New Food Memories at Christmas & A Tribute

The holidays are such a special time of year – a time to reflect on holidays past and a time to build new memories with family and others that you love so dearly.  Jeff and I were reminded of the magic of Christmas in the eyes of our children when they danced all over as we brought our freshly cut Christmas tree into the house this year.  And later when we got some of their presents wrapped under the tree -  Hannah and Evan stacked and re-stacked them with wonder of what might be in each box.  Children really bring the spirit of Christmas alive in all of us, and I love that.

My mother-in-law, Beverly at
Christmas time in 2009.

But we cannot forget the tragedy that rocked our family’s world just over one year ago.  My beloved mother-in-law, Beverly, passed away unexpectantly in November of 2011 of what we found out was cancer way too late.  For many that have lost very close loved ones, you know the level of loss.  Beverly was the family matriarch with a heart filled with endless love for everyone.  She and I became very close over the 12 short years that I knew her.  She was a mother figure, but also a dear friend that I spoke to multiple times per week.  Even in the last conversation I had with her (which I did not realize at the time), she insisted on talking about my business , our kids and things going on in my life even while she was lying in bed in excruciating pain.  She was such a generous, encouraging person, and will forever be an inspiration to me.  I am so blessed to have known and loved her, and will always cherish the time we had together. 

Until 2010, Christmas day each year meant going over to John & Beverly’s home and opening presents under their beautifully decorated tree followed by a wonderful lunch that they both lovingly prepared together.  But things are different now, and we are forced to move on – if for nothing else, for the grandchildren that Beverly loved so much – our kids and their cousin, Sydney. 

The start of our Christmas table this year.  A work in-progress!

We now must build new memories and traditions.  One thing that has been passed down to me and my sister-in-law, Julie, is food planning.  Last year’s holiday season were a complete blur for obvious reasons.  But for Christmas this year, Jeff & I plan to host the family meal since Julie and her family hosted Thanksgiving.  Hosting is something I am looking very forward to doing – I’ve had fun shopping for festive tableware and it has given me the final motivation to get our china set fully completed.  I love cooking and hosting parties - and this change in our family's life has given me the opportunity to take more of that on.  Our menu this year will feature the traditional buffalo tenderloin that was made by John & Beverly in years past, but with our own new flair and sides.   So we take part of the traditions of the past and bring it lovingly into the present.

Are you forced to make new food memories during the holiday season in your family as a result of a tragedy?  I know our family is not alone, so I want to offer some encouragement.  Let us all move forward together with courage for the sake of the our children, other family  members and in our loved one’s memory.  Settle any differences you might have with loved ones, forgive deeply and love fearlessly.  They would want that for all of us - to be happy and joyful through the holiday season. 

Have a very Merry Christmas and God Bless you all – from our home to yours.

Super Easy & Healthy Crock Pot Meals

Believe it or not, even the weather in Texas where I live is turning a bit cold. Cold weather certainly lends itself to certain types of warming, comforting foods - doesn't it? And there's nothing better than coming home and smelling the aromas of a meal that has been cooking slowly all day long.  Mmmm. Crock pots are one of those secret weapons for busy families that allow for home cooked mealtimes together, and timely bedtimes during the school year. I don't know about your kids, but mine are ready to eat immediately after I walk in the door from working all day. It's difficult to cook fast enough to feed their hungry mouths!

I love crock pot meals because you come home and the work is pretty much done. If you look at many of the recipes, they allow for some flex on types of meats, beans and vegetables depending on preference or sale that may be going on at your local grocery store.  Search for crock pot meals that have less than 10 ingredients so the amount of preparation time is minimized. If you get the kids to help, they will look forward to getting home later that evening to see their finished masterpiece! Check out a few that I love to make that are super easy - so easy that they hardly need a recipe:

Navy Beans with Ham

Ingredients: 2 ½ cups dry navy beans
5 cups water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup minced onion
1 pound smoked ham, cut in 1” pieces
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:  Put beans in cooker, soak overnight in water.   Add garlic, ham and onion.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  Add optional salt during the last hour of cooking time. 

Tips: Add fresh picante sauce or chili sauce for an extra spicy kick!  Serve with a fresh field green salad topped with your favorite colorful veggies. 

