Oatmeal Pancakes, Clean Eating, and Indulging on Vacation

I just returned from the annual girls trip that my mom and I take every year to visit my grandpa in Amelia Island, Florida. I spent 10 days laying on the beach, walking on the beach, reading, and going to bed at about 8:30pm. It was a much needed break from reality, and my mom and I had a blast as always! My Papa is 90 years old and has had severe heart problems since he was in his 40s, so each year I am so grateful to have another opportunity to spend so much time with him.

I don't believe in dieting on vacation. In fact, I think you should be able to eat whatever you feel like on vacation (within reason). So, I indulged in peanut butter and jelly, potato chips, beer at lunch, beer in the shower, cocktail hour, crab dip, pizza, cookies, ice cream, pasta, bread... I could go on, but I think you get the idea... and I think I may have gained weight just typing that sentence.

One of the great things about consistently eating a healthy diet and regularly exercising is that you can get away with eating like total crap for a week and not completely destroy your waistline. I only gained about a pound while we were gone, but was feeling pretty gross.

To get rid of the vacation bloat (and my craving for chips and beer), I returned my focus to eating clean. If you simply choose healthy foods, there is no reason to go on a crazy diet or eliminate any food groups. I have been focusing on high protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and lots of water.

After a week of peanut butter and jelly with potato chips and beer for lunch, returning to healthy food can be a challenge. So I decided to go on a search for clean recipes that felt indulgent, but were actually healthy. I came across this recipe for oatmeal pancakes, which are so delicious that I have been eating them for breakfast every single day!

I know that combining egg whites and oatmeal sounds weird. My mother was thoroughly disgusted as I made these for the first time, until she saw how fluffy and delicious they turned out. I promise you can't taste the egg. You're just going to have to trust me on this one!

Oatmeal Pancakes
Taken from Kath Eats Real Food

Oatmeal pancake, topped with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup quick oats
1/3 cup egg whites (I like the 100% egg whites that come in a carton)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon to taste
Toppings to taste

Directions:
1. Mix together oats, egg whites, baking powder, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Preheat a skillet, spray with non-stick spray, and pour the batter into a large disc "pancake." If you use a large skillet, you will want to use a spoon to shape the batter into a pancake shape.
3. When you can shake it around in the pan, it's time to flip!
4. Once cooked through, add toppings of your choice. (Peanut butter, canned pumpkin, mashed banana, or maple syrup are all great ideas! My personal favorite is peanut butter).

Nutrition Information for plain oatmeal pancake
Serving size: 1 pancake
Calories: 139
Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 221.33mg
Carbohydrate: 18.65g
Protein: 11.32g

Now... let's compare that to a regular plain pancake.

Nutrition Information for plain homemade traditional pancake
Serving Size: 1 pancake
Calories: 227
Fat: 9.7g
Cholesterol: 59mg
Sodium: 439mg
Carbohydrate: 28.30g
Protein: 6.4g

The oatmeal pancakes are lower in calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium and carbohydrates than their traditional counterpart, and will keep you full for much longer with nearly twice as much protein! Plus, they only take about 5 minutes from start to finish, making them possible to eat even on the busiest of mornings. These would also be a great idea for kids who like processed frozen pancakes before school in the morning!

I hope you enjoy these clean "pancakes" as much as I have been! I'd love to hear what you choose to top yours with.

Peace, love and healthy food.

-Katie

Kid Approved Whole Wheat Pizza!

Mission Dietitian is back!

 

I am very excited to share that I completed all of my coursework in April, and have since moved on to the supervised practice portion of my journey. In order to be able to sit for the registration exam, you must accumulate 1200 hours of supervised practice. I will spend the rest of this year completing rotations in acute care, long term care, pediatrics, school food service, community nutrition, and a specialty rotation of my choice.

 

My first rotation was spent at Oak Pavilion Nursing Center in Clifton, which was surprisingly awesome. The patients were great, as was getting to practice my counseling skills one on one. It was sad to leave the patients at the end of my rotation and I often wonder how they are doing. Perhaps a visit to volunteer is in order! 

