Earthly Edibles

Nov 20 2009

Holiday Survival Eating Challenge

Published by denise under Get Back on Track,celebrations,healthy weight,holidays,winter

Week One: How Do I Measure Up? Get a Baseline of How You are Doing!

How do you measure your success if you don’t know where you are? This is why you need an initial weigh-in. Use the weekly weigh-in sheet to track your weight and see if you are maintaining. If your weekly sheet begins climbing, determine why and how you can prevent it from happening in the upcoming weeks.

You can also prevent extra pounds from creeping up by viewing your current eating habits and how they affect your weight. That is why a food record can be a critical piece of the puzzle, check out this website www.thedailyplate.com. Getting a closer look will help you make small changes adjustments over the next few weeks to balance your holiday intake. For example, a Thanksgiving meal may provide 500-1500 extra calories or more and many of us overeat the entire four day weekend. There are 3500 calories in a pound, so you can see how easy it is for them to add up. Most of us don’t notice before it is too late.

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Nov 16 2009

2009 Holiday Survival Food Challenge

Published by denise under healthy weight,holidays,winter

2009 Holiday Survival Food Challenge

Ready to maintain your weight this holiday season? Many of us gain least 1-2 pounds or more which is almost impossible to lose after the New Year.

The holidays may not be the time to make major lifestyle changes but you can prevent additional holiday pounds from sneaking on.

For weekly inspiration, check out my blog to receive holiday recipes, behavioral tips and other helpful information. You can print off the weekly holiday weight log below to track your own progress over the next six weeks.

Looking forward to helping you maintain this holiday season!

Denise

Holiday Survival Eating Challenge

Weigh-In Log Sheet

Date

11/16____________________________________________

11/23____________________________________________

11/30____________________________________________

12/07____________________________________________

12/14____________________________________________

12/21____________________________________________

12/28_____________________________________________

01/04_____________________________________________

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Sep 22 2009

Fishing for Good Health

Published by denise under farmer's market,local food,recipes

In Western North Carolina, there is a vast availability of wonderful and healthy local food and I am going to share some of these with you in my series titled “Healthy Mountain Harvest”. I am starting with one of my new favorites, the Sunburst Trout Farm outside of Canton, North Carolina. Recently, I had the pleasure to take a tour with Sunburst’s owner, Sally Eason to visit the farm and see the process of how the fish get from their farm to our plate. Sunburst raises the trout sustainably in an environment that is totally free of pollutants such as mercury, PCBs or pesticides. The food provided to the fish contains no animal by-products, antibiotics or growth hormones. One of the greatest health benefits of eating farm raised trout is that it is a great source of omega 3 right up there with wild salmon. In addition to the health advantages trout has, its flavor, color and texture make it a wonderful choice. Some of my favorite ways to prepare it include poached, grilled or broiled. Besides fillets, Sunburst also offers a variety of products made from trout which include caviar, sausage, jerky and smoked. If you have not tried Sunburst trout, you can pick it up at Ingles, Green Life and Earth Fare. You can also purchase it at the Asheville City Market and meet some of the wonderful team members from the farm.

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Sep 04 2009

Great Grains

Published by denise under Herbal Teas

Although, I absolutely love fall but feel a little sad when summer ends. This past Tuesday on September 1^st, I taught a cooking class titled “Great Grains” at the North Carolina Arboretum. I paired these grains with the last of bit summer’s produce. I made quinoa risotto with corn and tomatoes, a buckwheat pilaf with eggplant and roasted red pepper and a wild rice salad with peaches and raspberries. Below I have included the risotto recipe:

Quinoa Risotto with Corn and Tomato

Serves 6

1 ½ fresh corn taken off the cob

1 cup chopped tomato

½ cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

¼ cup chopped basil

1-2 tablespoon parmesan or local goat cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ¼ cup vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add corn and cook at minute or two and then garlic and quinoa and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Don’t let the garlic brown.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite but slightly hard in the center, about 12 minutes. The mixture will be liquidy. Cook until quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about 2 minutes longer. Add chopped tomato towards the end.

Stir in the cheese and basil. Season with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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Aug 04 2009

Lighten Up The Grill

Published by denise under fruit,holidays,summer,vegetables

When thoughts come of summer, we often think of watermelons, picnics and the barbecue grill.Â Preparing meals on the grill not only keeps the heat out of the kitchen but also provides an opportunity to eat outside. The foods that we choose can often be started ahead of time so we can spend more time with family and friends. Here is a warm weather menu idea that is not only mouth watering but also a healthier alternative to some of those old standbys. Happy Summer!

