I learned a lot that trip, but I really kicked up my skills when the first yacht that I worked on spent the summer docked in a small Mexican village called Barra De Navidad.

Of course when the guest flew in to meet the boat, they wanted an authentic experience. So that meant that I had to bring my A game.

I served this a bunch as appetizers for our guests. Such a light and refreshing thing to eat on a hot day. Simply serve with crackers or tortilla chips and you are good to go. Fresh fish is paramount here…

Buen Provecho!

Ceviche

1 firm white fish fillet, diced
4 limes
1 jalepeno, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 plum tomotatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt

Squeeze the limes over the fish in a bowl. Mix and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take fish out and drain over the kitchen sink. Place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Salt to taste.

It’s summer here, so the thought of something simmering on the stove for several hours wasn’t thrilling.

So, I came up with this quick version which turned out equally as delicous. I used split chicken breast instead of the whole chicken which worked out great because they cook faster, still some bone to flavor the broth, and my friend doesn’t like dark meat anyways.

I added the kale just for some substance, of course leave out if you don’t like. Also you don’t have to add herbs, but I had some fresh basil in the garden that needed to be used. Italian parsley would also be nice.

Easy Chicken Soup

Serves a bunch

1 small bag of carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 stock of celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cups chopped kale
3 split chicken breasts
2 chicken bouillon cubes
s&p to taste
large handfull of wide egg noodles
fresh herbs (Italian parsley or basil)

Add the vegetables to a soup pot. Cover with water and boil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, bouillon cubes, and more water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool a bit. Skim the top of the broth and add a handful or two of the noodles, mixing them in. Turn off the heat and let sit for 20 minutes or so. If adding fresh herbs, then add now. Pull the chicken meat off the bone and place back in the soup. Taste and add s&p if needed.

Fresh Lima beans should be treated diferently than dry lima beans.  They are more delicate and have a wonderful texture when cooked right. 

I almost never add fresh lima beans to soups or stews, they are much better in quick saute’s and ragouts.  Below is the recipe that I came up with.

I know it sounds kind of weird, but it really was good with the smokey flavors of the grilled shrimp and Turkey sausage, and the nice texture from the lima beans.

As always, this is just an idea for you, go ahead and make this your own and have fun with making changes to it.

Grilled Shrimp with Smoked Turkey Succotash

Serves 4

1 pound shrimp

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup shelled lima beans

1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup corn

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup choped turkey kielbasa

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper shrimp, spray with a little cooking oil and grill to perfection.  Meanwhil add the rest of the ingredients (except basil) with some salt and pepper in a pot.  Cook covered on medium for 15-20 minutes stirring a few times.  when lima beans are tender it is finished.  Stir in the fresh basil and top with the shrimp.

The USDA announced Friday that it has replaced the familiar Food Guide Pyramid with the up-to-date, and more nutritious, MyPlate icon.

First Lady Michelle Obama , Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin presented the new My Plate icon and recommended Americans to follow the new, simplified nutritional My Plate.

It is a considerable improvement over the My Pyramid.

My Plate displays the latest scientific knowledge about the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The sections with the small circle off to the side for dairy are replete with healthful information. The sector sizes reflect the portion of your overall daily food intake among the fruits, vegetables, protein, grains and the dairy.

Notice that vegetables take up the most space and dairy the least. Fruits and vegetables are half the entire plate, indicating they should be half your food intake daily, while diary is more of a side choice; seemingly not so important.

Notice that fruits, vegetables and grains take up about three-fourths of all the foods, showing that three-fourths of all the foods daily should be those three food groups. By the way, all of these come from plants.

Dr. Nestle says, “I’m less happy about the sector marked ‘protein.’ Protein is not a food. It is a nutrient.” She states that the USDA must believe that protein is a range of food: beans, poultry, fish and the red meats. It shows that the Unite States meat industry wants you to think of the red meats as all the proteins.

USDA must think everyone knows that “protein” means beans, poultry and fish, as well as meat. But grains and dairy, each with its own sector, are also important protein sources. The meat industry wants you to think of meat as all protein portion of the plate. So, it should be pleased with this guide.

There are messages that come with the plate. For example: “Enjoy your food, but eat less.” Enjoyment is part of dietary advice, which is commendable to the USDA.

