Archive for August 2015

Healthy, Delicious Pumpkin Pie Spiced Latte at Home (or anywhere)!!

Health Educator, Stacey Gretka, shares one of her Fall Favorites:

As Autumn is ushered in by cooler mornings, college & fantasy football, and the new school years, we all get just a little bit antsy for the pumpkin-everything that hits the shelves. This post is to help you celebrate the Fall staple without breaking your bank account (or your healthy lifestyle).

The Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks has been a seasonal favorite for a long time and the recent reinvention to include real pumpkin piqued my interest. I found this statement by Starbucks to be not only revealing of the company's desire to stay in touch with consumer interests, but to also be revealing of what the general consumer thinks of "Pumpkin Spice."

Did you know that Pumpkin tastes like squash? It doesn't actually taste like melted honey and butter. It doesn't actually have an aroma of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. No, that's pumpkin pie! Adding real pumpkin to a drink that is actually best known for its pumpkin pie spice-y notes somewhat baffles me. Yes, I will definitely try it, but before then, let me let you in on one of my best kept secrets: there is a healthy way to make this delicious, barista-style coffee at home (and you don't need a fancy cappuccino or espresso maker)! The best part? My version counts as 1/2 Dairy exchange per serving (add 1 Starch exchange if you use 1 Tbsp of a natural sweetener)!

Stacey's DIY Pumpkin Pie Spiced Latte

What you'll need to make about two 16 oz ("Grande") servings:

6 Tbsp of your favorite roast, ground

4 c of water

1 c fat-free milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (can purchase pre-mixed, or mix your own), divided in two

1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided in two

1 tsp sugar (optional), divided in two

Directions:

Step One:

Brew your coffee: You can use a standard coffee maker using 6 Tbsp of ground coffee and 4 c of water as per the directions of your particular model. You can also brew the coffee by bringing the water to a boil in a small saucepan, adding the coffee grounds, covering the saucepan and removing from heat. If you choose this method, wait about 10 minutes, allowing the grinds to settle completely before carefully pouring the coffee off the top.

Step Two:

Prepare your milk: In a mason jar (or any other container with a lid - I use my single-serving blender cup with closed top), pour 8 fl oz of fat-free milk. Close the lid tightly. Shake the milk until it doubles in size. Unscrew the lid, and microwave for 30-45 seconds or until warm. Watch it carefully, it will continue to expand and a milky overflow makes a pretty sticky mess!

Steamed Milk
Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

Step Three:

Put it all together: Add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and desired sweetener, if any, to your drinking mugs. Pour equal amounts of steamed milk into the mugs, spoon froth on top. Add coffee to each mug. Give it a quick stir, folding the froth into the coffee, and enjoy! For decorative purposes, you can add an additional sprinkle of pumpkin pie spices to the top and/or pop in a cinnamon stick.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Latte
Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

Ingredients:

1 c. whole wheat pancake mix (Chelsea uses Simply Nature)

6 oz peach Greek yogurt (any flavor would work well)

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 apple, sliced

1 tsp almond butter

1 tsp maple syrup

Steps:

Mix pancake mix, Greek yogurt, and water with a whisk until smooth.
Chop nuts, add to mix and pour 1/4 c. of batter into a pan over low-medium heat till golden brown.
Repeat until all of the batter is cooked.
Slice apples and "nuke" almond butter and syrup in microwave for 20 seconds.
Place pancakes on a plate, add apples to top of pancakes, and drizzle almond butter on top. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon.
Enjoy!

From the Kitchen of Health Educator, Chelsea Castellanos

Instructions

1 c dates (medjool)
½ c raw almonds (walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped)
1 ½ c rolled oats (I used ½ cup for a softer texture)
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds
¼ c almond butter or peanut butter
¼ c agave

Optional: Chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, dried fruits, other seeds etc.

Steps

Place dates in a food processor and pulse until it forms into a paste.
Toast almonds and oats in a pan or wok over low heat till slightly golden brown.
Place dates, almonds, and oats in a large mixing bowl with the rest of the seeds and set aside.
In a small saucepan, warm the almond butter and agave over low heat.
Stir and pour over the fruit and nut mixture.
Use your spoon or hands to break up the dates and mix well.
Cover an 8x8 pan with parchment or wax paper and transfer mixture to the pan.
Using your spoon or hand press down so the mixture is flat.
Cover the top with more paper to avoid stickiness and place something on top to hold together.
Chill in the freezer for 30-45 minutes to harden.

