food and nutrition

Voula Gonatos' signature recipe, for Sun-dried Tomato and Artichoke Party Cups, won $1,000 in the 2009 Sister Schubert's On a Roll Recipe Contest.

Voula Gonatos' signature recipe, for Sun-dried Tomato and Artichoke Party Cups, won $1,000 in the 2009 Sister Schubert's On a Roll Recipe Contest.

We've all become experts in brown-bagging it these days, but that doesn't mean we actually have to use a brown bag.

We're consuming way too much sugar, according to the American Heart Association. The organization says we should limit our intake of added sugars to no more than 25 grams per day for women and 36 grams for men.

Take our quiz on added sugars, gleaned from nutritionist Monica Reinagel at nutritiondata.com.

What do you eat when no one is watching?

Feeling stressed by the start of another school year? This Cuban dish, sometimes called picadillo, is as simple as A-B-C in that it goes from stove to table in less than a half-hour. For a sweet side, serve with grilled or sauteed bananas drizzled with honey and brown sugar. Soccer practice had us on the run, so we used the meat to stuff soft-shell tacos.

CUBAN SKILLET TURKEY

Charlotte Hartwell of St. Petersburg, Fla., is looking for recipes using almond paste.

Lyn Wood, also of St. Petersburg, offers an Almond-Raspberry Jalousie recipe. This is an impressive dessert made with few ingredients, though there are some challenges.

FRUITY CHICKEN KEBABS

Grapes are a natural for kebabs, but any firm-fleshed fruit would work just fine.

8 ounces roasted deli chicken or turkey, sliced 3/4-inch thick

8 8-ounce wooden skewers

16 green grapes

12 strawberries, cut in half lengthwise

School's back in session and with it the question that's got kids all across the country antsy with dread and anticipation: What's for lunch?

Linda Bittaker of Clearwater, Fla., often has buttermilk "left over from recipes and usually end(s) up throwing it away." She seeks additional recipes that use buttermilk.