by kelsey | Oct 26, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food
Pumpkin is one of, if not, the most common fall flavors that everyone enjoys. Several types of desserts have pumpkin added to them to increase taste or appearance. Here are a few healthy pumpkin recipes to enjoy this fall season without feeling guilty about eating bad:
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- pinch of stevia or 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe: Preheat oven to 400F. Blend all ingredients together until smooth, then pour into a prepared pie crust (such as the recipe below) in a 10-inch round pan. Bake 27 minutes (it will still be underdone after this time, which is okay!), let it cool, then refrigerate at least 5 hours uncovered for the pie to thicken and “set.”
Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ginger
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 to ½ cup rinsed millet (optional
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup hot water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and beat well.
- Stir in pumpkin purée and vanilla, then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Stir in flour, just until combined. If you’re adding millet, stir that in as well.
- Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then mix briefly into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon, and swirl with the tip of a table knife for a pretty marbled effect. Sprinkle a big pinch of turbinado sugar on top for a light, sweet crunch.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Be sure to check that the bread is done baking by inserting a toothpick in the top. It should come out clean. If the top of the bread jiggles when you pull it out of the oven, it’s NOT done! Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. nutmeg
- ¾ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt).
- In another medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Use a cookie dough scoop or two spoons to drop one tablespoon of dough onto a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle the baked cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar and transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 18, 2017 | Diet, Food
Apples are one of my favorite fall foods. They are extra tasty and delicious when in season right now! Read more about this great fruit below from an excerpt from nutrition411.com!
“Apples are healthful. The average apple, which is about 1 cup (C) quartered, 125 gram (g), or tennis ball sized, has 65 calories, 3 g fiber, and 10% of daily requirements for vitamin C and is also high in vitamin K, vitamin B6, and potassium. Apples are satisfying and pair well with almost anything. They are enjoyed in countless ways—baked and sliced in pancakes, cubed in fruit salad, served with peanut butter or cheese, baked in the oven, paired with pork, and made into apple pie.
Apples are best consumed when harvested between late August and October. They store well until the middle of the winter, but do lose some of their nutritional value with time.
Follow these tips when selecting apples:
- Look for apples that have good color and smell fresh
- Avoid apples with bruises or damage to their skin (brown or dry spots on the apple do not affect flavor and are acceptable to eat)
- Store apples unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator
- Store apples separately from cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage
- Do not allow apples to have contact with lettuce, cucumbers, or greens, because apples give off a gas that will speed up the deterioration of these vegetables
- Use apples to help ripen fruits such as pears, peaches, and plums by placing the unripened fruit in a bag with an apple—the gas given off from the apple will help to ripen the under-ripened fruit
Popular varieties and best uses
The following guide will help you determine the best use for different varieties of apples.
Baldwin: Known for its tartness and crisp texture, this all-purpose apple is great for baking.
Cortland: Tart and crisp, these apples do not brown readily and are great in salads. They also hold their shape well during baking.
Empire: A hybrid of McIntosh and Red Delicious, this apple is sweet, crisp, and firm. It is best used raw and in salads.
Gala: Mild, sweet, crisp, and juicy, this apple is best eaten raw. It is the most popular fresh apple in the nation.
Golden Delicious: Mild and sweet, this juicy apple is an all-purpose apple that is easy to use. You can eat it any way, and it is good for baking.
Granny Smith: This bright green apple is tart, crisp, and hard. It holds its shape well during baking, but is also great in salads or eaten by itself.
Honey Crisp: This is becoming one of the most popular fresh eating apples ever grown, and although production has tripled over the past 3 years, supply cannot keep up with demand. They have a crisp, firm texture, lots of juice, and the flavor is a nice mix of slightly tart with honey-like sweetness.
Ida Red: Tart, crisp, and firm, this apple stores very well and is good for all-purpose use.
Jonagold: A hybrid of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, this apple has a sweet and tart flavor that goes well in pies and sauces.
Jonathan: Sweet and acidic, this apple is great for eating by itself, baking, and sauces.
Macoun: A McIntosh and Jersey Cross hybrid, this apple is tart and crisp. It is good for eating by itself, baking, and sauces.
McIntosh: Sweet, juicy, and less firm, these apples make great sauces and juices. They also are good in salads.
Northern Spy: Tart and delicate, this may be the best baking apple.
Red Delicious: One of the most famous varieties, this apple is best for eating by itself.
Rome Beauty: Sweet and firm, this apple holds its shape well during baking and cooking.”
