Another Delicious Summery Salad...Made With Fava Beans!

I had a half empty bag of fava beans in my cupboard for awhile now, and it's just one of those things I really wanted to get rid of...but in a good way. I felt like just cooking them and tossing them on the side of something wouldn't really taste amazing, so I saw a cool recipe on the back of the bag that sounded easy and healthy.

Fava beans are delicious and healthy, full of fiber (10 grams a serving...WOW!) and pretty high in protein ( about 8 grams a serving), but they can be a pain to cook. You might want to soak them overnight, and then they take about 45 minutes on the stove to be cooked. Even then, you have to check, because sometimes there will be a few sneaky ones that didn't cook all the way through.

Here is the recipe...ENJOY!

 

FAVA BEAN SALAD

2 cups cooked fava beans

¼ cup bell pepper of choice

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup Shitake Mushrooms

3 ounces extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. garlic or garlic powder

1 tsp. shallot

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix chopped up fresh ingredients with the fava beans and ENJOY!

A Meaningful Day For Steps2Nutrition...Education Is Where It's At!

Educating teenage girls on how to own a fit and healthy body and mind!

I have been so blessed this past month to have the opportunity to combine my services with Vision Fitness and Wellness Trainer Natania Goldberg. She was invited this weekend to speak on fitness and nutrition at an event for underprivileged teenage girls in Pacific Palisades called Women Empowered, and she invited me as her new nutrition specialist to speak to the participants on healthy eating.

Women Empowered is an organization that connects,educates and supports women of all ages and backgrounds and inspires them to give back to their respected communities through networking and volunteer work. We worked with nine girls, Natania teaching fitness basics and showing the girls how to monitor their heart rates and myself giving them tear-away handouts of MyPlate, the USDA’s latest choosing of illustration for the five basic foods groups and using plastic food models to show portion sizes and designate healthy foods from not so healthy food items. We ended the session with a fun rap music video about healthy eating that the girls seemed to like.

The coolest part for me was at the end, when Natania asked the girls if they could take away ONE THING from today, what would it be? 7 out of the 9 girls said nutrition based things. After my lecture on Pop Tarts, one girl said she would stop eating them. Another said she would try to eat more fruits and vegetables. It was such an awesome feeling knowing that THEY LISTENED. It sounds silly, but we all know teenagers, when it comes to adults…sometimes they like to tune us out. Maybe because we made it fun and interactive? Maybe because we asked a lot of questions and demanded answers? I don’t know exactly what it was, but the feeling when you leave a venue knowing you might really have made a difference, that maybe a few of those girls would pick a whole grain granola bar instead of candy at the convenience store, and maybe a few of them would try to do something active with their down time, it is an AMAZING feeling.

A lot of these girls live in food deserts, where they might not have access to fresh goods, or they might have parents who are on a budget and are not able to buy all the fresh groceries they might ask for. They might have parents who are uneducated about nutrition and won’t understand why they should buy more apples or broccoli from the store. But the point is, now THEY KNOW. Driving back from the Palisades on the Pacific Coast Highway and watching the ocean go by, I feel good about what I did today. Making a difference is cool. I would like to do more of that!

Spiced Peach and Pistachio Crisp...Healthy, Delicious Summer Desserts!

I was on a mission earlier in the week to find a new healthy yet delicious dessert to eat. I came across this recipe and it is a sure fire win. My friend video taped me making it but I am not sure the final cut will make it to my new website...so that being said I am just going to share it here. This dish is so delicious, you would probably never guess it is good for you.

This is a spiced peach and pistachio crisp. Peaches are low in calories, have no saturated fat and are high in antioxidants. Pistachios are a rich source of vitamin B6 (which is great for the nervous system), great for your eyes and heart and can help keep diabetes at bay.

Spiced Peach and Pistachio Crisp

5 medium peaches, pitted and sliced ( I kept the peels on for extra fiber, but you can take those off too if you wish!)

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped shelled pistachios

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons non-fat plain Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peaches, honey, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of the flour.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining flour, oats, brown sugar, pistachios, ginger, cardamom and salt. Then with a wooden spoon, mix in the yogurt and melted butter. Stir until mixture is moistened.

3. Pour the peach filling in a baking dish and top with the oat mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes.

ENJOY!!

Happy, Healthy 4th of July!!

You may not want to hear this...but here are 5 tips for eating healthy today...pretty simple and you can still enjoy the day.

1. FRUIT SALADS--good replacement for the heavier desserts at parties. Plus strawberries and blueberries are part of the color theme!

2. VEGGIE PLATTERS-a great substitute for chips, less bloating for your body if you will be hanging out all day in swim gear.

3. THE GRILL-the grill is your friend, because you don't need to add any oil to cook a piece of chicken or burger on it.

4. DRINKING WATER-it may be hot where you are, so if you are drinking alcoholic beverages, maybe substitute in a glass of water every other drink for optimal hydration. Also, being dehydrated makes you crave more salty foods than your body really needs.

5. FORGIVE YOURSELF- 4th of July is a day to relax and enjoy, but living a healthy lifestyle is about learning how to accommodate for situations that are out of your control. You may be in situations where there might not be food that fits your eating habits, but get creative and make it work for you. So you eat a hamburger with a white bun instead of a whole grain one... and a few chips...and a piece of that 4th of July cake your friend brought to the party. Oh well, it's one day and you will live. Don't let one slip-up cause a crazy binge and ruin your whole week.

