Weathering the Winter

It's been very cold out there.  I feel bad complaining since I sort of 'escaped' winter for a month, but it's still really cold for a born and raised Saskatchewan girl!  It's always interesting to hear people suffer with seemingly milder temperatures or to chuckle when we're happy that it's only -23C today.  I remember being jealous as a kid when I heard that schools closed in other cities when it snowed, but that's just our reality.  The sun is out, but winter means I want warm dishes and comfort foods.  I love making soups as a great way to include legumes get more vegetables, and stay cozy.


This week I tried a recipe from my Langdon side - a favourite of this couple (thanks for sharing)!  I was very fortunate to receive numerous family and friend recipes at my bridal shower and I love looking through them for inspiration or a new one to try.  I also have a goal to try 10 family recipes on my Day Zero project, so this was an accomplishment in more ways than one :)

Pea Soup with Rosemary and Orange
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp rosemary
1 cup green split peas, rinsed
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
salt, to taste

Directions:
1) Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; add onion and garlic; saute 3-4 minutes.
2) Add remaining ingredients.
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until peas are cooked (30-40 minutes).

Stay warm and hopeful, the days are getting longer already!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Pot of Prosperity {Recipe ReDux}

I'm sure many of you are preparing for your holiday meals, but I'm going to jump ahead a bit and talk about traditions for the new year.  The Recipe ReDux theme this month is Good Luck Foods: What will you be serving to get the New Year started with a little luck? Be it black eyed peas and greens, Chinese noodles or even a special family recipe you serve on New Year’s Eve or Day. 

I don't currently have a New Year's Eve/Day food tradition.  When I was young, my parents, brother, and I would have a fondue to help us stay up for the countdown.  I'm also a huge breakfast food fan, so a great breakfast is likely always on the menu for January 1.  With the challenge this month, I did a little searching for 'lucky' foods.  I'm not really a superstitious person, but I like the idea of a warm dish (for frigid Canadian winters), a variety of vegetables, some spice (to fight those winter colds/flus), legumes (for those who still aren't sure how to add them into their meals), and why not throw in the idea of foods that represent wealth and prosperity.  Sites like epicurious and women's day have similar lists when it comes to cultural foods eaten to celebrate a new year.  These foods include:
- grapes
- greens
- fish
- pork
- cakes
- long noodles
- round fruit
- lentils
- black eyed peas
- corn bread...

Perhaps you have a tradition or foods you eat for luck in the upcoming year (some people even have foods that they avoid for fear of having bad luck!).  Most of the 'lucky' foods represent money - greens represent cash, lentils represent coins, pork represents progress.  I chose to include as many of these as I could, and also chopped my carrots to look like coins and picked up a round sourdough loaf to accompany the soup - should be a great 2014!

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 lb pork sausage (I used hot italian, and the soup is spicy!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, chopped
1 large white onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
5-8 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz (454g) lentils, rinsed
32 oz (946ml) reduced sodium chicken broth
4 cups (1 L) water
1 - 28oz (794g) can diced tomatoes (I found San Marzano ones - yummy!)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach...), roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Place oil in pot and add sausage.  Cook sausage over medium high heat until browned.
2. Add carrots and onion, stir and cook about 3 minutes.
3. Add celery and garlic, continue cooking until onion is translucent.
4. Add lentils, water, broth, tomatoes, and spices.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer about 1 - 1.5 hours, until lentils are tender.
7. Add greens and cook another 5 minutes (or longer).  Serve and enjoy!

Good luck to you, good fortune, and good food,

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

An InLinkz Link-up

Quick and Slow {Recipe ReDux}

October 21 means Recipe ReDux reveal, and only 10 days until Hallowe'en.  This month the theme is No-Casserole Crock Pot.  Colder weather and busy schedules mean pulling out your crock pot (or slow cooker) and letting the meal cook while you're off at school, work, or play.  There are lots of ideas on line for quick and perhaps unconventional crock pot dishes.  Knowing that many of my clients comment on a lack of time, crock pots can be a life-saver.

The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you.  Dietitians taking part will share their recipes on the 21st of the month, so be sure to check back often for ideas on making both healthy and delicious food!

I know that prepping and chopping can also be time consuming, so I tried to keep ingredients straight forward and easy to throw together.  If you have the time, feel free to use dried black beans, fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, homemade salsa, etc..  I enjoy stuffed roasted bell peppers (there are so many different things you can fill them with), but I wanted to make that a quicker meal option.   

