When "healthy" becomes subjective...

How do you define a "healthy" food?  Something low in calories?  Low in fat?  High in nutrients?

We all have our own ideas of what foods we should choose, vs. foods to avoid.  Here's something I come across a lot as a dietitian:
What is "healthier"- sugar free yogurt, nonfat yogurt, Activia, Greek yogurt?
I know plenty of people that strictly go with calories.  No matter how many fake-y, chemical-y ingredients there are, hey, if it's only 50 calories per serving, I'm eatin' it.

Okay yes, I'm guilty of that from time to time.  But calories don't necessarily equal nutrients.  My own policy as a dietitian is that we should

• Eat a variety of foods
• Eat foods that are minimally processed (homemade is always best)
• Eat lean where it counts
• Eat fatty where it counts

          You've probably been asked the question "if you were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?"  Well, if I were on Wunfud Island, it'd definitely be cereal, because there's a good variety within the category.  Kashi for breakfast, Special K for lunch, bran flakes for dinner, and repeat.  But then I'd get scurvy due to the lack of vitamin C.  I'd get kwashiorkor due to lack of protein.  I'd get anemia due to lack of iron.  Our bodies truly need a mix of fuel: healthy carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats.  We get these by choosing fruits, veggies, whole grains, meats, seafood, eggs, milk, legumes, nuts, and beans. As corny as it is, I do like the government's new MyPlate as a point of reference (though the glass of dairy is not necessary). 
         
          Now I don't eat organic. I think it's nice to eat organic, but at this point, it's not something that I feel I should be spending money on. Someday when I have kids, I will probably choose organic milk and meat, because studies show those are the two products that tend to have the most chemicals in them.  Organic does not necessarily mean "healthy" though, as organic products can have just as much sugar, salt, and saturated fats as their regular counterparts.  What I do think is worthwhile is limiting the amount of preservatives in our food.  Take a can of beef stew- it doesn't expire for a whole year.  Convenient for food shelves, but kind of creepy to think of food being so processed and preserved that it lasts that long.  The shorter the ingredient list, the fewer chemicals/preservatives/salt/crud-in-general goes into your body.

          Eating lean implies that fats are bad.  Yes and no.  Our bodies need a certain amount of fats.  Fats provide energy, help with cellular function, aid in making hormones, insulate us, and help cushion our internal organs.  But not all fats are equal- avoid saturated fats (found in butter, fatty meats, and dairy products).  Really avoid trans fats, found in processed foods and margarine.  Instead choose unsaturated fats- "omega-3 fatty acids" fall under this category.  Get your good fats by eating fish, walnuts, avocado, olive oil, and flaxseed. 

       I always say this to my patients:
If you're going to consume calories, be sure that you get something out of them in return: either fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and/or minerals.

Bananas for...bananas.

Fact: For the past 8 years, I've eaten a banana most every single morning.  If I take a crack at that math, that means I've eaten 2912 bananas, and spent $429.52 doing so.  I bet my potassium is juuuuuust fine. A note to Chiquita: I'm still waiting for my plaque. 

Sometimes I get a little overzealous with the banana-buying and they get a bit too ripe for my taste.  To me, if there are spots, it's over.  It's either destined for muffins, or for the trash.  Here's a recipe for jumbo banana muffins- and these certainly won't  end up in the trash.

Bananas Muffins
-1 cup all purpose flour
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup butter
-1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
-2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
-2 eggs, beaten
-2 1/3 cup mashed over-ripe banana (I used 4 small bananas)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Stir in applesauce, eggs, and mashed banana until well blended.
3. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten (over-stirring will make the muffins tough).  Spoon batter into muffin cups to about 3/4th of the way full. I sprinkled a few oats on top for the pretty factor.  
4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a paper towel.  I like to eat mine warm with a bit of Brummel & Brown butter spread. 
Per muffin: 360 calories, 48 g carbs, 10 g fat, 7.5 g protein

These babies are filling, so they're more of a breakfast meal rather than a snack.

As a point of reference, the "banana nut loaf" at Starbucks is a slightly smaller serving, but contains 490 calories, 75 g carbs and 19 g fat. 

So this dietitian throws a party...

I love Christmas.  Loooooove Christmas.  Let's name him Oatmeal!/You'll shoot your eye out/Keep the change, ya filthy animal/Buddy the Elf- what's your favorite color?/She thinks I'm cuuuuuute!  Love the movies, love the music, love the decorations, love the general shiny/sparkly goodness that accompanies the holidays.  Love the parties as well.

