by kelsey | Sep 26, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management
As I have stated before, one of my favorite parts of our STRIVE 2 Survive lectures is getting to taste and enjoy the new and healthy recipes County Fair Foods provides. This last Tuesday they had two really great ones and I can’t resist sharing the recipes with you!
Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip (pictured above)
Ingredients:
6 oz nonfat Greek yogurt3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 c low-fat/fat free sour cream
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 cups finely crushed fresh spinach
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1/8 tsp black pepper
Preparation: place yogurt, feta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and crushed garlic clove in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon yogurt into a medium bowl, stir in spinach, fresh dill, and black pepper. Cover and chill. Enjoy with whole grain pita chips or whole grain crackers such as Wheat Thins or Triscuits. For 1/4 cup serving this gives you 75 calories.
Healthy Cookies (pictured above)
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dates, pitted, and chopped
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cooked sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until lightly brown.
1 cookie has about 50 calories.
Enjoy!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Sep 24, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management
Sunday marked the first official day of fall. Fall is my favorite seasons and I am always excited when this time of the year comes around. One of my favorite things about fall is all of the tasty foods we get to enjoy thanks to harvest time. My parents have a big garden and I get to reap the benefits of their hard work with fresh garden produce as well as lots of really great apples from their trees. A lot of time and effort goes into harvesting the garden, but being able to enjoy home grown produce nearly year round makes it well worth it. If you do not have a garden of your own, I encourage you to check out the farmer’s market and take advantage of all of the great foods present there during this time of year! The are located in the Running’s parking lot every Saturday morning. One of my all time favorite foods of fall is apple crisp. I think I could eat this every day! Since this is one of my favorites and I struggle with portion control, I have adapted a recipe to make it a bit healthier. Give it a try!
Apple Crisp
Mix your sliced apples with cinnamon and sugar (I use Splenda/Splenda Blend as the sugar form). Mix to your liking of taste.
Layer the apples in the bottom of a pan (use a smaller pan if you like it thicker).
Topping: 1 c flour, 1 c brown sugar, 1 cup quick oats, 1 stick of butter.
My alterations for the topping include: You can use whole wheat flour in place of white flour, Splenda Brown Sugar (use the conversion guide on the back of the bag) in place of regular brown sugar, and in place of the butter, I use Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter All-Purpose stick—this kind is trans fat free and has lower saturated fats than regular butter.
Mix the topping together and crumble over the apples.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 min.
Enjoy!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 30, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Cooking for 1-2 can be challenging…if you let it be. Not knowing how to cook for 1-2 and in turn eating eat out more or eating more packaged/boxed foods is just an excuse! You can cook healthy when it’s just for 1-2…it just takes a little planning and scheming to make it work right! It’s just myself and husband Adam and right now Adam is in Russia for work, so it’s just me and as I was making supper last night I was thinking this would be a perfect blog topic! If you’re like me, you probably don’t feel like making a new meal every night, so try out batch cooking. Instead of just making one chicken breast for supper last night, I made 3 and I also made a double batch of vegetables on the grill. I only ate my portion of this for last night’s supper and separated the rest in Tupperware containers. I brought one for lunch today and will eat the other for supper another night. It didn’t take any extra time to make 3 chicken breasts compared to one and now I’m set for the next few meals.
Here are some other tips for you:
Plan your meals
Planning can help you can get the most meals out of your time in the kitchen. For instance, cook chicken once a week, but use it in two or three dishes over the next few days (like I did!). You can even freeze some of the cooked chicken for use at another time. I feel this tip is the most important. Lack of planning always results in going for convenience foods, so get our your calendar or planner on Saturday or Sunday and look at your week’s schedule and plan accordingly. Take meat out of the freezer to prepare or pre-prep some of your food items to lessen time and efforts later. Another example of this would be browning 2 lbs of hamburger and using it in several meals. Your first step is done (browning) so the next steps to complete your meal will take less time and less effort.
