Pre-Made Tuna Hoagie

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce loaf sourdough French bread
1 12 1/4-ounce can water-packed low-salt tuna, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fat-free, cholesterol-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh chopped parsley leaves

Instructions:

Cut the bread in half lengthwise and hollow out each half, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Set aside bread removed. Combine tuna and vinegar; set aside.  In another bowl, stir mayonnaise and anchovy paste. Spread the inside of each bread half with mayonnaise mixture. Spoon tuna mixture into the bottom half of bread.  Arrange tomato slices over tuna and season with pepper. Top with onions and sprinkle with parsley. Add top remaining bread halves.

Wrap loaf in foil and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.

Tip: To store the leftover bread from this recipe, place it in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cover and process until ground into fine crumbs. Freeze and use with a recipe that calls for soft bread crumbs, such as meatloaf or casseroles.

     

Irish Creme Yummies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
Chocolate sprinkles, if desired

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.  Mix 3/4 cup flour, butter, powdered sugar and cocoa until soft dough consistency is reached. Press in ungreased square 8X 8 pan. Bake 10 minutes.     In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients minus the whipping cream and chocolate sprinkles with wire whisk until blended. Pour over baked layer. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool slightly; refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting.   In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream onto each bar. Top with chocolate sprinkles. Store covered in refrigerator up to 2 days.

     

Helping your Teen Develop Self Pride and a Good Body Image

It’s often hard for a teen to feel good about themselves.  Everywhere they look, they’re surrounded by images of perfect, beautiful men and women.  What they may not realize is that those people spend all day with a trainer, or have had surgery, or the pictures are simply altered.  Often times your teens feelings of inadequacy tend to spread past their looks to other areas of their life.  As a parent, you serve a vital role in shaping how your child sees themselves. You should take steps to help foster a positive body image for your child.

Watch what you say.  Whether they show it or not, your child listens to your opinion.  You may think an offhand comment about your child’s weight, intelligence, or other abilities means nothing, but it sticks with them.  If your child is overweight, you should avoid pointing it out.  It’s fairly unlikely that your teen doesn’t know they have a weight problem.  Instead of suggesting they lose weight, suggest taking daily runs together or going to the gym.

Watch what you do.  Children learn behaviors by watching other people; their parents included.  If you obsess over your weight, your child is likely to do the same.  Practice healthy eating and exercise habits and try to include your kids.

Many parents think that problems with self esteem and body image and are isolated to girls; this is not true.  While it may not be as prevalent, boys can develop poor body images and eating disorders as well.  Boys may also be pushed to develop muscle mass causing them to work out excessively or take steroids.  Be sure to encourage a healthy self-image for your sons as well as daughters.

The best thing you can do to improve how your child feels about themselves is to compliment their good attributes.  Emphasize the positive things about your child on a regular basis.  If you tell them something enough, they’ll soon start to believe in themselves too.

It’s hard to get teens to believe good things about themselves, but if you watch what you say and do, you can help them develop a more positive image of themselves.