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
by Dan | May 12, 2013 | Exercise, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. It turned out to be a great day. Nice and sunny, and no wind. I took Sarah out for a walk this afternoon along the lake. Very nice scenery!
You can see the lake is very calm. The temperatures will be picking up as the week goes on. We are now in taper mode as this coming saturday we will be competing in Fargo, with Sarah doing the 1/2 marathon, and I will be doing the marathon.
Now we just need all the leaves to get back on the trees. Regardless, it was a very nice day. Hope all of you took advantage of it and got out and spent time outside. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2055
by Dan | Mar 31, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Holidays, Motivation
Happy Easter everyone! Spend time with your family, and appreciate all that it is about. It is holidays like this that make spending time with your family even better. I am thankful to be able to be as active as I am, and be able to spend time with my kids, and just be there for them.
My twin daughters are growing up fast, and will be graduating in a few months, then off to college. Time for their new adventure to begin.
And, of course, Nick, who always loves it when I come around with the camera. He won’t admit it yet, but he will miss the girls when they go off to school.
Sarah and I will still be running, biking, walking. As I have stated numerous times on this blog, I plan on being around a long time…to be there for them. Hopefully, I am the Dad they want me to be. We have a lot of fun together, and times like this when we, as a family, can be together, makes things even better yet. Take care of yourselves…if not for you, but for your family. They want you around longer too! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2013
by kelsey | Mar 28, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Food, Holidays
With the Easter Holiday and Celebration just a few days away, many of you have your eggs hard boiled and ready to be painted…or many of you already have them painted! Painting eggs is an Easter tradition. As a child I always looked forward to painting eggs, the egg hunt, and of course of our Easter baskets. Easter was always an eventful holiday around our house and we have many funny stories to tell about our traditions. The eggs, baskets, etc are all part of the fun, but be sure to reflect on the real meaning of Easter!
As Sunday comes and goes, you may wonder what to do with those eggs. Here are some tips for you to practice proper egg safety:
- Not sure how to boil an egg? Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil with the lid on, then turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in water for 15 min. Remove eggs and place in a bowl of ice cold water to cool.
- Eggs should be used within 3 weeks of the sell by date. Be sure to store them in the fridge at a temp less than 40 degrees F.
- Hard boiled eggs spoil faster than fresh eggs as the protective coating is washed away, making them more susceptible to bacteria. Hard boiled eggs must be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking.
- If you want to eat the hard boiled eggs after the holiday, you must store them in the refrigerator. Throw away any eggs that are cracked, dirty, or have been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. If you are going to use the leftover cooked eggs, it is recommended to use them within one week to prevent food poisoning. To help you do this, you could make two batches- one to display and one for eating.
- Ever wonder what the green ring on a hard boiled yolk is? It’s a result of overcooking the eggs and is caused by sulfur and iron compounds in the egg reacting to the surface of the yolk. The green color may also be a result of a large amount of iron in the water used to cook with. It may look funny, but it is safe to eat.
Happy Easter!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 20, 2012 | Holidays
Since this will be my last post for this week, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! I am thankful for a wonderful job and the opportunity to get to work with you! I am looking forward to a fun-filled next few days with family. My family, just like many of you, always has a spread of food at gatherings and every time we ask ourselves why do we over-prepare every time! I think it’s bred into us that we can never run out of food and it’s better to have more than not enough. I am human and will enjoy a few cookies, caramels, and sweets, however I will be practicing what I preach for the most part. My top priority in the morning of a gathering is to get my exercise in. I always feel better and am able to fully enjoy the day of eating and festivities when I have gotten my exercise in (I’m sure Dr. Dan would agree!). Another thing I do is I always bring a healthy dish to share. Last year I brought fruit salsa and this year I am bringing the veggie tray (the picture is my colorful veggie tray I brought to Thanksgiving). There will be plenty of un-healthy items to enjoy that it’s nice to have the option of healthy food…especially when the mindless eating happens. Speaking of that mindless eating…that is another thing I try to practice. I really try to pay attention to how hungry and how full I am. This helps me decide when and how much to eat, rather than just grazing and not realizing how much I am taking in. And most of all, stop and smell the roses (for lack of a better phrase)! Christmas is a time to reflect on the real meaning and fully enjoy why we celebrate it. Take time to visit and engage with your loved ones. The food will always be there and there are no rules that say you have to clean your plate…instead use the extra food for leftovers and spread the enjoyment of the food into a few days rather than eating it in one sitting. These are a just few things that help me get through the holiday festivities without packing on the pounds, while fully enjoying it. I encourage you to eat mindfully, bring a healthy dish to share, and get your exercise in! I wish you all a very blessed Christmas!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Nov 23, 2012 | Exercise, Holidays
Here is our Brown Clinic float for the Lighted Parade here following Thanksgiving. Very cold out, but the wind had gone way down. It was nice to get out and walk, and was much easier to stay warm moving. All in all, it was a good turn out again this year. Our theme this year was “Have a yabba-dabba-do Christmas” with the Flinstones characters. The Flinstones car is sitting in the trailer here.
Here we are. Pebbles, Bam Bam, Wilma, Betty, and Fred. Our float won for “Most Original”. It was a scramble to get set before the judging. Our generator went out when we pulled up in line, and we had to go find someone with another one, but got it set up in time. It is always a good time to start off following Thanksgiving.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1784
