Chicken and Almond Wild Rice

Here on the Gulf Coast, Mardis Gras festivities have been in full force for weeks. Between the parties, parades, Moonpies, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and cocktails, Carnival season can wreak havoc on your health! Now that Fat Tuesday has come and gone, here is a recipe to help you get back to your healthy eating habits! This makes a great easy dinner, or enjoy cold for a quick grab and go lunch.


Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup The Delicious Dietitian White Muscadine wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil


Remaining ingredients:
3 cups prepared brown rice
Cooking spray
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
Southern All Purpose Spice Blend
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons minced red onion

Preparation

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Cover and chill.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with Southern All Purpose Spice Blend. Add chicken to pan; cook 8 minutes on each side or until done. Cool; cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

4. Combine cooked rice, chicken, celery, carrots, cranberries, almonds, and red onion in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Love Your Heart!

Did you know that 1/3 of adults over the age of 20 have high blood pressure? That is more than 76,400,000 Americans.

Did you know that 1/3 of those killed by heart disease in 2008 were less than 65 years old?

The total direct and indirect cost (medical costs and lost productivitydue to mortality) of heart disease is estimated at $300 billion each year.

Heart disease is no longer a disease that affects the elderly, it is showing up in Americans at younger and younger ages. Focus on keeping your heart healthy TODAY to prevent cardiovascular disease in the future.

Follow the "simple 7" to get heart healthy and stay that way!
1. Lose weight. Extra body weight (especially fat around the middle) is a major risk factor for heart disease.
2. Get active. All it takes is 30 minutes a day of brisk walking to reap heart healthy benefits!
3. Eat better. Limit sodium, saturated fats (fat from animal products), trans fats, cholesterol, and added sugar. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
4. Keep blood sugar under control. If you have diabetes, manage your blood sugar with the help of your doctor and a diet low in concentrated sweets.
5. Control blood pressure. High blood pressure is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. When your blood pressure stays within healthy ranges, you reduce the strain on your heart, arteries, and kidneys which keeps you healthier longer. Limit sodium intake to less than 1500 mg per day to help manage blood pressure.
6. Manage cholesterol. When you control your cholesterol, you are giving your arteries their best chance to remain clear of blockages. Blockages in the arteries can lead to heart attack and stroke.
7. Stop smoking. The health benefits of putting down the cigarettes are too many to count! Smoking damages your entire circulatory system, and increases your risk for coronary heart disease, hardened arteries, aneurysm and blood clots.

If you need help getting started with a heart healthy lifestyle, contact a Registered Dietitian for expert tips and suggestions.

Salt Overload

According to a new article put out by the Center for Disease Control on Tuesday, over 90% of Americans get too much sodium in their diets. And the surprising news is this: most of the salt we eat does not come from the salt shaker, it is hidden in our foods.

More than 40% of the salt we eat comes from 10 types of foods
✗ breads and rolls
✗ cold cuts and cured meats such as deli or packaged ham or turkey
✗ pizza
✗ fresh and processed poultry
✗ soups
✗ sandwiches such as cheeseburgers
✗ cheese
✗ pasta dishes
✗ meat mixed dishes such as meat loaf with tomato sauce
✗ snacks such as chips, pretzels, and popcorn


About 65% of sodium eaten comes from food bought at retail stores, so look for lower sodium choices at the grocery store. About 25% comes from restaurants, and it can be hard for a person to tell how much sodium is in restaurant foods. Ask your server if there are low sodium options, or check the nutrition facts for favorite restaurants online.

So, what can you do? Read food labels for all foods, paying attention to how much sodium each food contains. A good rule of thumb is to limit sodium to less than 200 mg per food. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible, and eat at home as much as you can. And remember, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium and high in essential vitamins and minerals!

Reducing the sodium Americans eat by 1,200 mg per person per day on average could save up to $20 billion a year in medical costs. Over 400,000 American deaths each year are attributed to high blood pressure, and decreasing the amount of sodium we eat could save thousands of lives.

Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

With the Super Bowl this weekend, you may be in the market for a new appetizer recipe. Well look no more because here is a great one for crowd-pleasing cheesy stuffed mushrooms.

The great thing about this appetizer is that it doesn't taste healthy, and it's full of vegetables! If you like mushrooms, you need to make this recipe! Even if you aren't making anything for a Super Bowl party, you can eat these for a light lunch. They are filling without making you stuffed.

Mushrooms have a lot of health benefits even if they aren't very colorful:

• One cup of mushrooms has only 15 calories, no fat or cholesterol, and a very low amount of sodium.


• Mushrooms can be used to replace meat in some dishes, or they can add bulk to meat dishes while adding beneficial nutrients with very few calories.


• This versatile veggie is high in many vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, multiple B vitamins, potassium, copper, selenium, and phosphorus.

Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 12 mushrooms

12 medium to large mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 TBSP The Delicious Dietitian Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar
½ tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend
¼ cup reduced-sodium 2% cottage cheese
2 TBSP neufchâtel cream cheese (or reduced-fat cream cheese)
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Clean mushrooms. Remove stems, scrape out gills, and set aside. Place mushrooms on foil-lined baking sheet, open side down. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and dry mushrooms. Dry baking sheet.

Meanwhile, make the mushroom filling. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add bell pepper and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in reserved mushroom stems and gills. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until mushrooms release their juices. Add in garlic and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted. Add Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar and Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend to vegetables. Cook for 3 more minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Transfer vegetable mixture to a bowl, and stir in cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.

Stuff each mushroom with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable-cheese mixture. Place stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Top mushrooms with ½ tsp Parmesan cheese each, and bake for 2-4 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Meme Inge is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, and has a private practice as a Regional Delicious Dietitian in New Orleans, LA. She holds a Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition from The University of Alabama and a Master of Science in clinical nutrition from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Follow her on Twitter @memeinge!

Thai Roasted Root Vegetables

Add some color to your plate this week with root vegetables! Bright orange sweet potatoes and carrots, red radishes, purple beets and turnips, parsnips, and rutabagas add a colorful punch of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to your meals. These nutrition all stars are abundant during winter months, and can make a hearty stew, casserole, or delicious side dish.

High in fiber, phytonutrients, Vitamin C, beta-carotene (which makes Vitamin A), and numerous beneficial minerals, these foods are a great addition to any meal. Try this Delicious Dietitian Thai Roasted Root Vegetable Recipe for a easy, healthy, great tasting side dish.

Thai Roasted Root Vegetables

*May use any combination of root vegetables. For best results, chop vegetables to similar sizes, about 1-2 inches

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

2 small sweet potatoes

1 bunch parsnips

1 bunch radishes

1 rutabega

1 bunch carrots

1 large red onion

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp Delicious Dietitian Thai Spice Blend

2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large bowl, add chopped vegetables and olive oil. Toss to coat well. Add spice blend and garlic, toss to coat evenly. Spread vegetable mixture onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, or until fork tender. Enjoy!

How much is too much?

We've all heard the statistics that tell us that our portion sizes are growing. We find portions growing in grocery stores, where the number of larger sizes has increased 10-fold between 1970 and 2000, in restaurants where the jumbo-sized portions are consistently 250% larger than the regular portion, and even in our own kitchens, where the sizes of plates, bowls and glasses have steadily increased since the 1960s.

As the market for food purchased from restaurants has expanded since the 60s and 70s, the portions have expanded to give the customer a sense of "added value". This trend has expanded into grocery stores and homes, which leads us to the biggest problem for people trying to lose or maintain weight: even those people who consciously try to monitor their intake tend to over eat when served large portions.

Large serving sizes, large packages, and large plates and bowls all inhibit our sense of what an appropriate serving size should be, and in fact, suggest that it is appropriate to eat a larger serving. In a word, these change what amount is "normal" to eat.

So how can we change our perception of normal? Buy snacks in smaller sizes or create single- portion servings from the large packages. Keep large packages out of sight. When dining out, split an entree, order an appetizer instead of an entrée, or have half the dinner packed to go. In your kitchen, replace large tableware with smaller plates, bowls, and glasses and use smaller serving bowls and serving spoons. Keep in mind, the more food that you see, the more food you will eat!

Smart Lunch

As we all get back into our routines after the holidays, take a look at some habits that may be wreaking havoc on your health. One habit that many people fall into is eating lunch out. Whether coworkers suggest heading to a nearby restaurant, you need a change of scenery from the office, or you're in a hurry and fast food calls your name, restaurant meals are likely sabotaging your good intentions of eating healthfully.

Many restaurant meals can pack in as many as 2,000 calories (more than most people's daily needs) and 4,000 mg of sodium (more than twice the recommended intake)! Not to mention the price; many meals cost $15 or more. If you do this several times a week, the pounds begin to add up quickly, and your bank account dwindles.

Instead of grabbing a menu, brown bag your lunch several times per week. To stay satisfied, focus on packing complex carbohydrates like whole grains and fruits and lean meats like tuna, chicken, or turkey. These foods will keep your energy levels up, and prevent that mid-afternoon energy drain.

To keep from getting bored, try new foods. For example, instead of plain bread, make a sandwich on a pita or mini-bagel. Whole grain crackers like Triscuits offer crunch without the fat and calories of potato chips. Pack a piece of fruit for a hint of sweetness.

If it's a change of scenery you crave, take your lunch to go. Get out of your office and find a nice spot to eat. Take a quick walk, get some fresh air and enjoy the smart decision you have made. If you were to cut out three restaurant lunches each week, in a year you will have saved yourself from consuming thousands of extra calories and saved $2,340!