Dark Chocolate Berry Fruit Pop. Pssssst! It’s Good For You.

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Beat the heat with this sophisticated upgrade to the old, cellophane wrapped,  sugar-laden Popsicle.  

What you will need:

-2 cups frozen berries

-2 cups Greek yogurt

-1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Get Started:

Puree the frozen berries and Greek yogurt together.  Stir the chocolate chips into the berry and yogurt blend.  Evenly spoon the mixture into the freezer pop molds and freeze (about 6 hours).

The Nutritional Breakdown:

Per serving: 65 calories; 0-3 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 18 mg sodium; 69 mg potassium.

Do You Need a B12 Shot?

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I was mindlessly listening to my favorite radio show this morning as I multi-tasked a million other “to-do’s” while preparing for the day. My ears perked when they introduced their next guest, a fitness instructor from a very well know cycle studio in New York City.  Did I give it away?  At some point during the interview, the convo took a turn into the area of nutrition. Huge shocker (said in a sarcastic tone).  It also shouldn’t shock me anymore that a non-credentialed, nutrition wanna-be would try to advise the public with health and nutrition recommendations. Yet,  I was left unnerved all morning with a particular statement she made regarding B12 and supplementation.  Her reasoning’s were not only presented incorrectly, but her suggestions lacked any evidence-based support.

I get questions daily from my clients and patients as to whether or not I think they need a B12 shot or supplement to “help boost their energy”.  With the help of a full nutrition assessment I can usually determine if their B12 levels are low, or,  if they are at risk for becoming deficient, and  therefore,  require supplementation.  For the most part, if you are young (under 65 years old), eat animal products, and have a full functioning stomach and GI tract, you are probably good on the B12 front.

People forget that natural is not synonymous with safe and tend to not think twice about taking random supplements. Taking mega-doses of some vitamins and supplements can lead you to reach toxic levels, or can cause interactions with other medications.  The ideal and most efficient way to obtain essential nutrients is through food sources.

For more guidance on how you can improve your health and energy through a proper diet you can check out my services on RDMealPlan.com.

Sensational Swaps: Cooking Edition

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Looking for an easy way to cut back calories and shed some weight?  Try making the following swaps in your kitchen.

Instead of …..                                 Try……                            The savings………              

1 cup cream to thicken soup Evaporated skim milk or pureed vegetables 750 calories
Basting or coating a pan with oil Fruit juice, broth, wine or Misto spray bottle 495 calories
½ cup sour cream Equal amount non-fat Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice 185 calories
1 pound 85% lean ground  meat 99% lean ground turkey, 96% lean ground beef, turkey sausage, tofu or soy crumbles 490 calories
¼ cup mayonnaise Equal amounts of low fat plain yogurt 195 calories
½ cup breadcrumbs Pulse whole grain bread or rolled oats in a food processor 140 calories
White rice Brown rice, Bulgur, Quinoa, Couscous (keep the portion in check at 1/3-1/2 cup) The calories may be the same but you are gaining the fiber filling benefits of whole grains.
1 cup pasta Spaghetti squash, shaved zucchini ribbons, whole-grain pasta 125 calories

Got Almond Milk?

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Almond milk has recently swayed into mainstream popularity and is now one trendy food item. It is no surprise that I have been receiving tons of questions from patients and clients about incorporating almond milk into their diet. So what is almond milk? Apparently, when almonds and water are ground together it forms a milky substance that can fill in for traditional animal milk. So what will you be gaining if you swap almond milk for the “real stuff”. The answer is more like what will you be losing. Almond milk contains no cholesterol, or saturated fat, and and an 8 oz glass of unsweetened almond milk contains only 45 calories! Compare that to the 150 calories in the same 8oz serving of whole milk…the switch is a no brain-er. Almond milk is often fortified with many of the vitamins and minerals that we find in animal milk, so it still serves as an excellent calcium source for vegans or those with lactose intolerance. If you are looking for ways to slowly incorporate almond milk into your diet, try blending it in with frozen fruit as a smoothie, use it to replace cow’s milk in recipes,  or as an alternative to creamer in coffee.  Not a fan at first?  No worries. The shelf life is much longer than regular milk so you can ease your way in.

