Pumpkin Substitutes - some might work for us

Yet again, from Multi-Care recipes.  While I am not clear that I can actually have pumpkin, I have not yet experimented with pumpkin as replacement for other ingredients, we have some cans of pumpkin puree that I would like to experiment with a bit.  It was disappointing for me to learn pumpkin is not on my low carb, high fat foods list, (safe foods for me) and I am thinking the experiments might work towards my daily carb counts. 

Pumpkin, pumpkin, everywhere: Find healthy options amid the #PSL craze

Posted on Oct. 12, 2018 (0 comments)

By Brittney Lott

Fall is here, which marks the return of the pumpkin spice latte — and all things pumpkin. Over the years, the amount of pumpkin spice products has greatly increased, giving people plenty of options for feeding their pumpkin cravings.

But how do we enjoy the sweet treats that come with the fall season while also sticking to our healthy eating goals?

We spoke to Erica Lewis, RD, CD, a wellness dietitian with the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living, to find out how we can get our pumpkin spice fix and still make healthy choices this fall.

Pumpkin in its natural form is a great addition to any healthy diet, Lewis says. Pumpkin pulp is an excellent source of vitamin A and fiber — one cup has about 7 grams of fiber, or about 25 percent of the daily recommended intake of fiber.

Vitamin A is important for overall growth and development, overall eye health, and it helps boost our immune system, which is more important than ever as we transition from fall to winter.

Fiber is what keeps us full longer and helps us maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract, which reduces our risk for certain conditions, such as diverticulosis.

A quick, on-the-go snack that Lewis recommends all fall long? Pumpkin seeds.

“Pumpkin seeds are a wonderful, healthy, go-to snack that are a great source of fiber, healthy fat, protein and magnesium,” she says.

Magnesium is a mineral essential for metabolic functioning and healthy muscle and nerve function. It works with calcium to maintain bone health.

Roast pumpkin seeds and make a colorful fall trail mix with dried cranberries, pretzel sticks, and mini dark chocolate chips, Lewis suggests.

It’s important to read the labels on all foods we buy, but there are specific things to look for when buying pumpkin products. Lewis recommends limiting food products that list pumpkin as a “flavor,” “sauce” or “syrup,” and to focus on buying foods that have pumpkin in its natural form — generally listed as “pumpkin,” “pumpkin puree” or “pumpkin flakes.”

It can be hard to resist a pumpkin spice latte this time of year, but flavored coffee drinks can be deceivingly high in calories. Lewis has a few tips to help make your latte lighter.

“For a healthier version, ask for 1 percent milk instead of whole milk or experiment with almond milk,” she says. “Skip the whipped cream and go light on the pumpkin spice syrup. I can never get enough of cinnamon or nutmeg, so I always ask for a little extra on top for a more robust flavor.”

While we often see pumpkin used in sweet treats, Lewis loves to incorporate pumpkin into savory dishes as well.

“Pumpkin is a very versatile ingredient,” she says. “Experiment by replacing oil, butter or other fruit purees like banana or sweet potato with 100 percent pumpkin puree when you are cooking or baking.”

Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup pumpkin puree to your sloppy joes instead of the tomato sauce or ketchup your regular recipe asks for.

Try pumpkin ravioli or roast two pumpkin halves in your oven (stems, seeds and fibrous strands removed) with some olive oil and spices of your preference.

Pumpkin spice mix

1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp allspice.

Use to spice up traditional sweet treats, or add to any recipe calling for pumpkin spice mix as directed.

Pumpkin spice overnight oats

1/2 cup plain oatmeal
1/4 cup plain pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup milk (or milk alternative)

Mix oatmeal, pumpkin puree, spices, 1 Tbsp walnuts and milk in mason jar. Put in fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbsp of chopped walnuts on the top for a little added crunch.

And of course, Vegan snacks and Reminder to Watch Out for overdoing those Carbs

Another offering from Multi-Care and Watch the Carbs! 

Recipe: Simple vegan snack wraps

Posted on Jun. 11, 2015 (0 comments)

By Julie Cyr

Nutrient dense collard greens lends way to cholesterol lowering properties in this quick and easy summer snack. Packed with protein and fiber from hummus, healthy omega fats from creamy avocado, and vitamin C rich red bell pepper, keep snacking simple and light this summer while you're on-the-go.

Ingredients
1 collard green leaf, thick stem removed
1/4 cup hummus 
1/4 red bell pepper, julienned
1/4 avocado sliced

Instructions
Rinse and pat dry collard green leaf. Spread hummus evenly in the center of the leaf making sure to leave a border. Layer with bell pepper and avocado. Fold sides in and wrap.  

Add ingredients to these wraps and make them a main meal. 

Add-ons include:
Turkey
Canned tuna
Chicken breast
pine nuts
sunflower seeds
grated carrot
sliced olives
artichoke hearts
chopped kale 
baby spinach
quinoa pesto
roasted red bell peppers

Guacomole, Yum, no crackers though

Another recipe from Multi-Care, and while he makes Great Guacomole, this recipe sounds good.  Some additional spices he doesn't use when making his own recipe.

