Being Healthier

Our guidelines for recipe selection were similar to the Appetizers and Hors D’Oeuvers lab. Grains, Legumes, Vegetables Lab (3 recipes)

• choose 1 grain OR 1 legume OR 1 combination recipe
• choose 1 non-starchy vegetable recipe (think beyond lettuce and tomato)
• choose 1 starchy vegetable recipe (think beyond the white potato)
• use no more than 4-5 ingredients (excluding herbs, seasonings)
• use a majority of seasonal/local ingredients (all seasonal for fresh produce)
• keep it simple yet elegant; focus on presentation
• use different cooking methods and equipment (e.g., baking and sautéing)
• yield 4 portions each

Our team came up with Herbed Quinoa, Sauteed Kale with Garlic, Shallots and Capers, and Sugared Pumpkin , Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad.  I really enjoyed all of our recipes but I also enjoyed every other lab groups’ dish as well so I am posting the recipes, sources, and photos for all, Bon Appetit!

Team AD: Herbed Quinoa

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa (1/2 pound)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation:
Rinse quinoa in 5 changes of water in a bowl, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water (if quinoa does not settle, drain in a large fine sieve after each rinse).

Cook quinoa in a large saucepan of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Drain in sieve and rinse under cold water.

Set sieve with quinoa over saucepan filled with 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. (Check water level in pan occasionally, adding water if necessary.)

Toss quinoa with oil and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Cool, then toss with scallion and thyme.

( click for recipe source)
Cooks’ note: ·Quinoa (without scallion greens and thyme) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and toss with scallion greens and thyme.

Team AD: Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup green lentils
• 6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika ( we used regular)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preparation:
Place lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.

Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

( do not do this next step- see note!)Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over. ( click for recipe source)

***Our notes:
- We subbed cubed butternut squash which worked well. You can also sub Sweet Potato, which might be easier to chop and sweeter.
- Do not complete the last step combining the lentils, pumpkin and oil with the greens etc. Combining all of it just makes it grainy from the lentils being tossed, and too creamy from the room temperature goat cheese. Instead, set up your arugula, layer with lentils and pumpkin and goat cheese- drizzle with dressing.

Team AD: Sauteed Kale with Garlic Shallots and Capers

* Jeff said this Kale tasted even better than collards made with fat back!!! I think everyone really loved it as well !

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
• Coarse kosher salt

Preparation

Bring extra-large pot of salted water to boil. Add kale and cook until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse kale under cold running water. Drain again. Coarsely chop kale. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Heat oil in large pot (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and capers; stir 1 minute. Stir in kale and sauté until tender and heated through, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer kale to large bowl and serve. (Click for Recipe Source)

Team CF: Nutty Greens with Bacon and Blue Cheese

* These were by far the best green beans I have ever had! The toasted pecans are way better than the usual almond, and the bacon with blue cheese was just incredible in pairing flavors with the green beans!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
• 3 slices bacon
• 4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks
• 1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the haricots verts from the ice water and set aside in a medium bowl.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels. Add the beans to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blue cheese and toss just until it starts to melt. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Finish by stirring in the toasted chopped pecans. Season with the freshly ground black pepper and just a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Serve immediately. (click for recipe source here)
Team BE: Bulgur Pine Nut and Red Pepper Pilaf ( bottom left)

Yields: 2 generous servings

• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup bulgur*
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives

*available at natural foods stores and many supermarkets.

Preparation

In a small heavy saucepan cook onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.

Stir in broth, bell pepper, and bulgur and bring liquid to a boil. Cook mixture, covered, over low heat 12 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. (click for recipe source)

Team CF: Maple Glazed Acorn-Squash with Currants

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 acorn squash (each about 1 1/2 pounds), halved crosswise and the seeds and strings discarded
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons dried currants

Preparation

Spread the cavity of each squash half with about 1/2 teaspoon of the butter, sprinkle the halves with salt and pepper to taste, and arrange them, cut sides down, in a large baking pan. Add enough water to reach about 1/4 inch up the sides of the squash halves and bake the squash in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 30 minutes. While the squash is baking, in a small saucepan combine the remaining butter, the maple syrup, the allspice, the currants, and a pinch of salt and heat the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the currants are plumped. Remove the squash from the oven, turn it cut sides up, and brush it generously with some of the maple mixture. Return the squash to the oven and bake it, brushing it with the maple mixture occasionally and adding more water to the pan as necessary to keep the bottom covered, for 20 to 30 minutes more, or until it is very tender. Season the squash with salt and pepper. (click here for recipe source)

