Tots with a Twist! (Picky Eater Approved)

We love tater tots in my house. We could eat a whole bag of them if we didn't care about the nutrient content of them. This recipe I found makes tater tots, with a twist! Instead of potatoes, I shredded up some zucchini. Zucchini is a very versatile vegetable. It can be fried into chips, chopped into a salad, or sauteed as a side dish. My dad actually introduced my mom to zucchini when they first got married. My mom was a very picky eater when she was younger, and it didn't help that my grandma would mostly serve meat, potatoes, and corn or peas for dinner. Mom was pleasantly surprised by this dish, and went back for seconds and thirds! You, just need 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to roast in the oven, and you have a tasty and easy side dish even picky eaters will love! Its really important to get as much water as possible rung out of the tots to help them crisp up.

These are the tots before they went into the oven!

The recipe was adapated from Skinny Taste

INGREDIENTS:

• cooking spray
• 1 packed cup grated zucchini
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 medium onion, minced
• 1/4 cup grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper to taste

I added a little bit of chile powder to add a little kick to these too. Instead of the salt, you can substitute it for Garic Salt which will enhance the flavor as well

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel until you have 1 packed cup.  Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini, there will be a lot of water. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture in your hands and roll into small ovals. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, turning halfway though cooking until golden. Makes 16.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield: 3 servings, Serving Size: 5 tots

• Amount Per Serving:
• Smart Points: 3
• Points +: 3
• Calories: 108
• Total Fat: 4.3g
• Saturated Fat: g
• Cholesterol: mg
• Sodium: 262mg
• Carbohydrates: 11.5g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 2g
• Protein: 7g
• 
  

Read more at http://www.skinnytaste.com/zucchini-tots/#5tkJbVtmdtR5W5wx.99

What's Cooking? Buffalo Wing Cauliflower

While on my break at work today, Dad and I were texting about what we were going to prepare for dinner. He said he had picked up some kielbasa to pan fry  with onions. It's a new year so I wanted to try a new recipe. I told him I would make buffalo wing cauliflower as a side. Dad and I are very adventurous with trying new foods and recipes, but Mom and my brother are very picky. I picked up a medium head of cauliflower after the gym today and started preparing dinner with Dad picked up my brother from baseball practice, and mom was at work. This recipe was super easy and had great flavor! Mom tried it and went back for seconds! That's crazy from someone who doesn't like vegetables. Vegetables don't have to be bland and tasteless anymore! Try this recipe, (adapted from food network), and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce:
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon skim milk
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Buffalo Cauliflower:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
8 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the cheese sauce: Whisk together the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes
For the Buffalo cauliflower: Meanwhile, microwave the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl on high until melted. Whisk in the hot sauce and lemon juice and set aside.
Mix olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss until well coated. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beginning to brown and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Whisk the hot sauce mixture again, drizzle over the cauliflower and toss with tongs to coat. Roast the cauliflower until the sauce is bubbling and browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve hot with the cheese sauce.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/buffalo-cauliflower-with-blue-cheese-sauce.html?oc=linkback

Setting SMART Goals-New Years Resolution Series

With the new year approaching, most of America is thinking of what their New Years Resolution will be. Whether its to lose weight (like a lot of resolution goals), to eat more at home, to meal prep for the week ahead, or just be a better person, everyone has a goal in mind. That goal, however, may not be realistic. For example, I have heard and see some people say that their goal is to lose 30 pounds in a month. Sorry guys, that's not going to happen, at least not a safe way nor would you keep it off! When setting goals they must be S.M.A.R.T. Saying you are going to lose 30 pounds in a month is outrageous! Us dietitians, and doctors too, support a weight loss of 10% of the starting weight within 6 months. So, if you were 150 pounds, a reasonable goal would be to lose 15 pounds, and keep it off, within 6 months. Let's look at how to make S.M.A.R.T. goals-

S-Specific
Your goals have to be specific. A specific goal has a much better chance of being accomplished, than a very general goal. When making sure your goal is specific, you can ask yourself-Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Here's an example
Who-Me and My family
What- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
When-At lunch and dinner
Why- My brother isn't the biggest fan of fruits and vegetables, and they are not always served at meals
How-Buy more fresh fruits and vegetable when we go grocery shopping, and finding more recipes that incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables.

