What do I eat? What should you eat?

Food.  Real food.  Minimally processed.  Mostly plant based.  Not too much, but enough.  Some fat, some sweet, some bitter.  Perhaps a little wine.  Not much meat, but yes to fish.  This is how I eat.  It's how I feed my family.  It's what the experts recommend...

Dr. David Katz sums it up beautifully in an Atlantic article based on his most recent study. 

"A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention."

He suggests that 50-80% of diseases could be prevented through nutrition and lifestyle change alone.  That's powerful information.  This weekend is a great time to start.  Go to the farmer's market.  Turn over your pantry, freezer, fridge and replace what's there with what should be there.  Or restock if you're already making the right choices.   A registered dietitian nutritionist is a great person to help you implement the latest recommendations.  It's one thing to know what you should do, it's another to actually do it.  Working with a pro is an investment.  Imagine how much money you will save on medication and medical intervention.  Be healthy!

Menu Planning

Do you plan your menu for the week?  I do.  Of course, I'm super flexible about it.  I plan a menu, then I make adjustments as needed.  Sometimes I think I'll have more time for prep and cooking, but then the wheels fall off and I run out of time.  I punt.  Make adjustments.  Figure out an alternative.  Of course, I try to anticipate that when I'm making my menu by mixing some quick and easy meals with some that require a little more effort.  Here are a five tips that I use to make my menu planning a success:

The window with no panes serves as meal planning central in my kitchen. 
Using dry erase markers makes it easy to make adjustments whenever needed.

1. Think about the overall load for the week.  For me, that means, when will I be in my office vs at home? Do I have other appointments, especially in the afternoons?  Will I have help - and if so, on what days?
2. Consider what's on hand.  What do I have in the fridge that must be eaten soon or tossed - those things go on the menu early in the week.  Don't forget the freezer and pantry!  Periodically, I turn the freezer upside down so I don't end up with freezer burned veggies, meats or seafood.



By prepping veggies in advance, I can pull together a
stir-fry dish in less than 20 minutes.

3. Shop.  After considering my week and taking inventory, I go grocery shopping.  I buy based on season, freshness, and price - not always in that order.  If I find something that's just a smokin' deal, I buy it and then fit it in.  For instance, today when I went shopping, my market had a ton of marked down produce.  Some of the veggies were a bit blemished, but not bad at all and all were perfectly edible and nutritious - they just may not have looked perfect.  I purchased pre-bagged beets, cauliflower, lemons, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes for less than $1 per bag.  They'll each work their way into this week's menu - in fact, tonight we had mashed cheesy cauliflower, tomorrow we'll have stuffed peppers, lemon for salmon later in the week, and I'll have beets and tomatoes in my salads.
4. What can I prep in advance?  For instance, tonight I roasted and chopped beets for salads for the week.  I just wrapped them in foil and tossed them in the oven at 350 when I started dinner.  They roasted for about an hour and a half.  After dinner, I pulled them out to cool, then skinned, chopped and refrigerated.  Often I chop onions early in the week for meals all week.  I wash and prep produce on Sunday night, like broccoli, cabbage, carrots etc. to make stir-fry - a meal in 20 minutes when the chopping's all done in advance.
5. Be flexible.  I planned my menu this morning.  But after shopping, I made some changes.  As the week goes on, I may make additional changes.  

Meal planning is fun and easy, once you get the hang of it.  I write my weekly menu on a window in the kitchen - you could use a wipe board, notebook, or your smartphone.  There's no substitute for planning and it doesn't have to be perfect.  The point is to have a basic plan, so you're not struggling at the end of the day - so you avoid the "easy" route (fast food) and nourish yourself instead. Do you plan meals in advance?  What are your best tips?  Be healthy!

What's Cooking in the Snow

We're totally snowed in - ice everywhere.  We can't get out if we want to...ok,we might be able to if we had to.  But why bother?  It's toasty inside and there's plenty to eat.  So far...this is some of what being snowed in has produced from the kitchen:

This recipe but with butterscotch chips.

Chicken, Broccoli Soba Noodle Bowl recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

Hershey's "Perfect" Hot Chocolate

And One Simple Roasted Chicken recipe from How to Cook Everything

What's next? Roasting some beets, baking some bread, oh...and a special Valentine's dinner.  Are you cooking for <3 Day?  What are you making?  Be healthy!

More Snow?!

So here we are in Atlanta anticipating more snow.  Seriously?  I'm a native and I can't remember ever having back to back snowstorms.  And yes, 2" of snow is a snowstorm in Atlanta. 

