Turkey Chili Over Quinoa

I finally nailed this recipe! Yum :)

1# ground turkey breast

1 small can tomato sauce (no salt added)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can each, rinsed black beans and small red beans

seasoning blend (1Tbsp each: paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes)

Mix those ingredients together right in a saucepan and cook over medium heat (covered) for about 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through.

In a separate saute pan sprayed with PAM, cook 1 diced zucchini, 1 diced sweet onion, 1 green pepper, and 3 regular carrots (NOT baby carrots) until fork tender (about 5-10 minutes). Once cooked, dump into the rest of the chili pot and mix together. Serve with shredded Mexican blend cheese and dollop of Fage yogurt. This is great over quinoa but you could easily serve it with lentil crisps (another favorite), over a baked potato, over a salad (don't knock it till you try it), or over whole grain pasta. Enjoy!

Pancakes and Cioppino

Breakfast today included banana pancakes (gluten-free and dairy-free!):

I used the above GF, vegan baking blend (1cup) and added 1Tbsp maple syrup, 1tsp baking powder, 1 egg, 1Tbsp canola oil, 3/4cup almond milk, and sliced a banana placed atop the pancakes (weird shape, I know). They were light and fluffy! Yum :)

Dinner was a delicious langastino cioppino:

gluten free rigatoni

langastinos (courtesy of Costco!)

no-salt-added tomato sauce plus can of crushed tomatoes

italian seasoning

diced zucchini, red pepper, and 1/2 onion (sauteed first before adding the sauce components and lastly, the langastinos which really only simmer for 3-5 minutes to heat through)

This fancy sounding and looking dish only took 15 minutes total to prepare and is pretty much a one pot wonder (aside from the pasta). Definitely a keeper!

Stop the Supplements

Proof why I really do not recommend taking supplements on a daily basis:

Healthy Diet May Counteract Heart Disease Gene

Piling plates with fruit, veggies, berries reduced genetic risk in large study

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=657682

Broccoli health benefits require the whole food, not supplements, says study

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Broccoli-health-benefits-require-the-whole-food-not-supplements-says-study

Source: J Agric Food Chem

More bad supplement news: Vitamin E may be risky for prostate

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/11/8273189-more-bad-supplement-news-vitamin-e-may-be-risky-for-prostate

Source: JAMA

Americans favor vitamins but nutritionists say eat healthy

(Liz Kirk, RD quoted)

http://mynorthwest.com/11/561101/Americans-favor-vitamins-but-nutritionists-say-eat-healthy

Should older women take those vitamins or not?

(Bonnie Jortberg, RD quoted)

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-supplements-vitamins-minerals-death-women-20111011,0,1618324.story

Sunday Coupon and Current Research

Shop online for bytes.

$20 for $40 Worth of Gourmet Groceries

http://tinyurl.com/gourmet-groceries

What’s the Best Weight-loss Diet?

http://www.kcrg.com/news/health/?feed=bim&id=131229209

Let's craft lunch

http://articles.philly.com/2011-09-22/news/30189740_1_bento-box-brown-bag-lunch

10 things to know about breast cancer

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-risk-reduction-correct-term-for-breast-cancer-prevention-20111006,0,3941978.story

Cross Country's three-step program for success

http://www.pcccourier.com/sports/cross-country-s-three-step-program-for-success-1.2632447

Deciphering All-Natural Foods

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/good_day/all-natural-foods-deciphering-labels-ingredients-lara-field-dietician-20111006

Reflections

I would like to use this post as an introspective glimpse into my personal goals and aspirations. Goal-setting has always been a helpful, measurable means of accountability for me [and something I encourage my patients to try as well]. I am breaking up my goals for the coming months into 3 categories: personal, professional, and "coupled." I figure that by posting them, there will be another reminder to keep me honest and on track.

1. Personal Goal: I am learning to listen to my body. It seems to take longer to recover from tough workouts, and my knees so not allow me to complete more than 1 long run weekly. That being said, I feel that I am in great shape and want to maintain the muscle I have gained and aerobic endurance I have built. Since both of my coaching opportunities did not pan out this season, I would like to find another volunteer activity to be involved in.

2. Professional Goal: Since I am really enjoying my current consulting and nutrient coaching projects, I hope to continue them as well as expand my services in the coming months. I want to finish at least one of the books I have started and hopefully continue to gain some media recognition.

3. Coupled Goal: This goal takes two to tango and involves the constant effort of making my marriage extremely fulfilling and filled with love. I vow to help Director Doc de-stress and keep work-related issues in perspective. I also recognize that my domestic skills need some tweaking as I have gotten more reliant on take-out (even from grocery stores) and not as diligent about the cleaning duties; therefore, I aim to limit non-home-cooked meals to once weekly and devoting 10-15 minutes/day to tidying up :)

There you have it! I hope that this post inspired you to consider your own goals and aspirations.

Crabby Monday

Guess what? It's raining . . . AGAIN! Sheesh. I am done with the rain. Now add in the cold factor and it seems to have skipped over Fall and gone straight to dreary winter. Blah. I am sharing my dinner [pictured] above-- one of my personal favs: snow crab legs, green beans, and jicama (kind of got cut off, but certainly worth mentioning as it is delicious).

Things accomplished today:

1) prepared handouts for patients in my Manassas office tomorrow :)

2) answered interview questions for a piece in the Loudoun Times Mirror newspaper

3) took the day OFF from lifting to allow for proper recovery of sore muscles

4) made an oatmeal loaf substituting NuNaturals Fiber Blend for sweetener and peanut butter instead of oil-- verdict? crappy texture but the taste wasn't too bad (not worth photographing)

5) saw the cutest puppies (yorkies and some other small breed mix) and tried to convince Director Doc we need company ;)

I am contemplating a hefty work decision at the moment that involves teaching at a medical college . . . not sure if I am going to take this on right now. More to come . . .

Recap of Rain

The rain is still here, and it certainly has cast a dark cloud over everyone I have come in contact with this week. It is evident that bad weather really does impact people's outlook and mood. Even I have been a little down despite taking my vitamin D3, exercising regularly, and eating "good mood foods." It really reminds me why I will not be living in PA again, as it was dreary and cold 95% of the time. Moving on . . .

I thought I would use this rainy Sunday as a time to reflect on the recent family interactions and work appointments. I LOVE helping people. I truly am in the best mood and feel great about myself by being able to enlighten and educate others. Sometimes people do not want my help. Sometimes people who love me also have the ability to hurt me the most. I do not mind giving my family members [and friends!] nutrition advice. I DO mind when they over step their boundaries and then proceed to tell me all of the things they do wrong and plan on continuing to do wrong despite my urges to change those unhealthy habits. As I am writing this post, I am reminded of the mantra that "people need your permission in order to hurt you." It is true that if I let them get me down, then that is where I will be. If I choose to ignore those comments or to rise above them and offer my suggestions with the side note, "this is what the nutritional science states is true" or "I believe this makes then most sense so that is what I purport." Perhaps if I practice this technique, it will become second nature, and I won't get so defensive. Just a thought.

On the foods front, I have made my first pot of turkey chili for the season (with some yummy cornbread to go with it) and am planning on roasting a turkey-- once I find one in the grocery stores! There will also be the return of soups and roasted veggies (hello brussels sprouts, I missed you!). I bought some mixed grain hot cereal at TJ's today and plan on creating some porridge concoctions as well as some "healthy" baked goods. Tip: use cooler weather to your advantage by investing in a crock pot to make everything from soups, to meat products, and even hot cereals. It will be a great time-saver, and you can batch cook recipes to have leftovers for lunches and dinner during the busy workweek :)