how to eat heart healthy: the easy way

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How to Eat Heart-Healthy (The Easy Way!) A training module on nutrition for the average adult.

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Page 1: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

How to Eat

Heart-Healthy

(The Easy Way!)

A training module on nutrition for the average adult.

Page 2: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Table of Contents: -Title Page

-Table of Contents

-Time Frame

-List of Materials

-Preparation

-Introduction

-Icebreaker

-Training Contents

-Outline

-Part 1: The Blind Taste Test

-Part 2: Presentation of Information

-Conclusion and Q&A

-Copies of Handouts

Page 3: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Time Frame:

Introduction: 2 mins.

Icebreaker: 3 mins.

Part 1 – The Blind Taste Test: 15 mins.

Part 2 – Presentation: 25 mins.

Conclusion and Q&A: 5 mins.

Total amount of time: 50 mins.*

*This is an approximation, depending on audience

participation and questions as well as time reallocation as the

module leader sees fit.

Page 4: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

List of Materials: Dry spaghetti: 1 box regular, one box whole

wheat.

Jar/can of tomato sauce.

Loaf of bread: 1 loaf white, 1 loaf Sara Lee

White Wheat.

Goldfish crackers: 1 package regular, 1

package whole wheat.

Paper plates: enough for 3 per participant.

Plastic forks: enough for one per participant.

Dry erase board, chalk board, or flip chart

with accompanying writing implement.

One copy of each handout for each participant

as well as a pen or pencil for each participant.

Page 5: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Preparation: 1. Boil the pasta noodles, cover in warmed-up sauce,

and keep in two separate containers (make sure

you remember which is which!)

2. Make sure that you have serving utensils for the

pasta to provide each participant with a small

tasting sample for them to rank.

3. If you are using the Power Point presentation that

comes with this module, make sure you have a

projector set up before hand, and make sure it

works!

4. The parts that are intended to be read aloud (or

approximated) to the participants have been

printed in red. The parts that are there for your

personal instructions are in black.

5. For the purposes of this workshop, we are focusing

only on foods and information that directly

pertains to heart health and high blood pressure

regulation. We are not looking at diabetes, which

has a different dietary criteria (not hugely

different, but different enough not to want to get

into it here.)

Page 6: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Introduction: Hello! Welcome to How to Eat Heart-Healthy: The Easy

Way! This hour-long workshop is designed to show you how

easy it can be to make heart-healthy nutritional choices

while you’re shopping for groceries or eating out at

restaurants. By the end of this workshop, hopefully you will

learn some valuable tips and tricks to painlessly update your

diet and keep heart disease at bay!

Whether you know someone who is currently suffering

from heart disease, whether you yourself are suffering, or

whether you just know you have a family history and hope

to prevent heart disease before it starts, this workshop

should prove useful to you.

Everyone knows that the hardest part of eating heart-

healthy is…well, eating heart-healthy! When you’re busy all

day and don’t feel like cooking, it can be very tempting to

grab a burger or pop in a sodium-laden microwave meal

rather than prepare a healthier meal for yourself. This

workshop doesn’t seek to cure you of all your bad eating

habits, but rather will teach you to make small changes and

swaps in your existing routine that can add up over time to

be, literally, a life saver.

Let’s start off with an icebreaker, and then we can begin!

Page 7: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Icebreaker: The icebreaker (if it had a name) would be

called “Who are you, and why are you here?”

Have each participant stand up and give their

name, a food that they like that starts with

the same letter as their first or last name, and

why they were interested in taking a course

on heart-healthy eating (i.e. family history,

close friend, personal interest, etc.)

The purpose of this icebreaker is to provide

participants with a way to become familiar

with one another in a quick fun way, and to

allow the module coordinator to get a sense

for what kinds of questions these

participants might want answered, or what’s

important to them in terms of eating heart-

healthy (vague interest, personal health, a

loved one, etc.)

Page 8: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Outline: I. Introduction: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy

Way.