Other messages are created to encourage you eat less while eating better. Smaller portions are to keep your weight under control. Making half your plate fruits and vegetables is a huge switch from the six to 11 grain servings you were to eat daily under the old My Pyramid.

Next comes the politically correct message “foods to reduce.” Here, the USDA is saying the right message to you, but still avoiding stepping on certain food manufacturers’ feet. The USDA tells you to reduce sodium from soup, bread and frozen meals, but never mentions salty snacks or other sodium-loaded processed foods.

My Plate has the saying, “drink water instead of sugary drinks”. This has those natural- sweet fruit juices in the same plate portion as sugar-added juice drinks, sports drinks and sodas, which should be drunk sparingly. The USDA is cautious to not upset the processed-food and soft-drink industries.

My Plate stresses the foods that are the most beneficial to your health – fruits, vegetables and all the whole grains.

You may put whatever foods you like on that plate as long as they fit within their assigned sectors according to the new My Plate food guideline.

It’s great, too, that you do not have to count numbers of servings. If you want to control the size of your servings, just use a smaller plate.

Consider the past food guidelines. From 1958 until 1979, the USDA’s undisputed Four Food Groups advised eating two or three servings a day from dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables, and breads and cereals. This turned out to be half the plate from animal-source foods.

In 1979, in an effort to help reduce dietary risks for chronic diseases, USDA stacked the groups with plant foods above animal foods. This brought animosity from meat self-interest groups that led USDA nutritionists to start a 12-year project to research a new food guide.

USDA released a food guide Pyramid in 1991, but had to remove it from protests by the meat producers. In 1992, it was re-released. Meat and dairy producers did not like being off the top of the Pyramid. Nutritionists thought, also, that the new Pyramid promoted too many servings of high-calorie grains.

In 2005, the USDA presented the new Pyramid with the unprotected, food-free My Pyramid. This was unable to teach, however, (you had to learn what each color stood for), and didn’t show that it is better to eat some foods than others, and actually required a computer to personalize your own diet.

The USDA spent $2 million to research and test the new plate logo, build the website, and publicize this campaign . The plate works for health and for disease prevention.

“I encourage all Americans to follow the new dietary guidelines and become familiar with the new icon because it will serve as a compass to a healthy and fit nation,” said Benjamin.

Sugars and oils, formerly the top of the Food Guide Pyramid, are now absent from the new MyPlate icon. Information on the USDA’s website includes guidelines for avoiding “empty calories.”

The new guidelines say to enjoy food, but eat less. MyPlate also urges consumers to eat lower sodium foods, drink water instead of sugary drinks, and avoid oversized portions. There are no specific portions sizes mentioned on the new MyPlate icon, for the various foods, but just go for a smaller plate to limit your eating. It is excellent with its recommendations for weight control and your health.

“What we have learned over the years is that consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet,” said Vilsack.

So to conclude, I like the changes to the my plate format. It makes it simpler for most americans to understand, and certainly much better than the last food pyramid released in 2005.

We really are bomarded with so much nutrtitional information and to be honest with you it isn’t rocket science. It’s my goal to keep all of this simple for you, so stay tuned as I will continue to write more articles to keep you informed.

All the MyPlate food guidelines are available at www.choosemyplate.gov.

Citing:

“The Billionaire Diet”, Jeff Birtle, 2011, http://www.thebillionairediet.com/

“Food Plate Icon Improvement of Pyramid”, Marian Nestle, 6/3/2011, San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/03/FD7Q1JOIVO.DTL,

“Fruits and Veggies Player Bigger Role in New Food Guidelines”, Andrea Goodwin, 6/2011, The Turlock Journal, http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/article/9933/

We live in a time where the inflow of events is as fast as the speed of light. At one point, you might find yourself sitting behind your desk, working on piles of unfinished tasks and in the next, pulling at your hair while you’re stuck in traffic when you just badly want to go home. On top of that, once you do arrive home, you remember that you don’t have food in your fridge and you end up settling for burger and fries. In all honesty, if you actually have this kind of lifestyle, the likelihood of you successively gaining weight and clogging up your body’s system increases by tenfold.

