Cooking 101 3 Simple sauces

How To Make
Simple Sauces Traditional sauces are an easy way to make your cooking even better. When you prepare a dish that is served with a sauce, the sauce becomes the crowning glory. To help round out the basics of cooking, we focused on 3 traditional sauces.

Beurre Blanc

One simple and basic French sauce is Beurre Blanc, or "white butter." This classic sauce is very versatile and can be used for fish, poultry or vegetables. It's a tangy, hot butter sauce made with a white wine reduction, lemon juice and shallots.

Beurre Blanc is perfect paired with a mild-flavored main dish of chicken or fish. For a great meal anytime of year, try Grilled Cod with Beurre Blanc Sauce and serve it with fresh steamed vegetables.

 

Sauce Bechamel

You can't get much more basic than Bechamel sauce. That's because this sauce is said to be the "Mother of all Sauces" in French cooking. Bechamel, a white sauce, can be used with other ingredients to make a great meal (like using it as your sauce for Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna), but it can also be used as a base sauce. Meaning, you can add a wide array of ingredients to the base sauce to turn it into a different type of sauce. For example, by adding cheese to Bechamel you get a Mornay sauce. Add onions and you have Soubise sauce. And the list goes on.

 

 

There is a trick to making a smooth Bechamel sauce: make sure the milk you are using to add to the recipe is hot (just prior to reaching a boil).

 

 

 

Hollandaise Sauce

A little tricky to make, but well worth the effort, Hollandaise sauce is yet another French classic. Always eager to order Eggs Benedict for breakfast? Hollandaise sauce is typically used to make that item ever-so-tasty. Another common way to use Hollandaise sauce is over steamed asparagus or other vegetables, and even fish. Creamy and buttery with a bit of tang, Hollandaise sauce incorporates egg yolks, butter, lemon juice and a bit of cayenne pepper for zip.

Putting this sauce together might take a little bit of practice, but once perfected, the results will have you licking your lips.

 

Make sure not to curdle the eggs by using too much heat. Too little heat and the ingredients will not bind together properly. If you have a double boiler, great! Use it to prepare this sauce. If you don't, you can just set a thick ceramic bowl into a heavy pan filled with about 1-1/2 inches of water.

 

 

More Simple Sauce Recipes

The Perfect Marinara Sauce

Homemade Tarter Sauce

Spicy Peanut Satay Sauce

San Antonio Barbeque Sauce

Warm Cherry Sauce

Granny's Hot Fudge Sauce

The new McDonald's Happy Meal reduces fries, keeps toy

Hello Apple Slices!French fries in kids' meals are so 2010. Beginning this September, McDonald's Happy Meals will contain half the amount of french fries. A portion of the deep fried potatoes are being replaced with apple slices, hold the caramel dipping sauce. Will these changes make Happy Meals healthier?

McDonald's has done the unthinkable -- it has downsized the french fries in its kids' Happy Meals. Actually, this isn't the first time the fast food giant has cut portion sizes, but this is a big overhaul for the Happy Meal.

Instead of choosing between french fries or apple slices, kids will now receive a standard split in their Happy Meal: Half the amount of french fries and a serving of apples slices. No worries for the kids who love their McDonald's Happy Meal toys, though -- those are staying.

McDonald's and other fast food joints have faced some pretty intense public scrutiny for their unhealthy fare recently. Last year, the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco voted to restrict toys in kids' meals. While the company claims that McDonald's Happy Meal changes are not an effort to avoid regulation, some critics are skeptical.

What do the new Happy Meals look like nutritionally? Well, the old serving size of french fries was 2.4 ounces. That has been slashed to 1.1 ounces. Add in the apple slices -- which won't include sugary caramel sauce -- and the total calories are reduced by around 20%, leaving Happy Meals under the 600 calorie mark.

As Fox points out, the current lowest calorie Happy Meal you can order would contain a four-piece order of Chicken McNuggets with apples and apple juice. This contains 12 grams of fat and 380 calories. So taking away the choice of fries or apples slices will beef up the calorie content of this meal.

On the other hand, the highest calorie Happy Meal is a cheeseburger with fries and 1 percent milk. It contains 700 calories and 27 grams of fat. The new Happy Meal will reduce the calorie content of this Happy Meal.