Quinoa and Bean Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 bell peppers
1/2 can (199ml or 7 fl oz) black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup canned, no-salt added diced tomatoes, with liquid
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
dash of salt

Garnish

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced


Directions
1. Rinse and halve the peppers, remove seeds and white membrane.  Place in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Rinse and drain quinoa and black beans

3. In a bowl stir together the quinoa, tomatoes, salsa, salt, cumin, garlic and beans.

4. Spoon the mixture evenly into peppers and allow them to overflow.

5.  Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for about 7-8 hours.  

6.  Scoop out each pepper and serve topped with grated cheese, and garnished with avocado and red onion.

*This recipe can also be doubled, you can make extra filling for leftovers, you can swap in ground meat or different varieties of beans.  I used extra corn, tomatoes, onion, avocado, and tomatoes for a salad the next day, or you can put them in a wrap, etc.

Enjoy the slow,
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!

Do You Have a Plan?

Many individuals are gearing up for the Saskatchewan Marathon on May 26 in Saskatoon (or other events across the province).  Since that's only 12 days away you should already know your nutrition plan or be fine tuning it.  As I've said before, don't experiment or try new foods/beverages on race day.

Depending on which distance you choose to run, you may need to focus on your hydration, carbohydrates, electrolytes or all three.  It's important to remember to taper your training leading up to the event and continue to include wholesome foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, low fat milk alternatives and of course, everyone's favourite - WATER!

Don't just think about your nutrition when you wake up on race day.  You've put in the training time to work on your pace, your stride, injury prevention, etc.  Make sure you put in the time to get your gut used to taking in water and/or carbohydrate sources while you're on the go and determining what meets your needs and feels comfortable for you. 

Once you get into the longer distances you need to include enough carbohydrates to avoid "hitting the wall" or "bonking".  Your muscles and brain require carbohydrates and the longer and harder you run, the more you require.

Start your day with a carbohydrate rich breakfast (that you've practiced with!).  Then follow your plan during the race.  Burke et. al (2011) recommends no carbohydrate needed for less than 45 minutes, a small amount of carbohydrate (including a mouth rinse) for activities lasting 45-75 minutes and 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour for endurance activities lasting 1-2.5 hours.  You have many choices when it comes to food, beverage, or products in both liquid and solid form.  Go with what you know, what works for you, and what fits with your goal(s).

There are many sport products you may try or choose to use, but you can also rely on food and get the benefits of nutrients as well.  These 'sport foods' are often convenient, but not required.  The main thing is to avoid dehydration and provide your muscles with easily digested energy (carbohydrates) since your body has limited storage for carbohydrates (glycogen).  We all have different sweat rates, so it's important to focus on replacing your own losses, especially if the temperatures stay up.

What's your race day nutrition plan?

I like to start my morning with simple peanut butter and toast with a small piece of fruit or small glass of diluted juice (1/2 juice and 1/2 water).  During the race I focus on regular sips of water which I find very energizing and then I enjoy yogurt with berries or chocolate milk as a recovery (while continuing to sip on water!).

Plan well, run well!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Pulses, Plants, and Prostates

Perhaps you or the men in your life are sporting a 'stache for Movember.  It's great to see people supporting men's health issues such as prostate cancer and bringing these issues to the forefront so that people feel comfortable talking about them.

As a dietitian, my first instinct is to look for ways to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and other chronic conditions with food.  It is often impossible to pinpoint one particular cause and as new research comes out, we may find new strategies.  However, often times the recommendations for one disease state are applicable to others, so we can all start eating to prevent disease and/or reduce our risk.   

To make the most of your food choices:

• increase your intake of fruits and vegetables (include a variety of colours)
• reduce your fat intake (this is also beneficial for heart health and weight management)
• increase your intake of plant foods (vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas, lentils...) and reduce your intake of animal foods (dairy, meat...); it's still important to get adequate calcium and vitamin D, just don't overdo it
• include fish to make sure you're getting omega-3 fatty acids
• if consuming alcohol, do so in moderation
• increase your intake of isoflavones (soybeans, tofu, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts)
• maintain a healthy diet
• include regular activity/exercise

Certain foods may offer extra protection against prostate cancer including lycopene (found in tomatoes, tomato sauces, watermelon, grapefruit...), selenium (Brazil nuts, fish, poultry, sunflower seeds...), and vitamin E (vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables...).  As always, include a variety of different foods as no one food can give us everything we need.