II. Icebreaker: Who are you, and why are you here?

III. Part 1: The Blind Taste Test.

a. I. The Interactive Part of the Proceedings.

b. II. The Test.

c. III. The Tally and Reactions.

d. IV. The Big Reveal.

IV. Part 2: Presentation of Information.

a. What does “heart healthy” mean?

b. Why is it so hard to eat heart healthy?

c. Why is it important to eat heart healthy today?

d. Super-foods that promote heart health.

e. Easy ways to incorporate super-foods in diet.

V. Conclusion and Q&A.

Page 9: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Part 1: Blind Taste Test I. The interactive introduction part of the proceedings

Okay, thanks everyone! Now we can begin.

Hands up: who here likes pasta? Keep your hand raised if you make

pasta at home at least once or twice a month. Keep your hand raised

if you use whole wheat pasta noodles.

Chances are that many of them put their hands down at the last

question. Why don’t you use whole wheat noodles? When you think

of the words ‘whole wheat’ what kinds of impressions do you get?

What about ‘whole wheat’ makes you not want to buy it?

To anyone who kept their hands raised: GREAT! Why do you use it?

Do you like it better than regular? When did you make the switch?

With that in mind, we are about to start the first part of the

workshop: our blind taste test. I will present you with two plates:

one with two samples of spaghetti and tomato sauce, and one with

two samples of bread and two samples of Goldfish crackers. One of

the items on each plate is made with whole wheat flour, and one is

not. After you try each item, write your reaction and thoughts down

on the handout sheet, as well as which dish you liked better and

which you think is whole wheat. When you’re finished, stack your

plates to throw away. Also, don’t try to cheat by looking really

closely at the food—it’s called a BLIND taste test for a reason. Don’t

make me get the blindfolds. Also, if you have any dietary

restrictions, you can opt out of sampling a certain dish; just let me

know.

Page 10: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

II. The test

Hand out the taste test sheet from the handouts section with a

writing implement to each participant.

Is everybody ready? Okay, the first dish is spaghetti and tomato

sauce.

Hand out a plate and a fork to each participant. Make sure the plate

is clearly marked into halves with a permanent, non-toxic marker,

and label each of the halves “A” and “B”, as in the diagram below.

Place the whole wheat spaghetti on the plate half marked “A” and

the regular spaghetti on the plate half marked “B”. Make sure there

is enough sauce to obscure most of the noodles to prevent people

from looking too closely.

After they finish eating the “A” side, marking their response, and

eating the “B” side and marking their response, you may move on to

the next dish.

Are you ready to move on? Try the bread first, and the Goldfish

crackers second.

The final plate should be divided into unequal quarters and labeled

with two “A”s and two “B”s as in the diagram below. The whole

wheat white bread should go in spot “A” and the regular white bread

in spot “B”, and the whole wheat Goldfish crackers should go in spot

“B” and the regular crackers in spot “A”.

A B Diagram 1: Spaghetti

and macaroni plate.

Page 11: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Is everybody finished? Okay, stack your plates and forks and send

them forward.

Collect their plates and forks for disposal and move on to section III.

III. The tally and reactions

Alright, did everyone write out their responses? Okay, we’re going

to go over each food choice and write down what people thought of

them on the board up here, and then we’re going to see which of

each won the taste test. After we do that, I’ll let you guess which one

was whole wheat and which one wasn’t..

On the white board or flip chart, make a table marked A and B for

each of the three types of food, as in the small diagram below. Ask

participants to shout out some of the things they thought about each

dish, and as you finish talking about parts A and B for each type of

food, ask how many preferred column A and how many preferred

column B and keep a tally on the board. When you’ve gone through

all of the responses and written them on the board, you can move on

to the big reveal stage.

A B

A B Diagram 2: Bread and

Goldfish crackers plate.

Page 12: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

A B Which one? Pasta Adjectives and

descriptions about the food. How many people liked it best.

“ “

X number for A X number for B ___ wins the taste test!

