Leader Enterprise - January 15, 2014 - Tips to help with a Healthy New Year

(Things got a little messed up with my regular publishing cycle.  I just found this in my drafts and even though it was intended for a January post, I'm sure these ideas can still be helpful and hopefully inspirational to many...) 

Since the most popular new year's resolutions seem to be getting healthy and losing weight, I wanted to share these ideas to help upgrade your healthy eating plan with these nutritional no-brainers! I certainly need practical ideas to consider in my every day eating,especially when I'm trying to make changes.

***Article written and shared by: Julie Upton, M.S., R.D., CSSD,Appetite for Health; Co-Author, 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions 

Overnight Baked Oatmeal

Here are ways you can slash the unhealthy saturated fat, added sugars, excess sodium and make your diet all-around healthier with these 10 simple steps.

-Fill your salt shaker with pepper and your pepper shaker with salt. Since salt shakers have more holes the switcheroo will help to slash your sodium intake.

-If you taste-test while cooking, you can add hundreds of mindless calories to your diet. To break this bad habit, chew gum while cooking or place a piece of masking tape over your mouth (really, it works!).

-Eat whole nuts in lieu of nut butters to trim calories. Research shows that when eating whole almonds or pistachios, some of the fat in the nuts is not absorbed by the body, making the available calories less that what’s on the label. Almonds are 25% lower in available calories and pistachios are 6% lower than labels state.

-If you watch TV, use your recorder to tape no more than two hour’s worth of programming per day and watch it later so you can fast-forward through all the food or beverage advertising. You’ll avoid the stimuli that triggers areas of the brain that make us want high-calorie foods.

-When making pasta dishes or casseroles for dinner, add additional vegetables to the dish. Pumping up the volume while keeping calories low is a way to trick your tummy full while cutting around 150 calories from your meal.

-Use a light, 100-calorie, fiber-rich wrap (i.e., Flat-Out) instead of two slices of bread when making sandwiches.You’ll save about 60 calories while getting more filling fiber and protein. Or use leaf lettuce in place of bread and shave about 150 calories from your sandwich.

-Eat your meals off smaller plates and bowls and you’ll serve yourself about 10 percent less, which can add up to hundreds of calories less every day. Strive for bowls that hold no more than 1 ½ cups and plates that are less than 9”in diameter.

-When whipping up whole gains, opt for quinoa. It has more filling protein than any other whole grain (4 grams per ½ cup serving).

-Opt for the more deeply-colored foods for more antioxidant benefits. Examples: Choose pink grapefruit instead of white; red grapes in lieu of green grapes; and vibrant green and red salad greens instead of the pale iceberg.

-Drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water every day to help elevate your metabolic rate (metabolism). So if you weigh 150 pounds,you should drink 75 ounces of water every day.

-Move a little more each day. Exercise is a natural way to stimulate many of our important “mood” hormones, including serotonin and dopamine. Just 15 to 20 minutes of exercise every day will naturally release these feel-good hormones that are so vital to feeling happy and balanced. Your family will thank you and you'll thank yourself.

This luscious soup recipe,from Nancy at Skinny Kitchen's website (www.skinnykitchen.com) can be made with turkey or chicken. It's chocked full of fiber; you'll love it. This soup freezes great.

Skinny Chicken Barley Soup

SKINNY TURKEY BARLEY SOUP 

One cup has just 142 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 3 Weight Watchers Points PLUS. It’s so low in fat and calories,you can serve it as a main course soup with 2 hearty cups!

1 (48 ounce) container Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (32-oz) container Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 c. dried pearl barley

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1-1/2 c. carrots, sliced

1-1/2 c. celery, sliced

1-1/2 c. onions, chopped

1 (12 oz) bag peeled and chopped butternut squash or 2-1/2 c. butternut squash, peeled and chopped 

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried sage

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 lb.cooked turkey breasts or chicken, cubed

In a large pot, add the chicken broth and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime, in a nonstick pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Add butternut squash, thyme, sage an fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and stir with a rubber spatula so the squash doesn’t get mushy. Cook for 5 minutes more. This soup freezes great. Yield: 12 cups (Tip:poke holes into the whole squash and microwave for about 3 minutes. It will soften the skin so you should be able to peel it with a potato peeler.) 

Another recipe from Skinny Kitchen blog.(www.skinnykitchen.com)

I use a lot of Nancy's recipes and they're always delish.

Marinating chicken in citrus juices can make chicken very tender.

(I have Nancy's permission to use recipes & photo!)

