SimmeRDown Nutrition

I remember eating chips and candy. I remember eating baked ziti and canned green beans.  I remember being super jealous of my friends’ brown bags.  I’m recalling my lunches in middle school and mine were not always the most nutritionally sound(that’s what I get for making “meals” out of vending machine fare-sorry Mom and Dad!).

Source

In case you haven’t heard, new school lunch guidelines came out last week. Many schools and school districts have been taking progressive steps to improve the quality of foods offered to their children.  This announcement marks the first official changes to the program in fifteen years and they will gradually come to fruition over the next three years.  Basically kids are looking at more whole grains, less sodium, and less fat.  This also marks the beginning of calorie maximums allowed at each meal.  And there is a focus on tasty foods(thanks Rachel Ray and asst. white house chef Sam Kass) and schools will receive slightly more federal money per meal.

Sounds like good stuff right? However, as with any big announcement, there is some backlash.  An interesting take here, sounds off that maybe eliminating choices for children is not a good thing and there are other methods to encourage healthful behavior.  Basically, since I know some of y’all won’t read up on the link, kids in LA have been buying up junk food on the black market since schools in LA started offering healthier fare.  Additionally, it sounds like great theory to offer children vegetables at every meal, but there is limited data to show that children are actually eating the vegetables.  I remember spending time at an elementary school where they served pizza with carrot and celery sticks-children had the option to choose as they went down the line-and few chose to add the vegetables to their tray.  Not that I think children should not have vegetables at lunch! Because they should! And hopefully dinner and snack time too.

My point is that the real effects of regulations like these won’t be seen until schools start implementing them.  And many schools are on very tight budgets and have children coming through the lunch line who have approximately 15 minutes to eat lunch.  School lunches provide a really big service to a lot of children, and I applaud any efforts to make them healthier.  Now we just need to get kids to want to eat the healthy food…..and their parents…… and everyone else.

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It’s time to get a little bit heavier over here than normal today-no fun recipes, no fun chats about life, no cute pictures.

I’m writing today in response to an article found in the Kansas City Star titled “Kansas Slashes Food Aid for Children of Illegal Immigrants.” Let me start by saying I am not an expert on immigration laws etc. but I do know a bit about food assistance programs and about children needing good, healthy food.

Kansas has recently changed the way they look at immigration status to award nutrition assistance.  The article frequently refers to food stamps, but alas what they mean to say is SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits — formerly known as food stamps.  Basically illegal immigrants, even those who have children with US citizenship, are receiving less aid then before, under the new guidelines.  To be honest, I found the part of the article where she explained the benefit change to be a bit confusing-but what is clear is that the benefits have been cut and parents are having a harder time putting food on the table for their children.

SNAP benefits are a pretty controversial subject these days.  Apparently we have a “food stamp president” in office(I didn’t say it folks).  The USDA recently blocked NYC’s attempt to ban soda purchases from SNAP benefits.  And because SNAP benefits are available to anyone who qualifies, many more people have enrolled in the past few years given the economic downturn(hence the lovely nickname somebody decided to give Obama).

Without getting to political over here, I can’t imagine that a small cut in a program like this won’t lead to much larger costs down the road. Those same children, who are US citizens and are now less able to eat healthful meals face higher risk of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

It is hard enough for most people, even those with practically unlimited resources, to eat healthy, nutritious food.  I just hate to think that Kansas is making it harder.

We don’t often picture starving children in America but the statistics are not good.

1 in 5 children in America are at risk of hunger

18.6 million children benefit from SNAP

Children who are hungry are more likely to be sick.

*From here

There are so many things to discuss about hunger, poverty, and nutrition assistance.  So many factors.  So many answers.  So many questions.  Here is one way you can help-visit www.strength.org and take the pledge.

By the way: if you do so happen to read the article, check out the comment section.  There is quite a bit of hooplah in there.

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Alternate post titles include: How to Completely Alienate Your Boston Readers, and Victor Cruz You’re So Dreamy!!

I am from New York. I love New York. I love the New York Giants.  And it just so happens that they are playing the New England Patriots in a re-match of the 2008 Super Bowl that the Giants just so happened to win(I don’t like to talk about it too much because I am usually surrounded by Pats fans here in Boston).

This is what Paul thinks of my NYG hat

But, next Sunday isn’t just about football.  It’s also a big day for food!  I’ve been brainstorming lots of recipes in my head-please contact me if you like the Giants, healthy dips, and vegetarian food.  We can get together for a grand old time.  I have visions of a healthier spinach artichoke dip, buffalo tofu bites, corn bread, chili, veggies and brownies.

Kick-off is at 6:30 PM (EST) and here are my tips for a delicious and healthy way to enjoy the day!

