Red White and Blue Recipes for 4th of July, All-American Patriotic Foods

For Memorial Day, how about red white and blue recipes and creative American patriotic foods?

Here's RWB appetizer-to-dessert menu. It's perfect for July 4th, BBQs, Father's Day and summer

picnics and parties.

* Red White and Blue Chip Mixer. Make chips swing American. Blend any combination of blue corn

chips, red corn chips (available at specialty and holiday food stores) red BBQ chips, pink taro chips

(available in Terra's root vegetable chip blends), homemade parsnip chips (white) and beet chips. For

white, use white corn chips, popcorn or white cheddar cheese puffs.

* Old Glory Veggie Platter:</b> Use a tri-section platter for crudites (cut vegetables) or arrange them in

stars and stripes. For red use red pepper strips, tomato wedges, radish roses. For blue, cut purple

pepper strips, purple brocciflower, egg plant slices or shredded purple cabbage. For white veggies,

use parsnip slices, cauliflower, water chestnuts. Cut some peppers and parsnips into star shapes (with

star cookie cutter).

* Stars and Stripes Fruit Kebobs: On skewers, alternate any combination of watermelon chunks,

blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, pale green honeydew, apple stars, banana slices (dash

of pineapple or lemon juice prevents browning).

* Americana Lemonade Spritzer: Color lemonade blue with purple cabbage or blueberry juice. Or

leave plain. Garnish by spearing strawberries or colored, star-shaped marshmallows on straws. Make

star-shaped ice cubes with clear or grape soda or red pop. For clear ice cubes, put a blueberry in

each.

* All-American Cocktails and Coolers: Buy Seagram's blue coolers. Garnish with strawberry-blueberry

bow-tie (stick berries on toothpick). Use these for clear cocktails with gin or vodka. Serve blue

curacao or Blue Hawaiian Schnapps with grenadine, Raspberry or Strawberry Pucker (DeKuyers') or

Jagermeister ice cubes. Partially freeze liqueurs to make colored liquid layers.

* RBW Pinwheels:Flatten four pieces of white bread thin. Spread one with strawberry jam, another

with cream cheese and another with grape jam. Stack in alternate colors. Roll into log. Slice through

all layers to make pinwheels.

* Patriotic Cole Slaw: Mix chopped purple cabbage, red peppers and radishes. Dress with vinegar,

olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, horseradish and sugar. Cut peppers like stars if desired.

* American Flag Grill: Grill red smoked sausage, hotdogs, burgers (with beet juice added), or pink

salmon. Garnish with purple cabbage shreds, purple and red pepper stars and mayonnaise. Poke tiny

flag toothpicks in burgers.

* Festive American Fries: Julienne potatoes or use frozen French fries. Coat some in paprika or

Louisiana red pepper and leave others white. Dye mayonnaise blue (naturalistas, use purple cabbage

juice). Serve with red ketchup, plain and blue mayo. Dieters, use olive oil mayo.

* Lady Liberty Sundaes: Serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with strawberry and blueberry syrup. Mix

colored gelatin for syrup. Decorate with blue and red candies (M&Ms, Nerds, Runts). Make fruit

sundaes with blueberries and strawberries. Serve strawberry or spumoni ice cream topped with blue

colored topping. Serve Blue Moon ice cream with red and blue gummy worms, sprinkles, mini

marshmallows and red fruit snacks. Or made a RWB ice cream buffet and let guest decorate their

own.

* Star Cookies. Make star-shaped cookies easy using refrigerated sugar cookie dough. If you don't

have star-shaped cookie cutter, cut into thin circles. Cut each circle into five pie-shaped wedges.

Arrange in a circle, point side out. Place red or blue M&M or hard candy in the center. Hard candy will

melt to clear "stained-glass" look. Or sprinkle with colored sugar. Or draw stars on cookie with colored

spray frosting. Frost with strawberry cream cheese

Cut Grocery Bill in Half? Eat Healthy Diet Food

Want to know how I save 50% at the grocery store? By eating better. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was with diet food swaps and calorie restricting. And the good  news is that eating healthier is a great way to save money! I lost weight by following Dr. Oz's advice and swapping fatty, high-carb foods for healthy, fat-blasting foods. Lots of people tell me diet food is more expensive and they can't afford it. They're right--about the commercial kind of diet foods. But not natural, healthy diet food. I save money--like 50-percent off my grocery bill--buying it.  

