We love blueberries around here. I use them in anything from topping yogurt, cereal or granola with them to adding them to smoothies or baking them into pies and muffins. While searching for some new blueberry recipes, I came across some interesting and fun facts about this round little berry and thought you might enjoy them as well.

• Blueberries are the second most popular berry in the US. Strawberries by the way are the most popular.
• North America produces 90% of the worlds blueberries (2005).
• One serving of blueberries has more of the antioxidant power you need to fight aging, cancer and heart disease making them a true super food.

Fresh blueberries are obviously best, but they also tend to freeze well, so it’s easy to incorporate them in your diet year around. Grab some this week and bake up some blueberry muffins, or top your pancakes or cereal with them. Yummy!!!

We love to cook with fresh herbs. It just gives almost any dish a fresh and delicious taste. Of course the most perfect solution for getting fresh herbs would be to grow them in your garden or on your window sill, but that’s not always possible or practical. The next best option is to get them at the store or market and then store them properly to keep them fresh and usable for as long as possible.

To keep herbs fresh longer, loosely wrap them in a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. If you can’t use all of them up within a few days, you may want to consider freezing them. We use two different ways depending on what we will use the herbs in later. For herbs to use in soups, stews and sauces, just  chop the herbs and add them along with a little water to ice cube trays and freeze. When you’re ready to season your dish with the fresh herb, just plop  the herb ice cube in the cooking liquid.

The second option is to clean the herbs, put them in small freezer bags and then throw them in the freezer. We like to use enough herbs for one recipe or dish per bag. That way you can take one out and use it today and another one a few weeks from now.

Both of these freezing techniques work  great whenever you buy or grow more herbs than you can use right away and it ensures that you have fresh seasonings all year long.

Cooking light just came out with their top 20 cities that promote a healthy livestyle including eating smart, staying fit and living well. Here they are…

1. Seattle, Washington

An abundance of fresh local foods, walker-friendly streets, and inclusive attitudes helps make Seattle America’s best city for healthy living.

2. Portland, Oregon

Life is good in our second-ranked city, thanks to its seemingly endless supply of outdoor activities, cutting-edge restaurants, and vibrant environmental consciousness.

3. Washington, D.C.

Our capital city sets an accommodating agenda with farm-fresh dining, diverse cultures, and ample opportunity for exploration on foot.

4. Minneapolis, Minnesota

In our fourth-ranked best city, lush parks and shimmering lakes provide a natural backdrop to a rich cultural landscape.

5. San Francisco, California

Our fifth-ranked city steps up with one of the world’s most unforgettable settings–along with great cuisine and an energetic spirit.

6. Boston, Massachusetts

Strolling historic parks and swanning around the water are but two of the pastimes that make summer prime time to enjoy our sixth-ranked city.

7. Denver, Colorado

The Mile-High City ranked seventh on our list for an outdoorsy Western lifestyle that makes living well accessible and irresistible.

8. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Our eighth-ranked city proves a worthy destination for food lovers, adventure seekers, and culture aficionados alike.

9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In America’s fifth-largest city, the historic past provides a backdrop for a present that’s healthful and happening.

10. Tucson, Arizona

Tucson offers a taste of the authentic Southwest in a desert setting that’s ideal for a warm winter getaway.

11. Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, it turns out, has lots of people who eat five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day–27 percent.

12. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Graced with bountiful trail systems, no wonder 91 percent of the city’s population claims to be in good health.

13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Skies, once dark with factory smoke, open above crystal-towered downtown Pittsburgh, bound on three sides by the rivers Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio.

14. St. Louis, Missouri

A love for local produce and healthful activities keeps this urban center well fed and on the move.

15. New York, New York

New Yorkers walk far more than most Americans, and they do it quickly. But they slow down for green markets–25 in Manhattan alone.

16. Atlanta, Georgia

Approximately 55,000 people gather on the Fourth of July at the Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10k in the world.

17. Austin, Texas

You can’t swing a yoga mat in Austin without hitting a cool place to exercise–whether it’s inside a gym or outdoors in a natural, spring-fed pool.

18. Chicago, Illinois

The city’s environmentally friendly mentality is one of the reasons why it is home to the 2007 Cooking Light FitHouse.

19. Las Vegas, Nevada

In our list, the city ranks third in restaurants rated “extraordinary to perfection” and third in nominations for James Beard awards.

20. Kansas City, Missouri

A recent study revealed Kansas City has the purest water of any major city in the country.

Is your city on the list?