-Sub in non-fat greek yogurt for plain sour cream: greek yogurt is a little bit more $ but the swap is almost unnoticeable for your taste-buds and you will be enjoying less calories, less saturated fat and more protein.

-Cut up veggies for your dips: I’m sure chips will be a part of your spread but people like to dip veggies too!  At least most football loving guys and gals I know will eat them when they are cut up and put out next to everything else.  And I mean veggies (not just the 2 celery sticks that come with your order of buffalo wings).  Cut up carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber etc.

- Don’t skimp on food during the day in preparation for a feast: Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Maybe eat a healthy snack before kick-off but you don’t want to be famished when a plateful of nachos is placed in front of you.

-Make yourself a plate of food and then….walk away from the cheesy dip. You’ll have a better idea of how much your eating and won’t mindlessly reach back for more and more food once you are full.

-Get in a little exercise during the morning time.  Go for a run, pump some weights, play a game of football-just move.

-Can I plug water as a beverage of choice here? Yay hydration!

Do you have any tips for great game-time food?  Any good recipes?  I hope to get a couple of recipes up here before next Sunday.  Another interesting food fact about this year’s super bowl…. it will be the first time a yogurt commercial runs! It will be for greek yogurt and stars Uncle Jesse!!

And no good game day spread is complete without some salsa!!!!!!!!!  (Photo Source)

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Consider it your lucky week…two CABBAGE recipes!  I know I know, it’s like you hit the jackpot!  You can thank me later.

The boyfriend and I got to host two fantastic friends for dinner last weekend, a double-date of sorts.  I was in a minor panic at the thought of cooking for two foodies, but luckily everything was enjoyed (at least so they said).  On the menu was asian style slaw, stir-fried veggies in peanut sauce with tofu and/or chicken and brown rice.  And for dessert, a homemade pumpkin pie with gingersnap crust (not quite on theme, but it was two days after Thanksgiving and I wanted some pie!) and some delicious gelato our friends brought us.  The food turned out good, but the best part was the company.  And said company requested some recipes, so here’s the first.

Coleslaw is great to make for a crowd, because cabbage is a relatively cheap vegetable and once you chop it up it grows from a head of cabbage to a gigantic bowl full.  I just wish I had made this a day ahead because the flavors really marinated together, and the slaw was even better the next day.  If i wasn’t lazy I would have added a diced jalapeño or two to the mix.  Also, the addition of fresh cilantro really made the slaw pop with flavor, so this is one case where I would not substitute dried.

Asian Style Slaw - makes one ginormous bowl.

Time: prep time:20 minutes(much less if you have a food processor to chop). Once made let sit for minimum of four hours, best to leave overnight.

Ingredients:

1 head red cabbage, shredded

1 bell pepper(I used a yellow one but red, orange or green would work), chopped into small bite size pieces

1 small green apple, chopped into small bite size pieces

1 bunch fresh cilantro, removed from stems and roughly chopped

For the dressing:

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil (may substitute neutral oil like canola)

2 tsp brown sugar

spices:salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Garnish: more fresh cilantro, and chopped peanuts

Directions: Mix chopped veggies together in large bowl.  Mix dressing ingredients and add to veggies.  Allow to sit in the fridge, if possible stirring every hour(to prevent the veggies at the bottom from getting all the dressing).  I tasted mine to make sure there was enough dressing and ended up adding another splash of rice vinegar and a dash of salt.

I served with chopped peanuts and more fresh cilantro to garnish.

I also ate three bowls of coleslaw the next day and gave myself quite the tummy-ache.  Whoops.

Happy Weekend!!!

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No not the morning after that (get your minds out of the gutter). I mean the morning after a holiday weekend.  After turkey, trimmings, pie, and stuffing yourselves full of delicious treats.  If I could give one piece of nutrition-holiday advice it would be to not worry about a day, or even a few days of indulging.  Get back on track eating healthfully and moving, and don’t stress about those bites of potatoes and cookies.

You’re probably ready to eat some veggies….no?

brussel sprout stalk

MMMM…..brussel sprouts!!!  Have you ever seen brussel sprouts on the stalk?  That’s how they grow, but usually in the grocery store they are already picked off for your convenience.

Now before you all head running in the other direction at the sight of brussel sprouts, hear me out.  Brussel sprouts were my least favorite vegetable until I had them prepared like this.  And even the boyfriend loves them.  The sprouts turn sweet and crispy on the edges, and the sweet and spicy flavors play off each other beautifully.

