Delicious Nutrition

Recipe: a quart of food, a pint of fun, and a heaping tablespoon of nutrition from a registered dietitian

[karapifer]

Happy Saturday! I did a little baking this morning. I am working toward a 100% whole wheat bread from scratch and so far I've made three batches of plain white bread and now I tried replacing one third of the flour with whole wheat flour. I haven't tried it yet but it smells even more delicious than the plain bread! My ultimate goal would be for a 100% whole wheat and oatmeal bread. Do you have a good recipe? My current recipe is a simple one: 1 packet yeast (1/4 oz) 2.25 cups warm water (110-114 degrees F) 3 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp oil 1 Tbsp salt 2 cups whole wheat flour 4 cups AP flour Basically you add the sugar and yeast to the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes on the counter. Then add the oil and salt and mix in one cup of flour at a time until combined. Mix/knead for 8-10 minutes. Put the dough into a mixing bowl and put in a warm place. I put mine near a window in direct sunlight. Once I even put it on the dashboard of my car. This was my Grandma's suggestion (she hadn't tried it but heard it from a friend) and it totally worked! After letting it rise for about an hour and a half, take the dough out and split it in half. Place each half in a bread pan and cover. Let rise for another half hour. Baking can be quite difficult because every oven is a little different. I bake the loaves for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven and they turn out golden brown and cooked through. When I take them out of the oven I flip them over on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. To cut the loaves into slices I like to let them chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours after cooling on the counter. This helps to cut the slices as thinly as I like. Plus if I cut the loaves when they are hot I am much more likely to eat a slice or two... Or a loaf! I got this recipe from one of my favorite recipe places - Taste of Home! To see the original recipe, click here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/basic-homemade-bread and try not to drool! The other item in the picture is a buttercup squash. This is my first time having this type of squash and I am excited to try it. This is another one of my Grandma's suggestions, let's hope it's as good as her other suggestion!

[karapifer]

Books. How much do I love reading? A lot! I've been an avid reader pretty much since I could hold a book. During the summer breaks from school my aunt would take my cousins and I to the library and I would get what seemed like stack and stacks of books on each trip! And I still do that! I tend to get a little over ambitious when it comes to trips to the library! Even with a two week rental period you'll see me walk out with eight or nine books! What's at the top of my reading list? Well for the past couple years I've been a big Patricia Cornwell fan. She has a series centered around a Medical Examiner (a pretty kick-butt one if you ask me!) who always seems to get wrapped up in the nastiest, scariest murder cases. The stories are easy to get wrapped up in, and that's exactly what I plan to do with this advance copy of her latest, Depraved Heart! It features the slick Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta, in a new adventure and I can't wait to see what happens! Getting started with a big cup of tea and my advance copy of Depraved Heart thanks to Chatterbox by House Party!

[karapifer]

Who else is excited about Aladdin coming out again? As a kid I absolutely loved this movie and if I can get a job sometime in the near future I will probably be buying this!

[karapifer]

As a Registered Dietitian I am sworn to an oath to always eat 100% healthy. JUST KIDDING! But that must be what people really believe, and that’s what has brought about this topic to the table for discussion. 

“What exactly do Registered Dietitians eat?” 

This thought popped into my head today while I was at my husband’s work picnic. Now I normally eat quite a few vegetables and fruits each day, some lean proteins, and I usually fit in my daily dose of cheese, no worries. Sometimes for special occasions if there’s an item that I don’t get to have very often, for example, a cupcake or a piece of chocolate pie, I may have some. Actually, lets rephrase that. I WILL have some! Or at least give it a try if it looks delectable! 

Today’s picnic plate included carrots, broccoli, green bell peppers, the meat from a hamburger made with tons of extra veggies and about a third of the bun, a scoop of macaroni salad, and... you guessed it... chocolate pie! Now of course the moment I bite into the pie a coworker of my husband comes up to meet me and asks “So you’re the Dietitian?” 

