Archive for December, 2012

HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES

December 8, 2012 · Filed under Food/Nutrition

Recently, a client of mine asked me if I could start posting “healthy” recipes for muffins and cookies. To me, that seemed like an oxymoron. The reason why I haven’t posted recipes like this is because often, while they have healthy ingredients (unsaturated oils, eggs, dried fruit, dark chocolate, whole wheat flour) together, they add up to a lot of calories for not much quantity. OR, the recipe will produce a low-calorie muffin but with a very low-calorie-muffin-taste.

My feeling is that you should eat the “real mccoy”, as long as you watch the portion size and have it as a special treat. Since muffins and cookies tend to be supersized, it definitely means sharing. But that’s ok………share!

However, if you are dead set on baking “healthy muffins”, check out this link.

http://family.go.com/food/pkg-healthy-recipes/healthy-muffin-recipes-pg/

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QUINOA-RICE PILAF WITH DILL AND ROASTED TOMATOES

December 6, 2012 · Filed under Recipes

Quinoa-Rice Pilaf with Dill and Roasted Tomatoes 

I like this recipe because it can be a great introduction to quinoa for those people who are reluctant to try it. My husband is not a huge fan, so when I made this recipe, instead of using half rice and half quinoa, I used ¾ cup rice and ¼ cup quinoa. It has wonderful flavors.

ingredients

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 sticks of celery, sliced

½ t cumin

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup basmati rice

½ cup quinoa

2-3 T fresh dill, chopped

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 T toasted pine nuts (see note below)

directions

Pre-heat the oven to 3500F. Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. (You can also spay the tomatoes with olive oil if you have a “misto” bottle.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large saucepan (with a lid). Add the onion, celery, cumin and garlic and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Season to taste. Add the rice and quinoa and coat in the onion mixture. Add the dill and stock. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is soft. Add the roasted tomatoes and the pine nuts and gently stir. Serve with white fish or a green salad.

NOTE: To toast the pine nuts, simply place them in a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. Shake the skillet frequently to ensure even browning—the pine nuts are small and full of rich oil, and will burn quickly if you don’t watch carefully. When the nuts are fragrant and browned, take the pan off the heat.

(Adapted from a recipe found on http://www.bbcgoodfood.com)

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CAN MY PERONALITY FLAW ACTUALLY BE A GOOD THING?

December 4, 2012 · Filed under Health

My family always criticizes me for moving too fast. My son calls me “road runner” and  my daughter shakes her head at me. My husband is so used to my fast, impulsivity, that he no longer says a thing. But I know what he’s thinking!

However, this “fast flaw” can be a good thing when it comes to having a stroke.

Most people understand what a heart attack is:  There’s some type of blockage to the heart causing a lack of blood flow leading to damage to the heart muscle. Well, this same thing can happen in the brain. So really, we can say that a stroke is simply a heart attack in the brain.

The real issue with stroke is that time is of the essence. When strokes are treated as soon as possible, outcomes are significantly better. There seems to be a crucial THREE-HOUR window to get treatment. The problem is that often times people dive immediately into denial and don’t act fast enough. (I now understand this as I didn’t act quickly enough with my gallbladder! NO MORE!)

I searched the internet for the best way to remember signs of stroke. I found a great acronym, FAST, to remember stroke signs.

Please remember FAST. To me, having a stroke is  all about the quality of life after it happens. Acting FAST may prevent people from having trouble speaking, walking or winding up in a nursing home. So don’t over think this. Just move FAST and get help!!

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A LITTLE PARM GOES A LONG WAY

December 2, 2012 · Filed under Food/Nutrition

I find that whenever I’m talking about nutrition to a client, we enter into negotiations:
Client: Can I still drink wine?

Me: Yes but you have to watch HOW MUCH.

Client: What about a glass while I’m cooking and glass during dinner?

Me: What about a glass while cooking OR a glass during dinner?

The two greatest negotiable foods seem to be wine and cheese.

Cheese is a tough one. While it’s a good source of calcium, it needs to be eaten in small quantities due to its high caloric and saturated fat content. Who wants to eat just a thumb-size portion of cheese? A solution is to switch to the lower fat versions but often people complain that these just don’t taste the same. They want the real stuff.

I find that one cheese that is loaded with flavor and goes a long way is Parmesan–especially if its aged. A tablespoon of grated Parmesan has 22 calories and will add a lot of flavor to salads, pasta dishes, omelets, soups, and bean dishes. A tablespoon of shredded cheddar, gouda, or mozzarella, just doesn’t do that much.

So try some grated Parmesan because it’s the one cheese where a little goes a long way.

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