Fill up on fruits and vegetables

Fill up on fruits and vegetables

I "stole" this list to share from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Remember to make half of your plate vegetables at lunch and dinner (3-5+ servings/day) and eat 2-3 servings of fruits each day. This will ensure your diet is full of color, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

1. Use vegetables as pizza toppings. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.

2. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.

3. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.

4. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.

5. Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.

6. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.

7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.

8. Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.

9. Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.

10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.

11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.

12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.

13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.

14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.

15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.

16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.

17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.

18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). Top with low-fat dressing.

19. Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.

20. Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.



Food, Nutrition and Health Tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=206

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Trick or Treat

Halloween is just around the corner. Have you purchased your big bag of treats? If not maybe you should consider some of these tips to keep you from over-indulging this fright night.

Buy treats you do not like. If you don't like gummy candy then that's this year's trick or treat give-away. Or if you absolutely love every candy then opt for the "healthier" ones such as dark chocolate to pass out to trick-or-treaters.

You could also consider buying other items and not candy such as bouncy-balls, silly straws, festive pens or pencils, spider rings, stickers, erasers, glow bracelets, fake tattoos, etc. This website actually has a great deal for over 300 pens for $15! http://athriftymom.com/trick-or-treat-ideas-non-food-low-as-05-each/

When it comes to Halloween parties and spooky treats, try some of these healthier versions:

Slim Pickinized Candy Apple

Ingredients:

1 medium apple (variety of your choice)
2 soft caramel squares
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (a blend works best vs. pure whey)
1/4 cup water (if needed)
1 TB chopped peanuts
1 wooden stick
1 piece wax paper

How to Prepare

1. Wash and thoroughly dry apple. Insert wooden stick into the center of the top of the apple, approximately 1 in deep. Set aside.

2. Heat almond milk and caramel squares in small sauce pan. Once caramel is completely melted, remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes.

3. Add chocolate protein powder and mix until smooth and thick.

4. Note: if coating is watery, let sit for a few more minutes until spreadable. If coating is too thick, add the ¼ cup water 1 TB at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Discard unused water.

5. Hold apple by wooden stick and roll into melted coating while at the same time smoothing over apple with a spatula until mixture is completely used and apple is fully coated.

6. Immediately roll the apple into the chopped nuts while still sticky so the nuts adhere well to the coating

7. Place the apple, top down, onto the wax paper and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour to completely set. 8. Remove from the fridge, slice it up and …as always…enjoy! You’ve been Slim Pickinized!! YUM!

NUTRITION DATA
Per serving (serves 1): 376 calories, 25 grams protein, 41 gram carbohydrates, 12.6 grams fat

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/recipes/candy-apple-goes-guilt-free



Now this next recipe may not be the healthiest, but for those Vegan readers.....
Pumpkin Pie Cupcake with Whipped Kreme & Candy Corn Gummy

Cake:

1 cup raw sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil
Egg Replacer for 4 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon each cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Combine sugar, brown sugar, and oil in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg replacer; beat until blended completely. Add pumpkin and incorporate completely. Sift and combine flour, baking powder, soda and spices - gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating just until blended. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins, filling half way. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.
Top with Soy Whip and a candy corn gummy.

Candy Corn Gummies:

1 3/4 ounces powdered fruit pectin
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
Yellow, Orange vegetable food coloring
Granulated sugar for coating
Directions:
Combine fruit pectin, water and baking soda in a medium-sized saucepan. (This will foam.)
Combine sugar and corn syrup and vanilla in a large saucepan.
Place both saucepans over high heat.
Cook, stirring each pan alternately, until the foam disappears from the fruit pectin mixture and the sugar mixture boils rapidly, about 5 minutes.
Pour fruit pectin mixture into the boiling sugar mixture in a thin steam until all pectin is added.
Boil the combined mixture, stirring constantly 1 minute longer.
Remove the saucepan from heat. Divide the mixture in thirds – add yellow coloring to one, orange to the another, and lastly the third batch, leave as is. Immediately spoon mixtures into triangle molds, plain, yellow and orange…separated with a playing card strip.** Allow to stand at room temperature for three hours or until candy is cool and firm. Do not refrigerate.
Unmold and dip candies in granulated sugar if desired.