What do you think of the changes to the McDonald's Happy Meals? Are you happy with the half-portion fries and included apple slices?

How to survive the winter doldrums

Beat The
Winter BluesWhen we sing Auld Lang Syne and tip our champagne glasses to welcome it in, January seems to be the exciting month when we get back to the office or classroom, share stories about the holidays, and excitedly put in place our New Year's resolutions.

But many of us feel a certain letdown. For during the holidays, our lives are filled with doing things for others and family. While hectic, it is a wonderful time filled with purpose and meaning.

When we move into January and February, all that meaning comes to a screeching halt. We feel a loneliness as everyone gets back into their own lives -- feeling almost like nothing will be special again for a long, long time. But we can find in our own spirit a way to keep the magic going even amidst obstacles.

Three ways to beat the winter doldrums1. Do fun and rewarding things with family and friends
The holidays were a time to celebrate in very close quarters with those with whom we feel a kinship of spirit. When we feel the letdown of a grand spectacle being over, why not create new communion and connection to spirit?

Take time in January and February to do special things with those you love. Find that extra half hour at the coffee shop to meet a friend and just hang out. Or try an experiment like my wife and I have been doing: we took five cold winter evenings to read the whole of "Pride and Prejudice" out loud by the fire, right after we saw the movie.

Choose the thing to do that will most rekindle that warm fire that vivified Christmas. The more you can slow down and do simple things together, the better.

2. At school or work -- For most of us, returning to the grind has some good and some bad
Good, because we missed colleagues and are back in the exciting world of accomplishment -- and bad, because all the special time of celebrating is gone, and routines and deadlines are back.

But don't that feeling of depression get you down. Make a resolution to do something at work that you have never given yourself time for: maybe it's just bringing flowers and placing them on the desk of the person you haven't been able to relate to very much, and asking about their family.

Smile and tell all your friends at work how much you are looking forward to a year when all will find new springs of motivation that will give meaning to the task at hand and magic to every moment.

3. Renew your faith in yourself
So if the New Year hasn't brought the warmth and meaning the holidays did, it may seem we are in a loud, empty world and want the comfort of our families back again.

In that case, I would say kindle that fire in yourself. Reach deep down and find within yourself those springs of new life that sometimes only come when we feel all is lost, that nothing can be good again.

I would highly recommend starting a practice that enables you to go deep within yourself to mine that imprisoned wealth. Say to yourself every day, "I have in myself everything I could ever need." Or even better, try meditating on the words of those whose lives have been lit ablaze by the fervor of a larger purpose guiding their every action. One could do worse than contemplate the life and words of Martin Luther King. I was transfixed and energized by them as I heard them on the radio growing up -- I knew something very special was happening in the world.

Today, I imprint such lofty words on my own mind. Try it, and watch the magic of Christmas happen in its own way in your life, throughout the whole year.

Kendra Wilkinson 'Weight loss with Ab Cuts is helping my marriage'

Ab Cuts: Kendra's Weight-Loss SecretKendra Wilkinson says she's happier in her marriage thanks to weight loss with Ab Cuts. What does hubby Hank have to say about it?

Kendra Wilkinson is really happy with her recent loss -- and she credits it with improving her marriage to NFL player Hank Baskett.

"Our romance has went up like 10 notches. I mean I feel so good," she told RumorMix at a promotional event for Ab Cuts.

"Hank just laughs at me. He's like, 'I can just tell you have the biggest head right now. You walk around with just a sports bra on and little shorts, you have so much ego right now.' He always makes fun of me and I'm like, 'Yeah, I feel good.' Why not? I want to feel good before baby number two, I want to feel free and feel good," she gushed.

Ab Cuts: Herbal weight loss aid

We were more than skeptical when Wilkinson first came out in support of Ab Cuts in the fall. At first, we thought it was a dangerous stimulant like some of the other weight loss supplements out there.

Not so, says the manufacturer of Ab Cuts.

Ab Cuts, or full name Abdominal Cuts, is a weight-loss product that the company touts as a healthy supplement that can "assist with body-fat reduction (particularly in the abdominal area), healthy metabolism, antioxidant supply and anti-inflammatory assistance," according to their website.

