'Can' we eat healthy, yummy meals?

Thanks to what I learned from the Canned Food Alliance today....you sure 'CAN'!! I've always been under the impression that canned foods are always high in preservative and chemical content but after watching this video I learnt otherwise.....



I've now also learnt that:

• Beans are great sources of protein, fiber and are a great source of antioxidants. (Most of us know this) and the darker the bean, the more antioxidants they contain. (Wow!)
• Beans are also a great way to keep your weight in check. (Apparently people who regularly eat beans weight 7 pounds lighter than those who do not....and we all know how each of those pounds count, right?!)
• Some canned foods are nutritionally as strong in protein/fiber content as their naturally fresh counterparts like canned fish and poultry and canned corn, artichoke hearts, beans, apricots and pears. (Double Wow!)
  

So lets try one of my quick, can't fail 'canned' chicken-vegetable rice recipes:

Ingredients:

2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf -spices
1 small onion-sliced
1 can of mixed veggies
1 can of chicken shreds
1 cube of chicken stock
1 cup of washed Basmati rice
2 cups of water ( or a little less than 2 cups, based on how soft you want your rice)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Cookin' it up!:

1. Take a tsp of butter, melt it in your pan and throw in the spices
2. Wait for less than a minute (till the aroma of the spices starts wafting through) and then add your sliced onion
3. Fry the mix till the onions are golden brown
4. Add to the onion mix your chicken shreds and veggies and sprinkle pepper to taste. (We personally love generously pepper-ed rice!)
   
5. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
   
6. Add your rice to the mixture and stir fry for a minute
7. Finally pour in the water and add to this a crumbled cube of chicken stock.
8. Mix well and season this with salt to taste. (Make sure you only add your salt in this stage as the chicken stock cube does add in some salt and you don't want the rice to be gun-shot salty!)
9. Leave your rice to cook on a low-medium heat and remove once all the water has evaporated. (Don't worry if the rice seems a little undercooked. Leave the pan covered till the rice cools and the steam will help cook it some more.)
   

Optional: You can garnish the rice with chopped cilantro leaves.

Voila! Chicken-vegetable rice a la the Energizer Bunny's Mommy!


Do you have any canned food recipes you'd like to share? Twitter Moms would love to read your blog post and you may just win something special!

If you are among the first 25 bloggers to link your blog post to the Twitter Mom page , you will receive a Canned Food 'Starter' pack, thanks to the Canned Food Alliance.

The Canned Food Alliance is a partnership of the American Iron and Steel Institute’s Steel Packaging Council, the Can Manufacturers Institute, select food processors and affiliate members. The CFA serves as a resource for information on the nutrition, convenience, contemporary appeal and versatility of canned food. The CFA is a proud supporter of the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Fruits and Veggies More Matters program. For hundreds of mealtime solutions, visit www.mealtime.org.




Watch the Field to Table VideoCanned Food Alliance

Labels: Canned Food Alliance, Mommy Tips, Twitter Moms

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 8:12 AM