There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about mercury in fish. If you, like my family enjoy tuna sandwiches and the likes, you’re probably wondering how many cans of tuna you can still safely eat each week. The bad news is that there isn’t just a set number, since it depends a lot on how much you weight. In other words, a small woman can eat a lot less tuna safely than a 250 lb man.

The good news is that there is a Tuna Calculator that will tell you exactly how many cans of tuna you can safely consume per week. Once you punch in your weight, the calculator will tell you how many cans of albacore tuna and how many cans of light tuna you can have per week and still stay under the FDA recommended levels of mercury.

By the way, if you have kids under the age of 5, the FDA recommends that you don’t feed them any albacore tuna as it tends to be much higher in mercury and those levels could be dangerous to young children.

My husband and kids love to snack, and to be honest so do I. So I’m always on the lookout for healthy snacks that provide good nutrition, while tasting good of course. One of our new family favorites is crunchy, savory chickpeas. Here’s how to make them.

You’ll need

• 1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cumin

Get out a heavy nonstick skillet and set burner to medium high heat.

Pour the chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and wrap them in it to soak up most of the moisture. Dump the chickpeas in the warm skillet and season them with salt, pepper and plenty of cumin. Cook them, moving them around from time to time for about 10 to 15 minutes or until they are nice and crunchy. Pour in a bowl and serve.

You can play around with the seasonings to make all kinds of different flavors.

I like the fact that the chickpeas provide a good bit of protein and fiber, but still make for a nice crunchy, salty snack.

Who knew, but apparently eating peanut Butter sandwiches is good for the environment. According to PBJCampaing.org eating a vegetarian lunch like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, saves water, uses less land and will even slow down global warming. How you may ask … the basic idea is that you replace a lunch including meat like a cheeseburger for example with a plant based one like a pb&j sandwich. It takes a lot less energy, land and water to produce the peanuts and make the peanut butter than it does to raise a cow that is then turned into that hamburger patty residing on your bun.

It’s an interesting idea and what I really like about it is the fact that I don’t have to make any huge changes to my habits to have a positive impact. I don’t think I could become a fulltime vegetarian, I just love a good steak or burger to much for that, but I can replace some of my meals with  vegetarian options. Not only is it good for the environment, it’s also good for my body.

I recently received a great email from a Menu Planning Subscriber who had a great idea for making his grocery trips even faster, more convenient and he even found a way to keep his food expenses in check. Here’s what he wrote:

Dear Christine,

Since I do my shopping at the same store, I have created a grocery list template based on my grocery store’s layout.  When  I was at the store I wrote down the aisle number and the description of what’s there from the banners in the store (ie, Aisle 2-Can beans/meat/soup, etc) and then typed it up in the computer in the order that I will pass the aisles.  When I’m ready to make my list I print out a blank template, look at my menu and write the ingredients down in the appropriate section.  It really helps speed up my shopping trip and helps me not to overlook items I passed 2 aisles ago!

Another thing I do is write down the price (rounded up or down) next to the item as I pick it up.  Then I can keep track and stick to my budget.  If my total is getting too high, I can look on my list and know exactly what I need to put back in order to stay within my limit.

A subscriber in California.

What a great time saving tip. Once you have a pretty good idea of the layout of your store and have the template set up, it shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to rewrite the grocery list we provide you with each menu. We do our best to categorize it by sections of the store, but reorganizing it in the manner suggested for your particular store will make it even more convenient.

I also love the idea of adding a price for each item. That makes it a lot easier to judge whether or not an item on sale really is a good deal or not.

Thanks for sharing the great tip “Subscriber in California”.

I just added an interesting article by our nutritionist to the member area of Menu Planning Central. She talks about how so many of us have already given up on our New Year’s resolutions by now and I have to admit that I’m not doing all that well with my resolve to exercise every day. It’s more like once or twice a week, if that much. Hey, at least I’ve not given up completely.

She gives a couple of great tips on what you can do to stay on track. If you’re a member, you can read her article here.

I thought I’d share a few of my own ideas…

• Keep a Journal
  Just writing everything down be it what you eat if you’re on a diet, how much you exercise or how you are feeling about not smoking helps, helps you stay on track.
• Find A Buddy
  Find someone with the same or similar resolutions and support each other.
• Make Small Goals and Reward Yourself
  A huge task like losing 20 pounds or giving up smoking for good can seem pretty daunting. Instead break it down into smaller chunks like losing 2 pounds this week, or not smoking for the next 3 days and then give yourself a small reward. The positive reinforcement will keep you going.

How about you? What has helped you in the past to stick to a resolution or goal you’ve made for yourself? Share your ideas as a comment below.