We're still not sold on spending $50 for vitamins and minerals you can purchase inexpensively at your pharmacy, but we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Kendra: Baby #2 Soon?

Is Kendra Wilkinson looking to give baby Hank a little brother or sister any time soon?

"My goal is just to be in a bikini a couple more times before I get pregnant again."

And this time, she'll approach weight loss the right way.

"I really thought I was going to be one of those celebrities that just lost the weight like right away. I really thought I was going to be that celebrity, but I wasn't and I learned my lesson from it. I will never do that to myself again."

Have you tried Ab Cuts? Tell us how it worked -- or didn't work -- for you.More on weight loss

Weight loss: Support for keeping the weight off
Fitness for women only
Top 10 workout playlists

How to make a superfood dinner

One easy way to incorporate superfoods into your diet is with a quick and easy soup. Try this hearty, power-packed soup after a long day of work.

Hearty, yet simpleStep 1:

To get started, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. You will be adding cooked potatoes later in the soup recipe, so start cooking those now.

Step 2:

When the oil is hot, add in one cup of diced Spanish chorizo. You can find Spanish chorizo in the gourmet section of your grocery store. This ingredient adds a smoky flavor to the soup.

Step 3:

Next, add one cup each of diced onions, celery and carrots. Season with salt, pepper and a tablespoon of chopped, fresh garlic. If you like a garlicky flavor, you can add a little extra in this step.

Step 4:

Stir in one cup of the diced, cooked potatoes and one cup of diced kale. Before adding the kale, you may need to remove the center ribs. Simply cut them out and dice the remaining leafy portion.

Step 5:

Add four cups chicken stock. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Step 6:

To round out the superfood dinner, serve this hearty soup with a mixed greens salad.

Watch the step-by-step video

Read more about superfoods

10 Superfoods and how to squeeze them into your diet
3 Sweet takes on vegetables
Do you know your superfoods?

Fitness tips from around the world

Cultural FitnessAs we clean up the last of that fir and tinsel, we may also have another bit of mess to shed: unwanted extra pounds. The post-holiday season is the peak time to feel pretty darn bad about how we look - especially if we turn on our televisions and see how hot the rest of the world is! How do other cultures stay so slim and trim? Let's look at the lifestyles of other countries and see what health and fitness tips we can learn from our global neighbors.

USA

By and large it is true that if you look at cultures, Americans look fatter and lazier. But is it that we simply eat too much? Are we eating the wrong foods? Or is it just that we need to get off our butt and get moving?

"Sixty percent of Americans are overweight or obese and, at the rate this number is increasing, it will be 86 percent by 2025. Sedentary lifestyles, poor portion control, and a high incidence of eating fast foods are to blame," says certified holistic lifestyle coach Uche Odiatu BA, DMD, NSCA CPT. Out of control obesity is not prevalent in countries where people eat foods in moderation and live in health-minded communities.

Denmark

Matthew Goodemote is a physical therapist and owner of Community Physical Therapy & Wellness in Gloversville, New York, and holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Sciences. He's also married to a Danish woman and has witnessed first hand the Danish outlook on nutrition and fitness.

"I remember being amazed at how thin everyone seemed to be when I first went to visit. Then finally I saw an obese person on one of my first trips…when the man turned around his T-shirt said USA. I thought that was pretty funny!"

Exercise: The Danes ride their bikes everywhere. They get groceries, go to the mall, beaches, work, and school, and visit friends by bike. Denmark roadways, including highways close to cities, have a separate path for bikes. "I have seen 80 year olds riding to get groceries and five year olds riding to school," says Goodemote. "I read once that there are more bikes than people in Denmark!"

Active lifesyles: Physical activity is a normal part of life in Denmark, particularly for children. In elementary schools, the kids get as much recess as classroom time. After school programs are on playgrounds and soccer fields instead of inside watching videos or playing with computers. Field trips for kids in Denmark are to the ocean and woods (in Denmark, the woods are what we call parks…like Central Park in NYC), where kids can run, climb and explore. For both kids and adults, soccer goals are everywhere for anyone to use, every town and city has a public swimming pool for laps and fun swim for kids (some even have indoor water slides), sports are easy to access, and sports or fitness clubs are rampant throughout the country.

