What?!? That sounds like a weird statement, doesn’t it?

Well, according to a new research done by the University of Sydney, fish ranks the highest on their satiety scale. The satiety scale looks at how long you can stay full for after having the same amount of calories from different foods.

The study also looks at the glycemic index, which measure how quickly food is broken down into simple sugars and absorbed into the blood.

The article is quite interesting. It really gets your brain turning about your snack choices and may give you some ideas on making some smart swaps!

Worth checking out! Are Bananas Really As Bad For You As Cookies

Because more likely than not, the real reason for not sustaining the goal was because it was too dramatic of a change.

We are creatures of habits and it takes a great deal of effort to change those habits! Thus, when we want to radically alter our behaviors, it is extremely difficult.

Having said that, everyone can set goals and succeed in making changes that benefit their health.

The key is to take SMALL steps one at a time. The less dramatic the change is, the more “it’s not a big deal” it is, the higher success rate you will have.

And as you take baby steps one step at a time, they will add up and without you even realizing it, you will have established healthier habits (and the beauty of it is that it would not cause extra strain in your life an you would not feel like you have to struggle to keep the goal and work at it).

So take a moment to think about the goals you’ve set and ask yourself:

• Which goal is the most important one I want to focus on now?
• Is the goal a “no big deal” change?
  If so, great! Keep going!
• If not, it may be time to think about how you can break it down into smaller bites and tackle them one at a time!

And when you have successes with small changes, give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of yourself. Changes are hard, so acknowledge that and give yourself some credit!

Remember, every little bit counts!

It’s a quick comforting meal for me but I don’t make it as often as I like because I never seem to have chicken thigh meat ready on hand (they are usually frozen so it takes a little bit of pre-planning when I want to make this dish).
But recently I questioned why does it have to be chicken thigh? I mean, yes, the dish is traditionally made with chicken meat, but that doesn’t make I cannot alter it to my taste. Hence, I took a portion of minced pork from the freezer and boldly used that instead.

And guess what? It was equally delicious!

Now I can have oyakodon whenever I want it. Love that!

So here it is, my simplified and modified recipe.

Japanese Rice Bowl with Minced Pork and Egg (Oyakodon style)

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 3oz minced pork
• ½ onion, sliced thinly
• 1/2c chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon Japanese cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce
• 1 scallion, julienned
• 2 eggs, beatened

What to do:

1. Marinate minced pork with a touch of salt, sugar, soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. Mix it all up and let it sit for at least 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, saute sliced onion in 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Saute for 5 minutes, or until onions are starting to soften up. Add a little bit of water to help the process along.
3. When onions start to soften, add in minced pork. Break up large chunks and saute until no longer pink.
4. Add chicken broth, mirin, cooking wine and soy sauce into the pan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for a few minutes. The onions will soften even more and the minced pork will be cook completely.
5. Sprinkle in scallion. Pour beatened eggs over top. Gently swirl the saute pan to distribute the egg more evenly. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the residual heat cook the egg.
6. Scoop rice into your favourite bowl and gently pour the meat and the juices over the rice. Enjoy!

One key difference worth noting though – at home, you would probably poach it in hot water to seal in the juices; but at restaurants, to guarantee superb tenderness, they often will quickly poach in oil instead. So despite ordering a seemingly harmless veggie-packed stir-fry, you never truly know how much oil is used in making that dish!

May sound a little daunting, but hey it’s better to know what is in the food than be oblivious right?

If you ever have those questions, this Cooking Oil Comparison Chart will help you out big time!

And while you’re there, check out some of the other great posts on the Eating Rules! blog. I stumbled across the site while I was sipping on my Earl Grey Latte this morning and found it rather interesting.

Enjoy!

Did it feel like it just flew by?! It definitely did for me. And when I think back, I feel like I haven’t really done much to enhance my well-being. The day just fly by without me taking a moment to think about what good things have I done for my health.

Take a moment and think for yourself: have you done something good for my health this past week?

If yea, awesome! Keep it up.

If not, how about take my lead and decide right now to do yourself some goodness.

For me, I will cook up some delicious heart-healthy meals because this month is heart-health month! For easy, healthy recipes ideas, check out Heart and Stroke Foundation for one whole month of recipes. That’s gotta be something enticing for you!

If you’re already eating well, check out the Healthy Living page for other ideas to improve your overall health.

Invest in your health! Join me to boost heart-health this month!

