August is National Olive Oil Month, reminding us again that it’s easy to make heart-healthy switches in everyday eating.

While the health benefits of olive oil are no secret (including no cholesterol and less saturated fat than butter), most people are unaware of how simple it is to make the swap. Here are three easy switches:

 
When you swap butter for olive oil, you use need less oil—so that’s also a savings in calories.
 
HOW TO SWAP BUTTER FOR OLIVE OIL

You can also print out Pompeian’s butter to olive oil conversion chart and hang it on the fridge.

MOVIE POPCORN OIL

What kind of oil is in and on your movie popcorn?

Most movie theaters pop the kernels in coconut oil. Coconut oil is 86% saturated fat, the kind that raises cholesterol. Lard is 38% saturated fat.

The butter-flavored oil topping at the movies is usually partially hydrogenated soybean oil that contains both saturated and trans fats. [Source]

What happened to “butter topping?” The butter made the popcorn soggier than oil. As a bonus to theater owners, oil is also far cheaper than butter.

During the month of August, Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil has arranged with some movie theater chains to offer pure olive oil as an alternative to the standard topping. If you find yourself at one of those venues, let us know how you enjoyed the swap.

Perhaps they each have a Zoku Slush and Shake Maker, where they enjoy slushies at home to their hearts’ delight.

This convenient device uses a cup that is pre-frozen in your freezer. Then, you add a liquid of choice and stir with a special spoon. The beverage freezes right before your eyes.

The frozen inner core fits into an outer sleeve that keeps your hands from getting cold (and your slushie from warming up). It’s easy to use and easy to clean.

By making your own, you can avoid the additives in, say, a 7-11 Slurpee, drink that consists of water and flavoring plus dextrin (a thickening agent), high fructose corn syrup (boo!) or erythritol (a noncaloric sugar alcohol used in Slurpee Lite), glycerin (a fat emulsifier), citric acid (a natural preservative that also adds a tart flavor), potassium benzoate (another preservative, that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast), gum acacia (a stabilizer), quillaia extract (a foaming agent in some soft drinks), glycerol ester of wood rosin (an emulsifier and stabilizer) and food color.

Jeepers, would you feed that to your kids? Not to mention, if you have a refined palate, your own slushie made with quality juice will taste so much better.

You can also slush almond milk/coconut milk/rice milk/soy milk, chocolate milk, iced coffee, lemonade and your favorite juice or soda, lemonade.

When we slushed Crystal Light lemonade, it was like eating no-calorie granita. Perhaps the greatest boon to us is the ability to convert diet beverages into no-cal/low-cal frozen desserts!

While we haven’t tried it yet, the company says you can also make milkshakes. We’re quite happy with blender shakes.

Add a scoop of ice cream to an orange juice
slushie for a “Creamsicle” slushie. Photo
courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

 
Still, for a diet treat or a child’s snack (children can learn to make their own), this device can be a real find.

ZOKU SLUSH VS. BLENDER DRINKS

Why not make a frozen drink the old fashioned way, in a blender with ice cubes?

The benefit of the Zoku Slush and Shake Maker is that there’s no ice to dilute your drink. It’s $19.95 at WilliamsSonoma.com.
  

Hankering for cheesecake but don’t want to turn on the oven?

Here’s the third in our series of no-bake desserts, an idea from Jessica at How Sweet Eats. It was featured on VermontCreamery.com, which has delicious recipes using fresh goat cheese.

This cheesecake is made with goat cheese and cream cheese.

Jessica adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart’s No-Bake Cheesecake], a full-size cheesecake made with cream cheese. Jessica used a combination of goat cheese and cream cheese for a tangy twist.

Jessica serves the dessert in individual jars for panache. You can use ramekins, glass dishes or 5-ounce juice glasses, or whatever you have. You’ll find step-by-step photos at HowSweetEats.com
 
 
RECIPE: NO-BAKE COCONUT CREAM CHEESECAKE

Ingredients For 6 Individual Cheesecakes

1. MIX together butter and graham crumbs in a small bowl until moistened. Press crumbs into the container of your choice (jar, ramekin, etc) with the back of a spoon.

2. BEAT cream cheese and goat cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer, scraping down the sides when needed, until combined and smooth. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in the condensed milk and then the coconut milk, continuing to scrape down the sides until the mixture is very smooth. Add in extracts and stir.

3. POUR cheesecake mixture evenly over top of crusts. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, then top with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
 
OTHER NO-BAKE DESSERTS

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