Friday, December 5, 2008

Healthy (and Happy) Holidays!


By: Jaimie Morgan, Dietetic Intern, Bastyr University

The holidays are here already! How do we stay healthy, active and avoid that dreaded holiday weight gain?

Here are some helpful holiday recipe and eating tips, to help reduce your intake of fat and calories during this long (three months!) holiday season:

• Continue with your regular exercise routine – studies have shown that people who keep the weight off are also the ones who stick as much as possible to their food and exercise programs
• Choose meats (such as turkey) without the skin
• Modify your favorite high-fat recipes
• Eat slowly – set your fork down on the table between bites, talk with others and enjoy their company!
• Choose foods wisely – When choosing from a tableful of rich holiday foods, go for the fruits and vegetables first, then go back for the higher fat items like casseroles and meats
• Never go to a holiday party starving! Have a small, healthy snack before departing, like whole-grain crackers, cheese and a piece of fruit.
• Take care of yourself – Taking time for yourself by doing exercise, meditating and making healthy choices will help to relieve holiday stress!

There's a great example of a typical vs. healthy holiday meal at:
http://www.dietbites.com/calories-in-holiday-meal.html
as well as some great tips on how to trim the calories and fat!

And don't forget about exercise! Stick to your routine as much as possible, or add some of these fun holiday exercise opportunities:
• Shoveling snow
• Snowball fighting
• Skiing/Snowboarding
• Hiding presents
• Kissing under the mistletoe!

Have a healthy and happy holiday season, from the team at HealthyHusky!

Creamy Penne Pasta and Chicken


It takes longer to cook the penne than to make the sauce! The roasted chicken can be bought pre-made from the grocery store deli. Delicious! Packed with protein and carbs, and you can add any of your favorite veggies as well.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

2 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked as directed
4 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (can be bought pre-made)
red pepper flakes, optional
grape tomatoes, sliced, optional

While the penne is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Cook garlic and onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt, over medium heat, until onions have softened. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth, stirring frequently until sauce comes to simmer. Remove from heat.
Simply stir in the sour cream until it has melted. Be sure the pasta is well drained, then move to a large serving bowl. Top pasta with chicken pieces. Pour sauce over hot pasta, tossing well to get all that creamy sauce inside the pasta. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving, so sauce can thicken. Garnish individual plates with grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

This recipe is so good I can’t wait to make it again.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast


A simple, easy breakfast to eat on-the-go and keep you energized all morning.

HERE IT IS

2 slices whole wheat toast
2 tablespoons peanut butter
8 banana slices per sandwich
a glass of orange juice

We have had to hurry out the door every day this week. Making these breakfast sandwiches made it easy to eat on the go and kept us satisfied until lunch time.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Carrot, Spinach and Rice Soup


This is an easy, super quick soup that’s healthy, nutritious, kid friendly and easy on the budget.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium carrot, chopped the same size as the onion
1/4 cup parboiled white or brown rice (like Uncle Ben's or Minute Rice)
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper
Optional: 2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, cook onions and carrots in butter with a pinch of salt, until tender. Add rice and cook until rice is a light golden color, then add 2/3 cup broth. When broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.

Add spinach, 1 cup broth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is hot. You’re ready to eat a light, flavorful soup.
If you like, add 2-3 tablespoons of light sour cream for a creamier texture, more calcium, protein and calories.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Creamy Spinach and Ravioli


When I prep all my ingredients before cooking (give or take 15 minutes), this meal is cooked in 10 minutes. That’s including the heat-n-eat garlic bread on the side.

THIS IS ALL IT TAKES

1 (10 oz.) bag of frozen spinach, thawed
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons oil
salt & pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 vegetable broth cube
2 cups water
1/2 cup lite sour cream
1 family size package of fresh, ready to cook, four cheese ravioli
1 loaf of frozen heat and eat garlic bread
shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven according to directions on garlic bread package.

Prep the garlic bread loaf on the cookie sheet. Prep spinach and onions, measure out the butter, flour, water and sour cream. Mince up the broth cube so it will dissolve better. Fill a large pot with hot water for cooking the pasta and set on high heat. Use a medium sauce pan for making the cream sauce and a small fry pan to saute the onions and spinach.

Start by adding 3 tablespoons of oil to the fry pan and heating it over medium to medium high heat. Add all BUT a 1/4 cup of onions and cook until softened. Add spinach, stir together and cook until heated through. Cover with a lid and remove from heat.

