Eat Right to Boost Immunity – National Nutrition Month

I don’t know about where you live, but there are lots of nasty illnesses going around - from the flu to strep to this weird stomach ache that is nicely paired with a low grade headache and an all-over achy body.  Our family was lucky to have the stomach cluster issue all last week, but have (so far) warded off the other stuff.  Don’t be surprised when I tell you that our eating patterns can help protect or put us at risk for all the nastiness out there.  Good nutrition is essential to keeping your immune system strong.

March happens to be National Nutrition Month, and every March we encourage everyone to get back to the basics of healthy eating.  This year’s theme, “Get Your Plate in Shape,” is a perfect reminder in using food as a weapon against a variety of illnesses from the minor to the major.  So many people turn to popping supplements that they forget the power that food has in doing the trick better!  The USDA’s MyPlate is a great visual of how we should build our plates. 

Here are some ways to “Get Your Plate in Shape” and also boost that immune system:

·        Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green, red and orange varieties. Add fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruits to meals and snacks.  Fruits and vegetables are loaded with immunity-boosting capabilities including key nutrients such as vitamins A and C (especially orange and yellow varieties).

·         Make at least half your grains whole: Choose 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice. Check the ingredients list on food packages to find whole-grain foods.  Whole grains including fortified cereals and breads contain zinc has been a key player in maximizing immunity.

·         Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk: Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage.  High in protein and vitamin D, these are also two things that help ward off illness.  Some research suggests that vitamin D may help reduce the incidence of the flu.  And if they happen to get the flu, it is important to have adequate levels to fight off the illness. 

·         Vary your protein choices: Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, nuts and beans, as well as lean meat, poultry and eggs.  Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. And be sure to choose seafood as the protein at least twice a week.  Lean meat, poultry, beans and nuts are all good sources of zinc.  Non-meat sources of protein include beans, nuts and tofu.  Protein is the basic building block of immune cells, so it is vital for both the prevention and treatment of illness.  

·         Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars: Compare sodium in foods and choose those with lower numbers, and season your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt. Switch from solid fats to healthy oils like olive and canola oil. Replace sugary drinks with water and choose fruit for dessert.   High sugar foods have a tendency to have less nutrients to fuel that immune system.

·         Enjoy your foods but eat less: Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl and glass. Cook more often at home where you are in control of what’s in your food. When eating out, choose lower calorie menu options.  Overeating and being overweight can stress your body out, which can lead to a variety of illnesses including cancer.

·         Be physically active your way: Adults need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of physical activity every week. Choose activities that you enjoy, and start by doing as much as you can.  Exercise has been shown to fight off infections, although they aren’t fully sure how.  Some theories include flushing bacteria through the lungs, temporarily increasing body temperature to kill bacteria and decreasing stress hormones.

Other ways to keep immunity boosted nicely is to get plenty of sleep and keep stress levels to a minimum.  I know this is easier said than done sometimes, so make sure you have people around you to encourage and support you in this thing we call “life.”

Throughout the month of March, I will discuss other practical ways to "Get Your Plate in Shape."  What are your barriers to eating healthy?  I would love to hear from you!  We can address them together.

For more information on National Nutrition Month, head over to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics webpage to check out some fun nutrition games and practical food suggestions by topic.

Keys to Cooking Healthy + Tasty + Quick with Cindy Kleckner, RD, LD

I went to the most awesome cooking class a couple weeks ago at the Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch.  Aptly named Sizzling Simplicity: Asian Wok Cookery, it was a class on preparing quick, sweet or savory variations of Asian dishes using a wok.  Our chef immediately drew us in with her passion for playing in the kitchen with different tastes and flavors, as she casually discussed her love for food and nutrition.  We learned how to cook – and got to taste firsthand – 3 different dishes.  The aromas of these different dishes filled the room and tantalized our palates even before the food hit our mouths!  I left inspired to cook more Asian dishes, and I also left very impressed by our instructor.

