Here at Feed the Soul we’ve been wondering how we can get the word out about our individualized nutrition consulting services. What better way than to give a free consultation away during the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival?

If you’re interested in improving your health through better nutrition, you’ve come to the right place at the right time. Here are the giveaway details:

What You Can Win: A free phone consultation with registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Nicole Garnsey. The consultation will include a baseline health assessment, individualized nutrition prescription and personalized goal strategies ($125 value).

How You Can Win: Simply leave a comment on this post mentioning how you would benefit from this service. Update: For an additional entry, you can subscribe to our mailing list by sending a blank email to Feed the Soul. If you choose to do this, please leave a second comment indicating that you have subscribed.

Who Can Win: You don’t have to have a blog to win. Anyone with a valid email address that lives in the U.S. or Canada (sorry Internationals!) is eligible. We’ll contact the winner via email when the giveaway is over to schedule your consultation and get more contact information.

When the Carnival Ends: Comment by Friday, August 1st at 11:59PM ET to be entered in the drawing. Any comments received after this time will not be considered. The winner will be chose using random.org.

Thanks for visiting Feed the Soul. Comment for a chance to win the giveaway, and while you’re here, take a look around. You’ll find plenty of health and nutrition information, including great recipes and lots of resources. And please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our current programs or services. Good luck!

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

If your garden is overflowing with produce, or you just brought home yet another big basket of vegetables from the farmers’ market, eating another tired salad is the last thing you want to do. By now, you’re probably getting sick of the same old sauté. But vegetables don’t have to be a boring side dish. When you think you’ve had more than enough zucchini, peppers or other produce, try one of the ideas below to add a little variety to your dinner plate.

Mix it up with marinades. Marinating vegetables for a couple of hours before cooking can be an easy (and low calorie) way to kick things up a notch. Wisk some olive oil, your favorite vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs in a bowl. (We recommend you use about 1 tsp oil and 1 TBSP vinegar per cup of cut vegetables.) Put your sliced vegetables (any mixture of veggies works) in a bowl with a cover or a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over them. Shake or stir to cover all the vegetables. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 24 hours, mixing a few times to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed. Cook as you like, eat raw or toss in a salad.

Fire up the grill. That great summer cooking appliance isn’t just for meat. Instead of sticking to the usual sauté, why not get that grill going and cook your veggies there. Put cut, seasoned or marinated veggies on skewers or in a foil pack and set them on a pre-heated grill. Cook until slightly tender. Voila! Your veggies will have that great grilled flavor and you’ll have something new to nosh.

Get creative with salads. Lettuce doesn’t have to be basis for every salad you eat. Why not dice up some zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, and peppers, or whatever veggies you love (or have) and toss them with cooked pasta, barley or couscous. Drizzle with your favorite low-fat dressing and you’ll have a simple, crisp and cool meal for those hot summer nights.

Eating all of those vegetables doesn’t seem quite so tough now, does it?

How do you like to eat your vegetables? Share your ideas in the comments.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company has recalled almost 200,000 of their 9-oz. packages of Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken frozen sandwiches. It has been reported that the sandwiches may contain pieces of plastic. The products affected by this recall have a “Best Before” date of “Nov 2009″ followed by a package code beginning with “8144 544616″ printed on the side of the box. They also include the establishment number “P7721A.”

If you have purchased Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken frozen sandwiches that may have been affected by this recall, please dispose of the product immediately. For more information about the recall, please contact Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 350-5016.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

A recent commenter had this to say:

Buying fresh produce and other fresh ingredients is really the best way to go, I think, but it’s also unfortunately far more expensive than sticking to the pre-made, processed crap in the freezer section. Where I live, the farmers market is open once a week, and it gives me a great deal on whatever is in season, but at this time of year that’s slim pickings. Any ideas about how I could stretch my dollars farther at the grocery store while still enjoying fresh, healthy ingredients?

Thanks for the comments and questions.

First, I’d have to disagree that fresh food is more expensive than “the processed crap in the freezer section.” It may seem that way if you compare a single frozen dinner (about $3 each) to a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about $4 per pound). But if you consider that you can make several meals from a few fresh ingredients, it generally turns out that cooking your own food is less expensive than purchasing pre-made, processed meals from the freezer aisle.

The commenter is right about the farmer’s market, though. It’s often the best place to find great deals on produce and other local foods. While the spring and early summer provide only basic produce options such as greens and herbs, we’re now heading into the peak of the season when fresh produce is plentiful at any farmers’ market you can find. I’d say that the farmers’ market is certainly the most economical option for fresh, locally grown, and often organic produce. You might even find good deals on local dairy products, eggs and meat, so look around and see what you can find. As for stretching your grocery dollars farther, it’s often more about how you shop rather than what you buy. Here are some additional tips for getting the most food for your money.

Purchase local products. Less shipping and processing costs generally mean cheaper products.

Know what’s in season and plan your meals accordingly. Eating in season is one of the easiest ways to keep your food budget under control. And if you plan your meals based on what’s available, you’ll be able to save money by avoiding the need for more expensive products that have been transported from warmer climates.

Limit meaty meals. By basing fewer meals around meat, you’ll easily trim your grocery budget. Eating more vegetarian meals is good for your health, too. Try creating vegetarian versions of your favorite recipes, or reducing the amount of meat you use in main dishes. Even replacing just a couple of meals with vegetarian alternatives each week can shrink your grocery costs noticeably.

Waste not, want not. An oldie, but goody, this one rings true particularly where food is concerned. The most expensive food we buy is the stuff we throw away. Again, planning meals ahead of time helps keep food from ending up in your trash can, so think ahead and limit purchases of perishables like produce to only what you can eat (or can, freeze or dry) in a week.

Stock up. When produce is at its peak, and the relative cost is low, it’s the perfect time to stock up for the winter. If you talk to the farmer’s you meet at the market, you might even be able to negotiate a reduced price for buying in bulk. This may take a lot of planning and preparation, and may cost more in the short-term to buy large quantities, but canning, freezing and drying those fruits and vegetables now is the best way to keep your grocery budget under control in the winter and early spring.

Change your shopping behavior. The more often you head to the market, the more money you’re likely to spend. Plan major trips to the grocery store every 2 weeks (or once a month, if you’re able) to purchase non-perishables. Then take one trip to the store (or farmers’ market) for your produce, dairy and bread. Remember to only buy what you can use between trips, though.

Shift your perspective. This won’t immediately benefit your wallet, but it will help you justify what may seem like an unnecessary expense. While purchasing less processed, healthier foods at the grocery store or market can seem more expensive in the short term, that may not really be the case. As I mentioned earlier, creating several meals from a few fresh ingredients can actually be less expensive than purchasing processed pre-packaged foods and meals. And when you consider the government subsidies (paid for with your tax dollars) that assist industrial farming operations and keep processed food costs low, as well as the long-term health effects that a processed-food diet can have, you may just find that paying a little extra for those fresh meats and vegetables is a better deal than you thought.

• The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a great book that discusses today’s processed-food culture, how it came to be, and how it affects our health and our pocketbooks.
• Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith follows Alisa and J.B. as they ask the question: Is it be possible to eat locally in our everyday lives? Alisa and J.B. attempt to follow a 100-mile diet for a year.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver follows Kingsolver’s family as they live a year eating only what is produced or foraged within a 100-mile radius of their farmhouse in Virginia.
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman will teach you just about everything you need to know to start creating satisfying vegetarian meals.
• A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Suppers for Family and Friends by Jack Bishop takes you through the seasons with almost 250 recipes using fresh, available produce.

I hope this information helps you stay healthy and stick to your budget.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."