From the kitchen of TNT Health Educator, Chelsea Castellanos, comes a fun and festive recipe that offers big taste and big benefits! Plus, one serving counts as 4 Meats, 1 Fat, 1 Starch, and 1 Vegetable (exchanges are based on 4 oz of chicken, 1/4 c. of guacamole, and 1 cup veggies).

First, start by making the chicken:

1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powered
Salt and pepper

Add the above spices to both sides of the chicken (use an amount that fits your family's meal plans) and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 mins, or until the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

As soon as the chicken goes into the oven, combine the following ingredients for the veggies:

1 yellow squash, cubed
6-7 stalks asparagus, cut
5-6 baby red potatoes, cubed
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

Spread the veggies on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Season all veggies with spices, include salt and pepper to taste (optional). Drizzle the olive oil on top and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

Once your veggies are in, work on this guacamole:

Here's how to tell when an avocado is ripe.

1 avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, diced (optional)
7-8 grape tomatoes, diced
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. corn (optional)

Combine all ingredients and mix well, season with pepper to taste.

Place guacamole on top of the cooked chicken and serve.

Photo Credit: Chelsea Castellanos

Tools you may need:

Vegetables can be a challenge in our house... Yes, even in the homes of Registered Dietitians and Health Educators, noses get turned up to veggies! My oldest loves them, and will try nearly anything at least once, but that doesn't always mean she'll finish it or go back for more. My youngest is apt to simply cross his arms and refuse to eat at all. So I'm always brainstorming ways to "hide" vegetables that I know they'll like inside other foods that I know they love. For example, I've actually been known to add puree of pumpkin, carrots, and/or sweet potato to peanut butter (or Wow! Butter) and jelly sandwiches! So when I stumbled across carrot cake pancakes on the menu of a well known breakfast restaurant, I got an idea - what if we made simply carrot pancakes. As in, not spiced carrot cake, but simply add carrots to pancakes? Here are the delectable results!

I start my research by plugging it into the ol' Google machine: carrot pancake. A ton of results! Yay! So I won't have to experiment too much to find the right combo. Or so I thought. Sadly, nearly all of these recipes had me grating raw carrots. I might be adventurous and have a desire for my kids to enjoy great health, but

Raw carrots would never cook or soften in the time it would take the pancake to cook - so I'd have firm chunks of raw carrot. My kids are way too smart for that!
I don't have the time or patience to grate carrots. Plus, with two young kids running around, I'd probably slice a finger!
My son would most likely put two and two together, ruining my shot at the whole thing working out. He would see the carrots being grated, see them going into the bowl, and realize that I'm hiding healthy (albeit delicious) food into his favorites. I can't risk losing another food to this kid's incredible deductive reasoning skills.

So a little (totally worth-it) experimentation gave us this easy recipe that yields about 24 three-inch diameter pancakes (I made 10 three-inch and 7 six-inch). Even if you don't have a large family, make the whole recipe (or even double it) so that you have enough left over for the rest of the week. We found them to be just as amazing from the freezer (after 45 seconds in the microwave) the next day!

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour (you can use white or wheat, whatever you or your kids are most accustomed to), 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (to cut the bitterness that baking powder gives), 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (or 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice).

Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cup milk (we used skim), 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine, and one 15oz can of no salt added sliced carrots (make sure you strain and rinse them very well).
Go ahead and turn on your stove top to ready the pan. If you are using a non-stick pan, you will not need to grease the pan. My stove was set to medium-high.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and using the whisk, mix well, scraping the sides as you go. As you mix, you'll find the carrots will break up into small pieces.

Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

Pour 1/2 ladle full of batter onto the hot pan for child-size pancakes, 1 ladle full for an adult-sized pancake. Wait until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the pancakes, or until the bottom is golden brown - about two minutes.

Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

Repeat with the remaining batter until all the pancakes are made! Serve with their favorite fruit and/or a protein source that they like and watch them gobble up the deliciousness!

Save the rest for fast weekday breakfast:

After the pancakes have cooled, lay out a long piece of freezer paper.
On the far right side of the paper, place a pancake. Take the rest of the freezer paper across the top of the pancake, so that the remaining paper now lies the right of the pancake.
Place another pancake on top, and cross the freezer paper back to the left.
Continue until either all of the freezer paper or all of the pancakes have been used.
Place pancake stack in a plastic freezer bag, seal, label, and place in freezer.
When you're ready to enjoy, simply place 1-2 pancakes on a microwave safe dish and heat for 45 seconds to a minute.

Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

We hope you and your family enjoy these delicious pancakes as much as we do! When planning for them, consider that 1 six-inch pancake counts for 1 starch (and 1/4 vegetable, if you're counting quarters).

And you can also make adjustments to add more or different veggies. Here is what a TNT client recently had to say about the alterations they made to the recipe for it to fit their lifestyle:

"Winner, winner - chicken dinner! Made it tonight (daughter was asking for pancakes). Only used carrots (had available), but it was a huge hit. We had some limits on ingredients so made some changes - used whole wheat flour, used almond silk vs milk, then added a tablespoon of cocoa (got inspired). Yummy stuff. Both kids liked them. Veggies!"
So go on: enjoy your food!

Stacey's Fresh Green Bean Salad

Photo Credit: Stacey Gretka

We've all see the cooking shows that make even the most traditional foods look elegant and sophisticated, so today I'm bringing you my versatile version of a green bean salad, inspired by Bobby Flay's Haricots Verts.

It all starts with the freshest green beans. I nabbed mine from Black's Produce. Give them a good wash, and snap your ends. You can leave the ends intact if you prefer.

How to wash your produce properly.

While you're doing that, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.

TNT Tested: How Long Does it Take for Water to Boil...

Once you've got your water boiling and your green beans are ready, set the timer for 3 minutes. Add your green beans. While they're rolling around, fill a large bowl with ice water. Once your timer goes off, scoop the green beans out with a nice, big slotted spoon (actually called a skimmer) like this one and straight into that ice water! This technique preserves the gorgeous color. What you've done here is beyond simply making beautiful beans; you've enhanced the nutrients that are available to you. By breaking the beans' cell walls, you've unleashed a whole herd of antioxidants. They were coming right out the surface, and then you shocked them into attention with that ice bath! Had you continued to let them cook, either in the water, or out, you'd notice that the water or paper towel would become green and the beans would become dull. That would be those free radical fighting antioxidants escaping the bean itself. No, we want to keep those yummy, colorful, cancer-preventing goodies inside so we can enjoy their benefits.

By now, you have freezing cold, but bright green, green beans. Scoop them out and pat them dry.

While they're drying, you'll want to throw together this brilliantly simple and delicious vinaigrette:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together two tablespoons of lemon juice, two tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and one tablespoon of honey. Add a small dash (about 1/4 teaspoon) of low sodium lemon pepper seasoning. Once this is all mixed, slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Slowly is the key word here, allowing this mixture to emulsify (stay combined). This will make more dressing than you need, so save the extra in a small jar like this in the refrigerator.

Put your beautiful, now dry, green beans in a bowl, add 1/4 cup sliced almonds (you can toast if you'd like), 1 ounce shredded Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of the above vinaigrette. This simple side dish is ready to accompany the most elegant of main courses, or serve as wing man to any of your laid back favorites. Takes a total of 15 minutes to throw this Fresh Green Bean Salad together! One 1/2 cup serving counts as 1 Vegetable and 1 Fat.

You may need these tools:

Qalo (Kay-Lo) Helps the Active (and Clumsy)

"Put a Ring on It"

My husband and I are a unique duo in many ways, but possibly the most startling is our "collection" of wedding rings. When we married, we really didn't have much, so we went cheap on the rings. Mine turned my finger green, and his changed color. Over time we each got new ones, and due to our active lifestyle, successful weight loss, and undoubtedly my clumsiness, over time we had to replace those as well. We would often take them off: at the beach, the pool, lifting weights, yoga, golf, etc. Too many scenarios in which a metal ring could prevent proper form, or simply slip off and be lost forever. In walks Qalo, which rhymes with Halo (a complete coincidence that I walked down the aisle to an instrumental of that song). In this case, Qalo is an acronym representing the company's main driving forces:

Photo Credit: Qalo.com

Q uality

A thletics

L ove

O utdoors

The founders of the company endured much of the same frustrations that any active couple might in regards to their love of spouse and regard for safety and comfort. So they developed these silicone wedding bands. They have a wide selection to fit all tastes and statements. The price makes them a perfect addition to any wedding band collection (ha!), but to be honest, it is so simple and comfortable that I've made it my full-time ring. I'm proud to say that had I known about these rings earlier, we most likely would have exchanged them on our wedding day!

