Dairy Inspired Vacation Getaway

Summer is all about vacations and making lasting memories. June has been a whirlwind of crazy cool travels and some amazing friends and food.

 

One of my favorite people and my best friend, Carlena and I had the joy of a girls trip to Florida. You might be asking why in the world would we travel to Florida during the hot summer month of June? Because we love the beach and we love the sun! 

 

While in Florida, we soaked up the rays at New Smyrna Beach and the Siesta Keys. We went on a nighttime bioluminescent kayaking tour and saw the life under the water glow in the dark and made friends with a few Dolphins. One of my "must- dos" in Florida was dine on key lime pie. Key lime pie is one of my top 3 favorite desserts and there was no way I was passing it up on my trip. 

 

Upon my return, I wanted to take my inspiration of the warm and sunny citrus flavors of the key lime and recreate a healthier version of my favorite sweet treat. I was inspired by celebrating my trip and the memories I made with one of my favorite months being June: National Dairy Month. 

Key lime pie is traditionally a lot of sugar, so I wanted to health it up a bit. With the flavor of the fresh key lime juice and the protein packed creaminess of Greek yogurt, I created a key lime pie dip that I can eat when not on vacation. 

 

 

It is refreshing and so easy to do!  All you do is combine the key lime juice, yogurt, marshmallow fluff and fat-free condensed milk and stir. But it must be fresh squeezed key lime juice to get the true flavors you would on vacation. By combining the juice with yogurt, you also get protein and calcium for a healthier and more satisfying treat. Using nutrient-dense dairy foods in recipes boost the nutrition in anything that you make and while I am eating my delicious sweet treat, I want to share with you my "Top-10" Reasons that I love dairy:

 

1.  Dairy foods are full of 9 essential nutrients that I need to get from the food I eat, in a pinch, I always can find milk in any situation, especially at convenience stores.

2.  Yogurt saves me from the hungries as my afternoon snack. The protein keeps me full and focused during a busy day. 

3.  Fat-free milk is my go-to to make my oatmeal creamy and delicious in the morning. 

4.  Cottage cheese mixed with salsa and served with homemade tortilla chips, is the appetizer I take to many events for a healthy and tasty alternative to nacho cheese dip. 

5.  Fat-free chocolate milk is a great way to curb a sweet craving (and trust me, I have them often!)

6. The more cheese the merrier!  I keep a variety of 2% milk cheese sticks in my refrigerator for a perfect portion size of cheese for snacks and for various recipes I make.

7. Yogurt is packed with probiotics that help keep our tummies happy and our immune systems strong. It is one of few foods that has this incredible benefit.

8. I have a secret obsession with marscapone cheese. I use this creamy cheese on fruit and whole grain bread and then sprinkle cinnamon all over this twist on cream cheese.

9. Mozzarella is the cheese I recommend to most of my clients as the healthiest choice of cheese because it is made with part-skim milk and melts amazingly in a variety of recipes.

10.  After I have a morning workout, I start out each day with a protein-packed drink of fat-free milk, spinach, frozen blueberries and whey protein powder. I love it for breakfast!

For other ideas and suggestions for dairy foods, check out some of my fellow dietitians and my favorite dairy farmers share their own ideas for the versatility of dairy:  Dairy Makes Sense Blog. This recipe also shows how versatile dairy foods are. I like to serve the dip with graham crackers (Star Wars character grahams were a must for this dish) or it is also delicious with apple slices. It makes a generous amount so it would be a great dish to take to a weekend barbecue or picnic with family and friends.

 

All You Need:

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice (this is around 10-12 key limes)

 

All You Do: 

1. Mix all ingredients together with a whisk and until smooth.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Serve with fresh fruit and graham crackers.

 

Cheers to summer; vacations; friends, the deliciousness of dairy, lasting memories and the food that reminds us of it all! 

~Crazy

 

The carrot dilemma and when is enough enough?

I like carrots a lot.  Actually I will even go out on a limb and say I LOVE CARROTS!  (Yea, it's that serious that I have to yell it)!  I don't cares who know it.

I mean who wouldn't love the carrots attributes?  They are super sweet and crunchy but they also have a mysterious side to them.  Have you ever bitten into a carrot to not have it be the sweet and succulent tasting carrot that you were expecting?  It's like it almost taste dull and full of dirt. This is what I classify as a "bad carrot."  

The thing is that with most fruits and vegetables give you a little warning (appearance, smell or touch) on whether they have passed their prime ripeness.  With carrots it could look like all the other carrots and all of a sudden, "Yuck, gross!  That carrot didn't taste delicious!" This is where the carrot dilemma starts.   

Can you tell which one is the bad carrot?

