Monday, April 29, 2013

Things I'm Loving Right Now!

Right now I am loving my life! I begin staff relief tomorrow, finished my grad class, and had an interview last Friday for an internship with Culver's Corporation! 

And guess what....I just found out I got the job with Culver's Corporation! To celebrate the warmer weather and my new job, I have made a list of things I am loving right now!


1. Bolthouse Farm Honey Mustard Yogurt -- only 45 calories in 2 tbsp! Wow! This dressing is creamy and loaded with flavor. A little goes a long way so don't worry about the calories. I always put 2 tbsp in a small container to add to my salad. (It is also a great vegetable dip).


2. Plumeria Bath and Body Works body spray. It has a slightly floral scent that makes me smell fresh!


3. California Avocado Oil - one of my best friends gave this to me and it is AMAZING! The avocado oil is high in Vitamin E, unsaturated fats, and has a high smoke point making it a great oil for stir fry. I made a vegetable pasta dish and it was delicious! I highly recommend trying avocado oil.


4. Adidas running shoes -- after 2 months of healing my hip and refraining from all aerobic activity, I am officially hitting the trails again. Why not begin my training with a new pair of shoes! Remember, shoes only last 400-500 miles.


5. Culver's Corporation -- Culver's began in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1987 and has grown to more than 475 franchises in 19 states. I grew up going to Culver's and my favorite part of the menu was getting the Kid's Menu because it had a voucher for ice cream! I will be starting my Nutrition Internship with Culver's in 1 month, this is an incredible opportunity and I am very excited. 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Cinnabon Muffins


Sometime I need a sweet breakfast. Something sugary and flavorful but will keep me full until lunch. I decided to make "semi-homemade" Cinnabon Muffins to meet my sweet treat. This recipe is super simple and quick. I did add protein rich Greek Yogurt and Cottage Cheese to improve the nutrient profile. These muffins are AMAZING! You can eat them for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. If you choose one for breakfast, pair it with a yogurt or glass of milk.

A normal store-bought muffin will have between 300-500 calories, depending on the size. It will be LOADED with saturated fat and very low in protein. Be semi-homemade....start with a mix and add healthy items to make your muffins healthier. Be in charge of your food.

Cinnabun Muffins
Servings: 18 muffins
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes

1 box Pillsbury Quick Bread Cinnamon Swirl
1 egg
1 (7 oz) container of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt (they have 7 oz containers)
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
3/4 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cinnamon chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F convection. Spray 2 12-cup muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. 


In a large bowl mix all the ingredients. Add the cinnamon chips last. Put a heaping spoonful of batter on the bottom of each muffin pan. Top with the brown sugar that comes in the Quick Bread box. Fill the rest of the muffin pan with batter until 3/4 full. Top with more of the brown sugar mix. 


Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.


Nutrition Information (1 muffin):
Calories: 158
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 4.6 g
Carbohydrate: 15 g
Sodium: 160 mg
Cholesterol: 10 mg

Monday, April 15, 2013

Turkey & Vegetable Mini Meatloaf


I love meatloaf! It is one of my all time favorite meals. Today I decided to make turkey and vegetable meatloaf using my new mini meatloaf pan. Meatloaf is like one giant meatball. Many meatloaf recipes are made using high fat ground beef, bacon, and breadcrumbs. Today I decided to give it a healthy twist by using 99% lean ground turkey and adding a TON of vegetables. This recipe makes 2 large meatloaves or 13 mini meatloaves. You cannot even taste the vegetables!

This recipe does take time to prepare, but it is DEFINITELY worth the effort. There are a lot of vegetables that need to be cut up. I highly recommend using a mixture or food processor. This makes the vegetables very small and allows the vegetable mixture to blend VERY well with the ground turkey.  

If you are interested in my beef and vegetable meatloaf recipe check it out using this link: Slim Meatloaf

Turkey & Vegetable Mini Meatloaf
Servings: 13
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds 99% lean ground turkey
2 large eggs
3/4 cup old fashioned (ground)rolled oats
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1 medium yellow onion
3 carrots, chopped very fine
1 large green zucchini, shredded
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped very fine
1 large green pepper, chopped very fine
4 cloves garlic, minced

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup yellow mustard



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F convection. Spray a loaf sized baking pain or mini meatloaf pan with Pam spray. Dust with flour. This will prevent the meatloaf from sticking to the pan.


Chop all the vegetables and place into individual bowls. Saute the onion until softened (3-5 minutes). Add carrots and bell pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes to soften the vegetables.


Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until most of the moisture is gone and the vegetables are very soft. This will take another 5-10 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.


In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, oats, parsley, eggs, tomato paste, paprika, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. 


Mix in the vegetables. 


Empty the mixture into the mini meatloaf pan, filling the meatloaves to the top. The meatloaf will shrink a bit when it is cooked. Top with 1-2 tbsp glaze (I like a lot of glaze so I always make extra).


Bake until browned and meat is thoroughly cooked through. This will take 28-30 minutes. 


Package into individual containers and take to work or school!


Nutrition Information: 
(1 mini meatloaf + 1 tbsp glaze)
Calories: 157
Protein: 20 g
Fat: 2.8 g
Carbohydrate: 15 g
Fiber: 2.2 g
Sodium: 520 mg
Cholesterol: 67 mg

Monday, April 8, 2013

My Healthy Snacks!

This week is extremely busy! I am in the final stages of data collection for my research project and will be running my statistics soon! In addition I have to give 2 presentations before the end of the week to complete my renal rotation! So much to do and so little time. To prepare for the crazy week, I stocked up on vegetables and pre-packaged them to be prepared for a snack attack. I also make individual portions of oatmeal to prepare for those days when I have to stay late at work and will not get home until 7 or 8 pm. This way, when hunger strikes I am prepared with low calorie snacks rather than falling for unhealthy vending machine items.

