While the allure of healthy prepared meals fresh out of a box may be tempting, are these frozen diet foods actually good for you?

Pros
Frozen diet meals like Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers and Healthy Choice offer a wide range of options – you can find everything from breakfast sandwiches to pizza to Chinese noodle dishes. Those in favor of these packaged meals are all about the ease of use.

Top 5 Pros
•    Portion controlled
•    Ready in minutes
•    A wide variety to choose from
•    Easy to transport and store at work
•    No cooking skills required

Cons
Folks on the opposing side argue that convenience will cost you.

Top 5 Cons
•    Loaded with sodium – most brands have a at least 25-percent of the your daily recommendation
•    Unappetizing odor and fake taste
•    Lots of unrecognizable ingredients, little real food
•    Pricey – $4 a box may not seem like a lot but cost can pile up quickly
•    Not a long-term solution to healthy eating (do you want to rely on these meals forever?)

Bottom Line: What’s more important? Eating real whole foods or taking the effort (and creativity) out of meal prep? If convenience trumps quality, you may want to reconsider how much you value your health. Food Network

1. Avocados
Most people don’t know that avocados are a fruit and oddly enough they do contain fat.  They contain monounsaturated fats which makes them so healthy. Eating them can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

2. Spaghetti and Meatballs
The iron and protein from the beef, lycopene from the tomato sauce and the carbohydrates from the pasta will make this dish quite healthy. If you stick to modest portions and lean beef, you can enjoy its benefits. Limit yourself to three ounces of meat and a cup of cooked pasta per serving.

3. Bananas
Bananas are a healthy fruit even though they do have high sugar and carbohydrate contents. A small banana has the same calories, carbs and fiber as an apple. They also come packed with vitamin C, B-6 and potassium. Their great for your heart too.

4. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is fattening, but it contains the good fats and 30% of your daily calories should come from healthy fats. The nutty spread is also a great way to get protein, fiber and vitamin E. Whole peanuts, nuts, almonds and walnuts are a great way to get your daily dose of healthy fats.

5.  Corn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Corn is definitely a starchy vegetable and is also a grain. One cup of corn kernels contains 5 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and you benefit from its B-vitamins.  It doesn’t have to be eaten just as a vegetable, you can also eat in it the forms of polenta, tortillas and popcorn.  Just don’t load that popcorn with tons of butter.

 6. Burritos
Burritos can be a healthy choice if you fill them with vegetables, rice, beans and small portions of meat. An 8-inch, whole wheat tortillas is a good size topped with your favorite salsa just but be sure to skip the sour cream and high fat cheeses.

7. Potatoes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 Potatoes are nutritious and medium potato has 165 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein, 10% of your daily iron and 70% of your daily vitamin C needs.  They are so versatile and can be served as mashed, roasted, and baked. Skip the fries. Way too many calories.

8. Eggs
Eggs do contain some cholesterol but you can eat up to two eggs per day without significantly affecting blood cholesterol levels. Eggs are also full of vitamins A, D and lutein. Have it your way, fried, sunny side up, an omelet or even make an egg burrito

Ingredients

Tomato sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion,
• 3 cloves of  minced garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes,
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 

Chicken:

• Cooking spray
• 4 thin chicken cutlets
• 2 large egg whites
• About ½ cup of dry Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 to 5 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

To make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Simmer on medium heat till the flavors are blended and the sauce begins to thicken, about 10-20 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the basil.

 For the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Slightly beat the egg whites. Dip chicken into  the egg whites and then into the  bread crumb mixture. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken into a baking dish. Top with sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Our pets deserve lots of love too. Here are some quick and easy recipes to share with your beloved cats and or dogs.

For your kitty

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup soy flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup dried catnip
• 1/4 cup canned tuna (water packed), drained
• 1/2 cup juice from drained tuna – add water if needed
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 1 egg, lightly whisked

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
3. Add in wet ingredients and stir until the mixture becomes stiff. If the dough feels too sticky, add more whole wheat flour.
4. Mold the dough into a large ball and place it on wax paper.
5. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inches.
6. Score into bite-size squares
7. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 25 minutes.
8. Cool and store in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the fridge.

For your dog

. Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 to 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 2 eggs
•  heart-shaped cookie cutter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with pam.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Roll the dough out to 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Perforate the cookies with a fork
4. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes until they turn golden brown. After treating your dog, store the rest in the refrigerator

   It is considered the number one treat for romance. It has been considered a powerful aphrodisiac for centuries.  In Mayans times, newly married couples would feed one another chocolate in anticipation of their wedding night, and the French enjoy it with their lovers as they believed it increased arousal and stamina. Certain natural chemicals that occur in chocolate create slight changes in the body, such as raising the heart rate.  It induces a sense of love and raises serotonin. Serotonin is one of the main reasons that chocolate is also seen as a treat for when your feeling under the weather, as it is a mood enhancer

  Chocolate can be beneficial to one’s health, but only in moderation and only the purer versions of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate can be bitter in taste but it is powerful and potent in a small amount. Just remember to eat it in moderation, it still has calories.