 

I am currently 2 weeks into my school food service rotation with Norwood Schools. Their program has blown me away with their focus on health, wellness and real food. They are currently working to get back to cooking completely from scratch, have eliminated snack vending machines, and only serve dessert items on special occasions. I have been having a great time helping out with serving summer lunches and educating the kids on healthy eating.

 

One of the projects I have completed for Norwood was to develop a whole grain pizza crust recipe to replace the frozen crust they have been using. The recipe also had to meet the National School Lunch Program guidelines for whole grains. For the purposes of this school lunch program, 2 ounces of grain must be provided at each meal and half of that grain must be whole grain.

 

The Whole Grain Council put out a great recipe and that was tested on my guinea pigs, ahem... my family. They managed to choke down two pizzas without too much of a struggle, so I prepared another batch so I could do a taste test with the kids.

 

This past Friday, I served pizza samples to 83 children between the ages of 1 to 18. They each tried the sample and answered a few taste test questions. Overall, 89% of them loved it and actually preferred it to the frozen Tony's pizza that was served for lunch that day!

 

I thought I would share the recipe with all of you to try at home! Making pizza from scratch is a great way to get the entire family in the kitchen and involved in the cooking process. Summer is a great time to experiment with lots of different home grown veggies and herbs as toppings!

 

Don't be intimidated if you have never made a bread item from scratch before. This recipe is quite easy and the dough is VERY forgiving!

 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Makes two 16" pizzas

(1 serving = one 2" slice)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 c. Whole wheat flour

2 c. All purpose flour

1/2 c. Dry oats

1 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. Active dry yeast

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Honey

1 1/2 c. Warm water

 

Directions:

 

Mix 1 cup each of white and whole wheat flour, oats, yeast and salt

Heat water to 125º, and then add honey. (Heating water in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds is about right. Don't get it too hot or you will kill the yeast and the crust won't rise)

Gradually add water to dry mixture. Mix for 2 minutes.

Add remaining flour, mixing well after each addition.

Knead dough for 10 minutes. Don't know how to knead? It's easy! Check out this video.

Spray with cooking spray. Cover with saran wrap. Let rise in warm place until double. The inside of your oven is a great place to let the crust rise since it is free from drafts! Just make sure not to turn the oven on!

Divide dough into equal parts. Roll and place in 16” pizza pans. Cover and let rise again, at least 45 minutes.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

 

Here is a picture of the finished product I made for Norwood Food Service!

 

 

 

I promise more to come about my adventures in interning very soon. Thanks for reading and enjoy the pizza!

 



Peace, love and healthy food,

Katie



 

 



 

 

 

Carrot Ginger Soup and Other Happenings

So, remember a few months ago when I said that things would be slowing down for summer semester, and I would be able to post more regularly? Yeah... about that. It turns out that cramming 14 weeks of Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Medical Ethics into 7 weeks is a lot of work. Let me tell you about what has been going on in the little bit of spare time I have had.

I was really honored to be a guest blogger for my friend Missy's blog. Missy is my voice teacher, friend,  and really just an all around amazing person. I chose to write about the journey that led me back to school, and you can read what I wrote by clicking Here. Missy's blog is brilliant, so check out her posts while you are there.

You can also now find Mission Dietitian on Facebook! To like me on facebook and receive more regular updates, please click the link to the right of your screen!

I have been cooking up a storm lately, and am finding all kinds of new recipes using fresh summer produce. This carrot ginger soup is one of my favorite lunches right now. It's easy, healthy, has anti inflammatory powers, and it is perfect for the rainy weather we have been having. It's also a great way to use up some of those zucchini you have growing in your garden!
 

Carrot Ginger Soup

Carrot ginger soup, served with a flatbread cracker and hummus, and mixed greens topped with carrot, avocado, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds.

1.5 pounds carrots, chopped

1 large zucchini, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (I use the kind in a jar, about 1.5 teaspoons)

Ginger (I use the kind in the jar, about a heaping tablespoon)

2 cups water

Cinnamon, cumin, onion powder and black pepper, to taste. (I use a teaspoon of everything but black pepper, which I use .5 teaspoon)

In a large pot, bring the vegetables, spices and water to a simmer. Once tender, puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender. Adjust spices as needed. 

Makes 4 servings

87 calories, .19g fat, 119mg sodium, 8g sugar. 

