Amazing Chocolate Pudding. . . from scratch

Pudding doesn't come from a box? I grew up with boxed pudding mix. Imagine my surprise when "from scratch" takes just as much time and tastes oh so much better. This recipe was gleaned from the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat cookbook. There was a little footnote at the bottom of the recipe that stated "no matter how many fancy desserts are in your repertoire, this is most likely the one the kids will remember when they are grown and gone."

This is a family favorite and I would suggest you let it cool down a bit before eating it. Hot pudding is like eating lava, tasty lava, but not worth the blisters.
We have taken to making this in a double batch. My eldest son, has claimed this as his domain and the double batch contains his slight changes in measurement.

Serves 4 (total time 15-20 minutes)

3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Cups skim milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients (cornstarch, sugar, and
cocoa.)
2. Next, add the milk to the saucepan and stir until smooth.
3. Cook the mixture on MEDIUM heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding comes to a boil.
4. Lower the heat to SIMMER, still stirring constantly for about 3-4 minutes.
5. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
6. Pour the hot pudding into bowls and serve warm or chilled. Chilled takes about 2 hours.

To double the recipe (as per my son):

4 Tbsp cornstarch
6 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Cups skim milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Enjoy! Be sure and check out the menu at WellMeals4U.com Works GREAT on smart phones. Now you can choose your menu, immediately view the grocery list and then email yourself the food prep and meal cooking instructions for later! It is so simple and convenient.

Healthy Meal Planning Part of Your Corporate Wellness Program?

The word on the street is that there will be grant monies available for organizations with 100 or less employees who are putting together a wellness program. The specifics on how to actually go about submitting a request for the money has not been announced yet, but should be through the grants.gov website. As I find out more, I will pass on the word. The health care reform act also makes it easier for employers to provide incentives for employees who participate in corporate wellness programs. If you think that WellMeals4U memberships would be a good addition to your corporate wellness program, let me know. We do offer corporate memberships. Contact me directly at info@wellmeals4u.com

May is Member Favorite Month

Special thanks to all of you who told us what you liked and didn't like. There were so many favorites we created a month soley featuring them!

The month of May, WellMeals4U is hitting the road and spreading the word.

Thank you to all of you (you know who you are:)) for making WellMeals4U as success!!!

Getting Ready to Grow a Garden

In honor of spring (and a sunny weekend) we began the process of "deweeding" our garden. This year we are proud to report we started waging our war on weeds before they became a formidable foe. Now with our garden bed weed-free we are "thinking" about putting a soaker water system and a timer in place. I say "thinking" because we have had the soaker hoses for about 4 years and have yet to use them. We all agree it is still too cold to plant any seeds, but that does not stop us from drooling over the seed catalogs that began arriving shortly after Valentine's Day. Should be try growing Marina Di Chioggia (a bumpy looking squash that averages 10 lbs each) or Red Burgandy Okra? We will moon and dream, but reality will eventually set in. What do we consume a lot of that grows really, really well and is super good for us? Greens! Greens grow fast and can be planted in a small plot. Spinach, Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Beet Greens, Swiss Chard, Lettuce Greens, Arugula, etc. Sweet peas, green beans, squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, green onions, cilantro and parsley finish out the mix.

I always relish this time of year. The freezer is starting to look slightly bare of staples, the empty canning jars are crowding the cupboards. It is a nice reminder that our mission to control and reduce our food budget has been effective. With that said we are going to stick with the plan we laid out last year for reducing our food budget and eating well. Our plan is as follows:
1) Grow as many vegetables as we can, eating fresh during the summer and then freezing for the rest of the year. (We are lucky, unless there is a hard freeze collard and kale will survive through the winter.)
2) Buy seasonal fruits and freeze/can
3) Utilize WellMeals4U (http://www.wellmeals4u.com/)
4) Eat meat free at least two times a week.
5) Fish for salmon during the season to assure we get our Omega3 for the year.

Employers and Worker Health Habits

There was an article today in the Investor's Business Daily titled "Employers Move on Health Costs." In a nutshell, the article talked about a survey conducted by Towers Watson in which 83% of employers reported that they expect to revamp their health care strategy in the next two years. That is up from 59% in 2009. Needless to say, health care costs are pressuring companies to find ways to support "effective health management programs under budget constraints." 66% of employers are planning on offering incentives for employees to complete a health risk appraisal. This is up from 61% in 2009.

As we all know healthy eating habits and exercise play a huge part in improved personal health. WellMeals4U is a great way to demonstrate to your employer that you are actively working to improve your health.

WellMeals4U commends King County's Eat Smart Challenge

Every so often I visit the King County Health Matters website to see how the wellness program is progressing. Now in its 4th year, they have raised the bar for employee involvement. This year employees are encouraged to complete the wellness assessment, complete an individual action plan and then track individual progress online. This year employees are encouraged to create goals and act on "moving more" and "eating smart". They are asked to log what they eat for 5 days out of 7 for a period of 10 weeks.

WellMeals4U is a terrific way to eat better, change eating habits and make it easy to keep track of what has been eaten.

Build WellMeals4U into your Eat Smart Challenge. Visit www.wellmeals4u.com

New Years Resolution: Eat Better 2010

The window between Christmas and New Year's Day is always the time I haul out my big list of things to do and try to finish up as many as possible. The hope is to be "ready" for the New Year. To open the year with a clean, fresh slate so I can create a new list of things to do.

I know, to some of you this sounds crazy and to others you are saying, "me too!". What keeps showing up year after year on my list is ways to improve my organizational and time management skills. We have been working hard de-cluttering our living spaces, reducing our expenses and streamlining how we plan and prepare our meals. (For those of you who are new to this blog, WellMeals4U an online meal planning ans assembly system and is all about helping members with the planning and preparation of meals. Check it out (http://www.wellmeals4u.com))

If your goal is to manage your time better, eat within a budget, and eat healthier meals; try WellMeals4U . The cost is $15/month. There is a special running until the end of January. Buy 3 months and receive a fourth month for free.