by kelsey | Sep 17, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Summer picnics get all the glory, but as autumn-loving Midwesterners, we prefer this colorful season for eating outside. There are cooler temperatures, fewer bugs, and not to mention some superb scenery and beautiful colors. Traditional picnic foods like fried chicken and potato salad can create chaos in your diet, so here are some healthy picnic ideas everyone can enjoy!
- Use nature’s bounty, the more colorful produce you add to your menu, the healthier the meal! Fill your picnic basket with produce like peaches, cherries, berries, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and fresh herbs.
- If you’re grilling take along vegetables such as Portobello mushrooms, red peppers, and onions. Roasted or grilled vegetables tossed with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper as a great idea for a side dish or a topping on a grilled chicken sandwich.
- For some light and crunchy appetizers pack your cooler with a different variety of raw veggies like cucumbers (cucumber salsa is a great choice as pictured above!), carrots, celery, asparagus tips, and radishes. Take along a dip such as hummus or low-fat yogurt with herbs and spices.
- Try a different main dish, instead of grilling burgers or hotdogs, or grabbing a basket of fried chicken, pick up a roasted chicken or try making wrap sandwiches. Wraps are easy and can be nutritious if you make them with lean meat and stuff them with vegetables and salsa or light dressing. Some other ideas could be lean beef burgers, ground turkey breast, skinless chicken breast, and pork tenderloin.
- Resist the temptation to load your picnic basket with high calorie salads held together with mayonnaise, instead use dressings made with less oil and more vinegar or add other liquids such as fruit juice. In starchy salads substitute whole grain pasta for white pasta and sweet potatoes for white potatoes.
- An example of a healthier option for coleslaw could be to try using broccoli slaw and toss in some shredded carrots with a light, low-fat poppy seed or yogurt dressing for a great salad that will still be crunchy.
- Pack healthy beverages such as ice water, sparkling water, or unsweetened ice tea.
- Practice proper food safety by making sure your food arrives safely and that the cold items are packed tightly into a cooler. Enjoy the outdoors and the fresh air as it is a great chance to get some exercise and burn some calories. Go for a walk, toss a frisbee or football, go for a swim, or play a fun game with the whole gang!
-Written by Megan Tschakert, SDSU Dietetics Student
by kelsey | Sep 16, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
There is more to fall than the Halloween costumes and hayrides. From September to November the autumn harvest brings in a variety of healthful and delicious produce. In order to get the best of what fall has to offer, keep track of what’s in season near you. Here are some popular fruits and vegetables that are enjoyed most often during the fall season.
Apples are sweet, crunchy and packed with antioxidants and there are more than 7,500 different types of apples! The picture is of one of my favorites–honeycrisp apples! Beets are available year round but are at their best in the fall. When choosing the best beets look for firm, smooth bulbs attached to bright, crisp greens. Brussels sprouts and cabbage are packed with vitamin A and C. Cranberries are between the size of a blueberry and grape. They are at their best October-November but only a small percent make it to the produce section the rest are canned, dried, or turned into juice. Research shows that cranberry concentrate can prevent urinary tract infections and fresh cranberries can slow the growth of breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers. Pears are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower bad cholesterol. Pumpkins offer a lot of alpha- and beta-carotene, which can be converted to promote healthy vision and cell growth. Rutabagas and turnips research suggests that they may help reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancers. Squash is a great source of potassium and helps prevent muscles from feeling fatigued and weak. Last but not least are sweet potatoes and they have the best flavor during the fall, their peak season. They are rich in beta-carotene, which can prevent vitamin A deficiency and promote healthy eyesight. Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin C and when baked in their skin provide about 5 grams of fiber. Be sure to take advantage of the produce this fall and try something new!
-Written by Megan Tschakert, SDSU Dietetics Student
by kelsey | Sep 8, 2015 | Exercise, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Come join the Trail Walking Club for our third year! Each week we will walk at 9am sharp on the dates below for about 1 hour (breaks will be included). There is no cost to come and walk.
