Welcome, everybody, to Fast and Tasty, Fixing Foods the Pyramid Way.
I'm Brian, and this is the show that shows you how to prepare recipes that are good for
you and taste great.
And I'm Jessica.
Today, we're going to bring the food guide pyramid to life with some quick and easy recipes
to help you look and feel the way you want.
But before we get started, let's introduce our team of able-bodied assistants.
This is our team of chefs.
You'll get to know them better when we turn them loose to do their stuff in the kitchen.
Give me five, team.
Hi.
See you later, guys.
Now, every show has someone behind the scenes that makes it all happen.
For us, that's our highly talented but slightly off-the-wall camera person.
Take a bow, Arnie.
We told you Arnie's a little off the wall.
Actually, he's a little off the ceiling.
But you'll have to see what we mean.
But let's get at it.
Our first team of chefs is ready to go, so introduce them to us, Brian.
Meet Shannon and Ellery.
So what have you guys got for us today?
We're starting at the bottom of the pyramid.
Yeah, you know, the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group.
The high energy stuff, stuff that you can eat most of, 6 to 11 servings a day.
So what are you working on here?
It's called nice rice, and it's so easy to fix that even Arnie can handle it.
What was that?
What?
That?
That was just Arnie.
He's a great shooter, but with Arnie, you get the whole package.
Sometimes, he likes to tell you what he's thinking now and then.
What's he thinking?
That he's glad he's not a bottom feeder.
He's referring to the food guide pyramid.
It's a pyramid because a healthy diet means eating less from each group as you go up.
Arnie considers himself a top feeder.
He hangs out with the fats, oils, and sweets.
That's bad.
It is the way Arnie does it, but you can eat grease and sugar once in a while, just less
often and in smaller amounts.
But enough Arnie, let's get back to nice rice.
Okay, nice rice is a snap.
Just watch Shannon while I do the play by play.
First, Shannon coats a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
Watch where you're aiming at.
Now she's heating the skillet till hot.
Over medium high heat.
Now Shannon's adding the rice, a little onion, and some bell pepper.
And you saute for five minutes.
That's a fancy way of saying cook and stir.
And it's one of the ways to cook with less fat, along with grilling, broiling, and roasting.
Much better than frying.
Now Shannon's adding the remaining ingredients, which includes mustard, pepper, a can of whole
tomatoes, the no salt added kind, and a can of vegetable or tomato juice of the low sodium
variety.
And then simmering the whole thing uncovered for five minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
And that's it.
Quick, easy, and tastes great too.
I'd say this baby's ready to eat.
Wow, that smells great.
Notice how our chefs use pepper and other seasonings instead of salt.
What do you think, Arnie?
Arnie's not exactly into healthy eating.
So let's put this recipe to the ultimate test on the Arnie meter.
Skillet rice gets an A. Not bad for something that's good for you.
How do you know what he means?
Arnie and I go back a long ways, and believe me, that's a very high score on the Arnie
meter.
Well, thanks guys for the foundation of our food guide pyramid.
Now let's see what our next team of chefs is up to.
This is Kim and Regina, and they're going to take us up a notch on the food guide pyramid.
What do you got going here, gang?
We're coming at you live from the vegetable group, a group that has a pretty bum rap among
some of us teens.
But we're going to improve the veggie group's image right before your eyes and make you
want to eat three to five servings every day.
Go for it.
Okay, we're making stuffed spuds, and we start by mixing a low-fat cottage cheese, parmesan
cheese, mustard, and lemon juice.
And now we're stirring some steamed chopped broccoli and a little pepper.
But now we're going to set this aside.
Leave it alone, Arnie.
Arnie says no problem.
When it comes to potatoes, he prefers ketchup on his fries, thank you.
He said all that?
More or less.
You got to know Arnie, and you got to know how to eat fast foods wisely.
A steaming hot baked potato with salsa is a good substitute for an order of fries, and
anything baked or zapped is always a smart choice.
Speaking of spuds, Kim is breaking up the inside of the potato with her fork, being
careful not to break the skin, adding the broccoli cheese mixture, and sprinkling it
with paprika.
Now we're going to zap it in the microwave for about one minute.
And now we're serving it steaming hot.
Only let's leave Arnie out of this one.
He wouldn't recognize a potato that's not a chip.
You better be careful how you say that.
See what I mean?
Without Arnie, there's no show.
Okay, here you go, Arnie.
And the verdict is, B-O-K.
B-O-K?
That doesn't sound very good.
You've heard the term A-O-K.
Well in Arnie language, B-O-K is the highest rating something can get that's not smothered
in grease or soaked in sugar.
Consider it a compliment.
