The Colors in Caprese

This is not new earth shattering information that I love anything caprese. Tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella and balsamic are a few true loves of my food life. Not only do I want to share with you my latest crazy caprese creation, but I want to share with you the nutrition know how of how this combination is extremely healthy for you. 

This spectacular components of food carry an enormous nutrition punch. Let me take you back to basics of MyPlate. MyPlate is an easy way to create balance and portion control when it comes to meals and snacks. When you eat within these simple guidelines, you are creating harmony with your nutrients, both macro and micro.  When there is a balance of food groups and nutrients, your body performs at its peak, you fill content and fuller longer and you are able to maintain a healthier weight. The more color on your plate, the more nutrients available to distribute to your whole body. 

When planning meals, here are some easy guidelines using MyPlate:

1. Protein at every meal and snack as your most important food group.
2. Meals should have 3 of the 5 food groups (with 1 always being protein).
3. Snacks should have 2 of the 5 food groups (with 1 always being protein).
4. A portion size of any food group is generally the size of YOUR OWN fist. (sorry, you cannot borrow a friends fist that is bigger so you get more pasta on your plate).

These guidelines are simple, portable and able to be executed anywhere and everywhere, including restaurants, convenience stores, the ball park and anywhere you travel to.  Cue the caprese!

For my perfect MyPlate summer meal, caprese covers all the rules.

Protein:  Fresh Mozzarella
Vegetables:  Tomatoes and Basil
Grains:  Bread

You can find a wealth of information on MyPlate from calorie needs, meal planning, what foods fall in each food group and more here.  If you still have more questions or would like more individual help, I am your girl and you can contact me anytime!

Now it's time to drool and get hungry.....

For my sandwich, I chopped, seasoned and cooked down some fresh garden tomatoes. Feel free to use canned seasoned tomatoes or jarred pasta sauce. All forms of concentrated tomatoes are very healthy. Just be cautious of sodium and sugar. Many of your jarred pasta sauces have a lot of extra sugar, so I tend to use canned, lower sodium seasoned tomatoes. 

I warmed a pan over medium heat and sprayed my Italian bread with a little olive oil spray on both sides. Use a nice sturdy bread and always go for an whole grain option if it is available. Another favorite of mine is sourdough because it browns nicely and the sourdough flavor compliments the sweetness of the tomatoes and basil. Before adding the tomatoes to the bread, I let the bread warm up for about 2 minutes. 

After the tomatoes are added, generously place fresh basil leaves on top, sprinkle a little freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese to intensify the flavor and a pinch of cracked black pepper. Let the open face sandwich continue to warm for about 1 minute. 

While that is warming, slice room temperature fresh mozzarella in very thin slices. Room temperature and thin slices are very important because your bread is almost toasted perfectly and if your cheese is not room temperature and sliced thinly, it will not melt nicely. Combine the halves in the pan and finish cooking for about 2 more minute. If you tend to get a little crazy with your cheese, as I sometimes do, that is ok. You can always finish it off in a warm oven to melt the cheese a little more. 

My perfect summer meal would not be perfect without a side of cherries. I also dipped my summer sammie in a little balsamic vinegar and it was dreamy!  Who knew something that seemed so indulgent could be MyPlate perfect?

~Crazy

An Apple a Day Keeps the Athlete at Play

When I was younger, we had a great family tradition of making a trip to an apple orchard, picking apples and drinking delicious apple cider and cherry drink after the hard work was done.  Nothing tasted better than freshly picked apples from the orchard. As I got older and moved away from home, I always had a craving for apples in the fall.  No really!  I did and still do. There is something about this time of year and my craving for this sweet and healthy snack. I also find that I have a craving for apples after any type of physical activity, especially after a run.  I think I may be on to something…..

Now that the kids are back in school, after school activities and sports are in full swing and very time consuming. You may also be like me and exercise a lot more once cooler temperatures fill the air.  As a dietitian working in a retail environment, I get many questions revolving around what foods are the best fit to fuel after school/work activities and workouts. When I think about all the options out there for snacks, I think about my own experiences and really feel apples might be one of the most perfect snacks for all ages. 

Here are my “Top 5” reasons apples should be on the top of the food list of any athlete:

1. Apples are an excellent source of fiber. The average medium apple has 5 grams of fiber that aids in the health of your heart. With your heart being your most important muscle, fiber is the key to keeping it healthy. 

2. Apples contain pectin, a fiber that absorbs water to make you feel full faster, and binds with cholesterol and sweep it out of the body. Pectin is also a prebiotic and provides food for the friendly bacteria in our gut to increase our immune systems. During sports and exercise, our immune system can become compromised, this is a natural way to increase your ability to fight off illness. 

