 A few years ago my husband and close friends realized two things when eating with me:
I stopped sharing my creations and just enjoyed them myself. Then one ordinary day while hanging out in the kitchen my husband complained that I was “holding out on him” when he discovered brownies I had made. I didn’t say anything but just passed the plate of brownies his way, gesturing for him to take one, and I went back to cleaning the kitchen. When I reached for another brownie myself the next day I knew there was going to be trouble - there was only one left (at least he saved me one, I guess?). The problem is, that meant he ate six brownies yesterday. Clearly there was a portion control issue, but more importantly – there was a fiber issue. You see, he had no clue that I replaced the flour with pureed black beans. It wasn’t my sneaky ingredient itself that caused his issues; it was the quantity he chose to consume. A few trips to the bathroom later, as well as a few years and lessons on portion control later, and we can all laugh about this. I’m still sneaking in foods to fool friends & family, occasionally – but I do not do this if I do not know their food allergy history! New friends always get a full disclaimer on what is in my creations. So, if you have someone you want to fool coming up on April 1st or you just want to boost the nutrition of some familiar foods, here are a few of my go-to’s these days and who they might work for: Food: Brownies Fool: Black Beans Recommended Consumer: Co-workers Why the switch? Replace refined carbohydrates with fiber and protein but keep the decadent flavor. Preparation Details: Black Bean Brownie recipe adapted from http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-black-bean-brownies/) Food: Macaroni and Cheese Fool: Cauliflower Recommended Consumer: Toddler Why the switch? Same creamy texture and rich taste but with less fat and more fiber and nutrients. Preparation Details: Start with a box of whole wheat mac & cheese and cook noodles according to the package directions. While the noodles are draining, add ½-1 cup of pureed cauliflower (if using a white cheese) to the warm pot along with 2-4 Tbsp milk and the cheese packet. Mix until the cheese dissolves and you achieve your desired consistency (start with less veggies and work your way up to more!). Add the noodles back to the pot with the cheese sauce, toss to combine and serve. Alternative: If you are using a yellow cheese, you can use pureed carrots, butternut squash or sweet potato in place of the cauliflower. I keep ½ cup portions of pureed veggies on hand in my freezer for quick veggie-filled meals! Food: Ice Cream Fool: Bananas Recommended Consumer: Partner or friend Why the switch? Maintain the texture and mouth feel with no fat, less sugar and more fiber and vitamins. Preparation Details: When you have bananas on the counter that are past your preferred ripeness, don’t throw them away! Peel them and store properly in the freezer. In a food processor or high-powered blender, simply add in frozen bananas and blend until they are the consistency of ice cream. Two medium bananas usually gives me 1 cup of ‘ice cream’. Top with crushed almonds , peanut butter, or mini chocolate chips and enjoy your fruit-filled frozen dessert! Some simple swaps make it possible to fool someone and boost the nutrition of familiar foods – just remember to be transparent if food allergies are a possibility. Do you have experience fooling with food? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! If you prefer to really fool with food, that may or may not be edible, check these out: More resources and links for swaps, fools and boosting nutrition:
 Fool: Cauliflower for Crust!
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Why is it that, as a trained nutrition expert and serial over-planner, I sit here and wonder what I’ll be eating next week? It’s not because I’ve procrastinated and don’t have a meal plan or that the fridge and pantry are bare with no time to grocery shop. It’s also not because I’m getting swept away to some far off place where I’ll be wined and dined. Nope, that would be nice. It is because I will be starting an elimination diet. Yes, I said the word DIET. And yes – I mean an eating plan that I will follow for a short period of time and then move on from. Finally, I don’t know what it is that I will be eliminating – and therefore eating - just yet. Two days ago, after another unexplained illness, I decided it was time to finish something I started a long time ago that will help me personally and professionally. I am talking about becoming a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT). LEAP™ stands for Lifestyle Eating and Performance and is an effective protocol that is followed to arrive at an individualized anti-inflammatory eating plan. There are many foods that are being touted as anti-inflammatory these days, but just eating those items isn’t always helpful because for some people those “anti-inflammatory’ foods are actually the source of the problem. The LEAP protocol is based on the results from the patented Mediator Release Test (MRT). Let’s go back a little further than two days ago, 10 years or so to when I first heard about LEAP and MRT. I had an employee who wanted us to pay for her to get certified and I was skeptical of it all. I was not yet aware of all of the research on food intolerances but I supported the employee in heading down the certification path so we could learn more about it together. Unfortunately she needed to resign before completing the process so for me it was out of sight out of mind. Fast-forward about 8 years, during which time I had a myriad of illnesses, tests and hospitalizations but no real answers or diagnosis, and I had another employee approach me about becoming a Certified LEAP™ Therapist. I picked right back up with her and supported her interest. It was about 1 year ago, after we both left our respective jobs, that I decided if I was really going to learn what the protocol was all about, I was going to need to become certified myself. When I’m skeptical of something I like to learn all I can about it and I learn much better from doing. It was also about 1 year ago that I was hospitalized again and started thinking that maybe I could benefit from LEAP. I ordered the materials and began studying. Now, here I am awaiting my results of both the MRT and my certification exam. I’ve been keeping a detailed food and symptom log for the past 4 days and boy can they be a pain to fill out to the level of detail a registered dietitian would want to see! But, it’s already been helpful in identifying some possible triggers, which keeps me motivated to continue with it. Here is a sample of some of the other thoughts going on in my head. I also included my restructured thoughts – an exercise I would do with my clients to help maintain a positive outlook.
