Leggo your Eggo

 Our mothers and grandmothers have been telling us for years, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  They were right.  A substantial breakfast gives you  energy to get your day started and helps prevent high calorie late night snacking.  Many dieters think that by giving up breakfast they are saving calories and well on their way to weight loss.  WRONG!  Breakfast should consist of 400-700 calories depending upon your calorie needs.  This does not mean you want to indulge in biscuits & gravy each morning, but it does mean that wimpy bowl of Special K won't cut it either.

Not everyone likes typical breakfast fare, which is fine since a lot of typical breakfast foods are worthless. Foods such as pop-tarts, eggo-waffles, and white toast with margarine are almost exclusively refined carbohydrates that will leave you running on empty within an hour or two.  If you like foods such as chili, beef and bean burritos,  turkey sandwiches, stir-fry, or lasagna, have them for breakfast.  They all contain a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  By having a substantial breakfast you may soon find yourself better able to concentrate at work and needing less coffee to keep yourself awake at the office meeting.

While eggs may be a typical breakfast item, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower certainly are not.  Twice this week I made a protein packed veggie scramble for breakfast before work.
1/3 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/3 cup MorningStar Farms sausage crumbles
1 egg
1 Tbs catsup

In a nonstick skillet heat a small amount of olive or canola oil over medium high heat.  When the pan and oil are hot, add the frozen vegetables and sausage crumbles.  Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables and "meat" are cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.  Crack an egg over the mixture breaking the yolk.  Move the mixture around in the pan, making sure all of the egg gets cooked.  When the egg is cooked move to a plate and top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese or catsup.
Nutrition: 189 kcal, 8.8g fat, 14.5g carb, 14g protein, 591 mg sodium

Add a slice of whole wheat toast or in my case 1/2 of a sprouted grain english muffin with a smear of low-fat cream cheese and blackberry jam.  I also had a banana and 2 cups of coffee with just a dash of 1/2 and 1/2.  Total my meal came to:
456 kcal, 16.4g fat, 60g carb, 21g protein, 711 mg sodium (that's a little high, mostly from the sausage crumbles and catsup).  This breakfast is high in vitamins B6 and B12, copper, phosphorus, riboflavin,  and thiamin.  All of which are important in normal cell function and metabolism.

So the next time you want to reach for a Nutrigrain bar while running out the door, grab the leftover chicken casserole instead and reap the benefits of a high quality breakfast.

turkey and more turkey

Last weekend Ryan and I hit the poultry jackpot, a 20# turkey at 99 cents/pound.  Thanksgiving may be less than 2 months away, but that price was too good to pass up.  Food sales and "buy one/get one" deals can be a great way to eat for cheap.  Figuring we had 30-50% waste, we still only spent $1.42 to $2.00 per pound of edible portion. There are approximately 32 4 oz servings for a 20# turkey, which means that one serving costs between 50 and 63 cents. Even with the trimmings, this is still a cheap meal.

After a mini turkey feast complete with mashed red potatoes, homemade gravy, steamed broccoli, and stuffing from a box we had approximately 5 Tupperware full of turkey.  Sorry, I did not make stock with the carcass or fry up the giblets.  The rest of the potatoes and stuffing along with a thigh were eaten over the next day or two.  Some turkey ended up on a giant salad for supper Tuesday night.  Now what to do with all those left overs.

On Wednesday I sauteed a diced onion and about 2 oz of chopped crimini mushroom in a little butter.  I mixed it with ricotta cheese and frozen spinach (thawed and drained).  I layered this with about a cup of diced turkey, 9 lasagna noodles, 1 jar of marinara sauce, and topped it off with about 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  It was pretty good, and Ryan was very excited when he found out we were having lasagna for supper.

This morning I woke up and started making what I'm calling Wild Turkey Soup:
In a medium stock pot saute over medium high heat sautee in 2 Tbs canola oil: 2 small onions diced, 3 medium carrots and 2 parsnips cut into thin slices.  As the onions start to soften add 2 cloves of garlic finely minced or pushed through a press.  Also add 0.25 oz of diced dried porcini mushrooms, a large dash of black pepper and thyme.  Continue to cook until the carrots just start to soften.  Pour in 32oz of low sodium chicken broth/stock.  Bring to a boil.  Add 2 cups roughly chopped leftover turkey, 3-4 cups of warm water, and 1 bay leaf.  Decrease the temperature and  back to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Just before serving stir in 1tsp of apple cider vinegar.  Ladle soup over cooked wild rice or other favorite whole grain.
-The porcini mushrooms will add a rich flavor and depth to the soup.  They may need to be reconstituted in warm water to make mincing them easier.
-Do not cook rice into the soup unless you plan on eating all of it at that time.  Otherwise the rice will turn to mush when you reheat it later.

Why eat turkey?  As long as you are not eating highly processed turkey products, and avoiding the crispy skin, Turkey is a great source of lean protein.  A 4 oz portion supplies 65% of your DV for protein.

1 oz of dark meat contains: 56kcals, 2g fat, and 8g protein

1 oz of light meat contains: 44 kcals, 1g fat, and 8g protein

Along with tryptophan the amino acid attributed to bringing on post turkey feast sleepiness, turkey is an excellent source of Selenium.  Selenium is a mineral which has strong antioxidant properties and plays an important role in keeping the immune system strong and the thyroid functioning properly.  While selenium deficiency is rarely seen in the united states it is still prominent in rural China where soil concentrations of selenium are very poor.  Studies show that low selenium levels may increase a person's chances of developing certain types of cancers and make them more susceptible to disease.

We still have about 4 tupperware full of turkey in the freezer.