The chef was Cindy Kleckner, RD. LD.  Cindy is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian who has worked in the Cooper Clinic Nutrition Department for over 10 years specializing in weight management, cardiovascular health, corporate wellness and nutritional culinary events.  Cindy has contributed to several books authored by the reknown Dr. Kenneth Cooper.  But just recently, she co-authored the Hypertension Cookbook for Dummies with Roseanne Rust, MS, RD, LDN.  I picked up a copy of the book and was blown away by all the great advice (and recipes!) that Cindy and Roseanne included in this book.  Regardless of whether or not you have hypertension, this book is a must-have for your kitchen cookbook library.

Cindy Kleckner, RD, LD

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a one-on-one interview with Cindy.  We got to talk about her food and cooking philosophy, her book and the cooking classes and on-on-one nutrition counseling she offers here locally:

1.  What started first - your love for nutrition or your love for cooking?   
Funny, even as a kid I had an interest in  food.....coming from an ethnic family (Polish) we had very strong   traditions.  My father died of a massive heart attack at age 33 so we focused more on prevention even though we didn't realize it at the time.  Nutrition and dietetics was such a great fit for me. My beloved Easy Bake oven was a fave back in the day!!

2.  Many people associate healthy cooking with less flavor.    How do you cook healthy without sacrificing taste?    Healthy cooking and taste can co-exist by utilizing all the wonderful   herbs and spices, aromatic vegetables such as shallots, garlic, onions, flavored vinegars, specialty oils like walnut oil and sesame oil and using a variety of cooking methods such as roasting that bring out the natural   caramelization in food.   The ingredients just mentioned provide not only wonderful flavor, but also a   health component by adding antioxidants and phytochemicals.

3.  I get people in my office that just seem resistant to explore recipes, or even try to cook.  What can you say to get a mom or dad cooking even when they declare that they are not a cook?   
It is THE BEST gift you can give to future generations to   spend some time exploring in the kitchen, taking a field trip to the farmers market and modeling that food IS indeed an important part of  our   health.  There are classes offered for families which make an exciting, family activity.  It is also a good way to reign in the food budget by learning how to cook fresh food fast.

4.  Families are busier than ever right now, and making meals at   home is a tall order.  I am a big proponent of increasing family meals  because they have benefits that go beyond nutrition.  What are some key things that you think would help the average family get home cooked meals on   the table without too much fuss? 
Techniques such as foil pouch dinners (just like girl scout camp outs) which can be prepared   ahead of time and placed in the oven or on the grill -  and done in no  time.  Both Stir fry and crock pot cookery are also excellent ways to get food on the table fast.  Recipes are included in our cookbook. We've seen a decline in culinary literacy to the point  that most people are lost without packaged food and take-out   containers.  I guarantee that a few sessions in my demo kitchen will help families gain confidence to get cooking the healthy way.

5.  People want recipes that are not only for one healthy,   but two, are tasty and three, easy to prepare.  I call it the difficult trifecta!  What things does someone look for in a recipe and/or   recipe book that can give one insight into hitting these three items?    
If it’s an old family favorite, ingredients can be substituted to reduce fast, sugar and salt such as substituting canned evaporated skim milk for whole milk or cream.   Wholesome, high quality  ingredients   (whole food) need only simple cooking techniques - such as a piece of   deliciously grilled wild salmon served with a squeeze of a grilled half lemon,  or rubbed with  some smoked paprika, cinnamon,   thyme  and orange zest........a real party in your  mouth!

6.  I love your new book, Hypertension forDummies.  You and   Roseanne rust, MS, RD, LDN did a phenomenal job. This is so much more than a high blood pressure cookbook!  You have so many tips and   suggestions along with tons of recipes categorized by meal type such   as breakfast, lunch, dinner and even a host of vegetarian dishes.  I love your section on meal planning. What are the best features you think might   be especially helpful for families?

Plan ahead.  Falling to plan is planning to fail in the way of shopping, cooking and eating healthier.  When it comes to feeding a family -   exposure to new foods - don't' fall prey to the usual chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.  Take the opportunity to educate young palates with a variety   of different foods.  If you get the whole family involved in the process they will "buy into the program!"

7.  High blood pressure does affect everyone of all ages these  days.  What are some important things to know about eating to lower blood pressure?
It’s not always about "giving up" but rather what to add to make your diet healthier.  Besides being conscious of sodium intake, it is very important to substitute plant protein, add fruits,  vegetables and more whole grains to the diet to add potassium, magnesium and calcium. Here is a cheat sheet I created that will help your readers:  Cindy’s hypertension cheat sheet.