.... “Yes, now let me eat my chocolate pie in peace!” Ok, I didn’t really say that but I know the thought that popped into his mind was more centered around my choices rather than getting to know me. It didn’t matter that I had eaten probably two cups of vegetables (without dip!). All that he saw was a “nutrition expert” scarfing a piece of chocolatey goodness.

That small piece of pie doesn’t mean that I am an unhealthy individual. In my professional opinion, being able to fit in a small dose of those wonderful treats along with a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins makes for a well rounded diet. It also makes for a pretty happy life if you ask me!

These tasty concoctions are not items that I bring into my house except maybe for a birthday treat. These are not items that I buy at restaurants unless it’s a specialty that’s won special awards or if it’s made from the feathers of a unicorn bird or something equally impressive. Therefore, the small piece of pie I enjoy on occasion is not monumental, it’s just to add even more loveliness to enjoying a nice sunshine filled day at the beach with my husband and his coworkers. 

Have you ever wondered what a Dietitian eats or judged someone based on what they were eating? 

(FYI The picture is of a cupcake that my Dad had while we were on vacation last year. I had a different cupcake but his had bacon on it which definitely meant it deserved the picture more than mine!)

[karapifer]

Video 18/100

I decided to try out another video from this source and it was pretty good. I feel that while it is a short video it highlights a few key stretches to get your muscles loosened up after a workout! I liked this one :) 

[karapifer]

Trying to find a stretching video I cam across this line of videos. Not so big of a fan of this one, so I'm going to try another. Video 17/100. 

[karapifer]

Video 16/100

Today's workout was something a little different. Rather than your typical class like workout, the instructor was just a voiceover while the demo was following along. It allowed me to customize each movement to my desired level of difficulty and it had enough going on throughout the video to keep me occupied. Nothing worse than being bored through the entire workout! Also I guess in a way the guy doing the voice over was a little boring... oh well. Regardless, one more workout complete!

[karapifer]

Alright, how sad is it that my upper arms and shoulders were so tired by the end of this?? Either way, this is my new go to workout when I find myself just sitting around! Totally easy to do all these moves to get warmed up for another workout or just to do a few reps for a good arm toning workout! Now this is going to bring in better arms for Taylor's wedding!

[karapifer]

Currently I can't remember how many of these I've done, but either way, one more video completed! Today I wasn't really feeling up to a big workout, and since yesterday I completed a full Dancing With The Stars workout video I figured a shorter one today would be okay. But I guess I probably should never justify being lazy! Either way, one more (actually two since I didn't write a post yesterday!) down, and I'm unsure of exactly how many more to go! 

[karapifer]

I'm a little sore from last nights arm and ab workout so tonight I went for more of a chill approach! This routine wasn't my fave yoga routine, but it did the trick to get ready for bed with relaxed muscles! 88 more videos to go!

[karapifer]

Video 11/100 This video was definitely one that I could see myself doing again! Do you need a quick reminder to what muscles you have in your arms? This may be useful to you! I know it was for me! plus I learned a couple new ways to do push ups that I can throw into my "workout vocabulary" for future reference! Only 89 more videos to go before I have much more appropriate MOH arms for Taylor's wedding!

[karapifer]

Alright, so I had to do a second video tonight because the Belly Dancing routine was not enough cardio for me. So with this workout added in I finally worked up a sufficient amount of sweat! Now time to figure out how to change out my license plate. Goodbye Pure Michigan Plate. In happier news: only 90 videos left to go! 

[karapifer]

Since today was a cardio day and I wanted something fun to do, I decided to look into beginner dance workouts! I came across this video and remembered a fun dance class I had back in the day where our teacher gave us a little time away from our scheduled class to try out belly dancing. This video is exactly what it sounds like. The beginner's beginner guide. While slightly entertaining, I kept wondering when we could step it up a bit. Maybe next time I can graduate to the next level! So overall, a good review from my dancing days, but not quite challenging enough for me. Maybe today will be a back to back workout video type of day! 

