Trouble making a grocery list?

Eating a variety of foods will help ensure you are meeting your vitamin and mineral needs.

Here are some suggestions to add to your "usual" grocery list.

Protein

• chicken breasts
• sliced turkey
• canned tuna
• lean ground beef
• eggs
• peanut butter
• canned beans
• nuts

Carbohydrates

• bread, bagels, and English muffins
• cereal
• rice, pasta
• potatoes
• corn, peas
• crackers, pretzels, popcorn
• snack bars

Dairy

• milk
• yogurt
• cheese
• cottage cheese

Vegetables

• tomato or V8 juice
• tomato sauce
• salsa
• frozen mixed vegetables
• carrots
• broccoli
• onions
• garlic

Fruits

• apples
• bananas
• oranges or orange juice
• pineapple
• pears
• peaches
• raisins

Other

• olive or canola oil
• butter
• jam, jelly, honey
• salad dressing
• salt and pepper
• cinnamon

Little Ways to Eat Right, Every Day

 

There are little ways, subtle changes you can make to eat right - every day - your way!

Try working these tips into your eating routine:

 

- Have breakfast every day! And add a piece of fruit like an orange, apple or banana.

 

- Skip or skimp on the sugar in your coffee. Cutting out 2 packets of sugar per day (2 teaspoons worth) saves 32 calories per day and over the course of the year that would total 11,680 calories saved or about 3.3 pounds!

 

- Try new foods! Keep your taste buds interested by adding in new foods, try interesting fruit and veggies like permission, starfruit or parsnips.

 

- Fill half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies. A great way to have a full plate with fewer calories is to fill-up half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies! When you are out to eat ask for double veggies or add a side of fruit with your meal.  

 

- Go Meatless on Mondays - Make it a goal to have at least one meatless meal per week, try a veggie stir fry with quinoa, bean burritos, veggie burgers or eggplant Parmesan.

 

Happy National Nutrition Month®

Kitchen Essentials

College is a fun time and is full of a lot of change. For many, it will be living on your own for the first time. Do you need a little help knowing what to stock in your kitchen? Being more prepared will only make it easier to cook at home, which helps make healthier choices and save money.

For the small kitchen:

• 2 microwave safe mixing bowls: 1 large and 1 small
• 9"x9' baking dish
• 2 sharp knives: 1 paring knife and 1 larger knife for chopping, dicing, etc.
• Liquid and dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Cutting board
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 rubber spatula
• Can opener
• Bottle opener
• Small hand grater or electric chopper
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Resealable plastic bags
• Sponge
• Colander
• Paper towels
• Pot holder

For the full-sized kitchen:

• All small kitchen items, plus:
• 10" non-stick fry pan
• 2 or 3 quart saucepan
• Vegetable steamer
• Toaster
• Dishes, glasses, silverware 

Guest Blogger: Alyssa Koens, USD Dietetic Intern

Recipe - Italian Broccoli

Find ways to include more dark green vegetables into your diet for optimal health!

Need to add some flavor to your broccoli? There is nothing wrong with adding a little dressing or oil to vegetables, especially if it gets you to eat them!

1 bag frozen broccoli cuts
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/3 cup water

1. Combine all ingredients in a large skillet, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

The dish in combination with a grilled chicken breast, whole grain roll, and a piece of fresh fruit would make a great dinner. 

Cooking for One

Cooking for one provides a unique set of challenges because it combines eating on a budget, the amount of preparation time all while being mindful of food waste. The trick is to help you eat well at home without it taking up too much time and wasting too much money.

Cook in bulk – This is something that saves a lot of time in the kitchen. If you are going to the trouble of cooking one chicken breast, why not make 2 or 3 and have them throughout the week? You can incorporate into different recipes for variety. This is an example of what I mean:

• Monday: Cook 3 chicken breasts. Add BBQ sauce to one and that is your dinner for Monday.
• Tuesday: Cook pasta, add 1 chicken breast and pesto sauce and you have a completely different meal.
• Wednesday: Chop 1 chicken breast to top a garden salad. Drizzle with your favorite dressing.

