After twenty plus years in the corporate world I am embarking on a new adventure, a career in Nutrition and Dietetics. Many chronic illnesses can be prevented with eating right, exercise and smoking cessation. So let's talk about the food..and eating healthy without sacrificing taste in a sustainable, affordable way!
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" That was the mantra in my house growing up, second only to, "Finish your plate because there are people starving in China." Growing up, breakfast was a challenge because I didn't like eggs, cereal or pancakes for that matter. My father was the son of two Irish immigrants and anyone who has ever been to Ireland has more than likely has experienced a big Irish breakfast. He felt it was his duty to ensure a proper start to the day for both my brother and I.
As a child I would sit in front of my breakfast until it turned cold. I usually smothered it in ketchup, because ketchup made everything more palatable. But I think my parents were a bit overzealous in the portion sizes they would serve me. So there I sat, waiting for them to leave the room so I could feed my uneaten breakfast to my beagle, Tippy. She was so good at catching my food; it rarely ever made it to the floor. Whatever did land on the floor was cleaned up instantly and voraciously...Tippy never ratted me out.
Years later, research showed that too many eggs were not healthy and resulted in high cholesterol, a fate my father (and my dog) suffered from. My dad humbly apologized and admitted he may have been a bit too "gung-ho" on the eggs and he changed his breakfast to become a healthy bowl of raisin bran.
When I went to New Hampshire for Orientation, one of the meals I had to prepare for 23 other people was breakfast. Half of our group were vegetarians, so eggs were an important protein for this group. To make matters even more challenging, my breakfast assignment was on the last day of class and the internship directors understandably, asked if we might "use up" the leftovers so we didn't throw away a lot of food. I was actually a bit encouraged by this concept because there seemed to be an abundance of healthy cereals, bananas, peanut butter, raisins and some chocolate which brought to mind a recipe for frozen granola bars my son Brian shared with me. However, when we got to the last day, the bananas had mysteriously disappeared, the chocolate and most of the cereal had been eaten. That meant breakfast would have to include eggs... One of my classmates, Roda, pitched in to help me by using egg whites, spinach and feta cheese to make a Frittata. Alexia made the scrambled and hard boiled eggs, leaving me to make the breakfast sausage (turkey sausage of course). It all worked out, but when I came home I decided to make those frozen granola bars. With a little finesse and a handful of napkins, you can actually eat them in the car, on the way to work. Here's the recipe:
Frozen Granola Bars 1 banana (peeled and mashed) 1/4 light peanut butter 1 cup low fat granola or Kashi cereal 1/4 cup raisins (or other dried fruit, if you prefer) 1/4 cup chocolate chips Mash the above ingredients together and spoon into bar shapes in wax paper. (I make about six with the above ingredients, but you could make four if you like a bigger breakfast.) Freeze and grab in the morning with a piece of fruit and coffee.
And so it began, the start of my dietetic internship…ORIENTATION…a week in a lodge, situated on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire with 19 other interns with our three directors, our mentors. Twenty four of us together…eating together, cooking together, sharing bathrooms and enjoying the lake view together. There was excitement, there was homesickness, there were differences of opinion, diverse backgrounds and ages, there was skepticism, but most of all there was a lot of fun and camaraderie. Within our group we had Californians, someone born in Nigeria, people of Asian descent (Korea, China, Philippines), two women from Mumbai, India, a group from the midwest, the southeast, a few Bostonians, and a couple of native New Yorkers. We took turns cooking together and preparing meals for the rest of the group -- dinner, lunch and breakfast and dessert. A unique experience for me was to be involved in eating and preparing some traditional Indian recipes. At the end of orientation I asked my new friends, Sweta and Mital for their recipes. And they accommodated me. The first recipe was delicately spicy, the second had a bit more of a kick and benefited from being served with Raita, a yogurt, cucumber and cilantro sauce served as a side. Thanks to Sweta for sharing.
