Stack the Odds

I was in need of some veggies.  I was feeling a little veggie-less after a brunch meal void of green and I didn’t have any veggies at breakfast.  That is one thing you may be surprised to find as you start making better food decisions and intentionally getting all of your recommended servings of fruits and veggies each day…you start to crave the colorful nutritious things.  Just like you used to crave a sweet or a soda if you didn’t have one for a whole day, now you feel “off” if you don’t get your veggies!  It may seem impossible that day would ever come – “yeah right!” you say, a day when I am hunting down veggies, ha!  But it will happen.

They make you feel so good!  Not only do you just know that you’re putting good nutrition in, but as you make those healthy swaps more and more, you start to feel the difference.  When it makes you feel good, feel nourished, and feel healthier, you’ll look for more.  You might not know what you’re missing yet if you haven’t started making those swaps.  Fruit cup instead of fries, veggies and humus instead of potato chips, or simply just adding veggies to dinner and moderating your portion of pasta or rice.  You might not realize how poor you feel when fueling with sweets and fried foods until you experience the alternative.  You just have to intentionally give the alternatives a chance to show you what they can do!  Better quality fuel = better quality feeling and performance.

I find that one key to getting all my fruits and veggies is simply having them available.  Make the healthier options the convenient options.  If the fridge and pantry remain brimming with snack cakes, potato chips, and candy and you would have to go somewhere to get, or have to prepare a fruit or veggie, let’s not kid ourselves, you’re going to grab what you already have, especially if you are hungry.  So, keeping chopped veggies and grab-and-go fruit in the fridge, pantry, and on the counter will encourage better choices.  Re-vamp your shopping list this week to include some easy fruits and veggies.

My problem this afternoon…no easy snack veggies.  I’ll have to wait until dinner to fill my vegetable craving because I did not plan a convenient veggie snack option.  I didn’t have to turn to an unhealthy snack instead, just not a veggie (I chose unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon…yummy).  Lacking the veggie snack I was looking for reminded me of the power of planning and setting yourself up for success.  If you were given the power to stack the odds in your favor to make a nutritious snack decision versus trudging through the weekly battle of trying to avoid the not-so-healthy snacks in the pantry, would you take it?  Good news, you can do it!  Plan for it, shop for it, make the good decisions the easy decisions.  Take away those battles and feelings of guilt post junk food snack.

Same goes for good ole Halloween candy.  It’s so easy to justify having several bags of candy around for the trick-or-treaters that will be coming in…uh, T-minus 30 days? (When did you buy your candy this year?)  Ha, by the time Halloween actually rolls around you have to go buy more candy because the first bags were too often the easy snack choice.  I’m not going to lie, I currently have candy corn in my home.  1 bag.  My strategy, since I’m the sweet tooth in the house, is to keep it covered.  I’ve noticed that if it’s in an open bowl on the coffee table, it’s a sure-fire way to go through a whole bag of candy corn in 2 days, but if I keep it covered and put away where I have to make the conscious decision to go get some, our bag lasts a lot longer!  My advice, don’t buy Halloween candy until Halloween is actually right around the corner, don’t over-buy, and keep the candy out of sight, out of mind.  Make it the inconvenient choice, or at least a choice you have to intentionally make and seek out instead of mindlessly grabbing handfuls of treats just because it’s there.  Give yourself the upper-hand, an opportunity to think the decision through.  Instead, keep those little clementines around, or how about grapes or apples?  Easy, sweet, and good for you. 

Have a happy and healthy Halloween!

A Fishy Dinner Tale

To create dinner this evening I had the beautiful blank slate that is salmon.  Salmon is a great protein, rich in heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids (heart protective and anti-inflammatory), and delicious.  If you have not explored salmon or other fish, jump on board for new flavors and easy dinners.

I hear on occasion that people do not cook fish because they are unsure how to cook it and/or because they don’t like the smell…both things that can be remedied. Choose to bake, broil, grill, or lightly pan fry the fish and open a window or light a candle after dinner.  You can season and cook salmon just like chicken, it just takes about half the time (another great reason to incorporate it – turns into a 20 minute dinner).  Eating fish 2-3 times per week gives you the dose of Omega-3 fatty acids that are shown to provide such great benefits like reducing your risk of heart disease, among others.

Oftentimes we only get in one hefty serving (5 ounces is considered 1 serving) per week depending on what is on sale and/or available.  Recently, I have found a 2 lb. pack of wild caught salmon fillets at Aldi for $7.99.  In the fish world, I think this is great! That breaks down to $1 per 4 oz. fillet.  They are conveniently individually packed and easy to defrost.  Our simple go-to recipe is olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder and black pepper.  Easy-peasy and done in 12 minutes.

