Today is the "Good" 'wich from Panera, 547 calories. It consists of 4 oz turkey breast deli meat, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 1/4 of an avocado, 2 slices bacon, 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and raw onion.

• Go for brown. Two slices of whole-grain bread = 140 calories. And the fiber will keep you full longer than white bread.
• Pile on veggies. They add color, crunch, flavor - oh, and nutrients! Try tomatoes, dark leafy greens, onions and peppers for just 14 calories. (Avoid anything sauteed, which usually means it's oil-soaked.)
• Think like a card shark. Four ounces of turkey - five thin slices or roughly the size of a deck of cards - is a reasonable 109 calories.
• Ask for a healthier "dressing." Swap mayo for a few slices of avocado. You get creamy texture and a boost of heart-healthy fat for just 80 calories.
• Get a yummy extra. We're not suggesting you eat it every day, but two medium bacon slices have just 87 calories.
• Satisfy your cheese craving. Stick to just one slice of strong-flavor cheese like sharp cheddar, Swiss or pepper jack.
  

This comes from the March issue of Glamour magazine, called the 970-calorie sandwich, a.k.a. the "Bad" 'wich.

Panera Bread's Sierra Turkey sandwich has a whopping 970 calories and 54 grams of fat (that's almost twice Burger King's Double Cheeseburger). Lesson: Turkey has a health halo, but it all depends on what it's paired with.

• Don't scrimp on veggies. If you do, you'll likely be loading up on other, fattier sandwich stuffings to feel satisfied.
• Beware creamy spreads. Fancy-sounding kinds can be calorie traps, like this chipotle mayo, which packs 320 calories and 34 grams of fat per serving.
• Watch meat portions. Panera got it right, but some delis pile on up to a pound of meat - that's enough for three people.
• Choose better bread. Watch out for oily, cheesy loafs like focaccia or ciabatta. These two slices set you back 510 calories!

Tomorrow... the "Good" 'wich...

Have you been to Sonic yet? I'm dying to go, but I certainly don't feel like waiting 2 hours! Here are some tips on what to order, courtesy of Eat This, Not That.

Eat This:

• Sonic Burger with mustard cuts 25 percent of the fat by having mustard instead of mayo. 540 calories, 25 g fat, 730 mg sodium
• Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta with BBQ sauce. 375 calories, 9 g fat, 1,310 mg sodium
• Grilled Chicken Wrap. 380 calories, 11 g fat, 1,300 mg sodium
• Junior Banana Split. 200 calories, 4.5 g fat, 27 g sugars

Not That:

• Chicken Club Toaster Sandwich. 690 calories, 35 g fat, 1,900 mg sodium. How can a chicken sandwich pack so much fat? Start with a fried chicken breast, add bacon, cheese and mayo, and you're there. Ditch the swine and save 10 grams of fat.
• Jumbo Popcorn Chicken Salad. 490 calories, 28 g fat, 1,440 mg sodium
• Fish Sandwich. 640 calories, 31 g fat, 1,180 mg sodium
• Large Hi-C Fruit Punch. 290 calories, 77 g sugars

Hidden Danger:

• Minute Maid Cranberry Juice Slush. Cranberry juise is the Ryan Seacrest of drinks - fine in small doses, but too sickly sweet to pour on heavy. A large has more sugar than 3 sodas. 450 calories, 124 g sugars
• Onion Rings. Nothing irregular here - onions, batter, hot fat - except these crispy Os might be the only ones left in the fast food world that are still made fresh by hand. Delicious? Maybe. But a large order packs a punishing 720 calories and 41 grams of fat.
  

Here are a few Rachael Ray recipes I haven't tried yet, but if you do, let me know how they worked out!

Grasshopper Brownies
Chicken Pot Pie
Buffalo Chicken Stromboli
Caprese Lasagna

Here are some quick breakfast facts from Hungry Girl. Take these into account tomorrow morning!

Bite It!

• Cup of Oatmeal - 120 calories, 2.5 g fat
• Side of Fruit - 80 calories, <.5 g fat
• 2 Egg Whites - 35 calories, 0 g fat
• 1 Pancake - 120 calories, 3 g fat

Fight It!