                                            credit: Skinny Kitchen

SKINNY CITRUS CHICKEN 

The skinny for each serving, 153 calories, 3 grams of fat and 4 Weight Watchers Points PLUS.

Cooking spray

4 (4 ounce each)chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

1 Tb. brown sugar

1 Tb. reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 Tb. fresh garlic cloves,minced

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika or paprika

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil, paprika and red pepper flakes. Pour marinade over chicken and move around to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning once, to coat. Can be marinated overnight. Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil. Remove chicken from marinade and add to pan. Don’t throw out marinade. Cover and cook chicken on each side about 5 minutes. While chicken is cooking, add marinade to a small saucepan. Simmer for about 10 minutes to cook and to thicken a bit. When chicken is done, remove from pan and drizzle cooked marinade over chicken. Makes 4 servings, (each serving, 4 ounces chicken)

This healthy make ahead oatmeal dish is one of my favorites. It's amazingly moist and scrumptious. A favorite substitute for one egg, when baking, is to add 1 Tb. flax seed meal to 3 Tb. water. This substitute works for half the eggs called for in a recipe, when baking. It adds a bit of a nutty taste, but does not change up flavor overall.

OVERNIGHT BAKED OATMEAL 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

(I used one egg and the flax seed meal substitute)

3 c. 2% (or skim) milk

2 c. old-fashioned oats

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

(I used 1/4 c. brown sugar & 1/4 c. Brown Sugar Splenda)

1/4 c. canola oil

(I used applesauce)

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. dried cranberries (or fresh blueberries or chopped apples)

1/4 c. sliced almonds

In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oats, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon and salt. Stir in dried cranberries. Pour into a greased 8" square baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Uncover and stir; sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45-50 minutes (Please remember that Splenda bakes faster) or until a thermometer reaches 160.Serve warm, with milk if preferred. Yield: 9 servings

Here's to a healthy start to your new year!

Tasty Chicken (or Turkey) Barley Soup

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  Ours was fabulous! We truly enjoyed an awesome time together with our kids and grandkids for brunch on Sat. and with friends of our hearts on Thursday. I had a heap of other sweet blessings during the week too. 
(No doubt, God knows I needed a boost as my precious hubby of almost 45 years is having a heart cath this week...after a stress test last week, drs. saw 2 areas of moderate to severe damage...we are trusting our Heavenly Father for each of our tomorrows, but do covet your prayers for Ron).  Onto the recipe...

This is a wonderful soup to use up your leftover turkey (instead of chicken.) 

We were both so glad I tried this recipe from Nancy at Skinny Kitchen. I make lots of her recipes and appreciate that she's done the work of not only making the recipes healthier, but she figures calories & Weight Watchers points...very helpful if you're trying to manage those things. 

This soup was not only hearty and delicious but full of vitamins and fiber from all the veggies....garlic, carrots, celery, onions and chopped butternut. My FAVORITE fall veggie, but I had never chopped it to add to soup before.  YUUUMMM!!

(Tip: poke holes into the whole squash and microwave for about 3 minutes. It will soften the skin so you should be able to peel it with a potato peeler.
I cut it in half {crosswise} before peeling). 

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP 

1 (48 ounce) container Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (32-oz) container Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup dried pearl barley

(I used quick)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1½ cups carrots, sliced

1½ cups celery, sliced

1½ cups onions, chopped

1 (12 oz) bag peeled and chopped butternut squash or 2 ½ cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped, 

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried sage

(I used a 'tuscany' store-purchased broth with added rosemary, thyme & basil,

so I skipped adding any more spices) 

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 lb. cooked turkey breasts or chicken, cubed

 In a large pot, add the chicken broth and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, in a nonstick pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes

 Add the butternut squash, thyme, sage and fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and stir with a rubber spatula so the squash doesn’t get mushy. Cook for 5 minutes more.

This soup freezes great. 

Yield:  12 cups

From Skinny Kitchen Website:

Weight Watchers (old points) 2

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 3

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 cup 142 calories, 1g fat, 13g protein, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 503mg sodium, 2g sugar

FAT FACTS: the skinny and fat facts are mostly the same except for the sodium content 145 calories, 2g fat, 13g  protein, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 745mg sodium, 2g sugar

Leader Enterprise - January 10, 2018 - Tips to help make right food choices

Chicken(Turkey) Barley Soup with Sweet Potatoes

Welcome 2018! (Can we even believe it??) If you're anything like me, I felt I had to clear the kitchen of anything unhealthy to eat so I won't be tempted by it before I begin my healthy eating program in January.  EEK! Here's to a happy and healthy new year!