Bread “ “ “ Goldfish “ “ “

IV. The big reveal

Okay, are you ready for the big reveal?

-Spaghetti: “A” was whole wheat, “B” was regular.

-White bread: “A” was whole wheat, “B” was regular.

-Goldfish crackers: “A” was regular, “B” was whole wheat.

As you go through each food group, make sure to remark on the

taste test findings not only for preference, but general remarks on

the taste and texture. Even if there is a slight preference for the non-

whole wheat ones, emphasize the good flavor of the whole wheat as

well.

I hope that this blind taste test has shown you just how small a

difference there is between whole wheat and regular varieties of

food. Whole wheat products are infinitely better for you in terms of

digestion, nutrition, and heart health, and yet whole wheat products

still haven’t gained prevalence at the supermarket because of

preconceived notions about the taste or texture of whole wheat

products.

Page 13: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Whole wheat products, as you have just witnessed, can be made

nearly identical to their white flour counterparts. In some cases, the

taste difference is slight or non-existent. In other cases, the taste

difference is noticeable, but not unpleasant, and is a difference not

often missed when eating it on its own. This is the case with most

items containing whole wheat. It is rare that the taste of a whole

wheat item will be “gross” or “grainy”.

These days, nearly anything that is made with flour can easily be

made with whole wheat flour, as you saw with the Goldfish crackers.

Next time you are shopping, take an extra minute to look around for

a whole wheat option—you might be surprised how many there are

now! You can even buy your own whole wheat flour now and use it

in your own baking. Try making a cake sometime and see if your

friends can tell the difference!

Okay, with that in mind, let’s talk about some more heart healthy

foods, as well as some easy ways you can integrate them into your

daily diet and routine.

Page 14: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Part 2: Presentation of

Information I. What does “heart-healthy” mean?

What do you think of when you hear the words “heart-

healthy”? Take a moment here to get some audience feedback; if

you’d like to write the responses down on the board or flip chart,

you can. A lot of people think it means boring, tasteless food, or that

you have to stick to a vegetarian diet, or that you’re never allowed to

have salt or fatty foods. Do you know what the definition of heart

healthy is? Again, ask around a bit before moving on, particularly if

you have a receptive audience.

A heart-healthy diet refers to a diet that is low in unhealthy fats

and sodium and other ingredients that have been known to

contribute to heart disease and high blood pressure. How many of

you think that sounds boring? Be honest, now. Feedback again,

depending on the whims of the audience.

Well, as you learned with our last exercise, heart-healthy

doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, the ultimate in heart-healthy

prevention eating is about decreasing those bad things, but

increasing consumption of monounsaturated fats and fiber, which

tend to be found in very flavorful foods. And this doesn’t even really

have to be a big change from your normal diet, if you’re willing to

make a few well-places swaps on your grocery list. We’ll get into

some easy swaps you can make later in the workshop, but for now,

Page 15: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

I’d like to go through a few things and explain why you should care

about eating heart-healthy.

II. Why is it so hard to eat heart-healthy?

You’d think it would be the simplest thing in the world to eat

heart-healthy. It’s good for you, it prolongs your life, and many

people who regularly eat in a heart-healthy way say that it gives

them more energy and makes them feel better. So why don’t we all

do it?

Because it’s hard to change our habits.

I’m not professing to take the place of a doctor, but if you’ve

ever received diet advice from a doctor, what does it normally sound

like? Generally, it’s a big list of “don’t”s and a list of good foods that

you’ve never heard of before. Many people don’t even know how to

prepare certain more exotic vegetables, which can limit heart-

healthy options only to what’s familiar. And if what’s familiar isn’t

already on your shopping list, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever pick it up.

Many people have a hard time eating healthy because they

simply lack the time to prepare raw materials for dinner every night.

Sometimes it’s easier and more convenient to grab a candy bar on

the run than to remember to pack an apple for a snack. Sometimes

it’s a matter of not knowing how to cook, so you end up eating out

several nights a week rather than taking the time to teach yourself.