Only a few more weeks until the razors come out!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Eat for the Earth

April 22 is a day to remember - it's my birthday!  It's also Earth Day - a day to think about how our actions impact our planet and our future.

I really like the theme that Earth Day Canada is focused on this year because it ties into nutrition and building healthy habits - both of which I focus on in my practice.  Their campaign is Take It Up For Earth Day - with the idea of taking up a new habits that's good for you AND the planet.

I would like to share some information from the Earth Day Canada factsheet:

• The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that livestock production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions—more than the transport sector.
• 23.1% of adult Canadians are obese and an additional 36.1% are overweight.
• A study by Children’s Hospital Boston found that over a period of fifteen years young people who ate fast food twice a week or more gained 10 extra pounds and become twice as resistant to insulin than those who indulged less than once a week.
• A meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet.
• A study done in the Waterloo region found that food traveled an average of 4497 km to get there, emitting 51,790 tonnes of greenhouse gases in the process! If purchased locally those emissions would be reduced by 95%

Think about how your food choices impact the environment and perhaps you'll be inspired to create a new habit.  You don't have to do a major overhaul, but pick something small and work on it.  I'm not a vegetarian, I do enjoy the occasional steak, but my husband and I do enjoy vegetarian meals as well.  I also don't purchase all of my food from the farmer's market, but when I can and they have ingredients I need, then I will.  Even the simple, healthy act of focusing on increasing your plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes will help with your nutrition goals and have a positive effect on the planet.

Happy Earth Day (Sunday)!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Warm Winter Soup

I've been in a soup mood lately.  I'm not sure if it is based on our recent snow fall or the new recipes that I came across.  My husband had returned from a business trip to Yorkton with bags of legumes and grains and recipes for how to prepare them.  I must say that I really like that Tourism Yorkton is doing that - not only is it supporting healthy eating andcooking at home, but also local farmers.  Each bag had a recipe and a note saying where the item came from. 

In case any of you have been in soup moods, I thought I would share one today.  This was my first crack at split pea soup, but a great winter soup since you can get split peas year round.  Split peas are dried peas produced by harvesting the peapods when they are fully mature and then drying them. Once they are dried and the skins removed, they split naturally (WHFoods).  Dried peas are part of the legume family and provide fibre (which helps lower cholesterol and manage blood sugar levels), molybdenum, protein, manganese, folate, thiamin, potassium, and folate.

Split Pea Soup
1 cup split peas, rinsed
3 cups cold water
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional; so I used 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash each of parsley, thyme, marjoram, and cayenne pepper

In a large pot, add peas with 3 cups cold water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until split peas are tender (I went above a simmer/a low boil).

Add chicken broth, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, sugar, lemon juice, bay leaf, and all spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 1/2 hour or until carrots are soft.

Remove bay leaf and cool slightly.  Puree in a blender or use a hand blender for a smooth soup (or leave as is).

Serves 4.

I love using different herbs and spices rather than relying on salt (sodium). 

Enjoy!
Steph (Wheler) Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

 

Soaking and Cooking Dried Beans/Legumes

If you've always used canned beans/legumes, or even if you are just starting to consider adding these meat alternatives to your diet - you may not know what to do with the dried varieties. Dried beans/legumes are a great budget friendly, shelf stable vegetarian protein. Beans/legumes are typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. They also contain beneficial fats and soluble and insoluble fiber. Canned items can be high in salt/sodium which is part of the reason I first tried dried beans/legumes.

I found a good guide on the site The Veggie Table which I have followed to learn about different soaking times and how to cook the beans once they've been rehydrated. I don't often soak overnight because I often use the beans/legumes to create supper. Instead I soak them while I work all day so they are ready when I need them that evening. I do test them throughout the cooking time until they reach the consistency I want. I use my rice cooker to get my brown rice done while I chop and saute a variety of vegetables, then I mix everything together in a skillet and season accordingly. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like having variety and moderation in my diet and dried beans/legumes allow me to do that!

If you're not sure where to start, the Mayo Clinic has a list of some beans/legumes and their common uses.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com