Matthew Thompson

Burn 700 calories cooking thanksgiving dinner

Nifer — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:10:01 +0000

I love being in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. Between the delicious smells, nice company and constant foot traffic (everyone finds a reason to stop by the kitchen on Thanksgiving!), it’s the place to be in the lead-up to the year’s most sumptuous meal. But anyone who’s ever hoisted a turkey out of the oven or chopped so many veggies their wrists have cramped knows that making Thanksgiving dinner can be hard work. And though a lot of attention is paid to the calories consumed on Thanksgiving, not that much thought is given to the calories burned.

The 7 healthiest foods on your thanksgiving menu

Nifer — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:05:56 +0000

Thanksgiving is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. And why not? It’s a great time to hang out with family, watch football and, of course, eat an amazing meal.

Most people think of Thanksgiving dinner as being a bit of a calorie bomb. And, really, it is: in a recent issue of EatingWell we estimated that the Turkey Day meal clocks at least 2,800 calories.

5 secrets to speedy soup

Nifer — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:59:13 +0000

Nothing beats a warm bowl of homemade soup on a cool fall day. But I’m a busy guy—I don’t have time to stand around stirring a pot and chopping vegetables all day. So how do I whip up tasty, savory creations in the time I do have? I take shortcuts, using a few cheater ingredients here or some clever EatingWell cooking tricks there to get the job done faster. As a result, I can make an amazing soup just like my mom used to make (What am I talking about? STILL makes) in just 30 minutes. That’s less than the time it takes to order takeout.

8 foods for skinny Italian cooking

Nifer — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:59:34 +0000

I grew up in a city in Connecticut famous for its Italian food—New Haven’s pizza places are some of the best in the world—so being able to enjoy fettuccine alla carbonara, osso buco, tiramisu and the like feels more like a birthright than a privilege. But whenever I want to enjoy a deliciously cheesy Italian dish, there always seems to be someone ready to make a disparaging comment about how unhealthy it is. Because Italian equals pasta and pasta equals carbs and carbs equal unhealthy, right? Wrong.

5 ways to use pizza dough

Nifer — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:45:32 +0000

For years, one of my favorite go-to quick-dinner tricks has been to grab a bag of pizza dough from the freezer aisle of my supermarket, a jar of marinara sauce, some cheese and a few veggies and whip up a delicious, homemade pizza.

The right way to prepare oatmeal

Nifer — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:35:12 +0000

One of my favorite parts of fall is the return of warming, stick-to-your-ribs comfort foods. And for me one of the all-time classics is oatmeal. I practically lived on the stuff all through elementary and middle school; now I find it to be the perfect cool-weather start to my day.

Don’t Miss: The #1 Food You Should Eat for Breakfast

7 easy ways to make your kitchen healthier

Nifer — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:45:45 +0000

Forget spring-cleaning: fall is the perfect time to spruce up your kitchen. Now that you’ve recovered from the laziness of summer (maybe I’m projecting a bit here) but before the craziness of the holiday season, there’s a perfect window for tossing those mystery items in the back of your fridge, replacing that gray-looking sponge sitting by your sink and cleaning those drips from the ceiling of your microwave. And while you’re scrubbing your cooking area to make it look nicer, you may as well do a few things to make it healthier too.

How to pick the perfect apple

Nifer — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:43:26 +0000

There’s something about that moment when you bite into the first, fresh, perfectly tart apple of the autumn season that reminds you: “Yes, this is what fall is supposed to taste like.” But while I love pretty much all in-season apple varieties, they’re not all equally suited for every purpose. I definitely plan to do some baking this fall (Don’t hate: Nothing goes better with Sunday afternoon football—Go Giants!), and when I do I’ll reach for certain types of apples while avoiding others.

Save $3,392 on lunch

Nifer — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:06:45 +0000

I used to be able to convince myself that the money I spent eating out was reasonable, but then my wife and I started tracking our expenses. The results were eye-opening: I spend this much in restaurants? Clearly, a change needed to happen. It came in the form of a $2 piece of plastic—the Tupperware container I use to start bringing my own lunch. And though the savings is only a little bit each day, I started noticing the extra money in my pocket pretty quickly.

10 "cheater" ways to get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes

Nifer — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:41:27 +0000

Recently, my life has taken a turn for the bananas: among many other things, my wife and I are in the process of moving into a new place—so our living room has been colonized by boxes, our weekends taken up by trips to Goodwill and our kitchen half-dismantled as we decide which appliances deserve to make the trip with us. But for all the busyness—and there’s been plenty, believe me—we still find time to cook a healthy dinner every night. How do we do it? Well, if you must know: we cheat.

Amazingly good end-of-summer party dips

Nifer — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:50:29 +0000

Now that we’re into the fourth steamy week of August, I can honestly say I’m ready for autumn. But I don’t want to bid summer goodbye without giving it a good send-off. That’s why I’m psyched to have a Labor Day bash next weekend. It’s a great opportunity to get all of the grilling, pool partying and lawn game playing out of my system before the onset of soup-and-sweater season.

6 easy summer casseroles for entertaining

Nifer — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:46:17 +0000

Summer is great for getting outside and enjoying the warm weather and seemingly endless evenings with friends. It’s the perfect time of year for a backyard potluck. But things can get tricky when it comes to figuring out what food to bring to a get-together. If everyone followed their first instinct—or at least my first instinct—you’d end up with a party full of salads and nothing else. Party foul.

What to eat & what to skip to save money on food

Nifer — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:00:15 +0000

Like a great many people, I was disheartened to learn that the price of food will be on the rise over the next year. According to a statement made by the U.S. government (and widely quoted in articles in The New York Times, Yahoo! and other sources), the prices of a great many grocery store staples are predicted to increase by 4 to 5 percent over the next year. That might not seem like much, but as any family on a budget can tell you, those little markups at the supermarket can really accumulate.

Take-along snacks for a car trip

Nifer — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:04:54 +0000

Taking off on a road trip seems like an essential part of summer. According to a recent study, over 140 million Americans are planning to travel this summer—with 69% opting to go via car. That’s a lot! I have at least two car trips planned for this summer—and I couldn’t be more excited.

But one thing I’m not psyched about: the terrible snack options at convenience stores and gas stations. Who wants to fill up on chips filled with who-knows-what, day-old pastries or nuts coated in sugary gunk? Not me.

How to pickle anything (no canning necessary)

Nifer — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:16:32 +0000

There are certain things I will never understand in this world: the rules of cricket, how fish reproduce, quantum harmonic oscillation…and people who don’t like pickles. That last one is probably the hardest for me to grasp, however.

Because: come on, pickles taste amazing! Snap into a perfectly crisp gherkin that’s sopped up plenty of gleeky vinegar, fresh herbs and just a hint of salt and tell me you’re not in briny heaven. Sneak a dill spear into your next burger and tell me it’s not tangily enhanced.