Between soccer practice, baseball, dance and gymnastics, seems we’re always running our kids around to classes that keep them active.  But what about us? Finding time to stay fit can be tough.  I just discovered a way to sneak in exercise and it may work for you too.  During my son’s soccer practice yesterday - and at his baseball practice on Monday also - I wore my running shoes and got in a good 40 minute walk/jog around the fields.  On the days when I need to bring my other two as well, I plan to throw the double jogging stroller in the trunk that I just got for Mother’s Day.  I’m going to commit to it at every practice – it’s a definite way to fit in my much need activity as well. Let me know if you’ve found other good ways to sneak in exercise — I’d love to hear em!

Tags: exercise, jogging, kids, moms, physical activity, soccer practice, walking

Grilling is great, don’t you think? No clean up cooking. And just in case you think grilling is exclusively for men, think again.  They just love it b/c it’s super easy cooking, usually involves meat, no mess and oh yeah, there’s fire involved. We women can love it, too, and I for one do.  Here are some healthy, super easy grill recipes, oh and no meat involved. You can serve with veggie burgers or if you must have meat, grilled chicken sausage. I tried these out with my kids’ cooking class and they loved em.

Veggie Kabobs (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 8 (8-inch) wooden skewers
• 4 medium orange, red, and/or yellow peppers
• 2 medium sweet onions
• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
• Soak wooden skewers in hot water at least 30 minutes. Prepare outdoor grill for covered, direct grilling on medium.

Directions:

1.       Cut peppers into 1-inch pieces. Cut zucchini into ½ inch rounds. Cut onions into bite size pieces.

2.       Alternately thread peppers, zucchini and onions onto skewers.

3.       Brush vegetables with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on hot grill grate.

4.       Cover grill and cook vegetables 8 to 9 minutes or until vegetables are lightly charred and tender, turning occasionally.

Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 ears corn, husked
• 4 teaspoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.       Preheat grill to medium-high.

2.       Combine mayonnaise, yogurt and chili powder in a small bowl.

3.       Grill corn, turning occasionally, until marked and tender, 8 to 12 minutes total. Spread each ear with 1 tablespoon of the sauce and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Parmesan.

Grilled Pineapple (serves 4)

Ingredients:

·         1 lime

·         1 teaspoon olive oil

·         1 medium (3 1/2 pounds) pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         1 pint nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt or sorbet

Directions:

1.       From 1 lime, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice.

2.       In small bowl, combine oil, lime peel, and juice. Lightly brush pineapple on both sides with lime mixture.

3.       Place pineapple slices on hot grill rack and cook 10 minutes or until browned on both sides, turning over once.

4.       Serve with small scoop of frozen yogurt or sorbet, if desired.

Tags:

I always try to get my family and clients to eat more sweet potatoes - they are easy and nutritious (and very versatile).  You can eat a very filling, medium-sized sweet potato and only eat 100 calories.  And these calories are not empty -for those 100 calories, you get no fat, almost 4 g fiber, and satisfy 38% of your daily needs for vitamin C, 730% for vitamin A (yes, that is supposed to say 730%), and a lot of beta carotene ( there is no set recommended daily intake for this provitamin A carotenoid).  So, eat your sweet potatoes!  Other than just heating and eating - you can get fancy and try other ways of preparing.  We like to make a sauce (some might consider this a soup) to add to our chicken or pasta (we like it with whole wheat orzo).  Try this and get creative –

Saucy Sweet Potatoes serves 4

Ingredients

3-4 medium sweet potatoes

3-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1minced garlic clove

onion powder to taste

(kosher salt if you need it)

Directions

heat 3-4 sweet potatoes in microwave until soft and remove skins

Place in sauce pan and add stock

blend using hand held blender (or put in counter top blender before sauce pan if you do not have one) — if you do not have one, you should get one - they are great

bring to simmer and add garlic and onion powder

cook for about 3 minutes and add to chicken, pasta, etc. (use your imagination)

Let us know what you think!

Tags: baby fat diet, healthy eating, healthy recipes, recipes, sweet potatoes, weight loss

Here’s what we made on Saturday for the “Whole Grains You’ve Never Tried” class I taught [w/links to the recipes, though I tend to tweak here and there]:

• Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayo
• Wheat Berry Pudding with Cherries and Almonds
• Quinoa Salad with Orange Dressing

All three recipes went over well, but the big winner was the veggie burger. Several kids asked for seconds! They may not be as easy as buying frozen veggie burgers but they were pretty darn quick to make, much tastier and talk about fiber-licious. Here’s the recipe (with my notes in CAPS) from epicurious.com/Gourmet.

Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayonnaise

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing (USE COOKING SPRAY)
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (USE LIGHT MAYO)
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 4 slices multi-grain bread, toasted

Directions:

1.       Cook half of onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.

2.       Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped.

3.       Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (31/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill at least 10 minutes. (YOU DON’T EVEN NEED TO CHILL, WE DIDN’T AND THEY CAME OUT FINE.)

4.       While patties chill, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice.

5.       Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers (WE USED SPRAY AND IT WORKED JUST AS WELL), then cook patties, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Serve on bread with lime mayo.

For the wheat berry pudding I cooked the wheat berries a day ahead to use for the class and had some leftover in my fridge. I ate them for lunch this week and they were SOOOOOOOO delicious just by themselves, with a nutty flavor and crisp, chewy texture.  I am a big fan. With 6 grams of fiber, they are my new brown rice substitute. The key is to make a big batch and freeze in little baggies to pop in the micro for quick weekday meals. (They take about an hour to cook so good one to make in bulk.) I can’t tell you how awesome it is to try something new that’s so healthy and delish. I’m inspired to find new recipes for my new found foods. I’ll keep you posted on the good ones!

Tags: bulgur, cooking, quinoa, recipes, veggie burgers, wheat berries, whole grains