Was your New Year's resolution to save money? You're in good company--that's one of the top new year goals said Business News Wire on Jan. 4. But if you're like most people, you'll start out great for the first few weeks of January, as the holiday bills roll in. Then, when they're paid off, you'll slip into old habits and overspend. The secret to saving money is to change up spending habits and start economizing. Some expenses are easier to economize on. But how do you save money on

necessities like groceries? From over three decades of budget grocery shopping for a large family,

here are money saving tips to spend less and get more at the grocery store. Save at least 50% on

groceries with these suggestions. Some tips will be familiar, but others might surprise you.

Time shopping trips. You've probably heard not to shop when you’re hungry. You can’t think clearly

and tend to buy expensive convenience foods. But also avoid shopping when you're tired or in a

hurry. When you shop for groceries earlier in the day and have enough time to shop, you're more

organized and have the energy to bargain-hunt.

Money saving means doing the math. Track average costs of frequently-purchased groceries and

staples. This way, you know what is and isn’t a bargain. Dollar stores and discounts store don’t always

have lower prices. Walmart sells similar items for $.88. Store sale prices are generally lower than a

dollar. The quality is usually better, too.

Do your homework. Check store ads online before shopping. Decide where you’ll buy each item

based on best price. But don’t waste time and gas driving to a store for only a few sale items. Ya gotta

love budget grocery stores like Aldi and Big Lots. But if the nearest is 25 miles away, there's no

bargain wasting gas money. Only stop if you're going that way anyway. And hit other budget grocery

stores and bargain stores in the same vicinity.

Set a weekly store route to save money. Go to weekly-ad stores, like Meijer or Albertson's before no

ad stores (like Walmart, Family Dollar or Dollar General). After scanning ads, calculate if sale prices are

less than regular Walmart prices. Hit discount for items you can’t find on sale for less.

Use customer loyalty cards and store rewards cards. More stores are offering some form of perks,

rewards or discount cards. They’re not credit cards. Swiping the card at check-out deducts coupons

and sale prices. You might have to “clip” coupons online. Some stores allow you to use merchandiser

coupons too. I just saved $2.50 on fruit that I was going to buy anyway. 

Use credit cards with rewards. Pay off the balance monthly (to avoid incurring interest or fees). A great

money saving tip is to compare rewards rates on store credit cards versus your major credit cards

when grocery shopping.

Don't overlook non-food stores for budget grocery shopping. Save money at gas stations with better

prices on milk, bread, eggs and other groceries. TJ Maxx has cheaper gourmet foods and spices. Big

Lots sells bargain spices, HBA, convenience items and specialty imported foods.

Don’t shop with impulse buyers and spendthrifts. Stay away from shoppers who don't compare prices,

hurry you along or grab the first thing they see just to get out of the store (husbands). Avoid extensive

shopping with children who tire easily. But when you do shop with your children, make it multitask as

an object lesson in budget grocery shopping and money management.

BYOB is money saving. Do you like a beverage to sip while shopping? Bring a travel mug from home

and save money on Starbucks or store sodas. You'll save a good $3 bucks right there. Pack snacks

for the children so they don't get hungry and pester you to buy overpriced food.

DIY is money saving. Use self-checkout lanes to track your shopping more efficiently. Use bags from

home. Aldi keeps prices lower having customers bag their own groceries in their own bags.

Read shelf labels to cut grocery shopping costs. Bigger packages don’t always save money. Check unit prices (usually it’s a per-ounce price) and compare ounce for ounce costs. Pay close attention to

items that come in many different sized containers, such as breakfast cereals.

Beware of buying in bulk. Only buy non-perishable items in bulk if they’re super-cheap. Otherwise

there may be a better sale and you won’t be able to take advantage of it. Only buy fresh food in bulk

if you can freeze it. A chest freezer is a super saver's best friend. Nab great prices on meat, dairy,

produce and frozen foods and pop them in the freezer. Mind the dates and use the oldest food first.

Buy close sell-by date foods with caution. Buying reduced-priced baked goods, produce or meats

can save big. But make sure to use or freeze by expiration date. Spoiled food is no deal.

Check expiration dates. Be especially careful with food stuffs from non-grocery stores as expiration

dates aren’t always monitored as well. Watch out for expired medicines, vitamins and health aids.

They’re dangerous as well as a waste of money. Even batteries can expire.