3. Apples contain quercetin, a phytochemical that promotes health in many ways.  It may improve cardiovascular health and reduce cancer risks. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can also boost your immune function.  Quercetin has strong antioxidant activity that fights the free radicals in our bodies that come from environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, and herbicides.  These factors wreak havoc on our healthy cells.  But one exciting property that quercetin may provide our bodies is increased endurance. By consuming apples, not only are you getting proper calories or fuel for physical activity, but quercetin may also increase your endurance during a practice, game, gym workout or walk.

4. Apples are one of the leading food sources of boron. Boron is a building block to building muscles and maintaining strong bones that we can only get through food. Boron increases the ability of our body to absorb magnesium and calcium, to maintain bone health and prevent injuries from physical activity. 

5. Studies have shown that individuals who consume an apple a day, tend to consume around 200 less calories a day. For those individuals trying to maintain a healthy weight, this could result in close to a 20 pound weight loss over the course of a year. Just by eating 1 apple a day.

Now how does the saying go?  “An apple a day, will keep the athlete at play!” 

~Crazy

Don't Be Too Busy for Breakfast

School has been in session for about a week. I know we all have the best intentions as the school year starts to have healthy breakfast and lunch every day for the kiddos. But after the first week, things head south in the health department, because life is just busy. Keep the school year consistent by making a healthy breakfast part of it (for parents and kids).  Breakfast is truly the most important meal to eat.   Studies show kids who eat breakfast are more likely to:

 

§  Have higher test scores in school

§  Concentrate better with problem-solving skills used in reading, writing and math

§  Have healthier body weights 

§  Have lower blood cholesterol levels

 

Follow the 3R’s to help your kids make healthy breakfast choices.

Rev Up Metabolism

Breakfast simply means to “break-the-fast”.  Your body tends to burn fewer calories as you sleep.  Burn more calories and jump-start your metabolism by eating breakfast.

 

Reach For Protein and Fiber

Smart breakfast choices should include two or three foods groups.  Include protein and fiber in your breakfast to keep you feeling full longer and less likely to overeat calories later in the day.  

 

Good protein breakfast choices:  peanut butter or almond butter, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, eggs, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk including chocolate or strawberry milk, drinkable yogurt, lean ham and sliced deli meat.

 

Good fiber breakfast choices: choose a whole grain cereal with at least three to five  grams of fiber, Fiber One chewy granola bar, South Beach granola bar, Kashi bars, whole grain bread or English muffins, Western bagel, banana, orange, apple, strawberries.

 

Ready-To-Go In One Minute

Don’t have enough time in the morning to eat breakfast?  Here are ten quick grab-and-go breakfast ideas that take less than one minute to prepare. 

 

• Fiber One chewy bar, drinkable yogurt. 
• Wrap string cheese with slice of DiLusso deli ham; wrap buttered whole grain bread around meat and cheese, 100% grape juice.

• Clif Kid twisted fruit rope, yogurt.
• Spread peanut butter on toasted whole grain waffles or Hint of Salt Triscuits, chocolate milk.
• Hard-boiled egg, tomato juice or spicy V8 juice
• Mini bagel with Laughing Cow cheese, orange.
• Cinnamon oatmeal with a handful of Sun Maid raisins, single-serve milk chug.
• Breakfast-in-a-bag: whole almonds, golden Sun Maid Raisins, Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, and chocolate Chex.  Mix and pre-portion ahead of time in snack-size bags.  
• Breakfast parfait: layer strawberry yogurt, grape nuts and sliced banana, or stir 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter into vanilla yogurt, top with crushed graham crackers.

• Breakfast taco:  ¼ cup Hy-Vee 2% milk. Shredded Cheddar cheese on a Hy-Vee flour tortilla. Microwave 30 seconds; roll while warm.   Add salsa, if desired.  4 ounces of 100% juice.

 

Bottom line: Don't skip the healthiest part of the day! 

~Crazy

For the Love of Radishes

Ok, I may have a little obsession with radishes. They are one of my favorite vegetables. All things cruciferous make me happy. My love started when my eyes were mesmerized with the beautiful hot pink/red color they are.  

Radishes are members of the Brassicaceae family. The root is related to kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and one of my favorites, horseradish.  They can grow anywhere, but California and Florida are the top producers. They grow quickly, so it's a fun veggie to have in your garden. Radishes, like other cruciferous veggies contain isothiocyanate. This is an anti -oxidant compound called sulforaphane. These have a proven role against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of its cancer-cell growth inhibition, and cyto-toxic effects on cancer cells in various studies. 