I so appreciate thoughts like these, found at www.sparkpeople.com that give me something concrete to wrap my mind around when trying to eat healthier. Enlisting some of these ideas into our daily lives, one change at a time, will help jump-start our healthy New Year's Resolutions.

Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal. If half a plate of fruits and vegetables seems like an overwhelming goal for you right now, start by simply adding one fruit or veggie to each meal. You can eat them as a side -- think a cup of green beans with dinner or an orange with breakfast -- or simply start adding them to foods you already eat. Fruit is a cinch to add to oatmeal, yogurt and cereal in the morning.  Drink up. While you should limit the number of calories you get from beverages, if you have trouble fitting fruits and vegetables into your busy life, work them into a drink that you can take on the go. Try out smoothie recipes until you find a few you love and work them into your rotation as a breakfast or afternoon snack option. You can easily get several fruit and vegetable servings in a yummy beverage.   Slurp some soup! Soups and stews can be a nutritious, filling way to get lots of vegetables into a meal. Soup is an easy way to increase the variety of veggies you eat as it can make some of your least favorite options more palatable.  Keep them in sight, in mind. Just like you keep sweets out of sight to discourage incessant snacking, keeping fruits and veggies in sight will help you think of them as an option for eating. Stock a fruit bowl at work each week and keep a bowl on the kitchen counter at home so you’ll be more likely to eat it when you’re hungry.  My husband and I love this delicious soup from the Skinny Kitchen website. It makes a large batch, but it freezes well. You can easily cut the recipe in half.  TURKEY BARLEY SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES 10 c. (reduced-sodium) chicken broth 1 c. dried pearl barley (I use quick) 1 tsp. olive oil 2 cloves fresh garlic,minced 1-1/2 c. carrots, sliced 1-1/2 c. celery, sliced 1-1/2 c. onions, chopped 2-1/2 c. sweet potatoes (or butternut squash), peeled and chopped  1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. dried sage Fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 lb. cooked turkey breasts or chicken, cubed In a large pot, add the chicken broth and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime, in a nonstick pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery and onions; sauté until soft,about 5 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, thyme, sage and fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and stir with a rubber spatula so the squash doesn’t get mushy. Cook for 5 minutes more. Yield: 12 cups. 1 cup= 142 calories; 1 gr.fat, 13 gr.protein, 22 gr.carbs, 5 gr.fiber Blueberry Banana Flaxseed Smoothie BLUEBERRY BANANA FLAXSEED SMOOTHIE 2 TB. flax seed meal 1 ripe banana (frozen slices are great) 1 c. blueberries 1/2 c. (fat free) Greek Yogurt 1 c. (skim) milk 1 TB. honey 1/4 tsp. almond extract 6 chopped ice cubes Add all ingredients and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Yield: 2 servings. Garnish with blueberries.  STUFFED PEPPERONI PIZZA MELT 1 (whole wheat) Deli Sandwich Thin 1 tsp. Smart Balance Light or reduced-fat butter 1-1/2 Tb. pizza or marinara sauce 7 slices Hormel’s 70% less fat turkey pepperoni 1 slice light provolone cheese or light mozzarella Preheat Panini maker, George Foreman grill or stove-top skillet. Spread the outside of the sandwich thin, both top and bottom, with 1/2 teaspoon of butter on each. Split open and spread the inside of the bottom slice with pizza sauce. On top of sauce, place pepperoni slices and top with 1 slice of cheese. Place remaining top piece of sandwich thin, butter side out. Place in preheated grill or skillet; cook for 4 to 5 minutes until melted and golden brown. Remove with a spatula as the cheese oozes out a bit while cooking. De-Lish! Yield: 1 serving= 215 calories, 8 gr. fat, 14 gr. protein, 26 gr. carbs, 6 gr. fiber Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. ~Abraham Lincoln

Leader Enterprise - January 2, 2013 - Tips for making better food choices

Welcome 2013! As the saying goes, life really is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Here's to a happy and healthy new year! This is going to be Part 1 of 2 columns sharing ideas and recipes to help you work toward better health in 2013.

Because I'm always fighting the battle of the bulge and because I always set out to eat healthier when a new year begins, I so appreciate thoughts like these, found at www.sparkpeople.com that give me something concrete to wrap my mind around. Enlisting some of these ideas into our daily lives, one change at a time, will help jump-start our healthy New Year's Resolutions. And somehow, it always helps me to have something in print to refer to often for inspiration. 

