Weekly Bits: Smarter Snacks & Eggplant Ideas

This week, our readers here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages pondered yogurt dilemmas, peppery pizza and a healthy twist on that old favorite, eggplant Parmesan.

From In Season: Eggplant:
“I LOVE eggplant! I am always looking for new recipes. I make a great eggplant parm, but instead of frying, I leave out the breading and brush on olive oil and broil the eggplant slices before assembling. Cuts out lots of calories, and still tastes great!” — Kathy, via Facebook

“I just started cooking with eggplant, and everything has turned out good so far. I put cut up pieces of it in my spaghetti sauce instead of meat. I also made little mini pizzas with a grilled eggplant slice as the crust and a slice tomato, cheese and seasonings to top it off. It’s really easy.” — Rachell, via Facebook

From Market Watch: Peppers (& a Cheesy Flatbread):
“I made this for dinner last night, and both my husband and I loved it. I used a little dried thyme since I didn’t have fresh, and added a little extra mozzarella in place of the provolone slice. Whole Foods sells fantastic Italian chicken sausage at their meat counter, which I used. We still have two pieces of whole wheat naan left, so I plan to make it again this weekend.” — CAE426

“Speaking of Whole Foods, for those of you who are Celiac or just plain gluten-sensitive, Whole Foods has their own frozen pizza rounds, which work just as well with this recipe. The secret is to thaw, spray the crust with either PAM Olive Oil spray or use your hands and lightly coat the crust with olive oil all the way to the very edge. Put in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Then remove, turn the oven to 400 degrees and proceed.” — Fitzmary

From Smarter Snacks: Picks for During & After School:
“What about the tried and true ‘ants on a log’ celery stuffed with peanut butter and then sprinkled with raisins? I sometimes use dried blueberries in place of the raisins. My children also loved to eat carrots that they dunked into peanut butter. We always have oranges at home. My children seem to be more likely to eat an orange if I peel it and make slices out of it so it becomes finger food.” — Jean Ann

Meanwhile, on our Facebook page, Sarah posed a yogurt query:
“Healthy Eats, if I am eating plain yogurt, should I go for non-fat or low-fat? I’ve heard arguments for both.”

Our take: Both are good choices. We usually choose low-fat — the consistency is better and it’s more satisfying. But when it comes to Greek yogurt, go for nonfat, which is still thick and creamy. Plus, it has more protein than regular yogurt so it’s just as satisfying.

TELL US: What kind of yogurt do you reach for at the dairy case?

  • Posted at 11:30 am
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3 Comments

I go for stonyfield farm's non-fat; their plain and french vanilla are both creamy dreamy to me!

Ashlie on August 29, 2009 at 6:50 pm

Hi Ashlie,
I agree–the Stonyfield vanilla is yummy, especially topped with blueberries.

tamidor on August 30, 2009 at 8:19 pm

I love to stick to the 0% greek yogurt! Fage is my favorite, but I tend to find that any 0% is just as thick and delicious! I love greek yogurt because it is easy to use in both sweet and savory ways!

For a yummy treat , I love to spread greek yogurt on a whole wheat pita and then drizzle it with some honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon!

For savory, I love to use greek yogurt as a base for dips (any time a recipie calls for some mayo I replace it with greek yogurt)

Stephanie on August 31, 2009 at 9:52 pm

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On Ask HE: How Much Protein Do You Really Need?, Jordan said:

Where can you get a protein powder that doesnt have a bunch of added chemicals and sweetners? I've been having some trouble finding one.

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