I was working with a new client the other day who brought in a food log he had been keeping. As we reviewed it, I becamed alarmed at his sodium intake. It was sky high – between 3,000 and 4,000 mg per day! The current recommendation is 1,500 mg per day (however, athletes typically need a bit more, but not necessarily that much more). When we started looking at where the sodium was coming from, we discovered it was from the meats. Not the lunchmeats, but from the regular chicken breast, turkey breast, etc. he was eating. What’s up with that?

The meat industry engages in a practice called “plumping.” Sounds not so bad right? Not so fast. Plumping is the practice of injecting saltwater, chicken broth, or other water + flavor concotions into meat. This helps make the meat harder to dry out when you cook it, but raises the sodium content. And . . . .you are paying meat prices for saltwater! Yes. . . you are paying $3 or $4 or more per pound for saltwater. Up to 15% of the chicken you purchase can be saltwater! You could be spending up to $1.50 per package for saltwater! Plumping can increase the sodium content of your chicken by up to 500%! Can you tell this makes me mad?

Meats that are “plumped” can still be labeled as “all natural” so you can not necessarily trust the larger print on the label. What do you do? You have to read the nutrition facts pannel, the ingredient list, and the fine print. For example, if chicken has more than 70 mg of sodium per 4 oz serving, it has been “plumped.” Chicken does have up to 4% retained water, so that is normal. If there is an ingredient label, look for “saline solution” or “sodium” or other flavorings. Somewhere on the label it should say, in tiny print, “up to 15% saltwater” if it has been plumped.

It is for each of us to decide if we want our meat “plumped” or un-plumped. I prefer mine un-plumped, thank you very much. I do not need or want the extra sodium. I like to add my own seasonings. And, I don’t understand why I need to pay meat prices for saltwater. What about you?

I love to bake pies.  I used to be afraid of pie crust until I took a class at Central Market and learned how to make pie crust.  I like to make the crust with my hands – feeling the butter work into the flour until it is just right.  I like how the crust rolls out just right and is ready for the filling.  Making pie crust by hand is relaxing for me.

Thanksgiving is when I make the time to indulge in making pies.  I have a book, aptly named, Pie by Ken Haedrich.  It has 300 pie recipes.  I spend days going through the book deciding which pies to make this year.  However, one pie is such a hit that the group we celebrate Thanksgiving with each year demands that it arrive with us.  This pie is Georgia Orcutt’s Thanksgiving Dried Fruit Pie (on page 307 of the Pie book).  When I saw the recipe, I thought it sounded interesting.  I decided to make it as a backup for the other pies.  However, when we ate the pie everyone agreed it is AMAZING!  Even better, it is easy as, um, pie to make.  The recipe says 12 to 14 servings.  This seems impossible out of a regular 9 1/2 inch pie, but it is true.  The pie is so full of goodness, a small slice is all it takes.  So, I’m going to share the recipe with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do on Thanksgiving.  And, if you don’t want to make your own crust, feel free to use one from the frozen food section.

Crust (From Mary Cech’s Fall Pie Workshop at Central Market Houston; this is my go-to crust; dough can be made a day or two in advance.  It will need to warm on the counter a few minutes until it is pliable for rolling if made in advance.)

Yield: One 9-inch double crust pie dough

Ingredients

Instructions

Georgia Orcutt’s Thanksgiving Dried Fruit Pie

We all have those times when you just get too busy, too overwhelmed, or too tired to deal with deciding what to have for dinner.  In these instances it is great to have a few “go to” ideas that are quick and easy.  Here are a couple of mine:

• Get a roasted chicken from the grocery store, some pre-packaged greens, some blueberries, maybe some strawberries if they are in season, some pecans, and some low cal balsamic vinegar dressing.  Pull the chicken off the bones, wash and throw the greens, berries, and pecans in a bowl.  Put some chicken on top (keep the rest in the fridge for later).  Drizzle dressing over the top.  Dinner is served!
• The Watermelon Salad I talked about a few weeks ago has been great to have over the summer.  Quick and cool.  No cooking involved.
• I do this one more by feel as far as the mayonnaise and yogurt. Get some cooked chicken, either the roasted chicken from the grocery store or out of the freezer.  Chop it up and put it in a bowl.  Add about 1 tablespoon low cal mayonnaise, 2 – 4 tablespoons of low fat/no fat plain yogurt (enough to bind everything together), a few red grapes sliced in half, some toasted almond slices, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder, and 1 to 2 tablespoons (to taste really) of Major Grey’s Mango Chutney (found in the Indian section of the grocery).  Mix well. This makes a great curry chicken salad that you can serve on top of greens or in a pita.  I’ve been known to eat it straight out of the container in a pinch.  It will keep for three to four days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Pick a few of your own quick meals and have them in mind for your own “go to” dinners.  This can make for a better choice than ordering a pizza when you can’t think of anything else when someone asks “what’s for dinner?”