While I am hopeful my restructured thoughts will be found true over the next few weeks, I also want answers so I can resume planning. The one ingredient that is often, but not always, eliminated for the first 10 or so days is dairy. So I will start with planning to either eat all of my dairy containing foods the next few days or quarantine them until I know they are safe for me again. Regardless of my personal outcome from this diet, I can say for sure that I will be a more compassionate clinician as a result of this LEAP™! And as new CLT, I will not be taking this LEAP alone as I’ll have my LEAP mentor, Jan, alongside of me to understand my personal results and the nuances that arise with my clients.
Off I go to inspect my food labels for hidden sources of dairy – did you know some lunch meats, breads and even potato chips may have dairy in them?! If you are a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist interested in becoming a CLT or happen to be interested in experiencing the MRT and LEAP protocol yourself, you can find out more about them here www.nowleap.com or by contacting my LEAP mentor, Jan. The purpose of this blog is not to discuss the protocol, but instead provide you with insights into someone going through both the certification process and the eating plan. And honestly, I’m thinking that by making the process more public I will hold myself more accountable – we all need to do what holds us accountable!
As a follow-up to my blog post on meal planning – I'm sharing some tips & ideas for eating between meals. To get started ask yourself - “How many times do I snack a day, on average?” Now – how did you define a “snack”? Is it defined by the time of day you eat something, the type or amount of food you eat, or where/how you eat the food? According to Merriam Webster a snack is a small amount of food eaten between meals. The concept of “snacking” is widely agreed upon but vaguely defined: ‘small amount’ of food is relative and everyone’s nutrient needs are different, not to mention the variation in meals and timing. When I work with clients, I’m not as concerned with which definition you use to define snacking – what I care about is ensuring we have agreed upon our definition, if snacking is something we develop goals around. For this article, I’m going to ask you to think about snacks as ‘mini meals’ that can be eaten any time of day and that provide the calories & nutrients YOU need to meet your daily needs. Why a mini meal? Because just like a meal, snacks that include multiple foods groups will provide a wider variety of nutrients and help keep you fueled until your next meal or eating occasion. How do you know if a mini-meal is right for you or your family? |
| Ingredients:
| Directions: Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally. Portion into containers, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. BONUS: the sides of your blender will likely be coated in chocolate – after scraping what you need to portion it out, place ½-1 cup of milk in the blender and make a glass of delicious chocolate milk while ‘cleaning’ the insides of your blender. |
Nutrition Info: (for 1/8th of the recipe, about 100grams)
110 calories, 5g fat, 19g carbs, 7g sugar, 5g fiber and 2g protein (will vary depending upon the type of ‘milk’ used)
Jobs for Luciana (2-3year old helpers):
110 calories, 5g fat, 19g carbs, 7g sugar, 5g fiber and 2g protein (will vary depending upon the type of ‘milk’ used)
Jobs for Luciana (2-3year old helpers):
- Peels & sorts the bananas – peel goes in the garbage and banana in the blender
- Plops the avocado in the blender that mommy cut, pitted and left in the peel
- Holds the measuring spoon over the blender while mommy pours the vanilla and we dump it in together
- Helps mommy count the number of Tablespoons of ingredients we put in
- Once the lid is safely on and she gets the go ahead – Luciana flicks the on switch and turns the speed up
- Official taste-tester
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What is your favorite 'mini-meal'? Let me know in the comments!
While the title may be a bit dramatic, it’s also pretty accurate when you think about how it can apply to your life & MEAL PLANNING. A key to succeeding at any goal – be it a strategic business goal or a personal health & wellness goal – is to have a SMART goal that acts as your PLAN. “I want to be better at planning my meals” is more of a desire than a goal. A SMART goal around meal planning would be “I will prepare at least 5 dinners this week from food on hand, eating dinner out no more than 2 times”.