This past weekend I hosted my 4th annual Christmas party.  In past years, in addition to eating, I've hosted a holiday-themed game.  My friends secretly hate this, as I expect them to be able to draw things like "Kwanzaa" and "the Maccabees" (I said holiday games, not Christmas games!).  Now that I'm married, I agreed to compromise on the chosen game: beer pong it was. Humbug.

I have fun planning the menu and even created some new recipes for the occasion.

Chicken Wild Rice Salad
-1 medium whole chicken
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-Poultry seasoning
-1 can cooked wild rice, drained and rinsed
-2/3 cup olive oil reduced fat mayonnaise
-1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
-1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
-1/3 cup slivered almonds

Go ahead and roll your eyes- yes, I want you to roast a whole freakin' chicken.  You'd be amazed at how much better tasting this recipe ends up being than if you used canned chicken.  It doesn't cost that much, and it's easy.
1. Rinse off chicken and pat dry. Place breast-up in a roasting pan.  Coat with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle poultry seasoning (about 2-3 teaspoons worth) all over the chicken.  Loosely cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes.  Remove foil and keep cooking for another 30, or until internal temperature is higher than 165 degrees (poke the thermometer around various parts of the chicken to make sure the entire thing is cooked).  Once cooled, cut up the meat into smallish chunks (you won't find this level of un-specificity in no stinkin' Williams Sonoma cookbook).  If you toss the meat into a resealable bag, it'll keep for a few days, so feel free to roast your chicken ahead of time if need be.

2. Mix chicken, wild rice, green onion, water chestnuts, and mayo in a large bowl.  I added a few sprinkles of onion powder, pepper, and salt to mine as well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Sprinkle almonds on top before serving.

Recipe makes about 8 servings.  Per serving: 250 calories, 8 g carbs, 8 g fat, 33 g protein.

I served this with King's Hawaiian rolls cut in half.  You could eat this plain, or on whole grain crackers or bread.  Your call.  If you want extra add-ins, try chopped onion, celery, or even red grapes.

I also tried another new-ish recipe:
Sloppy Joe Cups
-1 pound extra lean ground beef
-1 can Manwich
-1 can diced tomatoes, drained
-2 cups 2% Cheddar cheese
-2 packages of crescent rolls

1. Saute ground beef until fully cooked.  Add Manwich and tomatoes.  Let cool in the refrigerator.  This mixture will keep for a day or two until you're ready to use it.
2. To assemble the cups, roll out the crescent dough and tear apart the triangles according to the perforations.  I took a rolling pin and stretched them out a bit more.
3. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Mold one triangle of dough into each muffin cup, letting the extra dough hang over the edge of the cup.
4. Stir the cheese into the meat mixture.  Plop a large spoonful of meat into each muffin cup and fold the crescent dough on top (or else kind of mold it around the rim to prevent spillover while baking).
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.  This recipe makes 24 cups.

Per cup: 190 calories, 15 g carbs, 9 g fat, 12 g protein

The dietitian wish list

I have to say, I've been pretty good this year.  I've been able to avoid the post-wedding weight gain (*knocking on wood furiously*).  My house is 6-months pop-free, and I've been eating my fruits and veggies daily.  That deserves a payout from Santa, right?

I am largely content with everything in my kitchen, but it's still fun to dream...and not just about an item, but the storage space in which to put that item as well.  Here's my list.  Hope someone's taking a look, checking it twice, and...you get the idea. 

1. Kitchen Aid stand mixer
I'm a little greedy on this one, I'll admit, as I already have a stand mixer.  But mine is plain ol' white.  And it's on loan from my mom, so it's not even really mine.  I know!  So it's practically a necessity that I get this super fun hot pink one from Williams Sonoma.  I ask myself: WWBW?  (What would Barbie want?).  And there you have item #1. 

2. Williams-Sonoma cupcake stencils.

These would be cute for dusting powdered sugar or sprinkles on top of cupcakes and cookies.  They would make good stencils for piping frosting as well.   

3. "Farmer's Market basket" at Anthropologie

It's a stoneware dish similar to the cardboard baskets used at farmer's markets.  Definitely cute enough for a tabletop decoration, or to keep your freshly washed berries in (just set it on a paper towel in the fridge).

