Lasagna Love

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Lasagna is one of those Italian American comfort foods that has been reworked into a million different recipes over the years. When I visited Italy years ago I was surprised to find that the Italian version was very different from its American adaptation.

The lasagne that I find more often in the States is a towering wonder of cheese and meat-filled sauce, not to mention some noodles. In Italy, it’s a bit more refined and made more simply with super-tender, melt-in-your-mouth noodles and generally very little cheese, if any at all.

Click to read more ...

Kiwi – a Nutritional Powerhouse

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Kiwifruit’s bright green flesh is loaded with vitamin C, even more than oranges. It’s not a bad idea to load up on them during flu and cold season.

Kiwi are also a good source of potassium, magnesium and copper. And they contain more lutein (preserves eyesight) than any other vegetable or fruit except corn.

Pick fruit that is semi-firm to the touch and unblemished. When ripe, the fruit is sweet and tangy.

I usually peel and chop kiwi to make a simple winter fruit salad with pineapple, pistachios and toasted coconut.

Click to read more ...

Winter Greens

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

While waiting for spring to arrive, I start yearning for more veggies and everything green. Swiss chard, collard greens, kale and spinach are my go-to greens.

All of the four are packed with tons of flavor and nutrients. They ranked in the top six vegetables with the highest nutrient content in a comparison of nearly 85 vegetables by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. These greens are loaded with vitamin K and lutein and contain calcium, fiber, folate and vitamin C.

There are many varieties of Swiss chard, such as rainbow and green chard. Kale varieties include lacinato (also known as dinosaur kale), curly and red Russian.

A fun fact is that winter greens actually get sweeter as the weather gets colder. So the time to buy and eat these power-packed leaves is now.

Click to read more ...

Paring down

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

So, Groundhog Day came and went and with it, the news that we have five to six weeks until spring. Feeling very inspired, I started on spring cleaning – or in my case, spring clearing – so that the cleaning part will be easier.

This past weekend, while Nemo was bearing down on the Northeast, I was pulling things from closets and making piles of no-longer-needed stuff that will be sold at yard sales or given away to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Old books will be donated to the local library to make room for the stacks of new books that have not had a home on my limited shelf space.

Click to read more ...

A Quick Dinner for One

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Frozen ravioli is a great shortcut to putting dinner on the table. The key is to find the brand that you like.

Fresh Market in my neighborhood makes some exceptional flavors such as pumpkin, roasted vegetable and a cheese one that is not all about the fillers or preservatives. The dough is thin and tender, and cooks up in no time.

So I have dinner on the table in minutes without any guilt that I’m eating something that’s not healthful. The other great thing is that frozen ravioli are easy to portion out since they are individual pouches of deliciousness.

Click to read more ...