Food Highlights from Shanghai

Eariler this month I was in Shanghai and Beijing, China for work and a to present at a global conference on metabolism. During my stay, checking out the local food scene was part of my focus. The food was delicious!

An interesting Chinese staple that I learned about quickly is congee (picured right), which is basically a simmered rice dish. It's traditionally eaten at breakfast and from what I can tell as far as toppings, anything goes: fresh cilantro, peanuts, chili paste, pickles, fish, vegetables or just plain. Personally I enjoyed it just plain, although I do want to try it with diced pickles because a local woman I met said that is the best way to have congee.

Here's a Congree recipe to try:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup long grain rice
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Direcitons:
1. In a large pot, bring the water and rice to a boil.
2. When the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low. Place the lid on the pot, tilting it to allow steam to escape (the same as you would do when making cooked rice).
3. Cook on medium low to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has the thick, creamy texture of porridge (1 - 1 1/4 hours). Add the salt, taste and add seasonings if desired. Serve with garnishes such as crushed peanuts if desired.

Visiting a famous Shanghai Restaurant, Lvbolang

Lvbolang Restaurant

I had the chance to eat dinner at Lvbolang restaurant a famous Shanghai restaurant. This restaurant has hosted world leaders including: President Bill Clinton and President Fidel Castro.

The menu was most impressive and had a large variety of options from braised eel to purse pasteries (pictured right).

My meal was tofu with black beans and steamed rice with the purse pasteries! The pasteries were almost too cute to eat. Everything tasted wonderful. While I can usually eat well with chopsticks it was a little challenging tying to eat the tofu dish! I have to say we would probably eat less at a meal if we ate them all with chopsticks, it certainly slows down the speed of eating!

Stay tuned for more highlights!

My Favorite Fruit: Mango

If I had to choose a favorite fruit, it would be mango! It is absolutely declicious and full of flavor.

Mango selection tips: If the mango feels a little bit soft to the touch, it's just right! If it the mango feels firm, then you will have to wait a few days for it to ripen.

How to prepare a mango: First wash the mango. Then carefully slice the two 'cheeks' off from the fruit (pictured to the right). Next slice the fruit into strips, with the peel. Then take a teaspoon and slip the peel away from the fruit and serve in long strips or cube into bitesize pieces.

For a time saving tip: Look for bags of frozen mango, which are perfect to adding to smoothies, salsas, or yogurt.

Click here to try my yummy mango smoothie recipe! A perfect start to the day.

Think Outside of the Sandwich

Are you tired of packing the same old lunch? Add the ingredients to your next grocery shopping list for these simple and delicious lunch ideas.

Parfait in a Bag: Pack a single serve cup of Chobani Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup whole grain cereal (like low fat granola or Cherrios), and 1/2 cup fresh sliced fruit (like berries). Pack a bowl or cup and then at lunch combine the three containers for a delicious on the go parfait. Add in a piece of fruit (like a pear or apple) and 1 ounce of almonds to snack on later in the day. To drink: bring along a water bottle with unsweetened Passion Tea!

Mediterranean Platter: Pack a container with 1/2 cup of roasted red pepper hummus, a container with assorted chopped vegetables (red peppers, green beans, broccoli, carrots), 1/2 piece of whole wheat flat bread, and a baggie with one-ounce of Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese diced into cubes. At lunch dip the veggies & flat bread into the hummus and grab a serving of dairy and extra protein with the cheese. To drink: bring along a water bottle with unsweetened Zen Green Tea.

Spinach Salad Bowl: In a bowl combine 1 cup of baby spinach, 1/2 cup chopped veggies, and then pack a bag with one-ounce (small handful) of walnuts and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. At lunch add the walnuts and cranberries to the salad. Try topping your salad with 1/4 cup of cottage cheese in place of salad dressing (this may sound crazy but is totally delicious), it will add 7 grams of protein plus a creamy flavor to the salad. To drink: bring along a water bottle filled with ice cold water and cucumber slices.