And for what it's worth, I give stuffed potatoes an A+.
Thanks guys.
Now let's see what our next team is cooking up.
We're in the kitchen with Jeanette and Eric.
So what's cooking team?
Nothing, Brian.
This recipe is so simple, you don't even have to nuke it.
In fact, it's so easy, we're going to whip up three different concoctions, all from the
fruit group.
And since you need two to four servings of fruit a day, you're covering a whole day's
worth for us?
Show us what you've got.
Okay, the first one's called orange screen.
First you take 10 ice cubes, two cups of skim milk, a can of frozen orange juice concentrate,
and a little vanilla.
Then you mix it in a blender until thick and foamy.
And after blending, you can serve immediately.
So what do you think, guys?
Wow, this is great.
And you can serve this immediately too?
Well thanks, Jeanette.
Okay, well, we're on to our next recipe.
Eric, what you got?
Well, this one's called a Berry Good Banana Blast.
What the?
Just starting chuckling.
He likes the name.
He gives me the creeps sometimes.
As I was about to say, you slice two bananas, add a couple of cups of strawberries, a cup
of skim milk, and a cup of nonfat vanilla yogurt.
Blend until smooth.
Well, Brian, what do you think?
Berry good indeed.
Well, thanks, Eric.
Okay, let's move on to our third smoothie.
William, what you got?
We really like shakes, so I have another one for you.
It's called a Fruity Shiver.
Looks like you got some unsweetened orange juice, some pineapple rings, a banana, a little
apple juice, crushed ice cubes, and a little honey.
Blend until smooth.
I can see why you love fruit shakes, low calories, tastes great, and a perfect way to chill out.
What do you think, Arnie?
He says he avoids a fruit group like the plague, but he likes this a lot.
Thanks, William.
Let's move on to our next team.
Here we have Laura.
So what do you have for us today?
From the milk, yogurt, and cheese group, wait until you taste this.
I could wolf down two or three of these a day.
Show me how you made this.
Sure.
Well, first we start with putting a nonfat yogurt at the bottom of the glass.
Then we add layers of raisins, and low fat granola, some berries, then the rest of the
yogurt, and then some more berries.
That's it.
I'm ready for Arnie's verdict.
Arnie doesn't do yogurt, says he's a chocolate shake man.
So I don't get Arnie's deal of approval?
Not unless he can have a chocolate one.
Nice work, Laura.
Now let's go to our final group of chefs for a recipe from the food group with the world's
longest name, the meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dry beans, and nuts group.
That is a long name.
Now let's see what Brian's doing with the next group.
Whoa, we might have a problem here.
Looks like Arnie got to you guys.
What's going on, Patrick, Jenny, and Victor?
We're relaxing because our recipe is relax while it cooks chicken.
And you're following the recipe to the letter.
As the truly great chefs do.
Well show me how you got to the relaxing stage.
First we add a half cup of barbecue sauce to a foil covered cookie sheet.
Put on skinless chicken breasts.
Put more barbecue sauce on.
And then add green pepper, carrots, and sliced potatoes.
But here's the trick.
You add another layer of foil and fold the sides together.
You put it in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
Then you relax while the whole thing bakes.
And it's all done in 35 minutes.
So what do you think, Brian?
Wow, this is outstanding.
And baked chicken is way lower in fat than fried chicken.
Why don't you come out here, Jessica, and try it?
This is great.
Good job, guys.
Let's see how it does on the Arnie meter.
On a scale of 1 to 10, it gets a 9.
It says it has a good beat and is easy to dance to.
Uh, Arnie, that's the wrong meter.
Arnie.
He fell asleep.
No wonder considering the food he eats.
Arnie, wake up.
Now let's bring everybody back out here with their completed recipes.
Wow, this is like an old-fashioned potluck without all the fat and sugar.
And we have a new twist for the line you normally hear.
We're saying do try these at home because healthy, nutritious foods from all the food
groups can be the difference between looking and feeling the way you want.
Now a final word from each of our chefs.
Delicious.
Simple.
Fast.
Easy.
Filling.
Tasty.
Nutritious.
Outstanding.
Healthy.
Fun to make.
Fun to eat.
Well, that concludes our show for today, but in all fairness, we should give Arnie a final
word too.
Arnie, come on in here.
Come on, Arnie.
Try this food.
This food is really good.
Seems like Arnie's no longer a top feeder.
He can't even contribute right now.
His mouth is full.
But a picker's worth a thousand words, and this one says it all.
I'm Jessica.
And I'm Brian.
Thanks for joining us on Fast and Tasty, fixing foods the pyramid way.
Bye.
Thanks for joining us on Fast and Tasty, fixing foods the pyramid way.
Bye.