The Trail Walking Club is more geared towards nature trail walking and is recommended for anyone looking to get some exercise and enjoy the fall colors!
September 11—Slumberland Disc Golf Course
September 18—Joy Ranch
September 25—Mother of God Monastery
October 2——–Memorial Park
October 9——– Pelican Lake Recreation Area
(entrance fee required for entrance to park)
October 16——Slumberland Disc Golf Course
October 23——Memorial Park
For more information call the Park & Rec. 882-6260
by kelsey | Aug 26, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As summer starts to fade into fall and schedules start to become even more jam packed with school events and sports, it starts to become even harder to sit down and eat balanced meals. The summer picnics are replaced with faster on the go meals that are sometimes not the best choices when trying to eat healthy. This busy time puts an even greater emphasis on meal planning. Meal planning can seem like a daunting task if you have never done it before, here are some quick tips for getting started with meal planning.
- Start with a basic template for each day that includes a protein, vegetable, fruit, and a starch. Then sit down with your family during the weekend and plan out what everyone would like on each day. Then on a weekend day, go grocery shopping for all the ingredients that you will need for that weeks menu.
- Take a look at your child’s school lunch menu to try and plan a meal that is different than what your child ate at lunchtime.
- Make meal planning a family event by including everyone in the decision making process. Split up the meals by family members so each member has a day they are in charge of.
- Batch cook: prep some of the food items on the weekend when you have time such as browning up the hamburger, slow cooking the chicken breasts, making a large batch of chili or a large casserole and separating it into smaller containers for freezing and using now.
- Make enough to have leftovers for the next day meals.
- Keep the recipes simple with minimal ingredients for shorter prep time and incorporate your family’s favorite Crockpot recipes.
With these quick and easy tips meal planning can become a fun and enjoyable family process that will save you time and help your family eat healthy while on a busy schedule. Below are some sandwich ideas for the lunch box and easy breakfast ideas to help your child start the day off right!
Sandwich Ideas
- Whole wheat bread with deli meat (try to avoid bologna, pepperoni, and salami)
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- Bagel with light cream cheese or peanut butter
- Crackers and cheese
- Pita with hummus
- Ham and cheese rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla
- Dinner leftovers
- Chicken noodle soup
- Quesadilla
- Cheese pizza
5 Fast and Easy Breakfast Ideas:
¨ Fruit and cheese
¨ Fiber rich cereal with lowfat milk or yogurt
¨ Peanut butter, banana , & whole grain toast
¨ Carnation Breakfast Essentials
¨ Simple smoothie– low fat milk, frozen fruit, and ice
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 25, 2015 | Diet, Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This is a repost from two years ago to highlight another success story of STRIVE 2 Survive. Our fall program starts September 8th and enrollment is underway! Benefits of the 12 week program include improved health overall=improved lipids, glucose, blood pressure, weight, etc! Everyone’s goal is different, but we have one thing in common…we want to improve our health and wellness through improved nutrition and activity. Contact us today to get signed up!
“Weight loss and improved nutrition is a tough thing. Changing your lifestyle is truly challenging and it’s even more challenging with all of the temptations we have in our society to encourage us to over-indulge! Throughout our 12 week wellness program, we tell our participants that we never expect all of our recommendations to happen overnight that instead we encourage you to work on a few things at one time and gradually those baby steps will add up to big steps and big successes. Honestly, I would rather see a slow and steady weight loss that takes longer than the participant would probably like, than a quick weight loss that is eventually gained back.
My day was made yesterday when I got an email from Denise Hoff. Denise was in our winter STRIVE 2 Survive program last year and has made some pretty incredible improvements in her health. Denise gave me permission to share her success with you all as in her own words “maybe it will motivate someone else who thinks they are too big or too old to start.”
