Monthly Archives: February 2010

February 27, 2010 · 5:47 pm

So Granola

I never thought I’d be one to make my own granola. And here I am not only making it, but blogging about it. Never say never. I remember when my cousin Laura (it’s her birthday — Happy Birthday Laura!) was moving to Colorado. Her sister Shannon and I would tease her and say it wouldn’t be long before she’d be making granola. Guess the jokes on me. Laura you get the last laugh on that one.

The thing is I used to love my cereal for breakfast. My favorite is Honey Bunches of Oats. It’s a better choice than Froot Loops, but like most breakfast cereals it still has has a lot of sugar and other stuff that you just don’t need (like corn syrup and artificial flavor). So this is my substitute. I’ll have it for breakfast – dry or with milk – or for a mid-afternoon snack.

What you need:
3-4 cups oats
1 cup shaved coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp butter, melted

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine first four ingredients in a greased baking dish. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Mix in melted butter. Drizzle honey over granola. Bake 20-25 minutes.

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February 24, 2010 · 8:25 pm

Inspired.

Saturday, I started my classes at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. I’m officially back in school to get my certification as a nutritional health counselor. I’m so excited about what’s in store for this year.

So there I was Saturday morning headed to the first day of school and I felt like it might as well be the seventh grade. I had butterflies in my stomach… and on my face – butterfly closures to keep my chin together. Just a few days before I left for NYC I was running, tripped, flew and busted my chin open on the sidewalk. And I broke four teeth. I never had braces growing up, but Saturday I felt those kids’ pain.

Once I got there I realized nerves were silly. I mean really, I was surrounded by people who are just as passionate about health as I am. Do you know how cool it felt to be in a room with hundreds of people who also get excited about learning a new healthy recipe? We were all there because we believe health education is important and something that’s missing and desperately needed today. The room was buzzing. I wish you could have felt the energy and enthusiasm there. It was inspiring to say the least. 

On class weekends we’ll meet and hear from some of the brightest and most innovative minds in the health field. This weekend included talks by Walter Willet, the chairman of Harvard’s nutrition department, Marion Nestle, NYU professor and author of the book Food Politics, and Bernie Siegel, physician and author of Love, Medicine and Miracles. 

My favorite moment happened in the first hour of class though. The principal of the school, Joshual Rosenthal, invited people to introduce themselves to the class and say why they’re in school. One woman stood up and talked about the challenges of raising kids and teaching them healthy eating habits in today’s society. She said, “I’m here for my kids.”

Joshua then asked who else was there for the same reason… 

It felt like half the room stood at that point. I got goosebumps.

I’m so exited to finally be getting started on this path. And I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with you. Stay tuned!

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February 11, 2010 · 7:17 pm

Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

snow. Snow. SNOW! It’s still coming down out there. Dallas is covered in white right now. It’s no 60 or however many inches the DC area has gotten at this point.  But to us it might as well be. I’m snowed in (well, pretending to be). It’s 6 p.m. and I’m still in my PJs working from the home office (i.e. our kitchen table). I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got some left over chicken pot pie in the fridge – the perfect meal on a night like this!

I made it on Tuesday based on this recipe from Whole Foods. You can make it gluten free if you use rice flour for the thickening agent. I just used the spelt flour I had on hand. In place of crust, you make a rice mixture (pictured bottom left) and put that on top. When you bake the thing it gets nice and crispy (pictured bottom right).

It’s a little different take on the classic, but has that same cozy, warm and fuzzy effect.

Here’s what you need:

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for greasing
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound sliced button mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped thyme, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup cooked brown rice or brown and wild rice blend
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, green beans….)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with oil; set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, onions, salt and pepper and cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth and milk, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine rice, cheese, paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Stir vegetables into chicken mixture then season with salt and pepper and transfer to prepared dish. Scatter rice mixture evenly over the top then arrange dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until bubbly and crust is crisp, about 30 minutes.

