EIGHT FOODS YOU SHOULD EAT EVERY DAY!

I came across this article on MSN and thought it was great. This article highlights some very important and healthy foods we should be consuming. Here is the link.
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100169914&imageindex=1

RECIPE: RAINBOW CHICKEN STEW

I came up with the name for this stew as the result of using the "extra" veggies in my refrigerator.  The result was a delicious chicken stew that was full of color and taste.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (cut up and skin removed)
• olive oil
• about 64 oz vegetable broth
• 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed
• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 4 whole carrots sliced
• 4 celery stalks sliced
• 1 whole white onion roughly chopped
• 4 small red potatoes roughly chopped
• 4 small purple potatoes roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp  Texas Pete hot sauce
• pepper and salt to taste

In dutch oven over medium heat, drizzle olive oil and place chicken in pot.  Add all remained ingredients expect the broth.  Add only half of the broth.  Bring stew to a simmer.  Gradually add more broth to desired thickness of stew.  Stew will cook over medium heat for about one hour, or until potatoes and vegetables are tender.  Once chicken is cooked, remove from pot and shred chicken.  Place shredded chicken back in pot and cook for additional 45 minutes.  Enjoy!!!  

To make this soup vegetarian, replace chicken with navy beans and/or lentils.

Oreo Truffles

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

I had several recipe options to post today, but after much contemplation, I decided to post this one. I went to a social gathering last night (Dietitians in theDC area) and made these Oreo Truffles. They were such a huge hit that I decided to post the recipe. Please note that the picture to the left is not mine (mine did not look as pretty... but tasted delicious). Here is the recipes.

-1 package Oreo Cookies ( I use Newman's Brand)

-1 8z package cream cheese (at room temperature)

2 (8oz) packages semi sweet chocolate chip (I used Giradelli)

-1/2 package (or entire package) of Dove Dark Chocolate...this makes for a richer taste.

-1 oz package white chocolate for drizzling (optional)

Empty entire bag of oreos into food processor. Process into fine crumbs. Cut up cream cheese into small squares, add to oreo crumbs and process until completely combined. The mixture may be too soft to work with. I put mine in the freezer for about 1 hours. Then rolled them into balls (about 1Tbsp of mixture). Once the balls are rolled, place the them on a pan lined with wax paper and freeze. While the balls are in the freezer, heat the chocolate in a double boiler. Once chocolate is completely melted, use a scewer stick, toothpick, or spoon (the spoon worked best for me) and dip each ball into the chocolate. Place each on the pan. Place the candy in the freezer until chocolate is completely hardened. Store in the refrigerator in airtight container. Enjoy!!!!!!

Food Product Review: Sunshine Burgers

I would like to start this post by saying I am not a vegetarian. I enjoy chicken, fish, & beef on occasion. I do however, enjoy finding different ways to incorporate protein in my diet in ways other then meat. I've tried various brands of vegetarian products, and so far, Morning Star products are my favorite. I stopped by our local organic store and noticed these sunshine burgers in the freezer section. They are labeled as vegan. And the only ingredients listed were: Organic Ground Raw Sun-Flower Seeds, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Carrots, Organic Herbs, & Sea Salt. They come three per box and were pretty pricey at $4.79 per box. At first I hesitated because of the price, but decided to give them a try. To my suprise, they tasted pretty good! The only odd thing is that they look green. I had mine for lunch today. I heated it up and put in a pita pocket with raw spinach, mushrooms, shredded carrots, red onion, and a drizzle of honey mustard dressing. This was a pretty good combo and quite filling at 190 calories and 13gm fat per burger. I would definately buy these again (not too often due to the high price) because they are so filling and taste good! If your looking for a vegetarian burger that tastes like a burger... this isn't for you. While sunshine burgers have great flavor, they don't imitate the flavor of beef. Hope you found this review helpful!

Mindless Eating Author Brian Wansink

Last fall I went to the national convention for the American Dietetic Association. One speaker I did not want to miss was Brian Wansink... author of "Mindless Eating". I read this best selling book and was really intrigued by his approach and all the experiments he did. If you have a chance, check out his book. There was an interesting article published today in the Washington Post. I found it quite interesting. Here is the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803449.html?hpid=smartliving

Artificial Sweetners Linked to Weight Gain

The big news yesterday was a study that came out stating that artificial sweetners cause weight gain. This is a heavily debated topic among the nutrition community! My opinion is that obesity is caused by a lot more than artificial sweetners. While I am not a big fan of sweetners, I do feel that when used in moderation, they can cut a tremendous amount of calories from a persons diet... which can aide in weight loss. Bottom line... everything in moderation (eat real food). It will be interesting to see what other research is done. Here is a link to the article. Enjoy!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-sci-dietsoda11feb11,0,1275375.story

New Favorite Breakfast!! - Swiss Oatmeal (Summer Oatmeal)

This combo may sound a little odd to you... but trust me, it tastes very good! Swiss Oatmeal (some may know it as Summer Oatmeal) is served cold. This breakfast is the perfect combination of high quality complex carbohydrates and low-fat protein. Here is the recipe for one serving.

1/2 cup quaker oats or scottish oats
4 oz skim milk (or soy milk)
cinnamon to taste
dash of salt
fruit of choice (I like blueberries or bananas)
4 oz 2% or 0% plain greek yogurt (Fage brand or Trader Joe's)
1 Tbsp Flax Meal (optional)
1Tbsp Chopped Walnuts (optional)

The night before, combine oats, milk, salt, and cinnamon. Stir and store in tight container overnight. The next morning, stir in the yogurt, flax meal, fruit, and walnuts. This dish can be sweetened with 1 packet splenda or 1 Tbsp maple syrup. This breakfast averages a little over 400 calories. Enjoy!!!

Food Product Review: Gnu Bars

I am normally not a big fan of "bars", but this one I had to try. This is a bar that claims to taste good, and contain 12 grams of fiber! Sounds almost too good to be true. I was able to find one at my local Trader Joe's. I have to say...this bar tasted really good!! Here is some information I found about it on www.supermarketsaavy.com: (Not only does Gnu Bars taste good...they have no artificial ingredients. They are made from 100% whole, natural grains and they come in a variety of flavors. The fiber in Gnu Bars come from a blend organic whole wheat flour: oats; wheat bran; psyllium; flax; millet; and soy flour. The company says that each bar are about 38% whole grain. ) The bar I tried contained 130 calories, 3 gm fat, 12gm fiber, and 4 gm of protein. This was a great afternoon snack for me. I will definately buy these again!