More info about the Qalo rings:

They come in adorable packaging (little bride/groom-esque zip up pouches on key rings, so you can attach to your golf bag, gym bag, etc)
They are true to size, but the silicone material makes them stay-put, without cutting off circulation. This does mean that you fidgetty-ring-spinners out there will be highly frustrated (or maybe relieved) to have to put an end your habit. It also means, they'll not be slipping off when you're swimming.
They are imprinted with your choice of symbols (kettle bell, compass, heart, or hammer and pick).
They are all about philanthropy. Certain rings support certain causes (Lupus, Breast Cancer, Law Enforcement, etc).
If you are not used to wearing a ring while you work out, there is a bit of an adjustment to having one on, but the flexible nature of the rings helps you to quickly forget and focus on the task at hand.

Need more convincing? Read these stories or simply try one for yourself, their return policy is incredibly supportive!

Sweet Potatoes and White Beans:

A Knock Out Combination for Intestinal Health

A (admittedly strange, but) common question I get when counseling is "how do I come up with non-animal-based "meat" exchanges that aren't packed full of sodium." It's important to know that some people simply don't care for animal meat (be it texture or animal rights), others are trying to limit their saturated fat intake and still others are looking to limit stress on their irritated bowels. Unfortunately, many of the substitutes, such as light cottage cheese, light string cheese, and soy-based substitutes are high in sodium.

Many people think that lowering sodium intake is only important for those who are at risk for hypertension, but because sodium is a crucial electrolyte designed to help the flow of water across all cell membranes, an imbalance (either too much or too little) will throw off any part of your system. Your intestines are no exception. Sometimes, we just cannot avoid the high sodium content of our society and we need some good potassium-rich foods to help bring us back in balance so that all this water we're told to drink can actually do its job! Bonus points if it contains low-saturated fat and an extra dose of protein!

Some potassium rich foods:

Winter squash, cubed, 1 cup, cooked: 896 mg
Sweet potato, medium, baked with skin: 694 mg
Potato, medium, baked with skin: 610 mg
White beans, canned, drained, half cup: 595 mg
Yogurt, fat-free, 1 cup: 579 mg
Halibut, 3 ounces, cooked: 490 mg
100% orange juice, 8 ounces: 496 mg
Cantaloupe, cubed, 1 cup: 431 mg
Banana, 1 medium: 422 mg

Some alternative protein choices:

Seafood (monitor mercury)
White meat poultry (remove the skin)
Cow's milk (be cautious if you are lactose intolerant)
Cheese (be cautious if you are casein sensitive)
Yogurt (monitor added sugars)
Eggs, Egg Whites, or Dried Egg Whites
Beans
Pork Tenderloin (other cuts can be very high in fat and sodium)
Edamame or Soy (many soy-based foods can be highly processed)
Lean beef

So what's on both lists? Beans! It makes sense to combine high protein, low-sodium and potassium-rich ingredients to make a super-powered, mainly meat-free meal. It doesn't hurt that it has long been touted that sweet potatoes and beans are foods high in both soluble and insoluble fiber making them a killer combo for combating IBS (all three kinds!). Of course you can always use these sweet potato pucks to help you get started!

Our notes to really elevate these meals:

Choose no salt-added and rinse canned beans
Choose low-sodium turkey sausage
Choose low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Rather than adding salt, add garlic, pepper, or chili powder

Here are some ideas (they are not necessarily vegetarian):

White Bean Soup with Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, and Turkey Sausage

Photo Credit: AlaskaFromScratch

Sweet Potato Quinoa Stew with White Beans and Spinach

Photo Credit: DishinguptheDirt

White Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

Photo Credit: OneGreenPlanet

Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Beans and Kale

Photo Credit: TheKitchn

Taking Control of Your Food: Bagels

Photo Credit: Marco Michelini

When we talk about leading a healthy lifestyle, we often exclude the very real truth that we have tastebuds. That's not an accident. The design of your body allows (and even encourages) you to consume foods that taste good. The delicate balance is understanding the difference between enjoying your food and being controlled by it. I'm happy to share with you that you truly CAN still enjoy your food, taste and all, and even reach your health goals at the same time. Step one: take control of your food. If you decide to enjoy processed foods (if you pick up a knife or turn on a stove, you do), then the key to finding that balance is to be knowledgable of what goes into the process of preparing the food you eat. Today's example: bagels.