So what did I make tonight?  It was another game of “What’s In the Pantry?!”  Dana Plummer….come on down!  I had extra Roma tomatoes and a can of black beans to work with.  I figured I could do something with those two because they sound good together anyways.  After searching “black bean and tomato salmon recipes,” I saw a recipe that provided a great idea, one that I could pull off using the ingredients I had on-hand.  The idea – black bean encrusted salmon.  The kicker - I didn’t have breadcrumbs.  My replacement this evening…wait for it…crushed up bran flakes.  It sounds a little funky, but worked wonderfully!  So, check out the following recipe for black bean encrusted salmon with fresh tomato salsa.   It turned out SO great!  We are adding it to our recipe bank for sure.

For the Salmon:

4 salmon fillets (3-4 oz. per fillet), skin removed
1 cup crushed bran flakes (about 2.5 cups flakes)
1 can (15.25 oz.) drained and rinsed black beans, separated
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ skim milk
black pepper
2 Tbsp. canola oil

For the Salsa:

½ small onion, somewhere between minced and diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ Tbsp. (or to taste) balsamic vinegar
Thyme to taste (I used about ½ tsp.)
Black pepper and salt to taste (less than 1/8 tsp. each)

Preparing the Salmon:

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.      Pulse ½ cup black beans in food processor 5 times

3.      Add in crushed flakes and spices

4.      Blend in food processor until pieces are uniform in size and like corn meal

5.      Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium heat

6.      Dunk salmon in milk, season with black pepper, and coat in bean/bran mixture

7.      Brown one side in pan about 4 minutes, flip, and finish cooking in oven for about 5 minutes

8.      Top with fresh tomato salsa and enjoy

Preparing the Salsa:

1.      Dice tomatoes and onions, combine

2.      Add remaining black beans, olive oil, vinegar and spices

3.      Stir to combine and serve on top of salmon

Done!

 

 

Super tasty!  The bran flakes added a slight sweetness that wouldn’t have been there without them.  This dish was also incredibly filling! We served broccoli, carrots, and whole wheat couscous with our salmon, but we both agreed we could have done without the extra starch.  We left most of our couscous on our plates and saved it for leftover night.  Tonight was a good lesson in hunger and fullness cues.  I would have been STUFFED had I finished my whole plate, so instead I stopped when I was just full and will adjust how we build our plates next time.  Likely just salmon, salsa and veggies.

Say What?!

Becoming aware can be the biggest, most important first step you could take on a weight loss journey.  Until you realize what you are or are not doing now, can you really fully commit to something new or making a change?  Do you believe as much in that change as you could?  Are you as motivated as you could or want to be?

I think about how over time some habits start to slip.  For instance, I enjoy ice cream.  Now I do get a low fat ice cream, measure 1 serving with a food scale, put it in a little bowl and enjoy it with a little spoon, slooooowwwwwwly, but none the less it is a treat.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.  Overtime, I watch that number on the food scale creep up.  Maybe one day I scoop my last scoop and it slightly over, but I figure it’s just this one time so I don’t worry about it.  Well, before you know it I’m consistently having a good bit more than my 1 serving of ice cream, coming with extra calories, extra fat, and extra sugar.  Those extras didn’t hit me until I really took a moment to become aware of what I was doing.  It was almost like I wasn’t letting myself “find out” that I was cheating a little on my ice cream serving, acting like it wasn’t happening.  When I fessed-up to myself, it made the difference.  Those little cheats could start adding up if they crept into other areas of my intake too.  While not paying attention, I’m working against my health, nutrition, fitness and weight goals.  So, next bowl of ice cream = 65 grams in weight, flat.

Maybe this means something different to you.  You may be on a pretty good regimen and just need to stay aware enough of your goals and challenges to pull yourself back onto the tracks if you begin veering off (like me).  Or, maybe you’re just getting started and have yet to be fully aware of the impact certain behaviors have on your nutrition and health.  If you’re just getting started, one great place to begin is a food diary.  A food diary is a quick way to get a new clear view of what and how much you’re really eating.  It could provide that motivation you need to change.  Before really seeing your intake down on paper (or online), it can be so easy to act like certain decisions don’t happen and certain foods aren’t THAT bad.

For example, did you know?

Your seasonal Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, grande (medium, 16 oz), nonfat, no whip afternoon treat is 300 calories and 70 grams of sugar!

Your small McDonald’s french fry is 230 calories all by itself!  Go big (large) and its 530 calories!

