The Healthy Chef

Fiber Balls

kveith — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:26:39 +0000

This recipe was renamed Fiber Balls at a Mark Schultz concert (a wonderful Christian musician) that I catered. He seemed to enjoy them until I told him to be sure and drink plenty of water with them. During his performance he was nervous that the yummy “Fiber Balls” were going to send him off stage for a bit. I was more nervous for him, his crew and the other performers after the show on their tour bus ride home as they all enjoyed the cookies in their dressing rooms. Really- these are a yummy treat with lots of fiber, but should not cause alarm.

Fiber Balls (Formerly known as Fiber One Chocolate Cookies-the orignal recipe called for a regular brownie mix and semisweet chocolate)

1 box of No Pudge Fudge brownie mix (this can be found with all brownie mixes at your grocer, or use your favorite- Pillsbury makes a sugar free mix)

2 cups Fiber One (or all bran, etc.) cereal

2 Tbsp. dark chocolate chips

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup of water

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients with a spoon. The mix will be thick. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes until set. Cool 2 minutes, remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

Nutritional Information:

Calories per cookie- 83, Total Fat- 1.5g, Saturated Fat- .13g, Cholesterol- 9mg, Sodium-75mg, Carbs-19g, Fiber-3g, Sugar-12g, Protein-2g

The Clean 15 (least contaminated foods)

kveith — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:38:03 +0000

There is the dirty dozen, the produce to buy organic and there is the clean 15- the least contaminated produce that can be bought conventional.

1. Onions

2. Sweet Corn

3. Pineapples

4. Avocado

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet Peas

7. Mangoes

8. Eggplant

9. Cantaloupe (domestic)

10. Kiwi

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet potatoes

14. Grapefruit

15. Mushrooms

Today’s Recipe – “Fried” Not Tilapia with Lowfat Remoulade Sauce

kveith — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:05:10 +0000

Yummy- better than Captain D’s!

“Fried” Not Tilapia with a Remoulade Sauce

FOR THE REMOULADE SAUCE

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/4 cup scallions (or green onions), diced

1/4 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup dill pickles, diced (I like midgets or gherkins- just watch sugar and sodium)

1/4 cup sweet red pepper, diced

1 Tbs honey-Dijon mustard

1 Tbs lemon juice

FOR THE FISH

1 cup cornflake crumbs

1/4 cup whole grain corn meal

1 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tbs Old Bay (lower sodium) seasoning

2 egg whites

6 (5 ounce) tilapia fillets

1. For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions, celery, pickles, pepper, mustard, and juice. Cover and refrigerate.

2. For the Fish: Heat oven to 450°. Line baking sheet with foil; coat it with cooking spray.

3. In a shallow dish, combine cornflake crumbs, cornmeal, parmesan and Old Bay seasoning.

4. In a clean shallow dish, whisk egg whites until frothy. Dip fish fillets into egg whites, then coat in crumb mixture. Place on prepared
baking sheet.

5. Bake the fillets 15 minutes or until crispy and cooked through. Serve with the sauce.

Serves 6

Serving Size: 1 fillet with ¼ cup of sauce

Start to finish:
40 minutes (includes all prep)

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 250.3 calories; 31% calories from fat; 8.7g total fat; 7.9mg cholesterol; 274.0mg sodium; 121.1mg potassium; 11.7g carbohydrates; 0.9g fiber; 1.3g sugar; 31.5g protein.

Cooking Tips

1. For a more tartar-like sauce, substitute drained capers for the celery.

2. To make cornflake crumbs, either use your blender or food processor, or place
cereal in a large Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.

The Dirty Dozen

kveith — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:10:47 +0000

No, I am not being naughty. The Dirty Dozen refers to twelve fruits or vegetables that you really should buy organic. This comes from the Environmental Working Groups latest findings this past June. These are the most pesticide-laden and conventionally grown produce. When you can try and buy these organic:

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Strawberries

4. Peaches

5. Spinach

6. Nectarines (imported)

7. Imported Grapes (ie- Chili, Mexico)

8. Sweet Bel Peppers

9. Potatoes

10. Blueberries

11. Lettuce

12. Kale and Collard Greens

G is for Greek Yogurt (also yogurt and kefir)

kveith — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:15:16 +0000

Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt is a bit tart, but can easily be flavored and sweetened with chopped fruit and berries and natural sweeteners. It’s strained which gives it twice as much protein as other yogurts, about 17 grams in 6 ounces. All yogurt is great at staving off hunger by keeping the blood sugar levels steady. Yogurt is a great source of calcium and some people who can’t tolerate dairy can sometimes enjoy yogurt without problems. This is because of digestive enzymes in it. Choose unsweetened and low or nonfat yogurts. These provide more protein, potassium, calcium, zinc and vitamins B-6 and B-12 without all of the sugar and fat. Also, yogurt is great for healthy tummys. SOME yogurts have probiotics in them which are beneficial microorganisms which can help boost your immunity, aid digestion and prevent yeast infections. Not all brands have probiotics, look for the words active cultures on the label.

Kefir is like a yogurt smoothie. Also rich in calcium and protein and full of probiotics. If you can’t simply drink it plain, add it to protein smoothies for an extra healthy boost.

G is Also for Green Tea

kveith — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:37:28 +0000

Maybe not a super”food” but a super drink- green tea may fight against cancer and heart disease and may even help prevent dementia, stroke, and diabetes. Drinking four glasses a day boosts your metabolism by burning an extra 80 calories.

Garlic doesn’t just keep vampires away

kveith — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:22:15 +0000

Garlic has so many wonderful qualities. It thins the blood, therefore it can help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It also can lower cholesterol and triglycerides. And, studies show that people who eat a lot of it have less instances of stomach and colon cancer. Garlic also has properties that can boost your immune system, reduce blood sugar levels and is an antibacterial.

