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 Dan | Sep 25, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
My early morning run this AM marked the end of 6 years of consecutive daily execise! I began this goal on September 26, 2007. My initial plan was to see if I could accomplish a year in a row. I have to say, that first year was the hardest thing I have ever done! Now, it is habit. I plan for my workouts, and have had to learn to be flexible in the plan, and remember to just go out and move. I have many people to thank, including my training partners over the years. They include my dog Buddy; Tom Beaudry; Steve Hauck; all three of my kids, Molly, Megan, and Nick. But I owe the most gratitude to my wife, Sarah.
Without all of her help… the things she has helped finish at home, with the kids, whatever it took…so it helped allow me time to go workout. There is no doubt, this relationship is a team effort…with everything we do! I can’t thank her enough, and am so lucky and grateful to have her as my wife! She is always by my side, whether running with me, or cheering me on. This goal would not have been achievable, and would not be able to continue to go forward without all of the help she has given me.
Here we are on the bus going to Disney after just finishing the marathon. We have been able to do a lot things, and see many places over the years because of our interest in exercise, and staying fit. Hopefully the adventures still continue. Who knows how far this consecutive streak will go. At this point, it is now a habit, and will just plan on it every day like I have been. Hopefully, I will have Sarah at my side for the majority of it as well! Thank you Sarah! Love ya! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2191
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 | Sep 19, 2013 | Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
I apologize for my lack of posts the last week or so! It’s been a fun and crazy time for me and I am finally getting a chance to post about it! Our fall session of STRIVE 2 Survive started on the 10th and we have a really great group of people that we are excited to work with! They are all off to a great start by working on their diets, working on getting more activity, and taking those necessary strides to improve their health and wellness! The start of a new group is always exciting as we get to meet and work with more people and we all have one thing in common: the desire to learn more about improving our health and wellness!
The rest of my week was even more exciting as I celebrated my 10 year class reunion with my classmates from Watertown High School. It’s hard to believe we’re that old already, but we had a really great turn out and a blast catching up with everyone! This picture was taken by classmate Jenna Bakke Ryan, who so graciously volunteered her photography skills. I may be biased, but I think we look pretty good for 10 years post high school! 🙂
My weekend continued to be exciting as my mom’s family got together for a family reunion in her hometown of Madison. My mom is one of 10 children (two have passed away, so there’s 8 now) and since we are all getting older and families continue to expand, we don’t always see each other real often, which makes gatherings extra special, especially when my grandma will be celebrating her 87th birthday next month! Below is a picture of Grandma and most of her grandkids and great grandkids (we’re missing about 8 others!).
All of these special events serve as a reminder to celebrate life and live each day to it’s fullest. Take time to visit and catch up with old friends and family and most importantly take good care of yourself! Putting our health as a priority will help keep you healthy and strong and able to enjoy all of these great things in life! I know some may feel like eating healthy or exercising is a dreadful thing, but we have to adjust and learn how to make it more fun and enjoyable as these habits truly are the key to a long and healthy life! I hope I get to celebrate my 87th birthday someday too and I know making healthy lifestyle choices will surely help!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Sep 18, 2013 | Exercise, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Cross Country season is well under way, and last weekend the Watertown CC teams were in SF for the Augustand invitational. There were quite a few big schools from around the state there. If was great weather, overcast, light winds, and temp in the 60’s. Here is the girls team prior to getting ready for the start of their race. Getting loose and acting goofy! There is never a shortage of members on the girls team that don’t smile for the camera when they see one.
Now the boys turn. Here they are doing some high kicks, and wind sprints, getting ready for their race. The one thing about Cross County…each person not only competes as an individual, but also as a team. They work together, compete together, and support each other. Runners are unique individuals. You get to show how tough you are in the races, yet still have fun. Besides, it is a great way to still stay in shape once the high school and college days are over as well. There are always races going on, whether for competition, or just for fun. Take advantage of them, and the support you get from the crowds watching, as well as other participants in the race. You can walk or run. Just remember: Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2184
