Yes, I eat out.  Who doesn’t these days?  Very few people I imagine.

This morning was a bit slow – ahhh sleep – and so rushing out the door I didn’t have time to eat breakfast. Usually, I have something portable on hand like Fage yogurt or a buckwheat waffle.  But not this morning. This morning I was empty handed.

So After dropping Ben off to work I considered all of my possibilities (at least the ones that included free wifi): Cafe 360, Panera Bread, Starbucks.  I remembered Starbucks “Perfect Oatmeal” and was sold.  A much better option than a bagel or eggy sandwich thing.

It comes with raw nuts, mixed dried fruit and brown sugar on the side.  I use all of the nuts and fruit but only about 1/3 of the brown sugar packet. Delightful. And so filling! I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat much of a lunch today.

A lot of people ask about the health benefits/consequences of coffee. Research has shown that moderate intake of caffeine may be beneficial to overall health. “Moderate Intake” does not mean a whole pot per day. Its means 8-16 ounces per day.

If you are going European what kind of milk to use?  I enjoy whole milk or soy. Yes, I drink whole milk. Mainly because my overall fat intake is not very high.  So I’m not worried about the extra calories (or the small amounts of saturated fat).  Another reason is that I try to choose foods that are minimally processed when I have the option.  Organic soy milk is also a great option if you want to fork out an extra $.50 or so.  It has a lightly nutty flavor that I really like.

So the next time to find yourself in a fast food bind look at your options and make a decision based on what has the most positive nutritional value – even if its a burger minus the cheese + all the veggies.

Tags: coffee, eating out, oatmeal

Lean on America’s classic on-the-go option for a healthy and satisfying lunch (minus the PB&J). Sandwiches are quick to make and can be very nutritious when you choose the right ingredients.  I’m usually able to throw one together in the 5 minutes before I need to leave in the morning.

Ditch the white bread. I love these multi-grain bread loafs from the HEB bakery. They are fresh, whole-grain and the perfect size – about half the size of a commercial brand bread.

And guess what? If you jam pack these little suckers with nutrient dense ingredients, your stomach won’t miss the extra bread. Just ask Ben, he can only eat one of these!

Here are some tips for Healthy (and YUMMY) Sandwich creating:

• Need a little bit of moisture? Opt for hummus or mustard instead of mayo
• If you choose a deli meat, use meat that is nitrate and nitrite (cancer causing agents) free – WARNING: the lack of nitrates and nitrites means that your meat won’t last as long in the fridge.  Be sure to get only what you need for a couple of days.
• Pack it with veggies!!! I LOVE adding diced up avocado, sliced cucumber and whatever salad greens I have on hand – People will think its a store bought sandwich
• The same ingredients are sinfully delicious as a wrap – use whole grain tortillas (6 inch) or large Romain lettuce leaf in place of bread
• Wrap the sandwich or wrap in plastic to avoid leakage and keep refrigerated

When I was in India a few years back the family we were staying with attempted to make our group something “familiar” for dinner. The result was a very interesting, um, pizza? Hmmmm didn’t taste – or look – quite right.

But in honor of the beautiful country of India I decided to make my own version of an “Indian Pizza.” This version is a little more Americanized The secret ingredient?  Naan bread. Naan is flat and the perfect size for a personal pizza. It comes in regular white and whole wheat. Pick the whole wheat! You can find it by the deli counter at most major grocery stores now – HEB, Whole Foods and Central Market.

Indian Pizza

I love going to this simple pizza recipe when Ben and I want to have a laid back night at home or when we have a coupe of last minute guests come over. Its fast, easy, and delicious.

This is also a great dinner option if you have kids who are old enough to help in the kitchen (including your significant other)! Its so easy and fun to top your personalized pizza with ingredients

How to Create Your Pizza!

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Place naan slices on a pizza sheet (2 at a time will fit)
3. Slather the naan with a good pizza sauce – like Cento – and then top with whatever you like

Be as simple or gourmet as you please. My favorite is pepperoni slices from the deli, baby spinach leaves, mushroom slices and black olives.  If you want to be a little more decadent, then go with very thin prosciutto slices instead of pepperoni. Or go all veggie with spinach, peppers, artichoke hearts and olives.  You’re options for toppings are limitless!

Enjoy!

Tags: date night, dinner, pizza

Good morning!

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately and so even though the air is thick with heat and humidity I’ve been craving hot things to eat/drink. For breakfast, instead of instant oat meal I’ve been cooking up hot bowls of Hodgson Mill Oat Bran and topping it with what ever fruit I have on hand – strawberries, peaches, cherries, banananas… and a drizzle of honey or agave nectar. Mmmm I love summer produce, don’t you?  :)

sitting outside with a bowl of oat bran and strawberries

This is such an easy breakfast to whip up.  But beware! My first attempts were borderline disasterous. I’m not sure what it is about the oat bran -maybe too much starch? – but if you don’t keep a close eye on it the tiniest amount tends to boil over!  I think I’ve gotten the hang of it though. It just needs some gentle stirring throughout the cooking process (which is a grand total of about 4-5 minutes).