Next comes the cream sauce. Is the pasta water boiling yet? Yes? Good. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and pop the garlic loaf in the oven and set timer for 9 minutes. Lower the heat to medium on the pasta, and give the raviolis a gentle stir occasionally to keep them from sticking together.

Fully melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the 1/ 4 cup sliced onions and cook until softened. Add the flour. Stirring continuously, cook the flour up to two minutes. Stir in the minced broth cube and 2 cups of water, until sauce is smooth and thickens a bit, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, gently whisk in sour cream until fully melted. Remove saucepan completely from electric burner.

If everyone in your family loves spinach then add it to the cream sauce now. Otherwise, when the ravioli is cooked and drained, pour the cream sauce over the pasta and allow to set. The sauce will thicken up and stick to the pasta…yummm. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Oh and don’t forget about the garlic bread in the oven!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Black Bean Snack Bites


Black bean nachos are served regularly round my house. Well, the other day, I didn’t have my normal flat, restaurant style chips and I had to use scoops. The kids loved the variety (they thought I’d made something new).

I kept them simple, but topped mine with chopped chicken, sliced onion and a dot of habanero sauce.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

Tostito Scoops (or other corn chips)
1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained
cheddar and jack cheese, shredded
thinly sliced onion (optional)
chopped cooked chicken (optional, can be bought pre-made)
habanero sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.


Fill each scoop chip with any combination of the ingredients above.
Bake for 7 minutes. Serve hot!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Easy Taco Salad


Taco Salad takes very little time to throw together and it only takes a little of this, a little of that.


HERE’S ALL YOU NEED

cooked ground beef seasoned with chili powder & cumin
green leafy lettuce
can of kidney beans, drained
shredded monterey jack & cheddar cheese
medium tomato, roughly chopped
purple onion, thinly sliced
tortillas chips
salt & pepper
Catalina dressing or Thousand Island

Start by seasoning cooked ground beef with chili powder and cumin. Set aside and allow to cool. Lay down the lettuce as the foundation, start with ground beef, then work your way down the list. You add as much of each ingredient as you wish to eat. I prefer Catalina dressing, but my husband prefers Thousand Island. To each their own.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Simple Chickpea Salad


This chickpea salad is super fast to throw together and tastes AWESOME! It’s very filling and makes a perfect light meal. To make it even easier, you can use canned chickpeas (or whatever beans you have on hand) and a bottled salad dressing. Easy!

Meanwhile, HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

2 (14 oz) cans chickpeas, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
6 green onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cut into cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or cilantro
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters

For the dressing (or use bottled oil and vinegar dressing):
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

If using canned chickpeas, be sure to drain off the liquid. Place them in a serving bowl. Mix in the other ingredients, EXCEPT THE EGGS. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss the salad with the mixed herbs. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste for seasoning. Allow to stand for at least one hour. Just before serving decorate the salad with the egg wedges.

I didn’t think the one tablespoon of capers made that much of a difference. I did enjoy the flavor when I came across them in a bite, but one tablespoon was really not enough to cover the amount of salad here. If you don’t have capers, don’t sweat it. Just keep going.

I do wonder how a roughly chopped ripe avocado would taste in the mix. Hmmm.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Crunchy Fried Shrimp Dinner


Shrimp are delicious, and much easier to make than you think! They provide omega-three fatty acids and lots of protein. Add some cooked brown rice and veggies, and you're good to go!

HERE’S WHAT I DID

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled & deveined
1/4 cup flour
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, beaten
1/2 bag of Panko bread crumbs
enough oil to cover the bottom of pan
Dredge the all shrimp in the flour. One by one, shake off any extra flour from a shrimp. Wet the shrimp in the egg-water. Roll the shrimp, coating evenly, in the bread crumbs. Set aside on large plate. Repeat.

Using a fry pan or cast iron skillet, cover the bottom of the pan with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp on each side until crust in golden brown, up to a minute on each side. It doesn’t take long at all to cook the shrimp, so don’t walk away from the pan.

Move the shrimp to a foil envelope lined with a paper towel and keep closed to keep the heat in.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Chocolate Dipped Bananas


What a delicious treat! Bananas are full of potassium, soluble fiber and carbohydrate, and the chocolate and nuts add both fat and calories. Yum!

These are absolutely delicious when eaten soon after dipping. I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge - they turn mushy and watery. I guess you can refreeze them. I don’t know. We ate all of ours, so I can’t tell ya.

I can tell you what I did.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

ripe bananas
semi-sweet chocolate chips
almond bark
chopped unsalted peanuts
popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks
I cut the bananas in half for smaller portions and for easier dipping in a shallow bowl of melted chocolate.

