Cooking on a Friday night can feel like a drag. Or, it can be an opportunity to create and experiment, which is what I did recently after a busy week at work.

Blood oranges deliver great taste and nutrition PHOTO by Sally Squires Copyright 2012 THE WI:HELM GROUP, INC. All rights reserved

Rather than ordering takeout, we decided to make do with what was on hand.  SItting in the ‘fridge waiting to be used was a bag of blood oranges. If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating this fruit, you’re missing a lot. On the outside, they look like an orange. On the inside they are true to their name. Slice them open to find a bright red color that rivals the red of a pomegranate. Blood oranges are rich in anthocyanins–potent antioxidants also found in red wine. They also pack fiber and vitamin C.

Scientists are still sorting out the many health benefits of anthocyanins, which  may include protecting eye sight and prevention of such diseases as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Now the question was: how to incorporate blood oranges into dinner?

The answer came from the freezer. Inside were chicken thighs, chopped frozen leeks, frozen cubes of garlic and chopped cilantro (a great way to keep these ingredients on hand)  plus, containers of cooked wild rice.  Voila! The meal came together in a flash.

Step 1: Defrost the chicken thighs in the microwave.

Step 2: While they were thawing, I dropped the cubes of frozen cilantro and garlic into a nonstick pan along with a quick spray of virgin olive oil.

Frozen cubes of minced garlic and chopped cilantro

Step 3: Add the frozen leeks and let the mixture sautee on medium for about five minutes.

Leeks, cilantro and garlic Photo by Sally Squires Copyright 2012 THE WILHELM GROUP Inc. , All rights reserved

Not only do leeks and garlic taste great, but along with onions, chives and scallions, they are part of the group of allium vegetables, which research suggests may be helpful in cancer prevention. They also are low in calories and high in flavor–a great combination.

Step 4: Add the chicken thighs (about one per person) and some Greel Kalamata olives. Squeeze the juice from two blood oranges on the chicken. Simmer covered until the chicken is tender, adding more hand squeezed juice from the oranges as desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about seven to 10 minutes.

Chicken thighs sautéing with garlic, leeks, cilantro Photo by Sally Squires All rights reserved

Step 6: Defrost the frozen, cooked wild rice in the microwave. (Whenever I cook rice, I make the whole bag and then freeze cooked portions for quick use later. )

So how did this experiment turn out? As the flavors filled the house, a family member who had planned on eating dinner out, stopped by the kitchen before a workout and said, “Wow, that smells really good. Is there enough for me to eat dinner too?”

Blood Orange Chicken Thighs with Leeks, Garlic, Cilantro and Kalamata Olives PHOTO by Sally Squires All rights reserved by THE WILHELM GROUP, INC

What are you cooking these days that is healthy and great tasting? How are you being creative in the kitchen? We’d love to hear all about it.

The first winter storm of 2012 in Washington, DC

Last night, the first wintry mix of snow and ice for 2012 hit Washington, DC and the surrounding areas. This well-behaved storm crept in on a Saturday, when most people don’t have to fight rush hour  to get to work or transport kids to school.  It also provided the perfect excuse to sit by the fire (after shoveling, of course, although my husband gets all the credit for that today) and to dust off the electric hand juicer for some fresh squeezed orange juice.

Like many, I often think that life is too busy to do things like make fresh squeezed juice. So I timed how long it took to squeeze the juice out of a couple of oranges that my father sent from Florida for a Christmas present. How long did it take, you ask? About a minute from slicing the oranges to pouring the juice into a glass. (Gives new meaning to the term “minute made,” don’t you think?)  And was it delicious–well worth the 60 seconds of effort. Will this exercise be repeated on busy weekday mornings in our household?  Maybe not every day, but I’m going to try to repeat it for as long as the gift of Florida oranges holds out.

By the way, it takes about two medium oranges to provide about three to four ounces of fresh juice. Making fresh squeezed juice is a reminder of how super-sized our so-called “standard” portions have become. Did you know that a proper serving size of fruit juice is just half a cup? Test your knowledge with this interactive portion distortion quiz by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to  see firsthand how what we eat has grown larger.

Do you ever go retro and try old-fashioned ways of cooking or eating? Love to hear all about it!

Cookbooks are wonderful. There are about 100 in a corner of my kitchen and oversized versions have a place on larger bookshelves elsewhere in our home.  But through the years, daily cooking has been less about the recipes and more about free-form cooking. It’s fun and a little risky, because there is the occasional flop. What I really like about free-form cooking is the opportunity to be creative

Sauteed Spinach with Almonds, Garlic, Golden Raisins and Diced Apples

and let the food take the lead. It’s creating a healthy, good tasting meal with whatever is in the ‘fridge, in the freezer or in the pantry.

Free-form Salad

How has Uncle Sam shaped our eating habits? PHOTO: Sally Squires Copyright 2011 The Wilhelm Group, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Eat less sugar. Go meatless on Mondays and provide nourishing school lunches for children.

Sound familiar?

What if I told you that was advice respectively of Uncle Sam during World War II, President Herbert Hoover and the original school lunch program launched in the 1940′s. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. If you want to know about the impact that Uncle Sam has had on what we eat, then check out the Website for What’s Cooking Uncle Sam, the wonderful exhibit at the National Archives that sadly ends today. So if you happen to be in Washington, DC, you still have today to see it. I highly recommend it.