For a multitude of reasons, eating in a healthful way has

become the harder option. How many of you get the triple burger

because that combo meal is STILL less than a salad and a drink at a

fast food place? How many of you actually pick up fruit in Sheetz

when you stop in for a snack? How many of you throw a candy bar

Page 16: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

in your bag because a healthier option like yogurt or an apple

requires more preparation (have to pack a spoon, wash the fruit,

etc.) It is EXTREMELY difficult to break from our set routines, and

many of our routines do not include taking the time to eat heart

healthy foods. But we can change that with a few minor tweaks. I’m

not saying that this will completely turn around your health. But

with a few minor tweaks, you can start creating healthier habits for

yourself, which will contribute to health and happiness in the long

run.

III. Why is it so important to eat heart-healthy?

Look around you today: what do you see? Without side-

tracking too heavily, our adult population has grown steadily

heavier. Not just heavier, but poorer in health. The United States is

number one in hospital facilities, but only about 34th in overall

wellness. At least some of this disconnect (not all, but some) is

because modern Americans simply aren’t preparing and eating their

own food anymore. We could blame the dearth of fast food

establishments, the out-of-control portion sizes, the fast-paced

lifestyle that prevents many of us from having the time or money to

prepare healthy food at home. But these feeble excuses exist mostly

to make us feel better about the fact that many of us simply don’t

seek out healthier alternatives, opting for what is the easiest instead.

Eating heart-healthy is important no matter who you are.

Whether you have a family history of heart disease or not, studies

have shown that eating foods that are good for your heart are often

linked with weight loss, overall health, a better immune system, and

general well-being. A lot of the same super-foods that help maintain

heart health are good for you in other ways as well. Whole wheat

Page 17: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

flour, as opposed to white flour, has dietary fiber which, if you’re

diabetic, can help cancel out some of the carbohydrates inherent in

the pasta.

This workshop was not designed to overhaul your lifestyle, or

make you stop eating fast food, or even to try to get you to exercise.

The title of this training is “How to Eat Heart Healthy: the Easy

Way”. It’s about time we gave you some of those easy tips to make

your present lifestyle, whatever it may be, a little bit heart-healthier

with minimal effort. So let’s talk about “super-foods”.

IV. Super-foods that promote heart health.

What are “super-foods”, you ask? Super-foods are very nutrient

dense, low-calorie foods that do marvelous things for your innards.

Here are some heart-healthy “super-foods”. These foods have

been found to contain the highest amounts of nutrients with the

lowest number of harmful lipids. They tend to be darker in color and

richer in flavor than other foods, owing to the oodles of nutrients

contained within them.

Obviously you know fruit is good for you, but some heart-

healthy super-fruits are things like blueberries, strawberries,

cherries, cranberries, kiwis, and plums. Dark skinned berries and

fruits are high in antioxidants, which help ward off cancer, and help

regulate blood pressure and inflammation.

Vegetables are also good for you, but did you know that iceberg

lettuce, the lettuce that most house salads are made with, is nearly

devoid of nutrients? It’s mostly water! Dark greens like romaine

lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and chard are the best for you in a

salad, and are pretty tasty in other things as well. Avocados are high

Page 18: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

in good fats and other nutrients to help maintain heart-health, and

your parents were absolutely right when they told you to eat your

broccoli: its dark color makes it very nutrient-dense. Sweet potatoes

are also quite healthy, and taste fantastic!

Though technically beans are legumes rather than vegetables,

the fact remains that many people think of them as such. Beans are

excellent heart-healthy foods, especially beans like kidney beans,

black beans, and chickpeas. Nuts are also legumes, and can be great

heart-healthy foods when eaten in moderation. Nuts like almonds

and walnuts are fantastic, as are hazelnuts and macadamia nuts. Just

don’t eat too many—they’re very high in fat! (But good fats!)