Use a ½ cookie sheet and pour a thick 1- inch layer of cornstarch in the pan- I press a mold into the cornstarch and then separate each candy “mold” into three layers with cut up playing card strips. Time consuming, but once you have it down it is worth it!
Don’t have the patience?
Try it all one color first and then keep on practicing.

http://gonnagowalkthedogs.typepad.com/blog/2009/10/it-is-autumn-and-that-means-halloween-pumpkins.html#tp


Check out this blog for some delicious healthier candy recipes. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/10/16/healthy-halloween-candy/

Have a safe and spooky Halloween!!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Fall's Super Food: Pumpkin

It's that time of year again, fall. Time for warmer clothes, hot apple cider and pumpkin treats!! Luckily pumpkin is a food that offers numerous health benefits so treating ourselves to pumpkin shouldn't make us feel too guilty, right? Well I guess we will have to keep our pumpkin martinis and pumpkin spiced lattes to a minimum unless we can modify them to contain less sugar because that is typically the waist-killer to some delicious pumpkin recipes.

One of my favorite recipes to make is my pumpkin bread. I make it every fall and share it with friends and family. I am constantly revamping the recipe to make it more delicious and nutritious. This year I will have to find a way to make it vegan. Check out the recipe under my Recipe Favorites Tab for the Whole Grain Heart Healthy Pumpkin Bread.

Pumpkins come from the squash family. They are an excellent source of beta-carotene which has been shown to fight certain cancers. Pumpkin is also loaded with vitamin A and fiber and is low in calories. Vitamin A supports healthy teeth, skin and eyes and fiber supports a healthy GI tract and weight maintenance. If you plan on buying some pumpkins this fall, be sure to save the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are super nutritious. They are full of manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, protein, zinc and iron and a variety of forms of vitamin E. Enjoy pumpkin seeds by adding them to sauteed vegetables, sprinkle on salads, grind with fresh garlic, parsley and cilantro then mix with olive oil and lemon juice for a tasty salad dressing, add chopped pumpkin seeds to your favorite hot or cold cereal or cookie or granola recipes.

1/2 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin provides

24 calories, 0 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 1 mg sodium

6,115 IU Vitamin A, 1 mg niacin, 6 mg vitamin C, 18 mg calcium, 282 mg potassium, and 6,012 mcg carotenoids

Try some of these tasty pumpkin recipes this fall

Pumpkin Protein Frosting

Ingredients

3 tbsp pumpkin (canned pumpkin)
1 scoop of protein powder
1 tbsp of almond butter
Dash of cinnamon

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and spread on a pita, waffles, (or it's perfect for dipping apples into)!
Add granola on top for an extra crunch!


Pumpkin Ravioli


INGREDIENTS
For 6 Servings
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 wonton wrappers
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine pumpkin, Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Spoon about 2 teaspoons pumpkin mixture into center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite sides together to form a triangle, pinching edges to seal. Place ravioli into a large saucepan of boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt; cook 7 minutes and drain in a colander. Place chicken broth and butter in pan; bring to a boil. Add ravioli, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 4 ravioli)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
CALORIES 162g; FAT 5g (satfat 4g, monofat 1g, polyfat 0g); PROTEIN 6g; FIBER 2g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 505mg; CALCIUM 102mg.


Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS
For 6 Servings
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup peeled and cubed (1/2-inch) sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 14 1/2-ounce cans fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in flour, curry powder, cumin, nutmeg, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sweet potato, salt, broth, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
2. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Return soup to pan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat; stir in juice. Garnish with chives, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
CALORIES 121 (21% from fat); FAT 2.8g (satfat 1.6g, monofat 0.7g, polyfat 0.2g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CARBOHYDRATES 19.7g; FIBER 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 565mg; CALCIUM 85mg.