Summer Grill Menu:

Grilled Salmon with Mango Jalepeno Salsa

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

Marinated Green Beans with Tomatoes

Watermelon

Blueberry Sherbet

Here are some links to these recipes:

Grilled Salmon (you can use the corn salsa recipe instead of the mango one below)

http://zoneperfect.com/recipes/pm-Spicy-Grilled-Salmon-with-Roasted-Corn-Pepper-Salsa

Mango Salsa:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611703

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

http://www.fabfrugalfood.com/side-dishes/southwest-sweet-potato-salad/

Blueberry sherbet

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1023821

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Jul 28 2009

Setting Reasonable Expectations

Published by denise under Get Back on Track

Over the past several months, I have not kept up with my blog. During that time it had gone down due to technical difficulties and I had not even noticed. I can be tough on myself for not achieving the goals that I have set. Many of you can relate to this concept.

However the past several years I have tried to become kinder and gentler with my expectations. I try to set more reasonable goals. I have learned it is not an all or nothing situation and that progress or improvement does not mean perfection. Some movement towards success is better than none at all. In my case: I did not blog for quite awhile but I spent a lot of time doing meaningful work and in addition to having some time spent with family and friends. Some things cannot wait but others you can get to it later. Prioritize what is really important. For example, if it is your health, take small steps on how you can make small changes. Put health first because it cannot wait and some of the other tasks that you feel have to be done might be able to wait so you take care of yourself. Good luck and stay tuned! I am back online for now!

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Jan 21 2009

New Year’s Goals for a Healthy Weight

Published by denise under Get Back on Track,Herbal Teas,healthy weight

How did you do maintaining your weight over the holidays? It is not easy. If you maintained, you did a really good job! Even if you gained one or two pounds, you can easily work to get back to your weight before the holidays. Now that you have survived the holiday season, it is now time to think about what you can do to be a healthier you for the new year. Many of us struggle with weight issues, in fact statistics suggest that over 60 % of us are either overweight or obese. Many people this time of year begin strict eating or exercise regimes. Some of their goals or regimes may be a little too rigid or unrealistic to maintain over a long period of time. However, most of us want instant gratification and also expect perfection. That is why many of us give up after awhile. My hope for you this year is for goals that you set will work for you in the long run. These tips below are adapted from www.habitsmart.com and Joel Schwarz from University of Washington.Â

Here are Some Suggestions to Goals for Success

Make goals measurable, realistic, and reasonable.

Change is not all or nothing Each of us varies in our readiness to change, what level we can change at a given time and which habits we are willing to change. Any level of positive change can lead to improved health outcomes. If relapse occurs, it is important to consider it a learning opportunity and an important stage of the process. Avoid triggers and high risk situations. Develop several ideas to break the behavior cycle that may lead you to not succeed. Respect unhealthy habits. Most habits don’t always happen without a reason and sometimes they may be a method to reduce stress, increase someone’s level of socialization, or make an unpleasant task easier. Many of these habits have been around a long time and change can’t happen overnight. Take up a new passion to replace an old unhealthy habit. Learn to play golf, cook Chinese food, paint, or play a musical instrument. If the old habit served as a method of pleasure, develop new habits or rekindle old ones. This way a new passion will help fill the void of the unhealthy habit and serve as a distraction during the next few days or months when the urge to engage in an old habit is strong. Have confidence that your goals will be successful and make a commitment to stay with it. Follow up may be necessary long term to stay on the right track.

Keep track of progress, the more monitoring done and feedback received the more successful the journey. Persistence pays off, 40% of people succeed after their first try but it may take six more attempts for 17% more to achieve their goal.

Don’t give up! Take credit for your success.

Don’t blame yourself for failure but focus on what barriers are in your way to help you achieve your goal.

Don’t keep new goals a secret. Build a support network early. Include positive people to help you. Learn how to deal with those who may prevent your efforts early and discover the best ways to work with them.

A registered dietitian can be a support person to help you achieve your goals for the new year and beyond!

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Dec 15 2008

Holiday Brunch, Lunch or Dinner: Fix It and Forget It!

Published by denise under Desserts,appetizers,celebrations,healthy weight,holidays,main dishes,recipes

How did you do this week on maintaining your weight? Writing down what I eat over the past week has been a challenge for me but I have still been eating smaller portions and being more aware of what I am putting in my mouth.