 

When I was in high school whenever I would go over to my friend Sarah's house, we would go into her fridge and always pick out the nicely cut carrots that her mom had just cut.  I mean these were the REAL carrots that you had to peel and cut, not those convenient baby carrots.  We would eat the whole entire Tupperware container of carrots every single time, and it's not like it was a small container.  There must have been 2lbs of carrots that fit in there.  I not only would feel bad for her mom for taking so much time to cut the carrots, but I felt horrible and full from all the carrots I had just eaten.  Of course it didn't stop us doing the same thing every single time, because it was carrots they were good for us!  This is actually where the talk of the carrot dilemma started.  We would eat a carrot and it would be sweet and crunchy so we would want to eat more.  We then would go for just one more, and then out of nowhere you would bite into a bad carrot.  We knew you couldn't end eating with a bad taste in your mouth, so we had to keep eating till we found a good carrot.  Then again the carrot was so sweet an delicious that we would keep eating.  As you can see this is a never ending cycle because carrots don't give any indication that they are a bad carrot!  

Now you understand the carrot dilemma? No, still lost?  Stay with me till the end.

Just this past weekend my husband and I were watching some Netflix when we had a late night craving. We went out to the kitchen and I decided to grab a handful of baby carrots that were in the fridge.  Remembering the carrot dilemma, when I got down to the last three carrots in my hand I had a small bite of each of them.  It was true all the carrots tasted different.  Since you CAN'T end on a bad carrot, I took a bite of each one and ranked them from best to worst.  My husband then came out of the kitchen and sat on the couch and I stopped him to tell him about my carrot dilemma.  (We have only been married 7 years so I have to bring out my crazy ideas out slowly so I don't scare him!)  I had him try both the carrots.  He tried the first one and asked him to classify it as a bad carrot or good carrot.  Of course he thinks I'm crazy and eats the whole carrot saying he would classify it as a bad carrot.  I then gave him the last carrot, as I eat the pretty good carrot in the middle, and he said he would classify it as a good carrot.  I then told him that "I love you too much to end on a bad carrot! " 

 

And just like that the carrot dilemma was solved!  When do you stop eating?  When is enough enough?  Remember you can have too much of a good thing.  Luckily for you I think after almost 20 years of my carrot dilemma I have found a solution that might sound simple but not always easy.  Moderation is the answer to everything in life.  Love yourself and others to much not let them end on a bad carrot!  Life is short, enjoy the ride!

-Cool

 

Chicken Pizza Pie Pockets

Most nights I have a plan for dinner and then some nights I like to open up the fridge and see what I have in there and what new experimental recipe I can feed my family.  I found some premade pie crust in my fridge so I decided we would start with that.  I also had a opened jar of marinara and ground chicken so I decided to put it all together with some cheese and make dinner.  Turned out pretty well!

You only need a few ingredients and a couple seasonings (not pictured).

First you need to cook up the ground chicken.  It only takes about 8-10 minutes to cook. The chicken does need seasoning so I added some Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

When the ground chicken is cooked I drained off some of the water and added in the marinara sauce.

Next just mix it up and season to taste.  I ended up adding a little more Italian seasoning because I love extra flavor.

I then took the two pie crusts that had been sitting out for about 20 minutes and rolled them out on the counter top.

I sprinkled some Italian seasoning and garlic salt on the pie crust and got out my  "biscuit cutter."  I will tell you the hard thing about cooking in two completely different kitchens messes with me sometimes and I think I have one thing at home when actually it's something I have in my work kitchen.  For this reason I thought I had biscuit cutters at home that would work perfectly for this part of the recipe but instead they were at my work kitchen and I was home.  I decided to improvise and use the top of my burger press which worked well but they were just bigger.  Use whatever works for your family, just know that you will use 2 circles per sandwich, so make sure there is an even amount.

Once we got all the circles punched out, I put half of them in a greased sheet tray with the seasoning side facing down.  I then topped them with pizza cheese. Try keeping the cheese and ingredients in the middle of the crust so it doesn't come out of the pocket.

Then add the ground chicken mixture on top.

Add finally top with the asiago cheese.

When all the ingredients are in, top each one with another pie crust circle.  Again making sure the seasoning side is on the outside.  

**TIP: You always want to make sure you seasoning at every stage of cooking. **

Since we already seasoned the meat, we want to make sure the pie crust are seasoned well.  Putting the seasoning on the outside of the pizza pie pocket will wake up your tastebuds first, before biting into the rest of it.

Now it's time to crimp the edges to give you a little pizza pocket.  The best way is to use your thumb and pointer finger and just go around the entire edge, making sure you are getting the top and bottom pie crusts pinched together so that the insides don't  all come out.

You then want to cut two slits in the top of the pie crust and oil the tops with olive oil.  Pop the sheet tray into the oven at 425 degrees for about 14-16 minutes until the crusts brown.

Here's my two little helpers!  About 7 minutes into cooking they wanted to know what smelled so good, I told them dinner and they wanted to see. This is a typical image in my kitchen.  I love their curiosity. 