Like most people around here, I hit the grocery store today.  There were a ridiculous number of people there in the middle of the day on a Monday.  There was still plenty of bread, milk and staples when I was there at 11, but I heard (via Facebook, which is the most reliable place for news, of course) that the markets were cleared out before the evening.  I didn't buy bread because I always have plenty of ingredients to make fresh homemade bread if I need it...as long as we have power. 

Here's what I bought:

• 1/2 gallon of organic whole milk
• extra firm tofu
• bunch of organic beets
• bananas
• organic parsley
• beet juice
• organic broccoli
• whole wheat hamburger buns

I keep a very well stocked pantry and fridge.  I just wanted a few delicious items to round out what I have on hand. What am I going to make?  Burger buns are for black bean burgers (I <3 Morningstar Farms spicy black bean).  Tofu and broccoli will become stir fry.  Beets are for roasting to top salads and for pureeing for the baby.  Bananas for PB & banana sandwiches, banana bread, and mashed for baby.  Milk and beet juice for drinking.  Not together.  I'll share some recipes this week.

Did you hit the market?  What was in your cart?  Stay warm.  Be healthy!

Braised Kale and Apples

Kale is such a delicious leafy green vegetable.  I'm a huge fan.  Not everyone, however, loves kale.  In particular my green-vegetable-averse husband isn't a lover.  Kale tends to be bitter and it's tougher than some other greens, requiring either a little more cooking or the desire to eat rougher roughage.  He is a trooper though and is willing to try almost everything I make. This one seems to have been a winner.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  I served it with lemony Parmesan wheat berries and baked salmon.

Braised Kale and Apples
Serves 2 large servings

Mise en plas for the kale and the wheat berries.

2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
6 cups chopped kale (sounds like a lot, but wilts down a ton)
2 Tbs water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.  Add the apple slices and cook 2 more minutes.  Toss in the kale and mix thoroughly, then add water and cover for 5 minutes.  Uncover and stir, season with salt and pepper and cook until kale is done to your liking (just a couple of more minutes for me. 

This would also be great with dried cranberries tossed in, or with some chopped turkey bacon.  Kale is high in fiber, vitamins K, A and C.  Plus it's just plain yummy!  Enjoy.  Be healthy!

Eating My Veggies (and Fruit)

Time for a check in!  How are you doing with those goals you set at the beginning of the year?  Yeah, those...from just a couple of weeks ago!  Are you still doing it?  According to StatisticBrain.com, by this time more than 25% of people have given up on their resolution.  I'm sticking with my goals and doing okay...still struggling to get in the physical activity and drink enough water.  But I do have a win!  Where I'm really excelling is in eating my veggies and fruits.  Being more aware of the need to eat more of them has had me bumping up servings at all of my meals.  Each of the following pictures features a delicious combo of fruits and vegetables worked into or served on the side of each meal. 

Chicken and Israeli couscous salad with dried fruit, roasted beets and watermelon.

Turkey mini-meatloaf with baked apples, mashed cauliflower and braised kale.

Vegetarian chili served over a sweet potato and topped with avocado, side of watermelon and pineapple.

Vegetable "quiche" with mashed potato crust - made from the previous night's leftovers!

What do you think?  Does it give you some ideas for making the most of your produce?  Eat your veggies, friends!  Be healthy!

This and That Diet

I get a lot of questions from friends and acquaintances asking me to give my opinion on this diet and that diet.  I don't mind.  It makes for interesting conversation and they often tell me about fads that I haven't yet heard of...making me look smart later when someone else asks and I can say, "oh, yeah...that."

Here are a few thoughts to consider about diets:

• If your goal is simply weight loss, almost any diet can work...at least for a while.  Since virtually all diets involve calorie restriction in some form or fashion, you will lose weight on almost every diet.
• Few diets are dangerous, per se.  As long as the calories aren't TOO restricted (not <1200/day) and it doesn't involve something like colonics (which can lead to intestinal perforation) or long-term fasting (which can cause electrolyte imbalances, among other things), most diets aren't unsafe.
• There's someone who will sell you whatever diet you are willing to pay for and someone who will swear that it works for them.

With this in mind, when I meet someone and they want to try this diet or that, I usually don't try to talk them out of it. That's not my job.  My job is to support my clients in whatever way they determine is best to reach their goals.  I will always share my suggestions and my input without reservation (after all they are paying for my expertise), but I will also help them find a way to work within whatever framework they've adopted - even if I don't agree with it - again, as long as it's not unsafe.