This week for many of us, the holiday intensity is kicked up a notch. The more that you have meals planned and made ahead will give you more time to enjoy and stick with a healthy eating plan. Here are a few ideas to consider. For lunch or supper, a festive soup served with bread and salad makes a complete meal and can be made ahead for the most part. Consider a few of these menu and recipe suggestions. The soup and casserole can be made ahead of time even this week and frozen:

White Bean Soup

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=465

Sweet Potato Biscuit

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1571436

Green Salad with Orange, Fennel and Asparagus

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Salad-with-Orange-Fennel-and-Asparagus-238012

Poached Pear (see December 9^th blog entry for recipe)

Tortellini and Zuchinni Soup

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tortellini_zucchini_soup.html

Cornbread (try some of the healthy substitution ideas for this from November 17^th blog entry)

Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Dressing

http://eatingwell.com/recipes/maple_spinach_salad.html

Fruit Crisp (see December 9^th blog entry for recipe)

You can also check out a menu from Cooking Light’s Website: Gather Around the Chili Menu

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/gather-around-the-chili-00400000001252/

Instead of the soup, you might prefer a Shepherdâ€™s Pie or an interesting lasagna combination, a salad and dessert. Here are a couple of ideas

Butternut Squash Lasagna http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/butternut_squash_lasagna

Either Green Salad with Orange, Fennel and Asparagus or Spinach Salad (recipe link above)

Banana Foster (see December 9^th blog entry for link)

Shepherd’s Pie (this one calls for turkey but you can use vegetarian soy crumbles or lean ground beef instead)

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/turkey_shepherds_pie.html

Salad of Bitter Greens and Walnuts

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/greens_walnut_salad.html

Pear Cranberry Pie (check out December 9th blog entry for recipe)

For brunch consider some of the following menu ideas:

Below is recipe and menu ideas for a Southwestern Holiday Brunch

http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/southwestern-holiday-brunch-00400000001258/

How about Stuffed French Toast or a Marmalade French Toast Casserole at the next two links?

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521691

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1545796

A change of pace might include a menu with a Shrimp and Grits Casserole for breakfast:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/article/0,28747,1708753,00.html

The link below includes a more traditional sausage breakfast casserole:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1733424

If you haven’t found what you are looking for, here are two more collections of brunch recipes:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/healthy_brunch_recipes.html

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/breakfast-brunch

Some holiday meals are appetizer and dessert in nature. Here is a suggestion for a great meal building on these:

Build Your Own Taco Bar or Mezza Platter

Vegetable Tray

Red Grapes, Pineapple and Sliced Orange

Date Nut Truffles

Chewy Meringe Cookies

(See entry December 9th on Fruit Desserts and December 1st for Appetizer Recipes)

Start purchasing your ingredients and begin doing the possible pre-prep. Stay tuned for next week’s entry on Stress and Eating During the Holidays.

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Dec 09 2008

Healthy Fruit Desserts

Published by denise under Desserts,celebrations,fruit,healthy weight,holidays,recipes

In these uncertain times many of us would like to eat dessert first and with these fruity dessert ideas you can feel less guilty for doing so because you will get some healthy nutrients along with satisfying your sweet tooth. Cookies, pies, cakes and candy can be the biggest challenge for many of us over the holidays. Here are a few tips to cope with those sweet temptations this holiday season:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity (that goes with all foods not just desserts). For example: if I could have one specialty chocolate from one of the local choclatiers in Asheville, I would be much more satisfied than having a big handful of mass produced chocolate. If I could have one home made cookie versus 3 or 4 store bought, I could savor it!

2. Use fruits as the cornerstone of your holiday dessert celebrations as much as possible. You could have a fruit platter with seasonal or unusual fruits such as pomegranates, kumquats and fresh pineapple. Try making a dip using low fat yogurt or light cream cheese to serve with strawberries, red grapes and apples.

Here is an enjoyable one to try

http://www.foodfit.com/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=1118

Below are two links highlighting fresh citrus and pomegranate and ways to prepare them for holiday season:

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/winter-citrus-00400000034735/

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/pomegranate-power-00400000034551/-

3 Fruit can be the basis for elegant desserts. Serve in a long stem glass to make the presentation even more appealing. Below is a great recipe for poached pears:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pomegranate_pears.html

Or try this one for a light and delicious bananas foster:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/recipes/viewrecipe.aspx?recipeid=5405

A favorite of mine is a fruit crisp below:

Fruit Crisp

This dessert can be made with whatever fruit is in season. You can also mix any of the following:
apples, pears, peaches or plums. You can add dried, fresh or frozen cranberries, cherries or blue
berries for bits of color.

