Wellness

@ Moraine Valley

Holiday

Healthier Holiday Dips!

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Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dip

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup smooth peanut butter (or crunchy!)
½ cup sugar (or use Splenda or Stevia to lower sugar count)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

Blend! Serve with sliced apples and celery!

Greek Yogurt Vegetable Dip

• 18-ounce container 2% Greek yogurt- Plain flavor
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

What To Do
1. Mix and store in fridge. Serve with chopped veggies.
2. Sprinkle some green onions on top to add some pop!

Holiday Cheese ball
Ingredients:
8 oz light cream cheese
8 oz reduced fat Kaukauna cheese spread
2 Tablespoon green pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons red pepper, diced
2 Tablespoon onion, diced
1.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ -1 cup Grapenut nuggets

Directions:
-Mix all ingredients (except Grapenuts) and form into a ball. Roll cheese ball in Grapenuts. Chill before serving. Serve with whole grain crackers. (I like Kashi).

Nutrition: (1 tablespoon): 32 calories, 2 gm fat, 2 gm carbs, 1 gm fiber, 2
gm protein, 87 mg sodium. Recipe yields 32 tablespoons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Memorial Weekend Recipes!

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Try these yummy (and healthy!) recipes this weekend! Have a great long weekend!

~Kelly

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh/frozen or no salt added canned corn, drained.
1 tomato, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ small red onion chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

Combine black beans, corn, tomato, pepper, onion and jalapeno in a bowl. Then in a separate small bowl mix together the lime juice, oil, and cumin and pour over the veggie and bean mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with cilantro.

Makes about 8 servings (Nutrition facts per serving): 125kcals, 2.5g fat, 20g carbohydrate, 7g dietary fiber, 6g protein

Red, White and Blue Fruit Skewers with Cheesecake Yogurt Dip

This recipe is indulgent yet healthy. A little cake and a little fruit served in a unique way; the kids will love it too! It keeps the fat and “added sugar” in check all while festively celebrating Memorial Day! Another plus, is it is easy and fast to make!

Ingredients:

For cheesecake dipping sauce:

4oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup raw sugar
For skewers:

14oz angel food cake, cut into 1 inch cubes
72-84 medium strawberries (about 3.5lbs stems removed)
1 pint of blueberries
24-48 skewers
Directions: Combine the softened cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Use 3 strawberries and 2 cubes of cake on a skewer. Thread on the skewer alternating the strawberries with the cake cubes, finish each skewer with 3 blueberries. Place on platter and refrigerate until ready to serve!

1 skewer with 1 Tbsp dip: 105kcals, 2.5g fat, 18.5g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 7g sugar

Recipe Source: https://www.skinnytaste.com/red-white-and-blue-fruit-skewers-with/

Chicken Kabobs

Cut chicken breast into chunks. Cut up 1 red pepper, green pepper, red onion and a small pineapple (Pineapple cut to use for two recipes, 1) in chunks for kabobs and 2) in slices to grill for chicken sandwiches) String veggies, pineapple and chicken chunks on soaked bamboo skewers. Marinate lightly with a sweet teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Grill for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Pair with some quinoa or wild rice.

Earth Day 2022.. How you can minimize YOUR footprint!

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Earth Day 2022 Walkups – Myriad Botanical Gardens

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

  1. Make a grocery list and go shopping. Weekly!!! (Bring your reusable bags, or opt for paper bags. When you shop for your food, cook from home, pack your lunches and snacks to bring with you, you are reducing waste. In a HUGE way! Think about it. Every single time you dine out, whether it be at a fast food restaurant, food truck or grab and go’s like vending machines and gas stations, you are throwing out garbage, containers and wrappers.
    In most recent stats, 44% of Americans eat at a fast food restaurant each week… That is a lot of garbage!
  2. 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, Beans, Grains, Rice, Oats, Yogurt, snack items.
  3. Ditch the water bottles ONCE AND FOR GOOD!
    Each day, people in the U.S. throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles. Tap water is great or buy a water filter if desired but let’s ditch those plastic water bottles! Keep a BPA free, dishwasher safe water bottle on hand and refill it up! Some water bottles even have their own filtration system.
  4. Eat Local.
    By buying foods close to your home, you are reducing the distance your food must travel, thus the energy it takes to do so! Visit your local farmers market or at least shop for foods that are in season.
  5. Plant a garden
    Save the water for your lawn and instead it for a garden. Don’t have enough room? You can plant a few tomato, pepper and herbs in pots on a patio or porch. Great way to make fresh tomato sauce for pasta and pizza nights!
  6. Minimize leftovers
    Did you know the US throws away 80 BILLION pounds of food…. A year!!! Use those leftovers! Store them in freezer for use later or you can also add your produce, egg shells, coffee grounds etc to a compost. You can start a simple compost using a 5-gallon bucket and some grass and leaves from your yard.
    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 Devine, Wellness Coordinator

Fitting in Fitness Through the Holidays

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Don’t forget about your fitness this holiday season! Here are some ideas to help you fit more physical activity into your day. Even just 10 minutes of exercise can blast 100 calories!

• Look for short periods of time (at least ten minutes) during the day in which you can do some physical activity.
• Do a 10 minute interval workout.
o Alternate the following exercises for the first 30 seconds of each minute followed by 30 seconds of rest.
 Pushups
 Sit-up’s
 Planks
 Burpees
 Jumping Jacks
 Stairs
 Walk/Run in Place
 Lunges
 Squats
 Tricep dips

• Park at the far end of the parking lot when at the store, mall or work. (When safe to do so!)

• Be active during lunchtime! If you bring your lunch to work, you may have time to take a brisk walk.

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Plan and prepare meals ahead of time, so you’ll have time to exercise.

• Get your family to exercise with you. It’s a fun way to spend some quality time together.

• Leaves still hanging around? Rake leaves for the evening.

• Keep a daily log; this can help you see where you can fit in more physical activity.

• Exercise inside using machines or DVD’s (PX90, Leslie Samsone, On Demand etc)

• Track your pedometer steps. Increase your goal each week!

  • Hit up the FitRec after work

Kelly Devine Rickert MVCC Wellness Coordinator

Easy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Season pumpkin seeds with almost anything from your spice cabinet. Boiling the seeds in salted water for 5 minutes before roasting helps to clean and season them. Before baking, pat the boiled seeds very dry otherwise they will not brown or crisp. Makes 1 1/2 cups

Directions

Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  • Step 2: Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.
  • Jazz it up a bit and play with some other spices such as garlic powder, curry, and more. Check this link out for more recipes: https://wholefully.com/roasted-pumpkin-seeds-six-ways/

Happy Halloween!

Kelly Devine Rickert

Cranberry Orange Bread

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Quaker Oats-image Recipe Image Print

SERVINGS1 Loaf (16 Servings)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 Cup(s) Whole-wheat flour
  • 1-1/4 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
  • 1/2 Cup(s) brown sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Teaspoon(s) Salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon(s) Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Teaspoon(s) Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup(s) non-fat milk 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 Cup(s) Tropicana Pure Premium® orange juice or Dole® 100% orange juice
  • 1/4 Cup(s) vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon(s) Grated Orange Peel
  • 3/4 Cup(s) chopped fresh, frozen (thawed) or dried cranberries
  • 2 Tablespoon(s) chopped pecans

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray pan bottom only of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick vegetable coating. In large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, orange juice, oil and orange peel; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix).Stir in cranberries and pecans. Pour batter into pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely. Store tightly wrapped.

Cook Note:

To toast nuts for extra flavor, spread evenly in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before using.