The best part of the recipe below is it only takes about 15 minutes to cook, a little less if you’re a pro in the kitchen. Plus, the pecans add a dash of nutty flavor and the cranberries are packed with powerful antioxidants. Try mixing it up with different types of nuts for variety.

What you need:

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
• 3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries

Directions:

Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disk of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.

Set a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries, toss and serve.

Onion Spinach Scramble

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (cold pressed, virgin)
• Course salt to taste
• 1-2 cups freshly chopped spinach
• 2 or 3 eggs – beaten

Directions

Chop the spinach as small as you like. Saute the onion in the olive oil, and add some salt (1/4 tsp or so), let the onions caramelize (cook on low heat for 15 minutes, until translucent).

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the chopped spinach. Add egg mixture to the sauteed onions and cook as a pancake until done to your liking.

Good thing that eggs are an excellent source of protein and Vitamin A. Not to mention the significant amounts of Iron and Calcium you can find inside. So chow down and enjoy!

Here are just a few:

• Beta-Carotene – Great for the eyes
• Vitamin A- Helps prevent cataracts
• Vitamin C- Cold prevention
• Phytonutrients- Help prevent cancer
• Calcium – Promotes strong bones
• Potassium – Crucial for heart function; promotes good digestive and muscular function
• Manganese – Promotes good carb, protein and fat metabolism

  Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/mn.htm#ixzz0jm7AYCE0

Check out all the Virtues of Kale on a fellow nutrition blog.

When reading a nutrition label for carbohydrates, be sure to read carefully, because the wording can be tricky. For example, “Made with whole grains” is a different thing from “100% Whole Grain.”  We don’t know just how much “made with’ really indicates.  It could be 2%, or it could be 92%.  There’s no way to know.

To be sure, flip over the box and check the list of ingredients. Whole grains should appear at the top, and be referred to as “whole.”  Stay away from refined flours and even ‘multi-grains’ unless they’re listed as whole. Your body will appreciate that whole grains offer sustained energy, while refined grains–often with added sugars that extend shelf life (i.e. white bread)– spike your blood sugar and then crash it, leading to a dangerous instability that can cause diabetes and other serious medical conditions.

For a list of common grains and what they do for your body check out this article on GirlHabits.

• Ingredients
• 
  
• lemon, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 salmon fillets, bones and skin removed
• coarse salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

Preperation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Arrange half the lemon slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Layer with 2 sprigs rosemary, and top with salmon fillets. Sprinkle salmon with salt, layer with remaining rosemary sprigs, and top with remaining lemon slices. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Dr. David Colbert of High School Reunion Diet fame appeared on the Martha Stewart Show this morning, March 3.   The charming Ms. Stewart started the show off with a trip down memory lane with her guests, reminiscing about their high school days.  Martha reported that she’d been an athlete and a “goody-two-shoes.”  David noted that his favorite part about high school was leaving it.  Later in the show, the Doctor shared his Shopping List, recommending we eat certain foods on a daily basis to stay young and healthy, inside and out.  Included were:

MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show

Greek Yogurt for its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effect, and its ability to fight infection

Blueberries for the antioxidants and phytonutrients (read: pretty skin)

Kale, which he gave an A for its Vitamin A.  (Makes your eyes see better and sparkle more)

Spinach, as the most nutritious plant on planet earth

Red and Orange Bell Peppers, because great color means great nutrients

Almonds, for the kind of fat that helps keep you thin

Olive Oil, the world’s most famous fat, to be used in cooking every day

To see a clip of Dr. Colbert on the show, please go to NBC.com and click on The Martha Stewart Show

Just because it’s not the season, that doesn’t mean you should forego the stupendous health benefits of the cooked tomato.  Though even ketchup and pizza sauce will give you the superb antioxidant protection of the tomato’s abundant lycopene, often what’s served underneath the sauce doesn’t do much for your waistline or your health.  Learn to use tomatoes in new and inventive ways even when you’re not getting them fresh from your garden. This simple recipe delivers the goods, with the added health benefits of the onion—proven to help protect against many forms of cancer if eaten on a regular basis.  (For all the details on both of these star vegetables, see The Lists section of The High School Reunion Diet.)  Recipe serves 4.