Lean cut meats and chicken are fairly good for you, but don’t

lend too much in the way of nutrients and omega-3s. If you want

ultimate heart benefits, try incorporating fish like salmon, mackerel,

sardines, and tuna into your weekly menu to see some solid health

benefits right off the bat! Many eggs now also have Omega fatty

acids, which are great for you. Just be moderate with egg

consumption—they also have a good deal of cholesterol! Tofu,

though not a meat, is a tasty meat substitute that picks up the

flavors of whatever it is cooked in. Consider swapping meat for tofu

when you make things like chili and stir fry.

Obviously we’ve gone on and on about whole-wheat as

opposed to bleached white flour. There are very few flour-based

items now that are not available in a whole-wheat variety for a

comparable price, so check them out next time you shop. If you

LOVE a certain type of food, and don’t feel that whole wheat will

ever rival the taste, that still does not prevent you from purchasing

other whole wheat items. You don’t have to overhaul your WHOLE

Page 19: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

cabinet—just know that whole wheat items have nutritional fiber,

and are an easy way to keep your heart running strong. Additionally,

oatmeal is a great heart-healthy food, and can be eaten in a variety

of things and a variety of ways. Get creative!

Here are some fun things you might not realize are heart

healthy: dark chocolate and red wine! Dark chocolate is chock full of

flavonoids, which are great for your heart, and red wine has

something in it called resveratrol, which raises HDL, the good

cholesterol. Don’t think you can handle dark chocolate straight?

There are dark chocolate covered Raisinets and dark chocolate

peanut M&Ms, both of which also have heart super-foods inside

them, that are dark chocolate without being too bitter. Give them a

try!

Curry powder, olive oil, and green tea are also three fantastic

heart healthy super-foods to keep in mind while you’re going about

your shopping. If you’re a tea drinker, green tea is great with a bit of

honey or lemon as a sweetener, olive oil works great as a cooking oil

OR as half of a very tasty salad dressing, and curry can be modified

for every person’s personal taste.

V. Easy ways to incorporate super-foods into your diet.

Now that you know some of the super-foods, I can already hear

your internal voice going, “Okay, she sounds like my doctor—she

just gave me a list of raw ingredients!” Yeah, that list sounds scary,

but I’m just going to give you a few ideas to make easy swaps in

recipes you’re already making at home that will increase the

nutrient content of your food and set you up for good heart health.

Page 20: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Do I even need to mention whole grains again? Whole grain is

about the easiest swap you can make. Be it pasta, Goldfish crackers,

all-purpose flour, Ritz crackers, pancake batter, or what have you, a

switch to whole grain is super easy, super tasty, and super

beneficial.

Though there are many heart healthy cereals on the market

(Lucky Charms don’t count!), oatmeal is an easy switch to make in

the morning. Though the pre-packaged ones normally have a lot of

extra (and unnecessary) sugars, they are a good first step towards

eating a healthier breakfast. Top with blueberries, strawberries, or

cranberries, throw in some walnuts, and mix with a bit of honey for

maximum heart-healthiness!

Buying a bag of salad? Go for a bag full of darker greens rather

than lighter greens and you’ll automatically be making a huge

change for the better! If you can’t give up your Ranch dressing, at

least make sure the lettuce you’re putting it on has some nutrients in

it. And if you feel like making an extra big change, it is easy to make

your own salad dressing with half olive-oil and half balsamic

vinegar! Mix in an empty bottle, shake well before use, and enjoy a

super-tasty, super-heart healthy salad.

Now what about those folks who don’t make salad? There are

all sorts of easy things you can do to include these heart healthy

foods. Do you make baked potatoes for dinner? Try swapping out

your usual russet potato for a sweet potato. Bonus: the strong sweet

flavor of the sweet potato normally means you don’t have to add as

many toppings, so it’s good for your waistline too! Just pop a little

bit of low-cal margarine on top and dig in!

Page 21: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Do you eat at Wendy’s? Did you know that a small cup of chili

has less calories and more nutrients than a Caesar side salad does?

