Prep & Ready Time: 30 minutes      Yields: 6 Servings

another great vegetable that many people don’t like cooked but do great with it when it is raw in a salad.

My last tip is to go outside of the norm and try some things you wouldn’t normally eat. Most people would do well eating purple grapes but may not have tried eggplant. Yellow bananas are a staple of the American diet but have you tried star fruit, mango, or yellow squash? So, enjoy this culinary experiment, eat a rainbow every week, and remember Skittles are not fruit!

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

~Set six, 4 ounce ramekins on a sturdy baking sheet, coat the ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.

~In a small bowl combine the walnuts and 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, mix with a fork to blend.

~Divide the walnut mixture among the six ramekins and press with a fork to cover the bottoms of the ramekins.

~Place the sweet potatoes in a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes, bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until very tender.

~Drain and place the potatoes in a medium mixing bowl, add orange juice, half and half, pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper and the remaining butter.

~Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and carefully pour the mixture into the six prepared ramekins.

~Top with additional walnuts.

~Bake for 10-12 minutes or until walnuts and tops of the potatoes are lightly browned.

~Separate onto six plates.

~Serve & Enjoy!

Ingredients:

~3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

~2 1/2 tablespoons light butter melted, divided

~1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

~1/3 cup orange juice

~2 tablespoons fat free half and half

~1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

~1/8 teaspoon salt

~ 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

together, we write articles that we feel will

benefit our readers and empower them to make

the best choices possible in the way they think,

move, and eat. In our last meeting to discuss

topics of interest, we realized that some of our

readers may not know much about us and/or be

fully aware of the reason we spend so much

time and effort delivering the “Wellness News

You Can Use” each month.

We feel that it is important for you to know

why we do what we do so that you can get the

most out of the information and the advice we

give in each edition. The “Wellness News You

Can Use” is an extension of our commitment to

serve our community with relevant and

reasonable information that will help our

readers create the lives they desire and deserve.

We see it as a professional responsibility and a

civic duty. Being a good neighbor is something

we take very seriously, and we will continue to

…continued on page 2

work tirelessly to provide opportunities for

you and your family to thrive.

Whether you are reading this newsletter at

work while you are on break, at home after a

rewarding day at the office, while enjoying a

cup of tea, or getting your tires rotated, it is

our hope that you will take one idea from it

each month and use it to transform your life in

a significant and meaningful way. We want

every man, woman, and child to read the

“Wellness News You Can Use” each month as

…we will

continue to

work

tirelessly to

provide

opportunities

for you and

your family

to thrive.

Wellness News

Page 2

we feel it is one small way we can serve the most people as

possible. It is the sharing of resources that makes a good

neighbor. It is the genuine desire to help one another that

builds trust, and it is trust that builds the foundation of

neighborhood unity. Unity is where we find our strength

and create greater possibilities.

As a good neighbor, we want you to know that we are here

to serve, we will continue to listen to the needs of the

community, and we will adapt to meet those needs. We see

a very bright future where the possibilities are endless and

every one of our neighbors develops goals that are both

challenging and rewarding, and the average health of the

people of the Midcoast Region will be transformed and

seen as a model for healthy living on a global scale.

Big goal you say? What is more tragic, to set your goals

too low and achieve them or to set them high and fall

short? We will shoot high and ask our neighbors to help us

achieve them.

Until next month…I appreciate you, neighbor!

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

8 cups cubed seeded watermelon

1 apple, diced

1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

2 teaspoons fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

 ~In a blender, puree watermelon with the apple and 1/4 cup each of the onion and green pepper; pour into a large mixing bowl.

~Stir in the remaining ingredients (including the other 1/4 cup of onion and green pepper.)

~Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour to blend flavors.

~Serve & Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 large Portobello mushrooms (1 cap per sandwich)
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Rock or kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. low-fat mozzarella
4 large pieces roasted red pepper (roast yourself or if you buy it pat dry with a paper towel.)
4 whole wheat pitas
Greens (arugula, romaine, whatever you like!)
Low-fat mayo or store-bought pesto, if desired

Instructions:

Remove and discard mushroom stems. Brush top of mushroom caps with a bit of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly coat your grill with cooking spray. Grill mushrooms, covered, for approximately four minutes; turn and grill another three minutes, or until tender.

Place flat side of mushroom up on the grill, and top with a thin slice of mozzarella and a nice juicy piece of red pepper. Cover and cook one minute more, until the cheese is melted. At same time place your pita on the grill until lightly toasted.

Put a layer of greens in the pita and top with a mushroom cap. Add a bit of low-fat mayo or prepared pesto sauce.

Serves 4

This is my first blog post. Pardon the lack of content as I am new to this medium.  But trust me, once properly informed I will let you all know what is on my mind.  But for now you can enjoy a photo of my son Andrew. He will be 1 year old this April.