Wellness

@ Moraine Valley

Kelly Devine Rickert

Veggies for your 4th of July Grill!

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What better way to celebrate being an American than firing up that grill this 4th of July?!? Here are some healthy veggie side dishes to add to your July 4th menu this holiday!

4th bbq

Enjoy!

Quick tip: Use a grill basket, or place tinfoil down on grill so you lose less veggies and for a quicker clean up!

1. Asparagus- a powerhouse of nutrients, folate and antioxidants!
After grilling, toss with lemon juice and some shaved Parmesan cheese.

2. Corn
Always a staple in my house, add some corn on the cob to the grill this year! (I husk corn first then grill to get more flavor).
I use Brummel and Brown yogurt spread and then choose from herbs and other condiments to add some more flavor:
garlic, pepper, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, light mayo, sour dream or Greek yogurt spread, the sky in the limit!

Here is directions for Parmesan corn on the cob:
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.
Brush a thin layer of light mayonnaise on each ear of corn. Sprinkle the corn with the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Wrap each ear with aluminum foil and place on the grill.
Grill, turning occasionally, until the kernels begin to brown, about 10-14 minutes.

3. Mixed veggies:
Dice up your favorite vegetables, toss lightly in olive oil and throw in some garlic for flavor.. viola!
Choose any combo from the following: Tomatoes (deseeded), onions, red, green, yellow peppers, zuchinni, mushrooms,etc. I typically place some tin foil packets of these veggies where there is room left on the grill. Steam for 10-15 minutes.

4. Green Beans: Toss lightly with olive oil and some salt and pepper and grill for about 10 minutes in the grill basket.

5. Pineapple. (I know, I know, not a veggie but still packed with nutrients!).
Throw some slices of pineapple on the grill to add to your grilled chicken sandwiches, or add to your kabobs!

Happy 4th of July!

Have a safe and happy holiday with your family and friends!

~Kelly

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.

Breakfast Recipes!

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Here are a few healthy breakfast options… hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Coffee Protein Shake

1 cup milk (I use Fairlife but you can also use soy, or alternative milks)
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
Ice
1/4 cup whey protein powder (I use Red Mill)

Blend and drink! (I add a Stevia packet to sweeten it up a bit).Need to boost the calories a bit? Add some strawberries and half 

Check out the two recipes below from Registered Dietitian, Dawn Jackson Blatner’s book, Super Food Swap. You can find it here!

SuperFood Scramble

2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 c cooked quinoa
1/3 c avocado, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Scramble the eggs in oil over medium heat.
  2. Assemble your bowl. Place the spinach in a medium bowl and top with warm egg and quinoa. Top with avocado and veggies. Add juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

410 kcals, 23 g fat, 31 g carbs, 9 g fiber and 21 g protein.
(You can reduce total kcals and fat by reducing the avocado portion and/or by substituting 1 egg yolk for 2 egg whites.)
Time saver: Use frozen precooked quinoa in grocery store or make a big batch and save in smaller portions to reheat.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

Topping
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 c finely diced pecans
1/4 c coconut water
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Muffins
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp flax seed (ground)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cups of a muffin tin with apper liners.
  2. Make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the topping. Mix together and set aside.
  3. In another bowl, stor together the oats, milk, eggs, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking owder, vailla and salt. Divide mixture between the 10 muffin cups. Top each muffin with 1 tbsp of topping mix, Bake for about 30 minutes until set. Refrigerate uneaten muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition:
2 muffins 370 kcals, 21 g fat, 36 g carb, 6 g fiber and 10 g protein

~Kelly

www.devinenutrition.com

Nutrition Tips for Earth Day!

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earth-day

Wondering what you can do to minimize your impact on Mother Earth? Look no further! These are (in my opinion) easy ways to can start to reduce, reuse and recycle more often!

  • Make a grocery list and go shopping. Weekly! Even now. (But bring your reusable bags (wash in hot water after each trip to the store) or opt for paper bags and recycle.)
  • Buy in bulk
    Yes, 100 calorie packs and mini containers of pre-cut veggies save us time, but also increases our waste.
    • Here are items to buy in bulk, to cut up and portion out at home, It’s cheaper and better for the environment
      Fruits
      Vegetables
      Nuts/seeds- fresh bags are found in the produce section
      Beans
      Grains
      Rice
      Oats vs oatmeal packets
      Yogurt- buy a larger container and portion out each day
  • Ditch the water bottles ONCE AND FOR GOOD!
    • Keep a BPA free, dishwasher safe water bottle on hand and refill it up! Some water bottles even have their own filtration system. Please stop buying water bottles.
  • Plant a garden
    • You can find seeds at your local grocery store. You can grow some veggies in your house just from your leftovers. Check out this blog post here to find out how.
  • Start a compost
    • I used a 5 gallon container I had in my garage to start mine. Check out how to start one here. This is a great way to decrease your food waste.
  • Check out this website that helps you find recipes to use your leftover foods. A great way to re-purpose leftovers and decrease money and waste in landfills! https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes

Even making 1 or 2 small changes can really add up over time.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

~Kelly