8.  I absolutely love watching you in action at your cooking  classes.  They are chocked full of super practical cooking tips that make people want to get into   their kitchen and get cooking.  Tell me about the cooking classes you offer, and what someone would learn in   them.  Thank you Angela.  My philosophy is as follows:

- > Cooking wholesome, "real" food in combination with nutrition education can help motivate positive behavior change by making food more exciting and satisfying.

-> Promote healthy relationships with food, healthy respect for food and an appreciation for sustainable agriculture and seasonality which help to exercise more restraint.

-> Help clients get back to the basics with selection and preparation of food.  Often the biggest barrier to modify diet is lack of skills in the kitchen.

-> My goal is to educate, inspire, build confidence and help make the kitchen a more user-friendly place while having fun!

9. What other services do you offer at Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch?
All of the nutrition services are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! No membership required to experience nutrition at Cooper!  Currently, I offer:

- Private Nutrition Consultations to help people achieve long-term  nutrition goals.

-  4-week Hands-On Kitchen Boot Camp that provides participants with the arsenal to help win the kitchen battle with quick and easy tips to get fresh food on the  table fast. Success comes with reviewing basic nutrition information, meal planning, writing menus, stocking pantry, knife skills  supermarket tips, healthy cooking tips, recipe rehab and learning fundamentals of flavor building. There is an emphasis on actual food preparation in this class.

- Monthly themed culinary demos at the state-of-the-art demo kitchen offer unique and memorable education experience.   Themes vary every month based on health related such as "Heart month"  or Chinese new year or Kentucky Derby, Mardi Gras  etc.  During these informative classes, you observe the preparation of the food, taste samples and interact with group for a lively discussion.

- Worksite Wellness Programs

- Culinary Tem Building Events, a unique and effective way to build team spirit, break down office stereotypes  where clients chop, dice and sauté their way to better communication, sales and management skills.

To find out more about the services that Cindy Kleckner, RD, LD offers, contact the Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch at 214-383-1000.

FREE WEBINAR THIS THURSDAY: Reclaiming The Dinner Table

Would you like to win 6 months of free dinner meal plans that come with their own shopping lists?  Well, then join me for a FREE webinar this Thursday, November 10, 2011 when I discuss, "Reclaiming the Dinner Table."  Everyone that attends the webinar will go into a drawing to win to use my new recipe dinner plan, "Eat with Angela."  One winner will be drawn.

Here is the information: In today's day and age, many families are completely separated during a time when they should be connecting - during mealtimes. Schedules are tight, so many are eating on the run instead of having that intentional time to stop, relax and enjoy food flavors and company. And we know that the benefits of having family dinners goes way beyond the benefits of nutrition.

If you are ready to make family dinners a priority in your life, join us for a free webinar. Angela Lemond, Registered Dietitian and family nutrition expert will be discussing all the benefits of family dinners in addition to very practical was busy families can make dinners happen at home.

Objectives:
• Understand the long-last benefits that family meal have on children and families
• Explain how mealtimes are a great time to model healthy eating behaviors to children
• Offer practical meal suggestions that will get dinner on the table fast!

Presentation time: 45 minutes
Q&A: 15 minutes

Regsiter today!  There are two times to choose from:

10:00-11:00 A.M. Central Standard Time

8:00-9:00 P.M. Central Standard Time

More Than a Meal: Benefits of Eating Together

This past weekend, I was honored to speak at the Texas PTA Leadership Conference in Austin, TX on the importance of family mealtimes. The benefits of family meals go far beyond nutrition. Did you know that young people who reported eating dinner with their family 5 or more times per week were much likelier to report receiving either all A’s or mostly A’s and B’s in school? Other key items from research include:

• Mealtime conversations help children acquire and improve the language skills that are critical for school success. Children learn new vocabulary, sentence structure, and how to share their point of view with other people.

The benefits of family meals go beyond nutrition.

• Conversations at the family table taught children more vocabulary than they learned from their parents reading books to them.

