Me, StrongME, and Better'n PB Giveaway!

Hello readers! I have not abandoned you, but somehow I managed to go 5 whole days without blogging. It's not because I've been without fabulous recipes and nutrition info to share... I've just been so busy sharing  with some other fabulous people. Those people would be my 6th grade students at a local charter school in Memphis, TN!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to fill in as a nutrition counselor at a wonderful 12-week family weight management program based here in Memphis. I met with children and their families to go over their food logs and share some healthy cooking and baking techniques. I was also able to discuss and answer questions they had about how to plan healthy meals when you're on the go so often. This amazing program was started by Dr. Janice Pride-Boone, a fabulous Harvard trained pediatrician, who saw the need for an intervention program for childhood obesity... one that involved the whole family. She decided to do something about it and started StrongME! Please check out their website, especially if you're a local Memphian and know someone who could benefit from participating in such a program.


Parents & children participate in a group fitness class (such as Zumba) at the begining of each session - this photo is courtesy of StrongME!

 

 Nutrition discussion during a StrongME session -  this photo is courtesy of StrongME!

All that to say, after my one night "gig" as a nutrition counselor, I was offered the opportunity to help StrongME crossover into the school setting. Last week I began going to one of the Memphis middle schools to talk to the 6th graders about nutrition and healthy living. I'll be doing this about twice a week for the duration of the fall semester and spring semester as well. I couldn't be more thrilled! During the first week, I introduced the idea of nutrition and healthy living. Dr. Pride-Boone was also on hand to tell them about pediatric obesity and the consequences of it. What I found to be shocking was that she actually had a patient who ended up having their gallbladder removed due to complications with obesity! That's the type of surgery that obese adults are having!) 12% of adults that is, and after having a solid a 50 years WITH their gallbladder! If you're interested in reading more about obesity and gallbladder disease, check out this article over at Obesity Action Coalition.

Now you may think, "Woah! My kid doesn't even know what a gallbladder is! Heck, I don't even know what it does! Why on earth would it be necessary to talk to kids about this kind of thing." The honest answer in my opinion is this... ignorance is bliss. The very fact that we don't talk about the extreme and paniful consequences of such a disease is what leads us to think nothing of super sizing that #4 with extra cheese and bacon!!! In fact... my question is, why not talk to kids about this!?!? They're smart, and they should be more informed about the effects of their decisions, especially when it's related to their health and their body! The fact is, we don't give kids enough credit.

Most recent report of childhood obesity, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010."
This photo is courtesy of Trust for America's Health

If you know me, then you know that I have a passion for nutrition, especially in nutrition education for children. You would think that nutrition and health would be a mandatory class given the skyrocketing obesity rates that continue to grow at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, health and nutrition aren't on the report card that little Suzie takes home... therefore why would Suzie's teacher take time away from teaching science, math, social studies, etc to teach something that isn't covered on those very important tests which school's funding is based upon? I'm not blaming Suzie's teacher for this... but until legislation gets passed requiring a graded wellness course, that aspect of education gets set aside. If you agree with me... that health and nutrition education should be required, then make your voice heard in your state! Find out how over at the Health Education Advocate.

Ok! I'm off my nutrition education soapbox! I thought I'd share some of my favorite techniques for healthier cooking and baking. These are the exact same tips I shared with the parents at StrongME a few weeks ago!



'Cause I actually believe that you can have your cupcake and eat it too...

Just use applesauce instead of vegetable oil ;)

Enjoy and happy baking!

Healthier Cooking...

Make healthier mashed potatoes by adding Greek yogurt instead of fattening sour cream. You'll still get the creamy texture without all of the fat.                    

Holy Guacamole! Add ½ cup of plain 0% Greek yogurt for every whole mashed avocado that you use in your favorite guacamole recipe for some an added protein punch at your next fiesta.

*** Check out my Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes recipe made with Chobani 2% Plain Greek yogurt! ***

Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into wedges, toss with cracked pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes (tossing occasionally) until tender and golden brown for a delicious side item of sweet potato "fries."

For the taste of fried foods without the calories, trying using Panko Japanese bread crumbs as a crispy, crunchy coating.

Healthier Baking...

Substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil in any baking recipe. This will dramatically cut the fat and calories, and will leave you with a moister brownie or cupcake than any amount of fat could try to accomplish.  

Don't feel that you should follow every recipe exactly! Feel free to decrease the amount of sugar in a recipe. Try substituting some of the amount with agave nectar, which is much lower on the glycemic index and twice as sweet as sugar… which means you can use less!