Denise has now lost about 17lbs and dropped 12.5″ total (waist, hips, bust, thighs, arms)…4 of the 12.5″ are off her waist! She was never a runner, but thanks to our team’s inspiration, she ran her first 5k with her daughter last weekend (see the picture!). She said they had a great mother/daughter time and as she ran, she was proud to say she was able to keep a stride and actually pass others!Denise started to run one block at a time. Her initial goal was a half of a mile, then one mile, then 1 1/2 miles, etc. She broke it down so it didn’t seem so overwhelming and set a goal of running a 5k with the encouragement and support of us and her family…she accomplished it successfully and is now looking forward to doing more 5ks! In addition to the improvement in her weight and waist circumference, her lab values have also improved as she dropped her total cholesterol about 50points, which is now well into the normal range and has kept her blood sugar and blood pressure in normal ranges also. As you can see from the timeline, these changes didn’t happen overnight, but she slowly worked at it and has achieved great success in the last 6-8 months and looks forward to continuing to work on her health and wellness goals. In Denise’s words “Thanks for being so supportive and encouraging. I hope the next time you see me, you will have to take a double look as I am hoping to look smaller and more fit.”
As we approach the start of our fall session of STRIVE 2 Survive, I hope Denise’s testimony shows you the benefits you can receive from our wellness program and our team’s education, support, and encouragement. If you see Denise on the street, be sure to congratulate her on her success! We are very proud of her!”
Fall STRIVE starts September 8th …contact us today to get enrolled!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 12, 2015 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
It’s hard to believe school will be back in session soon and fall is approaching quickly. We are always sad to see summer go as it seems to fly by faster every year, but I am excited for my favorite season (fall) to get here and to start another session of STRIVE 2 Survive! I always like to highlight a few of our success stories and previous participants to show what STRIVE can do for you! Laurie Danforth and her husband Mike participated in STRIVE 2 Survive and found great value in it. If you are on the fence or wondering if you should join us, check out Laurie’s feedback below. We hope you will consider it and let us help you improve your health and well-being through improved nutrition and activity! If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org or call 884-4226. Fall STRIVE starts September 8th and enrollment is currently underway!
- What pushed you to join STRIVE? After sending our last child off to college and becoming empty nesters we decided it was time to change our eating habits. Mike wanted to lose a few pounds so I suggested we do S2S and do it the right way.
- What was your goal? (weight loss, cholesterol, B/P, healthy eating, etc.) My goal was to develop better healthy eating and to maintain of improve lab values.
- Have you met your goal? Yes until the kids came home for the summer then our eating changes some but I always have S2S on my mind and look for healthier ways to fix meals.
- If so, what are you doing to maintain? Looking forward to 2 of the boys returning to college to help with our change of habits when had adapted to.
- How did STRIVE help? Brought awareness to foods and their contents and also the ability to prepare foods differently to make them healthier. The frequent e mails and updates on the web also help.
- What is your motivation to continue? My competitiveness to keep my lab values where they were after being diligent of changing habits. I challenge myself to make sure they stay in good healthy ranges. I also feel much better after changing my diet habits.
- If you could tell anyone about Strive to Survive, what would you say? By all means join the program. Don’t think of it as a “diet” but a way of changing your daily eating habits along with exercise. It is not all about weight loss but eating healthier and making changes to adding or increasing exercise. I lost inches and improved lab values but did not lose much weight, all with feeling better. (Side note–Laurie didn’t have much to lose, so she focused on toning, lab improvement, and overall health improvements)
- Do you feel that the program has a lifetime change for you? By all means.
- What do you think they biggest highlight of the program is? Learning how to label read and prepare foods bought at the grocery store to change habits. It is much cheaper and healthier to buy foods at the grocery store for weight loss versus buying a program of mixes and shakes that may produce rapid weight loss. I know with this program I was making healthy choices that were not inadvertently affecting my lab values.
- Would you tell a friend about us? I have told friends about this program and encouraged them to join. The cost of the program is far less than “buying” weight loss with the many advertised programs out there.
- If people are in doubt of joining, what would you tell them? Give it a try!
-Kelsey