4. "Peas and Thank You" cookbook

I've been following Sarah Matheny's blog for a few months and she writes her recipes with wit and humor I envy.  I'm no vegetarian, but it's good to have a stockpile of meatless recipes.  I make her pumpkin molasses cookies almost weekly.

5. OXO pastry scraper/cutter

 

A few weeks ago I went to a baking class and the instructor used this 178 times throughout the various recipes.  It's great for when you roll out dough and need to then peel it away from the surface.  You could also use it for slicing & chopping.  It doesn't hurt that it looks like something a ninja would use either. 

6. The last item on my list would be monogrammed kitchen towels.  Reason #421 (low on the list) that I married my husband: last name starts with S, which lends itself well to a pretty scroll-y monogram.  

So there you have it.  Maybe if I leave out hummus and carrots, Santa'll be extra nice. 

It's all been done before...

I could be wrong in saying this, but I'm pretty sure the better the idea I have, the more likely it is an original thought.  Case in point: I'm sure no one in the world has ever thought to add apples to cranberry sauce.  Spectacular, no?  The other night I got the crazy idea to toss in some blueberries as well.  Crazy-brilliant!  

Alright so in reality this may be a recipe you've seen before.  But in my mind, it's already trademarked by meeeee!  This is a delicious & easy sauce that is good just plain, or else stirred in with oatmeal or yogurt, or even spread on some toast or waffles. 

Winter Fruit Sauce
-1 bag whole cranberries, rinsed
-2 large apples, peeled and chopped
-1.5 cups fresh blueberries (frozen would work ok too)
-1 cup orange juice
-1/2 cup white sugar

1. Combine cranberries, apples, OJ, and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir every few minutes until mixture begins to bubble and cranberries burst.  Continue stirring- mixture will become bubbly.  After 10 minutes or so it'll start to thicken up.  Dump in the blueberries and gently stir for another 5 minutes until nice and thick.
2. Serve warm or cold.

Makes about 8 servings (~3/4 cup).  Nutrition: 104 calories per serving.

Emergency Chili

I am a believer in stock piling certain foods.  If a non-perishable is on sale, stock up!  Shoot, even if meat is on sale, stock up!  It'll freeze just fine.  With that in mind, I raided my pantry (and deep freezer) in search of a meal that I could make without having to hit the grocery store.  Here's a super easy recipe for a quick dinner.


Emergency Chili
-1 can chili beans (mild or hot, depending on your preference)
-1 lb lean ground beef/turkey (thawed if frozen)
-1 can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-2 cans diced tomatoes
-1 medium/large yellow onion, chopped
-half cup water

-Saute the onions along with the ground turkey until meat is fully cooked.  Soak up any fat with a paper towel.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add hot sauce and crushed pepper to taste. Serve with a slice of wheat bread or crackers for dipping.  Optional: instead of topping with sour cream, try plain nonfat Greek yogurt.  Yeah, sounds weird, but plain Greek yogurt is really similar to sour cream, but the benefit is that it's lower fat, no fat, and packs a ton of protein. 

This makes about 6 servings.  It also freezes pretty well- just portion out into an individual-sized Tupperware. 
Nutrition: 270 calories, 29 g carbs, 8 g fat, 27 g protein

On my way to rob a bank

It snowed about 3 inches Saturday night.  So beautiful!  I knew I had to wake up early on Sunday for a jog just to admire the fresh white snow cover (and to listen to the a few of the 118 Christmas songs on my iPod).

It got me thinking that I should share the tools/clothing/accessories that I use to do winter jogging.  It's not for everyone, but that or even just walking in the outdoors is something you should try.

First up on my list:
-Petzl Tikka 2 headlamp

Nerdy?  Yes.  All of this stuff is nerdy.  But there's so little daylight, and running at night is dangerous if you can't see where you're going.  Plus others need to be able to see you as well.  This is actually pretty comfortable to wear and it stays put while I'm running.  You can adjust it to light up your path up to like 40 feet in front of you.  It's also convenient for if you happen upon a mine. 

Nike Pro Hyperwarm leggings.  Go ahead and squeeze into these babies.  They'll keep you warm and allow you to freely run without the bulk of sweatpants.  No shame in putting on a pair of shorts over these to cover your booty.

Yak Trax are amazing.  It's like the equivalent of winter tires for your feet.  You just loop them onto your sneakers and they give you great traction on snow/ice for running or even just walking.  I was skeptical when I first got them, but they allow you to run/walk with confidence on all surfaces.