I have learned to really enjoy cooking over the past few years.  I used not to enjoy it because I wasn’t very good at it.  I have invested in some good books and classes to help.  However, the one thing that has helped more than anything is just getting in the kitchen and cooking.

I took a class on “Saving Summer” at Williams-Sonoma last Saturday. One thing the instructor said that stuck with me is that “cooking should be fun.”  She is so right!  And, to make cooking more fun, it helps to have the right tools.  Yes, you do not need a tool for every job, and a lot of tools can multi-task.   But, occasionally treating yourself to a new cooking tool can give some incentive to get in the kitchen.  That cooking tool could be a class, or an actual piece of equipment.  One of the tasks I do not like, and am not good at, is hulling strawberries and tomatoes.

During the class, the instructor used this Strawberry Huller to hull the tomatoes.

The people around me kept saying, “I just do that with a pairing knife.”  And, yes, I know you can do it with a pairing knife.  I’m just not comfortable doing it with a pairing knife (I have visions of the knife slipping and hitting my thumb).  I decided that if that cute little tool would help me in the kitchen (and save more of the fruit), then that would be a good addition to my kitchen.  And, when I made grilled tomatoes last night, I got a little excited to use the new huller for the first time.  It worked like a charm!

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen, pick a couple of things you can do to help.  It could be taking some beginner cooking classes, or buying some beginner cooking books.  Or, one of the most helpful books I have in my kitchen is The Well Tooled Kitchen. If I don’t know what that tool is called for in a recipe, I can look in that book and find it.

Cooking is a way to take care of yourself and those around you.  It allows you to control what goes into a dish, and to modify recipes to suit your tastes.  Cooking is an art form – a way to express yourself.  But, it is an art form accessible to everyone – including you.

I’m always looking for quick and easy meals.  However, I was surprised at the simplicity of this meal when I ran across it on the Cooking Light website.  It is a recipe for Refried Bean Poblanos with Cheese.  Seriously, it has 5 ingredients (OK, 6 if you decide you want cilantro), cooks in a microwave, and was ready in about 15 minutes.  They suggest serving it with a Creamy Chipotle Wedge Salad which has 4 ingredients and can be made while the Poblanos are cooking.

One of the other things I like about the Poblano recipe is that it is vegetarian, but you can make so many modifications with it.  Honestly, John and I kept saying, “Hey, you could . . . ” and suggesting variations for it.  Here are a few we thought of:
- Using different salsas.  For example, using a smoky one would change the flavor of the filling.
- We used refried black beans instead of pinto.
- You could cook and add some ground turkey or beef.
- Change the type of cheese.
- I used fresh peppers, but they have different dried peppers in the store.  Each would give it a different flavor.

This recipe is also fabulous for Meatless Mondays!

I hope you try and enjoy this recipe.  If you have favorite recipes you’d be willing to share, I’d enjoy receiving them.

I’ve seen and heard several of my foodie and RD friends joining the “Meatless Mondays” movement.  Even Mario Batali has gotten in on the movement at his restaurants.  What is all the buzz about?

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health started the movement with the goal of cutting meat consumption by 15% to improve both public health and the health of the planet.  They have established a website – Meatless Mondays – to provide information, education, and recipes.  You can also sign a pledge to go meatless on Mondays.  Consumption of meats has been linked to many diseases including cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, obesity, and diabetes.  Reducing meat consumption is also a way to reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the need to produce, process, and ship meat products.

One of the things I really like about Meatless Mondays is that it is an easy way to try something different – eating vegetarian for a day.  It challenges you, and me, to try new recipes and eat out of my normal “box” of recipes and foods.  I do have several vegetarian cookbooks, but they are not the ones I normally reach for on a daily basis.