Maple-Cayenne Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Serves: 4 as side dish. 2 sprouts lovers with leftovers

Time: 10-15 minutes prep, 35-40 minutes cooking

Ingredients:

~ 1 pound brussel sprouts (I used the whole stalk but that ended up being quite the bounty)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp – 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)

1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Wash and cut up brussel sprouts.  If they are large, you probably want to quarter them, otherwise cutting in half is fine.  On baking sheet toss sprouts with maple syrup, olive oil, salt and cayenne.  Place in oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, flip them on pan and place back in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sprouts are “fork-tender” and golden brown.

Unfortunately-no photos of the end product  because I was too busy gobbling it up!

Let me know if you try this recipe.  I think it would look great on a holiday table, and can be jazzed up by tossing some pomegranate seeds or toasted pecans on top.

Thanksgiving is a time to feel grateful, give back to great organizations, volunteer, discount shop, watch football, and eat lots of food. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday spent with the ones you love and thinking of those less fortunate.

p.s. sorry for the slow month of November over here.  I plan on whipping out my camera more often, and typing up some more posts for the upcoming few weeks and hopefully beyond.  Perhaps even a guest post or two will make its way over here.  Stay tuned.

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But other people do….

Pizza is a vegetable www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/15/142360146/pizza-as-a-vegetable-it-depends-on-the-sauce   *that’s just according to congress, not me.  I say always mostly eat your pizza with vegetables on the side*

A study showing that weight loss counseling helps people lose weight!! www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/11/16/Counseling-helps-obese-lose-weight/UPI-66481321420165/ 

Interesting stuff…..

I’m learning lots more in school and I promise to share more yummy recipes and nutrition tidbits soon. Hope everyone is enjoying their week!

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When I found out my dad was coming to town just two days before my birthday I challenged him to a brownie bake-off.  My dad loves to bake and has about 4 recipes he claims are perfect and never makes anything else.  I prefer to try all sorts of new recipes and rarely make the same thing twice.  I thought we had a friendly competition going until I graciously called him the morning of and had a conversation like this:

“Dad, do you need anything from the store?”

“No, I have everything I am bringing up some chocolate”

“Oh do you have enough for both of us?”

“I don’t really think it’s fair for you to use my chocolate.  You can’t use my chocolate.  This is a competition.”

“Ok Dad, I’ll go spend $7 on chocolate.  I love you. Have a safe trip.”

“You’re going down Lisa muhahahahhahahahahha!!!!”

Or something like that………So much for friendly.  Turns out this was just going to be a competition.

The Goods

I used a recipe from the NYTimes for Supernatural Brownies.

Pops getting in on the baking.  Yes, he travels with his own pan. He uses the recipe on the back of Baker’s chocolate.

mixing the batter

pops with his pan

Once the brownies were done, we strolled down Newbury St, picked up some sushi and had a nice dinner.  Then the fun was over and it was back to the cutthroat competition.

it's a throwdown! brownies A and B

Everyone claimed to like both and said one was more fudge-y and one was more cake-y.  But I insisted on a vote.  Can you tell who won?

winner and looooooser

Still, everyone got to eat birthday brownies and ice cream.  And everyone said both were delicious-minus one (who is not to be named) who said bRJownie A was no good.  I made brownie A.  My boyfriend also decided that my brownies were not as good as my Dad’s.  Fine by me,  but I will NOT be baking for him anytime soon. All in all it was a fun contest and a delicious birthday desert, although I did miss eating frosting!  Maybe there will be some in my future.

love this girl-even though she voted for my dad too

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Hi everyone!  I can’t believe it is November 2, 2011.  Time flieeeeeeeeeeeeees!  I’ve been doing lots of school work and work work.  Also yoga, running and seeing great friends.  I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween last weekend and dressed up to the nines.  It was snowing/sleeting here in Boston so I dressed up like a farmer which meant I could wear a flannel shirt.  If you ate lots of candy for the sweet holiday you might want to try this recipe full of veggies to get some nutrients in your belly!

I saw this recipe for spicy spaghetti squash with Mexican flavors from Whole Foods the other day.  Since I usually prepare spaghetti squash like regular ol’ spaghetti (even though I don’t think it tastes like pasta) and dump marinara on top, I thought mixing in some black beans would be a fun thing to try. But unlike the Whole Foods original, I topped my squash with melty, gooey cheddar cheese-the extra sharp kind-and added some extra veggies we had like mushrooms and red peppers.  It got two thumbs up from the boyfriend (who is the least critical judge of food, but when he doesn’t ask specifically for meat I know he likes it).

Spicy Mexican Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Inspired by this recipe

Serves: 4

Time: ~75 minutes

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash-cut in half length-wise

1 tbsp olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 cup sliced portabella mushrooms

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp dried cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

1.5 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

for serving: salsa, corn relish, greek yogurt(instead of sour cream) or anything else you might like!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds and guts(you can save the seeds and roast them for about 7-10 minutes @ 375 with spices and such) Place spaghetti squash, flesh side down on greased baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes.

