Cabbage with Walnuts & Apples

Everyone talks about eating "heart healthy." But what does that mean? A heart healthy diet consists of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy, unsaturated fats, fiber and minimal sodium. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, a wealth of vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Low-fat dairy contains protein and calcium and to support bone growth and muscle development. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats do not clog your arteries like saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil. Choosing foods that are low sodium are helpful to lower blood pressure and reduce pressure on your heart. And lastly, lean meats contain less saturated fat and calories while providing protein essential to build muscles. 

Recent research from the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that the heart healthy effects of following a Mediterranean diet are similar to the effect of taking statins. Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs that can reduce bad cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol. The benefits of adding 1-1.5 oz of nuts per day and replacing unhealthy saturated fats with heart healthy unsaturated fats like canola oil and olive oil are simple tricks to improve your overall diet to help protect against heart disease.  However, it is important to remember that when you add nuts and heart healthy oils into your diet, you must take out the same amount of calories from unhealthy fats. This means the overall calories remain the same, you are just substituting heart healthy calories for less heart healthy calories. 

Here are the correct portion sizes and calories of nuts:

1 oz walnuts (14 halves)     190 calories

1 oz peanuts (29 nuts)        160 calories

1 oz cashews (20 nuts)       162 calories
1 oz almonds (23 nuts)       165 calories
1 oz pecans (20 halves)      195 calories
1 tbsp Olive oil                   120 calories
1 tbsp Canola oil                120 calories

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post -- my grandpa made this recipe about a month ago and I could not resist sharing it after reading the results of the latest study! This recipe truly encompasses the Mediterranean diet! It is filled with vegetables, heart healthy oil, walnuts, and fruit all in one recipe!

Cabbage with Walnuts & Apples

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, sliced thin

2 green delicious apples, cored and sliced thinly

1 purple onion, sliced very thin

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Place thinly sliced cabbage in a large non-stick skillet pan with 2 

    tbsp olive oil. Saute on medium heat 5 minutes until cabbage 

    begins to soften.

2. Add sliced apples. After 2 minutes add sliced onion. Continue to 

    saute until soft. The cabbage should be easy to cut into. Salt and 

    pepper to taste.

3. Mix in chopped walnuts and serve! This pairs well with a hearty 

    loaf of bread!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 297

Protein: 6g

Carbohydrates: 37g

Fat: 17g

Fiber: 10g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 49 m

Hearty Super Bowl Chili

What is better than chili on a cold winter day! Yesterday my mom, grandma, and three aunts began cleaning out my grandmother's house. After a full day of hard work we sat down to a hearty bowl of chili. I will not lie, but it was PERFECT! 

My aunt made the chili and was so kind to allow me post her recipe! She also made the recipe healthier by substituting high fat meats for leaner rounds. She replaced the ground beef with lean beef, ground turkey, and turkey sausage rather than regular sausage. Lean meat has less saturated fat and cholesterol is healthier for your heart. It is also an excellent source of protein!

Do you enjoy spicy food? I love spicy food and so does my aunt! She substituted diced tomatoes for Rotel Tomatoes to add a little kick! Check out the recipe below and let me know what changes you made to improve the recipe even more! 

Hearty Super Bowl Chili
Serves: 12
Adapted from Simple, Fresh & Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped (mix red, orange, yellow, and green)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 (28 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp chili powder
2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the meat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and stir in onion, peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, allspice, and cloves. Add Rotel tomatoes and tomato sauce.
3. Stir in brown sugar, chili powder, green chilies, and kidney beans.
4. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with plain yogurt, low-fat cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.

Nutrition Information: (per serving)
Calories: 288
Protein: 27g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fat: 9g
Dietary Fiber: 8g
Cholesterol: 78mg
Sodium: 1,081