The best part about radishes....wait for it.....1 cup is only 16-20 calories.

They are delicious in salads and are great roasted. There a multiple varieties and different degrees of "hotness."  My next radish purchase is the Daikon. But for today, wanted to share with you one of my favorite salads with these ruby red gems. 

 

Edamame, radish, onions, fresh dill and a yogurt ranch dressing make this a great spring side dish. 

 

Get a bunch of fresh radish and chop off the greens. Save them for later because they are perfect mixed in with your lettuce leaves or sautéed with a little garlic and olive oil. Dice the radishes.  Don't worry about a few blemishes here and there, but if there is a brown or dark spot, feel free to thinly slice that off. They don't have to be perfect!

Dice a bunch of green onions, cube 1 avocado and roughly chop about 1/4 cup of fresh dill. 

Add all your greens to the bowl, including 1 bag of thawed and shelled edamame.

To make the sauce, you mix 1/2 packet of friend ranch dip, 1 small container of plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup of fresh dill. 

Mix yogurt mixture with veggies and refrigerate overnight. Taste before serving and salt and pepper it to taste. 

Radish and Edamame Salad

1 bunch of radishes, diced

1-10 ounce package of frozen, shelled edamame

1 bunch of green onions, diced 

1/2 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped and divided 

1 avocado, diced

1 5.3 ounce container of plain Greek yogurt

1/2 package of dried ranch dip mix

1/4 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste 

1. Dice radishes, green onions, avocado, and dill. Add all vegetables and 1/2 of dill to a bowl and combine. Mix in edamame

2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, ranch mix, dill, milk and lemon juice.  

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well. 

4. Refrigerate overnight and before serving, add salt and pepper to taste. 

I hope you enjoy the peppery and spicy flavors of my favorite spring dish!

~Crazy

A Dietitian's Top 5 Foods in the Grocery Store

The other day, I was wandering around a home improvement store looking for one little itty bitty item. Goodness!  I am too proud to ask for something until I just can't find it and on this day, I had to ask. Thank you to Frank who kindly lead me right to the product, otherwise I probably would have walked out without it. 

As I paid for my item; I realized, the feeling I had just now is exactly how most people feel in the grocery store. There are so many times in the store, so many choices and so many similar products. How does one find or choose the right one? 

Since I work in a grocery store everyday, it is easy for me to know exactly what I want and exactly where to find it. I thought I would share with you my Top 5 Food Items that I think should be part of every trip to the grocery store and why.

#1 Blueberries

These are truly one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. 1 cup is only 80 calories, and virtually no fat. They are full of antioxidants, especially Vitamin C, and fiber. The fiber in these little beauties help you feel fuller longer. And did I mention you get a WHOLE cup for only 80 calories. Yummy!! 

#2 Spinach

Another nutritional powerhouse found in your friendly produce aisle. Lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Plus you can sneak this veggie into almost anything (my favs include smoothies and anything with marinara sauce).  Want to know the best part? The nutrients intensify when it's cooked, so even better in your lasagna!! Freeze fresh spinach and forgo your ice cubes in your smoothie. 

#3 Salmon

High quality protein, heart and brain healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, and a multitude of delicious ways to prepare this fish, make it my top protein food. Grill it, bake it, grind it for burgers and make your own sushi rolls. Salmon provides other nutrients like Vitamin D, B Vitamins and even a little calcium. It's a must eat at least once a week. 

#4 Oatmeal

In a previous post, I asked "what oat floats your boat?"  Meaning all oats, any kind, are a great addition to breakfast, lunch and to your favorite recipes. Oats pack fiber known as beta-glucan that has been studied to help lower blood cholesterol. It also is a source of magnesium which many of our diets are extremely low in, causing issues with digestion and muscle fatigue. Oats also have immune boosting zinc. Try oats savory and sweet, use instead of breadcrumbs in recipes and blend up for a thicker smoothie. 

#5 Milk

Milk is the only naturally occurring nutrient-rich beverage. When choosing low-fat to fat-free milk, you have a perfect little package. It has the right carbohydrate to protein ratio to be a balanced snack and is a superior source of calcium (remember friends, bone loss occurs around age 30-35 so you can build those stores before and maintain those stores after). This is also one of the few foods we get Vitamin D from. With all the other choices of "milk" options, this one reigns supreme in my book. Why?  Just check out the ingredient list.  There is more to milk than just drinking a glass.    

Hope this helps your next shopping trip a little bit easier and a lot more healthier.

~Crazy

Lemon Your Way to Health

Ok, you all know by now I am a little crazy when it comes to nutrition, food and well just about anything. I like to share in my "crazy" on occassion, so today I want to share with you my love for lemons. 