Prep

4 Pork chops

1 Medium onion, sliced thin

2 pints red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1      Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

2     Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1)   Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat.   Sauté the sliced onion until translucent and lightly browned.  Transfer to a bowl.

2)   Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, then sauté chops until browned and just cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer chops to a platter.

3)   Return the onions to the pan, add the tomatoes and sauté together over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Spread on chops and serve.

Think of the tomato as a large, red, good-looking multi-vitamin, and try to remember it wouldn’t hurt to take one each and every day.  Tomatoes deliver an alphabet city of important nutrients—Vitamins A, C, E, K, Bs, E for starters.  The cooked tomato has an added bonus; even a little cooking in olive oil releases the highly- touted anti-oxidant lycopene, which has proven in studies to have tremendous impact on fighting certain cancers, including prostate.  Last but not least—you’d be hard put to find someone who doesn’t like tomatoes; they make almost any dish more festive and flavorful.  Eat them year round, one way or another.  See The Recipes section for a way to enjoy them in winter.

1.  A bright green salad complete with Spinach for vitamins and nuts for a splash of protein….
2. Next came the leek soup – delicious yet nutritious. Plus, soup is a great warm up for any dinner during the cold weather!
3. The main course was fish with beans and anti-oxidant rich spices, topping off an excellent dinner.

There was no dessert for Dr. Colbert, but if you really need something sweet keep in mind that whole fruit is rich with flavor and packs a burst of natural sweetness without the health and beauty risks of refined sugar. 

If you have any three course meals that are High School Reunion Diet approved, we’d love to hear about them.  Just comment below.

In The High School Reunion Diet, we’ll discuss Smart Carbs vs. Dumb Carbs.  (Contrarry to popular opinion, all carbs aren’t bad for you; in fact, Smart Carbs are essential.)  One way to tell the difference between Smart and Dumb is to know the food’s ranking on the Glycemic Index.  The GI was created by scientists as a rating devise, to gage how quickly a food turns to glucose in our systems.  Slow (and low) as re: sugar is the name of the game here—high glycemic foods spike blood sugar and create cravings for more high glycemic foods, putting you on a constant blood sugar roller coaster and contributing to both weight gain and aging. 

On the GI, foods are ranked relative to a piece of white bread, which has a GI Index of 100.   (Read: instant glucose)

Highest GI:  100 plus

High GI:  70 plus

Med GI:  56-69

Low GI:  55 or less

Great GI:  20 or less

If you need to lose weight, stick with the Great GI to Low GI foods until you see real results; you can broaden your selections upwards later.  If you just want to look good, go low through medium.  High glycemic foods should be avoided for health and beauty reasons on the daily diet permanently (in The High School Reunion Diet we learn from a dermatologist how sugar makes our skin look old)–except for a well-earned dessert or the occasional splurge.  For the full Index showing how foods in our daily diets rank according to how fast they turn to sugar, see The High School Reunion Diet.  For a taste of what’s to come, compare the breads listed below with low and medium GI vegetables.  It doesn’t take a genius to instantly recognize what’s far better for your health and looks.

GI INDEX (excerpted from The High School Reunion Diet)

Breads

Bagel                                             103

Baguette                                    136

English Muffin                           110

Hamburger Bun                           87

Kaiser Roll                                    105

Multi-Grain                                     61

Oat Bran                                      68

Pita                                             82

Poori                                             117

Rye                                             71

Rye, Light                                    97

Tortilla, Corn                           74

Tortilla, Wheat                           40

Wheat                                    76

White                                             100

White, Enriched                           110

Vegetables (with Great GI, ie, under 20)

Artichoke

Arugula

Asparagus

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumbers

Escarole

Eggplant

Beets

Chard

Collard Greens

Kale

Mustard

Spinach

Turnips

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Okra

Peppers

Green Beans

Snow peas

Squash

Watercress

Zucchini

Vegetables (w/ low-med GI)

Tomatoes                           23

Sweet Potato                  63

Yams                                    53

FYI, a baked white potato clocks in at a GI of 158.  Mashed?  123.  Even if you don’t need to lose weight (and The High School Reunion Diet isn’t just about weight loss), change your favorite potato to a sweet one or a yam.  It’s a far healthier, skinnier, sexier choice—and intelligent choices like this on a daily basis will keep your body young and your skin glowing.