Biryani (Rice with vegetables) Ingredients: • For rice o 1 cup basmati or long grain rice o 2 cups water o 2 tablespoons oil o 1 teaspoon cumin seeds o 2 bay leaves o 1 teaspoon salt • For vegetables o 3 tablespoons oil o 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) o 1 medium sized potato, chopped into 1/2″ cubes o 1 carrot, chopped o 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces o 1 cup frozen green peas o 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped o 2 long sliced green peppers o 1 teaspoon grated ginger o 1 teaspoon salt o 1/2 teaspoon garam masala o 1 tablespoon lemon juice • For garnish: o 2 tablespoons minced cilantro Preparing the rice: 1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the oil by adding one cumin seed; if seed cracks right away oil is ready. 2. Add cumin seeds after cumin seeds crack add bay leaves and stir for few seconds. 3. Next add the rice. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. 4. Add water and salt, bring to a boil and turn the heat to low. Cover the pan. 5. Cook about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Preparing the vegetables: 1. Use a frying pan to cook the vegetables. Add the vegetables in steps, the vegetables that need the most time to cook are added first and the vegetables that need the least time will be added last. 2. Heat the oil in frying pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away oil is ready. 3. Add cumin seeds after cumin seeds crack, add potatoes, stir-fry them for about 2 minutes. 4. Add cauliflower and carrots. Let them cook for about another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5. Next add green peas, bell pepper, ginger and green chilies. Let the vegetables cook for a few minutes till vegetables are tender. Turn off the heat. 6. Add garam masala and lemon juice. 7. Next gently fold the rice into the vegetables. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish the rice dish with cilantro. Serves 2 to4. (http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/20/vegetable-rice-pulav/)
When my kids were small we used to love to take them apple picking. We always thought the apples tasted better because we hand selected them ourselves. We are visiting my daughter soon and I thought I would bring her apples from the orchard nearby. (Although I suppose if she's reading this, she won't be surprised anymore.) One of my favorite things about going to the orchard is the smell of the apple pies baking and the scent of the cider with cinnamon. I love apple crisp, but, peeling the apples loses the benefits of the fiber in the apple. I usually add oats to my apple crisp, but recently found an easier way to make baked stuffed apples.
Use an apple corer to remove the core. Heat one teaspoon of light butter and add the following: 1 Tbsp Oats 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp raisins 1 tsp chopped almonds 1/2 tsp cinnamon After mixing the ingredients together, gently fill the middle of the apple with the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (bake longer if you prefer the apple to be a bit softer).
Apples, oats, raisins and nuts are rich in fiber and have the ability to make us feel full and help to "keep things moving." Fiber helps protects our digestive tract from diverticulosis and colon cancer. But these ingredients also have a lot of soluble fiber which helps to lower LDL or bad cholesterol. So as the saying goes, "..an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
One of the best ways to get the most out of your food is to eat foods in season whenever possible. Now, in the middle of September the tomatoes are so abundant. Who doesn't love a home grown tomato? Aside from eating it like an apple, in a salad, on a homemade pizza, making bruschetta or with basil and fresh mozzarella, what else can you do with tomatoes? Since I grew so many this year, I am going to try freezing them whole. This way when it gets cold in late fall or early winter, I can use the frozen tomatoes in lieu of canned tomatoes, for homemade soups. Granted, they won't be usable in a salad, but the advantage of using frozen tomatoes rather than canned is much less sodium. I'll let you know how it tastes!
It is nearing the end of September, with the leaves changing color and butternut squash is in season. Butternut squash is a winter squash high in vitamin A, Potassium, Manganese, and Magnesium. It is also a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids, a healthy fat providing protection from heart disease, central nervous system disorders, depression and rheumatoid arthritis. Winter squash refers to the category of squash with a thicker skin, as opposed to a summer squash like zucchini. It has a long shelf life but can look a bit daunting to cook because of it's thick skin, but once cut up it makes a delicious soup. The recipe below was given to me by my friend Michele; I have made it many times, including as a first course at Thanksgiving! I usually double the recipe and freeze half so I can reheat it with a sandwich on a night I get home late from work. Vitamin A (Retinol) is important for protecting skin, hair, bones and our immune system. Retinol is also believed to have anti-aging properties (check the back label of any anti-aging cream and you will probably see Retinol listed).
Try this soup! Curried Butternut Squash Soup 2 tsp. canola oil or olive oil 1 cup diced onion 2 celery stalks chopped 1 tablespoon curry powder (cumin works well too if you don't have curry) 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth (more or less broth depending on how large the squash and how thin or thick you like your soup) 1 butternut squash (about 2 lb.) peeled and chopped with seeds removed 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 4 Tbsp nonfat plain greek yogurt or low fat sour cream (optional) 4 tsp. chopped fresh chives (optional) Heat oil in stock pot and add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add curry powder and cook for one more minute. Add squash, broth (I like the broth to just cover the squash cubes, but you can make thicker or thinner according to your taste.) Add salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes until squash is soft. Then take small batches and put in blender or food processor until soup is smooth. Pour into bowls and serve.