 Super Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Here's the traditional slow cooker pot roast that I made last week.
But for a more color and a unique touch, try red onions, asparagus
and/or purple onions instead.

Ingredients:

2-3 pound round roast or pre-cut stew meat
3-4 cups vegetables
1- 16 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of onion soup mix

Directions: Cut veggies up in 1” chunks.  Add stew meat and pour soup and onion mix over top.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Tip: Try different types of potatoes – sweet, new, purple along with red onions and asparagus or spinach for a nice colorful alternative to the typical pot roast meal.

Shrimp Marinara in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:1 pound cooked shrimp, deveined and de-shelled
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings, fresh preferred
1-6 ounce can tomato paste
2 cups diced tomatoes (or, 1-16 ounce can diced tomatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ - ½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Directions:Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings along with salt and pepper in the cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Turn cooker on high and stir in shrimp, cooking for 10-15 minutes. 

Tip: Serve over brown rice or whole wheat spaghetti, top with some fresh grated parmesan or mozzarella.
What is your family's favorite crock pot meal?  Let me know!  I'd love swap recipes. :-)

Thanksgiving: Healthy Strategies & Last Minute Recipes

Oh, the joys of Thanksgiving!  Our family is looking forward to a nice, intimate family meal with my sister-in-law and her family as well as my father-in-law.  It will be a team effort with all parties contributing dishes to the meal.  I love potlucks because it allows us to share different recipes, tastes and flavors with each other.   I hope you are looking forward to the special time you plan to spend with loved ones as much as we are.

Thanksgiving is usually the official start of the holiday season; that which is filled with shopping, parties, travelling and time spent with extended family.  This is a wonderful time to build memories that last a lifetime, but it is also a high risk time of poor eating habits and weight gain for the average American.  Stress, decreased physical activity and excessive calorie intake are some of the main culprits.  Research suggests that holiday weight gain can be the type of weight gain that stays around for years.

Some of my adult weight loss clients are nervous about the upcoming holidays.  They have made positive lifestyle changes and as a result, have lost weight, improved blood sugar levels and/or have lowered their cholesterol and blood pressure.  Holidays can have a way of throwing all of us off our healthy lifestyle track.  The good news is that this does not need to happen.  There are many things you can do that will allow you to enjoy some of the pleasures that the Holidays bring while also maintaining a balanced approach to your healthy lifestyle.  Here are some survival strategies to help you stay on track through the holiday season:

Avoid starving yourself in preparation for a party or get together.  This is a very common approach, but it is a guaranteed way to take in too many calories.  Instead, strategize a plan so you can enjoy calorie-rich foods in moderation.  Eat a good, hearty breakfast to start your day.

Maximize the veggie tray.  Most parties do have some lower calorie fare such as vegetable trays and salads.  Load your plate with larger portions of these foods to keep your total calories in check.

Contribute the healthier dish.  If you need to bring a dish to a potluck party, bring a healthy dish to balance out the higher calorie choices.  Most people that have healthy mindsets are very thankful for these type of dishes.  This also ensures that you have some low calorie choices to include with the higher calorie foods you plan to eat.

Be mindful of mindless eating and grazing.  Many people tend to eat in the absence of hunger during social situations because the food is simply there.  Try and be extra conscious about why you are eating.  It sounds obvious, but make sure you only eat when you are hungry and not just because the food is merely there in front of you.  Go back to the basics.

Increase physical activity.  Who says time spent with family during the holidays has to only involve eating and sedentary activities?  Be the encourager of your family by suggesting a refreshing morning walk or even an after dinner game of hoops at a local park.  Be creatively deliberate about staying active, which is sure to help avoid holiday weight gain.  Our family likes to take the opportunity of extra time off that holidays allow to do some fun activities together.

Great, Healthy Homestyle Recipes
If you are still looking for that special dish to complete the Thanksgiving feast, I have a cookbook that has not failed me one time.  Every time I make a dish out of this cookbook, my guests love them.  The cookbook is More Healthy Homestyle Cooking: Family Favorites You’ll Make Againand Again by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD.  She has the original Healthy Homestyle Cooking and the Healthy Homestyle Desserts cookbooks that I keep meaning to get – and this blog post has gotten me to finally purchase them.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find new books, as Amazon only could find me gently used versions and I was unable to get a hold of Evelyn before this post published.  But I am sure the recipes in the first one are as good as the second, but I will be sure to report back to you with my thoughts. 