M-Measurable
Establishing measurable goals helps to hold yourself accountable and make sure you are on track to meeting your goal. Its best to set mini goals within your goal, for example-start with incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet 2x a week within the first 3 weeks. Once you reach that, you can bump it up to 3x a week, 4x a week and so on. To determine if your goals measurable, ask yourself -How much/How many? How will I know when I've accomplished this goal?

A-Attainable
Goals must be attainable and realistic. If its not possible, it won't be met. Saying you will lose 30 pounds in a month is not attainable. Nor is it realistic. Saying you will go from eating zero fresh fruits and vegetables to eating them 3x a day every day is not attainable. Establishing steps to reach the goal and a time frame can help to make sure your goal can be reached. Setting little goals can help you to reach the major goal at the end of the road.

R-Realistic
To be a realistic goal, it must represent an objective of something you are willing and able to work toward. If I do not like a certain type of fruit, it would be silly of me to that I am going to eat it every day, or least multiple times a week. It can be a very high goal, but still reachable. The mini goals I talked about in the previous letter can help to make sure you reach your realistic goal. You must ask yourself, is my goal realistic? If not, then think of a new one! 30 pounds in one month is not realistic!

T-Timely
Your goal should have a time frame. Without a time frame, there is no sense of urgency to reach the goal. If you want to lose weight, or increase fruit and vegetable consumption, when are you going to do this by? Saying it'll happen someday means it'll never happen at all!

SMART goals are the best goals!

Also, this is the first post of a series I am doing on New Years Resolutions. Check back next week for

Whats on my Plate?

Ever wonder what a nutrition major eats? Wonder if its healthy or if I practice what I preach? Well the answer is, I do eat nutritious foods most of the time but, I have no problem with treating myself. One thing nutrition majors hate to hear when they sit down for a meal is; "Why are you eating that? Aren't you supposed to be eating only nutritious and healthy foods and staying away from the bad things?". My response is always, "I consciously made the decision to put this food on my plate and if I want to treat myself every once in a while, then why not!"  Just because you are watching what you are eating, doesn't mean you can't treat yourself or make it so you can't have anything that tastes good.

This is what I ate for the day and the justification in the choices I made:

Breakfast (9 am)
For breakfast I had an 8 oz glass of chocolate milk, an apple and whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I chose the toast because it is whole grain and it is very important to fuel your body with carbs and protein at the beginning of the day. Whole grains contain some protein which can help you feel fuller longer and provide energy for the body to get going in the morning. The peanut butter contains protein as well, but also has healthy fats. These fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These types of fat can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. I had an apple in order to get some vitamins and minerals that may be lacking from just having toast for breakfast. Apples are also high in fiber which can aid in digestion. The chocolate milk was chosen to provide 9 essential vitamins and minerals that the body cannot make and have to get from food sources, and to provide more protein in my breakfast.

Lunch (12:30 pm)
For lunch, I had the leftovers of a sandwich that I got a few days ago. However, this is an easy sandwich anyone can make and it is full of protein and nutrients. It was a hard roll with presto, which is full of healthy fats due to the olive oil and pine nuts in it, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella. The mozzarella is a great source of protein and is lower in fat than other types of cheeses. I knew I would need more than just a half a sandwich, so I paired it with carrots and honey mustard. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, K, dietary fiber, and biotin, and I added the honey mustard just to spice up my carrots a little. I had a glass of green tea with it, which has been shown to provide antioxidants to prevent illness and help boost metabolism!

Snack (2:30 pm)
 I had class all afternoon and knew that I would need something to hold me over until dinner time, so I grabbed the single serving pack of dry roasted almonds on my way out of the door. I love the way they taste and they are full of heart healthy fats and protein to keep me feeling full until dinner time.