If you are looking for ways to incorporate new foods or wellness into your diet, visit RDMealPlan.com

 

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I would like to share the following Mexican inspired dish.  It’s spicy, fun and low-carb…..so  feel free to pair it with a guilt-free skinny margarita.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

  • 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil…..or save some fat cals and use your misto
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 16 Boston (or Bibb) lettuce leaves
  • 4 oz tortilla chips, broken up
  • 3 scallions, sliced

Per serving (serves 4-5):  400 Calories; Total Fat; 18 g; Sat Fat 2.5 g; Protein 32 g; Carbs 27 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 80 mg; Sodium 460 mg.

In a large non-stick pan, saute the chicken in the oil until browned on both sides, about three minutes per side.  The chicken will not be fully cooked, so remove it to a dedicated cutting board.  Add the garlic and chipotle to the pan and saute for 30 seconds, then stir in the orange juice and salt.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Cut the chicken across the width into 1/2″ slices and return them to the pan.  Toss to coat with the sauce and cook through, 2-3 minutes.

Stack the lettuce leaves on a plate.  Serve the chicken, scallions, and chips in bowls.  To assemble, spoon a small amount of the chicken, scallions, and chips into a leaf of the lettuce wrap.

Enjoy!

Skinny Wraps

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Looking for a low-cal, convenient meal or snack? Always! Try wrapping it up. I tend to avoid most wraps at restaurants and cafes because the shell alone can easily pack in 45 grams of carbs or more……that’s equivalent to  three slices of bread! And we are not even at the middle yet. To keep it light, make sure you start with a sound foundation……that would be whatever it is that’s doing the wrapping.  I make sure I always have  low carb, whole wheat tortilla shells in the fridge for this purpose.  My favs are Trader Joe’s low-carb tortilla shells (about 45 calories) and La Tortilla Factory’s high fiber tortilla wrap (45 calories, 7 grams of fiber!). Next….fill-er-up

Skinny Breakfast Wraps Fillings:

savory

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup cooked spinach
  • tomato slices
  • 2 tablespoons low fat shredded cheese
  • garlic

or sweet

  • 2-4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • 1 tbsp sliced almonds
  • drizzle of honey

There you go!  An easy, filling, balanced breakfast to-go all under 250 calories.

Top 5 Items to Always Have in Your Freezer

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Like most individuals, your freezer may act solely as a storage unit for a box of baking soda and an old bottle of vodka.  Most of my clients overlook the concept of utilizing the old” ice box “as a way to conveniently store healthy food for months at a time.  Almost any food can be frozen while preserving the taste and nutritional value.  Avoid the guilty feeling of throwing away the limp, untouched broccoli floret and be sure to stock up on the items below to aid in healthy eating and save money.

1)  Frozen Vegetables.  Veggies are full of fiber, water, vitamins and minerals. They fill you up for very few calories.  As represented by the My Plate Symbol from the USDA, it is recommended that we make up half of our meals with fruits and vegetables. It is probably not a shock that most Americans, with their growing waist lines, typically fall well below that recommendation. Keep your favorite bagged veggies on hand to ensure a serving will accompany your dinner in just seconds.

2) Frozen Fruit. I recommend that people incorporate two fruit servings into their diet each day and make up the remaining “fruit and veggie” quota with vegetable options. Fruits are a great source of fiber and can even provide cancer fighting antioxidants.  Frozen fruit may offer a larger variety in various seasons.  Frozen Fruit is a great addition to non-fat Greek yogurt or homemade smoothies.

3)  Fish.   Frozen fish can taste just as fresh as the “catch of the day”.  I encourage clients to eat fish twice each week for a lean protein option or as a way to get in some essential fatty acids.  .