To add 5g protein, top with a handful of sunflower seeds!

"Super Bugs" Invading our Food System

For the first semester of summer, I am taking Microbiology at UC. I have really been surprised about two things:

1. I love Microbiology (I was expecting to be bored and ended up being fascinated).
2. I am amazed at how little is explained to the general public about how bacteria work.

You might be thinking:
1. That you don't really care about bacteria
2. That my blog is supposed to be about nutrition
3. That you are not in the mood to read through a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo.

Hey. I get that. But let me show you WHY you should care, how it relates to the food you eat, and in a way that (hopefully) doesn't make you want to take a nap or get out a dictionary. First, we have to talk a little bit about antibiotics. I know... I know. Just bear with me.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics were first introduced to the public in 1944 and were considered to be "miracle drugs" used to treat a variety of diseases. There is no "miracle" behind the drugs, which are produced from microorganisms in the soil. Basically, antibiotics target and destroy specific parts of bacterial cells, which ultimately causes the bacteria to die.

In 1945 Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin, warned the public about the abuse of antibiotics, saying that misuse could lead to mutant strains of bacteria that would be resistant to the new "miracle drug."

Unfortunately, we did not listen. In 1954, 2 million pounds of antibiotics were produced in the U.S.; today the figure exceeds 50 million pounds.

Where are the antibiotics going?

About half of the antibiotics produced in the U.S. each year are used for human treatment, and another 40 percent are given to animals. Some amount of that is used to treat or prevent infection; but the majority is mixed into animal feed and water to promote their growth and prevent infection from unsanitary living conditions.

Why do you care?

Antibiotic resistance

So, you are sick. There are millions of bacteria inside you making you feel awful. You take an antibiotic so you can feel better. Some of the bacteria inside of you are killed by the antibiotic, but others are susceptible.

Your antibiotic kills the susceptible bacteria in your body. It also kills all the good bacteria that are always living inside you.

Once this happens, the resistant bacteria no longer has any competition. Since the resistant guy doesn't have to worry about fighting off any other bacteria,  he can dedicate all of his energy to reproducing. This is how we end up with mutant "super bugs."



Strains of at least 3 bacteria capable of causing life threatening disease are now resistant to every antibiotic we have access to. Some communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and MRSA, are now on the rise again partially due to antibiotic resistance.

What does this have to do with my food?

I have bored you enough, so I will let this cartoon do the talking:


This doesn't just apply to livestock. Antibiotics are present in manure which is used to grow fruits and vegetables, which then absorb the antibiotic. Choosing foods without antibiotics can help reverse the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Here is what you should look for:

Meat

Both of these labels guarantee that animals were raised on organic feed, hay and pasture. No antibiotics or synthetic hormones are given to these animals. Yes, they are going to be a little more expensive. To combat the added cost, consume high quality meat a few times per week, and add more vegetarian meals into your routine. (Did you know that Americans eat 10-12 times more meat than the average person worldwide?)

Here are two major American meat brands that are sold in grocery stores for you to keep an eye out for. And you don't have to go to specialty food stores like Whole Foods to find them, either!

Applegate Farms
Kroger and Meijer

Organic Prairie
Jungle Jim's and Biggs

Fruits and Vegetables

Certified organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics. Make sure that you look for the USDA certified organic seal when you purchase fruits and vegetables at your grocery store.

It isn't necessary to purchase all of your produce organic. Fruits and vegetables with skin that we eat, as well as those grown completely underground are much more susceptible to absorbing antibiotics from their environment. As a general rule of thumb, you can follow this guide:



Again, organic fruits and vegetables may be slightly higher in cost. I have always had good luck finding reasonably priced organic produce at Kroger, Meijer, and Trader Joe's. Sometimes you can even find organic produce in Kroger's 10/$10 ads!

If you can't stomach the added cost, try to wash your produce thoroughly before you eat it to remove any antibiotic residue that may be present on the food.

In Conclusion

For the average person, it is impossible to eat organic or grass fed all the time. It's all about making smart choices when you are able. For instance, I choose not to eat meat, and I buy my produce and milk organic whenever possible. I also try to eat at restaurants that use locally sourced and organic ingredients.