What I like about Evelyn’s More Healthy Homestyle Cooking cookbook is that she makes several excellent suggestions to make a homestyle recipe healthier while at the same time, minimizing the loss of good taste and flavors.  That’s the key right there.  Living in Texas, many people I know are always on the lookout for good homestyle recipes that are also healthy.  If this is you, consider Evelyn’s cookbooks.

Here are a couple of her recipes:

Barley Risotto
1 onion, chopped
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 cup quick-cooking barley
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

Coat a large saucepan with nonstick spray and warm over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until tender.  Add 3 cups of the broth and the barley.  Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Uncover and gradually add the remaining 1 cup broth, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next (a total of about 15 minutes).  Stir in the pecans, parsley and lemon peel.  Serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 176 calories, 7g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 4g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 533mg sodium, 5g fiber.

Homestyle Hint:  To toast pecans, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat.  Cook, shaking the pan often, for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Roasted Tarragon-Vegetable Medley
VEGETABLES
3 carrots, halved lengthwise, then quartered
2 medium crookneck or yellow summer squash, cut diagonally into ½”-thick slices
2 portobello mushrooms, each cut into sixths

GLAZE
2 T fat-free chicken broth
1 T dry white wine or fat-free chicken broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 T chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLES: Position one rack in the top third and another in the bottom third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets or roasting pans with foil and lightly coat with nonstick spray.

Arrange the carrots, squash zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers on both baking sheets or pans in single layers.  Place the mushrooms with their gills facing up.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:  In a small cup, combine the broth, wine or broth, oil tarragon, and garlic.  Drizzle evenly over the vegetables.

Roast for 20 minutes.  Reverse the position of the baking sheets so that the top sheet is on the bottom and vice versa.  Roast for 15 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.  Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 69 calories, 3g protein, 11g carbohydrates, 2g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 5g fiber.

From my family to yours, I wish you a very blessed, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Haunting Tales....From The Buffet Line

Don't let amazing buffet designs divert your attention
from the temperature your food should be served to you!
(cool watermelon design on one of the cruise buffets)

Thanks to my food microbiology class several years ago, buffets scare me like a teenage girl going through a haunted house. It may also be because I have had food poisoning on more than one occasion and it is no fun. I can look at blood and guts all day long, but seeing food with mold on it makes me want to shriek! It’s all about bacteria overgrowth here. Now that you know my phobia, you will giggle to learn that I just got off a cruise ship filled with buffets! There was so much food the entire week and much of it was indeed served buffet-style. My first shot at the buffet line, I said to myself, “OK, you can do this, Angela. All those stories you hear about foodborne illnesses on ships – it’s the exception to the rule.” So I boldly fill my plate with all kinds of food, including some grilled fish. I sat down at the table and began to eat. All the food was lukewarm at best. The grilled fish was cold! That’s it, I’m done. Stick a fork in me.


My food bacteria fear will one day cause me to bring a food thermometer with me to buffet lines – I can feel it coming. After all, the temperature danger zone (TDZ) is between 40-140 degrees, because this is the range in which most common bacteria love to grow. If you arrive at your holiday party without your handy temperature gauge (as most of us do!), make sure the foods that are normally in the refrigerator are actually cold and the foods that are supposed to be served hot, actually are hot. A good rule of thumb is to stay clear of any hot or cold food that has been sitting out longer than 2 hours. If you are entertaining this holiday season, do us bacteria phobes a favor and review the safe guidelines provided by the USDA.  The USDA provides an entire website devoted to food safety, so keep your family safe this year by reviewing their guidelines and techniques.

You may wonder how I survived my 5-day cruise. Well, I am happy to report that I survived all the buffets. If only I hadn’t eaten at the authentic Mexican restaurant in Veracruz! All of us got sick on that one. Thanks a bunch, Montezuma. Grrr.