• Elementary school children who did well in class and on achievement tests were those who generally spent larger amounts of time eating meals with their families.

• Eating meals with their family was a stronger predictor of academic success than whether they lived with one or both parents.

• The more often families eat together the less likely teens are to smoke cigarettes, use illegal drugs, abuse alcohol, become depressed, develop eating disorders, or get pregnant.

Nutrition Benefits
We can’t deny the family mealtime benefits on your child’s current and future nutrition. They include:

• More likely to have a healthy weight

• Less likely to become or stay overweight

• Less likely to develop an eating disorder

• Family meals during adolescence had a lasting positive influence on the quality of their diets and meal patterns, such as eating breakfast. In other words, having family meals with your teenagers improves their chances of eating right in their 20’s.

• Young people who eat more often with their families have higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.

• For teens, more regular family meals mean fewer fried foods and soft drinks. These adolescents also have higher intakes of key nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamins A, B6, C, E, and folate, as well as fiber.

Keeping It Simple
The great thing to know is that the meal does not need to be complicated to have all of these great benefits. If you are super strapped for time, these ideas don’t even need a recipe:

• Flank steak with tossed salad and frozen vegetables

• Pasta with frozen or canned shrimp, sautéed in olive oil with onion and garlic

• Cheese omelet with tossed salad

• Tuna salad in a whole wheat wrap made with reduced-fat mayonnaise

• Black beans and brown or wild rice with frozen veggies

• Spinach salad with grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, and slivered almonds

• Peanut butter and banana sandwich on 100% whole-wheat bread

• Hamburgers (made with lean ground beef) on whole-grain buns, with boiled potatoes and frozen vegetables

Add some skim/1% milk as a beverage, add quick veggies as needed and serve fresh fruit as a dessert – and you have a very well-rounded stress-free meal.  Remember, eliminate all distractions and make all mealtime discussions pleasant and friendly.  Involve your kids in the recipe selection, shopping and preparation for maximum impact.  And if you are not eating at least 5 meals as a family, consider adding one per week. Dinner is a great time, but breakfasts and lunches work as well.

Eating together is one of the best things we can do as a family to enrich the quality of our children’s lives. Commit today to make family meals a priority in your home and watch all the great things that will follow.

Parenting Styles and Child Feeding: What Does It Mean?

Health professionals were reminded in a great study that came out in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association back in 2008 that we must address parenting styles and family dynamics if we want to be successful in implementing dietary change in families. This study is consistent with many others published.  So with that, what is your parenting style? (If you haven’t yet, take the quiz in my previous post: Parenting Styles & Family Feeding: Take the Quiz!)

The good work started by psychologist researcher, Diana Baumrind, in the 1960’s helped us identify these 3 types of parenting styles – authoritarian, authoritative and permissive parenting. Now there are psychologists adding other styles, but we will zero in on the original three. The research I have done along with my own experiences with many family interventions reveal that authoritative parenting correlates to the best family feeding practices and lowest incidence of childhood overweight. Why? Because authoritative parents have a tendency to do the things pediatric dietitians and feeding experts recommend: monitor unhealthful child behaviors such as sugar and fat consumption; positively monitor, and take responsibility to promote child health and well-being through limit setting. They also have a tendency to model healthful lifestyles, which is a key component in your child’s learning process. On the other hand, authoritarian parents tend to food restrict and/or pressure children to eat regardless of the child’s desires. Permissive parents have a tendency toward poor healthy lifestyle modeling.  Therefore, it is not surprising that authoritarian and permissive homes produce the most overweight children.

The right parenting style may make your meal
times even more enjoyable.

So what’s the take home? It is clear that children need structure and clear guidelines when it comes to all kinds of behavior. But they also need and desire to have choice in matters. So, combine clear limits with the allowance of your child to make their own choice within those guidelines. Many child feeding specialists believe that regular and consistent times for meals and snacks promote feeding confidence in a child. The choices you give your child need to be age-appropriate as well. As an example, I allow my 6 year-old daughter to choose from a large selection of healthy snacks in our refrigerator and/or pantry during snack time. They are all there for her choosing. She feels empowered to make her own choice within the acceptable selection, and I am pleased that she is having a healthy choice.

