Wellness

@ Moraine Valley

Archives for May 2020

Nutrition Tips During Social Distancing

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During these unprecedented times, many people are feeling stressed without their normal routines. Especially when it comes to food and nutrition! Whether people are sick of prepping and cooking multiple meals a day or can’t stop munching on salty or sweet snacks… the fact is food has become a major point of stress in this pandemic.

Below are some tips to help you get back on track and feeling better!

  1.  Try and get back to your normal schedule as best you can. This includes sleep, meal/snack times and workout routines. This will help you keep a routine and decrease mindless snacking all day. If you normally went to bed by 10:30, keep it up! Binging Netflix until 1 am will only lead to feeling sluggish the next day.
  • I say this often but plan, plan, plan! Pick 2-3 breakfast and lunch options and rotate daily. Plan your week of dinners prior to going to the store. Then make your grocery list for the week. That way every day, you know exactly what you are having at your 3 meals. (I also post my meal plan my fridge so I don’t forget!).
  • Don’t forget about some healthy snacks. I suggest a piece of fruit, a veggie and pair with some protein such as a cheese stick, hard boiled egg, or some Greek yogurt.
  • Drink up! Water that is! Before you reach for another caffeinated drink, chug down 16 oz of ice cold water. This will help to energize you and will help you cut down on the number of other drinks you are consuming,
  • Last but not least, if you are having trouble with control, I suggest food logging. This helps to keep you accountable to your choices. Often times just logging your foods will help you keep the portions and excess snacking in control.

Head over to devinenutrition.com and sign up for the Devine Nutrition free newsletter to receive a free healthy snacks download!

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

Breakfast Burrito

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Recipe from the momables.com site.(LOVE her blog and book!)

Mornings are easy when you can grab some of these Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos! Easy to make ahead and way taster than the store-bought ones.

•Author: MOMables.com
•Yield: 6

Ingredients
•6 large eggs (can use egg substitute or egg whites as well)
•1 tablespoon oil
•1 medium tomato, finely diced (add in as many veggies as you want!)
•1 cup shredded cheese (I use 2%)
•6 8-inch tortillas (gluten-free if needed) (I use Mission carb balance tortillas)
•6 parchment paper squares, about 10 inches
•Additional toppings, avocado, and salsa (optional)

Instructions
1.In a medium bowl, whisk eggs.
2.In a medium skillet (about 10 inches) over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and pour in whisked eggs. Once they start cooking, add in your diced tomato and any other add-ins you like in your burritos. Continue to stir the egg and topping mixture until fully cooked and remove pan from heat.
3.On a flat surface, place a tortilla on top of a parchment paper square. Top the tortilla with ⅙ of the egg mixture, top with shredded cheese and any other toppings or salsa.
4.Fold tortilla over the fillings, fold in the sides, and roll into a burrito. Once your breakfast burrito is closed, wrap with the parchment paper square.
5.Repeat the process with remaining tortillas and eggs. Once cooled, transfer assembled burritos into a gallon sized freezer bag and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to one month.
6.To eat, simply warm directly in the microwave until heated through.

Great breakfast to start your workday! (Even if you are at home!)

In good health,
Kelly Devine Rickert MS RDN CSSD LDN

Dinner Recipe X4!

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Check out these dinner recipes (from an old meal planner I used to have on my website). Hope you enjoy.

P.S. The last recipe is AMAZING!!!


Italian Turkey Burgers
Avocado Quinoa Salad
Pepper Steak
One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken

Meal 1: Italian Turkey Burgers
 4 turkey burger patties (make from lean ground turkey or frozen patties)
 kosher salt
 Freshly ground black pepper
 4 slices provolone
 3 bell peppers (green, yellow, and red)
 1/4 c. marinara sauce
 8 fresh basil leaves

Ingredients

  1. Heat grill or grill pan to high. Season burger patties with salt and pepper and grill
    until pink, 6 minutes per side for medium. Add cheese and let melt, 1 minute.
  2. Meanwhile, grill bell peppers until charred, 4 minutes. Season with salt. Once cool
    enough to handle, slice into strips.
  3. Assemble burger: Spread bun bottoms with marinara and top each with a patty,
    grilled peppers, and basil. Add top buns and serve.

Meal 2: Avocado Quinoa Salad
This Avocado Quinoa Salad is a powerhouse salad packed with good-for-you ingredients
and the best healthy lemon vinaigrette.
Servings: 8 as a side
Calories: 313 kcal
Ingredients
Salad
 1 cup uncooked quinoa
 8 ounces fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
 1 large cucumber, chopped
 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
 5 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
 2 large ripe avocados, pit removed and chopped ( I would lower to one to cut some kcals)
 1/4 of 1 bunch fresh cilantro, optional and to taste
 1/3 cup Feta Cheese, optional and to taste
Dressing
 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, do not use regular mustard
 1 teaspoon dried oregano
 1 clove garlic, minced
 1/2 cup olive oil
 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
 Salt and pepper
Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Fluff and set aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, prep the dressing. Whisk the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste) together in a small bowl. Slowly add in the olive oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking briskly. Whisk in the lemon juice. Pour into a jar and store in the fridge while prepping the vegetables.
  3. Prep the veggies: Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the cucumber (peel if desired, we leave the peel on), finely chop a quarter of a red onion, roughly chop fresh spinach, remove the pits and chop the avocados. Finely chop the cilantro if desired.
  4. In a large bowl, add in all the prepped veggies and quinoa. Remove the dressing from the fridge and shake it well and then pour over the salad*. Toss the salad and then top with feta cheese if desired.
  5. Enjoy!
    Recipe Notes
    *If you aren’t planning on finishing this salad all in one day, I’d recommend keeping the
    dressing separate from the salad and only dressing what you’ll be eating. Also, only prep
    the amount of avocados to what you’ll be eating that day (so if you’ll have leftovers, only
    add 1 avocado and add the other one the next day)

Meal 3: Easy Pepper Steak
Ingredients
1/4 Cups Less-sodium soy sauce
1/3 Cups Water
2 Tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/8 Teaspoons Black pepper, to taste
1 pound Certified Angus beef sirloin steak, cut diagonally across the grain into thin strips
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Sweet peppers, thinly sliced
2 Green onion, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces, white and green pieces separated
2 Tablespoons Fresh ginger
Preparation

  1. Marinade: add all marinade ingredients to a large bowl or zip lock bag and stir to
    combine. Add the sliced steak, and toss in the marinade. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet peppers and white
    part of the green onions, ginger, garlic, and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Transfer to plate.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. oil to skillet. Remove half the steak from the marinade with a
    slotted spoon (reserving the marinade) and sauté about 2-3 minutes until browned,
    stirring occasionally. Transfer steak to plate with veggies. Sauté the remaining steak,
    then transfer to plate.
  4. Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Add
    the steak, veggies and green parts of the green onions to the skillet, and stir to combine.
    Cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat.
  5. Serve with:
    Meijer Instant Brown Rice
    Meijer California Blend Vegetables

Meal 4: One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken
SERVES 6 | ACTIVE TIME 20 Min | TOTAL TIME 30 Minutes
8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces) (or
substitute 1 diced tomato)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2″ bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (reduce for a less spicy dish)
4 cups (32 ounces) reduced sodium chicken stock
1 cup (8 ounces) chardonnay wine
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-highheat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.
Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.
Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach.