Chili for the Chilly

I only started liking chili in the past few years. I used to whine when my mom cooked chili for dinner. I cringed on trips to Cincinnati when anyone even mentioned the name Skyline or Gold Star. But the longer I've been in dietetics, the more foods I've adopted as variety is key to a healthy diet. And not to mention, how could I keep hating a food at the center of so many cook-offs? (I love a good cook-off. In college, I was named "Most like an Appalachian mamaw" in an unofficial bake-off after beating my own whipped cream- by hand. Not to brag...) On these cold, rainy days like we had in Louisville today, I really can't think of a better comfort food... and it can be a healthy comfort food at that!

Not all chili is nutritious of course. Traditional chili recipes are packed with ground beef and shredded cheddar things, which translates to lots of saturated fat. By using chicken instead of beef, you can save up to 12 grams of fat per serving depending on how lean a beef you choose. Throw in some chopped veggies and you've added fiber and many vitamins. That's the beauty of chili- you can make it as healthy as you want.

This chili recipe is by Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, from you guessed it... the Food Network! This recipe was actually spotlighted in a national newsletter I receive called "SmartBriefs for Nutritionists." I tried and tried to take a pretty picture of this meal, but it turns out chili is not the most photogenic of foods. The pictures truly cannot do this dish justice. It is so tasty, so nutritious, and so filling! Top it with a little dallop of Light Daisy sour cream, and you may have found your new favorite fall food.

YUM. To access this recipe, please click http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-chili-recipe/index.html. Of note, only 3 bell peppers were used- 1 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 green for extra color. The chicken was from boneless, skinless chicken breasts and were used in place of the roasted chicken. This dish it WONDERFUL. I hope you can try it!

Rice and Cucumbers

I recently stayed with my parents for several days while the air conditioning was out at my house. Losing AC during the summer in KY isn't exactly the best timing, but the timing was right for enjoying fresh vegetables from my mom and dad's garden! Their garden isn't huge, thanks to all the Peter Rabbits in the neighborhood, but it's big enough to carry on a family tradition- the Rice Family Cucumber. That's right. My mom's side of the family has its own cucumber species. You can start sending the jealousy/hate mail my way now.

Now, you can't just get Rice Family Cucumbers in stores. When you have an heirloom vegetable, or technically speaking- a fruit because they develop from a flower, you have to grow them yourself. Each year, the seeds are harvested from select cucumbers and saved in an envelope (or storage container of your choice) for the next season. (You can imagine the near panic that ensued when my sister once threw the envelope away by mistake... thank God for aunts and uncles!) No one knows where they first came from, but no one can remember life without them. And good thing, because what's not to love about cucumbers? Thanks to their high water content, they are light and refreshing, providing very few calories for a generous portion. Plus, they're a great source of vitamin C.

Well, are you ready to see our cucumbers?

I should have warned you they're not very pretty. And since the skins are prickly, you have to peel them before eating unless you don't mind a scratched esophagus. Sadly, most of the fiber is in the skin (which is a shame given my fiber obsession). BUT, I love our cucumbers regardless, and will happily pass them on to future generations myself.

There they are sliced with some onions, salt (just a dash!) and vinegar. Our favorite way to fix them. Cucumbers make a great addition to salads, sandwiches, and even dips like tzatziki sauce too. So what do you think? Should I save some seeds for you? :)

Deadliest Catch Turned Healthy

While the rest of the world mourned the loss of Capt. Phil Harris, I took my own little stab at some crab. Lump crab to be exact. I'm ashamed to say that until this past Sunday, I had never even tasted crab. (Except in sushi which doesn't count.) But after watching Marcela Valladolid of the Food Network's Mexican Made Easy create these Spicy Crab Cakes, I just couldn't wait to get crabby.

I already knew the nutritional benefit of crab. For a 4 oz serving of lump crab (which literally refers to pieces of crab pulled from the shell in big lumps), you only consume ~80-100 calories, 0-1g fat, and nearly 15-20g of protein. You can't go wrong with that!* But what you can go wrong with is turning crab into cakes. Most crab cakes are fried, giving them that nice crispy outer layer. I still wanted that crunch for my cakes, but opted for a healthier way to do so. All you need to turn those panko crumbs (which I used sparingly by the way) a nice golden brown is just a very thin coating of olive oil or cooking spray on your pan. These cakes turned out to be perfectly crisp, but without all the absorbed, added fat from a thick layer of oil if I had chosen to really fry them.

Look how colorful the crab cakes turned out with all the cilantro in it. So pretty! I topped if off with some homemade guacamole (not pictured) like the recipe suggests for the perfect Mexican finish.

*I should point out some people consider crab meat to be high in cholesterol. A 4 oz serving of crab has about 80-90mg of cholesterol. However, it has little to no saturated fat, which are the fats that can also increase your body's cholesterol levels. As long as you choose low cholesterol foods throughout the rest of the day, I see no reason to avoid crab in your diet. This recipe does call for one egg (to help hold the ingredients together), and eggs are high in cholesterol. To reduce total cholesterol intake from these cakes, consider using Egg Beaters or egg whites in place of the yolk.

Pesto Change-O

When people hear I'm a dietitian, they always want to know two things: What should I eat, and what do you eat? My goal for starting this blog was to show you ways to pick real foods for real life. There are so many ways to eat healthy without living off salads and Lean Cuisines. And while I wish I was creative enough to whip up my own, original recipe for each meal I eat, the reality is I am not, and neither are most people. Thank goodness for the Food Network!