If you took the quiz and found that you lean more towards a parenting style other than authoritative, don’t be upset. Many times our parenting styles fluctuate between the three styles. For instance, I notice that I sometimes deviate towards permissiveness when I am really tired, or more authoritarian-like when I am angry. So, take heart and know that knowledge is power. This information is designed to remind all of us as parents to be invested, consistent and clear about parenting for the sake of our home atmosphere as well as for the future of our children – in all areas, including feeding. If you want to read more about Diana Baumrind’s work on parenting styles, go to UC Berkeley's Institute for Human Development page.

More Reading:

Kyung E. Rhee, Julie C. Lumeng, Danielle P. Appugliese, Niko Kaciroti and Robert H. Bradley. Parenting Styles and Overweight Status in First Grade. Pediatrics 2006;117;2047-2054.

Hubbs-Tait L, Kennedy TS, Page MC, Topham GL, Harrist AW. Parental feeding practices predict authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jul;108(7):1154-61.

Wake M, Nicholson JM, Hardy P, Smith K. Preschooler obesity and parenting styles of mothers and fathers: Australian national population study. Pediatrics. 2007 Dec;120(6):e1520-7.

Kyung Rhee. Parenting Style, and Family Functioning. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2008 615: 11

Wellness Lock-In: A 'Must Do' For All Families

I had an epiphany this past weekend. What if families scheduled random "wellness lock-ins" every 3 months or so where they purposely worked on healthy family lifestyle components? You know, things such as:

- Emphasized family time
- Family-wide random activities such as going to the park, riding bikes, painting, cooking (at least one physical activity)
- Meals together the entire weekend, emphasis on nutrient-rich/healthy cuisine
- Read stories together
- Plenty of sleep with naps an option any or all of the days
- Reflect on old pictures, tell family stories, things that remind your children of their preciousness & uniqueness
- Minimize computer and television time to 2 hours daily (or none at all)

These types of weekends should be sacred, so that would mean no other obligations other than family time. Day after day, I meet families that say they are too busy to do many of the things that I suggest in my private nutrition consulting practice. But if you scheduled an entire weekend devoted to doing just these things, I believe that it would set the pace for a new emphasis and outlook. We all have Blackberry’s, iPhones and/or other devices that dictate where we will be at any given moment, so why not schedule sacred family time and decline other things that may come up during that time? Let our calendars work in our favor for once!

I have to admit, my last minute trip to the northeast was cancelled. Since nothing else was planned, I was able to have uninterrupted time with my precious family. There was nothing on our social calendar, so we did all these things mentioned above. It was such a gloriously enriching weekend that made me think about all the other families out there that need to do the same thing. This just happened for us this weekend, but I can assure you that we will have these planned out in the future.  You see, we should never be too busy to make time for the most important people in our lives but sadly, so often we are. If we don’t have our priorities straight, we cannot live out and model the healthy lifestyle we so badly want for our own children.

I want to issue a challenge to your family. Take the Wellness Lock-In Challenge at least one time between now and the end of the year by blacking out an entire weekend just to hang out with your family. If you decide to do this, do not make a bunch of set plans (i.e., (9-10am bike ride, 10-10:30 reading, etc. No!). Instead, just keep it open and allow the love you share take the lead. I promise you that it will be the most nourishing thing you and your family can do on so many levels.  Set aside the weekend, and take the challenge!

Our "Wellness Lock-In" consisted of empowering the kids
to have fun with food and assist with meal preparation!
What will yours entail?

Wisdom From a Foodie Dietitian

In my industry, there are different types of dietitians.  My claim is clinical dietetics and practical wellness nutrition.  Dietitians that specialize in the culinary end of eating are usually nicknamed "foodie dietitians."  Since I consider myself more of a foodie wanna be,   I recently caught up with one of my favorite true blue foodies, Robin Plotkin, RD, LD, to get her perspective on family feeding for Mommy Dietitian readers.

Robin Plotkin, RD, LD and her son having some
fun with food.

Q: What are 3 top things that families can begin doing today that would help them pull healthy dinners together faster/more efficiently?

