Dietitians Dish – December 7, 2020

Treat Yourself for the Holidays!

It’s nice to enjoy holiday sweets, but they can take their toll on our waistline and energy levels. They’re often full of added fats and sugar, which can leave you dragging through the bustling, festive season. When you’re choosing recipes for cookies and desserts, try to find ways to sneak in a few nutrient-packed ingredients.

That could mean swapping or adding items like:

• Nuts and seeds – for heart healthy fats and gut protecting fiber
• Dark chocolate – for heart protective flavonoids
• Oats – for gut protecting fiber
• Avocado – for heart healthy fats and gut protecting fiber

So whether you add them or swap them, ingredients like these can have nutritional and health benefits. Which means you don’t have to skip the sweets altogether – just include them in your holiday festivities in a smarter way!

Holiday Avocado Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup regular or quick-cooking oats
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 ripe, fresh avocado (halved, pitted and peeled)

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup (6 oz.) dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat avocado, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low until smooth. Stir flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
• Drop by heaping teaspoons onto lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 1-inch apart, pressing down lightly. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from LoveOneToday.com..

Dietitians Dish – November 30, 2020

It’s a Wrap … Or is it a Salad?

If you want your family to think you’re a genius, then serve up a Taco Night menu and serve it up as a Make Your Own dinner. It’s sure to be a hit for everyone! Look at items that are in your pantry, fridge and freezer which fit the theme and decide what’s missing. If you menu plan and are creating a grocery list, check out what’s on sale that you’d want for the DIY Taco Night and add it to your list.

Here’s some ideas to keep on hand for a DIY Taco Tuesday (or any night):

• Beans or lentils
• Salsa
• Corn
• Brown Rice
• Lean Ground Meat or Meatless Crumbles
• Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, Avocado, Lettuce

The great thing about tacos is that they can be as simple or elaborate as your taste buds can handle. Plus, if you’re trying to be more plant-based with your eating, you can choose to include more veggies and beans. You can even replace the hard or soft taco shell with a lettuce wrap. If you want the flavors but not the messiness that tacos can bring, create a salad instead!

30 Minute Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head butter lettuce, torn into small pieces
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 lb. ground turkey, extra lean
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (15-1/2 oz.) Pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup salsa

Directions:

• Put lettuce in a large bowl. Add tomatoes and green pepper.
• Brown meat and onion in a frying pan. Drain off the fat and liquid.
• Mix meat, beans, and salsa. Add atop the salad mixture and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Fruitsandveggies.com..

November 27, 2020

Let Nothing Be Leftover
To avoid wasting any of the great flavors from your Thanksgiving meal, hopefully you’ve created a plan for how to use the leftovers. Think soups, sliders, casseroles, or any combination that uses up at least 2-3 sides which weren’t finished off yesterday. Change up the flavors completely with an Asian twist! This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Turkey is a great way to take a breather from cooking and still have a delicious meal for Day 2.

Remember, if you have lots of extra turkey, it may be best to freeze at least enough for another meal. Leftover cooked turkey is only good about 3 days, and lasts 3-6 months in the freezer.

November 26, 2020

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I’m thankful for all the people in my life, whether they are around my dinner table or not this pandemic year. What are you grateful for this year?

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2020

Let’s Talk Turkey Tuesday!
By now, if you’re planning to cook Thanksgiving dinner you should be thawing your turkey in the refrigerator. Remember – size matters (when it comes to thawing in a refrigerator). Rule of thumb is to thaw 1 day for every 4 pounds. So, if you have a 20 pound turkey, you likely need it in the refrigerator for 5 days to be fully thawed. It’s safe to hold a thawed turkey in refrigeration for 4 days before it needs to be cooked. Just be sure to keep it in the original wrapping until you’re ready to cook.

If you don’t have much fridge space and have time to be hands-on, there is a cold water thawing process that you can do in a day. Breast side down, in the wrapping, you completely submerge the turkey in a basin of cold water. You must change the water every 30 minutes and make sure it stays submerged because thawing at room temperature is not safe. You’ll need at least 30 minutes per pound with this method.

If you’re not up for the doing the math, the Butterball website has a calculator to help you out! Now that’s what I call the EASY BUTTON! https://www.butterball.com/how-to/thaw-a-turkey