The idea is that if people can’t afford bad food and drink, they might be healthier. So if the price of regular soda and other sweetened beverages increased by 18%, people would consume an average of 56 fewer calories a day and lose about 5 pounds a year, according to projections in a study out Monday.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina came to this conclusion when they studied the eating habits of over 5,000 young adults over a period of 20 years and found associations between higher food costs and lower calorie intake. A $1 increase in soda was associated with a decreased intake of a 124 calories a day, and therefore a decrease in body weight.

[Usatoday]

One of my favorite healthy recipe sites is eatingwell.com. The recipes on that site are consistently delicious. One recipe that I found recently featured a steak covered with a warm salsa made in the pan the steaks were seared in. While any 1/2-inch thick steak would work for this recipe, to keep it healthy you want to use something lean, such as London broil or flank steak. Both of these cuts of beef have become so popular that naturally the prices have gone up on these once inexpensive cuts. The cut of beef I chose for this recipe was a boneless sirloin tip steak. The reason I chose this one because 1) it was over $2 cheaper than the flank steak and London broil, 2) the muscle graining was long, just as with the flank steak, which, if cut against the grain, would make tender slices, and 3) it looked really fresh. When it comes to recipes like these, you can have some creative leeway on the cut of meat, with freshness and price being the most important things to focus on.

When making this steak, I added cumin to the original recipe because it is my absolute favorite spice and I knew it would make a nice addition to the spices rubbed on the meat. The steaks were juicy and nicely spiced. The warm salsa was the perfect touch to these tender slices of steak. I served this with steamed asparagus and some sweet potato fries.

Chili-Rubbed Steaks and Pan Salsa
Printable Recipe

8 oz 1/2-inch thick lean steak, such as flank steak, London broil, boneless sirloin tip, etc...
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the chili powder, cumin, pepper, and half of the salt.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the steaks. Sear the steaks for 1-2 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer the cooked steak to a plate and cover with foil to allow it to rest.
3. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, the remaining salt, and lime juice to the pan the steaks were cooked in and saute for about 3 minutes. Then, remove the foil from the steak and transfer any meat juices to the tomatoes and add the cilantro to the tomatoes.
4. Slice the steak thinly against the grain and top with the salsa.

• Servings per recipe: 2
• Per serving:
• Calories: 174
• Fat: 9 g
• Saturated fat: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 60 mg
• Sodium: 336 mg
• Carbohydrates: 4 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 20 g

Living alone has its pros and cons, but the severe lack of taste-testers has to be my biggest con.... However, my fiance was here for the weekend and we had some friends over for dinner - the perfect opportunity to try out a brand new recipe! I had never made lemon squares before and was really excited to try and recreate that creamy sweet and tart lemony filling my mom makes from that ever popular blue Shirff box (oh, you know the one!). It was pretty touch and go for a while - is the bottom supposed to be this crumbly? is it supposed to smell like egg? But in the end, once they had cooled, they were perfect! Just as good, or better, than that popular blue box HaHa!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp icing sugar

Steps

-Preheat oven to 325ºF.

-Beat together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.

-Add flour in 2 additions.

-Press into 13X9 pan (I used a glass to pat it in evenly).

-Bake for 35 minutes, until slightly golden. Let cool.

-Beat eggs with sugar until thick. Add lemon rind, juice, flour, and baking powder.

-Pour over baked bottom.

-Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until the centre is set. (The top will have a bubbly white crust, don't worry!)

-Let cool and slice. Dust with icing sugar.

Dear Vegalicious Readers, this is a delicious soup we recently found at the “Daily Green” blog.

It has the earthy flavors of beets, with the mild sweetness of apricots and orange juice. Perked up with the flavors of onions, garlic and cumin. Altogether, this flavor packed soup that is really tasty. It can also be halved for a smaller amount. We do hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did.