  

SERIUS Neofleece Combo Clava at Sports Authority.  Now you understand the title of this post.  This is a horrifying thing to put on your head.  But it works.  You will keep your face warm, but still be able to easily breath.  The windchills in Minnesota can be awful, and this blocks the cold.  

So there you have it- my list of winter running essentials.  I'm not a super serious runner.  I just think it's a great feeling to be outdoors enjoying the scenery and getting your muscles moving.  Plus you can't eat things like peanut butter balls without compensating. 

Easy. Fast. Super nutrient-packed.

Can it get any better?  Oh, I should mention this meal is pretty cheap too.  My husband's been out of town for the past three days and I wanted to make him a nice meal.  Not "hi honey, glad you're home- have a cold sandwich for dinner."  Which is what my dinners had been without him.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Place chicken in a ziploc bag.  In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients.  Pour over chicken; seal the bag and refrigerate all day.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

I chose a frozen Trader Joe's rice mix paired with broccoli for our side dish.  Easy dinner + nice lunch tomorrow!

Nutrition facts:
Chicken- 230 calories, 24 g carbs, 10.5 g fat, 14 g protein
Whole meal- 390 calories, 21 g fiber, 33 g protein

Happy Thanksgiving!

Six hours of cooking followed by 15 minutes of chowing down.  Or maybe that's just Thanksgiving dinner with my family.  I am happy to be running in the "Turkey Day 5K."  The idea is that you burn off calories, and then replace them by triple later on when you eat.  In the spirit of the meal, I came up with two possible scenarios- figure out which one's going to leave you awesomely content vs. crap-tacularly stuffed.

Meal 1:
-1/2 cup homemade green bean hotdish
Mix 4 cups fresh/frozen green beans with 1 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup.  Slice and broil a raw onion until deeply browned.  Bake in a casserole dish until heated through.
-1/2 cup fresh cranberry sauce
Stir 1 bag fresh cranberries with 2/3 cup sugar and 1 cup OJ.  Heat to slow boil and cook until thickened.
-1/2 cup stuffing
Um, just read the instructions on the box of Stove Top.  Bonus points if you add chopped onions, celery, carrots, etc (the more veggies to bulk it up, the fewer the calories per serving).  Bonus points if you find whole wheat stuffing.
-1 cup sneaky mashed potatoes
Scrub some red potatoes (or potato of your choice), cut into quarters, and add to large stockpot of boiling water.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile cut up a head of cauliflower into 3" chunks.  Add to boiling potatoes.  Cook both until tender.  Drain.  Add 4 oz Neufchatel cheese (or ff cream cheese) 1/3 cup skim milk.  Smush together with a potato masher (or use a stand mixer for creamier texture).  Optional- add chives or garlic.  Again, more veggies = lower cals per serving.
-4 oz roasted white meat turkey
Be sure to remove that baggie of guts before baking!
-1/2 cup pumpkin pie pudding (see earlier post for recipe)
It's our family's m.o. to use Reddi-Whip on most all desserts.  God forbid we use Cool-Whip.  Mmm...aerosol cream.
 

Dum-da-dum!  Calorie total: 700 calories.  Splurge?  Yes.  Insane?  I will use the lovely dietitian phrase "it's okay in moderation!"

Contrast that with meal #2:
-1" slice Ocean Spray jelly cranberry sauce
I'll admit that this was my absolute favorite part of the meal as a kid.  My brother and I would fight over who got to dump the can out.  It makes such a great 'thup-thup-thup' noise as it wiggles out of the can's ridges.  But sound effects aside, the homemade version has a richer texture, and far less sugar.
-1/2 cup green bean hotdish
We're talking the full-fat mushroom soup plus gobs of processed crunchy fried onion bits.  Pass the...fat?
-1/2 cup stuffing
Soooo...no changes here really. 
-1 cup mashed potatoes
Prepared with 2% milk and butter adds a lot of unnecessary fat.
-4 oz dark meat turkey with skin
Bleh- skin?  Really?  I get that it's acceptable to eat poultry skin, but I can't get over the idea that it is fatty epidermis.  
-Generic pumpkin pie
Most everyone I knows just relies on Cub or Baker's Square, because pie is difficult to get right.  So why bother?  Make the pudding version 'cause it's all the pumpkin-y custard-y filling that's the best part anyway.