(recipe adapted from Whole Food’s Chicken Pot Pie with Rice)

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February 7, 2010 · 5:31 pm

The Green Smoothie

I know how it sounds.

But really I am not a crazy with a juicer. I’ve never even juiced anything. And I hate V8. I do realize a green smoothie sounds questionable, but if it wasn’t good I can tell you I would not have one everyday for breakfast. And I do! It’s delicious and such a good start to the day.

A few weeks ago I posted about leafy greens and how crazy good they are for you. Green = vitamins, minerals and all that good stuff. I’d heard of people who made green juice drinks as a way to squeeze in extra fruit/veggie servings. It can be part of a healing or a cleansing diet, or just a way to start the day off right. We all have those days when it’s just easier to pick up a sandwich. But when I have this smoothie in the morning I know that no matter what the day might bring (read: Chick Fil A lunch), I’ve already had my green.

I make it in the Magic Bullet. I’m sure you’ve seen the infomercial. It’s perfect for smoothies because you can just throw all your ingredients in one of the single serving cups, blend it and go.

Yes, it looks like it glows in the dark. But I swear all you taste is the mango. It’s sneaky like that. I used mangos here, but you can mix up whatever fruit you want. I like it with strawberries and blueberries too (and the darker fruit hides the green). I always use a banana because it gives it a soft, creamy texture. Frozen fruit makes a thicker smoothie too. Also, I add flaxseed for a serving of Omega-3s with its anti-inflammatory benefits.

What you need:

1 banana
a handful of frozen mango chunks
orange juice
1 tsp flaxseed (grounded or flax seed oil)
2-3 leaves kale, torn

What you do:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend, adding more orange juice as needed to facilitate blending.

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February 3, 2010 · 11:23 pm

Dream wedding? Yes, please.

I just entered us in Crate and Barrel’s Ultimate Wedding contest (I am THAT girl now. I’ve accepted it). Vote for us so we can win a 100K wedding organized by celebrity wedding planner Jo Gartin. Sounds pretty good, right?

At least we have a pretty good love story, if I do say so myself…

Vote for us.

And pass it on….

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February 2, 2010 · 9:04 am

High-Fructose Corn Syrup is Bad Because….

I was watching tv the other day and saw this ad:

It’s the Corn Refiners Association latest attempt to defend their product high-fructose corn syrup. The ad shows a couple having a picnic in the park. A girl offers her boyfriend a bite of a popsicle. He says, “Don’t you love me?”
She says, “Of course I do. Take two bites.”
And he says, “But there’s high-fructose corn syrup in that and you know what they say…”
“What?” she says.
Then he just sits there with his mouth open… “um…”
She calls him silly; it’s just corn. It’s just like sugar. Same calories. Perfectly safe, in moderation.
Silly.

Not silly. If that boyfriend could have spit out the words there are plenty of arguments to be made. Like…

1. High-fructose corn syrup is not the same as sugar. It may be sweet like sugar, but to the body the two are not the same at all. Unlike sugar which is glucose that is easily burned up and used, fructose gets metabolized as fat. It all goes through the liver and the body stores what it can’t use. So when you consume 120 calories of fructose, 40 end up stored as fat.

2. We’re consuming way too much of it. HFCS is cheap – a lot cheaper than sugar. So food manufacturers use it and it winds up in just about everything on the grocery shelf. Take a look next time you’re shopping. Check the bread, salad dressings, crackers. I bet it’s in there.

As for it being safe in moderation, OK, but the numbers are anything but moderate. On average we’re consuming 65 grams of HFCS per day. Before it came on the market in 1975, 20 grams per day of fructose was average.

So we’re consuming more, the body’s storing it as fat, and wait it gets better….

3. HFCS disrupts the release of hormones that regulate appetite. Now studies are showing that fructose doesn’t trigger leptin – a hormone that’s released to tell them brain the stomach is full. So HFCS leads to major overeating. There’s another connection between HFCS and fat.

That’s right. What do you have to say to that girlfriend?

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