Purchase individually frozen foods
Look for foods that are individually frozen, so that you only need to thaw out the portion that you are going to use. If you thaw a whole chicken, you only have a few days to eat it. If you buy chicken breasts that are individually frozen, you can thaw them one at a time if you want. You also can break up some packages of food as soon as you get home from the store. Place each portion into an individual freezer bag to save time in the future.
Rethink cooking full meals
Many people who live alone cook themselves meals, promising that they will eat the leftovers during the next few days. Then they find that they do not want to eat this food again when tomorrow comes. This is a big waste of time and money. Either freeze your leftovers in individual containers or consider switching to easily prepared “small meals” throughout the day. You can easily half your recipe to reduce the amount of food as well.
Search for recipes
Many cookbooks feature recipes for one or two people. Look for them at your local library or search on the Internet. Web sites such as www.allrecipes.com allow you to alter the number of servings that a recipe will serve.
Use a Crock-Pot®
Discover all of the things that you can make in a Crock-Pot. You can make stew, a casserole, bread, or fruit cobbler and have it waiting for you when you get home. I like to slow cook chicken breasts and use them in a variety of meals. I also like to make roasts in the crockpot and then make them into BBQ beef sandwiches, beef stew, etc.
Practice FIFO
Remember to practice the FIFO principle in your kitchen—first in, first out. Make sure to use the products that expire the soonest first. This seems elementary, but many people do not practice this. Also make sure to eat your most perishable produce first (ie, berries before apples). Many charts are available that describe how long different fruits and vegetables will last after you purchase them.
Shop the deli and salad bar
Use the deli and salad bar to your advantage. Go ahead and buy ¼ pound of sliced turkey or a ½ cup of broccoli. You might pay a higher price than you would if you purchased a larger amount, but think about how much money you waste when you throw out spoiled food that you do not eat.
There are ways to eat healthy when you’re cooking for 1-2…give these suggestions a try…I am sure you’ll be surprised how much better you feel when you eat a well-balanced meal versus convenience foods or toast for supper!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 18, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food
Today, the Brown Clinic Physicians treated us to a picnic! It was a delicious meal and a fun time with co-workers! Dr. Dan, Dr. Cathy Gerrish, Dr. Ed Gerrish, and Dr. Larson are shown in the picture as they helped dish everyone’s plates up. Since today was really hot, we took extra precaution to ensure the food was kept safe and everyone stayed cool under canopies and tents outside. Outside picnics on hot days like today can really put your food at risk for development of bacteria due to the extreme heat. Since we have plenty of summer left to have many more picnics, I wanted to give you some tips on ways to avoid any foodborne illness from occurring.
1) Wash your hands! Take a few minutes before prepping, during food prep, and serving to thoroughly wash your hands. It is recommended to wash your hands for at least 30 seconds and be sure to get in between the fingers and around the nails. Hand sanitizer does not replace hand washing so if you are camping, be sure to bring a bucket of water and soap for hand washing. It is especially important to wash your hands after handling raw meat and in between handling other food sources such as vegetables to prevent cross contamination.
2) Wash your produce before the picnic: if you are going to be camping and running water is not readily accessible, wash your produce before leaving home. It’s especially important to wash the outsides of melons before cutting them as if there is bacteria on the outside, you will contaminate the whole melon as you cut your knife through. Package raw meats appropriately to ensure the juices do not leak on other foods.
3) Keep your cooler cool: keep plenty of ice in the cooler to ensure your foods are kept cold. Cold foods should be kept under 40 degrees F…so on hot days like today, it’s especially important to have plenty of ice and keep the cooler in the shade vs direct sunlight and heat. Packing your beverages in a separate cooler is also a good idea so that you can ensure your food items are fully kept cool.
4) Beware of the “Danger Zone”: The Danger Zone refers to the temps between 40-140 degrees F where bacteria can easily grow and reproduce. Keep your cold foods cool and your hot foods hot. Don’t let food sit out for more than 2 hours at a time and if it’s over 90 degrees, food can only sit out for 1 hour. Keep salads such as potato salad, etc under a bowl of ice to provide for extra cooling.