I was doing my weekly grocery shopping when I saw this this weird looking orange-like fruit. It was the size of a mandarin orange but it had a funny pointy tip. Being the curious foodie, I just had to buy a few, of course.

I tried one right after I got home. The peel was thick but it was very easy to peel. The flesh was citrusy, very juicy and sweet with a slight hint of sourness which I felt was so refreshing! I loved it.

I later googled it and found that tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. How neat and delicious!

If you come across this interesting fruit, be sure to try it out!

To restart the momentum, here’s a quickie post!

Quick cooking tip: freeze blue cheese and then grate it with a microplane onto your food.

The blue cheese will be much more evenly distributed over your food and adding the blue cheese last as a garnish will accentuate its presence too. This trick will probably help you cut back on the amount of cheese you need as well!

Sound like a two bird one stone deal right? You use less for the same flavour punch!

Especially if you need to watch your cheese intake and possibly cut back, this trick will make your cheese quota stretch without missing out on the cheese flavour.

Give it a try!

Have you noticed that grocery stores now have squashes overflowing over in huge bins? That’s a big, bold signal saying that it’s time to enjoy winter squashes!

Winter squashes are deep yellow and orange vegetables. The colour comes from the abundant amount of beta-carotene, which is a potent anti-oxidant that may play a strong role in reducing risks of heart diseases. In addition to antioxidants, winter squashes are also rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and folate. Plus, they are fairly low in calories and fat (about 40kcal and less than 1g of fat in a 1/2cup serving). Having a half cup serving of winter squash will satisfy the Canada’s Food Guide recommendation of having bright orange-coloured vegetable at least once a day. (Sources: Leslie Beck, RD and World’s Healthiest Foods).

If you’re familiar with squashes, you will probably have already bought some. But if you are not a big fan of squashes, here’s 10 recipes to try and hopefully they will convert you to a squash fan.

1. Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup. Kabocha is my absolute favourite squash, so sweet and so much flavour!
2. Mashed Kabocha Squash with Peanut Butter. One of my absolute favourite ways to enjoy Kabocha squash. Yuuuummm!
3. Squash Granola. Ever thought you can combine squash puree with granola?
4.  Butternut Squash Gratin. Comforting, warm and so satisfying.
5. Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola. Fusion of Indian flavours with familiar western ingredients.
6. Vietnamese Spaghetti Squash Salad. A refreshing alternative to your everyday salad. 
7. Baked Butternut Squash Fries. Yes, fries! Go beyond sweet potato fries and give these a try.
8. 7-minute Squash. Crunched for time? Try steaming them for some moist and soft squash.
9. Kabocha Squash Cake with Brown Sugar Cream. Think outside the box and use squash in a sweet concoction.
10. Squash Brownies with Chocolate Swirl Topping. Chocolate enhances the sweetness of squash and the squash keeps the squares moist for days.

In case you aren’t excited by these 10 taste recipes, here’s 6 more recipes worth trying!

I highly recommend buying squashes when they are cheap and store them throughout the winter. Squashes store well in a cool place away from direct sunlight for up to 3 months. For longer storage, I suggest cooking them and freezing them in individual portions for up to 6 months.

Do you enjoy winter squashes? What’s your favourite way to prepare them?

Photo by StarsApart

The current recommendation for fiber intake is 25-38g.

So now your brain will spin like crazy to try to figure out how that numerical value translates into real food?!

The truth is…the number itself doesn’t really matter. The key thing to know is that most people struggle to meet that recommendation.

But, achieving the goal of 25-38g of fiber is actually not impossible. And, aiming to reach that amount is actually good for us, because fiber can reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases, regular blood sugars, provide satiety to make us happy after a fulfilling meal and keep us regular (aka prevent constipation).

Yet, boosting fiber intake cannot be done overnight. So rather than getting frustrated over whether or not you are getting enough fiber now, let’s focus on 5 easy swaps to boost that intake!

1. Switch from white bread to whole-grain whole-wheat bread.
2. Add oatmeal as a breakfast option. Or, if you already eat it, have it more often. Avoid the instant packaged ones though!
3. Instead of pasta salads, try grains salad.
4. Use white kidney beans, instead of potatoes, to add substance to your soups.
5. Go for popcorn instead of potato chips when you want a savoury snack. Make your own Homemade Popcorn – it’s quick, cheap and healthier than the store-bought ones.

Yes, these may seem like simple substitutes but if you make these changes consistently, you will most definitely be many steps closer to reaching that goal!

What are your tips to up the fiber in your diet? Share them here, I’ll love to add them to my list!