President Herbert Hoover urged Americans to observe "Meatless Mondays" to help stretch precious food resources for US troops. Image via Wikipedifrom World War I, President Herbert Hoover and a World War II effort to ensure the health of children?

There’s a lot of debate these days about the size and role of government. What impact do you think that Uncle Sam has–or should have–on what we eat?

Ten percent.

That’s the tiny sliver of U.S. adults who eat enough whole grains daily, according to the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Or to put it another way: 90 percent of us fall short on whole grains.

So, do whole grains really matter? You bet. Among their many benefits,  whole grains help control body weight, keep blood sugar stable and cut the risk of developing high blood pressure.

For that reason, the week 4 goal of the LEAN PLATE CLUB ™  Holiday Challenge is to make half your grains whole. That works out to about three servings per day. (For exercise, increase activity to 13 minutes above what you were doing when the challenge started. If you’re just discovering this challenge, it’s never too late to start. The goal is simply to keep your weight steady from now until New Year’s Day. Find other weekly goals below.) I am delighted that Everyday Health is a partner this year. They’ve got cool tools to help you stay the course, including this calorie tracker and a weight tracker.

Adding whole grains to your daily diet has gotten easier since the federal government first issued an official definition for whole grains in 2006. Many breads, crackers, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and snacks now come in whole grain varieties. Plus, there are the go-to standards from steel cut oatmeal and brown rice to whole wheat pasta, whole wheat couscous and wild rice.

My trick for always having whole grains handy is this: I make one big batch of oatmeal or rice. Then divide into individual servings and freeze. Reheat in the microwave and voila! They’re ready to eat.

What’s your secret for adding whole grains? How are you doing not the Holiday Challenge? Tell us about your strategies for getting through the holiday season unburdened by extra pounds–without feeling like Scrooge, of course! At Twitter, follow @sallysquires as well as #everydayhealth #weight loss.

April Bloomfield's Root Vegetable Soup

The holiday season is off to a fast start here in Washington, DC. My husband and I are not really party animals, but last weekend we found ourselves at three holiday gatherings in two days, plus a coffee hour. There’s more revelry tonight and tomorrow night.  At this rate, maintaining weight for the 2011 Holiday Season could prove really, well, challenging!

Welcome to week three of the LEAN PLATE CLUB™ Holiday Challenge. Find others who are taking the challenge at Everyday Health, which is a partner this year. The challenge is not a diet, but simply a way to maintain your weight from now until we ring in the New Year. It’s also never too late to join.

To help stay on track for the week, I made Hearty Root Vegetable Soup from a recipe by Chef April Bloomfield that was featured in the Wall Street Journal. It was easy. I love the flavors of Jerusalem artichokes, fennel and rosemary. My husband thought it would be ideal with a little meat, such as lamb, but I liked just as it is. It lives up to its heartiness and also helps fulfill the week 1 goal of loading up on vegetables and fruit. I took some to work for lunch on Monday (the flavors get even better with time!) and froze the rest to eat later.

We also had to supply appetizers for one of the parties this past weekend. There was much time to prepare. So I used Trader Joe’s as my sous chef and bought olive hummus, dolmas and then fixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, whole grain crackers and baby carrots. It all seemed to be well received.

How are you making it through the holidays without adding extra pounds?Tell us here and I hope you’ll join us at Everyday Health. Also follow us on Twitter @Everydayhealth,  @weightloss and @sallysquires.

Dolmas, hummus, whole grain crackers and vegetables for a healthy holiday platter PHOTO: Sally Squires Copyright 2011 The Wilhelm Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Institute of Medicine expert committee calls for one, simple nutrition icon

If the array of nutrition icons and rating systems leaves you confused about which foods and beverages to choose, there may soon be assistance: An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel yesteday advised moving to one simple, front-of-package system to guide us to the healthiest choices.

Here’s how it would work:

Every food and beverage, from the produce aisle to the freezer compartment, would show calories per serving on the front of the package. (Fresh produce will likely have this information on shelves.) No one will need a calculator since the servings would only be listed in simple household measures, like cups, that we already use daily.

This new system would also have a simple, three-point rating to show which products are lowest in unhealthy saturated and trans fat, sodium and added sugars. The panel picked those ingredients because they are most linked with preventable illnesses from heart disease to type 2 diabetes.

Products with “3″ rank best. (Evaluation would be based on existing criteria set by the Food and Drug Administration.) The front-of-package system will also link to the well-known Nutrition Facts Panel, which is getting a make-over and is found on the back of products.

The panel’s recommendations are not binding, so it will be up to the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to decide to implement this new system. If they move forward, it would mean that all the other systems now used will be eliminated. That would be a big change in grocery aisles. Or, as the panel’s chair, Ellen Wartella of Northwestern University, put it, “a fundamental shift” in how consumers are guided to healthier fare.

The hope is that this one, simple system will help consumers make wiser choices and encourage food and beverage makers to continue to reformulate and innovate. The goal: healthier–yet tasty–products for all of us.

To learn more, read the full report. What’s your take on front-of-package systems? Do they help or confuse you? Will this proposed new system make it easier to choose healthier fare?