Choosing antibiotic free foods is just one way to protect yourself. Don't demand that your doctor put you on an antibiotic when they don't think it's necessary, and finish antibiotics when they are prescribed. Don't share antibiotics with friends or family. Wash your hands with regular soap that doesn't contain an antibacterial agent.

If we as a society don't begin to reverse the antibiotic resistance problem, bacteria that were once easily killed could become unstoppable killers.


 

Grill Worthy Veggie Burgers

About 3 years ago, I made the decision to stop eating meat for a number of health, animal right, and agricultural reasons. I have never looked back, but on occasion I miss things like fried chicken, barbecue ribs, and a good grilled hamburger.

This memorial day, I wanted to grill a hamburger. And not a frozen veggie burger patty that is shaped like a hockey put and falls apart and through the grill grates the second it defrosts. I wanted something homemade that would have tons of flavor, not fall apart on the grill, and take on that grilled flavor that I miss so much.

I set out to find the perfect recipe, and I stumbled upon one which promised to deliver the perfect grilled veggie burger. We tried them out yesterday for Memorial Day, and I have to say that they were absolutely delicious! They were moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside, full of flavor, and stayed together on the grill. Even better, these burgers are packed full of nutrition, which makes them extremely filling. I ate my whole burger but wished I had stopped at half once my food coma set in!

Don't be intimidated by the prep work... it really isn't as bad as it looks! I think it took me about 20 minutes to put these together, and it was WELL worth it. Meat eaters... fear not. Even my meat loving father (who has been forced into vegetarianism by my mom and me) enjoys a veggie burger for lunch nearly every day. If you aren't feeling brave enough to try this recipe, check out my favorite frozen brands at the end of this post!

Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 cup oats, processed into flour (about 1 minute in the food processor, until it looks like flour)
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Worcestershire Sauce (to taste... I think we used about 1/4 cup)
• Garlic salt (to taste)

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until tender and translucent.

2. Combine everything but the Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt in a large bowl, mix with hands until well combined.

3. Once the ingredients are well combined, add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt to taste.

4. With slightly wet hands, shape the dough into patties. The recipe yields 8 burgers, but we made them a little larger and ended up with 6.

5. Grill until cooked through, and enjoy!

Before grilling

After grilling, topped with cheddar cheese!

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 patty
Calories: 258
Calories from fat: 88.7

% Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet

Total fat: 9.86g (15%)
Saturated fat: 1.19g (5%)
Cholesterol: 69.38g (5%)
Sodium: 246.23g (10%)
Total carbohydrate: 31.04g (10%)
Dietary Fiber: 5.19g (20%)
Sugar: 2.56g
Protein: 10.75g (21%)

If you would like to try a veggie burger but don't want to mess with all of the prep and/or grilling, here are some of my favorite frozen burgers for you to check out! All of these come out great in the microwave, which makes them a great option for a quick and healthy meal. I used to pack them for lunches at work, along with a  sandwich thin bun, side salad and some fruit.

Don't Ruin a Healthy Salad!

Today when I got in from my run, I was craving a salad. I pulled a bunch of random stuff out of the refrigerator and ended up with spring greens, cucumber, mushroom, tomato, red onion and tofu. We were out of my favorite raspberry vinaigrette dressing, so I started checking out the nutrition labels of the different bottles we had in the fridge... and I just couldn't justify putting any of them on top of my beautiful healthy salad.

Most people make salads in an attempt to eat healthy and lose weight, but the way you choose to dress your salad can mean the difference between a healthy choice and a calorie and fat packed meal. Many of the bottled salad dressings out there are full of calories, fat and added sodium. For instance, Ken's Steakhouse Thousand Island dressing packs 13% of your daily sodium and 20% of your daily fat!




You may think you have been avoiding diet disaster by choosing the light version of your favorite dressing... but sadly that may not be the case. Hidden Valley Ranch Light dressing packs 12% of your daily sodium and 11% of your daily fat into TWO tablespoons.



Rather than smother my salad in calories, fat, sodium and ingredients I can't pronounce...I decided to whip up my own dressing. There are a million easy recipes out there, this is just what I created off the top of my head. It took me about 5 minutes and satisfied the tangy sweet flavor that I was craving. This would also be great on sandwiches or as a marinade for chicken breasts. It was a little higher in sugar than I wanted it to be.. but hey... I was improvising.