Snack Attack: Packing a bunch of little things can fuel you up at lunch time! Fill your lunch container with the following five items: a pack of Justin's Almond Butter, a bag of whole wheat crackers (5 or so), a bag of frozen grapes (will still be nice and chilled at lunch), a bag of sliced red peppers, and a container of Chobani Greek Yogurt. Eat these items all at lunch time or spread throughout the day as you are hungry! To drink: bring along a water bottle filled with ice cold water and lemon slices.

Disclosure: The products mentioned in this email are products that Molly Morgan suggests based on taste and nutrition profile and Creative Nutrition Solutions did not recieve funding from the mentioned products for placement in this blog post!

What to Choose at the Grocery Store?

Over the weekend I did a Facebook post that included a picture of items that I picked up at the grocery store. It was cool to see what my friends comments were! The posts inspired me to write these tips to help you with your next shopping trip... 1. Make a list! Without a list in the grocery store, it's nearly impossible to leave the store with everything you need. 2. Try something new! There are so many awesome food choices at the grocery store, there is no need to feel bored or tired of what you're eating. Every trip, seek out something new! A new product I tried this week is a spaghetti sauce called Dave's Gourmet! (I'll report back on how it tastes) 3. Fill up on nutrient rich foods! Start filling your basket with mostly nutrient rich foods like: fruits, vegetables, low fat milk & yogurt, lean meat/ poultry/ fish, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals. This will help you to leave the store with the base of a healthy eating plan. 4. Splurge! Pick one item as a "splurge" like cookies, chips, ice cream and have that on hand to satisfy your cravings throughout the week. Believe it or not, if you plan in a splurge most everyday you're more likely to keep your portions in check! Pick up a copy of my book, The Skinny Rules for more simple strategies for cooking, shopping, and fitness too!

Cooking with Kids - Try it!

My tip of the day is if you have kids in your life, cook with them! The kitchen can surely get a bit messy but it is totally worth it. Frequently I cook with our three and one year old and we make everything from oatmeal at breakfast to quinoa for dinner. Five of the best parts:
1. You get to spend time with your children.
2. It makes meal preparation more eventful.
3. It will get them excited about the meal.
4. They will be more likely to eat what you make.
5. You can answer 1000+ questions about the foods (e.g. where does oatmeal come from?).

Need a recipe to try? Grab my Grilled Asparagus and Quinoa Salad recipe.

The only downside is more cleanup but get them to help with that too! Share your cooking with your kids story with me via my Web site, click here.

Meatless Monday

I try to make every Monday a "meatless" dinner! This week was falfel with tzatziki sauce and roasted beets. If you have never tried falfel, you must... it's really yummy. Basically it's ground chickpeas that are spiced up. I wimp out and buy the boxed falfel mix (one of these days I will try making my own from scratch)! Falfel are pan cooked with canola oil until crispy (use some cooking spray too to cut down on the amount of oil).

The tzatziki sauce I made from scratch and here is the recipe (See below), it's quick and delicious. To serve falfel: Place the pan cooked falfel on a pita and top with veggies (cucumbers & tomatoes), reduced-fat feta, and tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce
16 ounces plain greek yogurt
1 medium cucmber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
4 cloved minced garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients and chill. Serve with falafel.

tasty meatloaf recipe

Tonight my husband and I made our favorite meatloaf recipe. Try it!

Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion, 1 egg beaten, 1/4 cup beer, 3 tablespoons ground flax seed, 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (panko preferably)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients together. Press into a 9 X 9" baking dish and bake in a pre-heated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is thoroughly cooked.

Serve with a drizzle of barbecue sauce!

To complete the meal serve with corn on the cob, beets, and green beans!