Healthy snacking: According to Goodemote, school children get carrots and apples for snacks and that healthy foods are a normal part of Denmark culture. In contrast, American children usually get cookies and brownies for snacks. Another healthy habit in Denmark is that meals are typically served at home; very few people eat out. Goodemote adds, "My wife and other Danes bring food wherever they go, on trains, car trips, to the airport, etc. I am used to grabbing something from the road. Fortunately my wife brings food for our kids to eat and again it is usually cut up fruit and veggies."

Lesson to be learned: It is true that the Danish culture is set up for exercise and that Danes prefer sensible eating while American culture prioritizes auto transportation and eating out. But that does not mean we can't live an activity-oriented lifestyle. It means we need to walk or bike more and make healthy foods the norm rather than the exception.

Macau, China

Wonder how our Asian friends maintain a healthy weight? In addition to following a mostly plant-based diet, regular physical activity is the norm.

Exercise: Recently, I visited Macau for the first time and was surprised to discover that the city had free public fitness options! There's many fitness trails, such as the Small Taipa Trail 2000 around the Garden of the Lake, the Hac Sa Reservoir Fitness Circuit in Coloane, and the Hac Sa Morro Circuit. In addition, children's play areas and fitness equipment are available near most fitness trails. One morning, we even witnessed a group of local women joining together for a fan dance routine. It was beautiful!

Lesson to be learned: Perhaps free fitness options or public fitness options are not the norm in America, but a lesson can be learned from the people of Macau: Find exercise wherever you can.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, competitive sports play an important role in people's lives. There's many strongly followed sports -- most notably tennis, baseball and soccer (to them, football). These are not simply fun, but serious business. In fact, sports make up an integral part of the cultural life of the Venezuelans. It's not surprising, then, that when getting fit, a sport-like theme would apply!

Exercise: Marta Montenegro, founder of SOBeFiT Magazine, used to own and operate her own gym in Venezuela. To motivate her employees and clients, she developed a program including a fitness contest. This was a small contest that Marta created to challenge the clients that belonged to her gym to work harder and get fit. She noticed that the more they competed against each other, the harder they worked out and the happier they were. From here, she began SOBeFit Magazine and implemented "The Fittest Person of the Year Contest" which had an extremely successful first year in South Florida. Marta continues to receive letters from many different types of people who at one point were as motivated as a lazy Garfield and are now striving to do better than their best so they can join the competition this year and win.

Lesson to be learned: The message to all of us reading? Competitiveness sparks motivation! Consider that in your own family and friend activities! You can even join an intramural or local sports league and compete your way into shape.

West Africa

Perhaps true health is a matter of perception. "I am a fat athlete -- a professional competitive dancer," says Ragen Chastain, executive and artistic director of Body Positive Dance. "Despite my perfect metabolic health, I'm considered morbidly obese and generally assumed to be lazy and unhealthy in [the American] culture."

Different perceptions: But it's not like that everywhere. Ragen goes on: "My mom went to Mali, West Africa with the Peace Corps a few years ago. In their culture, bigger women are considered healthier and more beautiful. They considered me so beautiful in fact, that I received proposals every day and two men offered to buy me for an air conditioner (the typical dowry for an African princess). My mom took one of them up on the deal (and when she left she returned the air conditioner thus nullifying the engagement) and he was quite disappointed!"

Research has shown that being active can benefit your health regardless of your weight. But this may apply only to people who are considered overweight yet do not have weight-related maladies, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.

Lesson to be learned: No matter your weight, strive for a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and regular physical activity. And love yourself regardless of the number on the scale or the size of your clothing.

More ways to stay healthy and fit Combat cancer with exercise Exercise for heart health Diet tips to prevent type 2 diabetes

Tonight's Dinner Asian Turkey Cabbage Cups

Chinese Food You Can Make In Your Own HomeEveryone loves Chinese Food. It's always delicious and there's always tons of leftovers. But it can also be pricey. So the next time you're craving Chinese take out. Stay in and whip up these savory cabbage cups from Cooking Light.

