I am a wife, mother, teacher and writer and I'm learning to become a healthy eater. Replacing baked goods and salty snacks with fruits and vegetables is a challenge best not undertaken alone, so I've been grateful for the support of the other healthy writers. They’ve been such good role models that I''ve lost ten pounds in the last year.

I figure vegetables have played a vital role in my development as a writer. I needed someone to keep me company for all those hours I spent as a child, sitting alone at the table until I finished my peas. Back then, I made up stories based on the Happy Hollisters series. (You can be sure my mother heard that Mrs. Hollister never made her children stay at the table to finish their peas.) These days, playing with my characters is a reward I enjoy after school and during vacations.

I've always written contemporary and historical romance, but lately I've been inspired by my students to try my hand at middle grade and YA fiction.

• Michelle Butler
• Mary Curry
• Sally Kilpatrick
• Trish Milburn
• Anna Sugden
• Tawny Weber

• Rachel Graves
• Keri Mikulski

 

• I am the mother of 2 grown daughters and a recently acquired dog and cat.
• I’m a three-time finalist in Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Contest.
• I took time away from fiction writing to complete a double masters degree in Childhood Education and Special Education.
• I’m the kind of reader who will read cereal boxes or grocery store flyers rather than be without printed words.
• My husband and I celebrate our version of date night with weekly trips to our local Barnes and Noble.

Arugula for Sandwiches

Posted by Mary Curry May 14 2012, 11:32 pm

My husband loves to visit Hale and Hearty Soups so we went there the other day. He got soup, but I wanted a sandwich. I got some sort of Cajun chicken. It was tasty, but what really interested me was the variety of greens on their sandwiches. That got me to thinking about how we could add greens into our diet by adding them to the foods we normally eat.

I’m always looking for healthier alternatives to lunch so I thought I’d focus on some different greens to add to sandwiches.

This week, let’s look at Arugula.

First – why eat it?

Arugula is among the healthiest of salad greens. For its low calorie count, arugula is a great source of vitamins C and A   and an even better source of vitamin K, which is important for healthy blood and bone health, and plentiful vitamin K may reduce your risk of heart disease. Arugula is also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, helping to control blood pressure and preserve bone health, as well as a decent source of iron to build healthy red blood cells. The myriad of phytonutrients in arugula also make this an all-star leafy green, protecting the body from harm.Its health-inspiring phytochemicals cleanse the body of toxins and free radicals, helping keep communication between cells crystal clear. (Organic Authority)

 

You can read more about the health benefits at Livestrong.

It also has a great peppery taste that makes it stand up well in sandwiches or added to pizza.

 

I found an assortment of recipes you can work with to add this healthy green to sandwiches. Vary them according to your particular tastes or health needs.

Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Arugula, Tomato and Mozzarella on Focaccia Bread

Brie and Arugula from Whole Foods

Spicy Chicken and Arugula Sandwich

 

 

So what kind of greens do you add to sandwiches?  Have any recipes to share?

7 Comments

Protein Powder – not just for shakes or muscle men

Posted by Mary Curry May 8 2012, 12:04 am in diet, Protein powder, whey

Today’s post is not at all what it began as.  I set out to do one in my series of posts on herbs, but in the process of Googling, I came across something interesting – an article on using protein powder in a range of recipes. My find seemed serendipitous because lately I’ve been feeling [...]

6 Comments

Healthy Snacking?

Posted by Mary Curry May 1 2012, 12:10 am in healthy snacking

Healthy Snacking   There’s a part of me (my brain) that thinks those two words don’t belong anywhere in proximity to each other. But then there’s the parts of me (my mouth and stomach) that are starving when I get home from work and I’m ready to demolish anything in sight! That’s what has me [...]

3 Comments

Got Beef?

Posted by Mary Curry Apr 24 2012, 5:42 pm in beef, Mad Cow disease

First, my apologies for being late with this blog today. We’re in the midst of 6 days of NYS testing insanity and it’s addled my brain. I sat down last night to post this blog, but something distracted me and I completely forgot it.   So, speaking of addled brains, I’m changing up the regularly [...]

No Comments

Spectacular Spring Salads

Posted by Mary Curry Apr 17 2012, 12:17 am in avocado, citrus, salads, spinach

Temperatures were heading towards 90 here in NYC today and that has me thinking of salads. When I was growing up, salad was pretty basic side dish – iceberg lettuce with carrots, tomato, cucumber, maybe a radish.   One of the things I love about healthy eating today is how much variety we have with [...]

4 Comments