Don't forget the tips from my healthy snacking post! Check out my snacks below! 



1. Wash and chop fresh vegetables (any you like!).
2. Package into baggies.
3. Mix 1 cup water with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1/2 banana. Heat for 2 minutes on HIGH. Stir and add 1/4 cup sugar free pancake syrup and dash of cinnamon.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Lemon Bars

One of my girlfriends was hosting a dinner party last week and asked me to make lemon bars! I contemplated making a true lemon bar, complete with loads of butter and sugar, but then decided to make a lighter version of this decadent dessert.

The typical lemon bar has 250-300 calories, 10-15 grams fat, and 30-40 grams sugar per serving. My lemon bars have 150 calories, 6 grams fat, and 15 grams sugar. In addition, most lemon bar recipes have 36-40 servings, but my recipe makes 24 servings -- therefore you get a BIGGER lemon bar that has LESS calories! Call this a winning recipe!

Check out my Lemon Bar recipe below. Be sure to use fresh lemons! The strong flavor of fresh lemons disguises the fact that there is less sugar. These are a great spring recipe! Now go make some lemon bars!

Lemon Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cups butter (1 1/2 sticks)
Filling
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp flour
3 tsp grated lemon peel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with Parchment Paper, extending the paper up the sides of the pan. 
2. Combine crust ingredients in a large bowl and mix until crumbly. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.


3. Mix together filling ingredients. Wash the fresh lemons before zesting and mix into the filling. Pour filling onto the crust. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-35 minutes, or until the filling is set and the edges begin to turn brown. (I had to bake mine for 35 minutes).


4. Remove from the oven and let cool for an hour. Remove from the baking pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, place on a cutting board and cut into 24 pieces. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.



Nutrition Information(per serving)
Calories: 152
Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrate: 22 g
Protein: 2 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Sodium: 52 mg

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Strategic Snacking


A key to a healthy lifestyle is strategic snacking. Snacking has been shown to help with weight management, prevent overeating at your next meal, helps to keep your energy level high all day, helps you focus better in class and subsequently scoring higher on tests. Snacking has also been shown to be successful to help control blood sugar levels for those with diabetes. 

A healthy snack should contain:

  • 100-200 calories
  • 5 grams protein
  • 15-30 grams carbohydrate
  • 3 grams fiber


It is also important to choose items that are low in fat and sodium. Remember that snacks are meant to be a SNACK...not a meal. Use my 5 strategies to smart snacking to be a smart and effective snacker:
1. Check your HUNGER level. Are you actually hungry? Or are you tired? Bored? Lonely? Happy? Or did you just see a food commercial on TV? If you are not hungry, skip the snack until you are.

2. Check your FLUID level. Are you thirsty rather than hungry? It is easy to confuse the signals for hunger and thirst. Try drinking a glass of water before you dig into a snack.

3. Prepare healthy snacks in advance. Cut up fruit and vegetables and put them in “grab and go” baggies in the fridge. Make your own trail mix – you can control the ingredients and bag them in small zip lock baggies. Being prepared will prevent you from purchasing something unhealthy when a hunger attack strikes.


4. Satisfy your cravings with healthier options. Healthy snacking does not have to be boring. Try to choose items that are lower in fat and sodium. Check out some healthy substitutions:


Instead of….                        Try…                                                                        
Chips                                    Pretzels with spicy mustard
Pop Tart                               Rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins
Ice cream                              Low fat ice cream or yogurt ice cream
Chocolate bar                       Sugar-free hot chocolate


5. Remember PORTION CONTROL. What looks like a small package of cookies or chips can contain 2 or more servings — which means double or even triple the amounts of fat, calories, and sugar shown on the label. Make sure you look at the serving size on the package or try taking 1 handful of chips or pretzels and then putting the bag away. This will limit your temptation to go back for more.


Friday, April 5, 2013

Run or Walk?

I have recently been recovering from tendinitis in my hip, a running injury I sustained back in September after completing my second half marathon. I continued to exercise despite the terrible pain and now my I am paying for it. This recovery is absolutely dreadful! I have completely eliminated any and all activities that will exacerbate my hip. This means no running, biking, skiing, rollerblading, spin class, swimming, and lower body weight lifting. After much patience, I have started walking for 20-30 minutes every day. However I am losing my patience and want to get back to running. Then today I came upon this article!

Check it out using this link:  http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=675046 or http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/04/04/ATVBAHA.112.300878.abstract


This article from the Journal of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology tested whether equivalent energy expenditure (which means the same number of calories burnt) by moderate intensity and vigorous intensity exercise provides equivalent health benefits  The moderate intensity exercise was walking, and the vigorous intensity exercise was running.

Using subjects from the National Runners' and Walkers' Health Study cohort of 33,060 subjects, the research team examined the effect of differences in exercise mode and intensity on coronary heart disease risk factors, including hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. After 6.2 years of follow-up, the results showed:

- Reduced the risk of high blood pressure by 4.2% and walking reduced the risk by 7.2%
- Running reduced the risk for high cholesterol by 4.3% and walking lowered the risk by 7%
- Running lowered the risk for diabetes by  12.1% and walking reduced the risk by 12.3%
- Running decreased the risk of heart disease 4.5% and walking reduced the risk by 9.3%

Overall, these results show that when equivalent calories are burnt by moderate (walking) and vigorous (running) exercise, similar risk reductions will be seen for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

So if you have been in the same position as me, questioning whether you should run or walk, reconsider walking! Walking puts less pressure on your joints than running AND you will get the same health benefits as running! I will never again poke fun at my mom for speed walking every morning! Sorry mom!