Food Habits

As a dietitian I quickly learned that people do not want to be judged on what they eat; they already know that candy bars are not ‘healthy’ snack choices.  Dietitians are around to help people learn what a better choice might be and how they can still fit that occasional Snicker’s Bar into their new healthy eating plan.  It’s a form of 'don’t ask, don’t tell;' minus the religious and political controversies.  If you do not ask me how to eat, I will not tell you how to eat.  If you sit down next to me and my salad with your French fries and cookie-dough blizzard, I promise not to judge.  Some days I need a little ice-cream in my diet too.  Food habits are extremely personal and deeply engrained into our lives.  They start when we are born and are influenced by many different factors including but not limited to: religion, social/economic status, family, friends, education, transportation, food availability, season of the year, and disease or medical conditions... the list goes on.

I find it interesting how many nutrition savvy people like to push their food beliefs on other people.  I was scolded the other day for eating baby carrots, and told that I really ought to know better, and that I should just buy the big ones on the weekend to peel and chop up.  For a minute I forgot which one of us was the dietitian.  I explained that I already cook enough on the weekends as it is, and that peeling carrots was about the last thing I wanted to add to my to-do list.  By the way; there is nothing wrong with eating pre-cut baby carrots.

The past couple weeks I've had a few of my new co-workers ask me questions about food/diets. I think my favorite came this week when I was asked if it was true that people should never drink cold liquids, nor should we drink any liquids 20 minutes after eating; apparently it will cause the food in your stomach to gelatinize or solidify.  What?!!  I explained that this is not how the body works and that food in the stomach is digested by stomach acid and enzymes.  However, if not drinking liquids with their meals works for them, and no harm is coming from it, why not...  But lets make sure our science is right and that we are not spreading false information.

It's also amazing how people will eat certain foods even though they hate them, just because they have heard that it is good for them.  I had a woman thank me when I told her she no longer had to eat yogurt everyday (she hated the texture).  Food should be enjoyable. If after several tries you still dislike something, don't eat it.  Of course, this does mean you actually have to try foods and not just assume you do not like them.


Contrary to what some people might have us believe, there is no one diet that is right for everyone, people are different and so are their eating habits.  Until you find out why they eat the way they do, or have solid scientific proof to back up your statements, you probably have no business giving them advice.  

eggplant and lentil curry

Until about 2 years ago I think I had eaten eggplant approximately 2-3 times in my life.  That all changed when I lived with Lindsay during our dietetic internship.  She loves eggplant.  So each week we would split an eggplant and use it however we needed it.  I quickly discovered that unless it was battered and fried (eggplant parm.) I really didn't like it.  So after a couple weeks of trying to cover up the flavor of eggplant in my stir-fry, I finally admitted to Lindsay that I did not like it.

Fast forward to this spring.  Being the RD that I am I decided to give eggplant a second try.  (FYI-sometimes you have to try something 10 times before you learn to like it.)  This time I grilled it on the george-foreman.  It was wonderful! If ever you want to try a new vegetable but do not know what to do with it, grill it.  Olive oil, salt, pepper, and 10 minutes; that's all it takes to make a great side dish.

Last weekend we obtained 5 small homegrown eggplants from a friend's garden.  We grilled three of them with dinner earlier this week, but today I noticed that last two were getting a bit soft.  My Cooking Light cookbook provided me with a wonderful recipe for a vegetarian curry that would not only use up the eggplants, but also some leftover lentils.  The basic recipe goes like this:

Ingredients: 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 medium onion diced, 2 tsp curry powder (garam masala), 2-3 small eggplants peeled and cut into 1" pieces, 2 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 can diced tomatoes, 3 3/4  cups water, 1 cup dry lentils, 2 bay leaves, 1 large zucchini cut into 1" pieces, 1tsp kosher salt.

1.  Heat oil in a large dutch oven or big skillet.  Add onion and curry powder, saute for 3 minutes on medium high.
2. Add the eggplant, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, cook for 7 minutes until the eggplant begins to soften.  3. Add the water, lentils, and bay leaves, simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.

4. Add the salt and zucchini, simmer covered an additional 10 minutes until the zucchini softens.  Serve as is or ladle over your favorite cooked whole grain.  Serves 4-6.

I didn't really expect much for this dish, but wow is it good!  The eggplant gets nice and soft and the lentils make it really hearty.  The flavor is excellent as well.  For anyone wanting to experiment with lentils or eggplant, this would be a perfect first dish.  Plus it's fairly easy to put together.  I have a feeling this would be a big hit at a fall/winter dinner party or family gathering.  Try freezing it in small batches and take them to work for a filling lunch.

Without serving it over a grain, and if serving 6 people, the nutritional values are as follows:
200 kcal, 3g fat, 35g carb, 16g fiber, 11g protein,  (sodium is <400mg, but will vary depending upon the type of canned tomatoes, I use no salt added).

corn sugar coat it

The corn sugar farmers want to change the name of 'High Fructose Corn Syrup' to 'Corn Sugar.'  Why?  Because people heard all the bad press about HFCS and stopped buying products containing it.  Even if this legislation does go through, I really hope the people who made the healthful choice to abstain from HFCS are not fooled by the corn growers sneaky tricks.

Sugar is sugar, from corn, beets, or sugar cane, it's still sugar.  And guess what? Contrary to popular belief, you do not actually need any in your diet.  That's right, none.  While the American Dietetic Association says that consuming 10% of you daily calories from refined sugar is just fine and considered "in moderation," I disagree.  And to let the corn grower's association try and cover up and change the name from HFCS to Corn Sugar is very dubious.

For more on why HFCS is such a nasty product, refer back to one of my previous posts on moderation.