Whomp whomp!  Meal #2 calorie total: 1,130.  To put this in perspective, you'd have to go walk 11 miles to burn that off.  Or spend 3 straight hours jumping rope.  Or spend 12 hours vacuuming your home (should this appeal to you, let me know.  We can arrange something).

With that said, enjoy your meal!  Savor the food, package up the leftovers, and feel good about your choices! 

  

Best soup EVER

Or at least "best soup right now."  A few weeks ago I roasted a chicken (ta-da!) and ended up with a Ziploc bag full of chopped up leftovers.  I decided to whip up a chicken wild rice soup, and the result is worth sharing.


Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:
-1 26-oz can fat free cream of mushroom soup
- 10-oz can fat free cream of chicken soup
-1.5 cups skim milk
-1 yellow onion, chopped into 1/2" pieces
-1 cup carrots, chopped into coins
-1 cup corn
- 110.75-oz can cooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
-3-4 cups cooked chicken, shredded (the roasted chicken leftovers were awesome, but you could use canned or even bake some frozen chicken breasts)
-pinch of rosemary
-pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring water to boil in a small pot; add carrots and cook for 10 minutes.  Continue cooking and add onion.  Cook until both are tender, but not mush.
2. Meanwhile in a large pot or Dutch oven, combine soup, milk, corn, chicken, wild rice, rosemary, and pepper.  Depending on your consistency preference, you may want to add more milk.
3. Add cooked carrots and onion.  Cover and heat to low simmer for 10 minutes (scrape the bottom every few minutes).
Nutrition facts (serves 8): 275 calories, 28 g carbs, 5.5 g fat, 28 g protein

It was during the onion-slicing step that I remembered I still have my old college chemistry lab goggles.  Cry-proof chopping!

Plus they make me look super cool!

Do not try this at home

There are plenty of sweets I can confidently steer clear of: ice cream?  I'd scream!  Danish?  You wish.  Pie?  I cannot lie- I'd rather die. 

But I cannot resist a good bar.  Especially if it's a center edge-less slightly-underbaked piece.  When I found a recipe from Shelly on CookiesandCups.com, I thought it looked like a good dangerous Saturday baking project.  The original recipe called for marshmallow fluff, but I swapped that out for caramel. 

PB & Caramel Blondie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups coarse chopped peanut butter cups (10.5 oz bag) (I used dark choc Reese's minis)
• 1/2 cup caramel from a jar (like Smucker's)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Cream butter and peanut butter together.
4. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
5. On medium speed add in eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
6. Stir in your baking soda, salt and flour until just combined.
7. Fold in your chopped peanut butter cups.
8. Spread the batter in your prepared pan.
9. Drop you caramel randomly on top of the batter and swirl in with a knife.  Baked for approximately 30 minutes.  The center might seem underbaked, but it will set as it cools. 





So there you have it.  Delicious.  I won't even both calculating the nutrition facts, because, well, sugar + fat make for a super high calorie count.  Enjoy in moderation (if you can...).

"I'll have some of that man meat."

It is such a stereotype of guys to assume they're all just into grilling and eating mass amounts of wings, ribs, and beef.  Well the thing about stereotypes is they are often based on truths, and my husband certainly falls into this category.  He received a smoker for his birthday and on Saturday he attempted to smoke for the first time.  He dug my two pork loins from the deep freeze (eww- uh I mean literally here).  Direct quote: "if I'm going to screw up, I want it to be on something that's not that awesome." 

Now doesn't this look like your idea of a fun Saturday?

Yes honey, you tend to your meat.  I'll be warm and cozy in the kitchen pretending to not eat every 3rd Reese's peanut butter mini cup I'm chopping for a new recipe.  Ignore the rotting pumpkins and leftover gardening junk on our deck.  'Fraid we're "those kind of neighbors."  The end product was pretty tasty actually.  However we learned something- smoked pork = ham.  We enjoyed a nice ham dinner with some roasted Yukon gold potatoes sprinkled with olive oil and Cajun seasoning.

Winter's Return

Well it's about TIME that the radio station started playing Christmas music.  How else can it be guaranteed that come actual Christmas day I'm good 'n' sick of Chestnuuuuuuts roasting on an open fiiiiire? 