Bake without breaking… an egg! Use liquid egg whites (available in small cartons in the egg section at the grocery store) in place of whole eggs for zero fat and zero cholesterol. Added bonus… no worrying about egg shells getting in the batter!

***Check out my AWESOME recipe for Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies where I used the above three healthy baking techniques!***

By toasting nuts, you can bring out a stronger flavor…  therefore you only have to use half the amount and still get the nutty flavor that you desire.

Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now!

That Red Hot Chili Peppers song just popped in my head. Not sure why. ACTUALLY... it could be because I'm hosting my first blog giveaway! Wanna know what it is? Well, you know that peanut butter that I'm OBSESSED with? Ya know, the one I wrote about here and here... The kind folks over at Better'n Peanut Butter were so happy that I had been spreading the peanut butter (no pun intended) love around, that they wanted me to able to share it with my fabulous readers!

So when this box arrived the other day, I was so excited to see what was inside...

They put PB on a diet... and it's oh-so-good! 

There was 1 jar of Original Better'n Peanut Butter AND 1 jar of Chocolate Better'n Peanut Butter! Now I haven't been able to find the chocolate variety in my home town, so I was so tempted to keep this one for myself. But I love my readers too much :) So... the winner of this giveaway will receive BOTH jars of Better'n Peanut Butter!

This giveaway is Vegan and Anti-Gluten friendly... both products are dairy free and gluten free! Cheers!

To enter just leave a comment on this post and tell me... what is your favorite way to enjoy peanut butter? If you win, you'll be able to REALLY enjoy it, because Better'n Peanut Butter contains 85% LESS fat and almost HALF the calories of your normal jar of PB! Hello... I'm hungry. I'll pick a winner using a random number generator on Wednesday. Last chance to enter will be Wednesday, October 27th at 6pm (central time.) Good luck!

Also - since I don't leave you with an actual recipe today... I will leave you with this photo of Mr. Teddy:

1 Pug + 1 Hot Dog Halloween Costume = Recipe for Cuteness

Ode to a Grecian Yogurt

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a representative at Chobani (one of the "big guys" in the Greek yogurt biz) to see if I would be interested in receiving some of their products to sample and use in some of my recipes here on my blog.

My thought process was as follows:

1. Um… yes please! Who doesn't love freebies!?!?

2. Greek Yogurt? Heck yes I will! I'll take that double of dose of protein! As a girl who considers herself "vegetarian-ish," I can always use the extra protein.  And by "vegetarian-ish" I mean that I usually consume chicken or fish probably for no more than 2 meals a week. I rarely eat red meat… but it does happen ever so often.

3. Greek yogurt? In recipes… well color me curious! I've used plain Greek yogurt in mashed potatoes before (in lieu of sour cream) but I had never really thought about BAKING with yogurt. The wheels started turning...

So about a week ago, I came home on my lunch break to find this beast in my kitchen…

Mr. Teddy was just as curious...

My sweet roomie was kind enough to open it up and place the yogurt in the fridge. Thanks Gabs! :)  

I could see the brightly colored label peering out between the opening of the box. When I opened it up! Holy Flaxseed! It was like Christmas! I was greeted with a surplus of Greek goodness... every flavor they offer!

I was stoked, and I didn't waste any time for ripping off the lid of the peach yogurt, I threw on some chia seeds, a handful of Quaker Oatmeal Brown Sugar Squares (one of my fave cereals,) and go to "work" testing out this lovely, creamy, delicious yogurt!

First up... Peach! DELISH!

So what is the hype with this Greek yogurt that you're starting to see more often? Well first of all, you should know that it's called "Greek" yogurt because of the method used when making it. It's a straining technique that takes out all the excess liquid. This leave you with nothing but rich, thick, creamy, yogurt-y goodness! And without that texture that you get with those other yogurts. I know there's some anti-yogurt people out there, I've met them (and I may or may not have been one up until about 3 years ago,) if it's a texture thing that bothers you... give this variety a whirl! You won't be disappointed.

Let's talk about protein...hello PROTEIN! I'm a big advocate of trying to incorporate some carbs, a protein, and health fat into every meal and snack. You body uses each at different rates, so it will leave you feeling satisfied longer, and keep you going longer. Don't we all need a little energy around 2pm? Thought so. In fact... if you add a sliced banana and sliced almonds on top of the vanilla Chobani yogurt (my favorite flavor) and you'll have the perfect snack: 

Protein: Greek yogurt

Carb: Banana

Healthy Fat: Almonds

Chobani Greek yogurts contain 13g - 18g of protein, depending on the variety you choose. To put things in perspective of the protein power that this product has lets see how some other protein-rich foods measure up:

2 Tb. Peanut Butter = 8g protein 

1 C. Milk = 8g protein
1 large egg = 6g protein (3 eggs would equal the protein in a single cup of Chobani's 0% Plain Greek yogurt) 
3.5 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast = 30g protein

4 oz. hamburger steak = 28g protein

Oh, and don't forget about the bacteria, but not the gross kind! Chobani yogurt contains probiotics (aka the good guys of the bacterial world…) which help to make thousands of good bacteria living inside your body even stronger! Well what does that mean for you... a more efficient digestive system and stronger immune system.