• Cup of Granola - 400 calories, 10 g fat
• Side of Hash Browns - 200 calories, 15 g fat
• 2 Eggs - 150 calories, 10 g fat
• Slice of French Toast - 200 calories, 8 g fat

Or, use some of my breakfast ideas:

• A whole grain waffle, toasted, with 1/2 cup cottage cheese on top. Sprinkle with a little salt and paprika.
• Kashi Go Lean Crunch with chocolate soymilk and the fruit of your choice.
• One piece of double fiber toast, the butter/margarine of your choice, one fried egg and one slice of bacon - all stacked up for the perfect breakfast sandwich.

And it's redundant to say this, but eat breakfast! It's the easiest meal of the day to create and eat!!

Planning on ordering some pizza? Check out the Eat This, Not That comparison for Pizza Hut!

Eat This:

• Two slices Thin N Crispy Pizza with quartered ham and pineapple (12"). Pineapple is loaded with enzymes that help break down proteins for digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties to help you recover faster from a workout. 380 calories, 12 g fat and 1,140 mg sodium

Not That:

• Two slices Supreme Pan Pizza (12"). Just four pieces of pepperoni add 108 calories to your slice. 620 calories, 32 g fat, 1,440 mg sodium

Hidden Danger:

• Wing Dipping Sauce, 220 calories, 23 g fat, 400 mg sodium. Both the blue cheese and the ranch sauces have twice the calories and 16 more grams of fat than a serving of the wings themselves.
  

Hi Folks! Here's the final installment of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I highly recommend you read this book, it will change your eating habits. This particular quote is taken amongst a discussion about certain schools having a gardening program for children which basically teaches them how things grow best and so on.

"One of th key things gardens can teach students is respect: for themselves for others, and the environment... It helps future generations gain an understanding of our food system, our forests, our water and air, and how these things are all connected."

It's called Learning Landscapes and I wish I would have had this program when I was a kid. That would have been much more useful information than trigonometry, geometry, zoology and any history class.

Another Hungry Girl gem - the top eight shockingly high-calorie alcoholic drinks.

1. Pina Colada - Think twice about downing this 650-calorie drink while wearing a bathing suit.
2. White Russian - This creamy drink has 425 fatty calories.
3. Mudslide - This 850-calorie so-called chocolate "dream" actually gives us nightmares.
4. Champagne Cocktail - Why spend 250 calories on this when a glass of champagne has just 100?
5. Frozen Margarita - A 740-calorie glass of lime-flavored slush?! Ay caramba!
6. Daiquiri - This one clocks in at 675 calories. Um, no thanks.
7. Mai Tai - 350 calories...a total waste, and way too sweet.
8. Long Island Iced Tea - The average LIT packs in 780 calories.

Consider those when you're out this weekend, yikes...

From April's issue of Real Simple, here are 4 facts about Marshmallow Peeps:

• It takes six minutes to make one Peeps chick.
• Original Peeps have a shelf life of two years.
• More than 5 million Peeps are produced each day.
• Peeps have been the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy in the U.S. for more than a decade. Take that, jelly beans.

Also from this issue:

1.1 billion is the estimated number of people worldwide with no access to clean drinking water. Go to csdw.org to make a donation to a program that distributes PUR packets, a powder that makes potentially deadly water drinkable. For as little as $1, you can provide a child with fresh water for 50 days.

Guess what? It's Hungry Girl time again! Here are some fun facts to get you through the day.

An Average 6-ounce serving of French fries contains about 500 calories and 25 grams of fat. But a 6-ounce potato only contains about 130 calories and virtually no fat. That means when you order up those fries, you're ingesting more than 350 calories about 25 grams of pure oil! (That's why I make my own whenever I crave fries: Cut up as many red potatoes as you want, season them with salt-less mixes like Mrs. Dash and baked them with some Pam spray. They're more flavorful than any fast food junk and way better for you! Also dip them in a ketchup/mustard mix because ketchup can be pretty bad for you too.)

Slim down your pizza slice - here's how:

• Order it cheese-less. (I don't think I could ever do that!)
• Choose thin crust instead of thick and you'll save countless calories per slice.
• Blot your pizza before chomping into it and you'll eliminate dozens of calories and plenty of fat.
• Opt for veggie toppings instead of meats.