- The second statement is much more Specific – you are going to be preparing dinners more and eating out less, pretty straightforward.
- It’s Measurable – you can count how many dinners you made and how many you ate out. Now, I hope this isn’t the case – but don’t forget to count any dinners that you failed to eat. Your goal is 5+2=7, to be successful you need to eat all 7 dinners!
- The goal is Achievable (for some, maybe not you) – it takes into consideration that you have, or will, grocery shop and have the ingredients, knowledge & skill to prepare the meals you and your family want for those 5 dinners.
- It is also Realistic – assuming you grocery shop and prepare meals on a routine basis… if you haven’t prepared a meal at home in a month, starting with 5 dinners in a week may be unrealistic. And if you prepare every meal at home, this goal isn’t for you either! Remember, while the strategy is the same for business & personal goals – meal planning isn’t likely a Key Performance Indicator for you and you can adjust the goal to be more realistic for you and/or your family.
- Additionally, this goal is Time-bound: you have 1 week to meet your goal. You will either succeed and repeat/improve or miss the mark, see where you have opportunities and adjust your goal or make a plan to address your gaps. In order for the goal to be achievable and realistic, it’s important to know where you are starting.
- I write a plan for all meals for my family for each week.
- I write a plan of 1 or 2 meals each day for a couple days ahead.
- I think about meals for the next few days & foods I will need before going to the grocery store.
- I think about the meal I am going to eat or fix when I get to the grocery store.
- I think about what to order while driving into a fast food restaurant/calling for take-out
- I think about what I am going to fix or eat when I am hungry and my family is ready to eat
Where you are in your meal planning and where you PLAN (not want) to go will guide your specific next steps, here’s a few things to get you started with your plan:
- Reference “MyPlate” for a guide on how much of each food group you need based on your age, height, weight and activity level.
- Dedicate time each week for meal planning. It’s an important meeting with yourself that you shouldn’t cancel.
- Think about cooking extra to use leftovers for another meal. Either exactly the same for lunch or dinner the next day or use it another way, tonight’s leftover grilled chicken, corn & veggies will be great chopped and tossed with lettuce, olive oil, lemon juice and a handful of raw veggies for a satisfying salad tomorrow!
- Prepare as much as you can all at once to save you time. Personally I do not like to mess up my kitchen (the way that I do when I cook) more than once a week. There are some things that can’t be prepped ahead of time, but most veggies can be sliced or diced, meat can be marinated or even cooked and grains can definitely be batched cooked.
- Prepare your grocery list according to the layout of the store. This helps ensure you won’t get home and realize you forget a pretty key ingredient. Also, keep this list handy to you and the family and add to it as you run out of things throughout the week.
- Keep you pantry (fridge & freezer too) staples well stocked. A balanced meal is fruits/veggies, lean protein & whole grain. Can you think of at least 1 item from each of these groups that you can keep on hand for a last-minute meal? I’ll help: Frozen spinach, frozen cooked grilled chicken breast, can of unsalted diced tomatoes and whole wheat noodles.
- Use the FIFO (First In First Out) method to avoid food waste. Base your next meal or snack on what is going to go bad first. Have some bananas that are really ripe? Peel & toss them into the freezer to use in smoothies later or mash them up & create some Energy Bites [RECIPE BELOW].
- Get input and buy-in from those who you share meals with. This will go along way towards success (again, similar to your business goals and getting the key stakeholders on board!).
- Practice portion control. This is especially important if you are planning to use some of the food for another meal. Portion what you need to save and put it in the refrigerator right away to ensure the safety of the food – both from food borne illnesses as well as second-dinner sneaks that may lurk in your house.
- Repeat successes. Keep track of meal plans you and your family really liked and rotate through them – you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every week!
My Back Up Plan: Salmon Salad Ironically, I was invited to present “Meal Planning Strategies” at a worksite earlier this week. In preparing for my presentation, I let my meal prep portion of my plan slip. The night I came home from the presentation I had to go with a back-up plan and re-work the rest of the week to be sure nothing went to waste!
Some of my most favorite meals have come about as a result of needing to rely on staples or leftovers for a back-up plan. What is your favorite or go-to “back-up meal”? or is it a drive thru ;)
| Energy Bites Makes 20 large or 60 small bites
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Mash banana and thoroughly mix in the next 3 ingredients, as well as honey if using. Add in the oats and chips, mix and cover. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make forming the bites less stressful!
1 large or 3 small bites prepared as above will provide 100 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein
1 large or 3 small bites prepared as above will provide 100 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein