Breakfast

I hate mornings.
I hate everything about mornings including food.
I get hungry at 10:30am.
I married a morning person.
I have a morning person work schedule.
Quite a conundrum.

I spent the first couple decades of my life skipping breakfast and the next couple trying to figure out some kind of fuel source that doesn't make me hurl.

I'm not a fan of eggs.  Traditional breakfast options are too greasy or too sweet.  Oh and while I'm being whiny, I should point out that when hubby retired and was home when I was getting ready for work, it made me late and forgetting lunch...simply because he made the mistake of "talking to me".

 My solution is breakfast burritos.  Frozen in batches.  A month's worth left at work to re-heat.

I buy a 1.5 pound package of spicy, Italian bulk sausage and the same amount of ground pork or turkey (whichever is cheaper).  I bake that on a rimmed 1/2 bun pan at 450 for about 20 minutes. After it cools, I break it into smaller pieces with my fingers and add 2 packages (2 pounds total) of frozen vegetables (any combo you like). Normally I add onions and mushrooms for filler and flavor, but I skipped them because of the new veg mixes.  Saved time. :)

I also roast about 5-6 small potatoes, diced, using the same pan I cooked the sausage, using a small amount of the left over fat from the meat.  That also takes about 20 minutes and can be done at the same time as the meat with a small amount of olive oil.

I heat the tortillas 5 at a time in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them soft.  Then I add about 2/3 c of the filling to each.

No 2 batches of my breakfast burritos are ever the same.  This combo makes 20 burritos, about 470 calories and 45 carbs each.  They cost $1.25 each and re-heat in the microwave in 2 minutes.

High Nutrient, Low Cost Challenge

Like many people, I am re-focused on my health and nutrition goals in the new year.  As I was running errands Saturday, I stopped at Albertsons for a few things to get us through to my normal shopping day (Monday). I also threw away the receipt, but here's the list with some recalled costs.

I didn't think at the time to take a photo, but here's what $30 bought:

1 deli roasted chicken ($6?)
3 tubs of fruit - pineapple & cantaloupe. (3 for $10, usually $4 each)
2 1 pound bags of "baby carrots" ($5)
1 small head of cabbage ($2?)
1 bag of organic romaine lettuce hearts ($4?)
2 heads of broccoli ($3?)

For meal 1 (2 people), I cut of the stem of the broccoli and saved it for coleslaw and added 1/2 package (8 oz) of baby carrots and steamed in the microwave for 3 minutes.  Added 2 tsp butter while hot and tossed to spread the flavor.

Served 2 cups of mixed veg with legs and wings of the chicken and 1 cup of mixed fruit.

$2.50 per person
40 carbs, about 400 calories
loaded with vitamins C and A
4 minutes to prepare.

Meanwhile, I found a KFC coleslaw knock-off recipe.  I used 1/2 of the small cabbage, 4 carrots shredded along with the broccoli stems, 1/4 onion, plus the mayo, lemon and milk I had on hand for the sauce.  1 cup per person,

I served this for dinner with baked halibut (stashed in the freezer), 3/4 c of brown rice (staple) and 1 cup of a frozen mixed veg blend.

A fair estimate for the side dishes would be about $1.25 per person.  Halibut cost would depend upon where you live and the season.  I think I won this fish at a fund-raiser.

Currently, the chicken bones are becoming amazing broth.  I saved the breasts to use for sandwiches (to buddy up with the remaining cole slaw).

The odd bits of chicken, I'll add back to the soup.

I put all the bones and skin from the deli chicken into a pot.  I also rinse out all that "jell" from the bottom of the container and included that in the pot.  After I took the photo, I added 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and some dried herbs: tarragon, rosemary & a bay leaf.  It will simmer for a couple hours.  I will then pull out all the bones and bits, then let it cool overnight to solidify the fat.

So...are you SURE you want to try to convince me that eating healthy is expensive?

Volunteered

Today, I was assigned a task at work to prepare 2 different food demos for a diabetes screening event in a couple months. 

I had a couple ideas and decided to start with what was in the fridge.  I started by slowly caramelizing some mushrooms (12) and 2 small onions in a cast iron skillet.  I also had a nice hand full of basil in the fridge from another plan which I sliced into a chiffanade, stems and all.

Meanwhile, I washed a spaghetti squash, cut in quarters and cooked for a total of 16 minutes on high in my microwave - but I have an ancient microwave (a wedding gift) so it may take you half the time. 

I combined this with a 13 oz box of  cooked whole grain thin spaghetti.  The teenager noticed the "weird thing" but the hubby didn't realize there was squash...and it's one of his favorite foods. 

I toasted a couple hands-full of pistachios, then set them aside and sprinkled them on the top.  Interestingly, no one tasted the shrimp I added, and everyone loved the nuts.  Next round this is going to be vegetarian. 

I added about 1/2 pound of pre-cooked "salad shrimp" that was in the fridge....but I agree, you couldn't taste it.

This is what round 1 looked like: whole wheat pasta, spaghetti squash, mushrooms, onions, red pepper, spinach, shrimp, pistachios, with a lemon & butter sauce. 

Back to the drawing board.

Thanksgiving and a Break

Thanksgiving at my house was small, with just 5 of us.  Compared to my mom's typical 20+ pound turkey, my 11 pounder looked like a chicken.  I tried 2 tricks that I saw on TV.  Thanks to Julia Child & Jaque Pepin, I removed the backbone, butterflied it open and cooked it on a pile of whole-grain stuffing.  Thanks to The Chew, instead of brining, I made a sage & rosemary salt (sea salt, dry rosemary & fresh sage in a spice grinder) and put a sprinkle of it between the skin and the meat on the breast and thighs.  It was THE BEST ever.

I had to laugh as I was setting out all the side dishes.  Everything but the dinner rolls either was, or was loaded with vegetables (except the one with grapes).

Most of those ended up in a veggie pot pie.  (There was actually turkey in it...but only about 1/2 cup.)  The squash and sweet potatoes became "pumpkin bread".  Shhh!  Don't Tell.

I'm now a month into my new job as a Diabetes Educator at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and totally loving it.   I am finding the transition from consulting to scheduled hours a bit challenging still.  I got a little spoiled by being able to do a half day's work in my PJ's.  Updating this nutrition blog is one of those things that just never seems to get crossed off my "to do" list.  I'm going to take a couple months off, then re-evaluate if it's something I want to continue.  Meanwhile, I will continue to coordinate the Idaho Dietetic Association / Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics blog.  Though written for Registered Dietitians, everyone may find the Tuesday Trends and the WWW.Wed posts of interest.

See you next year.

Live Longer By Eating Fruits and Veggies

A very large study looking at the fruit and vegetable intake of a group of people in Europe over 8 years, found that people who ate 8 portions  of fruits and veggies daily had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease compare to those who ate 3 or fewer.  For each serving over 3, the risk dropped by 4% per serving.  Women saw even greater risk reduction benefits than men.

The study did not count potatoes or dried beans as vegetables because of the higher carbohydrate and calories of those foods.  Only fresh fruit was counted (not canned) and nuts, seeds and olives were not counted either. A half-million people from 10 countries were included in the EPIC study with 313,074 in this assessment.  

The reasons for the reduced risks are not entirely clear.  Changes to cholesterol levels and blood pressure have been considered as have certain components within the fruits and veggies, but the detailed analysis of this study neither confirm nor refute those theories.

This is not the first study to show the benefits of eating more fruits and veggies, but this study shows how strong the connection really is. 

"Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality From Ischaemic Heart Disease"  European Heart Journal. 2011; 32(10):1235-1243

Beets

I went to the farmer's market this weekend where I found the golden beets to be absolutely irresistable.  Quite honestly, I had forgotten how much I like beets until I bought some for the veggie challenge.

My preferred way to cook beets is to roast them, but with summer time temperatures in the mid-90's F, I opted to steam them instead.  It took 20 minutes for them to get tender, and I tossed the green beans in for the last 5 minutes. 

After they cooled, I used a paper towel to rub the skins off the beets.

I was trying to think of a way to turn them into a salad without having the red and the gold bleed all over everything.  I diced the red beets then tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and arranged them on a bed of lettuce.  After rinsing the red out of the bowl I made another batch of vinegrette for the golden beets and green beans that included rice vinegar and a little mustard.  Some leftover diced chicken finished the dish.  (I included some crumbled blue cheese on mine too. YUM!) 