Asian Turkey Cabbage Cups1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger1 lb ground turkey1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped1 Tbsp brown sugar2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped2 Tbsp lime juice1 Tbsp soy sauce2 tsp olive oil1 tsp sesame oil10 large cabbage leaves

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.Add ginger and turkey to pan and cook for 7 minutes or until the turkey is done.Drain the turkey grease and place in a large bowl. Add the green onions and the next 7 ingredients (through the sesame oil). Toss well.Spoon about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture into each cabbage leaf and serve.

Baked potato wedges with Italian dressing

Perfect appetizer,
side dish or snack!

The Italian dressing bakes into these potatoes giving them a subtle flavor — perfect for enjoying french fry-style or as a welcome side to chicken, beef or fish.

This is a fun and simple way to add a touch of flavor to baked potato wedges.

Baked potato wedges with Italian dressingIngredients:4 large russet potatoes3/4 cup Italian salad dressing, dividedDirections:

Line a baking sheet (with sides) with aluminum foil.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.Slice your potatoes into wedges (about six to eight slices per potato).Drizzle the foil with one-half cup of your favorite Italian salad dressing.Place your potatoes into the pan, toss around to coat with the dressing.Arrange potato wedges in a single layer not overlapping.Pour an additional one-quarter cup dressing over top of the potato wedges.Place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn up heat to 425 degrees F and cook an additional 10 minutes or until fork tender and crisping.Using a spatula, carefully remove potato wedges from the pan and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt.Garnish with fresh chives if desired.

Quick tip

Delicious plain or why not serve with any of the following:  French onion dip, hot cheese dip, ranch, blue cheese dip, chimichurri sauce or good old-fashioned ketchup .

More recipes

Simple scalloped potatoes
Oven-baked eggplant fries
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How to lose 10 pounds by eating more

Pile your plate to lose weight

Lucy Danziger, editor in chief of Self magazine, and her team of nutrition experts have created a flexible plan for melting off 10, 20 or more pounds at any age – by adding food to your plate! Eating more of 30 superfoods, such as eggs, yogurt, steak and cherries, you can shed pounds and reduce your dependence on those less healthy foods that like to call your name. Here’s our Q&A with Danziger about her new book, The Drop 10 Diet.

SheKnows: I like the premise: Add to your plate to lose weight. The Drop 10 Diet is not about deprivation!

Lucy Danziger: You get to eat healthy (most of the time) delicious foods that literally "pay you back" for the calories you spend, by making your body fight fat naturally and feel full and energetic. But we also allow you to have "happy calories" that are 200 calories of treats a day. If you want more, you can save your calories and spend them all the following day, when you go out with friends or have a special occasion. This means you literally never are hungry and you can still choose your favorite indulgences to add into the plan and lose two pounds a week.

SheKnows: What are your personal top three superfoods?

Lucy Danziger: Blueberries, spinach or kale, and Parmesan cheese.

I call blueberries "nature's candy." I keep a container of them in my fridge at all times. They are high in antioxidants and help my body. I pop them in my mouth like other people eat Skittles or M&Ms.

Then comes spinach or kale. I love steamed spinach with my dinner. It makes me feel clean and healthy. Popeye was onto something with this leafy green. It builds a healthy body from the inside out. One cup of kale provides 134 percent of your daily vitamin C and also filling fiber. If you take in 34 grams of fiber a day, your body doesn't absorb 6 percent of your calories.

Parmesan cheese. As a total cheese lover I can eat chunks of this. It's a calcium champ, delivering as much in one ounce as a glass of skimmed milk. And it is high in protein, 10 grams per ounce, so that fills you up. Plus it’s super-tasty, and you can sprinkle it on salad or anything, it delivers a big powerful punch of flavor and makes salt redundant.

SheKnows: What about night eating -- mindless noshing in front of the TV. How do you turn that urge off?

Lucy Danziger: I hate myself when I do it, but I find that if I have protein at dinner I can avoid a big munch afterward. What's the point of a virtuous salad at 7 or 8 if you scarf cookies at 10? So eat some lean protein like chicken or steak, and when you do, you will feel fuller longer; if you have an urge to snack pre-bedtime, make it a glass of skim milk and one little thing like a cookie. If you eat protein, you will keep your blood sugar more stable and that helps your body not store fat.

SheKnows: Best workout to zap fat fast?