Can you guess which is the probiotic? Hey, I spent 2 years teaching nutrition to children, I believe in visuals! Ok? ;)

Now before you start giving me the whole, "Hey Laurie – remember that time you said buy organic dairy products… what's up with the contradiction? This stuff ain't organic!" First of all… I choose to buy organic milk, and I'm not forcing you to do so… however the benefits of going organic in some areas totally outweigh the extra cost in my book. So that's my recommendation. Anyhow... Chobani isn't certified organic, true, but they follow as many organic guidelines as possible. You could say that they're pretty organic-ish ;) Their product doesn't contain any antibiotics or hormones (which is a main concern in non-organic dairy products) and BONUS… they work with a dairy farm that is only 15 miles away from their plant. Localvores unite!

So what sets Chobani apart from the other Greek yogurt brands? Flavors, flavors, flavors… and I don't mean "flavors," as in that artificial stuff! I'm talking about real pieces of fruit in that magical little round cup of goodness. Which sure… anyone can through in some fresh fruit in yogurt, right? I was even more impressed by the fact that this yogurt is all natural… no preservatives, no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup,) no artificial coloring. In fact, when glancing at the ingredient list you know what I saw listed?!? Tumeric (a spice) for color, and also fruit and vegetable juice! That's right real fruit & vegetable juice for color (had to say it twice because I was THAT impressed…) which is a heck of lot better for you than Red #40. Back to the flavor... besides the classics (strawberry, blueberry, peach,) Chobani features flavors that are pretty hard to come by in other Greek yogurts. Look for pineapple, POMEGRANTE (I'm a sucker for pomegranate,) raspberry, and strawberry banana! Yummers!

 

How do I eat my yogurt you ask? I like to spice mine up a bit with a few extras, usually ½ Tb of chia seeds and some sort of "crunchy." Recently I've been adding about 7 or 8 of Annie's Organic Bunny Graham Friends. I added those little guys to my cup of Chobani pineapple Greek yogurt today - which by the way, is out of this world! After I stirred in the bunnies, they softened up a bit and I SWEAR… it tasted kind of like cheesecake in a cup! However, this yogurt is perfectly delicious on its own.  

Don't take my word for it! Try it yourself! No seriously… head over to the Chobani website and print out a coupon! Just scroll down to the bottom of the About Us page.

What else can you do with this crazy Greek yogurt? Well… the possibilities are endless!

 - Use a substitute for sour cream in mashed potatoes! You'll still get that creamy, smooth texture you're going for and Greek yogurt is the perfect, healthier alternative. Remember how Thanksgiving is just around the corner? Well offer to bring the potatoes… you know they'll be healthier and no one will know the difference!

- Taco Tuesday coming up in your house? Well kick your guacamole up a notch (gotta love those healthy monounsaturated fats in avocados!) For every whole avocado you use, add ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt. Hello punch o' protein!

- A sweet little Italian lady that I work with (who reminds me of my Mimi up in NJ) suggested trying to substitute for ricotta! Her favorite and very simple pasta dish… make your pasta, top with the meat sauce, put ricotta (or Greek yogurt) and fresh mozzarella on top. Toss into the cheese gets all melty and delish. Now that just sounds like… yum!

- Hot dip! Spinach dip that is! Currently there's a recipes that looks AWESOME over on Chobani's website. Who doesn't love a good spinach dip... it usually makes the party, right?  One of my favorite party dip recipes from my mom's collection (hot artichoke dip - which I probably haven't eaten in at least 5 years) literally consists of nothing but artichokes, mayonnaise, parmasean cheese, and mozzeralla cheese. Sounds healthy, right? Ha! Well I think this yogurt could totally be substituted for the mayonnaise and you could get a similar result. I'm definitely gonna try that spinach artichoke recipe that's on their website. 

Those are just some savory uses for Greek yogurt. Stay tuned to read about some of my future experiments with this fabulous yogurt. I think I might be in the mood for some brownies….

Yogurt