Skewer the bananas with the sticks, THEN PEEL THEM! Place them on a sheet or tray lined with wax paper, then put them in the freezer for oh, let’s say 15 to 30 minutes. (I actually forgot about them for 2 days.)

Anyhoo. Put the chopped peanuts in a plate so it’s easy to roll the banana across the nuts. Melt the almond bark with a handful of chocolate chips, either with the double boiler method or in the microwave. As soon as the chocolate has melted, take out the bananas are start dipping and QUICKLY move to the chopped nuts. Those frozen bananas work fast to harden up the chocolate. There’s no time to dilly dally.

Return the coated treats to the waxed paper until you’re finished.

Yell out, “Come and GET IT!” and they’re gone. They will vanish before your eyes.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Simple Black Bean Soup


The secret to this soup is buying the right canned tomatoes to season the beans! This soup is packed with protein, minerals and antioxidants - serve with whole grain bread, rolls or tortillas for a satisfying meal.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

1 (15oz) can black beans
1/3 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream (optional)
Stir together and heat in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot.

You’re ready to eat!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Oven-Roasted Red Potatoes and Onions


Oven roasted vegetables are so delicious and easy to serve. No matter what it is, as long as the oven is hot, there’s good olive oil on hand and you season it with plenty of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper…you cannot go wrong.

HERE’S A GREAT VEGGIE COMBO

red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
yellow onion, cut into 1 inch slices
extra virgin olive oil
course salt and fresh ground pepper

Heat oven to 425F degrees. On a large sheet pan, drizzle enough oil to coat potatoes and onions. Use your clean hands to toss the vegetables well and coat the sheet pan, too. Spread vegetables in a single layer. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Midway through roasting, turn the veggies once with a metal spatula. Potatoes will have a crispy outside and remain creamy, soft on the inside. The onions just turn into a sweet & savory sidekick to the potatoes that cannot be compared.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Roasted Yellow Squash


Yellow squash would have to be my second favorite vegetable. Steamed, baked, or roasted, it’s good anytime. This can be a great side dish - add brown rice, some protein and you have a full meal!

IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH

2 pounds yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
1 small onion, sliced into small wedges
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons healthy oil
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

It’s good to slice the squash and onions the same width, about 1/2 inch thick. Put all the sliced vegetables on a large sheet pan and drizzle the oil over them. Just use your hands to toss the vegetables and make sure their well coated.

Spread the veggies out on the sheet pan, sprinkle the chopped bacon on top. Roast the vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. THAT’S IT!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Vegetable Medley


Ok, I know I’ve already done a recipe with chick peas this week. But come ON! Who eats something different every night of the week? that lives on a reasonable budget? that hates to throw out good food?

I’m calling this recipe “vegetable medley”, because it’s better than “leftover vegetables from the frig that need to be cooked before they go bad.”

There wasn’t really enough of it to make into a dinner for two, but it made a robust lunch for one. Add some hearty grain bread for more carbohydrate, and you're set!

HERE’S WHAT I DID FOR LUNCH

1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, quartered
1/3 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
4 large white mushrooms, slices
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt & pepper
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Cook onion, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms, pinch of salt & pepper, in oil over medium heat until softened. Lay spinach on top, sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper, add oregano and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat.

Top with Parmesan cheese and CHOW DOWN!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Budget-Friendly Red Beans and Rice with Sausage


Ever have those nights when it just looks like there’s nothing to eat, but it turns out you had something delicious all along?

Well, the other night this is all I had on hand. Two cups of cooked leftover pinto beans, 1 cup rice and one package of skinless sausage.

First, I cut the sausage into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and seared them in a large pot over medium high. The beans were too cold to throw directly in the pot, so I warmed them up in the microwave, then added to the large pot.

Next, I tossed in:

1 cup of dried parboiled rice (Like Uncle Ben's, or you can cook your own brown rice)
1 cup chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 1/4 cup water

I may have added more water to keep the ingredients from getting too thick. When the liquid came to a strong simmer, I covered the pot and turned down the heat to low. I made sure to cook the rice for 20 minutes. Then removed the large pot from heat and allowed to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. The extra liquid has a chance to thicken while it cooled down. Delicious!

Serve with cornbread or muffins, and enjoy.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Strawberry Smoothie


Here's another great smoothie recipe that you can make and go! Use frozen fruit for faster preparation, and add any different combination you like!