Katie's Honey Mustard Dressing

Makes about 4 two tablespoon servings

1/4 cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Combine oil, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl and combine well. Add yogurt and honey, and stir until all ingredients are combined.

Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
Calories: 50
Fat: 3.63g
Sodium: 63mg
Sugars: 3.4g
Protein: 1.65g

If you can't avoid buying bottled dressings, try to find brands that contain no more than 50 calories and 140mg or less of sodium per 2 tablespoons. They can be hard to find, so here are a few suggestions for you to check out:

Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing
Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Annie's Lite Honey Mustard
Whole Foods 365 Raspberry Vinaigrette

I hope that these tips will help you keep your salads light and healthy this summer. Enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the fresh fruits and veggies that come with it!

There's An App For That!

The majority of the people that I spend time with consider their cell phones to be an extension of their arm.You can use your phone to check social media, get directions, check email, read books, listen to music...the list goes on. Our phones keep us in constant contact with each other and the world around us. While this can be annoying at times (like when your dinner partner finds their phone more interesting than you, but I digress) it is really pretty amazing what our phones can do. 

Did you know that there are all kinds of apps out there that can take some of the mystery out of healthy eating? So, put Candy Crush on pause, stop checking your Facebook news feed for the millionth time today, and check out some of my favorite apps that can make healthy eating simple.

#1. Fooducate

I am a weirdo who loves to stand in the aisle of the grocery store for hours and read nutrition labels as if they were popular novels. But, labels can be confusing with their many health claims and ingredients you can't pronounce. 

Fooducate is like having your own personal grocery shopping adviser who helps you decide what to buy. When you download Fooducate, you create a profile with your height, weight, and activity level. You then specify your goals, which could include losing weight, controlling carbohydrates, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, avoiding processed food, or eating vegetarian, to name a few.

In the grocery store, you scan the bar code of a food item and Fooducate grades the item on a scale from A to D based on your goals. The grade a food receives is based on the nutrition facts panel and the ingredient list. Minimally processed, nutrient dense foods score better than processed foods that use fortification to appear healthy. 

Fooducate is available for FREE on the iPhone and android. You can also read more about it here!

#2. Food on the Table

How does a weekly meal plan, healthy recipes your kids will love, savings at the grocery store, and an organized grocery list sound to you? Like a lot of work? Like you would need to be a Stepford wife to make it happen? I hear you. I used to spend my Sunday mornings going through store ads, clipping coupons, planning meals, and making my grocery list. Again, I am a freak of nature and most people don't have time for this. 

Food on the Table helps you plan healthy meals while saving time and money. When you make your meal plan for the week, you can select from a database of thousands of healthy recipes that don't require a lot of work. You can even pick your meals based on foods that are on sale in your store's weekly circular ad! Once you plan your meals, Food on the Table makes you an organized grocery list that will save you valuable time at the store. 

You can read more about Food on the Table by clicking here! It is available for FREE on the iPhone and
android.

#3. The Daily Plate 

 I started using the web version of The Daily Plate back in 2007. Of the many calorie trackers I have tried, this is my favorite. This app helps you reach your diet and fitness goals by tracking your daily calories and exercise. It boasts the largest food database on the Internet, and I personally think it is the easiest to use. 

When you set up your profile, you indicate your height, weight, activity level, and goal. You can choose to lose a certain amount of weight, maintain your current weight, or gain weight. The app will tell you not only how many calories you should consume, but it will give you allowances for fat, carbohydrates, protein, sugar, and salt. 

To track your daily food intake, you just type the food into the database, select it, and add it to your meal. What I love about The Daily Plate is that literally EVERYTHING is in their database. It is not limited to packaged foods, and you can even plug in your favorite recipes and have the app analyze their nutrition content. 

The Daily Plate app is $2.99 for the iPhone, Blackberry, or Android. I promise you that it's worth every penny, but if you want to try it out for free first, you can sign up for the web version for free by clicking here!

Healthy eating doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming, and I hope that these apps will help take some of the confusion and stress out of it for you. If you have a favorite app that I have not listed here, please tell me about it in the comments section! I am always looking for new nutrition tools to geek out over.