Your Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad at Chili’s is over 1000 calories, 67 grams of fat, and over 3700 mg of sodium!

Say what?!

Sometimes it is simply awareness that will make you second guess before heading out to eat instead of cooking at home or before choosing an afternoon frappuccino instead of a yogurt and fruit.  Being aware will make it a BIGGER deal that you’re using so many of your calories for a beverage or a small fry.  Instead you may start trying to get as much good nutrition out of your calories as you can, which is GREAT!

Want to stick to the electronics?  Check out MyFitnessPal or any other online or phone app tracker (many smart phones come with health apps built in now).  To name a few, My Fitness Pal, Super Tracker, Fat Secret, Livestrong, and Calorie Count among others.  Old school?  Get a one subject spiral notebook and your favorite pen.  Even if you track by hand and don’t have all the exact nutrition information, you are paying attention and holding yourself accountable for your decisions.  You become aware of your food decisions, good, bad or ugly, and hopefully feel newly motivated to make that positive change you’ve been “thinking about” for a while.

Don't Forget the Flavor!

Food is an experience.  Flavor, texture, aroma, and sound.  Take a moment to close your eyes and re-visit one of your favorite dishes or foods.  Does it take you back to a moment, surrounded by family, all joyously feasting on the lovingly prepared dishes of a holiday meal?  Does it take you to a quiet, tender moment in a fancy restaurant savoring an exquisite dish with someone special to you?  Does it take you to a weekend breakfast, flour and eggs strewn about the kitchen, still in your pajamas Saturday morning?  Or is it the crunch and spicy kick of chips and salsa while watching Sunday football?  Or the burst of crisp, sweet-tart juice into your cheek with the first bite of a fresh orchard picked apple? Why does remembering a favorite food or dish come with a scene, a place, a time, a feeling?  Because food is an experience.

When we’re working on trimming our waistline, it’s easy to forget sometimes that we are allowed to enjoy the food we eat.  People will tell me they’re bored of their “healthy” diet.  How does that happen when there are so many choices, foods, and flavors out there?

Don’t get stuck in a rut or think you have to cut the flavor to be healthy.  A classic “healthy” dish that I hear repeated over and over…and over again is a plain baked chicken breast with brown rice and green beans.  I would get bored and find this dish bland over time too.  Yes, this would be healthy and even good from time to time, but healthy does not stop here.  You can cook dishes with flavors, sauces, marinades, and spices.  You can cook casseroles and other mixed dishes without making them “bad for you.”  Sometimes families even make two separate meals because the cook feels like what they are making for everyone else would not “fit” in their diet.  I never hope for this to happen, leaving the cook feeling burdened by their healthy food choice.  Meal time can be a special family time too.  Not only can we enjoy a nutritious meal together, but we can share stories about the day and build stronger bonds without the distraction of everything else going on in our busy lives.

Just approach your meal making with a good-for-you focus.  Use a classic recipe and switch up some ingredients to offer some relief from too much fat, sugar, and calories.  You could swap out full-fat dairy for low fat or fat free versions, you could find whole grain versions of pantry staples like breads and pastas, you could reduce the sugar by 1/3 and likely not even notice, you could replace a red meat with chicken or turkey, you could swap in onions and garlic for too much salt, you could swap in beans for meat on occasion, you could bump up the veggies and have a smaller amount of a richer dish, or you could simply reduce how much of an ingredient you use (like cheese for topping a dish).  Some swaps are more noticeable than others, but find the dishes and swaps that work for you and your family then enjoy in controlled portions. 

For example, one of our favorite dishes is a low fat enchiladas recipe.  Oh man, I like enchilada night!  It transports me to a Mexican restaurant.  These enchiladas are creamy and spicy and oh so filling.  We use fat-free sour cream and cream cheese, green onions and spices, boneless-skinless chicken breasts, whole wheat tortillas, salsa (could use fresh-made or low sodium to make even better), and light sprinklings of reduced fat cheese.  There was no going bare bones tortilla with a few strips of chicken and a little salsa.  No, we kept the flavor alive, but made ingredient decisions that kept the overall fat and calories controlled.  With some extra veggies on the side our meal is complete.

It may take a little extra time and creativity to cook a more healthy diet with flavor, but it is absolutely worth it!  Along the way you may even discover foods and flavors you never knew or thought you would like.  Ditching the flavor, cooking two separate meals, and incorporating little variety will not help you stick to your new way of eating long term.  Meld your taste preferences and new nutrition focus to create food experiences that you’ll remember.  Create food experiences to help you make this a lifelong way of eating that will support your weight loss and wellness goals, not just a quick, “I can make it through,” diet.