1/2 cup crushed ice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup nonfat (or regular) vanilla yogurt
6 to 8 ripe strawberries, cleaned & quartered

Blend until smooth in a blender.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Pineapple Banana Smoothie


A super-easy smoothie to start your day! You can add any other fruit, fruit juice or your favorite protein or supplement powder to this as well.

One Serving

1/3 cup crushed ice
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
Blend until smooth in a blender.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Healthy Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins


These Cranberry Pumpkin muffins are moist and delicious. There’s no worries or guilt here, because these are healthy enough for breakfast. Add a hard-boiled egg or two and a portable milk carton, and you've got a full, portable breakfast!




HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

dry ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sweetened dried, cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
wet ingredients

1 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup healthy egg substitute or 2 eggs
1/2 cup all natural applesauce or canola oil
1/4 cup orange juice or water
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour 12 count muffin pan.

FIRST! Baking tip for the dried cranberries & raisins.
Place the cranberries and raisins in a microwave safe bowl and cover with warm water. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. This is a speedy way to rehydrate the dried fruit. Drain off the water from the dried fruit. The rehydrated fruit won’t burn when it’s exposed at the top of the baked item.

Now back to mixing it up. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, including the pecans, rehydated cranberries and raisins. Mix well.

In a small bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients.

Always adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, use a rubber spatula and fold the wet into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix here. Go slowly allowing the flour a chance to absorb the moisture. Make sure all the flour is moisten.

Use either a 2 inch scooper or a large spoon to fill the muffin pan. I filled each muffin cup to the top. These are dense muffins so you can sorta heap the batter.

BAKE for 18-20 minutes.

Store the muffins just like you would Banana Bread, on a plate wrapped with cellophane, or in a resealable storage bag. They will keep well out on the counter in cool temperatures for at least three days.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Breakfast To Go in 15 Minutes



Don’t tell me you don’t have time for breakfast. I’ll have you eating a very satisfying breakfast on your way out the door that only takes 15 minutes to prepare. Add some fruit and a carton of milk, and you've got a whole meal!





HERE’S ALL YOU NEED

1 can of grand biscuits (8 count)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
salt & pepper
oven fried bacon or ham lunch meat slices
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Bake biscuits as directed on package. Inside the 15 minutes it takes to bake the biscuits, scramble eggs and milk, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Right before the eggs set, press them flat in the pan to make them look like one flat pancake. Remove from heat and allow the heat from the pan to finish cooking the eggs through.

Microwave as many slices of bacon as you need. For every two oven fried bacon slices, cook at 70% power for 40 to 50 seconds, long enough to reheat but not overcook. If you don’t have oven fried bacon on hand, then just use your favorite ham lunch meat.

Slide egg pancake onto a plate. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut egg into individual servings.

YOU’RE READY TO HIT THE ROAD!

You can easily prep the extra biscuits and store in the frig for tomorrow’s breakfast. Wrap the biscuits individually to make them even handier to grab and go. To reheat them, microwave at 70% power for 1 minute or so. Go low and slow, so the biscuit doesn’t get chewy. You’re reheating, not cooking.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Joe's Baked Egg Muffins



These egg muffins are delicious, easy to make, and can be eaten for breakfast OR dinner! You can pre-bake a whole muffin tin, refrigerate and reheat - yum!


Here's all you need:
Slices of bread, butter, crumbled bacon, two eggs, a little cream, salt & pepper, a pinch of cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter your muffin tin. Cut edges off each piece of bread to form a square about four inches by four inches. Butter the bread slices. Press each slice gently into the bottom of the muffin cup so that the four edges are pointing up like in the picture. Bake for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread, until it is starting to crisp.

Remove tin from the oven, place the bacon, prosciutto or ham on the bottom of each cup. Crack an egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper, pour a bit of cream on top and cover with cheese to your liking.

Place the muffin tin back into the oven and bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the whites are just set, or to the desired consistency. With a fork or an offset spatula, remove the bread cups, garnish with chives and devour!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Simple Pinto Bean Soup


Beans are chock-full of protein and minerals - add more carbs by eating with tortillas or bread on the side!

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this recipe. It’s loaded with good flavor and very filling. It’s was created from NOT having enough leftover cooked pinto beans, but LOTS of bean broth.

HERE’S ALL I DID

I mashed 1 1/2 cups of cooked pinto beans, very well. Then added enough bean broth to make it soup. Warmed it up over medium heat, seasoned with salt & pepper. Served with shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, and tortilla chips. (I added a few drops of Tabasco to my bowl, yum!)

It’s not gourmet cuisine, but it’s still good eats when there’s not much to eat.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com