7 cups cored and sliced fruit of choice (apples, pears, peaches, and or plums)
1 cup cranberries ( can also use cherries, raspberries, or blueberries)
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar (can use less)
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 c all purpose flour
1/4 c chopped pecans or walnuts
3 TB tub margarine softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium shallow baking dish, place apples and cranberries. In a
medium bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, nuts, and margarine. Sprinkle brown sugar
mixture over fruit. Bake until apples and cranberries are bubbly and tender, about 50 minutes.
Transfer dish to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with low fat frozen yogurt if desired.
8 servings, 268 calories, 8 g fat, 50 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 9 mg sodium.

4. Fruit can be the staple for great cookies also. Consider trying one of these tasty cookie recipes.

Chewy Meringe Cookies:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9218?section=

Date Nut Truffle

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9977?section=

Don’t forget to stay with a portion size and savor!

If you are still looking for that healthy, tasty holiday dessert, here are a few more links that may inspire you: Â http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/healthy_holiday_cookies_recipes.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/15_minute_fruit_desserts.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/healthy_hurry/quick_fruit_desserts.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/quick_healthy_dessert_recipes.html

http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/holiday-cookbook-breads-extras-0

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1673034

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/fruits

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Dec 01 2008

Holiday Survival Healthy Eating Challenge: Healthy Holiday Party Appetizer Ideas

Published by denise under appetizers,celebrations,healthy weight,holidays,recipes,winter

Are you ready for Week 4 of the Healthy Holiday Eating Challenge? How did you do during your Thanksgiving Celebration? Did you feel that you were more aware of your choices? If you ate more than you had hoped, you still have many days that you can make healthful eating choices during this holiday season. One of the best things that you can do is to start writing down what you eat on www.dailyplate.com and to get daily physical activity. I did a good job lightening up my recipes, being selective and not snacking during the day but I did not do as well as I could have on portion sizes but did not go back for extras. I am back to writing down what I eat until the next event. If you have not begun tracking your weight to help you maintain, check out November 10th of my blog.

This week we are going to focus on holiday parties and appetizers. The holidays are now here. Being selective about the choices available is one way to cut back on total calories. For example, if nuts, chips and other foods are available any time of year, save the calories for the seasonal, made from scratch delicacies. Another tip is to not to stand beside the buffet table because you will be more likely to have second helpings. Try filling up your party plate with at least half vegetables. This is a great way to stay satisfied without all those calories. You can also eat a light salad or soup before the big event so you don’t over do it once you get there. If appropriate, you can bring a dish to the celebration or you may even be the host of the holiday party. I am including a few recipe/menu ideas to help you make your party healthy and tasteful. The simplest idea would be a standard veggie tray with fat free or low fat ranch dressing. The tray could include broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and grape tomatoes. You could also include a spinach or red pepper dip. Here are two dip recipes to serve during the holidays.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/roasted-red-pepper-dip-recipe/index.html

Spinach, Artichoke, and Red Bell Dip

14 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

14 oz. Can artichokes, drained and chopped

1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

1 pkg low fat cream cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

¼ c chopped onion

1 tsp garlic

2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Place bell pepper and onion in microwave to soften. Put cream cheese in a small casserole dish and soften in microwave. Add all other ingredients together. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and brown on top.

Serving size Â¼ c at 3.5 grams of fat. Serve with low fat Triscuits to get your whole grain and vegetables!

For some Mediterranean flair try a mezza platter containing hummus, grilled zucchini, eggplant, red pepper and carmelized mushroom and onion served with toasted pita triangles and French bread rounds for a delicious and healthy theme. If you want to spice it up another notch try a Build Your Own Taco Bar or serving a light layered Mexican dip

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tex_mex_dip.html

To build the taco bar, choose lean shredded beef, chicken or tofu chunks, chopped avocado, tomatoes, onion, lettuce and serve with shredded cheese and salsa. Another party idea is a soup and a salad. For more appetizer ideas check out the following links.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/quick_healthy_appetizer_recipes.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/new_year.html

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=browseResults&COURSES=Appetizers&subCatsListed=false

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with fruit. Stay tuned next week for some fruity desserts! Remember food is not the celebration, just part of it!

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