Team CF: Green Lentil, Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Salad ( top, center)

Yield: 4 side dish servings
Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 cup drained coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 4 cups lentilles du Puy (French green lentils) picked over and rinsed
• 2 cups crumbled Feta cheese (about 2 ounces

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, thyme, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add lentils to a large saucepan of salted water and bring water to a boil. Cook lentils at a bare simmer until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils in a sieve and rinse gently. Toss lentils well with dressing and gently stir in Feta. ( click here for recipe source)

Team BE : Butternut Squash and Radicchio Pappardelle

Yield: 4- 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 pound radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 (8-to 9-ounces) package pappardelle (preferably egg pasta), broken into large pieces
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata or Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 ounce)

Preparation

Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, then continue to cook until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add oil, then nuts, and cook, stirring, until nuts are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate.

Add squash to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add radicchio and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until wilted and just tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pappardelle in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to radicchio mixture with 1/2 cup cooking water and toss over low heat until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more cooking water to moisten if necessary.

Serve topped with nuts and cheese. (click here for recipe source)
Team BE: Celery Root and Beet Salad

(far right)

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 medium beets (2 1/4 lb with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
• 1 (1-lb) celery root (sometimes called celeriac)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus additional to taste
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (2 oz), toasted and cooled

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Wrap beets tightly in foil to make 2 packages (3 beets in each) and roast until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

While beets roast, peel celery root with a sharp knife and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks. Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, oil, salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl until combined well, then add celery root and toss until coated. Keep at room temperature, covered, until ready to add beets.

Carefully unwrap beets and, when just cool enough to handle, slip off skins and remove stems. Cut beets into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks and toss with celery root.

Let salad stand, covered, at room temperature 1 hour. Taste salad and season with more lemon juice and salt if necessary, then toss with walnuts. ( click for recipe source)

Body:
I woke up and just knew I wanted to run and to run for a really long time. I was shooting for running straight for 90 minutes. After all it was my birthday and I could do whatever I wanted to, right? I mean 27… 2+7 is 9, and I was shooting for 90 minutes, at least 9 miles. Weird number logic for ya.

In the past year I started to train for a marathon but injured my knee, then potentially broke a toe, then had a weird hip flexor issue, followed by probably more issues I wrote about on here. Needless to say, as happy-go-lucky I was yesterday morning to run for that long, I was also quite apprehensive of the outcome. The outcome was:
 

 

Mind:
Is it really good luck to have an exam on your birthday? I heard that was the case and several of the questions that I made up for possible test questions indeed made the cut for the actual exam. That is at least two points for sure!

After running, I also had to finish a chapter for Food and Society class and check items for Food Service Lab, laundry, and read for Lifecycles class.

Soul:
That long run felt absolutely wonderful! It was hard, it was hot, I almost gave up at several points, but I didn’t. I felt like I could do anything after that.

Thank you everyone for all your sweet birthday wishes!!!
Some birthday presents

My favorite flowers, with handmade, hand picked chocolates from Jeff!

Dinner out with Jeff, and family ( Preston’s birthday is Sept. 23rd as well!)
Birthday wine ( Pinot Noir)

Birthday Fried Pickles

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Salmon with Vegetables

Made a wish over Chocolate Mouse Pie

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Preston, Happy Birthday dear us…. Happy Birthday to us!

Other eats that day included birthday bowl of goodness for lunch including Chickpeas, pasta sauce ( semi-homemade), brussel sprouts and 2 servings of taco tofu.

Pre-Run was a Strawberry Fruit leather

Birthday Breakfast Oats, Apples and Peanut Butter

I am drafting the post from our lab yesterday right now! I have all the recipes for each of the 9 dishes that were made ( actually 18 dishes were made since there are 2 labs making versions of each recipe!). Stay tuned!

Breakfast this morning was a blueberry oikos with a little Kashi go lean inside for crunch & munch. I liked the heart shaped granola bars on the back that reads “good for you goodies”
I also had a gigantic bowl of fruit but couldn’t finish it all… meh.

Lunch was Taco Tofu ( I saute tofu seasoned with an ortega taco seasoning packet)

Apple with Manchego Cheese Diamonds

and veggies, random frozen varieties steamed in the microwaver

I thought I would also document this guy, who may be disguising himself as a treasure right now

but after the 5 or 6 8 or 9 I have had the past few days, this seems to be quite the treasure indeed that I would not be reaping any benefits from. I felt that I should post that I have been enjoying chocolate all too much recently. A goodie that is enjoyable for sure but not necessarily all that good for you in mass quantities.
( note to self: stop buying chocolate and there will be no chocolate to consume.)

Dinner will most likely be in two parts- mini snack before working and mini snack after I get back at 10 pm. Blah… I hate eating at 10 pm at night, still working on what to do for that in between my exam tomorrow, four other classes, marathon training and life in general.

Body:
Monday: Gym Session, strength: back, biceps, and quads. Cardio: Elliptical -alternating resistance between 6 and 9 for 55 minutes.
Tuesay: Rest
Wednesday ( hope to get a long run in after my grueling exam!)

Mind:
Trying to study for this exam.

Soul:

My birthday is tomorrow! Phew, 27 is just too close to 30.

Oh yes, that’s what I’m talking about today! Appetizers were the first task in our Food Service course! This course and the sequel course next semester are both requirements for applying to the Dietetic Internship, so we must take them.  

Each group teams up with one other group to form a recipe team and our teams pick out tested-recipes, format them to fit our lab appropriately, and then we have to make them in one class according to a production schedule that we formulate as well.  We also have to follow guidelines such as using seasonal and local ingredients when possible, less than 5 main ingredients ( aside from seasonings), at least one meatless option, one soup, one had to be hot, one cold…

We decided on Butternut Squash with Parmesan and Fried Sage Leaves Soup,
recipe here

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Stacks, recipe here

Figs with Peppered Honey and Goat Cheese. recipe here

Other lab groups made
Eggplant Crostini, Bruschetta

Spinach Quiche, Pear, Date and Proscuitto Bites

Strawberry , Peach and Tomato Gazpacho and Corn Chowder

Here is my sampling with our sensory evaluation sheets…

We don’t have to evaluate everything (thank goodness) but everything tasted so wonderful! I am not a fan of some things, like corn chowder I cannot stand, but it was well-done by the other group.

My favorite was our grilled cheese and tomato stacks, which uses Halloumi cheese ( an expensive greek cheese that is salty and rubbery in the best way possible!) and whole wheat pita and fresh heirloom tomato. Another delicious bite were the figs with peppered honey, which was a nice combination.  The goat cheese balanced the sweet and peppery figs.

The asian pear slices were crispy and sweet. On each slice was a cream cheese stuffed medjool date, mint and they were wrapped with a tiny slice of proscuitto.
The eggplant crostini was sauteed eggplant with ricotta cheese and lots of spicy seasonings to balance. Hmm… I didn’t pack lunch because this was way more then enough food for me!

After foods lab, I have Food and Society class.  We had more sensory evaluation for that class too…

We had to do blind taste testing of Coke, Pepsi, and generic brand soda…. Our professor always makes coffee for us so I had some as well. I didn’t like ANY of them… it was so shocking how your taste buds regenerate once you have stopped drinking soda . BLECH… it tasted like chemicals plus sweeteners and none of them were even diet.  The results? Every single person rated #3 ( coke) last, and most preferred the generic brand best!

Continuing the taste test with a more pleasant item..

Dagoba chocolate…. hmmm yummy!

Jeff and I made a fantastic dinner that deserves its own post!

Body:
Yoga

Mind:
For the foods lab, we actually had to create a production schedule with each person assigned to recipe portions. It was helpful to start out, but then once we started going , I ended up cooking the soup, but then helping slice the cheese stacks, and prepping the figs and honey!
Our group seemed to mesh really well together and they did awesome at picking up all the other stuff that needed done. I am pumped to work with them this semester!!

Soul:
Um hello- those recipes were killer and I loved being back in the kitchen!

The week’s go by so quickly, don’t they?!
Breakfast had to be quick and easy so I took a low-carb tortilla  ( I made an educated guess that there would not be much gluten in them) and spread on peanut butter and jelly.

On the side I had a HUGE tree-ripe nectarine. I knew I was going for a run and didn’t want a heavy breakfast to weigh me down- This worked out really well!

After getting back from class, I was really in the mood for tofu so I cooked some with taco seasoning in the skillet and on the side I had steamed local kale, organic broccoli slaw,

We headed out for a special dinner at Second Empire, special just because we wanted to go out on a date! We ate in the Tavern restaurant, which is inside the Empire and pretty much the same restaurant with nearly an identical menu.  Neither of us had ever gone there before but we hear just how wonderful it is all the time! They also do wedding receptions there, which would be great, except I don’t know where we would have the ceremony!

Starting out with freshly baked bread:

I ordered the pan-roasted alaskan halibut served with a garlic mashed potato trifecta, ginger braised Swiss chard, red onions & asparagus, peach & corn salsa, pork belly and lemongrass jus

It was phenomenal!  I didn’t eat much of the pork belly, but I did try it with a few bites.  It is under the asparagus and added a great flavor to the potatoes despite its texture. The peach and corn salsa had a lime flavor, complimenting the heavy fish. The fish was on top of apple butter ( divine!) but I didn’t see nor taste any ginger-braised swiss chard …. ? Although the fish wasn’t cooked as nicely as I would have liked, everything that accompanied the fish went so well. It was like each bite was planned to go perfectly in sync with the previous.

My apologies for photo quality, the lighting was so dim ( and romantic) but not picture quality!

Jeff ordered the local coastal grouper served with sautéed orzo pasta & black eyed peas, fried green tomato, shaved fennel, beet & cucumber salad, chorizo & tomatillo vinaigrette.

( his dish was closer to the candlelight. you can barely see it at the center/bottom of the photo)

Neither of us could decide on what to order because there were so many options that sounded absolutely delicious! We were both quite satisfied! I guess that means we will have to go back!

Of course we had dessert….after much deliberation between the chocolate souffle ( which I felt would disappoint) and the key lime pie ( which we both always enjoy)… We decided on coffee and  The Boston Creme Roll

Body:
Early morning run! I did 3.4 miles at the gym because it was so stormy and I wasn’t sure how I felt yet. I cooled down with 20 minutes on the elliptical.

Mind:

Awesome book, chapter 4 due tomorrow, chapter 8 due next week…If only this was the only thing I had to read, I would finish it in one night!

Soul:
Although I LOVE when Jeff takes me out to a romantic dinner, this dinner was ON ME !  I finally was able to take Jeff out for once and truly loved being able to treat us to a fabulous dinner.

I love fruit. Especially frozen, unsweetened fruit because it lasts as long as I need it to ( which usually ends up being not long at all!). Everytime I buy fresh fruits, especially from the Farmer’s Market, a portion of it at least inevitably goes to waste within days. Frozen fruit is more cost effective and just as nutritionally sound! I had a bowl with a bowl of puffins, almond milk, banana slices and pb.

After breakfast, I packed up my lunch and headed to class… a cottage cheese ( 4% milkfat is just so satisfying! At 110 calories vs. 90, it is so worth it!), a salad of organic greens with pecans and Annies Goddess Dressing, and a TJ’s Fiberful Apricot Fruit Leather.

For Food Service I had found so many Quinoa recipes for our next lab: Grains, Vegetables, Legumes, that I was totally in the mood for it at dinner!

I added chopped fresh local zuchinni, organic heirloom tomatoes, a can of organic garbanzo beans, some green cabbage, a dash of garlic salt and fat free feta cheese…hmmmmm delicious! One serving of Quinoa has 10g of protein, with protein packed garbanzos and fat free feta- a few spoonfuls kept me full all through work until 10pm. I did have a few more after I got home!

Body:
Rest… I intended to run since I just did stretching and strengthening on monday, however, I felt so tired! My body was just screaming at me “hold on, you still have to go to work for 6 hours tonight! I need a break” So I listened to it and knew that was best.

Mind:
After Food Service, I spent the afternoon working on homework for Medical Nutrition Therapy ( the outline to accompany this post) and reading for all the other classes.

Remember the photo of my planner last week

Here is how it filled up ( and hence the lack of multiple, daily posting on the blog!)

This is just school stuff mostly!  I will admit that I am starting to feel the craziness. Maybe its’ because I have too many things on my plate or maybe I could find a better system of tracking everything I have going on because I can’t seem to fit it all in here! I tried this online to-do list program but it is so user-Unfriendly that I didn’t seem to keep going with it.

Soul:

It looks like Tuesday nights are another TV zone out night! The new seasons of 90210, Melrose Place and The Biggest Loser have all begun!
Do I really have time to watch this stuff? Well, no and yes. Getting home from being on campus all day in class or doing research, and working until 10:45 pm means that I need something to calm my mind and body down to help me de-stressify! I will take a little bit of la-la land drama-comedy to do that!

Happy Weekend to All! I usually try to get in at least one “mindfull” post each week, this past week was my thoughts on Nutrition Anthropology and Agriculture, partly from Food and Society class. This post blends with another class nicely, as I have a paper due this week in Medical Nutrition Therapy class on an article by Cutler, Glaesar, and Shapiro: Why Have Americans Become More Obese?

Obesity is one of the areas in nutrition that fascinates me. I am hugely passionate about prevention, in everything, preventing things from happening. 90% of chronic diseases are related to nutrition, which means 90% are modifiable! If you just knew how or found out what to do, you could modify your outcome!

A few months ago I did a post about F as in Fat: Childhood Obesity. Thank you to all of your excellent comments on me possibly starting a weight management camp. After some soul searching, I really am starting to feel like that could be my niche in life. It would be a great combination of all my interests: exercise in plenty of ways, activities, teaching children, nutrition, wellness, and the outdoors!

Back to the post at hand, the article by Cutler et al. states that 14% of the population was classified as obese in the 1970’s. 39 years later, those rates are close to three times as high according to the CDC.

Evidence may suggest that calorie expenditure rates have not changed since 1980, rather, calories consumed have increased. Advancing technology and agriculture, Nutrition Anthropology and Agriculture, could be one culprit. Mass production of food goods have resulted in tasks taking less time and food costing less but increases in quantity. Quality of such food items is questionable with microwaves, preservatives, vacuum packaging and artificial flavors. Ready-to-eat meals have more “value” but the nutrient content has decreased.

Survival of the fittest has become survival of the fat-est.  Biggie-sizing, bigger seating, bigger cars, bigger buildings, bigger everything. We never needed childhood obesity research because we never thought we needed it. Gastric by-pass surgery. Diet- anything. Paleolithic times required the fittest to hunt more, hunt better, and survive so that evolution of hominids occurred. Now those people that can take advantage of these ready to eat, made for you, edge of technology foods aren’t just the fittest that survive, everyone can have these foods at any time of day, in nearly any U.S state.
 
The $100 billion dollar diet industry proves that we have an issue with self-control. We are willing to eat manufactured, pre-portioned, frozen turkey, nutri-systems, but we can’t seem to go to a farm, pick out a turkey, and wait for it to be properly sacrificed to feed our whole family in a month. Food now has to be immediate and agriculture adapted so that it could be. Society adapted so that we could keep food sources on hand, but is that really necessary? Should ores, french fries, pretzels, and gummy bears really even be classified as “food”?
 
I think not. Somewhere in all this industrialization, processing, and manufacturing caused the general population to believe that we can all just eat whatever is advertised as food, whenever we feel like it and that would actually be beneficial.  These rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases say otherwise.

As always, I love comments and this is part of my paper that is due this week so thanks for reading my homework!

Figs are in season and on sale (at Harris Teeter)… I actually have never eaten one before but we are making them in Food Service Lab next week so I thought I would try one

I didn’t like it all that much to be honest. The novelty to it was what threw my taste buds, I wasn’t sure if I could eat the outer peel or the inner seeds… Any help ?

Breakfast Cookie with Apple

 

In class snack: Apricot Fruit Leather from Trader Joes…

Hello, my name is Laural and I am newly addicted to fruit leathers.

At the meeting yesterday evening, they had an assortment of “refreshments”. This is one of those tiny side plates but it looks huge in the photo. Anyhow, I had half a pita with a dab of chicken salad, a few veggies with dab of hummus.

Dinner after the meeting was a blob of Fage 0% to moisten up the leftover, dry Falafel balls, rice and beans with cheese, a big cup of veggies, and a pluot plum ( well Harris Teeter had a sign at the bin saying Pluot Plums, but I think I grabbed just a black plum that was in the bin.

Body:
Not sure if I will be up for a workout after class, but I think I might do a run. I’m attempting to be flexible

I am taking 2 new supplements that I thought I would share- One is Celadrin, which is a fatty acid supplement claiming to help with joint inflammation.  I found it while looking for shellfish-free Glucosamine- which was near impossible in the store. I was going to order online but found a Vegan Glucosamine at Whole Foods, so I am now taking that as well!

Being allergic to shellfish and having joint problems probably go hand in hand because Glucosamine is derived from Shellfish and helpful in cartiledge strength and formation. Thus, I have never had enough glucosamine intake from my diet to help with joints.

If any of you are taking either, I would love to hear feedback!

Mind:
In Class all day!

Exam went really well and had a chance to get some extra reading done for class today. We are discussing the 1970’s Food and Soceity, in regards to the role- model for major Food companies: Nestle.

So far this has been my favorite class of the semester!

Soul:

I think I would like to start a weight management camp for obese children. In my childhood, I never attended summer camps but always thought they would have been fun. After spending three years teaching children with behavioral and developmental issues, I do really enjoy teaching children but I love my nutrition studies. We’ll see where life takes me!

It’s almost the “weekend” for me despite that I have to work all weekend and have tons of reading to do!

Anyone have great weekend plans? My future mother-in-law’s birthday is this sunday, let there be cake!

The second pig pickin of the year was a success!  I finished my pig pickin cake just before heading over to Melissa’s New house…

Oh, that’s right. I made it a pig. Check out the recipe ( click here to find out how to make it)..

My future father-in-law, PW, was hard at work on the cooker.

The band was hard at work sound-checking …

Our nephew and sister’s boyfriend Steve-O were hard at play or deep in thought..

Spinach Dip, Veggie Tray and Hushpuppies…

Desserts…. except there was chocolate cake and then there was Linda’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie that mysteriously escaped my photo…

Everything went really fast

Hushpuppies, corn bread ?, momma mo’s coleslaw ( I didn’t get any!), and pasta salad…followed by:

Baked beans, cornbread pudding, buffalo chicken dip, and Paula Deans’ Corn Salad ..

My plate ( clockwise from the pork): pulled BBQ, sliver of cornbread pudding, pasta salad, beans, Corn Salad, two types of buffalo chicken dip ( thanks to Andrea and Traci), covered by two tortilla chips.

I didn’t finish the pork or the beans but that was to save room for..

Chocolate Cake, Pig Pickin Cake, and Linda’s PB Chocolate Pie ( which I need the recipe for!!). I took a 1/3 section of the pre-sliced chocolate cake and pie, and then a small section of my cake to make sure it was up to par. Little bite of everything. All were delectable.

After eating, the fun really began! Daddy Mo was truly AMAZING! I wish all of you could have been there to hear them play!

I was seriously so impressed blown away at how incredible they sounded and that they had only 2 practices ( minus their singer Teddy) before this! Jeff doesn’t want me to link the site he has their songs posted on. bummer. I would totally share their awesomeness. Acoustic Rock – but more funky than that. Like Dave Matthews only better, more funk,  rock, more passion. You could dance to it even though you don’t know the words. Great music.

My future sister-in-laws Melissa, (me) and KC!

KC has the beer that I brought, and drank, and took a photo of yet it didn’t download. I know the exact photo I took … argh. Ah well. I had two over the course of the evening and split a third with KC- It is called Wild Blue, tastes more like a barley wine, has 8% alcohol and is delicious!
 
Jeff  the Rockstar ( my future hubster)

I know ladies, keep your hands off. He is all mine.

Newlywed Teddy P, belting it out

“Fantastic” Dan Hall, yes he is called that because he is fantastic.

and on facebook ( this one is single ladies!)

And Steve on the drums

Taken by Teddy P’s lovely sister Staci!

What better way to close the night than with a pole-dance courtesy of a police officer ( not in uniform obviously)

Yes, ladies (and gents apparently), he is taken as well by my lovely friend Traci ( who helped me get my current job as a hostess where she works). Their wedding is this January!!

What more could a gal ask for ?

Ah, a glass of wine that’s right.

Where does the time go? Thursday is my busiest day, add in working on friday and sunday, homework, friends in town visiting, and a Pig Pickin and time just flies! Hope everyone is having a fantastic Labor Day Weekend, whatever that may entail. For many, the beaches are packed, except those that are in the sights of great white sharks! Yikes!  For those like me, that means a shark-free weekend staying home and catching up on everything you’ve been wanting to do!

Thursday Breakfast:

Breakfast Oatmeal Cookie ( Gina Style)
Ingredients:
1/2 scoop Pure Protein
1/3 cup Oats
1 dry Tb of PB2
1/8 cup Almond Milk
Mixed all those ingredients together. Mash onto a plate and refrigerate overnight.
I also had a cup of blueberries but didn’t seem to upload the photo.

2nd Breakfast Thursday
In Food Service class we do an evaluation of the foods we cook, so our professor cooked us Carrot Parsnip Soup so that we could go over the evaluation sheet.