Or, again, make your own! Buy the crust in the tube, top with tons of veggies, turkey pepperoni and a little cheese - cheaper and healthier, that's how I roll.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made this recipe a couple weeks ago but saved it to share with you today because it fits perfectly. Courtesy of Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book, here is the recipe for Reuben Hash. Serves 4. (Eat for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner!)

1 lb baby white potatoes, quartered
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp EVOO
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb corned beef, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 cup Guinness beer
S&P
2 cups grated Blarney or Swiss cheese
4 eggs
4 slices rye bread, toasted and buttered

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill it with cold water. Bring to a bubble over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and cook the potatoes until tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot they were cooked in to dry out for a few minutes.

Place a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of butter and EVOO. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they start to get golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the onions and corned beef to the pan along with the potatoes. Cook until the onions are tender and the beef starts to brown, 4-5 minutes. Stir the sauerkraut, mustard and Guinness into the pan and coo until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season the hash with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the hash and cover the pan with aluminum foil to melt the cheese 3 minutes.

While the cheese is melting, place a medium skillet over medium-low heat with the remaining tbsp of butter. When the butter melts, add the eggs and cook however you or your guests like them. When the eggs are finished, remove the foil from the pan and spoon the eggs onto the hash. Cut the buttered toasts in half and line them up around the pan. Serve directly from the skillet.

Today, I wanted to give you an example of the comparisons you can find in the Eat This, Not That book. I chose McDonald's simply because it's popular and world-wide.

Eat This:

• Quarter Pounder without cheese, which has a good balance of fat, protein andcarbs. Pair it with a side salad and an iced tea and you've got a reasonable meal. 410 calorites, 19 g fat, 730 mg sodium.

Not That:

• Premium Grilled Chicken Club. Chicken doesn't always trump beef in the health department, especially when it comes robed in bacon, mayo and liquid margarine. 570 calories, 21 g fat, 1720 mg sodium.

Hidden Danger:

• Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 pieces) with Creamy Ranch Sauce. 20 McNuggets have the same impact. Instead, choose the six-piece offering with BBQ sauce and save yourself 530 calories. The strips have 830 calories, 55 g fat and 48 g carbs.
  

Are you at work reading this? Well, hopefully you're in an office or closed-off cubicle because it's workout time! This comes from none other than Hungry Girl.

Your Office = Your Gym?

No time to head out for a workout? Turn simple office staples (as in common items, not the pointy metal pieces used to secure documents) into an at-work gym. Try doing a few of these fun fitness drills periodically throughout the day...

• Cardio Quickies: Walk some stairs in your office building for 5 minutes (if there are no stairs, walk around the office at a quick pace). For a heart-pumping challenge, take stairs two at a time.

• Chair Squats: While sitting, lift your butt off the seat and hober over your chair for 2-3 seconds. Stand up and then repeat.

• Chair Dips: make sure your chair is stable. Place your hands on the chair, next to your hips. Walk your feet out and move your hips in front of your chair, and bend your elbows, lowering your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Return to starting position and repeat.

• Ab Recliners: Again, be sure your chair is stable. Sit on the edge of your chair, arms extended in front. Keeping your back straight, contract your abs and slowly lower your torso toward the back of your chair. Hold for 2-3 seconds, and then slowly return to starting position. Repeat.

• Core Curls: Cross your arms over your chest and sit up straight. Contract your abs and curl your shoulders toward your hips, pulling abs in. Hold for 2 seconds, return to start and repeat.
  

Now you don't have to feel so bad about going out for drinks with your co-workers tonight!!

Several cross-cultural studies (published in Lancet and the American Journal of Psychiatry, among others) have shown lower rates of depression and bipolar disorder in populations consuming more seafood; neurological studies reveal that it's the omega-3 fatty acids in ocean fish that specifically combat the blues. These compounds (also important to cardiovascular health) accumulate in the bodies of predators whose food chains are founded on plankton or grass - like tuna and salmon. And like humans used to be, before our food animals all went over to indoor dining. Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., of the National Institutes of Health, points out that in most modern Western diets "we eat grossly fewer omega-3 fatty acids now. We also know that rates of depression have radically increased, by perhaps a hundred-fold."

Page 300 of Animal, Vegetable Miracle

This is why I take a fish oil pill people, I'm just sayin'!
Even if you don't follow Lent, you might want to add some seafood once or twice a week, mk?