We all know we should be eating our fruits and vegetables. You’ve probably heard recommendations for meeting a 5-a-day quota, or seen the USDA’s recommendation to fill half your plate with fruit and veggies during each meal. You probably already know that eating fruits and vegetables provides a number of important health benefits, like reducing the risk of chronic diseases and heart disease and helping you manage your weight. Eating a diet filled with more veggies and fruits might also protect against certain cancers and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. With all of those benefits, you’d think the entire human population would be chowing down on bok choy and snacking on spinach.But not everyone has a built-in love for the produce department. If you struggle,as I do, to fit in your fruits and vegetables, read on for some tips and tricks to make eating a healthier diet easier than ever!     Snack smart. Instead of hitting the vending machine for an afternoon pick-me-up, start snacking on fruits and vegetables. Cut veggies and hummus or sliced fruit with yogurt dip will satisfy you more than a candy bar will. Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal. If half a plate of fruits and vegetables seems like an overwhelming goal for you right now, start by simply adding one fruit or veggie to each meal. You can eat them as a side -- think a cup of green beans with dinner or a banana with breakfast -- or simply start adding them to foods you already eat. Fruit is a cinch to add to oatmeal, yogurt and cereal in the morning. Add onions and peppers to meat dishes or omelets or pile a few of your favorite vegetables onto your sandwich. Once you start working them in, you’ll welcome the new additions! Drink up. While you should limit the number of calories you get from beverages, if you have trouble fitting fruits and vegetables into your busy life,work them into a drink that you can take on the go. Try out smoothie recipes until you find a few you love and work them into your rotation as a breakfast or afternoon snack option. You can easily get several fruit and vegetable servings in a yummy beverage. If you simply want juice, look for 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice for it to count as a serving, but limit yourself to no more than one serving of fruit or vegetable juice per day, as the calories are concentrated and juice removes some of the other benefits of produce (such as fiber).   Slurp some soup! Soups and stews can be a nutritious, filling way to get lots of vegetables into a meal. Soup is an easy way to increase the variety of veggies you eat as it can make some of your least favorite options more palatable. If you don’t make your own, make sure you know the healthy soup options at the grocery store.   Be ready at all times. Have cut fruits and vegetables in the fridge ready for munching at all times. Whether you buy the pre-cut options in the produce department or take the time to cut and bag it yourself, you’re more likely to eat it if it’s readily and easily available. Have hummus, low-fat ranch or fruit dip on hand, too, if it’ll encourage you to eat up.   Keep them in sight, in mind. Just like you keep sweets out of sight to discourage incessant snacking, keeping fruits and veggies in sight will help you think of them as an option for eating. Stock a fruit bowl at work each week and keep a bowl on the kitchen counter at home so you’ll be more likely to eat it when you’re hungry. My husband and I love this delicious soup from the Skinny Kitchen website. It makes a large batch (12 cups), but it freezes well. You can easily cut the recipe in half too. Try using chicken instead of turkey--butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes. TURKEY BARLEY SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES 10 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 c. dried pearl barley (I use quick) 1 tsp. olive oil 2 cloves fresh garlic,minced 1-1/2 c. carrots, sliced 1-1/2 c. celery, sliced 1-1/2 c. onions, chopped 2-1/2 c.sweet potatoes (or butternut squash), peeled and chopped  1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. dried sage Fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 lb. cooked turkey breasts or chicken,cubed In a large pot,add the chicken broth and barley.Bring to a boil,reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.In the meantime,in a nonstick pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery and onions; sauté until soft,about 5 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, thyme, sage and fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and stir with a rubber spatula so the squash doesn’t get mushy. Cook for 5 minutes more.Yield: 12 cups. 1 cup= 142 calories; 1 gr.fat, 13 gr.protein, 22 gr.carbs, 5 gr.fiber STUFFED PEPPERONI PIZZA MELT 1 (whole wheat) Deli Sandwich Thin 1 tsp. Smart Balance Light or reduced-fat butter 1-1/2  Tb.  pizza or marinara sauce 7 slices Hormel’s 70% less fat turkey pepperoni 1 slice light provolone cheese or light mozzarella Preheat Panini maker, George Foreman grill or stove-top skillet. Spread the outside of the sandwich thin, both top and bottom, with 1/2 teaspoon of butter on each. Split open and spread the inside of the bottom slice with pizza sauce. On top of sauce, place pepperoni slices and top with 1 slice of cheese. Place remaining top piece of sandwich thin,butter side out. Place in preheated grill or skillet; cook for 4 to 5 minutes until melted and golden brown. Remove with a spatula as the cheese oozes out a bit while cooking. De-Lish! Yield: 1 serving= 215 calories, 8 gr.fat, 14 gr.protein, 26 gr.carbs, 6 gr.fiber