Dietitians Dish – March 8, 2021

Fast & Nutritious Meals with Frozen Foods

You don’t need to shop the prepared meals and frozen meals section of the store to get a quick, nutritious meal on the table. It just takes a little planning and prep before mealtime. Planning ahead also helps to prevent food waste and save money.

Choose recipes and a list of meal ideas to prepare for the week.
Check the fridge, freezer and pantry to see what items you already have on hand.
Plan a weekly menu for what to eat at school, work and home.
Create a grocery list with all ingredients needed for menu meals and healthy snacks.

When you’re shopping, stock up on frozen items like vegetables, pasta, and fruit that can be combined into a variety of quick meals and snacks that are good-for-you. If you’ve got 5 ingredients on-hand similar to the ones in this Tortellini Skillet Dinner recipe, and 20 minutes to get dinner on the table, this pasta dinner is for you. It offers simple preparation and clean-up which is perfect when you’re pressed for time!

Tortellini Skillet Dinner

Directions:

Tortellini: In large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen cheese tortellini; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 4 minutes or until tortellini is thawed, stirring occasionally.
Pasta Sauce: Stir 1 (24-ounce) jar creamy vodka pasta sauce into skillet; increase heat to medium-high and heat to a boil.
Broccoli: Add 3 cups frozen broccoli to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until broccoli is thawed, stirring occasionally.
Chicken: Add 1-1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast meat to skillet; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is heated through, stirring frequently.
Parmesan Cheese: Place oven rack 6 inches from source of heat; preheat broiler to high. Sprinkle tortellini mixture with 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese; broil 2 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Recipe and image source: Inseasonezine.com

Dietitians Dish – March 1, 2021

Renew Your Focus During…

If you made plans to improve your wellness in 2021 but feel like you got off-track, now is a great time to renew your focus! Everywhere you turn during March there are National Nutrition Month® AND Frozen Food Month campaigns offering wellness messages and recipe ideas. Draw inspiration from them.

This week, focus on eating a variety of nutritious foods each day!

Include healthful foods from ALL food groups.
Learn how to read Nutrition Facts Panels.
Avoid distractions while eating & take time to enjoy your food.
Hydrate healthfully.

Have you felt sluggish and tired this winter? The dry environment caused by heating systems during winter can take its toll. It’s important to drink enough and make healthful beverage choices (without too many calories, added sugars or caffeine). Did you know that fruits and vegetables can help you hydrate? That doesn’t just mean juice either! Broccoli is 89% water and only has 31 calories in a 1-cup serving.
This side dish makes it easy to include a few different food groups, in a flavorful way. What a tasty way to enjoy some broccoli!

Garlicky Pesto – Broccoli Rice

Directions:

Long Grain White Rice: Prepare 1 cup dry long grain white rice as label directs.
Pine Nuts: In large skillet, toast 1/3 cup pine nuts over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring frequently; transfer to plate to cool.
Broccoli: Cut 1 medium head broccoli into florets. In food processor, pulse broccoli until small pieces remain. Heat large skillet over medium heat; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add broccoli; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally.
Garlic: Mince 2 garlic cloves; add garlic to skillet and cook 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Pesto: Remove skillet from heat; fold in 1/2 cup prepared pesto, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and rice. Serve rice sprinkled with pine nuts. Makes about 4 cups.

Recipe and image source: Inseasonezine.com

Dietitians Dish – February 22, 2021

SWAP and ADD your way to a HEALTHY HEART!

Five servings (just 2-1/2 cups in total) of fruits and vegetables have shown reduced risks of heart attack and stroke. But, when it comes to fruits and veggies, MORE IS TRULY BETTER! Review of many health studies has shown that 5 cups a day lowers risk of cardiovascular disease by almost 30%. The healthful nutrients having this protective effect are fiber and antioxidants, which seem to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improving blood vessel function.

What tasty ways will you add extra servings?

Top plain oatmeal with cut fruit to sweeten and flavor it naturally.
Add beans and diced veggies to your Taco Tuesday.
Add finely chopped veggies to pizza or pasta sauce.
Add pureed cauliflower to cream soup.
Add pureed butternut squash to mac & cheese.
Build a snack board filled with fresh or dried fruit & veggies, nuts, cheeses, etc.
Swap breaded, pre-cut veggies that you bake (or air fry) for French fries.

Avocado Fries

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large egg whites
4 firm ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray large rimmed baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In pie plate or wide, shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, onion powder and salt. In second pie plate or wide, shallow bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy.
Dip avocados in egg whites, allowing excess to drip off, then press lightly into breadcrumb mixture so crumbs adhere; transfer to prepared pan. Spray avocado fries with cooking spray. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Dietitians Dish – February 15, 2021

What ’s the Occasion?

The key to good health, is a balanced diet and staying physically active. And, a balanced diet includes all eating occasions – meals, mini meals, snacks and desserts. Instead of focusing on things you should avoid, reframe your focus and decide how to add nutrient-filled foods into your daily eating occasions. To form new habits, take it one step further. Choose a less healthy food to remove and swap in the healthier items. Adding more fruits and vegetables is a great way to accomplish more balanced eating. They’re full of vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients without too many calories or less healthy nutrients.

Kid-friendly idea:
Replace jelly with mango slices on a PB&J sandwich. Start by offering mango slices on the side at a meal, and then try it in place of the jelly on a sandwich. You’ll add valuable nutrients while cutting out added sugars.
Mango is worthy of adding to any occasion!

Excellent source of Vitamin C (which is important in immune function)
Good source of folate (which supports cardiovascular health)

Blackened Salmon Tacos

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless salmon fillets, cut in pieces
2 Tbsps. blackened seasoning
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 (6-in.) extra thin yellow corn tortillas
1 large avocado, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

Sprinkle salmon with seasoning. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; add salmon and cook 8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145° and outside is “blackened,” turning once.
Heat tortillas between 2 damp paper towels in microwave oven 30 seconds. Fill tortillas with salmon, avocado, beans, corn, cabbage and onion; drizzle with yogurt.

Recipe source: InSeasonezine.com..

Dietitians Dish – February 8, 2021

Love the Sweet Rewards of Berries!

Staying in good health is still top of mind for most of us, but living healthy doesn’t have to be hard. There are lots of good-for-you foods that can be simple to prepare and easy to include in a healthy eating plan. Berries offer the perfect balance of flavorful sweetness and protective nutrients. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are all sweet treats by themselves. But they’re also easy to include in a meal, snack or dessert to get the health benefits.

Breakfast – Top your cereal or add into pancakes
Lunch/Snack – Add to a salad or top a yogurt parfait
Dinner – Mix into a salsa and top a piece of fish or chicken

Share a better-for-you version of “ice cream” with your sweetheart.

It’s a great way to win your Valentine’s heart… while protecting it!

Bananas and berries offer a variety of nutrients that help with blood pressure and protect the heart.

Frozen Banana Cream with Fresh Berries

Ingredients:

2 medium bananas
2 Tbsps. nonfat milk
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsps. chopped, unsalted dry roasted peanuts or sunflower seeds
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Line large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Peel and slice bananas; place on prepared pan and freeze 2 hours.
In food processor, pulse frozen banana slices until they resemble coarse crumbs; process until smooth. Add milk and nutmeg; process until combined.
Transfer banana mixture to medium bowl; stir in peanuts. Divide mixture into 4 bowls; evenly sprinkle with raspberries and blueberries. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

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