Dinner (5:30 pm)
I was in a time crunch to get something to eat before class and going to the gym later so I decided to throw some chicken on the George Foreman Grill we have at my apartment, steamed up some broccoli, and made couscous. After the chicken was grilled and the broccoli was steamed, I threw them into a frying pan with olive oil, garlic and cheese and made a simple skillet meal with couscous as a side. Couscous is one of the 7 Mother Grains and a whole grain which are needed in a daily diet. The broccoli is full of antioxidants and vitamins, and the cheese gave me another serving of dairy and protein on my plate. Chicken is one of my favorite meats just because it is so versatile and easy to prepare. Its a really good source of protein, and a very lean meat. Milk again accompanied this meal.
 

Post Workout Snack (10:30 pm)
After a tough workout, I was feeling a little hungry and needed a pick me up to replenish carbohydrates burned during cardio and take in protein to help me build more muscle after a weight lifting circuit. My snack included a piece of bread and a tall glass of milk. The key to post workout snacks is to have it be a 2:1 Carb to Protein ratio. Your body really needs to replenish the carbohydrate stores after burning many of them off during exercise.






This is basically what the jist of my diet is daily. It is really important to make sure that meals are balanced between carbs, protein and fat, and that you are getting vegetables and fruits in your diet to get all the vitamins and minerals needed to function in our daily lives.

Restaurant Menu Navigation Tips and Tricks

I've heard many people say that because they are watching what they eat, they cannot treat themselves to a nice dinner out. One dinner out is not going to kill your diet, nor do you have to have high caloric meals when you do eat out. I'm here to help you make some good eating decisions when you aren't in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Eating out can be little intimidating for anyone wanting to eat more nutritious foods and trying to steer clear of the more calorie and fat laden foods. But it doesn't have to be! There are a lot of resources out there that can help you make better decisions when out to eat. Many restaurants have a low calorie menu, or offer their nutrition facts on their website. There is even a series of books that tells you what to eat and what not to eat at many popular fast food chains (I own one of them and like to look through it before eating out, but a lot of the time their suggestions are not offered anymore or they are not what I would eat). But there are ways to tell if an entree or dish is high in calorie and fat without doing research ahead of time! There are sneaky words that restaurants put into descriptions of their foods which can be direct giveaways that the food may be more energy dense rather than nutrient dense.
 Look out for works like-
Au Gratin, Basted, Battered, Hollandaise, Bottomless, Breaded, Buttery, Casserole, Cheesy, Country-Style, Covered, Creamed, Creamy, Crispy, Escalloped, Fried, Giant, Loaded, Platter, Smothered, Stewed, Stuffed, Volcano, White Sauce
Most likely if the menu item has any of these words in it, its going to be a bone-sticking meal.

However, if you really want to have one of the higher calorie entrees, ask for a box once your entree is delivered. Cut the portion in half and put it in the box to take it home for another meal. What they give you at a restaurant is normally about 2-3 times more than what you really should be eating or would eat at home, so by cutting it in half and putting it aside, you're really saving yourself from feeling over full and eating too much. Also, if they offer a lunch portion or even a half portion, order the smaller portion to ensure that you won't over stuff yourself or eat too much.


Here are some lighter choices at different types of restaurants:
Mexican Restaurants- Chicken Enchilada or Beef Tacos
Seafood Restaurants-Blackened of Grilled Fish
Pizza Joints- Thin Crust Pizza or Mixed Vegetable Pizza
Thai Restaurants- Cashew Chicken
BBQ Restaurants- Pulled Pork Sandwich
Italian Restaurants- Penne Puttanesca or Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil
Diners- BLT or Grilled Cheese
Steakhouses- Filet Mignon or Grilled Tuna Steak

Here are some words that can signal potentially healthier options-
Baked, Broiled, Boiled, Broiled, Fat Free, Fresh, Grilled, High Fiber, Light, Marinated, Poached, Red Sauce, Reduced, Roasted, Seasoned, Steamed, Stir-Fried, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Whole Wheat