Lucy Danziger: HIIT, meaning high-intensity interval training. It's basically the quickest way to zap calories and fat. You can do it with any cardio --running, jump rope, spin bike or swimming -- just so long as you get your heart rate up to a point where it's too hard to hold a conversation. Think of it as alternating between hard and easy intervals: two minutes on, three minutes off, 10 times through. When that feels easy, make the resting interval shorter, and eventually the "on" interval longer. You will see results fast!

SheKnows: What is the top sabotager when it comes to weight loss?

Lucy Danziger: People think that they can eat more when they work out. I fall prey to this, too. (I just scooped a handful of M&Ms into my mouth in the art department and rationalized it with: Hey, I biked this morning!) But the truth is that your hardest workout only burns about 10 calories a minute. So if you did 30 minutes today you can have 300 and stay even. But that's one treat -- more than that and you are in the hole. So do have a post-workout snack, but know that it should probably be small and not too sugary. For me, a little yogurt, some almonds, a piece of fruit is all it takes to get my energy back on track.

More weight loss tips

6 Tips for moving past a weight loss plateau
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Meal plans to help you lose the baby weight

Bye Bye Baby BlubberWhether you've just had a baby or your kids are already teenagers, many moms struggle to lose their baby weight. Between juggling motherhood, your career and family time, we understand that your weight loss can often get knocked a few pegs down on the priority totem pole. So, we've devised an easy-as-pie meal plan to help you shed the extra pounds while still maintaining the energy to take care of your little ones.

 

Simply chose one meal from the following list per day. If you are nursing, allow yourself three items per day from the snacks list, in addition to the regular meals; see more details below. Mix it up and try them all!

Breakfast

Option 1

 

Banana/Strawberry smoothie

 

Blend the following together:

 

1 banana3/4 cup strawberries1/2 of a fat-free yogurt1/2 cup skim milk1/2 cup ice

Light wheat or double fiber English muffin, toasted with 1 tsp. peanut butter

Option 2

 

1 cup grapes

 

Egg white omelette:

 

3 egg whites1/8 cup chopped onions1/4 cup spinach1/8 cup diced tomatoes1 oz. light shredded cheese

(Sautee the vegetables in butter-flavored cooking spray until tender, then add egg whites until they set up, fold, and sprinkle with cheese)

 

1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. strawberry jam

 

Option 3

 

1 packet instant oatmeal (mixed with water)

 

1/4 of a large cantaloupe with 1 tablespoon honey

 

8 oz. glass of orange juice

 

Option 4

 

3/4 cup high-fiber cold cereal with one cup fat free milk

 

1 apple

 

Next up: Light lunches

Continue »1234

3 No-cook fish recipes

Quick, Easy Fish Recipes For Busy WeeknightsWhen the temperatures are above 90 degrees, the last thing we want to do is cook anything in a hot kitchen. Avoid the oven, stovetop and even the grill this sticky summer and whip up one of these low-cal, healthy, no-cook fish recipes instead!

When you're going to be living in your two-piece, you definitely want to avoid anything that'll give you an extra jiggle. These no-cook fish recipes aren't just easy to make, they are super low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb and still delicious! You'll stay thin and cool while still eating something you love.

1Smoked salmon pasta salad

Serves about 4  (Mayonnaise makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked3 cups cooked elbow macaroni noodles1 small red pepper, sliced2/3 cup sliced cherry tomatoes1 bunch cilantro, chopped

For the horseradish mayonnaise:

5 tablespoons grated horseradish1 egg yolk1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1 tablespoon white wine vinegar3/4 cup grapeseed oilDash of saltDirections:

To make the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk in a food processor. Pulse on low and add Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Let pulse until yolk is bright yellow and frothy. Gradually add the oil, one drip at a time, until mixture thickens up.Stir together the macaroni noodles, pepper and chopped cilantro. Top the salad with flaked salmon. Stir in the mayo and mix to combine.