So, what is an optimal diet in my opinion?  Here goes:

• It's not a diet.  It's a lifestyle.  Health isn't dependent on nutrition alone.  A healthy lifestyle comes from specific habits that support physical, emotional and spiritual health.  Separating eating from other healthy habits is not optimal and does not lead to success long-term.
• It focuses on what it includes (not what is forbidden):

• Mostly whole, minimally processed foods that are full of fiber, water, vitamins and minerals, and sometimes good for you bacteria
• Lots of fruits and vegetables and variety (read: color) among them
• Whole, unrefined grains - preferentially intact as often as possible (rather than ground into flour)
• Healthy beverages including plenty of fresh water, modest amounts of tea and/or coffee and a small amount of wine or alcohol of your choices, if desired
• Beans, legumes, and peas
• Cultured foods like yogurt and kefir
• Good fats from foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and dark chocolate
• Unprocessed (or minimally processed) high quality protein that is used to support the other foods, not as the "main attraction"
• A mindful approach to food must be part of an optimal diet.  That means, thinking in advance about what you will eat, when, where and with whom.  Paying attention.  Planning meals, shopping and choosing foods thoughtfully, eating regularly throughout the day, and sharing food with others.  Mindfulness is not waiting until you're famished and diving into the drive through.  It is not skipping meals.  It is not eating in front of the TV, computer screen, iPad, etc.  It IS eating with thanksgiving - gratitude makes every bite taste better.

It may not sound sexy, but trust me - it's sensational.  With so many fad diets out there, you can take your pick.  I'm going to stick with this here optimal diet.  A similar approach is found in the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate - check it out.  Be healthy!

Three Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

If you read my recent post about setting goals, you know one of my goals is to eat 5 servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day.  For some people this sounds like a ridiculous amount of produce, however it's actually about what's recommended for most people each day.  I'm close.  Most days I eat at least one serving of fruit and 3 or more servings of vegetables...but that's not my goal.  Since setting the goal, I've done well.  Here are three tips for eating more fruits and vegetables:

1. Eat salad.  Obvious, I know, but you can pack in a lot of vegetables by eating salads at least once a day.  A small side salad with dinner or a big salad at lunch.  Just 1 cup of leafy greens counts and who's only eating 1 cup of salad?!
   
2. Smoothies.  Love them! You can get so much goodness into a smoothie.  Fruit, vegetables, greek yogurt, peanut butter, and the list goes on.  You can sweeten with honey or add fiber and omega-3 fats with chia or flax seeds.  Yum!
   
3. Sneak them into casseroles, pasta, and eggs.  Adding vegetables to these kinds of dishes makes them simply disappear, but they still count!  Shred some spinach, carrots or zucchini and toss them into any of these dishes for more nutrition without changing the flavor at all.  Or add salsa and spinach to your egg sandwich.
   
    
   
   
   Try these ideas and let me know how they work for you!  Or you can do what my sweetheart advises...marry a dietitian.  Be healthy!

Keeping It Simple

Can I do this?  Can you?  Want to try?  A simple life sounds good to me today.  How about you? Be healthy!

From Decor to Dinner

Using fruits and vegetables can be a fun and unique way to decorate.  And when you're tired of the decorating part, they can sometimes become more than just fodder for the landfill.  Remember reduce, reuse, recycle...yeah, I'm learning to be a pro.

Pumpkins are a natural choice for this time of the year.  We put out four pumpkins at Halloween - two were carved and the other two were smaller pie pumpkins.  Pumpkin is a deliciously nutritious winter squash that's a yummy source of fiber, vitamin A, potassium and vitamin C. 

Today, one of the smaller pumpkins met his demise...and turned into a delicious dinner!

Don't be intimidated by winter squash.  All you need to do is cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, peel the flesh, and chop it up.  Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. 

This fragrant soup is simply delicious and the garam masala gives it a spicy, warm flavor.  It should be topped with a bit of Greek yogurt (it's in there, but sunk!) and pumpkin seeds.  We enjoyed it with a fresh green salad topped with Bosc pears and blush vinagrette and whole wheat dinner rolls.  Even the hubs ate it up.  Perfect cool weather meal. 

Pumpkin Soup

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs garam masala
2 medium carrots, chopped
4 cups pumpkin
6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy bottomed pot, add olive oil and onion and saute over medium heat until transleuscent.  Add spices and stir fry about 1 minute until fragrant.  Add carrots and cook 2 minutes more.  Stir in pumpkin and cook another minute.  Finally, add stock and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.  Cook 25 minutes and then taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Finally, puree using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.

This soup is really good for you.  Plus it tastes really good.  You've got an extra pumpkin out there, right?  Make it. Be healthy!