Pumpkin Spice Latte (Vegan, Gluten Free)

1. Make coffee (a pot, a cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee. The stronger the better)

2. Make Pumpkin Milk:
1 c milk (almond milk or any kind you want from half and half to rice milk)
1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste
1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
sweetener of choice, to taste (2 tbsp agave or 2 tbsp brown sugar or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)

Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend all ingredients using a Vita or blender
Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave (one minute) or on the stovetop

3. Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy. (Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such as CoolWhip or TruWhip; and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top)

The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want. If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later.
Notes:
The spices will not “blend” or entirely dissolve. This is to be expected and normal. If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques.

All spices and seasonings are to taste; in this case, mine. If you want to reduce the spices (or increase them), obviously adjust everything according to your own taste preferences.



For more great pumpkin recipes and ideas, visit this website:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/skinny-pumpkin-madness.html

Monday, October 1, 2012

Sugar Shocked

Check out my most recent magazine article for Solano Fit about diabetes. You can find it on page 34-35. Also be sure to check out the guest editor page 10 - it's ME! If the link below is broken, just visit www.sofitmag.com and click on current issue. You can also check out older issues by clicking on archives at the bottom of the page. Cheers!

http://issuu.com/gotitgraphics/docs/sofit_sepnov2012_web?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

That's Nutty

Last week was the first NADA (Northern Area Dietetics Association) meeting. Our speaker was from the International Tree Nut Council and she shared the health benefits of nuts with our group. So I thought I'd share what I learned since I love nuts and I recommend them to patients on a daily basis. For majority of patients, I recommend 1 ounce of nuts per day since they are high in fat. Well our speaker shared some studies that found eating even 2-2.5 ounces of nuts per day reduced the risk of many disease states and helped maintain a healthy weight when following a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. I was pleased to hear these results since I have been eating 2-3 ounces of nuts each day, especially since I started my Vegan Challenge.

Tree nuts include almonds, Brazils, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Nuts contain protein, fiber and phytochemicals. They're a great source of folic acid, niacin, vitamins E and B-6 and magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, phosphorus and potassium. The majority of fat in tree nuts is unsaturated and are cholesterol free.

WHAT IS ONE OUNCE?

So I typically recommend one handful of nuts or an ounce. Here are the approximate amounts that equate to 1 ounce:

20-24 almonds (excellent source of vitamin E)
10-14 halves of walnuts (excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids)
157-167 pine nuts (high in copper)
16-18 cashews (rich in magnesium)
47-49 pistachios (great source of plant sterols)
10-12 macadamias (excellent source of manganese)
6-8 Brazil nuts (one nut provides 100% daily value of selenium!)
19-21 hazelnuts (rich in vitamin E)
18-20 halves of pecans (high in total flavonoids)

HOW TO USE NUTS IN COOKING

Breakfast: sprinkle on yogurt, oatmeal, cold cereal, fruit, in cream cheese spreads, and in bread recipes such as muffins, waffles, and pancakes. I love banana and walnut pancakes!!

Snacks: research has shown that nuts keep you fuller longer; this is because they contain three satiety-promoting nutrients - protein, fat and fiber; for portion control divide into individual bags and take them to go so you always have a snack handy; pair nuts with almost any snack, especially fruit for steady blood sugar control
Appetizers: top softened Brie or Camembert cheese with chopped pistachios, add your favorite nuts to a cheese and fruit tray

Soups: sprinkle chopped nuts on top of soup for added texture and a healthy crunch

Salads: perfect home for nuts and seeds

Veggies: nutty vinaigrettes made with chopped hazelnuts or Brazils add a special something to steamed vegetables, give it a try

Pasta: make pesto with pine nuts or sprinkle your favorite chopped nut atop pasta

Entrees: nuts can be used to coat meats and vegetables or added to your favorite casseroles

Desserts: nuts pair great with brownies, cakes, cookies and can be added atop ice cream, frozen yogurt and parfaits, just last week I made Yonana ice cream and topped it with dry roasted almonds
TIPS FOR TOASTING

Bring out extra flavor and crunch by toasting or roasting your nuts. Sprinkle onto an ungreased baking sheet, place in 350 degree oven or toaster oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until nuts are slightly brown, stir once or twice until lightly toasted, remove from oven and from pan to allow nuts to cool, they will continue to brown slightly after removing from the oven, so don't over do it!

STORAGE

Keep tree nuts as fresh as possible, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to six months or up to a year in the freezer