So why ditch the instant stuff? Well, for one, the reason why instant oatmeal gets soft and gooey so fast is because the oats have been finely processed.  Instant oats are stripped of the protein and nutrients that you could be enjoying if they were less refined. Its the same idea as White Flour vs. Whole Grain Flour.

The awesome thing about oat bran is that it packs a nutritional punch! With 6 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per serving (1/4 cup) not to mention the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals that are part of the bran layer.

The type of fiber in oat bran is also important – Soluble Fiber – which has been shown to aid in lowering blood cholesterol levels as well as have a positive effect on blood sugar. Delicious and super healthful! Its a win-win.

Of course you can go even more whole grain and choose something like Steel Cut Oats.  These whole grain oats are a wonderful alternative to instant oatmeal as well. The only downer is that they take 25-30 minutes to cook. That shouldn’t stop you from trying them though. Some people choose to cook them the night before and just reheat in the morning!

Bottom-Line: if post-rain molds and allergies are getting you down, try a hot bowl of fresh Oat Bran and a cup of warm tea to soothe the sniffles. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do

Tags: breakfast, fiber, gluten-free, oat bran, oatmeal

Delicious

Here’s the deal.  I love beans.  Specifically, black beans. I also love Mexican food.  And when the two combine its like magic in my mouth.

I just can’t get enough!

The only problem is that these little guys are extremely filling.  Seriously. Ben can’t eat more than one. And I can usually only get half of one down.  But that’s ok. Because these quesadillas make an excellent lunch for the next day

Bird's Eye View

Ingredients

• 1 frozen or homemade black bean burger
• 2 corn tortillas (5-6 inches)
• 2 Slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 Leaves romaine lettuce, broken into small pieces
• ¼ Small avocado, diced
• 1 T Medium Salsa

Directions

1. To thaw frozen black bean burger, cook in the microwave for 40 seconds on high. Place thawed burger in a non-stick skillet and cook over MEDIUM heat for 4-5 minutes, turning burger frequently.
2. Set burger aside. Wipe skillet clean and spray with light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Place tortillas on the skillet. Place one cheese slice on top of each tortilla. Lay romaine lettuce over the cheese of one tortilla.
3. Break burger into chunks and place over lettuce. Smear avocado and salsa over burger chunks and cover with remaining tortilla.
4. Flip quesadilla over and let cheese heat through. Remove from skillet and cut into 4 slices.

Serves 2

Its now the beginning of week 8 of Life As A Dietetic Intern.  In case you are a first time reader, I started a dietetic internship last August that will continue into April of 2010.  After the internship is complete then I will be RD eligible and am able to become a Registered Dietitian

That’s the short-term goal. In the meanwhile I am trying to figure out how to make leading a healthy lifestyle not only practical but livable. Ok, this might easier said than done.  But I believe that it is totally achievable.  And hopefully, my successes and failures can help you to find your own way to health

So whats been going on?

Well, I just finished my rotation at the San Antonio Food Bank.  What an awesome experience   This organization has really provided a wonderful service to the community that it serves.  I worked primarily with the Nutrition Education department.  They are a group of nutritionists and RDs that give in-service presentations about nutrition to whoever they can (HEB, after-school programs, long-term care facilities…).

The SA Food Bank

The food bank also has 6 acres of land dedicated to a community garden that grows an abundance of fresh produce.  The “teaching kitchen” holds a 10 week culinary course that is open to anyone in the community – homeless guy to Harvard grad – and is run by a prestigious executive chef and his staff.

the garden

Passion Flower

Its a wonderful place and I hope that I can visit again someday soon

Tomorrow I will start week 1 of 6 at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital to do my clinical rotation.  I have to admit that I am a little nervous.  Being in a hospital even when you aren’t sick makes your muscles tense up.  I am excited to get started though and feel like this area of nutrition might be where I end up for a short while after the internship is over.  We’ll see!

Right now I must attend to my bean soup, recently re-named “Patience Soup” because its taken 2 HOURS to cook!  I should have read the package ahead of time.  If you don’t soak the beans over night then you have to let them simmer for a whole hour before any of the soup part can begin.

the ingredients for "Patience Soup"

a closer look

I found the package of soup mix at Central Market a few weeks back and have finally found time to make it.  The only extra ingredient that the recipe called for was the onion.  Since we have some men partaking in the meal I decided to “beef” it up with some bison and added the summer squash for myself

Where has the time gone?  Our internship director, Dr. B, keeps insisting that our time as interns will fly-bye in a wink.  I’m starting to think he’s right!