5) Use proper utensils and don’t cross contaminate: use separate plates and utensils for handling raw meat and the cooked meat. Do not put the cooked meat on the same plate you had the raw meat as this will contaminate your cooked food. In addition, use separate serving dishes, cutting boards, utensils, etc for your dishes…thus do not use the same cutting board for dicing your meat, cutting up your lettuce, and preparing your fruit salad!
6) Use a thermometer: by using a thermometer to check the temps of your foods in the cooler, when they’re cooked, etc, it will help prevent foodborne illness!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jun 4, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food
Everyone loves smoothies but few make their own. Often times, the smoothies you get when eating out are filled with sugar and excess calories. This recipe is a great way to make a healthy smoothie and limit calorie intake and only takes about five minutes to prepare.
Spinach is a very nutrient dense food that provides a good source of iron, vitamin, C, K, folate, dietary fiber and calcium. Spinach is also packed with antioxidants that potentially may protect against some cancers. Spinach is good for cardiovascular health and helps prevent heart attack and stroke.
Ingredients
1 sliced banana
1 ½ cups of chopped spinach
1 cup milk (Prefer fat free or soy milk)
5-10 almonds
1 cup of sliced strawberries, pears, berries, peaches or mangos
Add crushed ice or water as needed
ALSO COULD ADD
2-4 baby carrots
Protein powder
Directions
Blend together the sliced bananas, spinach and about 1/2 cup of milk to make it a smooth puree. There should not be any lumps. Now add the remaining milk and almonds then blend it once again. You can adjust the quantity of milk and ice to get the desired consistency. Serve it immediately.
The smoothies mask the spinach’s boring, bitter taste with the fruit flavors making consumption of spinach an easy task!
-Submitted by SDSU Senior Dietetic Student Brett Delaney
by kelsey | May 23, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Holidays, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
With Memorial Day and the holiday weekend only a day away, many are prepping their grocery list or menu for the fun filled weekend. You’ll fire up the grill, enjoy some burgers or steaks, a few tasty drinks, and friends and fellowship. I love to grill and foods on the grill are my favorite…and I know beef will be what’s for dinner in my household as nothing beats a tasty “Raml” hamburger or steak. Besides the protein, I am sure there will be plenty of fruits and veggies to enjoy of which both can be grilled as well! You can make kabobs or put them in a pan with some olive oil and grill.
I am excited to be selected as part of South Dakota Team BEEF again this year and as a Registered Dietitian and wife of a rancher, I have become very passionate about sharing the benefits of lean beef. So in celebration of the holiday weekend and National Beef Month, I thought it would be a fitting topic to discuss beef in a bit more details.
Did you know that beef is 20% leaner than it was about 15 years ago? There are at least 29 cuts of lean beef which means they meet the government guidelines for lean, meaning each cut has less than 10g of total fat, less than 4.5 g of saturated fat, and less than 95mg of cholesterol (in a 3 oz serving). Here are some tips for you to make beef a part of your heart healthy meals:
- Look for key words such as “round” or “loin” …these are typically leaner cuts
- Choose 90% or greater lean beef. This means in a 3oz serving there is less than 5g of fat in it.
- Use healthy cooking methods such as grilling, broiling, baking, roasting, or braising. The less tender cuts can be marinated in a tenderizing marinade such as salsa or light Italian dressing.
- Trim the fat! Trimming the fat before cooking will help eliminate some of the fat from the cut.
- Cook with fresh ingredients such as lemon juice, peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs instead of adding extra fat to the cut.
- Practice portion control. Select the 3-5 oz serving over the 10oz.
Balance is key to a healthy diet, so be sure to include your fruits and veggies and whole grains along with your lean meat to create a healthy plate. All meat is required to have the nutrition content (label) posted by it in the grocery store. Be sure to use this when you’re selecting your cuts of meat and pay special attention to the total fat and saturated fat content. If you want to learn more about the benefits of beef and explore healthy recipes check out these websites: www.beefnutrition.org and www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com.
Have a great weekend!
Kelsey