While squash is baking, preheat large pan over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add onions and peppers, cooking for ~ 4 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent.  Add jalapeno, garlic, mushrooms, black beans, cilantro, corn and spices, including salt and pepper.  Continue to cook over medium heat-letting flavors mix together for about 5 minutes.  Turn heat to low and let bean and vegetable mixture simmer while squash is baking.

When squash is done, remove from oven and let cool until you can touch with your hands(about 10-20 minutes depending on how tough your hands are).  Scrape out the squash-it will come in strings like spaghetti, hence the name-and add the inside to the bean mix.  Leave about 1/4 inch of squash in the shell.  Put the squash and bean mixture back into the squash, and top with shredded cheese if using.  Place back in the 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serve with toppings, and eat!

This photo was taken before toppings.  As you can see you can the portions are big!  But it’s all veggies and beans and squash with a tiny bit of cheese.  Good stuff. I hope you enjoy!

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Part two of an installment on healthy and money saving grocery shopping tips.

Find part one here: Grocery Shopping

Typical grocery layouts have us walking right in to the fruit and veggie department but all too often people skip over these items.  For a variety of reasons-presumed cost, they “don’t like veggies”, etc.- this section of the grocery store gets overlooked.  Here are some tips for a great produce shopping experience.

Shop Seasonally: When items are in season they taste better and cost less.

Source

An abbreviated list:

Fall: apples, cabbage, onions, potatoes, winter squash

Winter: yeaaaa..nothing grows here in the winter  But farms store some root vegetables that are hardy like squashes, onions and carrots.

Spring: peas, asparagus, strawberries, cucumbers

Summer: tomatoes, corn, zucchini, peaches

For a longer list and to see seasonal foods in your area this Map by Epicurious is a nifty tool.

You get the idea though. Tomatoes in the winter taste like mealy mush. Tomatoes in the summer taste like amazing-ness and cost you less.  I also completely encourage shopping at farmers markets for produce.  Boston has some great markets including some in the winter in Somerville and now the South End.

If you don’t buy it you can’t eat it: Every meal should have some vegetable or fruit in it.  Even if you are short on time you can grab baby carrots to munch or grapes to eat after dinner.  Completely avoiding this section of the store is not recommended.  Likewise, if you buy fresh fruits and veggies you will be more likely to eat them because they will be in your home.  You can’t eat them if they aren’t there.

Be Picky!! Don’t just grab the first apple you see, it might be bruised or damaged.  I always hunt for the best I can find because you are paying the same price regardless of the quality.  Look for ripe fruits and vegetables without visible damage.

Pay Attention to Price: You’ll pay a lot more for broccoli if someone else has already cut it up for you.  Same with pre-bagged salads and other cut-up veggies.  If you’re looking to save money in this section, watch out for these items.

Beyond the Fruits and Veggies: many groceries also stock items like tofu, refrigerated salad dressings, hummus and dried fruits and nuts in this section.  In fact a recent Wall Street Journal Article discussed how more and more food companies want their products nestled in amongst the produce to give it a healthier glow.

Those are some tips for shopping around the produce aisle.  Hope this helps you have a happier trip to the store!!

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Food Day is today!! Happy Food Day!! What is food day you might ask? It is a day where people get together and celebrate food and how it can help build healthy, sustainable communities.  It is sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

*There are six goals Food Day aims to achieve:
1.    Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2.    Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3.    Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4.    Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5.    Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6.    Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

*Source: blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2011/10/21/what-is-food-day/

To celebrate food day at the Friedman School Mayor Menino, Boston’s mayor talked about what Boston is doing with food to promote healthy living in the city.

He shared three main pillars to incorporate food for successful and healthy communities.  Having access to reasonably priced foods, making them affordable to everyone(Boston Bounty Bucks)and building and utilizing a strong food economy are all keys to Boston’s  success.

One of the points the mayor made sure to hammer home was that Boston has so many great food resources: restaurants, food trucks, universities, hospitals, community gardens etc. and we need to make sure to all work together to achieve our goals.

Also of note, tomorrow kicks off Boston CanShare, a city wide food drive celebrating its 25th anniversary.  Donate cans or make financial contribution.  You can find drop-off locations on the website, but it seems that most fire houses will be accepting cans. I

One thing was apparent from Mayor Menino’s talk: he loves food and he loves his city. And if we all work together we can make the city a healthier place to be.

Happy food day!!! And stay tuned to read full coverage of the event in the November issue of the Friedman Sprout.

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