Wellness

@ Moraine Valley

Archives for January 2020

Quick Healthy Dinner Recipes!

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Pasta with Zucchini and Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
• 1 pound Rotini, Twists or Spirals, uncooked, whole grain
• 8 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 5-6 cups)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450. Place your garlic on a 12-inch square piece of foil on the counter. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Pour the oil over the garlic and herbs. Draw up the edges of the foil and make a sealed packet. Bake 20 minutes.
  2. While the garlic is baking, cook pasta according to package directions. Two minutes before pasta is done, add the zucchini to the pasta cooking water. Cook two minutes. Drain zucchini and pasta.
  3. Open the foil and mash the garlic lightly with a spoon. Toss with the pasta and zucchini, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Sides: Serve with a side salad and whole-wheat dinner roll. (Open to bake chicken breasts to add more protein).
http://www.ilovepasta.org/resource-center/recipes/pasta-zucchini-and-roasted-garlic

Egg Flatbread Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1/8 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/8 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onions, finely chopped (or sub any veggie you wish!)
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
dried dill weed to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 multi­grain Sandwich Thins

Instructions:
Spray a nonstick 10­ inch skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat; add broccoli, bell
pepper and onions. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.
Beat egg whites, cheese, dill weed, salt and pepper together with fork. Pour into skillet
over vegetables. As eggs start to set, lift the edges with a spatula, allowing uncooked eggs to flow to bottom of skillet. Cook until eggs are set but still moist and place on sandwich thin.
Substitution: Top eggs with a handful of baby spinach, arugula leaves, or a few thinly sliced tomatoes

Tilapia Fish Tacos
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Fresh tilapia, 1 lb, cut into 1-inch strips
1 Tablespoon Cajun spice
3 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided
3 Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 Green onion, chopped
1 Teaspoons ground cumin
2 Lime, juiced and divided
8 Corn taco shells
1/2 Cups Sour cream, low fat
1/2 Cups Mexican style finely shredded taco cheese
1 Cup Romaine lettuce, shredded
1 Avocado, sliced
1 Lime, juiced
Lime wedges

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. In a bowl, toss fish with Cajun spices and 2 tablespoons of oil.
  3. Place tilapia on a baking sheet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish turns opaque.
  4. In a bowl, mix tomatoes, green onions, cumin, 1 tablespoon oil, juice of one lime, salt
    and pepper.
  5. Divide tilapia among taco shells and add desired toppings.

Top diet pitfalls and how to avoid them!

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Looking to meet your 2020 goals? Want to jump start that weight loss? Here are some diet pitfalls I often see and how to avoid them

Diet Pitfall #1: Skipping Meals
Skipping meals only leads to being more hungry later in the day which leads to overeating and loss of control in the evenings. Start your day with breakfast, then try and eat something every 3-5 hours to maintain steady blood sugars. Skipping meals or fasting does NOT equate to long term weight loss.

Diet Pitfall #2: Eating diet, sugar free or fat free foods all day
Real food will fill you up and satisfy you. “Franken-food” will not. (AKA food that has been chemically processed). Eat real, wholesome foods. You will feel better. Look better. Have more energy and less cravings.

Diet Pitfall #3: Not exercising
You can lose weight by diet alone but it is very rare when someone can maintain long term weight loss without some exercise involved. Get moving!!! Thirty minutes a day for long term results. You will have more energy, fit into your clothes better, lose more inches with exercise AND diet vs. diet alone.

Diet Pitfall #4: Not drinking enough water/drinking diet pop or coffee all day.
Water is the BEST way to hydrate yourself. Add a slice of lemon, cucumber or sliced berries to flavor your water naturally. Increasing the water will hydrate you better, give you longer lasting energy levels AND help you burn more calories when you work out.

~Kelly Devine Rickert, Moraine Valley Wellness Coordinator and Registered Dietitian

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe

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SPINACH-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

SERVES: 4 • SERVING SIZE: 3 ounces chicken + 3 tablespoons stuffing
PREP TIME: 10 minutes • COOK TIME: 45–50 minutes

1/2 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
2 whole chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total), halved and boned (leave skin on)
1/2 teaspoon tub margarine, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine spinach, cheeses, and tarragon. Add salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Lift up skin of each chicken breast and divide mixture evenly among them. Be careful not       to tear skin. Smooth skin over stuffing; tuck underneath to form a neat package.
4. Brush each breast with melted margarine. Place in 2-quart baking dish.
5. Bake uncovered for 45–50 minutes until chicken is browned and no trace of pink remains.
6. Remove and discard skin after cooking.

Like this recipe? Check out the American Diabetes Association’s newest cookbook: THE COMPLETE MONTH OF MEALS COLLECTION!  This collection of recipes and kitchen tips is designed to provide busy, at-home cooks with 31 days of no-fuss meal planning!

Reduce Food Waste in 2020!

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Exactly how much uneaten food wound up in garbage cans between 2007 and 2014 in the United States? Nearly 150,000 tons a food day, a study found, which translated into one pound of food per person. (In 2020, you can only imagine what those numbers could be!). In terms of calories, that equaled roughly 30 percent what every American consumes on a daily basis.

Of 22 food groups studied, fruits, vegetables, and mixed fruit and vegetable dishes (39 percent of the total) were wasted most. Those were followed by dairy (17 percent), and meat and mixed meat dishes (14 percent), the findings showed.

Tips on How to Store Food and Decrease Waste!

Store produce in the correct spot in your kitchen to reduce food going bad.
INSIDE THE FRIDGE
• Apples, berries, and cherries
• Grapes, kiwi, lemons, and oranges
• Melons, nectarines, apricots, peaches, and plums (after ripening at room temperature)
• Avocados, pears, tomatoes (after ripening at room temperature)
• Almost all vegetables and herbs

OUTSIDE THE FRIDGE
• Bananas, mangos, papayas, and pineapples: store in a cool place
• Potatoes / onions: store in a cool, dark place
• Basil and winter squashes: store at room temperature—once cut, store squashes in fridge

MORE STORAGE TIPS
• If you like your fruit at room temperature, take what you will eat for the day out of the fridge in the morning.
• Many fruits give off natural gases that hasten the spoilage of other nearby produce. Store bananas, apples, and
tomatoes by themselves and store fruits and vegetables in different bins.
• Consider storage bags and containers designed to help extend the life of your produce.
• To prevent mold, wash berries just before eating.

HELPFUL PLANNING TIPS
• Plan your dinners and meals before heading to grocery store. This reduces last minute grabs at the store.
When you get home from the store, take the time to wash, dry, chop, dice, slice, and place your fresh food items in clear storage containers for snacks and easy cooking.
• Befriend your freezer and visit it often. Freeze food such as bread, sliced fruit, or meat that you know you won’t be able to eat in time.
• Cut your time in the kitchen by preparing and freezing meals ahead of time.
• Prepare and cook perishable items, then freeze them for use throughout the month. For example, bake and freeze chicken breasts or fry and freeze taco meat.

Take a pledge to reduce waste in YOUR house this year!

Kelly Devine Rickert MS RDN CSSD LDN
Moraine Valley Registered Dietitian/Wellness Coordinator
devinerickertk@morainevalley.edu