This lasagna recipe is definitely healthy and quick to prepare.  Skip the layering and long baking to make a quick and yummy meal for your family.
Ingredients:  8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 chopped onion, 3 sliced garlic cloves, 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, 8 cups baby spinach, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
Procedure:

1. Bring a large pot to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes until soft.  Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for 4 to 6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, spinach, crushed red pepper and increase the heat.  Cook the mixture for 4 minutes until the spinach has wilted.

3. Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls.  Top each serving with ricotta cheese.

Get ready for the summer by following these 5 rules to eating right.  If you couple this with exercise, you will definitely get a great summer body.

* Consume foods totaling to 1,500 calories a day.  If you weigh more than 200 pounds, increase this number up to 1,700 calories by adding a single 200-calorie snack or two 100 calorie snacks.  You can also choose to increase your protein serving at lunch and dinner to 4 ounces.
* Eat every 4 hours.  If you wait longer than 4 hours before eating, your blood sugar and energy levels will decrease and it will leave you more vulnerable to making poor eating choices.  Eat a 400-calorie breakfast, 300-calorie lunch, and 500-calorie dinner plus a snack worth 100 to 200 calories.
* Have 3 ounces of protein for lunch and dinner.
* Watch the snacks you’re eating.  Eat healthy snacks like vegetable and fruit slices instead of grabbing a bagel or hitting the vending machines.
* Stay hydrated by choosing calorie-free beverages like water, sparkling water, herbal or black tea and coffee but limit your caffeinated drinks to only two per day.  Getting hydrated will help keep your metabolism in high gear.

This light Japanese-style dish is great as a snack.  Yaki nasu is broiled eggplant with dashi and soy-based cold soup.  The charred eggplants soak up the broth resulting in an intense smoky, salty, sweet and savory snack.

Ingredients:

1 pound Japanese eggplant, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Kosher salt, 1 cup dashi found in Asian markets, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 2 finely sliced scallions, large pinch katsuobushi (dried, shaved bonito found in Asian markets), 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Procedure

1.  Drizzle eggplant with olive oil and sea salt.  Set broiler to high and place the eggplant on foil-lined broiler pan and place 6-inches under broiler element.  Broil the eggplants for 15-25 minutes and turn every 5 minutes until well charred and the eggplants are fully softened.  Transfer to a large plate and allow to cool.  When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin and pull into rough large strips.

2.  Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin and ginger in a medium-sized bowl.  Place the eggplant in the dashi mixture and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in a refrigerator until completely cool.

3.  Serve by placing eggplants in individual serving bowls, pout excess sauce on top and garnish with scallions, katsuobushi, sesame seeds and additional soy sauce.

This pasta dish is simply yummy because of the tomato sauce and ricotta cheese.  If you have the extra time, you can make your own tomato sauce and ricotta cheese for a more delicious meal but store-bought ingredients would do.

Ingredients:

8 ounces capellini or angel hair pasta, 2 cups tomato sauce, good quality olive oil, 1 cup fresh ricotta , chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.  Boil a large pot of water and add some salt.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.

2.  Warm the tomato sauce and olive oil in a saucepan.  In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and a little bit of olive oil to loosen the cheese up.

3.  Place and divide the cooked pasta into bowls, spoon over the tomato sauce mixture and top with the ricotta mixture.  Drizzle each with some olive oil and garnish with pepper, parsley and parmesan cheese.

This easy and yummy dinner salad recipe is made up of sweet scallops, spinach and frisée.  The tangerine vinaigrette complements the scallops that are coated with coriander.  Frisée has a big flavor and a sturdy texture that stands up to the warm scallops.  If you cannot find frisée, substitute it with escarole and curly endive.

Ingredients:

Tangerine Vinaigrette: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon tangerine or orange zest, 2 tablespoons tangerine or orange juice, 4 teaspoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced shallot, 2 teaspoons finely chopped spring herbs like chervil, chives, tarragon and dill, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Salad: 6 cups baby spinach, 6 cups torn frisée, 2 tangerines or oranges (segmented), 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1 pound dry sea scallops (patted dry), 1 tablespoon canola oil

Procedure:

1.  To make the vinaigrette, combine olive oil, tangerine zest and juice, vinegar, shallots, chopped herbs, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

2.  Coarsely grind coriander seeds and combine with kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Sprinkle scallops with the coriander mixture on both sides.

3.  Heat canola oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.  Add the scallops and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they develop a golden brown crust.

4.  Prepare salad by combining spinach, frisée, tangerine segments in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the prepared vinaigrette and toss to coat.  Top the salad with the scallops.

Men lose weight more easily than women.  Men have bigger muscle mass that helps burn 30% more calories while women have more body fat and are biologically more inclined to store it.  Men don’t get monthly hormone peaks like women that makes them feel grumpy, bloated and craving anything sweet.  To help you lose weight like a guy, here are seven tips you can follow.