My lemon health started when a couple of years ago, I read a tweet (Yep just 140 characters) that starting the day with warm lemon water was the key to beautiful skin. Sold!  That's all I needed to know. A natural fruit and water=anti-aging goldmine? Done and done. I started religiously drinking it and have been ever since. 

I constantly have fresh lemons in the  house. I prefer fresh because of the flavor and bottled juices just do not have the same taste. I roll my fresh lemon on the countertop to get the juices flowing and  then cut the lemon in half. 

I like warm water versus hot water. Hot water can break down the healthy enzymes and nutrients in the lemon. I take a cup and microwave it for about 80 seconds and it's perfect. 

Squeeze half of the lemon in and enjoy while warm. I do this on an empty stomach, after my workout in the morning and sip on it while I get ready. 

Recently, a friend shared an article on the drinking a cup of lemon water:  http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-hot-lemon-waters-real-benefits

Sure lemon has a lot of health benefits, but as you can see it probably isn't going to work miracles. However, this is what I personally know:

-It has helped with my energy levels in the morning

-It has improved my skin and I can tell when I skip a few days because I lose a little bit of my glow

-It helps with digestion, if my tummy hurts, this really works and it takes down bloat 

-If my eyes and face are puffy in the morning, lemon water takes care of that

-If I eat a little too much sodium (hello pizza), lemon water reduces the dreaded ankle swelling

-I haven't been sick one day since I started drinking daily lemon water

-Honestly, it just makes me feel good. 

If you don't like it warm, that's fine too! Throw a slice into your daily water indulgence. Now go squeeze, sip and lemon your way to a healthier feeling you! 

~Crazy

        

Do Not Ditch Dairy!

Ok what fad diet have you been following since January 1?  I went into a book store this weekend and I cannot believe the shelves and shelves of fad diets out there. I decided to skim through a few and there is one common theme in all of them:  they eliminate a good group. 

When you remove a food group out of your eating life, it makes it that much more difficult to stick with the plan. One food group getting the boot right now in these fad diets is dairy. 

There is nothing as refreshing as an ice cold glass of milk. Milk and dairy foods have always been a very important part of my healthy eating plan. I know, there is a lot of talk about dairy, but I believe it fits into every healthy lifestyle (yes, even if you're lactose intolerant! But that's for another blog post and a great reason to talk with your dietitian!) 

Why choose dairy foods?  Dairy is full of so many wonderful nutrients. Not a lot of foods can carry such a vast nutritional profile.  Where can you get calcium, protein, phosphorus and Vitamin D in a convenient little package? What I love about Greek yogurt and milk is that it is a perfect balance of carbohydrate and protein. This is important for all healthy individuals wanting to maintain a healthy weight because it helps your satiety and keeps blood sugars more stable. Low-fat or fat-free Chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink for all ages who perform physical activity and does a better job for keeping your body healthy than sport drinks. You can also find dairy good products at convenience stores and gas stations when you are on the go, which makes them a much healthier choice than many items in these stores. Many fast food joints are also removing soda off their kid menus and offering low-fat milk options a standard. 

What dairy products should you choose? I always recommend low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) milk, 1-2% fat on cheese items (including ricotta, cottage and cream cheese) and choosing fat-free Greek yogurt for the extra protein. You will still get all the fantastic nutrients and flavor (and cheesy, melty goodness), without the extra fat. 

How much should you have?  I recommend consuming up to 3 servings a day (8 ounces of fluid milk or 1 cup, 5-6 ounces of yogurt or one small container and 1 ounce of cheese or the equivalent of a piece of string cheese) are serving sizes. 

And don't be scared to use these amazing foods as healthier substitutions in recipes. Fat-free plain Greek yogurt does a fantastic job filling in for sour cream and have you had homemade hot chocolate with fat-free milk?  Talk about dreamy!!! 

This is my all-time favorite dairy recipe that you have got to try! I add 3 scoops of whey protein powder to boost my protein and freeze the other 2 servings to have later. I take it out of the freeze before my workout and it's ready to drink when I get home! 

The recipe is courtesy of dairymakessense.com: 

Banana-Caramel Smoothie

     

• Servings: 3
• Prep time: 5 mins
• Total time: 5 mins
• Created by: Midwest Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen*
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• ¼ cup purchased caramel sauce
• *Note: Use frozen banana slices to chill and thicken your smoothie. Just peel and slice each banana and freeze in a separate zip-top plastic bag. This is a great way to use ripe bananas and have them ready for your next smoothie.

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve in tall glasses or on-the-go drink containers.

Cheers! (wearing a milk mustache with pride!)  ~Crazy