2Fresh shrimp wrap with Green Goddess dressing

Serves 2 (Dressing makes one cup)

Ingredients:1 large flatbread wrap2/3 cup cooked shrimp, tails removed1 cup lettuce greens4 slices tomato, cut in half (total 8 half slices)1/4 cup shredded cheese

For the dressing:

1/2 medium avocado, seeded1/3 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup low-fat Greek yogurt1/4 cup chopped cilantro2 tablespoons chopped tarragon1 tablespoon lemon juiceSalt and pepperDirections:

To make the dressing, pulse all of the ingredients on low in a food processor until creamy.To make the wrap, place lettuce over the flatbread. Top with tomato slices, shrimp and cheese. Add dressing (about 3 tablespoons) and roll up into a tight wrap. Cut in half and enjoy!

3Crab & artichoke salad

Serves about 2

Ingredients:

For the salad: 

2 cups fresh kale5 ounces crabmeat10 cherry tomatoes, halved2 small red peppers, sliced1/2 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, choppedAbout 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Dressing:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar1-1/2 tablespoons honey1 tablespoon olive oilDash of saltDash of pepper1/2 teaspoon honey mustardDirections: 

Separate kale into two bowls. Top each bowl with 2-1/2 ounces crabmeat, 1/2 the tomatoes, one small pepper, 3-1/2 ounces artichokes and 1 tablespoon cheese.Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour over salads and enjoy!

More quick and easy recipes

Spaghetti with lemony garlic brown butter sauce
Boston lettuce salad with warm bacon viniagrette
Avocado alfredo pasta with spicy shrimp

Get limber Do the splits!

Stretch Your
Way To The SplitsWhen was the last time you did the splits? High school? Never? No worries. If you're seeking increased flexibility, working toward the splits can actually be an enjoyable process and not an exercise in torture! We asked yoga instructor Rina Jakubowicz to show us some stretches that will help improve your flexibility and move you closer to the splits. Remember to approach these stretches gently and to never push your body too far.Hamstring stretch

Begin by warming up with a hamstring stretch, also called half Hanumanasana in Sanskrit. Place your right leg straight in front of you, toes lifted up. Place the knee of your left leg on the ground, toes curled under. Distribute your weight evenly on both hands, placed on either side of your outstretched leg. If your hands don't reach the ground, use a yoga block or towel under each hand. Lean forward slowly, hips moving back towards your left heel, until you feel a stretch along your right hamstring and calf. When you feel enough stretch, stop and hold the pose for five deep breaths. Next, switch sides and repeat this stretch with your left leg. Be gentle with yourself, and avoid this stretch if you have a hamstring injury or experience any pain.

Horse stance stretch

The next stretch is called horse stance or goddess pose, and is an extremely effective hip opener. Stand with your feet wide apart, toes turned out slightly, and bend your knees so that your ankles are directly under your knees and in the same line as your hips. You're creating a rectangle with your legs and the floor. Bring your hands to prayer position with your shoulders pulled back and torso directly above your hips. Breathe in and out deeply for five breaths.

Basic lizard pose stretch

Now you're ready to try a basic lizard pose. Stretch your right leg behind you and place the ball of that foot on the floor, with your knee resting comfortably on the ground. Bend your left knee at a 90 degree angle, and place both hands flat on the ground in front of you with straight arms. Breathe deeply for five breaths and enjoy the therapeutic opening of this deep hip stretch.

Advanced lizard pose stretch

Want more? If you're looking for a deeper stretch, you may want to try an advanced lizard stretch. Bring your elbows and forearms to the ground and lift your back knee off the ground, staying on the ball of your foot. Again, inhale and exhale deeply five times, letting your body settle into the pose. Next, repeat this sequence with your other leg.

Left splits

Remember that "getting your splits" is not something that happens overnight. It may take weeks, months or years to attain this ultimate expression of flexibility. Practice moving deeper into your splits by returning to the hamstring stretch (shown above), and moving the heel of your forward foot off the mat and gradually sliding your leg forward. Putting a towel under your heel will help it slide more easily. You may want to place a yoga block or folded towel under your front leg to help bring the ground closer to you. Hold here for five to ten breaths, then switch legs and repeat. Remember not to push your body past the point where you feel comfortable. If you feel any pain or discomfort, back off right away.

Right splits

Practice these stretches regularly, and enjoy increased flexibility and strength on your journey toward reaching the full splits, or Hanumanasana, demonstrated here by Rina.

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Photo credits: Rina Jakubowicz