Since they were so excited for dinner I recruited them to help finish the meal while the pizza pie pockets were finishing cooking.  

Yea, the pizza pockets are done!  Look how good they look.

Paxton approves and asks me to make them again!

Hope you all try out this fun recipe.  

Chicken Pizza Pie Pockets

1 package (2 crusts) premade pie crusts

1/2lb. Ground chicken

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided

3/4 tsp. Garlic salt, divided 

1/2 c. Marinara sauce

2/3 c. Pizza cheese

1/3 c. Asiago cheese

Olive oil (to brush tops)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take out pie crusts and let it come to room temperature, about 20 min.  In a medium skillet over medium high heat add the ground chicken with 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp. of garlic salt and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Drain off excess moisture and add in marinara sauce.  Taste and season accordingly if needed. Set aside.  When the pie crusts are at room temperature, roll them out on the counter tops and sprinkle with the remaining Italian seasoning and garlic salt.  Take a cookie or biscuit cutter and cut out 12 to 16 mini crusts.  On greased sheet tray place half of the mini pie crusts  on it, with the seasoned side facing down.  Divide the pizza cheese, ground chicken mixture, and Asiago cheese equally between the pie crusts.  Top with the remaining pie crusts and crimp the edges.  Brush tops of each pie crust with olive oil and place in the oven.  Cook for 14 to 16 minutes until pie crusts have browned.  Remove from oven and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

-Cool

5 Simple, Smart and Satisfying Snacks

Snacking is the latest and greatest food trend. Many individuals are foregoing the strategic 3 meals a day and replacing it with 6 small meals or snacks a day. This is happening for many reasons, with time constraints leading the pack.  People have less and less time to cook at home, less knowledge about how to prepare and cook food and spending more time away from the home. According to recent studies, snacking will probably increase 5-7% over the next 3 years and replace the regular 3 meals a day.  

Just look at these statistics from leading market research firms (www.forbes.com):

• A survey of 1,139 people by Nielsen found that 91% of adults snack at least once a day, including 25% who say they snack 3-5 times a day and 3% who claim to be always nibbling.
• According to a 2013 report from The Hartman Group, 48% of respondents replace meals with snacks at least 3-4 times a week.
• As many as 30% of Americans reported eating a frozen entrée as a snack, according to a 2014 report from Mintel. The report also found 41% of 25- to 34-year-olds surveyed were even more inclined to do so.

This is the alarming matter at hand:  are we replacing healthy meals with more unhealthy snacks?  With many of the quick and convenient snack options coming mainly from the grain group of the MyPlate food guide (think crackers, cookies, candy and chips), this might be a reason snacking may be increasing your waistline. The key to healthful snacking is all about balance. Each time you reach for a snack, you should have 2 of the 5 food groups and 1 of them should always be from the protein group.   Protein helps your metabolism work more efficiently at burning calories and also keeps your blood sugars stable so you do not experience bouts of intense hunger and cravings.

Here are healthier common snack replacements for the higher calorie and fat versions we tend to munch on.  All have less than 250 calories, pack a protein punch of 5 or more grams to keep you fuller longer and all will satisfy a sweet, salty or crunchy craving.

Instead of Cookies, try Apple “Cookies”

Shop:  Apple, peanut butter (or other nut butter), mini chocolate chips, old fashioned oats

Snack:  Slice the apple and circle out the core (usually you will get around 5-6 slices from a medium apple). Divide 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of oats and 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips between the slices.

Serving:  5 slices

 

 Instead of Potato Chips and Onion Dip, try Homemade Corn Chips and Dip

Shop:  Corn Tortillas, non-stick cooking spray, salt, 1 small container of plain fat-free Greek yogurt, salsa.

Snack:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 3 tortillas with a pizza cutter into 4 pieces for a total of 12 chips. Lay flat and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until desired crispiness. Meanwhile mix small container of yogurt with 2 tablespoons of salsa.

Serving:  12 chips and 1 cup of salsa dip

Instead of Cereal Snack Mix, try Power Snack Mix

Shop:  Shelled pistachios, unsweetened coconut flakes, raisins

Snack:  Combine 1 ounce of pistachios (about 50 nuts), 2 tablespoons of coconut and 2 tablespoons of raisins.

Serving:  ½ cup 

Instead of Crackers, try Flavored Popcorn

Shop:  Popcorn kernels, olive oil spray, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, roasted sunflower seeds.

Snack:  Air pop popcorn kernels, while warm, lightly spray with olive oil and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and ¼ cup of sunflower seeds.

Serving:  2 cups

Instead of a High Sugar and Fat Filled Latte, try a Craving Crusher Latte

Shop:  Coffee, fat-free milk, vanilla whey protein powder

Snack:  Brew and cool coffee. In a blender bottle, mix coffee with ¼ cup of milk and 1 scoop of protein powder. Shake until well blended.  

Serving:  8-10 ounces

~Crazy