Tonight I'm making Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese ala Rachael Ray's recipe in her new Big Orange Book. But then I figured since I have a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, I'll just use that instead of making my own. And then it wants me to add roast beef, which I don't have, so I'll use a couple slices of pastrami and a couple slices of turkey. Complicated, I know. But it just goes to show you that you can add pretty much anything to mac and cheese and it'll still be delicious! Try adding:

• Vegetables, like tomatoes, brocolli, peas, onions, butternut squash, or cauliflower.
• Protein, like chicken, steak, or lunchmeats.
• Spices, like thyme, dill, parsley, or cilantro.
  
• EXTRA CHEESE!
  

And now, more tips from Eat This, Not That!

When you need to get some sleep, eat:

• Nonfat popcorn,
• Oatmeal with sliced banana and walnuts,
• a handful of sesame seeds,

and not:

• a glass of warm milk.

When you need to wake up and go, eat:

• eggs and whole wheat toast,
• cottage cheese topped with berries,
• shredded wheat,

and not:

• a bagel and cream cheese.

When you're hung over, eat:

• orange juice,
• cold water or Gatorade,
• toast with preserves or berries,

and not:

• whiskey and diet coke.

When you're under the weather, eat:

• ginseng tea, hot or iced,
• green tea,
• oranges,
• olive oil and avocados,

and not:

• caffeinated beverages and energy drinks.

When you want to get in the mood, eat:

• dark chocolate,
• a six-ounce sirloin steak,
• vanilla ice cream,

and not:

• a bottle of wine.

When you want a baby, eat:

• brazil nuts,
• liver,
• frozen peaches,

and not:

• donuts and fries.

When you want to look and feel younger, eat:

• sunflower seeds,
• spinach and beans,
• red wine and grape juice,
• sweet potatoes, and
• coffee.

When you want the most from your workout, eat:

• PB & J or pasta,
• pork tenderloin,
• pineapple and papaya,
• milk, and
• coffee.
  

Today features some fun facts from none other than Hungry Girl - can you tell I'm obsessed?

• The first soup dates back to 6000 B.C., with the main ingredient being hippopotamus bones.
• If you spend 5 minutes out of every hour of your workday running in place, climbing stairs, or doing squats, lunges and arm raises, by the end of the day you'll have worked out for 40 minutes.
• Meatloaf recipes first appeared in American cookbooks in the 1880s.
• Chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie Psycho.
• Americans spend about $10 billion annually at coffee outlets, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
• The term "toast," meaning a wish for good health, originated in ancient Rome, where an actual piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.
• Pumpkin is a great substitute for oil, butter and other fatty ingredients used in baking.

I'm totally doing the toasted bread dropped in wine thing now!!!

Today I have a few more tips from the new Hungry Girl book. It's all about fruit now!

• Cherries may help you sleep better! They're rich in melatonin, a powerful antioxidant known for regulating the body's natural sleep cycle.
• Apples are packed with two types of fiber, and when these insoluble and soluble fibers join forces they can actually lower your cholesterol.
• Cranberries have been long known to provide protection against urinary tract and kidney infections.
• Grapes have been found to combat heart problems and can actually strengthen muscles in the heart.

The TOP ATE Fiber-Packed Fruits!

1. Dates - A cup of pitted dates contains 14 grams of fiber!
2. Avocado - Sliced avocado has a whopping 10 grams of fiber per cup.
3. Guava - 9 grams of fiber in each cup of groovy guava.
4. Raspberries - A cup of raspberries serves up 8 grams of fiber.
5. Blackberries - A cup of blackberries follows with 7.5 grams of fiber.
6. Kiwi - Kiwi slices contain more than 5 grams of fiber per cup.
7. Cranberries/Pears - We know this is a Top "Ate," but both whole cranberries and sliced pears contain 4 to 5 grams of fiber per cup!
8. Blueberries - You'll take in 3/5 grams of fiber from each cup of blueberries you chew.
   

I recently bought Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko, which features tons of menu choices from top restaurants and based on nutrition information shows you what you should and shouldn't eat at those places. It also has a supermarket section to help you decide what to buy at the grocery store. In the back is a section that suggests what you should and shouldn't eat based on your mood. Below are a few of the tips, but buy the book to get the reasons why you should and shouldn't eat them.