This turned out to be a great Cooking-While-Quilting meal.  The veggies cooked while I was sewing away at the machine and it only took 10 minutes (of my very valuable crafting time) to chop and assemble a yummy and healthy meal.  Oh...and if you don't normally eat beets...don't be alarmed when you go to the bathroom. (Everything changes to beet colors for a day or so.)

1/2 cup of beets is only 37 calories and provides 17% Daily Value for folate, 7% potassium, 5% vitamin C as well as 2 grams of fiber. (Source:  NutritionData.com) 

Success with Veg!

The variety challenge is over, and I was able to use most (but not all) of the produce from the shopping spree. 

I really like roasted roots, but I wasn't about to turn the oven on and roast something for 40 minutes when it's 90 degrees outside. The parsnip, turnip and rutabega, I diced and steamed in the microwave  until they were tender (about 10 min).  Then I threw them in a pan with a little olive oil & garlic to brown them up.  A pinch of salt, pepper and rosemary for flavor.

The beets I cooked whole in the microwave also, about 8 minutes.  I diced them and some bartlet pears and made a vinegrette with a mix of balsamic and rice wine vinegar.  The beet juice turned the pears hot pink!  What's NOT to love about a food that's both of my favorite colors (lime & fuchsia). Then it was topped with a sprinkle of blue cheese.  Yum! 

I made a tomatillo sauce from the leek (slowly cooked in a little olive oil until they started to carmelize), then the tomatillos were added along with a jalapeno, sorrano, anaheim and poblano pepper (I removed the seeds to reduce the heat) and simmered until everything was soft.  That whole mess was tossed in the blender. 

My taste testers decided at that point that it was salsa.  So we added some salt and lime and ate a good bit of it with tortilla chips.

I also mixed some with some pre-cooked salad shrimp, diced tomatoes, avocado and blueberries and served them in boats made from the endive.

The butternut and acorn squash were also cooked in the microwave about 15 minutes.  The flesh was then mashed (potato masher) and some real maple syrup added.  This was a HUGE hit with my family who won't eat squash any other way. 

I'm still picking away at the cool fruit that I bought.  And the radichio and purple kale are still languishing in the fridge.  The challenge participants have until noon to send me thier lists.

Too much????

It’s all together possible that I got a little carried away at the grocery store in my attempt to catch up with Angela.  I wonder how many I really can eat in the next 4 meals.

Variety

The variety challenge at work has really ignited interest for some of my co-workers.  But why worry about variety in fruits and veggies anyway? 

It's easy to forget that each fruit or vegetable has it's own combination of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that help to prevent chronic diseases and keep us healthy.  

Here's a chart that compares 4 types of salad greens and the nutrients that we generally consider as being reasons to eat these foods.  By eating a variety of salad greens, you're sure to get the best of all the nutrients.

Chicken Veggie Salad

Here's one of my "proportion" recipes that makes it easy for singles and cooks of large families to easily adjust.  I served this on Chibatta Rolls for lunch.  This evening it was made into a tortilla wrap by one of the girl's friends, and considered a dip with crackers by my older daughter. 

Chicken Salad
For each portion:
1/2 cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, shredded
10 cherries, pitted and sliced/chopped
1/4 apple, diced
1 mini sweet pepper or 1/4 bell pepper
1 green onion (white & green parts)
Ranch dressing - to taste.

My Friday fruit & veggie variety count included: celery, carrot, cherries, apple, peppers, scallions, hominy, black eyed peas, pintos, kidney beans, great northern beans, green beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, Spanish onion, red leaf lettuce, pea pods.  My volume was less impressive, only 6 servings...unless I get to count wine as grapes.

Sneaky Treats

Looking for a way to sneak more fruits and vegetables into your diet?  Try fruit or veggie purees in baked goods.  The first time I made this, I was using up some canned carrots that I had purchased for a camping trip and never used.  Canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes or peaches would work well, as would any kind of left-over cooked winter squash.  This is perfect for a pot-luck or staff meeting where people want "just a bite" of something new.