[karapifer]

Workout Video 8/100

Alright, I believe my dance days are officially over because this video was definitely more my speed than some of the other ones I tried! It's more on the beginner side of things, but still incorporated ways to make each move a little more intense! Another thing I really liked about this video was that it took you through the basics of each move. So for the ones I haven't done since being in a dance studio I had a gentle reminder of the proper way to do each move plus where I should be feeling it. That really helped because there were some that I wasn't really feeling but by listening to them discuss the move I was able to correct myself and get a really good workout out of the deal! This one is a favorite so far! Only 92 more to go! 

[karapifer]

100 Workout Video Challenge

So my Best Friend's wedding is right around the corner (YAY for Cory and Taylor!) and I saw what I look like in my bridesmaid dress. Ick. Needless to say I need to get my arms in shape! So I've made up a new challenge for myself! 100 Workout Videos (compliments of YouTube of course!) completed before her wedding. This can be anything! My first day was yesterday and I did the Jillian Michaels 6 Week Six-Pack Workout followed by a 20 minute yoga workout video. Granted some people may not count yoga as a workout, but for me right now, it is, and I made up the rules, so it counts! 

Today I went to an old standby, Walk Away the Pounds 2 mile walk. It reminds me of a time when my Mom and I would do workout videos together in our living room because we did the exact video a lot! Anyways, three workout videos down, only 97 more to go before July 25! :) 

[karapifer]

I decided to treat myself a little last week and took a stroll down the ice cream aisle. When I treat myself to ice cream, I'm usually looking for the best, so I went straight to the Ben & Jerry's section. Looking through the different flavors I decided that none of them sounded absolutely perfect, so I started to walk away. This is when a little bright green package catches my eye and I turn to see this Haagen-Daaz Frozen Yogurt! I figured that it would still be loaded with fat and sugar but when I turned it around I was completely surprised! Compared to the regular vanilla, the fat content was way lower (17g vs 2.5g per half cup serving), the protein way higher (9g per serving in this baby! Even more than a whole egg!), and the price was the same! So I gave it a whirl! I have to admit I was a bit weary at first, thinking it would be crystal-ly (my own new word), flavorless, and not worth the $4.50 I spent. Thankfully I was wrong on all accounts! The texture was creamy, just like regular Haagen-Daaz, the flavor was perfect - vanilla with only a hint of tartness, and filling thanks to the whopping 9 grams of protein per half cup! I definitely would buy this again! Maybe next time I'll wait for a sale though!

[karapifer]

Luvo/Lyfe Kitchen Review I've had my eye on this line of more "real" frozen meals at Target for awhile now, but can't see paying $4.49 for one meal to eat all by myself at home (especially one without a really good cheese involved!). Yesterday the whole Luvo/Lyfe Kitchen line happened to be on "Clearance" (AKA 15% off... Not very clearance-y in my opinion Target!) plus I had a $2.25 rebate for the line from the Ibotta app and I decided to give it a whirl! So what's the verdict? In a word.... Delicious! I thought the sauce was phenomenal, very rich for a frozen meal (rather than the typical watered down sauces) and spicy! The black beans were the perfect soft but not too soft texture and the chicken really was chicken! Such a nice surprise, even though the label boasts the "All Natural" chicken! In addition to the major players in the dish, the side of polenta was a new food for me. I was a little nervous to try it because I didn't know what to expect from the cornmeal concoction, but also because I had no way of knowing if it was a good representation of polenta. With my limited experience, I would have to say it is pretty close to the real thing. It had a subtle sweetness that paired well with the savory spicy sauce. The tomato on top gave the polenta that dash of acidity and freshness it needed to really balance out the flavors! Nutritionally, the meal was pretty solid! A good source of lean protein and 440 mg sodium while containing a carbohydrate, a little vegetable, meat, and beans made this a well rounded meal. I would definitely try another meal from this line... If I ever happen upon such a good deal again!