Power Couples

Peanut butter and Jelly. Milk and cereal. Chips and dip.

These classic culinary couples are known for tempting your tastebuds, and have long secured positions among your top ten favorite foods. There are classic couples out there, but as always, waiting in the wings are the next rising stars.

What happens when you pair unlikely ingredients, that not only compliment each other's flavors, but enhance your health? Sure Brad and Jen were great together. They were like Macaroni and cheese. They made America feel comfy, cozy and warm inside. But, when Macaroni (Brad) is paired with Olive oil, lemon juice and garlic (Angie), he starts being more nutritious, tastier- more alluring. He even starts building orphanages.

And so the tides turn. Classic meals are a wonderful idea, even better if executed perfectly. But there is room in your heart and your fridge to spice it up once in a while, if only for your health.

These new "power couples" are walking the red carpets of the produce section as we speak. They are wearing the finest haute couture saran wrap out there. They have waited in the wings, giving mac and cheese their time in the spotlight. Now it's their time. They were just discovered by the agents at Real Simple.

Their reviews:

Grilled Steak. A handsome leading man. Everyone loves him, especially with his old broad, mashed potatoes. But a new compound leading lady in his life, has made him more attractive. Brussels Sprouts, a fresh faced german gal. They are a wonderful vegetable that rid the body of carcinogens that may form on meat during high-heat cooking-- such as grilling. Try substituting one of your go-to steak sides with some nicely dressed brussels sprouts. I highly recommend adding olive oil, garlic and pancetta to them.

Avocados mixed with tomatoes. Now, if you've been reading my blog from day one, you know I love a good salsa or pico de gallo. Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which is great for you. Throw some avocado into the mix, which is a good fat- and you have quite the power couple. The fat from the avocado helps your body absorb seven times more lycopene. Not only is it delicious with fresh lime juice- but it is healthy too! HELP yourself!

Olive oil and fresh veggies. Similar to the avocado and tomato recipe, adding a small amount of healthy fats such as olive oil to your zucchini, spinach or other dark green vegetables brings out their carotenoid lutein, which is an antioxidant that helps prevent against age related macular degeneration. Now that's a Kurt and Goldie power couple!

Spinach...and oranges?! I thought they hated each other! Spinach, which is full of iron, is hard to absorb. When eaten with vitamin C, such as an orange or tangerine, the iron in the spinach is absorbed more efficiently. If the two together don't strike your fancy, consider adding a fresh red pepper, and some tomatoes to make a nice baby spinach salad.