When you're stressed, eat:

• 1 cup of low-fat yogurt or 2 tbsp of mixed nuts,
• red bell peppers,
• a cup of peppermint tea,
• a handful of sesame seeds,

and not:

• a can of soda.

When you're sad, eat:

• an arugula or spinach salad,
• tuna sashimi or grilled salmon,
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed daily,

and not:

• white chocolate.

When you're feeling fat, eat:

• grilled chicken breast,
• grapefruit,
• a small scoop of tuna salad (without bread),

and not:

• canned soup and salty snacks.

When you're low on energy, eat:

• a handful of trail mix, a bowl of cereal, high-protein salad with vinaigrette,
  

and not:

• espresso-based drinks
• pancakes and bagels.

When you need a brain boost, eat:

• blueberries,
• coffee,
• salmon or mackerel,

and not:

• ice cream.

When you want to increase metabolism, eat:

• green tea,
• steak and eggs.

More to come in a future post! :)

The following is a recipe from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book, with my twist.

Italian BBQ Chicken

1 giant chicken breast, cut in half, seasoned with salt, pepper and your favorite seasoning on each side

Preheat the oven to 400 and put in a baking sheet to keep hot.

Heat some oil in a skillet and brown the chicken on both sides, then transfer to the baking sheet. Keep them in there until you're ready to serve.

Add another little bit of oil to the skillet and add a couple slices of bacon. Cook until crisp, then add half a red onion chopped up and 1 chopped garlic clove and cook for a few minutes.

Add a little balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and chicken stock, reduce heat to low and simmer.

Instead of polenta like the recipe calls for (which is hard to find around here), I served the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes. Boil a few until they're soft, then mash with some butter, milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Top it all with some parsley or basil and you're all done!

SO YUMMY!

Eat your fruits and vegetables! Here are some grocery store tips from Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl book.

• When buying dressing at the market, always read labels very carefully. Even those labeled "light" or "reduced'fat" can contain tons of fat and calories.
• Pineapples should be brightly colored with fresh-looking, deep green leaves, and should be free of bruises and moldy spots. They should also have a sweet smell at the stem. FYI, a ripe, uncut pineapple will last for about 4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
• Color has nothing to do with how ripe or unripe an apple is. Bruise-free apples are best. Also, don't wash apples until you're about to eat them. Believe it or not, washing apples makes them spoil faster.
• Choose a peach with an orangy-red color, as opposed to one with a yellowish hue. if you can gently squeeze the peach without breaking the skin, it is ripe and ready to eat. If you choose a hard peach, it will ripen in a few days. And remember, peaches bruise super-easily, so take special care when handling them.
• Yep, avocado is a fruit. When looking to choose a ripe avocado, gently squeeze it. There should be a little bit of give. If you squeeze it and end up with a handful of guacamole, your bumpy friend is over-ripe!
• Look for a butternut squash that's firm and heavy for its size. And go for a dull surface rather than a shiny one. Avoid butternut squash that has a soft rind, is moldy, or has water-soaked areas. The season for butternut squash (a winter squash) is August through March. Just know that you'll get the best picks between the months of October and November, because that is the peak season for winter squash.

Good luck on your next trip to Pick N Save, Sentry, Sendik's or Whole Foods!!

My generation, I know, has the reputation of sticking iPods in our ears and declining to care about what might happen in ten years, or even next week. We can't yet afford hybrid vehicles or solar homes. But we do care about a lot of things, including what we eat. Food is something real. Living on the land that has grown my food gives me a sense of security I'm lucky to have. Feeling safe isn't so easy for people my age, who face odious threats like global warming, overpopulation, and chemical warfare in our future. But even as the world runs out of fuel and the ice caps melt, I will know the real sources of my sustenance. My college education may or may not land me a good job down the road, but my farm education will serve me. The choices I make now about my food will influence the rest of my life. If a lot of us felt this way, and started thinking carefully about our consumption habits just one meal at a time, we could affect the future of our planet. No matter how grabe the predictions I hear about the future, for my peers and me, that's a fact that gives me hope.

-Camille Kingsolver, college-aged daughter of author Barbara Kingsolver. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, page 333.