How to use it- eating a raw clove a day is great, but if this is too much for you there are other options. Hopefully you are like me and can’t cook without it. Take a clove or more (depending on the recipe) and mince it with a garlic press or a hand chopper. Heat a tablespoon or less of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium. Don’t heat too long or the oil will smoke and the garlic will burn fast. Quickly add the garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds before adding the rest of your ingredients (which you should already have prepped). If you really love the taste of garlic, don’t mince or chop it, slice it instead and it won’t brown as fast. Or, try my roasted garlic recipe and mix it in light butter spreads, with olive oil for a dipping sauce, or any recipe that calls for garlic. The roasting really brings out the flavor and is so easy to mix in or spread on.

If you do like it raw, but not straight, make a vinaigrette with minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, your favorite vinegar, a little sea salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, Dijon and water (to cut calories).

Eggs or Not?

kveith — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:09:12 +0000

First they were good, then they were bad and now they are good again- or were they always good????

Eggs are very nutritious, inexpensive, versatile and have good quality protein. They are 61% fat, 38% protein, 1% carbs, no fiber and full of Vitamins A, B2 (riboflavin), B12, D, E, Phosphorus and Zinc. Eggs contain all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions and are a good source of a complete protein. They also contain iron from the yolk which is easily absorbed by the body. Eggs are also one of the best sources of choline which helps transport fat in the body. Most of these great nutrients are found in the yolk, however, the white is a good source of protein, has little fat and no cholesterol. REALLY, the only ones who need to be concerned about the cholesterol from eggs are those with high blood cholesterol or a family history. It is recommended that everyone’s total cholesterol intake should be less than 200 mg a day, which is one small egg. More concern should be geared toward saturated fats because they have more of an impact on blood cholesterol levels than eating a food high in dietary cholesterol.

So- scrambled for breakfast, boiled on a salad, stir fried in brown rice- all great ways to eat your eggs.

A Good Excuse to Eat Dark Chocolate

kveith — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:12:16 +0000

When it comes to red wine and dark chocolate I feel I must indulge for my health. I need my daily servings of flavonoids, flavonols, and antioxidants.

RECAP- Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and certain beverages (plant based foods). They are a part of the phytochemical family of polyphenols. They help protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. When we consume them in the form of fruits and veggies they are very beneficial to the human body. There are more than 4,000 flavonoid compounds, which are found in a wide variety of foods and beverages, such as cranberries, apples, blueberries, black beans, peanuts, chocolate, onions, tea and red wine.

Flavonols are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa and chocolate. In addition to having antioxidant qualities, research indicates that flavonols have other positive influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart, making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot, and lowering cholesterol.

Antioxidants are believed to create a barrier from free-radical damage, or the decaying process of oxidation. Free radicals are formed by normal bodily processes such as breathing and from environmental contaminants like cigarette smoke. When the body lacks adequate levels of antioxidants, damage from free radicals occurs and leads to increases in LDL (“bad)-cholesterol, and problems such as macular degeneration, diabetes, cancers and a decrease in immune system function.

The most commonly known antioxidants are:

Vitamin A and Carotenoids -carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale…….

Vitamin C- orange, limes, green peppers, green leafy veggies, broccoli……………….

Vitamin E- Nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy veggies………

Selenium- fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken, garlic

Phytochemicals- soy, red wine, grapes, pomegranate, cranberries, tea, coffee, tomato and tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon, flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye, CoQ10, glutathione….

So, back to the dark chocolate- don’t grab any chocolate. Definitely consider the calories, fat, etc. when choosing. The fat in chocolate actually comes from cocoa butter which is made up of oleic acid, stearic and palmitic acids. The latter two are not healthy, but the oleic acid is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat like the fat in olive oil. Try to stay away from the caramel, marshamallow, and ooey gooeys. Cocoa has a strong and pungent taste that comes from the flavonols. When it is made into your favorite bar, etc. it goes through processing to reduce this taste. However, the more it is processed, the more flavonols are lost. This includes dark chocolates as well. Look for dark chocolate that has has been minimally processed, higher cocoa percentages, and cocoa powder that is not Dutch processed. There really is no established serving to help you enjoy the benefits, so keep in mind the calories when you eat your daily dark chocolate.

Cruciferous veggies, Dark Chocolate, eggs, garlic, dark leafy greens and Greek Yogurt.

kveith — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:27:23 +0000

Cruciferous Veggies- what are they?

Members of the cabbage family; broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and bok choy.

Why are they healthy? They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. These phytonutrients have been shown to stimulate enzymes in the body to help the liver remove toxic chemicals (even carcinogens) . According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, various components in these vegetables have been shown to stop tumor growth in the breasts, uterine linings, cervix, colon, lungs, and the liver. And studies that track the diets of people over time have found that people whose diets are hign in cruciferous vegetables are linked to lower rates of prostate cancer.

More benefits of eating these veggies:

improves the immune system
protects against cardiovascular disease
helping in the prevention of macular degeneration eye disease and cataracts
preventing constipation and maintaining healthy bowels
helping maintain blood glucose levels and promoting weight loss
reduces oxidative stress

Precautions

Cruciferous vegetables can affect the metabolism of many drugs. If you are taking medications, consult with your health care provider about whether or not if you should limit these vegetables.

Cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens, a compound that interferes with thyroid function. Those with a thyroid condition should consult with your health care provider regarding safe amounts. Cooking these vegetables for 30 minutes can greatly reduce the amount of goitrogens (it can also reduce important nutrients).