Hoisin-Glazed Tempeh with Green Beans and Cashews

Serves:  4 (3/4 cup serving)

Ingredients:

4 tsp. hoisin sauce

2 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar, divided 

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp. cornstarch 

1 T. vegetable oil

1 1/2 T. minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 12-oz. pkg. frozen whole baby green beans

1/3 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Directions:

1. Whisk together hoisin sauce, 2 tsp. rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water in small bowl. Set aside.   

2. Heat skillet or wok over medium heat. Add oil, then ginger and garlic. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until garlic turns pale gold.
3. Add tempeh and hoisin sauce mixture to pan. Stir to coat tempeh. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 2 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.
4. Stir in green beans. Cover, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until beans are hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar. Serve topped with cashews.

Nutrition: 

260 calories, 15g total fat (g saturated fat), 19g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 3g dietary fiber, 230mg sodium.

Source: www.vegetariantimes.com 

'Let's Move!' - One Year Later. How are we doing so far?

February marked the first anniversary of First Lady, Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move!' campaign to combat childhood obesity. Garnering attention from both her supporters and her critics, Mrs. Obama has made childhood obesity her signature issue, promoting healthful eating and exercise across the country. So, after a year's work, how far has she come?

The question should actually be, how far have we come? The answer is, we most certainly have started to move. From Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and the country's new focus on the school vending and lunch system to Wal-Mart's announcements to provide fresh produce and slash the levels of fat, sugar and salt in their foods - childhood nutrition is on the minds of businesses, lawmakers and parents in America.

Let's see what other changes we have seen in the nutrition landscape of the past year:

March 2010 - Legislation requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content on menus

April 2010 - The Institute of Medicine releases a report, advising Congress to institute mandatory sodium reduction in the food supply

December 2010 - The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, aimed at increasing access to nutritious school lunches, is signed into law by President Obama

January 2011 - The 2010 Dietary Guidelines advise Americans to eat less and move more by emphasizing whole grains, lean protein (more seafood!) and low-fat dairy

February 10, 2011 - The 'Let's Move Salad Bars to School' initiative has granted 452 salad bars to school, serving 22,400 kids

So to those critics out there that say it isn't 'working' - look at all that progress! Change takes time and patience and Mrs. Obama herself has said that our goal is to build a healthy future for our children and the generations to come. The second year of "Let's Move!" will only bring us closer to that goal.

Source:  http://www.letsmove.gov/accomplishments.php  

 Eggs Are Now Healthier! 

Egg lovers rejoice! A recent government study revealed that eggs are actually lower in cholesterol and higher in vitamin D than previously thought due to improvement in the chicken feed. Higher quality

chicken feed produces healthier eggs. Eggs, on average, now contain 185 milligrams of cholesterol, which is 14% lower than before, and contain 64% more vitamin D. The added vitamin D in the egg yolk provides great health benefits such as increased calcium absorption for bone health.

In addition to vitamin D, the egg yolk is a great source of choline, which is linked to inflammation reduction in the body. Choline levels are low in approximately 90% of Americans, so eating eggs is a great way to increase your intake of this nutrient.

Need another reason to love eggs? Eggs are a great source of protein, low in saturated fat, and have been linked to weight loss. Eating eggs as a part of a low calorie diet can help you to lose more weight than if you were to eat the same number of calories from carbohydrate sources.

Bottom Line: Eggs are actually quite nutritious and should be included in a well-balanced diet. For those who have heart disease, consult your doctor before adding more servings of eggs into your diet. 

Source: www.cbsnew.com