* He doesn’t crave sweets.  According to a Cornell University study, men eat meat when they want to indulge while women ward off the blues by eating sweets.  This is an advantage for men because protein fills them up more and curbs overeating.  If you’re not in a good mood, try eating protein first like low-fat string cheese low-fat turkey and cheese roll-up, fat-free cottage cheese with fruits.
* He lifts heavy weights.  Men go to the gym and they’ll pick an exercise that allows them to use the most impressive-looking weights that is sure to build muscle in less time while women use light dumbbells.  Instead of using light dumbbells, pick a heavier dumbbell and start doing 8 to 10 reps.  When your body is used to 10 reps, increase the weight until you’re only able to do 3 reps.
* He doesn’t use food as a therapist.  Women are more likely to be depressed for many reasons causing them to binge.  But guys don’t think they can boost their mood by mainlining frozen dairy products. You shouldn’t either.
* Men act out their anger by doing something physical while women tend to swallow their feelings with food.  So when you get mad, get moving.  Take a Spin class or go for a head-clearing walk or run.
* Men don’t give up their favorite foods like women when they want to lose weight.  Men will still eat their favorite foods but they will have a third less than they usually do.  So don’t avoid your favorite foods, have something you love everyday like a portion of ice cream or a small cupcake instead of completely avoiding them.

When the $940 billion health care plan takes effect, about 32 million Americans who don’t have health insurance will be covered with the new health care plan.  Here are a few ways on how the health care reform bill will help real people with health insurance problems.

* Effective in six months time, children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied health care.  Even if a child’s parents lose their jobs, they will not be denied a private insurance based on their child’s condition.
* In 2014, insurance companies will not be able to deny adults with pre-existing condition coverage or charge them higher premiums.  Also, in 2014, Medicaid will cover individuals up to 133% of the poverty level.  Adults who get a low income will be eligible for Medicaid, or could get insurance through an exchange, a state-based pool established by the reform measure.
* Unemployed and uninsured individuals will also qualify for Medicaid under the 2014 rules.  They will also immediately benefit from the expansion of funding for community health centers that offer free and reduced-cost care.  The community health centers will receive $1 billion in fiscal year 2011 under reform.
* Small business owners with less than 50 employees will not incur a penalty for not offering health insurance.  For a company with an average wage of $25,000, if the employer provides at least half of the premium to employees, the employer is eligible for a tax credit of 35 percent of the employer’s contribution.
* The “doughnut hole” that is usually experienced by retirees will be narrowed more each year until it is completely gone in 2020.  Those in it now will receive a $250 rebate this year, and by 2020 will pay 25 percent of drug costs.
* Starting in 6 months, college students about to graduate can stay on their parents’ health plans up to their 26th birthday.

Tofu is healthy and is a good replacement for meats.  If you have friends who are not tofu eaters, try serving them this Japanese dish called agedashi dofu.  This dish consists of deep fried tofu with dashi broth and is perfect as an appetizer or you can serve them at parties.

Ingredients

2 cups store-bought dashi, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, One pack of firm or extra-firm silken-style tofu (cut into 3/4-inch cubes), 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 quart peanut oil, salt, 2 finely sliced scallions, 2 ounces grated daikon radish, katsuobushi or dried, shaved bonito found in Asian markets

Procedure:

1.  Combine dashi, soy and mirin in a small pot and heat over medium-high heat until barely simmering.  Reduce heat, cover and keep warm until ready to use.

2.  Heat oil in a wok set over high heat.  Combine corn starch and flour in a bowl and toss the tofu pieces in the flour mixture until well coated.  Shake any excess flour.

3.  Fry the tofu pieces and stir occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown.  Place the fried tofu pieces on paper towels to drain any excess oil.  Season the tofu with salt and pepper.

3.  Serve tofu in small bowls and pour the warm broth on top.  Garnish with sliced scallions, daikon radish and katsuobushi.

Part of the health care bill that was signed by President Barack Obama into law on Tuesday is a legislation that requires restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to show the calorie count of their food items on menus, menu boards and drive-throughs.  They will also need to show how many calories a healthy person should eat in a day.  Vending machines will also be required to show calorie information.

The new law mandates the US FDA to draft new national standards for menu labeling that will affect some 200,000 fast food and other chain restaurants.  The FDA will enforce the new law and will have the powers to initiate criminal prosecution if operators don’t follow.

According to Senator Tom Harkin, the reason behind this move was to help consumers see the calorie information at the time they make their choice.

Americans tend to eat more and worse when they eat out partly because they don’t know what’s in fast foods.  This legislation will provide Americans access to the most critical piece of nutrition information they need when they eat out.  This in turn will help reduce the rate of obesity and other diet-related diseases in the country.  So the next time you eat you’ll see that a Big Mac packs around 490 calories, coffee drinks can range from 20 to 800 calories while burgers can range from 250 calories up to 1,000 calories.

However, this law is not welcomed by some because they think the government is interfering too much in people’s private decisions, and there is insufficient evidence that menu labeling results in healthier eating.

Not everyone may be completely happy with the health care reform bill that was passed but there are individual components that will be of benefit to significant portions of the American population. One of these is the provision for chain restaurants and in vending machines to add nutritional labels and calorie contents on their menus.

This provision will provide customers with a wide range of information regarding the food items to help them decide before purchasing.  Calorie information will also be placed on menus, menu boards and drive-thru boards.

Section 2572 of the landmark legislation requires that chain restaurants with 20 or more locations and owners of 20 or more vending machines display nutritional and calorie information.  Many chain restaurants have begun this practice but it may be a bit harder for vending machine owners.  It would be really hard especially if the vending machine offers a wide range of food items for sale and this could be problematic and costly.

This would definitely help consumers who regularly buy from fast food chains and vending machines.  But they will need to wait for the practice to be put in effect because the legislation requires the FDA to propose specific regulations not later than one year from now, and then there will be a time period for those regulations to be approved and put into effect.