Here are some tips to remedy that:

Whether you have one or more of these appliances, you can create healthy easy meals for yourself without a full kitchen. Have fun with it. There is lots of room for creativity.

• Toaster Oven. Because it heats quickly, a toaster oven is an economical way to broil or bake. Of course, it is limited by its small size but can be used for heating single meals, roasting vegetables, toasting bread, and making toasted sandwiches, for example.
• Hot Plate. An inexpensive alternative for a full size stove top, a hot plate is ideal for hotel rooms and  small apartments. Just about anything that can be made on a stove top can be made on a hot plate with a saucepan or frying pan.
• Rice Cooker.  Consisting of a metal bowl with a heat source on the bottom, rice is not the only thing that can be cooked in a rice cooker. With a little creativity, it can also be used to cook flavorful one-pot dishes.
• Slow Cooker or Crock-Pot.  As it’s designed to cook unattended, you can add ingredients to a slow cooker in the morning before work, for example, and then come home at the end of the day to a fully cooked meal. Slow cookers are ideal for cooking things like stews, casseroles or anything which requires a long time to cook.

 Iron: From infancy, up to childhood and for women who are in the age bracket of bearing children, iron is essential. It is used to make hemoglobin in the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.  Great sources of iron are whole grains, vegetables, seafood , meats and poultry.

Copper: It works together with iron to produce blood and is a necessity for proper bone and cartilage development. Beef, nuts, fruits, vegetable, legumes and whole grains are a great source of copper.

Zinc: Children and the senior population do benefit most from zinc. It is critical for body growth, wound and tissue repair but not only that it helps support the immune system. Great for when you feel a cold coming on. Add more zinc to your diet with poultry and seafood. Guess that’s why chicken soup is a cold remedy

Manganese: Helps the immune and nervous system to function properly.  It also helps with the joints and the absorption of nutrients. Manganese is mostly found in some spices such as cloves, saffron and ginger.  You can also find it in, wheat , rice, oat bran, nuts, sunflower seeds and our favorite off all time, dark chocolate. I got to have my chocolate

Iodine: Anyone dealing with thyroid issues, Iodine helps the thyroid to function properly.  Having had thyroid issues for most of my life, you do have skin, nail, hair and sometime teeth issues. Not only that, weight issues are known to be part of the thyroid problem. I’m working on eating more pineapple, seafood,and poultry. Other known sources are dairy, cereals, raisins and grains.

Last but not least,

Selenium: This mineral helps the thyroid function, plus assists with proper functioning of our immune system. Great sources are meats, wheat, corn and nuts.

Eating out on a constant basis can restrict you of the minerals we are all in need of to help our bodies function properly. Take care to make sure you are getting the minerals you need. The lack of these minerals can lead to osteoporosis, anemia and anxiety.

 running errands and taking our children to and from school and social activities. As our lives tend to grow busier, so do our waistlines.

To help reduce cancer and other diseases, it’s best to take time, sit down and eat your meals at home and eating out less.

  When dining out, people tend to gravitate toward all the wrong things. People consume more calories, fat and sodium when they eat out than when they cook at home. And restaurant customers often miss out on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other healthy type foods that may reduce the risk of cancer.

  Experts believe up to one-third of cancers are related to diet. Diets filled with red meat and fewer vegetables have been linked to several kinds of cancer.  We tend to overeat when we eat out and especially opt for unhealthy type foods. In turn this can lead to obesity, which increases the risk of  breast cancer, as well as cancers of the colon, kidneys, esophagus,  and other tissues.

  Think twice before opting for a restaurant meal or take out. Isn’t your health worth it.

 Veal Parmesan: We all love it when veal parm shows up on the menu. It’s a great Italian favorite. Just beware that any veal dish under $10 is not veal. Veal happens to be an expensive piece of meat and restaurants don’t make money giving food away. Be forewarned that it’s probably pork. If you are sensitive to eating pork or can’t because of religious beliefs. Stay away because it’s more than likely not veal

All you can eat Buffets:  Buffets are usually a gathering place for the Sunday family meal. Just know that the meats, some of the protein items and vegetables are not of the best grades. You cannot serve a decent product for a minimal price. If you love going to buffets, stick with the pastas and grains. They are your best bet. Food is usually prepared in bulk and sits on the steam table for hours at a time. Any nutritional value that happened to be in the food is no longer. There really isn’t any deals when it comes to eating at a buffet.

So whether you are cooking a roasted chicken for dinner, putting love and intention to what you are preparing for your family has good benefits. It’s a small moment in our day to slow down (often in all the chaos) and spend one moment focusing on the positive and what we want to create in our lives.

Take a moment and write your intention on a piece of paper. Tape it to the crock pot  or plate on which you placed the meals.  When you eat it, take a second to remember the message infused into the food, and enjoy!

While you are chopping and preparing, take a moment to reflect on your day and what intention and love you want to infuse into your food.

You’ll never look back and think it was a waste of time.   Save those messages, you may be surprised when you reflect back months and years later at the positive things that you created