Compare packaging options. Don't overlook pre-cut produce, shredded cheese or partially prepared

food, assuming it’s more expensive. Sometimes it’s a better deal. Check for freshness. Prepared food

spoils faster. Be sure the food on the bottom, where the weight rests, looks as fresh as the top.

Scrutinize receipts. Make sure prices are correct and all discounts credited. If you discover a mistake

address it immediately. Some stores won’t alter a wrong price once you’ve left the store

A-Z Fiber Foods, Omega Rich, Fatty Acid Fat Burners

I've lost almost 100 pounds and dropped nine sizes. I burned excess belly fat and trimmed other body fat. How? By swapping saturated and hydrogenated fat, starch, refined sugar and flour for high-fiber, fatty acids foods. Ironically, good fats--omega oils, MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) plus fiber are natural bad fat burners. Fiber and fatty acids work together to purge fat, especially belly fat. Many fiber-rich foods are high in fatty acids and also low in saturated fats. Here's an A-Z list of good-fat, high-fiber foods.   

Weight loss is about portion and calorie control, but it's not so much about eating less as eating

differently. Carbohydrates and fat, long thought to be the enemies of weight loss are enjoying a new

vogue in the ketogenic and high carb diet. Ketogenic good fats and unsaturated fatty acids are found

to burn fat (that bad, white adipose fat that sags from bellies, buttocks, arms and legs, that is). And a

high carb diet, rich in soluable fiber and insoluable resistant starch fiber, helps you feel full and lose

weight. Good carbs burn slow and keep your body busy digesting and burning calories while feeling

satisfied. That's important because weight loss fails when the dieter is constantly hungry and

obsessed with food. So here are high carb diet breakfast recipes with foods chockful of good fats,

resistant starch fiber and protein.

High fiber sandwich breakfast recipes: Spread one tablespoon almond butter on light whole grain

bread (35 calories per slice). Or mix PB2 peanut powder with Greek yogurt and spread on bread.

Slice one barely ripe medium banana and place on whole grain bread. Sprinkle with cacao nibs,

flaxseed, chia seed and sliced strawberries.

Superfood whole grain weight loss oatmeal: This is called oatmeal, but actually it's a wondrous blend

of good carbs, good fats, resistant starch fiber, protein and antioxidant superfoods. Use Bob's Red Mill

10-Grain cereal but don't cook it. High carb diet dishes are best served cold. If you must have hot

cereal, don't cook it to mush. You can also use Cheerios. Add berries, chia seed, cacao nibs, pumpkin

seeds, walnuts and almonds. Blend cashew, flaxseed or almond milk with berry juice to sweeten.

Slice barely ripe banana on top. Serve with milk.

High carb diet potato salad. Did you miss potatoes on your old diet? Well now you can have 'em!

Cold potatoes are a great source of resistant starch fiber. Dice leftover cold cooked potatoes, yams

and/or carrots. Add fresh sliced celery, green pepper,scallion or onion. Season with Himalayan pink

salt, cracked pepper, celery seed and dill. Blend with light olive oil mayonnaise. Or mix avocado,

Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. If you're up for it, add high fiber good fats like

pumpkin seeds and chia seeds.

Roasted plantain breakfast recipes. Saute peeled plantain in non-stick cooking spray. Or bake

plantain in it's own skin till tender. Serve with Greek yogurt or lowfat sour cream. Serve with cold

beans and rice for super resistant starch fiber breakfast recipes. Mix white, red or garbanzo beans

and brown rice with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, green peppers and onions. Add chopped mangoes

or pineapple if desired. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

High carb diet pancakes for weight loss. Start these breakfast recipes with oat or whole grain

pancake mix or Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain Pancake Mix. Add in your choice of: good quality granola,

cranberries, pomegranate seeds, blueberries or strawberries, oat bran, sliced bananas, cooked corn,

almonds, walnuts, chia seeds or flaxseed. Serve with pure maple syrup and light butter.

Bean and banana or plantain "burgers." Mix white or red beans or mashed garbanzo beans with

mashed plantain or banana. Form into balls and flatten like burgers. Fry in non-stick cooking spray.

Serve with Greek yogurt for good fats.

Homemade granola: Blend dried oatmeal, walnuts, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia

seeds and flaxseed. Add unsweetened coconut or cacao nibs if desired. Blend and PB2 peanut

powder, almond or cashew milk and blue agave syrup. Pour over grain blend to coat. Spread in one

layer and toast on low till crunchy. Serve with sliced bananas, chopped apples, strawberries or

blueberries.