I know the rest of the world jumped on the Food Network bandwagon several years ago, but it's only recently that 46 has become my go-to channel. One of my favorite shows is Giada at Home. Unlike most of the men I know, I actually do watch it for the recipes. :) Her food is GOOD, and most of the time pretty healthy. (And how cute is her little family?) Giada recently made these Chicken and Arugula Pita Pockets, and I couldn't wait to try them out. I LOVE arugula. Even the name sounds cool. And pesto? Yes, please.

These sandwiches include something from every macronutrient group (remember: fats, carbs, and protein), which is key for a healthy meal. You've got your protein coming from the chicken, the whole wheat pita pockets rocking some fiber and healthy carbs, and good fats from the olive oil in the pesto. *Pesto is one of those sauces that looks deceivingly unhealthy to the untrained eye due to its fat content, but most of the fat is coming from olive oil and pine nuts in a traditional pesto recipe, which are both heart healthy fats.*

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any pita pockets at the grocery, so I opted for some sandwich thins instead. If you haven't tried sandwich thins yet, they look like sandwich buns but they're, well, much thinner and only 100 calories! Can't beat that.

So, there you have it. My version of Giada's Chicken and Arugula Pita Pockets. I served it with watermelon for a sweet finishing treat. And because I'm realizing my food never looks as pretty as when the real chefs make it, please access the link above for the recipe and a better picture.

(I would like to thank my roommate and fellow dietitian, Amber Barnes, for the title of this post.)

Paper Fish

I'm noticing a trend in my posts-the trend of falling short of my promises to blog more. Well, here's to a post with no promises or any strings attached. Just simply a delicious summertime meal (that I actually made back in the springtime...oops).

This is a meal called "Tilapia en Papillote", which sounds much more appetizing than its literal translation- "Tilapia in Paper." I recently helped lead a healthy cooking class at Whole Foods with some chefs from my hospital, and this is what they made! (And by helped "lead" I mean, they cooked, I watched, and threw out a random nutrition fact every 10 minutes.) This dish can be made with any vegetables or fish of your choice. Let me walk you through the steps.

Step One: 
For this demo, I used asparagus and shredded carrots as my vegetables. Cook your veggies in boiling water for a couple minutes until crisp-tender, then drain and let cool. Preheat oven to 375F.


Step Two: 
Grab a baking sheet and cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Brush some olive oil on top of the paper. Arrange veggies into a little pile on one half of the paper. It should look something like this:

Step Three: 

Set your fish filet on top of the veggies. Season to your liking. For this I used salt and lemon pepper. 

Step Four: 

Fold the other half of the parchment paper over the mound of fish and veggies. Start folding and crinkling the sides together to seal. It should start to form a "bubble" over the food, which will act as a steamer to cook the fish. Add a small amount (2 Tbsp-ish) chicken stock inside the paper before you crinkle it completely shut. Continue crinkling and seal. It will look like this before entering the oven.

Step Five:

Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked thoroughly. Open the bubble packet and transfer to plate. 

Enjoy! (Shown with brown rice, and fish so tender it fell apart when picking it up out of the parchment packet!)

A Little Tease Before the Posts Start Flowing!

Word on the street is you have missed me. Ok, 1 of you has missed me. A lot has happened while I've been gone. I moved (just across town). I became an avid fan of Arrested Development (and George Michael Bluth). I broke out the flip flops again (hello, Rainbows). But those events are un-blogworthy. A nice pair of sandals and a new location isn't going transform your diet. So what will? My decision to start eating better myself.

I can't take full credit for this decision. One night while chowing down on some blackberry pie, my boyfriend decided we should "go low-carb". However, his version of low-carb is more like no-carb. As a dietitian, I'm a strong believer in including all food groups (carbohydrate, protein, and fat). By foregoing all carbs, you're missing out on the dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals found in fruits, whole grains, and even milk. And if you know me at all, I am a fiber advocate so eliminating carbs completely was just not going to happen. Plus, not getting enough carbs can also cause the body to go into ketosis, which I'll let you Google if you are really that curious to learn about it. But I did like the challenge of going lowER carb with my diet, like trying to reduce processed foods and sugar, and help me eat more protein. I've been cooking some lowER carb gems lately, and I want to share them with you! I've got some great pictures but a misplaced camera cord I intend to find in the next day or two. So brace yourself, I'm back and I've brought some nutritious meals with me. Get excited.

Raising the Fruit Bar

I received my copy of the ADA Times today, and it proved to be just what I needed to get this blog rolling. Right there on Page 1 was the article "Ten Rules for Better Blogging". In the 12 days since my last entry I already broke Rule #2: Update early and often.

Now would be a great time to offer an excuse for my absence. "I'm in the process of moving." "I'm still getting into the groove of my new job." "I have to wash my hair." (All true, by the way.) It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we forget our goals. I've heard it from patients, friends, even myself. "I'll eat better when I have more time to cook." "I'll cut back after the holidays." One of my goals as a dietitian is to find quick and easy ways to eat right. This post is dedicated to one of my favorite fruity treats... the LÄRABAR!

It's hard to carry fresh fruit on the run. Larabars count for at least 1/2 a serving of fruit, and some are even a full serving! They are made with real fruits and natural spices. The apple pie flavor is one of my favorites because it tastes just like apple pie. But unlike apple pie, it offers 5 grams of fiber, no added sugar, and mostly unsaturated fats- the kind of fat you should be eating. While I would always encourage whole fruits first, these bars can be a healthy dessert alternative or tasty snack. Check them out in your supermarket's health supplement section or Larabar's website linked above.