Turkey burgers

1.5 LBS of Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 TBS of Mrs. Dash Hamburger blend
1 TSP of Wurstishire Sauce
1/4 TSP of Liquid Smoke (omit if you are grilling on a coal grill)
Cooking Spray

In a medium bowl mix ingredient until well blended.
Divide mixture into 4 and create thick round patties with a small dip in the middle (this will keep them from plumping into balls).
If you are cooking these on a stove top--preheat pan over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray (olive oil preferred).
If you are cooking on a grill--I recommend that you cook them on aluminum foil or grilling pans because ground turkey might not hold together well on the regular grill.
Cook patties on each side for 4-6 minutes or until brown.

Serve on whole grain hamburger buns with your favorite "fixings" and sweet potato fries.
My favorite are with mixed greens, tomatoes, and avocado...try it you'll love it!

If you want to cut some carbs out, use whole grain sandwich bread, use a whole wheat flour tortilla to make a wrap or make it a lettuce wrap!


Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Healthy eating starts in your pantry!

Here's a great article about stocking your kitchen with heart healthy options that a friend shared with me (thanks Ecksunbeam!)...

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/high-cholesterol-tips-7/healthy-foods
(copy and paste)

The one thing I cannot stress enough is play with spices and herbs. Fresh basil on your home-made pasta sauce (recipes's coming!) makes such a big difference! Mrs. Dash has a fabulous variety of herb/spice blends that will keep you from using high sodium alternatives. My favorite? Mrs Dash Hamburger blend, with this blend you don't need any condiments or pickles on your hamburgers (check out my burger recipe!). Another great product from Mrs. Dash is their marinades. My favorite Mrs Dash marinades are the Chipotle, Smokey Mesquite, and Teriaki (great for stir fry!).

I hope this article inspires you to look at your pantry as an opportunity to better your (and your family's) health.

To Your Health!
M.

Sweet Potato Fries/Chips

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbs of grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs of Mrs. Dash original blend
1 tsp of paprika
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Chop sweet potatoes into slices, wedges, or thin circles (for chips!)--your favorite frie/chip shape.

Lightly spray cookie sheets (you will need 1 large cookie sheet per potato) with cooking spray and line up the fries, side by side leaving a little bit of space in between them.

Lightly spray fries with cooking spray and cook for 15-18 minutes.

Half way through the cooking time (about 8-10 minutes in) flip fries to allow for even cooking.

Once fries are golden brown take them out of the oven sprinkle spices and cheese on top and toss before serving.

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Honey Habanero Chicken

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1/4 cup of Honey
2 tbs of Orange Juice
2 tsp of Paprika
1 tsp New Mexico Chile Powder
1-2 Habanero Chiles (seeded and deveined) finely chopped
Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
Trim all visible fat from chicken and place in cooking dish.
In a medium bowl wisk together honey, orange juice, paprika, chile powder, and habaneros.
With a basting brush lightly coat the chicken with the honey mixture and cook for 10 minutes. You want to place the chicken at least 5 inches from the top of the broiler.
Once the chicken has cooked for 10 minutes or so brush a little more of the honey mixture, turn the chicken pieces over and cook for 5-10 (depending on the size of your chicken pieces) more minutes.

Recipe Tips & Recommendations
>This recipe works as a great alternative to buffalo wings.
>Serve with sweet potoatoe fries for a "junk food" meal. It also goes great with a side salad (or even in a salad with some honey mustard dressing or your favorite vinagrette!).
>For a milder flavor use jalapenos instead of habaneros.
>Don't be afraid of habaneros though! The honey and orange juice give pleanty of sweetness to balance out the heat of the peppers.

Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!

Carolyn's Story

In my search for answers I found a great group of girls that all share one common challenge, heart disease. In that group I have made many wonderful friends with many interesting, inspiring stories. One of those friends got interviewed for the Vancouver office of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Her story is like an unfortunate number of stories. She began to feel symptoms that are related to heart disease yet every time she went to the ER she was told she was fine. Finally, a couple of weeks after her ER trip she finally got to see a cardiologist only to find out that she had significant blockage. Luckily, my friend is still with us inspiring everyone she meets, but this is not always the case. Because the medical community does not fully understand that heart disease that afflicts women is different than the heart disease that afflicts men and that often times one or two tests isn't enough women dies of heart disease more than they die of anything else. Those who are lucky enough to survive heart disease often do not recover fully. It is important to share stories like Carolyn's to open the eyes of the people caring for us and to give us motivation to seek the treatments and tests that will get us the answers we so desperately seek!

Click here To read CAROLYN'S STORY in it's entirety

Do you have a story to tell?

If you would like to share your story, email me and I will gladly post it in my new section of "Inspiring Stories"

Also, make sure and check out the "Heart Friendly Links" for useful information about PPCM and heart disease in general!

Mexican Chorizo

One of the biggest challenges of giving up salt as a Mexican-American woman was giving up chorizo, and so my quest began for the perfect, homemade, heart friendly chorizo!

1 lb. ground pork (the leaner the better!)
3 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbs. water
3 garlic cloves (grated or finely chopped)
3 tbs. ground chile (I used 1 tbs Cheyenne, 1 tbs New Mexico Chile, 1 tbs Chipotle)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tbs. paprika
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp. sugar

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl for even distribution.
Using a fork, combine pork and liquid ingredients (vinegar & water) in another bowl.
Pour half of the spice mix onto the pork mix and combine thoroughly, then pour the other half and combine thoroughly. I broke this step down to allow the spices to combine well with the meat mixture.
Knead the mixture (either with your hands or the fork) until everything is well combined and put the mixture in zip locks.
Let it cure for at least 24 hrs, although letting it cure for 48 hrs will yield a much better result.

Tips...
Frozen the chorizo will last up to 1 month.
Refrigerated the chorizo must be consumed within 2 weeks.
When thawing out frozen chorizo make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator.


Do you have a special request or a recipe that you love and would like to get it made over into a heart healthy version? CLICK HERE and I will try help you!