Recipe: Cantina-style guacamole

Posted on Sep. 16, 2016 (0 comments)

By Julie Cyr

Guacamole is a dip of mashed avocados that began with the Aztecs in Mexico. In moderation, this fresh and easy guacamole recipe provides heart health benefits from antioxidants and phytonutrients our bodies need from plant based foods. 

Did you know avocados are rich in unsaturated fats, help to reduce cholesterol levels in the body and contain more potassium than bananas? Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and red onions help fight cancer.

Pick the ripest avocados you can and use the freshest cilantro, tomatoes, and limes when you're looking for something to mimic a summery cantina style guacamole.

Ingredients
3 large Haas avocados, halved and pitted
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 green onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile pepper or jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of two limes
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
In a large bowl, mash avocado. (Use a mortar and pestle if you have one.) Add lime juice, cumin, salt and stir to combine.  

Gently fold in tomatoes, red onion, green onion, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro until well incorporated.  Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite infused water. 

To increase heat, stir in the seeds from the chile pepper or jalapeño and add a couple dashes of hot sauce or chipotle pepper sauce.

Desserts we Can Eat! Yay!

Today for whatever reason, my health care, MultiCare, sent me recipes that I have not seen or used before. Great, and mostly it will be the 'safe' foods on my list which include chocolate, nuts.  The article gives good explanation to chocolate and gives me an idea on what else I can do with the dark chocolate we now have.  He makes what we call Latte for me each morning, actually it is not, it is what we call it.  He makes the Latte by breaking off one square of dark chocolate (92%), adds Half and Half with the chocolate in the Blender.  He pours in the coffee, adds non sugared whipped cream (heavy cream that he has whipped), and I have a tasty Latte (No Sugar!).  And yes, he has the Latte he makes for himself too. 

Since he uses the chocolate, I like the addition of using the chocolate for other dessert ideas, although I only want to permit myself about one square of chocolate a day.   Does not mean I can't make the recipe and rein in my temptations to have maybe 2 squares that day....not everyday.  Oh, yes, he also adds half a banana, half an avocado, 2 poaches eggs, Clamato juice, and lately one piece of Dave's Killer Bread toast (sad, I have to let this one go, bread, you know) 

Dessert can be ‘healthy’ and still taste good — try this dark chocolate bark

Posted on Mar. 27, 2019 (0 comments)

By Bev Utt, MS, MPH, RD

Take a minute to reimagine dessert. What if you could make dessert better for you without sacrificing flavor? It would be like having your cake and eating it, too.

A few years ago, renowned Harvard nutrition scientist Walter Willett challenged chefs to create desserts utilizing the “three pleasures” — dark chocolate, fruit and nuts — which are some of the healthiest foods on the planet.

Fruit is refreshing and naturally sweet. It brings a burst of color to the plate and vitamins and minerals that help protect against heart disease and diabetes. Dried fruit works well when fresh is out of season.

Nuts provide a satisfying crunch and richness. They are a great source of healthy fat, protein and fiber. Just a handful of nuts a day has been associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality — that’s science speak for a handful of nuts a day keeps disease away.

Dark chocolate offers a wide range of flavors. Remember that the higher the cocoa percentage, the less sweet it will be, so 60-70 percent or higher is a nice complement to the sweetness of fruit.

Seventy-percent chocolate is 70 percent cocoa butter and cocoa solids (by weight) and about 30 percent sugar. The chocolate is the favorable content, while the sugar is not so favorable; but in dark chocolate, the ratio is good.

Dark chocolate is a cardiovascular health food, according to David Katz, a physician well-known for his expertise in nutrition. It’s a high-calorie food, so the dose makes the poison. We don’t know what the optimal “dose” is, but 60 percent cocoa or higher is recommended.

For our health, it does not seem to matter if chocolate has been “Dutched” (alkalinized). Some cocoa powder is alkalized to give it a more mellow, smooth flavor, and making it easier to mix with other ingredients.

Dark chocolate has a high concentration of arginine, an amino acid that is a precursor to nitric oxide, which make blood vessels dilate. Its effects improve blood flow and make platelets less sticky.

Dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure. It doesn’t have the attribute of stimulating appetite, like milk chocolate does, because of the bitter properties. Sweetness stimulates appetite, while bitterness tends to blunt appetite, so it’s kind of self-regulating. It’s a healthy indulgence. According to Dr. Katz, it is an example of a healthy food that loves us back.

Aggressively pursue flavor. Create your own favorite “perfecta trifecta.” Think beyond the dessert menu — hold the white flour, unhealthy fats and added sugar and rehab your taste buds to begin to enjoy these three pleasures.

Here are some ideas:

• Dip apple wedges or whole strawberries in melted dark chocolate. Add a dusting of crushed nuts.
• Prepare a bowl of fruit with a sprinkle of nuts served alongside dark chocolate squares.
• Plate dark chocolate, fresh or dried fruit and nuts. Add a splash of port wine, an optional fourth “pleasure.”
• Make chocolate almond bark with spice-flavored almonds and juicy blueberries.