As you think about your meals for next week, think about going meatless on Monday.  You can find great recipes at Meatless Mondays, at Vegetarian Times, and Cooking Light among others.

I’ve signed the pledge to go meatless on Mondays.  Even if you don’t sign the pledge, you can reduce your meat consumption and increase your fruit and vegetable intake by going. . . Meatless on Mondays!

There is just something about having a muffin for breakfast.  They are warm, soft, chewy, sweet. . . YUM!  And, muffins are quick to grab and portable.  However, that muffin can pack a calorie punch.  I recently found a recipe for a Banana Muffins that are only 130 calories per muffin.  Add some yogurt or a glass of milk and you’ve got a great mix of carbs, protein and fat which can help keep you full and avoid the sugar crash that just having a muffin can cause for some people.  Another great thing about muffins – they are easy to make and freeze well!  Just pull a muffin out of the freezer and it should be thawed by the time you reach work.  You can warm it in a toaster oven for a couple of minutes as well.  Making a double or triple batch and freezing them can give you breakfast for a few weeks for a few minutes of investment.

Here’s the Banana Muffin recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 lemon, grated peel

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites slightly and stir in bananas, sugar, Splenda, oil and lemon peel. Add to flour mixture stirring just until combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out of pans. Serve warm or refrigerate/freeze for later use.

Servings: Serves 12
Calories: 130; Fat: 3.7 g; Sodium: 87; Carbohydrates: 22.8 g; Fiber 2.2 g; Sugar: 9.9g; Protein 2.9 g

Thanks to the gang at Food and Health Communications for the yummy recipe!

1. Plan daily eating.  It doesn’t have to be a full-blown week-long meal plan.  At night, think about tomorrow and plan what and when you’ll eat.  Writing it down can be a huge help so you don’t forget.  If you pack food, this can help you be ready with a plan in the morning of what needs to be packed.  Or you can start packing the night before depending on your schedule.  When I plan my eating for one or a couple of days, my eating-related stress goes to 0 (as long as I get everything packed).
2. Keep nutrition information handy.  Most chain restaurants have nutrition information available on their websites.  I’ve printed the nutrition information for the chain and fast-food restaurants I tend to go to when pressed for time and keep them in a folder in my car.  That way, while I’m waiting in line at the drive thru I can look at the nutrition information and make an informed decision. “Do I really want to put that in my body?”  “Is that helping me reach my goal?”
3. Plan trips to new restaurants.  Most restaurants have websites with a version of the menu posted.  Using this information, you can see what they offer, how they cook it, etc.  This allows me to plan what I’ll have (and what modifications to ask for) before I’m there.  If I’m working towards a goal with my weight management I’m more likely to eat to plan if I’ve thought about what I’ll order before I’m there.  Even if I’m not working on a goal, I like to have an idea what the restaurant offers ahead of time.
4. Outsource.  If you don’t have time the time and/or skills to cook and find you are eating out all the time, look at outsourcing your meal options.  This may seem expensive at first, but think about how much you spend eating out then compare it to per-meal cost of the service.  In Houston there are several great food preparation services.  Honestly, I haven’t tried these personally, but have had friends recommend them.  Check out My Fit Foods and Diet Gourmet.  If you are in Sugar Land you can also try Chef For You.  To find some in your area try searching the following words: healthy meal delivery and your city.
5. Cook in bulk.  Pick a day to cook meals for the next few days or cook a few things, break them into individual portions and put them in the freezer.  You can even gather a friend or two and do it together so you both have food.  If you don’t want to plan it yourself, there are business that do the planning for you.  All you have to do is the assembly of the ingredients (most will even take care of that if you want for a small fee).  You can get a group of friends to assemble meals together and have a party (some places will let you bring wine to drink if you’re having a party and some offer munchies to a group).  Check out Village Table, Super Suppers, Dream Dinners, and Dinner by Design.  Or, check out this site.  Just put in your zip code and pick the distance you are willing to travel and it pulls up a list of food preparation businesses in your area.  Most of these services also offer nutrition information on their websites to help you select your foods.  Just a quick note: keep an eye on the ingredients to ensure you aren’t getting too many calories/fat.  Preparing your own allows you to alter the recipes a bit if you want to (for example, use less salt or butter).

I hope these ideas help take your eating-related stress down a few notches.