This morning I want to share a little bit of my classroom time with you all.  Last Friday we practiced food demoing Rachel Ray and Julia Child style.  And guess what?  Its loads of fun!  Its not difficult to actually perform the cooking demonstration (unless you have no idea how to cook!) the hard part is remembering to verbalize each step.  I guess a good mindset to have while performing would be “how do I need to describe this so that if someone were only listening (i.e. radio show) they could still recreate this dish?”

We started the class with a demo of a demo.  The lovely Chef Becki was the star and demonstrated how to make “Soyrizo” breakfast tacos.

Chef Becki working hard on our Soyrizo tacos!

The ingredients:

• 1 package Soyrizo (found at HEB)
• onions and bell pepper, chopped
• HEB 7 grain toritillas
• Eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cheese (optional)
• Salsa (optional but highly recommended)

She started by heating the soyrizo in a pan until crispy.  Then you add the onions and bell pepper.  Cook until tender.  Add in eggs, salt and pepper.  Scramble ingredients together until eggs are at desired consistency.  In a separate pan, heat 1/2 tsp. oil and warm tortillas until soft.  Make tacos by putting cheese, salsa, and Soyrizo eggs into tortilla, wrap.

the tortillas

the eggs

the star of the show - Soyrizo

I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of soystitutions for meat (i could never make it as a mainstream vegan).  Partially from a worry about the long-term effects of consuming too many soy derivatives and partially because the damn stuff just doesn’t taste all that great 98% of the time.

Well, my soy prejudice was laid to rest after I tried these tacos – they were stinking AMAZING.  Becki said that she had made these same tacos (plus some added spice!) for Hispanic men and they couldn’t taste the difference!  To me, that is the greatest testimony to any substitute dish.

the finished product

After Becki finished her demo, all of us non-chefs were assigned part of a recipe to demo to the rest of the class.  Little did we know that we were actually making a dish!

Here is the line-up of the next Food Network Stars:

Anna demonstrates how to chop an onion

Victoria teaches us how to cook the onion

Sarah diced a potato

Abbey must julianne a carrot

I caramelized the carrots

Erin started a lovely cream sauce

Vik put together a gravy/cream sauce

Monica butterfly cut a chicken and then cooked it

Vanessa made a perfect roux and then gravy

Dr. B shows off his cooking skills and puts everything together

And the finished product?  Seared chicken and gravy with a side of vegetable cream sauce.  Bon a petite!

Mmmm... Chicken and gravy with cream sauce

Considering how many people had no idea what to do, this dish turned out pretty well

Its almost Friday!!!

Which means tomorrow I get to drive back to Austin and see Ben   The week has gone by so fast and now that its almost over I feel a sense of accomplishment.  I guess the real test will come over the next 32 weeks of internship rotations.

In other news, all the craziness has thrown me out of the blogging groove lately and so I thought I would get back to my roots and write about food again!

This morning I had a little extra time before class and so I was able to indulge in a heavier breakfast than my typical banana and almonds.

Being spoiled with a plethora of health food grocery stores in Austin, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that there is a GIANT Central Market next door to my school! Yay!!!  As I roamed the produce isles I saw sugar plums on display.  Curiosity got the best of me and I bought 3, one of which I finally got to eat this morning

It tasted almost exactly like a purple plum except for a weird stringy web of fibers in the flesh.  It was pretty enjoyable though, maybe I’ll look up a recipe for sugar plum pie.  Mmmm…

the Sugar Plum Fairy paid me a visit

To accompany my sugary friend, I toasted 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread and topped it with almond butter, bananas, wildflower honey, and a dollop of 2% Fage yogurt.

delicious-o

Did you know that “regular” honey goes through a heated processing to remove the honey from the comb?  Unfortunately, the heat destroys all of the beneficial enzymes and other health promoting properties that are found naturally in the honey.  Lame-o.  This brand of honey, however, is unfiltered and uncooked.

wildflower honey

It was definitely the energy boost that I needed to start a long day of lecture.

Lunch was leftover couscous with sauteed sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, and tomatoes.  Talk about some serious yum.  Especially after the flavors have had time to congeal and sink into the veggies. Sadly, I have no picture   I told you I was out of “the groove”!

The rest of the class day was pretty boring.  We covered food safety which is very important,  but it was more for the people who hadn’t taken the class before (I already have my certification).  Luckily, after all that torture we got out a little early today (yay! for missing traffic!) and so I came back to the house and sat down to some Weeds (season 1) and leftover spaghetti with chickpea salsa that I found in the fridge.

spaghetti and chickpea salsa

I know it doesn’t look very appetizing but I took the picture after I had already eaten more than half of my serving!  The chickpea salsa was a big hit last night.  This recipe is easy-peezy:

• 2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 2 English cucumbers (the small ones), sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 bell pepper, red or yellow
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped (optional)

Mix ingredients together and dress with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

This salad tastes best when it is chilled.