Bagels have been an integral part of any Northern diet, and as transplants find the Southern comforts of front porches to be their locale of choice, I am finding bagels to be more and more prevalent in Southern diets as well. And yet many "diets" are excluding them because they are "high glycemic," or "processed," or simply because they are "starchy." Yes, they are a higher glycemic starch, but for most people the glycemic index shouldn't be a huge concern. Yes, they are processed, but so are green beans if you snap off the ends). And yes, they are a refined starch, which is a perfectly acceptable source of energy, when included as part of an appropriately balanced plan. If you do not already have a meal plan, contact us for help with this.

So how does one include them? By knowing how to include them. If you know what goes into your bagels, you'll know how to incude them in your plan. This recipe allows one whole bagel (two halves) for 2 starches exchanges. This is the equivalent of 1/2 c. uncooked oatmeal or 2 frozen waffles. Purchasing bagels from the grocery store could result in consumption of unnecessary preservatives, sugar, or salt. You'll have less control over bagels made in a bakery, the size might be harder to judge, and they may have a "secret" ingredient. So make your own.

Here's how:

This recipe has been adapted from that found in Baking: A Commonsense Guide published by Bay Books.

Bagels (makes 8 bagels, or 16 one-starch servings)

Note that this recipe requires the dough to be refrigerated for 12 hours, so don't start 20 minutes before you plan to eat bagels!

In a medium-sized bowl, dissolve 2 tsp of yeast and 1 tsp of sugar in 1.25 c of warm water (between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit). Let sit for 10 minutes - you will see that the mixture becomes frothy and increased in volume.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups wheat flour (unbleached, all-purpose or bread flour works great) and 2 tsp salt. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add up to 2 more cups of flour until the dough is firm and no longer sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. You may need to add more flour as you go to ensure it is smooth, stiff, and not sticky.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll them into balls. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave for about 5 minutes.
Roll each ball between your palms to form a rope that is about 1" thick and about 8-12" long. Bring the ends of the rope together and pinch, roll the seam a few times to blend it in. Repeat with remaining balls, placing each one on a corn meal dusted baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Remove bagels from fridge to allow them to come to room temperature (about 20 minutes) and preheat oven to 475. Also, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Drop bagels (in groups of 3) into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove, drain, and place back on baking sheet. Now is the time to add any toppings (try minced garlic or onion, shredded parmesan or cheddar, or poppy seeds). Repeat with remaining bagels until all have been boiled.
Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Let the bagels cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. You can slice them, toast them, make bagel sandwiches, or whatever you choose! Just remember, each bagel counts for two starches (about 200 calories). You could also make 16 one-starch bagels, by portioning the dough into 16ths instead of 8ths in step 4.

Enjoy!

TNTPrepnique: Sweet Potato Pucks

The slightly sweet profile of the sweet potato lends itself as a great first food, a versatile side dish, or a healthy indulgence, making it a perfect food for every age. Their high content of beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin makes the sweet potato a veritable enemy of cancers and eye diseases. They lower cholesterol (thanks to their soluble and insoluble fiber content, as well as the plant sterols and vitamin B found in each yummy bite). They lower blood pressure (potassium-rich), bolster immunity (high in vitamin C), and may even help prevent constipation, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, and weight gain! Hard to say no to such a strong contender… until it’s time to cook them. The average baking time for a regular sweet potato is an hour or more, and many of us just don’t have the time to make this happen after a long day at work.

I started using this prepnique when my youngest first began solids. My husband and I, like many young parents, worked hard all day, drove around the world through too much traffic to reach the daycare and home, and still wanted desperately to provide home cooked baby food for our first born. I had no desire to cook multiple meals, nor yet could I produce extra time to create them. So we needed foods that worked for everyone… and we needed them fast. My requirements:

Great taste
Able to use microwave, grill or toaster oven for speedy cooking
Able to be a “baby” food or an adult food

Introducing the Sweet Potato Pucks!

These pucks are so easy to prep and easy to use. They’re versatile in every sense of the word. I can warm up and dice a puck for baby, or smoosh it with some seasonings for big sister, or roast it for mommy, or grill it for daddy. You can grate a puck and use it in muffins, or thaw it and use it in soup, or leave it frozen and add it to a morning smoothie. The choices are endless.

Here are the step-by-step picture instructions on how to make Prepnique: Sweet Potato Pucks.