Make a swap from French fries to chili as your side dish and dig in!

Rather than grabbing a bag of Doritos for a party, pick up some

low-sodium tortilla or corn chips instead and grab (or make, if

you’re so inclined) some guacamole or bean dip to eat them with.

Don’t like guac? Go for a tomato-rich salsa to get in your nutrients

that way.

Buy small containers or snack bags and buy a large container

of craisins, prunes, or almonds and make your own snack packs for

on the go snacks. It’ll take you ten minutes one weekend, but you’ll

have a lot of pre-packaged snacks to toss in your bag on the go. If

you must grab a snack when you’re about, try to grab something

with some of the super-foods in it! Trail mix is a good, if fattening

bet, and Snickers bars make almond versions of their famous bars

now. Dark chocolate is always a good bet as well as a snack on the

go! Grabbing a cookie? Get one with nuts. It’s not the healthiest

snack, but the nuts will give you nutrients you might not otherwise

have gotten.

These are some small, easy steps you can take to help give you

BIG health benefits. We’ve also included a handout with some quick,

easy, heart-healthy recipes that are tasty and filling. Pick one or two

and give them a shot!

Page 22: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Conclusion If you take nothing else away from this workshop, remember

this: it is never too late to start doing better things for yourself.

Whether your 25, 45 or 95, you can absolutely take some of the

tweaks and tricks you learned today, apply them to your diet, and

hopefully enjoy more healthy, happy years free of heart disease.

Every little step counts, because if you take enough little steps, they

start looking pretty big.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United

States, and these risks can be diminishes as much as 82% simply by

being active, not smoking, eating well, and managing your stress

levels. Hopefully this workshop gave you some handy ideas for

improving your diet so you can start living healthier and happier

without sacrificing your lifestyle.

The ideal heart healthy diet is made up of five fruit and

vegetable servings a day, three fiber-rich whole grain servings a day,

protein at least every other day, under 1500g of sodium, and sparing

amounts of flour and sugar. If that doesn’t sound like your diet, don’t

despair—these kinds of changes don’t happen overnight. Just make

some strategic food swaps, and soon you’ll be eating better than you

ever thought and can hopefully enjoy many more long, wonderful

years of healthy life.

Q&A

Page 23: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Handouts Taste Test Worksheet

List of Heart-Healthy Foods

Easy Heart-Healthy Recipes

Page 24: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Blind Taste Test Dish #1: Spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Pasta A: 1 2 3 4 5

Pasta B: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Dish #2: Slice of white bread.

Bread A: 1 2 3 4 5

Bread B: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Dish #3: Goldfish crackers.

Crackers A: 1 2 3 4 5

Crackers B: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Page 25: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

List of Heart-Healthy Foods: -Blueberries -Sardines

-Strawberries -Tuna

-Cherries -Tofu

-Plums/prunes -Kidney beans

-Kiwis -Chickpeas

-Red Wine -Black beans

-Almonds -Spinach

-Walnuts -Romaine lettuce

-Macadamia nuts -Kale

-Hazelnuts -Swiss chard

-Avocados -Broccoli

-Dark chocolate -Sweet potatoes

-Olive oil -Curry

-Oatmeal -Green tea

-Salmon

-Mackerel

Page 26: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

Easy Heart-Healthy Recipes #1: Spinach Balls – quick, easy, kid-friendly. Even veggie haters love this!

Ingredients:

2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen spinach, drained well 3/4 cup melted butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 4 eggs 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well mixed. 2. Roll into 2 inch, walnut-sized balls. 3. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 4. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes.

#2: Kidney Bean Salad – an easy, tasty side dish for a lean meat.

Ingredients:

2 cups cold, cooked, or canned kidney beans, drained ½ cup sliced scallions/green onions with some tops 3 tbsp olive oil ½ c finely chopped walnuts ¼ to ½ tsp ground red pepper Salt, pepper to taste 3tbsp chopped fresh mint orparsley

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients, except for mint or parsley, in medium bowl.

