The Choice is Yours...Fast Food on the Go!

I am moving this weekend & it has just been crazy between work, packing, soccer games, closing on the house, cleaning the house...that finding time to eat has been trivial at times.  Now that our dishes are packed up and we have about 72 hours of insanity, we are going to have to have a few meals on the go. 

There are ways to eat at fast food restaurants without feeling like you've ingested a tire with a glass of grease.  Hands down, my family & I prefer Subway.  It is inexpensive, it is fresh, and it is delicious.  My husband and I split a $5.00 footlong, typically a chicken breast sub loaded with vegetables.  Every one seems to have their favorites!

Here are some tips when choosing meals at fast food restaurants:

• Downsize your meals.  As I mentioned in my previous post on portion control, many times the kid menu options are an adult serving, and less expensive!
• Choose water.  Water is free at most restaurants.  When you are moving, going from sports or activities/events with your children, or just had a hectic day at work, do your body a favor and keep it hydrated!  Your body will love you and you will not feel as bloated.
• Be mindful of your meal.  Yes...you are in a hurry and you are busy.  If you don't take time to let your stomach tell your brain that it is full, then you are likely to over-eat.  Take some deep breaths and give yourselves at least a minimum of 20 minutes from the first bite to the last bite to finish your meal. 
• Look at the way your meal is cooked.  If it is deep-fryed, crispy, or smothered in a cream sauce, then it is not the healthier choice.  Choose grilled or baked items, as well as items with vegetables and leaner meats.
• Watch the condiments & plan ahead.  Mayonnaise can add up to over 100 calories for 2 TBSP and over 140 calories for 2 TBSP of ranch dressing.  Choose low-fat condiments, watch your portions, and plan ahead!  Knowing where you are going to eat beforehand will allow you time to plan for the healthier options!

RIP you dirty, dirty pans

My family and I are moving into the home that I think we will live in for the rest of our lives.  As a Mom, I always want to spend more money on my children than myself.  I think this is normal, when speaking with other parents.  However, sometimes that is just plain inappropriate.  I am extremely embarrassed to show you all this, but I have had the same set of Teflon pans for 10 years.  I am ashamed to say that the secret ingredient to my dishes may have been those extra crunchy flakes of Teflon or non-stick coating, but lets hope that is not the case.  I needed to make an investment in my family's health, and in myself as the nutrition expert in the house.

Before:                                                                        After:

After doing some research while trying to decide what kind of pans to purchase, I found that non-stick coatings on pans tend to wear off within a year or two of use.  Where does that coating go?  In your food.  To make matters worse for me, I have a beautiful set of stainless steel utensils that were given to me on our wedding date over 7 years ago.  The quality is impeccable still!  However, we used those utensils on my Teflon pans, irresponsibly, which caused many scratches and damage.  Stainless Steel pans are extremely durable and can be a lifelong investment.  I chose pans with copper for even heat distribution.  You might argue that stainless steel pans are too expensive.  I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and got the Emeril 10 piece set, which came with a free cast-iron grill pan and griddle, for only $130.00 with my 20% off-one-item coupon.  If you have to replace non-stick pans every two years, then I should have spent much more than that over the course of my ten years with my old, dirty, dirty pans.  In my honest opinion, unless you can take wonderful care of your non-stick pans and plan to replace them every two-years, make the investment in some stainless steel pans and cook your heart out!

Quick & Yummy Pasta with Veggies & Garlic Bread

Here's a really easy meal for someone who has 20 minutes to make a meal:

• I box Barilla Plus Penne pasta
• 1 container of Philly Cooking Creme (my favorite is the Italian Cheese & Herb)
• 1 small summer squash
• 1 small zucchini
• 4 slices of garlic bread

Start by boiling some water for the penne and preheat your oven for the garlic bread. Cut up the zucchini and summer squash. When the water starts to boil, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (roughly 11 minutes). While the pasta is cooking, put the garlic bread in the oven, and place 2 tablespoons of oil (I prefer a canola/olive oil blend) and saute the vegetables. When the pasta is cooked and drained, put the Philly Cooking Creme into the pasta and stir. Place the vegetables over the pasta and accompany with a slice of garlic bread. Put a nice crack of black pepper over the pasta and it's ready to go! Serve with a side of fresh fruit or salad for added nutrients and fiber. The pasta makes 6 serving. The nutrition analysis is based on a serving of pasta and a slice of garlic bread: Calories per serving: 396; Total Fat: 12.5g/serving; Protein: 16g/serving; Carbohydrates: 55g/serving; Fiber: 5g/serving; Sodium: 470mg/serving.  Also, I bought the box of pasta on sale for $1.00, one zucchini and one summer squash for $1.38, Philly Cooking Creme on sale for $1.50, and the garlic bread for $0.99 for a total of:  $4.87.  That is $0.81 per serving!

Can I lose weight without exercising?

Ask The Honest Dietitian Question One:  Can I lose weight without exercising?