4)  “Frozen Meals”.  Designate a day during the week to do a little cooking and prep work.  Pre- portion and freeze some lentil soup or turkey chili and defrost when time is tight, but eating healthy is a must.

5)  Low Fat Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt.  This frozen treat offers a variety of minerals essential for bone and cardiovascular health and may help in keeping cravings at bay.  Of course size does matter, so limit servings to ½ cup.

Remember safety first.  Never defrost food at room temperature. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave using the defrost setting.

Enjoying the free advice? Visit RDMealPlan.com for personalized nutrition and weight loss services.

 

Date Night Dinner at Home

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Looking for a healthy, romantic dinner date with your mans or lady-friend?  Stay in, uncork a bottle of red wine and put that pizza stone to work.  I no longer accept the stigma that pizza is a forbidden food.  This Friday night classic can serve as the foundation of a balanced meal packed with tons of natural nutrition.  I like to use the following whole-wheat pizza dough recipe as my base.  I typically add in a few tablespoons of wheat germ and flax seed for good measure.  Keep the light cheese to a sprinkling and load-er-up with veggies.  My go to topping lately has been tossed arugula with lemon zest, pepper and shallots. Need a protein punch? Layer on some  turkey sausage or cannellini beans. With all that fiber and satiating flavor it should be easy to keep the serving size in check.

Healthy Snacks for People on the Go

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My husband I will soon embark on one of our many glamorous road-trips from New Jersey to Cleveland.  Since I refuse to eat a meal at any place that doubles as a restroom/gas-station/shower/Roy Rodgers, I make sure I load-up on plenty of healthy snack options to get us through the 7.5 hour journey.  I feel better starting my vacation knowing that I was eating sensible snacks while I was somewhat immobile for eight hours reading and catching up on trashy reality TV shows-thank you Bravo and iTunes!  And thank you to my amazing husband who drives while I go comatose during a Real Housewives marathon. I am the worst!

For those of you who will find yourselves in a similar scenario, travel often for work….or  just looking for healthy convenient snack items, check out my picks.

    • Wild Garden Hummus Packets
    • Gnu bars
    • Veggie sticks and Fruit slices (slice-em-up and throw them in a BPA-free container)
    • Blue Diamond 100 Calorie Almond Packets
    • Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks Roasted Edamame
    • Bearitos Popcorn Organic Lite

  • Shelton’s Turkey Jerky
  • Kettle Tortilla Chips-Sesame Rye with Caraway
  • Justin’s Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs
  • The Laughing Cow Semi Soft Cheese Light

 

Toss your healthy goodies in a tote and hit the road!

Lower Your Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease by Making This Monday a Meatless One

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There has been a great deal of buzz in the health and nutrition world about a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health linking red meat consumption to an increased risk in cardiovascular and cancer death.  If that wasn’t scary enough, the specifics of the study were astonishing, stating that daily consumption of processed red meat-the equivalent to one hot dog or  3 ounces of sausage-increases these mortality risks by 20%.

In the press release noted that “replacing one serving of total red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk: 7% for fish, 14% for poultry, 19% for nuts, 10% for legumes, 10% for low-fat dairy products, and 14% for whole grains. The researchers estimated that 9.3% of deaths in men and 7.6% in women could have been prevented at the end of the follow-up if all the participants had consumed less than 0.5 servings per day of red meat”

Although the take-home message of this study is to stop eating so much darn red meat, it should also shed some light on the health benefits of incorporating more fish and plant-based protein servings into ones diet.  Overall, this study definitely supports the theory that one small life-style change can make a huge difference in health!  Since there is no time like the present, start the change today and make this Monday dinner meatless. Need some ideas to get you started:

  • Toss some edamame on a bed of lettuce for a salad.
  • Skewer and grill some extra-firm tofu chunks for shish kebobs.
  • Put your crock-pot to use and make some bean chilli.
  • It’s not Friday, but you can still make fish tacos.
  • Lentil soup anyone?
  • Go out and try a new  Indian restaurant or other  vegetarian cuisine.