“Cooking for David” is a book I use as a dietitian all the time. It is a very unique, and essential book for patients or families of patients on dialysis. The recipes ALL have Renal and diabetic specific nutrition information. It takes the guess work out of planning meals for dialysis patients. There are plenty of comfort food recipes along with a chapter for sauces, gravies, and seasonings so you can do some experimenting on your own!
It is written by a dear friend, Sara Colman, RD, CDE and a nurse she collaborated with, Dorothy Gordon, BS, RN. For all of you RDs out there…buy a copy as a reference and make sure you keep this handy. There’s a great introductory chapter that includes really simple educational material for the renal diet. It’s super helpful.
I was just talking to friends this weekend about how I am prioritizing my life. I have been killing myself trying to work my 2 jobs lately and I haven’t had much time for myself. I’m always exhausted and have even left simple errands like a car wash or a trip to the bank ’til the last possible moment. Then, there’s poor Kasper (pictured above). He always has a babysitter, but I know I should spend more time with him. Above is a picture of him begging me for attention. Then today, when I heard news of the Boston Marathon, it made me think, life’s too short! I am definitely cutting down my work hours soon. My priorities have definitely been a little askew. Is anyone going through something similar?
This is another recipe I did a makeover on. My co-worker Saulo contributed the original version. I hope you like it. 🙂
Ingredients:
6 Bone in chicken breast halves
4 tsp. canola oil
7 medium onions, thinly sliced
6 medium tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 seven oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 TBSP chicken bouillon granules
16 tostada shells (baked – see instructions)
1 cup Lite sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Get a small oven safe bowl (or the tostada shell baking bowls I used) and press a flour tortilla into it. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes and remove from oven to cool.
Place the chicken into a large pot along with ¼ cup of sliced onion, garlic, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until no longer pink, about 25 minutes. Remove chicken, cool, and shred meat. Discard skin and bones.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining onion slices, and cook until transparent. Place tomatoes into a pan of boiling water You could use the leftover water you used for cooking the chicken) and boil until split open
Place the tomatoes, whole can of peppers, chicken bouillon into a blender or large food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into a large pan, and add the shredded chicken and cooked onions. Heat through.
To serve, each person spreads some sour cream (2 TBSP) on their tostada shell, and tops with a spoonful of the chicken (about ½ cup)
Nutritional info per tostada : Calories 251 (original recipe had 670 calories), Fat 7.2 g, 26% of calories (original recipe had 48 grams, 64% of calories), Sodium 352 mg (original recipe had 855 mg), carbohydrate, 20 grams (original recipe has 31 grams)
My friend Michael sent me a picture of himself and his co-workers celebrating The American Heart Association’s National Walking Day this Wednesday, April 3rd. I totally missed out on celebrating because I didn’t even know it existed, but you can still check out their website that has awesome info on the benefits of walking, finding walking paths, walking clubs, walking at work, etc. Check it out at www.startwalkingnow.org
What’s the twist???…balsamic vinegar. It’s a good way to add a burst of flavor and cut the fat out of your recipe. I use a 1:3 ratio of vinegar to mayo. But, you can add as little or as much as you want. I usually make my potato salad the previous day so that the flavors can soak in. Instead of adding more mayo the next day when the salad appears dry, I just add more vinegar. Give it a try! 🙂
This is a recipe that I did a makeover on. The original recipe was a contribution by my boss Georgia. 🙂 I included the nutritional analyses for before and after.
Ingredients for the cake:
6 TBSP Lite Margarine (I used Smart Balance spread in a tub)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated white sugar
4 egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 TBSP baking soda
1 package sugar free vanilla pudding (1.3 oz.)
1 cup fat free, plain Greek yogurt
Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP Lite Margarine (I used Smart Balance spread in a tub)
6 oz. MINI semi sweet morsels
¼ cup quick cooking oats
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
Cream butter and add brown and white sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla and blend together.
Combine flour, pudding mix and baking soda. Then add to creamed mixture alternately with the yogurt.
Combine topping ingredients; may have to blend together with your fingers to make sure that everything is incorporated well.
Spray a 9X13 inch pan with cooking spray and spoon batter evenly into it. Sprinkle chocolate morsel mixture over the mixture evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Nutritional info per piece (cut into 16 pieces): Calories 255 (original recipe had 410 calories), Fat 6.5 g, 23 % of calories (original recipe had 23.5 grams, 52% of calories), Sodium 377 mg (original recipe had 352 mg), carbohydrate, 43 grams (original recipe has 44 grams)
THIS RECIPE REDUCES THE ANMOUNT OF FAT BY 3 ½ TSPS PER PIECE!!!
I was introduced to these yummy juices from one of the students in my classes. They are made locally (Long Beach), organic, raw, and cold pressed. You can find them on www.rainbowjuices.com
I especially liked “Lucky Star.” The ginger in it gives it a real kick, but all three that I tasted were yummy!
I went to a really fun charity event with a friend of mine yesterday. The event had an asian theme and every single course had something on it that I haven’t tried before. On the upper left hand of the plate is an Okinawan potato puree…yes, purple mashed potatoes! 🙂 It was sweet just like regular sweet potatoes but had a smoother texture. These potatoes are originally from Japan, but are very popular in Hawaii. I’ve been to Hawaii so many times and have never tried them! They are also PACKED with antioxidants and I noticed they were on Doctor Oz’s superfoods list!
Although the smoothies at the chain juice joints are tasty, they are often a little too sweet for me. However, I just love the consistency. I felt like whenever I added yogurt to my smoothies, they just weren’t quite right. One day my sister Denise bought the frozen smoothie mix from the freezer section and I noticed they added in frozen pieces of yogurt. So, I made my own version using frozen yogurt. It has good consistency but is not as sweet
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup low sugar apple juice
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup frozen non fat greek yogurt (freeze it in something that is freezer safe. When you are ready use it, spoon the yogurt like ice cream by the tablespoon into your blender or Magic Bullet)
1/2 cup frozen fruit (I used strawberries)
Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy. This is for a single serving, but can also be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. if you are making this for more people. 🙂
March is here again and that means it is National Nutrition Month! The theme is “Eat right, your way, every day.” Basically, this means that we must all indivitualize our plans for a healthy lifestyle. We all don’t fit the same mold. For example, at work, I am calling for recipes from different cultures that I am making over to be a little healthier. No matter what culture, dietary or exercise preference, etc., we can all make our way towards a more health lifestyle.
Do any of you have any plans to make a new health goal this month?