We could garnish the soup as we wanted, I added parsley, a few pieces of parsnips and carrots and used a squeeze bottle of Fage ( which wasn’t full so it squirted out everywhere in my soup). On the side, we had fresh Ciabatta with Manchego Cheese. The Manchego was DELICIOUS! It’s saltiness complimented the very sweet soup. She had used a hand-held blender but it left the soup rather chunky. I would have preferred a smoother consistency but I’m not a fan of carrots to start.

After tasting, our professor sent us to explore the Farmer’s Market .

She gave us a list of all things we needed to jot down ( if the veggies and fruits will still be there in a month, etc.). I had too many things to write to photo everything this trip, but among all the samples there (Muscadine Grapes, Peach Salsa, Watermelon…etc) I did try a cake sample..

I was barely hungry for lunch, but heated up this Stuffed Acorn Squash for Lunch

Dinner was a quick mess as well, after getting back so late from class and work I just threw a bed of organic greens, kidney beans, mushrooms, zuchinni, low fat cheese and a serving of Lemon Pepper Tuna. I heated it up for a 1 minute to melt the cheese. It was quite tasty! I do love fresh vegetables and I love the natural source of Vitamin D that mushrooms offer!

Breakfast Friday:

1/3 cup of oatmeal mixed with almond milk, topped with Kashi Go Lean and Sweetened Almonds and Pecans ( organic cane juice). 

On the go lunching

A fantastic fruit (tangello), cottage cheese (2%) for protein, and a CranBran vitatop.
Although I aim for whole foods as much as possible, sometimes its necessary to blend “convenient foods” with whole foods. This vita top is not “the ultimate” food, so extremists beware that there is no perfect food whole or processed. However, it does offer 50% of your vitamins and minerals for the day. On top of that, they have fiber, dried cranberries, and whole grains and are portion controlled at 100 calories. I like that they are portable- you take them out of the freezer and with you. By the time you get to your destination, it is thawed and ready to eat.

I had to work again until late night so dinner was out of my ordinary, in the form of a smoothie made with protein powder, almond milk, water, frozen spinach, frozen pineapple, and frozen cherries. I had a pear and read just a few pages of our next chapter due in Everyone Eats before nodding off to dream of pig pickins.

Working late has been a tough switch for my digestive system! If I start at 5, I have to leave wherever by 4:30pm. This means, I have to eat at 4 o’clock or so and I am never hungry enough at that time. Even if I do eat at 4 pm and work until at least 10 or 11,  I get home half hungry and half tired! I am sure that many out there run into this problem. It’s late and you don’t feel like eating because you should just go to sleep. Yet, you don’t want to skip dinner and probably are hungry for it.

My take ( as a future nutritional professional) has been if you are downright, truly hungry then you should eat something. What to eat is a hard question, however it should be something that will hold you over but not prevent you from sleeping. Jeff has been great about cooking extra dinner for me, however, at 10:30 sometimes a plate of meat, veggies, and starch is just too much for me to still fall asleep within a few hours. After all, eating is about taking in energy ( in the form of calories) to fuel something. Sleep does not require much fuel at all!

This smoothie will probably be a frequent after-work meal here at Being Healthier, enough to take away my hunger and keep my metabolism going but let me sleep shortly after.

Body:
Thursday:  Rest!! I did do some yoga upon waking up to get me started for my mindfully packed day!

Friday: Cross-training! I did 40 minutes on the Elliptical for Cardio.
Strength included: Back  (dumbell rows), Bicep ( hammer curls, regular curls), and Quads ( lunges, squats) and Abs ( planks and incline bench).

Mind:
You already know about Food Service Class  (above).

In Food and Society Class: Check out what we discussed in class on Thursday here:

Lifecycles: We each had research articles to present on several, key-nutrition studies in the past. Mine was based on the principles of DASH but I didn’t get to present! Our professor planned on everyone having two minutes each, but of course, we all knew that isn’t enough time. Discussion over each one took much longer. After 25 minutes past the time class is over, we weren’t even half way through! Many of us had to leave for work, meetings, etc. so many of us didn’t get a chance to discuss our article. No worries, though, I am sure I will do a post on it here. My day was already packed so staying late was tough mentally to focus on so many other people talking!

Soul:

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

*I am sad because one of my childhood friends’ is getting married this weekend. Unfortunately, I just started working and classes so I was pretty sure I would not be able to go! Congratulations Corie and Kevin!