Let’s say you don’t enjoy eating fast food nor socializing and drinking but you’re just technically someone who is very concerned with coping with the daily stresses of life? Sure, we all have problems to worry about but that does not mean they should consume every waking moment especially if it concerns your weight. The truth of the matter is that once you start getting panicky on how you need to lose as much weight as possible, the pressure you are putting on yourself actually interferes with how your body and mind work together. A hormone called cortisol controls your metabolism and your food craving. Once you continually experience chronic stress, the increased production of cortisol lowers the rate of your metabolism and you begin to crave for sweet, salty or fatty food. Heightened blood sugar levels and a greater storage in abdominal fat become the results of indulging in your unhealthy cravings. By gaining a lot of weight in a short period of time, you are putting yourself at risk for many types of diseases.

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, the number one cause of death among Americans is heart disease. In fact, in the year 2006, approximately 425,425 lives have been claimed by cardiovascular diseases and 151, 000 of these are below the age of 65. At this very moment, 17,600,000 people already have a history of heart attack. Another disease that one should worry about when having an unwholesome lifestyle is diabetes. Aside costly medications one has to take, the complications that follow after the initial stages will put you in grave danger.

If you have started going down this road, it isn’t too late to start a healthier and more active lifestyle. Some people say that it’s all in the genes for others to have a fit and leaner body and those who are born fatter are just unlucky. This is not true! If you have been struggling with your weight for decades, www.TheBillionaireDiet gives you a chance to make a turn for the better. The whole point of this diet plan revolves around making you look good and feel good about life and the first and most significant step is having a positive mindset.

A recent study by the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that optimism discourages people from practicing stress-related activities like overeating, drinking and smoking. In general, a positive mindset helps you build a health-protective behavior. This will substantially help you throughout the program offered by www.TheBillionaireDiet. Here are some steps you can do to begin your journey to a healthier you:

1.) Commit yourself. All of us will have that feeling of “giving up” when the going gets tough. We become scared because we don’t know what we are dealing with and if there is ever an assurance of us achieving our goals. Visualize and go back to the time when you were so eager to get things done. Remind yourself that though you may be anxious, the rewards that you will soon reap once you get the diet program done will be worth it in the long run.
2.) Act. After your nerves have settled, get the ball rolling. We guarantee you that www.TheBillionaireDiet does not offer fake and unrealistic approaches to losing weight. What we do is give you practical and effective options for your dietary needs, thereby making the task of losing unwanted body fat easier.
3.) Stay positive. Don’t entertain the voice in your head saying, “Forget it. This isn’t going to work.” Even if you might get frustrated for having lost a smaller amount of body fat than expected, be happy because you have done so and don’t scold yourself for not having done enough. Keep your mind focused. Spare some time motivating yourself and others. It is also a good practice to give time for meditation and be with optimistic people you can associate with.
4.) Be up for the challenge. The greatest test in any diet program is whether or not you can maintain the weight you have achieved. Because of emotional and mental fatigue, some individuals slowly lose the will to stick to the program thus causing their weight to increase once more. Others become too relaxed after they have reached their ideal weight and tend to go back to their negative old habits again. You should have that courage and discipline within you to make the www.TheBillionaireDiet program a part of your lifestyle. Don’t be satisfied with just earning the body that you’ve always dreamed of. If possible, work on your weaknesses and master your strengths.
5.) Spread the love. It’s never bad to share the lessons that you have learned from adapting a healthier lifestyle. Hundreds and even thousands of people out there continue to live with a pessimistic attitude towards themselves and their condition. Extend your positive outlook to them and you will find yourself in higher spirits and with great new friends.

It’s never easy to be in perfect health all the time. In one way or another, we get subjected to harmful situations and we find ourselves depressed and out of shape. However, with the proper mindset and the www.TheBillionaireDiet program, getting back on track to enjoy life will be a more savory and fulfilling adventure.

I was complaining on twitter last month that I was the only one on the block that didin’t get a tree from the city. I finally did, so I thought I would do super quick video. It’s a Kousa Dogwood, which quite frankly I had never heard of. It bears kousa fruit. How fitting that I would receive a fruit tree. Of course once it bears fruit I will think of all kinds of ways to use it.

Garlic Chicken and Spinach Skillet

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 chicken breast halves, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tomato diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

In a large saute pan heat half the oil with the garlic for a minute and then add the spinach. Turn the heat to hight and cook spinach stirring constantly until just cooked through and remove to a plate. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients (except for the cheese). Cook on high until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and mix in the cooked spinach and feta cheese.