A:
1. Make a meal plan! We make plans for our after school actives, our workouts, our social lives....it’s critical to make plans for dinner. I encourage people to start slowly-just plan for 3 nights worth of healthy dinners at home and go from there. That way, you know you have at least 3 meals covered for the week. There are great resources out there for meal planning if you are someone who struggles with this-I love http://www.sixoclockscramble.com/, http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/ and http://www.myfridgefood.com/ are a few websites I routinely recommend.

2. Gather the groceries! Once you have the meal plans in place, having the food handy seals the deal. Take your plan, make your list and off you go! It can be on a sticky note or an Excel spreadsheet-whatever works for you. If you are a beginner at meal planning, I recommend taking recipe ingredients word for word-as you hone your skills, you will be able to mix and match ingredients and find different uses for them as you go along.

3. Relax! Kids take their cues from the parents. If you enjoy preparing healthy meals for the family and look forward to spending time around the table, the kids will, too. If you are stressed, frustrated or would rather have a root canal instead of making dinner for the family, they will know and will feed off of the negative energy that you may be inadvertently sharing with them when it comes to food.

Q: From a culinary perspective, how important do you think exposure to a variety of foods impacts a child's palate long term? Please explain.

A: Reports are showing that kids are more adventurous with their food choices these days. The traditional PB &J is giving way to more organic, healthful and locally made. In addition, kids lunchboxes are filled with more ethnic foods which shows the diversity of the foods available in terms of takeout menus. Parents want to share their excitement of their new finds with their children. Speaking from the culinary side, kids are developing more distinguished palates at an earlier age which allows more creativity and acceptance long term when it comes to food.

Q: What are some techniques that you recommend to increase food acceptance in children?

A: You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again-get kids involved! I’ve taught kids cooking classes for twelve years and there is a world of difference between a hands on cooking class vs. a demonstration only. When kids are encouraged to take part in the process, the sense of empowerment, self sufficiency and acceptability of the food itself skyrockets. And, the pride they feel after making something on their own to feed themselves and their family is indescribable.

Got tools? Get Cooking! At any age, kids should be allowed into the kitchen. Give them their own age appropriate tools-cutting boards, measuring cups and spoons, whisks, etc. Assign age appropriate tasks as well. Smaller kids can stir or pour, older kids can chop softer foods (i.e. Kiwi, banana, pasta) with child safe knives, and preteens and teens can take on complete recipes-start easy-scrambled eggs with cheese, guacamole, etc. Of course, adult supervision is necessary as are proper food safety and sanitation.

I also love to give fun tools and resources for parents as gifts. For example, http://www.fredandfriends.com/ has great plates, utensils, and other creative and fun tools just for kids. Ellyn Satter, RD books are terrific http://www.ellynsatter.com/ for introductions on how to feed your baby well. Cooking school gift certificates are unique gifts for kids adults alike-they allow the individual to gain confidence in the kitchen and are a lot of fun!. Finally, subscriptions to kids cooking magazines like Chop Chop (http://www.chopchop.com/) or Relish Kids (http://www.relish.com/) are gifts to encourage and inspire-all year long.

Q: Care to share one of your favorite, quick and healthy recipes that you make for your family?

A:
Easy Turkey Meat Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta

Ingredients:2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Frozen broccoli, thawed (as much as you’d like)
Fresh spinach (as much as you’d like)
Oregano (to taste)
Basil (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Whole wheat pasta-cooked according to directions
Mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add diced onion and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent. Add turkey and quickly break into small pieces. Once cooked through, add spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add broccoli and allow to heat through. Season with oregano, basil and pepper. Stir. Add spinach and stir, allowing it to wilt slightly. Remove from heat. Serve pasta in bowls and spoon sauce over the top. Add cheese. Enjoy!

Use the leftover sauce for Turkey Sloppy Joes, as a sauce for pizza, as filling for tacos, enchiladas or any other place you would substitute traditional meat sauce.

Robin Plotkin, RD, LD is a culinary and nutrition expert based in Dallas, Texas. She blogs, tweets, teaches, talks and tastes food for a living and wouldn’t be happier doing anything else. For more information, visit http://www.robinplotkin.com/ or her Robinsbite blog at http://www.robinplotkin.blogspot.com/.