Recipe: Nut, dried fruit and dark chocolate bark

Modified from Leyla Shamayeva, MS, RD

Aim for five toppings: three different nuts/seeds, one type of no-sugar-added dried fruit and one additional topping, such as coconut flakes.

Ingredients
6 ounces dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
3–4 tablespoons nuts/seeds (see below for ideas)
1 tablespoon no-sugar-added dried fruit, such as dried apricots
1 tablespoon additional topping, such as unsweetened coconut flakes

Topping ideas:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chopped almonds
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped dried apricots
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes

Line a square cake pan with parchment paper, lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine all toppings in a small bowl and set aside.

Fill a pot with two inches of water; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place heat-proof bowl over pot, then place chocolate in bowl. Stir constantly to prevent chocolate from burning.

Once chocolate is fully melted, remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Pour onto parchment paper inside pan, then smooth with spatula.

Sprinkle toppings over chocolate, then place in refrigerator to set for an hour. Break into pieces and enjoy.

Switch over to Low Carb foods

We ate Paleo for several years, and this past year we made switch over to Low Carb, High Fats way of eating.  Reason; well it seems we were gaining weight eating the Paleo way, and now I better understand why.  I was diagnosed with diabetes 2, and it scared me so I immediately went to the discipline of Keto diet for about 3 months with daily exercise to drop some pounds.  After the Keto way of eating (yuck!) added the low carb, high fat way of eating.  LCHF.   Made no sense after years of hearing that cheeses, eggs, nuts, oils were fattening, it was not easy to erase the feeling and begin eating more of these food groups.  Of course, doctor who diagnosed me had me on medication, Metformin.  I attribute that towards the effort.

Yet my husband, who is not diabetic, in support of my disciplines and efforts was also losing weight, slowly, yet significantly.  Both of us wish to keep the weight off.

There is no Sugar in our home.  None, and no breads or crackers or the like.  It took a few trials and errors, and with the glucose monitor, lots and lots of research into how to eat with diabetes ll, we learned what I could and could not eat.  He pretty much sticks with my eating plan.  He also walks with me as our exercise, we have step monitors to measure steps taken throughout the day.

I would like now to use this blog to save some of the recipes I continue to find.

Sugar is definitely Un-Paleo

On Sugar

Honey ... I trust honey and honey works in every recipe I need sweetness ... molasses is from cane sugar ... not the same ... honey

SugarHigh: The Dark History and Nasty Methods Used to Feed Our Sweet Tooth

Sugar is now 20 percent of the American diet, but it's not just our health that suffers from its pervasiveness. July 23, 2012, Alternet

Excerpts:

" ...  how often do Americans think about where sugar actually comes from or the people who produce it? As a tropical crop, sugarcane cannot grow in most U.S. states. Most of us do not smell the foul odors coming from sugar refineries, look out over vast expanses of nothing but sugarcane, or speak to those who perform the hard labor required to grow and harvest sugarcane.

 Of course, sugar can be made from beets, a temperate crop, and more than half of sugar produced in the United States is. But globally, most of the story of sugar, past and present, centers around sugarcane, not beets, and as biofuels become more common, it is sugarcane that is cultivated for ethanol. What's more, some conscious eaters avoid beet sugar as most of it is now made from genetically modified sugar beets.While I do not fool myself that sugar is "healthy," if I am going to satisfy my sweet tooth, I prefer cane sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey over the other choices: beet sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. Of the bunch, most Americans can find only honey and perhaps maple syrup sustainably and locally produced, but cane sugar is often the most versatile product for baking."
America Gets Its FixAn overwhelming percent of world sugar production occurs in Brazil and India, but if you are an American, your sugar fix is likely satisfied by U.S. sugar, whether cane or beet. The U.S. has long had policies that limit sugar imports, keeping the U.S. price of sugar well above the world price -- often double or more. By setting a high tariff on all sugar imports over a set quota, the U.S. protects its own sugar industry (both cane sugar and beet sugar). Producers of high fructose corn syrup also support this system as it allows them to price their product below the cost of sugar, making it attractive as a cheaper alternative."

Lost in the "on-line-ness" of it all

Retirement:

 No employment duties, just dog-walking, thinking about gardening, house cleaning, no rush no hassle, just me and my beauty.

Quiet and side by side reading and writing Internet stuff.

"hey, look what I found!"

"Look Honey, what you can get on Firefox."

"Does it upload pictures?"

" I have too many blogs."

"Now this one is a catchall for whining, it's titled THE WAILING.

"If that dog tries to poop under the pergola one more time ....."

"Did my grandson download that thing to my computer?"

"It's going to get hot today. Glad I'm not working."

"We/ll keep the miniblinds closed, turn on the A/C stay calm and quiet all day."

"That means it's too hot to go garage-sale-ing, right? Oh all right, let me get a cap."

It doesn't get any better than this.