I’m a snacker. I would rather eat ten little meals a day than three big ones. Truly, I would be fully satisfied with a snack dispenser attached to my hip like those old-fashioned coin changer belts that waitresses and gas station attendants wore back in the day when we used change and we used gas station attendants. keep the change you filthy animal (name the movie)

When it comes to snacking, Cheetos and Bugles might top the list for their most satisfying crunches and salt infusions, and if either could be classified as real food. Might as well eat carpet threads and paper towels for the same nutritional value, yet with a bit more fiber.

So, how can we have ready-made snacks that are made of real food and that are satisfying? Go nuts.

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Act 2. Because we grilledan extra pork tenderloin the night before, we get to, or should I say the family gets to make a meal that falls somewhere between a chinese hot pot and a Japanese ramen noodle dish. Wait until you see how our cup ‘o vegetables put cup o’ noodles to shame.

This inspiration goes back to Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, where we found a tiny food stall barely visible through the long line of devoted morning diners who awaited the one dish served by the renowned ramen pork noodle king. He darted from broth pot to noodle colander to pork cutting board, assembling each serving without ever looking up. I ate my breakfast noodles standing on the curb next to moving traffic and leaning over a rusted bicycle (rusted from noodle broth I slopped around, yeah?). I yanked up those firm noodles with chopsticks, biting off where I could and I drank from the bowl like it was holy water. Slurping was allowed, no encouraged, in Japan. Ten yearolds boys and eighty yearold dads welcome. read more

The effort:payoff ratio with pork tenderloin simply doesn’t compute. Pork tenderloin, grilled for ten minutes, will get raves of deliciousness even from a kid who isn’t a protein lover. Then kick it up with some herbs and spice that crust up on the fire and, well, it just isn’t fair how easy this is for the reception it gets at the table. The best part, is that the slightly undercooked center will bloom very nicely in subsequent meals with just a slight reheat, or within noodle or soup dishes, or even in run-on sentences like this.

I was thinking of a favorite chimichurri seasoning by Tyler Florence, but was missing a few ingredients. read more

Some things seem too decadent, too cumbersome, and too indulgent to be easy. And that’s just how it should seem when you serve easy, breezy strawberry crepes on Valentine’s Day in the morning before you send your loved ones off into the world to be among the people who love them just a little less than you. My words here are not to introduce you to the crepe, there are many other creative recipes online that go beyond my abilities. I’m just saying that meals as special as strawberry crepes are possible even for a weekday breakfast.

I am well aware that strawberries are not in season. I know this because I have been living on oranges, pears, and apples from my farm people for way too many months now. Also, don’t raise your voices or type IN ALL CAPS because I also realize that strawberries cost four hundred dollars a pint this time of year. And yes, I get that whipping cream is loaded with fat, but I have skinny kids (probably from all that bok choy) who can take it with the protein goodness that clean milk products provide. Don’t beat me up over sugar, either, I promise it’s scant in this recipe. Now that we have that out of the way – wait, what’s that? someone just shouted, “what about the time it takes to make crepes?” Well mister, I used pre-packaged crepes. Oops.

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In 2004, the American Heart Association (AHA) faced a challenge. Cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year, yet women were not paying attention. In fact, many even dismissed it as an “older man’s disease.” To dispel the myths and raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women, the American Heart Association createdGo Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health.

We offer some basic heart-healthy nutritional guidelines for women from the AHA, but we also recommend you check out the site for your age group and for other guidelines to keeping your heart strong.

Nutrition Guidelines

• Choose foods low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.
• Eat plenty and a variety of fruits or vegetables (aim for at least 2 ½ Cups of each, every day)
• Choose lean meat, fish* or skinless chicken. Oily Fish is a recommended choice because it is high in Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, trout, herring). Aim to eat a 3.5 ounce serving of fish twice a week.
• Choose fiber-rich, whole grains (at least 3 1oz. servings a day)
• Stay away from added sugars (No more than 36 oz.(450 calories) of sugar-sweetened beverages a week). The calories from sweetened drinks add up fast!
• Cut down on the amount of sodium you eat (No more than 1500 mg a day).
• Make sure you are getting enough calcium. It’s good for your bones and cuts your risk for developing osteoporosis later in life.

In honor of Go Red for Women, crunchtime offers some of our favorite heart healthy foods.

We love ,with all our heart, a healthy salad that provides a bit of lean protein within a mound of vegetables as is the case with ourheart-healthy steak salad. Cod Basquaise isanother crunchtime favorite because it makes the rather plain, but omega-3 loaded fish, into a special meal among intensely seasoned vegetables. The Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad offers a unique variety in fruits and vegetables that help you get the best range of nutrients from your foods and it’s topped with the hardest-working nut – the walnut. Finally, no heart-healthy regimen is complete without fiber and beans go the extra mile in delivering a good measure of fiber along with the feeling of fullness to help your eat less; so we offer ourSunday Beans to round out the foods.

Stay healthy and Go Red for Women!