Category Archives: Nutrition/Live-It
Recipe Make-Over ~ Emeril Lagasse North African Lamb Kebabs
I’m starting a new Saturday Recipe Make-Over series. You can submit your favorite recipes (send to Bryan dot Fiona at gmail dot com) and I will make them over so that they are tasty yet healthy and lower in fat. If you have favorite made-over recipes that you would like to share please send them in and we will post them for all to see. Since I’m not a laboratory scientist I wont be providing caloric details but it is quite amazing how a recipe can change for the better with just a little tweeking here and there.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups
finely chopped onion - 1 tablespoon lemon
zest - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground
cumin - 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes with some of the fat attached
- (2 cups whole cherry tomatoes)
- 6 warm pita breads, for serving (I substitute Lettuce tossed with a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice here)
- Yogurt
Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, mint, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, and olive oil. Add the lamb to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Soak 8 to 10 bamboo skewers in warm water for about 1 hour before assembling the kabobs.
Preheat the grill to high, and lightly oil the grill grates to prevent sticking. Thread the lamb (and cherry tomatoes) onto the soaked skewers and place on the grill, turning to evenly cook, about 12 to 14 minutes.
(DELETE THIS PART – Drizzle the pitas with sauce, then wrap the pita around the meat on the skewer, fold over and twist the skewer off the meat.) (Twist the skewer off the meat onto the salad and drizzle with yogurt sauce. Keep in mind that lamb is higher in fat than many other meats so you may want to be conservative with your serving sizes.) Serve.
Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup plain (non-fat) yogurt
- 1/2 cup (non-fat or low fat) sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Snack Yourself Silly to Boost Your Metabolism

I’m an all or nothing kind of gal and this really isn’t a great trait when it comes to trying to eat healthy. I often find myself having eaten breakfast around 8am, Lunch around 1 or 2 and then Dinner around 7. There are times that I don’t snack much and this is a big NO-NO for several reasons. First, your metabolism is like an engine and if you don’t oil it regularly it gets sorta ticked off and slows down. For best results, you should be eating something every 2-3 hours during the day to keep your metabolism happy. The second reason is that, by only eating three times a day, I tend to eat more and make different choices than I might if I were not absolutely famished by the time I slowed down enough to eat.
This is a dilemma for lots of moms, whether you stay at home or work in or out of the home, there is no denying that we mammas are a busy bunch. Taking time to feed our bodies small nutritious snacks helps fuel us both physically and emotionally. Chances are that at the very time of day when your toddler is throwing herself down in the middle of Whole Foods telling you she hates you, is most likely the same time of day that your own body and emotions are struggling stay stable. This state of being is partially due to the fact that your child has turned into a demon and partially because your body is running low on enough energy and strength to handle the situation!
I think there are periods of time in our lives when things go a little crazy and we lose our way. We take shortcuts or consciously go against what we know because it is easier. When this is the case we just need to reel ourselves in and make changes going forward. So, if
you are not fueling yourself appropriately STOP and make a conscious decision to change this. Here are a list of five of my favorite healthy snacks that have a wee bit of protein for extra mileage.Friday’s Guest: Jennifer Leal on Nutrition and Smart Eating
MomActive is excited to introduce Jennifer Leal of Savor The Thyme blog as our guest on this Friday’s radio program. We will discuss smart nutrition and the challenges we all face when trying to incorporate healthy foods into our childrens’ diets.
Sweet Potato ‘Fries’
Strawberry Muffins
Sweet Potato Muffins
Turkey Meatballs
Alphabet Soup
Even Oatmeal cookies can be enjoyed but I sneak in a nutritional boost!