Reference: https://www.consultant360.com/n411/content/apples-cooking-eating-and-baking
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 12, 2017 | Etc., Food, Wellness/Health
If you ate today, be sure to thank a farmer! Today is National Farmers Day! Consumers want to know where their food comes from, yet know very little about how food gets from the farm to the dinner table; in fact, most consumers today are three generations removed from the farm. For example, one thing consumers are unaware of is that milk travels from the farm to grocery store in about 48 hours. In addition, some criticize farmers because they use GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds and hormones in cattle to promote growth. Farmers understand the science behind these products and why they should be used: by using them, they can use less water, less pesticide and herbicide, and produce enough yield to feed the world! Without these scientific advancements, we would not be able to feed the starving world! Farmers share the same values as consumers on many topics including those related to producing nutritious food, environmental stewardship and animal care. This is not a just a “job” for them, it is their life! The above picture is of my favorite little farmer, our son Corbin, who was helping dad combine beans yesterday. Corbin is a 6th generation farmer!
October 12th is National Farmers Day and it’s a perfect time to tip our hats to America’s farmers and recognize all of the hard work they put into getting delicious food to our tables!
Here are few fun facts for you about agriculture in South Dakota include:
- 98% of farms in South Dakota are family owned and operated – in fact, over 2,500 South Dakota farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years.
- The average size of a farm in South Dakota in 2016 was 1,397 acres.
- The average age of a South Dakota farmer is 57 years.
- There are 46,000 producers in South Dakota on 31,000 farms or ranches.
- Each year, one South Dakota producer raises enough food to feed 155 people in the U.S. and abroad.
- South Dakota’s agriculture industry has a $25.6 billion economic impact each year. With more than 19 million acres of cropland and 23 million acres of pastureland, our farmers and ranchers are one of our economy’s key drivers.
- In addition to generating 20% of our state’s economic activity, production agriculture and its value added industries employ over 115,000 South Dakotans.
Here are some fun facts about dairy production:
- Milk takes about 48 hours to get from farm to store. Thanks to hardworking dairy farmers for making our food fresh & local.
- Between 1944 and 2007, milk production has quadrupled but emits 63% fewer greenhouse gasses, requires 90% less cropland and consumes 65% less water.
- Cheers to the dairy farmers working hard to make the milk behind our pizza!
- Take this 10-stop video tour to see how milk from real cows, on a Midwest farm, becomes dairy foods you love. Use your smartphone, tablet or computer for an insider’s view of dairy farm living: http://bit.ly/MidwestFarmTour
- Delicious dairy comes from local farms – see for yourself: http://bit.ly/MidwestFarmTour
Producing the food that you put on your table, truly is a labor of love and hard work, so in celebration of National Farmers Day, I encourage you to thank our local farmers for helping put that delicious food on your table… and take extra appreciation of it!
To all of you that work in acres, not hours. We thank you!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by kelsey | Oct 5, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
If you’re a parent with school age children, you have probably witnessed this scenario many times: your child comes home from school and they are starving! They rummage through the cupboards and try to find something “good” to snack on until supper is ready. Snacks in between meals help provide the body with energy and aid in metabolism and blood sugar control, but the key is making a healthy snack as junk foods will only provide empty calories, leaving you hungry and looking for more later on. Check out the list below for healthy snack ideas!
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
Mini Pizza: Toast a whole-wheat English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
Apple Pie Oatmeal: Make one packet of microwave oatmeal with low-fat milk. Mix in 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Sprinkle with apple pie spice or cinnamon.
Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole-grain crackers.
Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins.
Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
Toast a whole-grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and peaches.
Mix together low-fat cream cheese, mixed dried fruit bits and shelled sunflower seeds. Spread on a toasted English muffin.
Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a whole-grain dinner roll.
Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
Reference: Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Sep 21, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Food
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 | Sep 13, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Fall is a wonderful time of year, the leaves begin to change, children are back to school, and the temperature starts to cool off. With all of these changes that are taking place you may find it hard to get away from all of the summer time BBQ and picnic eating habits. A way to help you get back to healthier eating habits is to start using some seasonal vegetables. Fall vegetables are great tasting and easy to cook with. Swapping out a regular potato for a seasonal sweet potato is a simple and easy way to get more bang for your buck. Sweet potatoes are much more nutrient dense which means that they contain more nutrients in a serving compared to a regular potato of the same size. A quick and easy recipe for sweet potatoes is to make sweet potato fries in the oven. Another fun way to incorporate seasonal vegetables is to make Kale chips in the oven. These make for delicious and healthy after school snacks for your children when paired with a low-fat cup of milk.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries: First, peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into strips around a ¼ in thick. Second, place in a bowl and toss with olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lastly, place the baking sheet in a preheated 450-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or golden brown and crispy.
Kale Chips: kale is classified as a super food and is packed with antioxidants along with vitamins and minerals. First, cut up the kale into bite size pieces then in a bowl drizzle olive oil over the pieces then toss so the olive oil coats the pieces evenly. Second, salt and pepper the kale to taste and then place on a baking sheet and place into a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
