats. Fats should comprise about 20% of your total intake of calories each day. Generally, animal fats and trans fats are the ones you want to avo...

How to make a mouth-watering antipasto platter!

Almost every cuisine has a name for a collection of appetizers. The French call them hors d\'oeuvre and canapes. Americans generally refer to this is an appetizer tray, while the Spanish refer to tapas and Middle eastern diners call the collective dish, mezzo. Italians have antipasto platters. Whatever you call it, the idea is the same.

Antipasto, roughly translated, means \'before the meal\'. Each cuisine has its own lineup of appetizers, reflecting local ingredients and recipes. Antipasto platters typically feature a variety of simply prepared foods, with contrasting textures, color and piquancy. The intent is to provide the diner with a variety of little sparks to the appetite.

Italian cooks are absolute sticklers on using the freshest possible, seasonal and locally purchased ...

This tortellini salad recipe makes an elegant ladies luncheon entree!

Now why do you suppose I made the distinction of this tortellini salad recipe being a perfect dish for a gathering of the ladies? Shall I say it? Sure. Women know that most men regard a dish that contains ingredients with which they\'re not familiar, with more than a dash of suspicion. Much like getting a guy to go to a chick flick, it\'s hard to get them to enjoy a tortellini salad recipe. That\'s OK, it\'s their loss. Once they see there\'s just a small container of leftover, they might surreptitiously raid the frig out of pure curiosity. If your man is the adventurous gourmet type, good for him! This authentic Italian dish is a winner!

Tortellini is a tube type of pasta that\'s stuffed with either cheese, spinach or meat. When stuffed, it\'s formed into a ring. Tortellini is available in dry, fresh and frozen packages everywhere. If you can find t...

Gourmet pizza recipes you can make at home with just a few simple ingredients

Most Americans find pizza a mouth watering prospect that doesn\'t require much of a sales job to the family to make pizza tonight\'s dinner. American pizza shops sell a weighty product, some with a dozen or more toppings, loads of cheese and sauce. Authentic Italian pizzerias go a little lighter on all of the ingredients, subscribing to the less-is-more philosophy, an equally delicious alternative to the American version.

So taken are we with the pizza, along with an element of stiffer competition in the pizza industry, there\'s now an ongoing trend of shops producing the gourmet pizza recipes. The so-called gourmet pizza takes a page from the new fusion cooking, incorporating unconventional ingredients and sauces that give our palates a quite different taste treat. Today\'s gourmet pizz...

Try these innovative strategies for economical, quick, easy dinner recipes!

So often, when we think of quick, easy dinner recipes, we think of meals we can prepare from beginning to end in 30 minutes or less after arriving home. In order to be quick and easy, most often such meals involve broiling or nuking a piece of meat, with a side of rice or baked potatoes and perhaps a salad. The convenience afforded with these meals comes with a trade off many of us can no longer afford. It\'s far more expensive than dishes requiring longer prep time, such as fried rice enchiladas or stuffed bell peppers. Most dishes which are economical require lots of prep time, chopping veggies, dicing meat or ...