With shorter days and longer nights I plan on using my slow cooker to my full advantage.  I had success a few weeks ago with baked pork chops and came across a similar recipe only they're cooked in a crock pot.  Perfect.  In the 60 seconds after I walk through my door at the end of the workday I can chuck the junk mail in the trash recycle bin, kick off my shoes, and plop some hot food on my plate. 

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable, canola) 

4 pork chops (I had 5 in my package)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)

1 large onion, sliced (go for 2!)

2 (10.75 ounce) cans lowfat condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 cups skim milk

1. Trim the fat off your chops.  Heat the oil in a skillet. 

2. First dunk the chop in the egg, coating both sides.  Then transfer to a shallow bowl containing the flour.  Once coated, place in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides.

3. Repeat with all your chops.

4. Dump the soup and milk in your slow cooker and stir until the lumps have dissolved.  Place the browned chops in the mix and top with the onion. 

5. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. 

Okay- this may look like onion-topped barf, but it is delicious.  My Christmas gift to myself might have to be some photography lessons. 

Reason #87 why I love my husband:

He voluntarily picked out these buns at the grocery store. 

Breakfast of Champions

No, it is not "Little Chocolate Donuts" despite what John Belushi may have proclaimed (points if you know that reference).  I've read recipe variations of this breakfast for awhile and it tends to be my Saturday morning go-to.  It's easy, cheap, and super healthy.  No donuts involved.
Step One:
Pour 1/3 cup instant oats in a bowl.

Step Two:
Add 1 Tablespoon of wheat or oat bran.  Ew, why?  Because it's tasteless and adds fiber.  Don't even get me started on why we should all be eating more fiber on the regular (ha, like that pun?).

Step Three:
I like to take a small handful of bran flakes and crush them up.  Adds a bit of different texture.  It's totally optional though (but seriously you should do it).

Step Five:
Add about 1/2 a tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Ew, but why?  If you're not a big seafood eater, ground flaxseed is a great way to get your omega-3 fatty acids.  Someday I'll post about why we love these in case you don't yet know why you should be loving your omega-3's.

Step Six:
I'll wrap it up here- we're at the point where you can really add whatever the heck you want.  Some ideas:  Chopped walnuts.  Raisins.  Dates.  Cranberries.  Chopped apple.  Banana.  Pumpkin.  Cucumber.  Kidding.  I like to add 2 tsp brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit.

Laaaaast step:
Add milk.  I like my almond milk, but really whatever will work.  Cook it and eat it hot.  Don't cook it and eat it cold (this is how I like it- I've heard that this is similar to European "muesli").  I make big batches of this stuff, dry, and keep it in the refrigerator (gotta refrigerate the flaxseed).  But either way you eat it, you're giving yourself a great source of fiber, whole grains, and heart-healthy fat.  Be a self-proclaimed champion.

Sunday Football Day

Game day menu: roasted chicken with roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, baby cabbages, and homemade cranberry-apple sauce.  Not your typical Vikings-watching-lazy-nap-on-the-couch-day meal.  Fresh from our baking class the day before, I was feeling adventurous.  Everyone should know how to roast a chicken, right?  We had gone to the Minneapolis farmer's market the day before (last time for the season- sad) and picked up the carrots, parsnips (new to me), and baby cabbages.  The vendor also was selling brussels sprouts, which were my first choice, but told me that the baby cabbages taste sweeter.  And they're just adorable.  It was probably the cuteness factor rather than the promised taste that made me fork over my $3. 

Step One:
Open up chicken.  Remove baggie of guts.  Rinse of chicken.  Make chicken wings do a little dance.  Pat dry.

Step Two:
Set chicken on wire rack of a roasting pan.  Put 2 Tbsp butter up chicken's...ah...cavity?  Yes.  Drizzle about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil on chicken and rub in with about 3 teaspoons each poultry seasoning, and pepper, with a few pinches of salt.  Loosely cover chicken with tin foil.  Place in a preheated oven at 350.

Step Three:
Meanwhile, wash & peel/chop/slice whatever veggies you want (keep in mind that the smaller you chop the veggies, the faster they'll cook).  Dump in a bowl and pour 1-2 Tbsp olive oil over and mix so all veggies have just a light coating of oil.  Spread out on a rimmed foil-lined pan.  Since the veggies will only take about a half hour and the chicken will cook for over an hour, go ahead and clean up the mess you just made.  Or go catch up on "Real Housewives of Atlanta."  Your call.