Page 27: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

2. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to blend flavors.

3. Serve sprinkled with mint or parsley. Makes a great side dish for grilled or skewered meats.

#3: Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado-Tomato Salsa – filling, tasty, quick.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoon(s) canola oil 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1 lime 1 pound(s) skinless, boneless thin-sliced chicken breasts, cut into 1-

inch-wide strips 4 burrito-size whole-wheat tortillas (check Mexican food/bread aisle) 1 cup(s) reduced-fat (2%) shredded Mexican cheese blend 1/2 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3/4 cup(s) salsa

Directions

1. Heat oil on medium 1 minute. Add green onion and cook about 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, from lime, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Evenly season chicken on both sides with lime peel, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper.

3. Add chicken to green onion in skillet; cook 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Transfer to bowl; stir in lime juice.

4. Evenly divide chicken mixture and cheese on half of each tortilla; fold over to make 4 quesadillas.

5. In same skillet, cook quesadillas on medium, in 2 batches, 8 minutes per batch or until browned on both sides and heated through. Cut each quesadilla into thirds. Stir avocado into salsa; serve with quesadillas.

Page 28: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

#4: Shrimp Fra Diavolo – quick, easy, and pretty cheap.

Ingredients:

12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined (check freezer section) 14 oz crushed tomatoes (canned is fine) 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1tbsp minced garlic from jar) 2 tsp red pepper flakes 4 oz dried whole-wheat spaghetti 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1/4 tsp dried oregano or thyme Salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes, olive

oil, onion, garlic, and oregano or thyme, and cook until the onions are soft. Add

the tomatoes.

3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to the package

directions.

4. Add the shrimp to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to

4 minutes. Drain the pasta, toss with as much of the sauce as you like, and

garnish with parsley.

Serving Suggestions:

Eat with a simple green salad (spinach or romaine or arugula) tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (more heart healthy foods!)

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#5: Tuna Salad and Baked Sweet Potato: Omega-3s, fiber, and it’s super easy!

Ingredients: (Tuna Salad)

2 cans of tuna (you can used pre-flavored tuna if you like) Can of black beans 1 tomato 1 red bell pepper A couple leaves of some dark green vegetable of your choice

Ingredients: (Baked Sweet Potato)

1-2 medium sized sweet potatoes Heart-healthy margarine spread Sea salt Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place potato on center rack, set timer for 40-45 minutes.

2. Get a nice sized bowl and put beans and drained tuna into it.

3. Cut up the tomato, red pepper, and lettuce leaves and mix with tuna and beans. Pop in refrigerator.

4. When the timer goes off, your potato is done. Take it out, pop it on the plate, cut it open, and add butter to melt over it.

5. Take tuna salad out of refrigerator and add to other side of plate. Dig in!

#6: Strawberry-Blueberry Parfait: Super quick, patriotic, great for summer!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh strawberries 1 to 2 cups blueberries 1 to 2 tsp sugar (optional)

Page 30: How to Eat Heart Healthy: The Easy Way

4 small scoops raspberry or strawberry sherbet ½ to 1c vanilla yogurt or whipped topping

Directions:

1. Wash berries; hull and slice strawberries.

2. Toss berries with sugar, if desired.

3. In dessert dish, cup, or bowl, put a scoop of sherbet.

4. Spoon strawberries and blueberries over the sherbet, then top with a few tablespoons of the yogurt or whipped topping.

#7: Iced Green Tea: light, refreshing, heart-healthy.

Ingredients:

4 cups boiling water 8 regular green tea bags 2 cups cold water 1/2 cup no-calorie artificial sweetener 1 lemon (optional—add slices to drink)

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and steep 5 minutes.

2. Remove tea bags from water, squeezing gently.

3. Stir in 2 cups cold water and sweetener, stirring until sweetener dissolves.

4. Serve over ice or let tea come to room temperature then serve over ice.