Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

March 25th, 2014 Blog, Environment Comments Off on Inviting Businesses to 16th Annual Westborough Earth Day Cleanup

Inviting Businesses to 16th Annual Westborough Earth Day Cleanup


It’s human nature. A clean town attracts business.

Over the past few years, more businesses (H&S Environmental, Ted’s Montana Grill, Energy Federation Inc. and Green Park Mortgage) have participated in The Westborough Community Land Trust’s annual Earth Day cleanup.

Here’s what Rt. 30 at Rt. 9 looked like before and after last year’s cleanup.

This year we’re again asking for business support for an event that only takes a few hours to complete but makes a night and day difference that lasts a full year. Please consider lending a hand on Saturday, April 26th.

We’ll have two start times: 6:30 a.m. to clean Bellows Rd. and Westmeadow Plaza, and 9:30 a.m. to clean identified sites throughout town. For more information or to report a site in Westborough in need of cleaning – or to schedule a date to participate other than April 26th that suits your needs, please contact me, Bruce Tretter, (508) 446-7790 or earthday@westboroughlandtrust.org.

Together, let’s make Westborough shine!

March 19th, 2014 Blog, Vegetables Comments Off on How to Make a Warmly Comforting Vegetable Tian – All in Pictures

How to Make a Warmly Comforting Vegetable Tian – All in Pictures

They say spring is on the way, but, wow, it’s been biting cold both in the morning and evening here in the Northeast. And, though there’s not a lot we can do about the temperature outside, we sure can do something in the kitchen to warm us from the inside out – all very easily.

As I mention in the TIPS section at the beginning of the step-by-step picture book recipe you can get by clicking this link or either picture on this page, the word “tian” that you see in the title above is Greek for “frying pan” and is both a shallow earthenware cooking pot and a fantastically flavorful dish made with the layered, thinly sliced vegetables, herbs, oil, and garlic you see in the ingredients picture below and then baked in that same tian pot. Long sentence? You bet. Great stuff? Try it!

February 26th, 2014 Blog, Fitness/Health Comments Off on New Sweet & Savory Power Tuna Salad Video

New Sweet & Savory Power Tuna Salad Video

Been out for some great cross country skis lately right around the corner from where I live. And when I come back in, I’m soaked wet from the inside out and good to go for something darn flavorful and nutritionally sound to take a bite out of hunger.

Recently, I posted a new step-by-step picture book recipe showing how to make Sweet and Savory Power Tuna Salad… Read more »

February 14th, 2014 Blog, Fitness/Health Comments Off on Incredible Nutritional Difference: Mayo vs. Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

Incredible Nutritional Difference: Mayo vs. Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

Last post I mentioned that I’d show the nutritional difference between regular mayonnaise and non-fat Greek yogurt. Before showing that difference, though, I will say that I’ve used non-fat Greek yogurt not only as a more nutritious substitute but also as a fresh and lively flavor-enhancing alternative to mayonnaise.

Most importantly, when making this comparison – as with any other nutrition label comparison, make sure to check the serving size as circled below.

The serving size listed on the mayonnaise label is 1 tablespoon, or about 1/2 ounce. The serving size for the non-fat Greek yogurt is 1 cup, or 8 ounces. That means you either have to multiply the nutritional values on the mayonnaise label by 16 (there are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup/8ounces) or divide what you see on the non-fat Greek yogurt label below by the same 16 (1 cup = 16 tablespoons).

Below is a table comparing the nutritional values of 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise to 1 tablespoon of non-fat Greek yogurt. The difference is significant!

 

February 10th, 2014 Blog, Fitness/Health, Salads & Salad Dressings Comments Off on Sweet and Savory Power Tuna Salad – All in Pictures

Sweet and Savory Power Tuna Salad – All in Pictures


Sweet & Savory Tuna Salad

Not too long ago, I showed how to turn plain old tuna salad into much more flavorful and nutritious POWER TUNA SALAD by replacing high fat, high calorie mayonnaise with high protein, low calorie non-fat plain Greek yogurt. I’ll write up a mayonnaise to non-fat Greek yogurt nutrition comparison next.

But first, here’s a great way to add variety to that power tuna salad by using the sweet and savory ingredients like fresh apple, dried cranberries and sun dried tomatoes shown below. Great stuff! Just click either picture on this page for a complete, easy to follow SWEET AND SAVORY POWER TUNA SALAD step-by-step picture book recipe.

 

February 7th, 2014 Blog, Fitness/Health Comments Off on Sugar Is NOT Just Sugar

Sugar Is NOT Just Sugar

1 Taspoon Sugar (sucrose)
Until about a month ago, I believed all sugars were about the same. Wrong.

Briefly, as shown in the diagram below,…

Sucrose is 1 part glucose and 1 part fructose

…sucrose – white table sugar – is made of one part glucose (the energy of life) and one part fructose (what I now regard as “feast or famine” energy).

Bottom line: glucose and fructose are two very distinct molecules structurally that are metabolized entirely differently in our bodies. Read more »

February 5th, 2014 Blog Comments Off on “Snowful” Exuberance!

“Snowful” Exuberance!

Screenshot 2014-02-04 21.19.00

Anyone else have a tough time going to sleep last night knowing a good pounding of snow was on the way today?

I’d only first heard it was really coming as I finished up a terrific winter walk in the woods at Lake Chauncy late yesterday afternoon. I ran into a woman walking her dogs who told me a bit stressfully that she was making the most of the time she had right then to get outside before the snow.

“We’re really supposed to get snow?” Read more »

February 1st, 2014 Blog, Salads & Salad Dressings Comments Off on Power Tuna Salad Step-By-Step Video

Power Tuna Salad Step-By-Step Video

 

Click this link or the picture above for a short step-by-step video that uses a combination of video, sound and text-over-video to show how to make power tuna salad that substitutes high fat and calorie mayonnaise with high protein, low calorie non-fat Greek yogurt.

Great stuff and all quick and easy to make using the ingredients shown below.

January 29th, 2014 Blog, Cycling Comments Off on Snow Changing Perspective

Snow Changing Perspective

Chauncy Rain 1-27-14It’s about perspective. Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but what you do get turns out even better – if you give it a chance.

I remember the weather guess about a week and half ago calling for just enough snow to make driving – and cycling – a problem for that Saturday and Sunday. The cycling part bothered me. I’d been just a hair ahead of pace to meet an aggressive personal mile goal this year that runs April to April but was starting to lose ground due to weather and a stretch with the flu (yah, even with a flu shot) that kept me off the road in December. Read more »

January 27th, 2014 Blog, Fitness/Health Comments Off on Transforming Plain Tuna Salad into Power Tuna Salad

Transforming Plain Tuna Salad into Power Tuna Salad

Here’s a quick and easy way to substitute traditional mayonnaise, which is high in fat and calories, with non-fat, high-protein plain Greek Yogurt (2-3 times the protein content of regularly processed plain yogurt) along with a little mustard to turn plain old tuna salad into reinvigorated fantastically flavorful Power Tuna Salad.

Ingredients are shown below. Just click either picture on this page for a complete, easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.

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