After the chicken's baked for about 45 minutes, go ahead and stick in your veggies.  Since I didn't have enough room on my baking sheet for the carrots, parsnips, and onions, I dumped those in the bottom of the roasting pan to cook themselves in the chicken drippings.  Chicken drippings = fat, so this is not a low-cal way of cooking veggies.  Be warned.  You can also remove the tin foil so that now the skin has a chance to brown.

The chicken is finished when the internal temp reads at least 165 degrees, at around 1 hour 15 minues.  Veggies are done when browned (you might want to flip them halfway through cooking time). 

While the chicken cooled a bit, I whipped up a cranberry apple sauce.  Complicated?  Naaah.  Dump a package of fresh cranberries into a smallish pot.  Add 1 cup OJ and 2/3 cup sugar.  Stir over medium-high heat.  I think this is fun to make- it's like the fruit equivalent of Rice Krispies- the cranberries burst & pop as you cook them.  I decided to toss in about a cup of chopped apples too.  Cook until mixture becomes bubbly, thick, and all the cranberries have bursted.  Serve hot or cold.

There you have it.  Awesome lunch, plus 2 days worth of leftovers + 2 cups of shredded chicken bits to freeze.  I think this is the culinary equivalent of a touchdown, plus the bragging dance in the endzone.  Too bad I forgot to add the sugar to the pumpkin pudding I made.  Penalty flag.

Diet Detox

I hate the term "detox."  You see plenty of products aimed at "detoxing the body" and getting rid of impurities.  They'd have you believe that our insides are cesspools filled with sludge and waste and (gag me now with this term) "toxins."  Truth?  Unless you just licked the inside of a nuclear silo, you don't have toxins.  And despite not having toxins, most of us have fully functioning livers just in case. 

Back from the tangent, I titled this entry "diet detox" because my version of this idea is "I've been eating way too much sugar/fat/crap in general and I need something healthy." 

Like on Saturday.  One of my college roommates and her husband bought us a cooking class at a local culinary store.  The class title was "Sweetshop Baking" and it lived up to its name.  Four hours of cream cheese danish, homemade doughnuts, caramel pecan rolls, cinnamon rolls, and scones.  It was awesomely sugary. 

So how do you cure a sugar hangover?  For me it was an hour long nap followed by this easy dinner, adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

Veggie Noodle Hot Pot:
(serves 4)
3 cups cauliflower, chopped into 1" chunks
2 zucchini, sliced into short sticks
1 bell pepper, sliced into sticks
2 cans low sodium chicken or veggie broth
1/2 box whole wheat linguini
1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
Olive oil

1. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out a layer of tin foil.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss veggies in a large bowl with 4 Tablespoons olive oil, season with pepper.  I added a bit of chili powder as well.
3. Roast until browned (may need to flip veggies to get even roasting).
4. Meanwhile heat up chicken/veggie stock to boiling in a large pot and add pasta.  Cook until soft, and add chickpeas.  Last step?  Add finished roasted veggies.  Season with pepper and hot sauce if you want.

Sugar-rush cured!

Nutrition facts: 330 calories, 60 g carbs, 3 g fat, 16 g protein

Lazy + Delicious

I live one block away from a grocery store.  This is awesome.  My husband likes it too because it's a grocery/liquor store.  Kidding- sort of.  This particular store (rhymes with schmainbow) often has deals where you buy one chuck roast and get a free bag of carrots, onions, and celery.  Buy a bag of potatoes, and you've got an easy crock pot dinner.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast (serves 8)
Ingredients:
-1 chuck roast (mine was about 3.5 pounds- you can go up to 5 pounds in a crock pot)
-8-10 large carrots, cut in half
-7-9 potatoes (gold or red are best, and really, just cram as many veggies as you can into the pot)
-5ish small (2-3") yellow onions, cut in half.  Or buy 1 large onion.  Your call.
-1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
-1 packet McCormick pot roast seasoning

Directions:
-Trim the visible fat from the meat. 
-Dump soup in the crock pot, add 1 cup water and seasoning.  Stir well.  Place meat in the pot and cover.  -Cook on 3-4 hours on high, or 8-9 hours on low.  I like to add the veggies (plus one more cup of water) halfway through so that they don't get too cooked. 

Oh yeah- we use this holiday bowl year-round.  It's not that I am obsessed with Christmas (ok, I am), but it's just a nice shallow bowl. 
Nutrition (per serving): 400 calories, 43 g carbs, 15 g fat, 29 g protein