Answer:  Sure.  Weight loss occurs when your calorie intake is less than your calorie output.  Therefore, if you consume less calories than what you put in, you lose weight.  But, it is so much more complicated than that.  First of all, you need to find out how many calories you expend each day without exercise.  So many people do online calculators to try and figure this out, when you really need to be meeting with a Registered Dietitian to help figure this out with more complicated equations and factors.  Once you know what your daily calorie needs are, you can decrease your calorie amounts to result in calorie deficits.  Of course, for health purposes (example:  to keep your hair from falling out, etc.) you should keep your weight loss to 2-2.5# per week.  If you chose to go with an extremely restrictive diet for faster weight loss (such as a cabbage soup diet or simply not eating) you will harm your body by not giving it the necessary nutrients it needs to work properly, you will withhold carbohydrates from your brain (which is the only thing your brain eats for energy), you will waste your muscles, lower your metabolism, age very fast, and ultimately you will give up and go back to your old habits because you did not learn how to eat properly, or you will die.  I am not kidding, withhold nutrition long enough and you might die.

There are so many benefits to exercise, although some people who have been sedentary for a long time think that they need to "Go Big or Go Home".  They think starting an exercise routine means running a 5K, when really just taking a daily walk will help tremendously.  Exercise builds and uses muscles which burn more calories.  I will discuss the additional benefits of exercise later, but doesn't it sound good to eat satisfying, nutritious foods (which most of us have to learn to do) and enjoy some physical activity, instead of counting every calorie and every gram of fat we come across?  Yes, it does!  Keep following me because I want to inspire you to have the healthiest, most satisfying experience with nutrition possible.

White Chicken Chili - CrockPot Style

This recipe tastes a thousand times better than it looks!  Testimonials from my family:
Husband: "I would pay money for this in a restaurant"
Youngest Daughter:  "This is better than Panera's soup" 
Sometimes it's nice to have a delicious chili simmering in the Crock Pot & when you walk in the front door after a long day of work you think "man...not only does the house smell awesome, but dinner is done!"  I really hope you give this recipe a try!  Here's what you will need:

• 8 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken (about 2 breasts)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of great northern beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can of white hominy OR 1 (15 ounce) can of white corn
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package of reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (14 ounce) can of reduced sodium chicken broth
• Toppings:  2 TBSP per serving of sour cream, chopped green onions, & I always like to add a sprinkle of Tortilla Strips

Directions:

• Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker
• Cover the chicken with beans & hominy
• In a separate bowl, combine the taco seasoning, chilies, condensed soup, & chicken broth.  Pour over the ingredients in the crock pot.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours
• Before serving, shred the deliciously moist chicken and return to crock pot & stir
• Serve with 2 TBSP sour cream, green onions, and tortilla strips, if desired.

Nutrition Facts (chili makes 8 servings):  One serving with sour cream and green onions contains 280 calories, 16 grams of protein, 37 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of fat, and 768 mg sodium.  If you want to reduce the sodium(salt) content, replace hominy with white corn.  This chili cost me $7.21 which comes out to $0.90/serving.  That's some savings!  Enjoy!

Delicious Fire Ants on a Log

Sometimes taking a traditional snack like Ants on a Log and transforming it into something a little more exciting, such as Fire Ants on a Log, can make eating a healthy snack a little more enticing to your kids.  If you have ever been bitten by a Fire Ant, chances are you will never forget the burning and swelling that accompanies the pain.  And if your child has been bitten, I am sure they would have no greater pleasure than pretending the Fire Ants on the log are real, and therefore reciprocating attack on the little suckers by consuming them in a delicious peanut butter and celery environment.

Fire Ants on a Log are nutritious because the celery contains insoluble fiber, which helps...ahem...bulk your stool and keep you regular.  The peanut butter (of course, I prefer natural peanut butter) is a healthy source of monounsaturated fats, in which studies have shown helps to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.  The Craisins...well they are very high in sugar, but a good choice to give the snack some sweetness that is enjoyable to children.  As long as they are not sitting down and eating log after log in their vengeful fury, then enjoying this snack in moderation (such as one whole celery stick as a log for a serving) is a super fun and super easy way to get some fiber and protein into your kids' snack time.

What is Hominy?

With the rain and cooler temperatures, it has been a perfect day to make my white-chicken-chili.  While it is simmering in the crock pot, I thought I would take the opportunity to discuss one of the ingredients:  Hominy.  My recipe gave me the choice:  one can of hominy or one can of white corn.  I just couldn't resist it!  Not only have I had limited exposure to hominy in cooking, but I find it extremely fun to say:  hominy, hominy, hominy...  I had to buy it.

I have made this recipe a few times before and have always enjoyed the texture of hominy.  It is almost like a potato-bean.  Not as chewy as corn, rather rich and soft.  Hominy is hulled corn kernels, in this case white corn kernels, that have been stripped of their bran and germ.  In the South, dried hominy can be ground into a consistency of sand to make hominy grits. 

The only problem is when I decided to take the fun out of my hominy excitement and actually read the label:  3.5 servings per can @ 530mg of sodium per serving.  HOLY COW!  That is 1,855mg of sodium in this one can!  In one serving, you have already eaten ~33% of your 1,500mg sodium allotment for the day.  I looked at Del Monte's whole kernel white corn and found the nutrition regarding calories, protein, and fiber was quite comparable except they only have 240mg sodium/serving.  That's a little better.

Honestly, rinsing your canned vegetables only helps a little when it comes to removing sodium from the product.  Remember, when choosing fruits and vegetables:  Fresh is Best.  Frozen can certainly be better than Canned, but there are some "No Added Salt" varieties available that are a great buy when you catch those Stock-Up sales!