Enjoy!

Hey everyone!

Did you miss me?  Ben and I just got back from a weekend getaway in Wimberly, Texas.  Wimberly is a small little tourist town about 25 min outside of Austin. But more on the trip later

Right Now I want to do a post on Herbal Remedies.  Specifically, wheat germ oil.

So what is wheat germ and where does it come from? Lets look at the anatomy of a whole grain of wheat. There are 3 major components:

The Bran is the outer shell that protects the seed and is composed of fiber, B vitamins and trace minerals.  The Endosperm is full of energy in the form of carbohydrates and a little protein. Finally, the Germ nourishes the seed with anti-oxidents, vitamin E and B vitamins.

NOTE: When grain is processed into white flour it is stripped of the Germ and the Bran, leaving the Edosperm.

Wheat Germ has the highest content of vitamin E of any natural food (that hasn’t been fortified).  Because of its unusually high vitamin E content, it has excellent applications for skin health.

Personally, I use wheat germ oil for scar reduction but you can also take it for general skin health.

Scars are made up of tough repair tissue that is not only unsightly but can disrupt cellular communication and energy movement throughout the body.

To treat a scar with wheat germ oil, it must be topically applied to the injured site.

You can choose among hundreds of brands of oil, just be sure that it is cold-pressed since the oil is very sensitive to heat and highly perishable.  I prefer to use Standard Process.

my bottle of wheat germ oil

I was in a bicycle accident about 2 months ago and still have a rather large scar to show for it.

ouch!

And so I simply take out an oil capsule, puncture it and squeeze the “juice” onto my scar.

oil capsule

I am going to topically apply the oil twice a day until the scar tissue starts to break up and dissapear.

If you have an undesirable blemish that you would like to take care of, give wheat germ oil a try.  And let me know what happens!  I’ll be sure to make another post with an “after” picture of my knee

This morning’s air was humid and smelled – well – gross.  The clouds were low and I thought it might rain a bit.  Then by lunch time the sky was clear and the sun was blazing hot.  The inside of my car as so hot, in fact, that I went to Wal-Mart and bought a sun shield.  After work, there was yet another change of weather.  We drove through lightning and thunder to get home.

Whats going on?  Seriously sky, make up your mind.

For breakfast I chugged down the rest of my Soylent Green protein smoothie.  I also had half of Jessica’s grapefruit.  I wonder if grapefruit is in season, this one was insanely sweet.

yummiest grapefruit around

Jessica takes her grapefruit very seriously

Later in the morning I broke out some Solar Naturals black bean hummus and veggies.  I’ve mentioned in other posts my love for the Solar Naturals brand.  Its the least processed store bought hummus there is.  There are usually 10 ingredients or less.  Compare that to its popular rival, Sombra which boasts too many ingredients to count on its label.

My favorite flavor

morning snack

The big surprise of the day was when my dad was in his office looking through X-ray files and a SCORPION crawled out from behind the files!  EEeeeeeewwww.  Not a fan of those evil looking arachnids.

Jess and I thought it proper to call him by his Christian name

Lunch was leftovers from yesterday’s dinner.  I think that it almost tasted better than last night.  I ate through that bowl like it was going out of style.

Mmmmm leftovers

Midday I got the munchies.  I contemplated the mango that was on my desk but decided that it still needed a couple of days to ripen.  Instead I dove into an avocado that was perfect.  Not to soft and extremely flavorful!

perfect-o

And what would a midday snack be without some coconut water?

unflavored

Today was kind of boring at work.  And Slooooooow.  We had a lot of patients who didn’t show for their appointment times.  Grrr.  Its hard to believe that this is my last week to work here.  I’ve always been apart of this clinic in some way or another and now I’m going to move on by furthering my education through this internship.  Part of me is sad and the other part is really excited to begin this new phase of my life.

Later in the afternoon we were treated by one of our newer patients who brought us smoothies from The Daily Juice on 45th street.  What a sweetheart.  Not only that but carried the smoothies as he walked from North Austin (where he works) all the way down South to our clinic.  It takes about 25 minutes to make it that far driving!  He gave me a whole to perspective on how far an acceptable distance to walk is.

Daily Juice Smoothie

The smoothies were rather warm by the time they made it to us so we stuck them in the freezer for about an hour.  Cocoa lent to a very strong tasting drink.  It was pretty good though.  The flavor reminded me of dark chocolate with raspberries in the middle.

When we got home Denise made some fish, salad, and brown rice for dinner.  I threw together a portabella mushroom to eat along with my rice and salad.  I am officially stuffed.

dinner plate

mushroom cap

Tags: black bean, coconut water, daily juice, grapefruit, hummus, meatless, mushroom, salad