Frozen Yogurt WITHOUT the Yogurt...Yes, It Can Happen...With A Yonana Machine!

So I have a bad sweet tooth...and as a nutritionist, as I have ventured more into the realm of practicing what I preach, I try my best when I am craving something sweet to find a healthier version of it.

I used to be big on frozen yogurt, but once I learned more about the actual ingredients that typically go into frozen yogurt, I decided that probably was not the best option for my sweet tooth either. Plus all the toppings I would add! Admit it...going to frozen yogurt places is more about the toppings. Some brownie chunks, caramel sauce, chocolate chips, gummy bears and sprinkles with a side of frozen yogurt, right?

So if I have to stop eating frozen yogurt regularly, I don't want to replace that with real ice cream, at least not nightly...so what can I have that has that ice cream/frozen yogurt consistency on a hot summery evening that is neither ice cream nor frozen yogurt?

Luckily, my trustworthy friend called Facebook gave me the answer a few months back, and I have many friends following in this trend. I saw a friend of mine post an ad on her wall about a machine called Yonanas. A friend of hers worked for the company that sold this machine and if I contacted her directly, I could get one at a discounted rate.

So, incase you do not know what a Yonanas is (and I am sure most of you do not!), this is a machine that basically takes frozen bananas and grinds them into a puree that resembles and tastes like frozen yogurt...except it is JUST bananas! And you can add things to it, like other frozen fruits, chocolate or nut butter, but the base has to be bananas. So obviously, if you don't like bananas, this will NOT work for you...but if you do, this is an amazing contraption that you must own. The price for one of these bad boys is about $50, but if you think about how much you can spend on ice cream and frozen yogurt versus how much you spend on a few bananas...and how much healthier your finished product will be...it is worth it. TRUST ME.

My glorious Yonanas machine, where the magic happens.

The machine only has 3 pieces other than the base, and they come apart pretty easily for cleaning. The machine also comes with a cool little recipe book to give you new ideas for recipes you can make with your Yonanas.  The dish I made below was an original recipe. I put 2 frozen bananas thru the Yonanas machine and then I took Justins Vanilla Almond Butter and melted it a bit, then poured two tablespoons over my finished Yonanas dish. Looks good right?

Not Your Typical Muffin Tin Recipe!!

So I was going through my cupboards the other day, cleaning out old kitchen ware that I don't use anymore, when I came across a muffin tin. Muffin tins are great, but we (myself included!) typically associate them with making...muffins. In this area of dessert and carbo-phobes, these sorts of treats have become, shall I say...passé. For me, I still like a good blueberry or bran muffin now and then, but I recently came across a cool, healthy little recipe that blew my health-conscious mind away...

BEHOLD...Feta/Arugula/Tomato/Egg White Cups, the coolest non-muffin recipe you can make in a muffin tin. Set the oven to 350F. Crack about 7-8 egg whites (depending on how many people you want to feed, or how many you may want over the next few days) and set them aside. Then you sauté about 2 cups of organic arugula and put it in a bowl. Chop one roma tomato into pieces and add that to the bowl, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of feta cheese into the bowl. Pour the egg white mix in and pour an even amount of the mix into a muffin tin (spray it with cooking spray first!). I made enough for 5 muffin cups, you might want more or less. Stick that tray in the oven for about 20-25 minutes...this is what you get...

Also, SIDE NOTE--I am sure this can be done with spinach, without cheese, etc...but this combo tastes delicious and the COOLEST part is...these are SUPER EASY to take with you places...like in your car on the way to work, so you can skip out on those lame "I don't have time for breakfast" excuses.

By the way...below is the formal recipe...

Tomato/Feta/Egg-White Cups

•  
• Ingredients
•  
•  1/4 cup, crumbled Feta Cheese
•  1.5 cup Egg White
•  2 cup Arugula (Rocket)
•  Canola Oil cooking Spray (or your spray of choice) for the muffin tin
•  1 Roma Tomato, chopped into pieces
• 
  
• Directions

 1. Sautee arugula in a pan.
 2. Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray
 3. Distribute arugula, tomato, feta, and egg whites into each of the muffin tins.
 4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
 5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Making Your Own (Healthy!) Pizza...A How-To Guide...

Lucky for me, I usually have at least one day during the week where I don't have to work. Because the grocery stores are usually a pain during the weekends, I like to do my grocery shopping on that allotted day off. This week, I didn't have to work today (Monday) so I made my way to Trader Joe's for my weekly grocery shopping trip.

Like most people, I have my usual items I buy, but then, being into food and nutrition and working in the industry, I like to be a little adventurous and try new things from time to time. Today I came across a product I had seen before but never purchased, Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I had always wanted to try to make my own pizza. Ideally, I would make the ENTIRE pizza from scratch, but I figured if I bought this dough and made the rest from scratch, it could still be considerably healthy...and delicious!

So this Trader Joe Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, to be clear, is not perfect. They do use unbleached white flour, which to be clear, is just simply not as white as bleached. So while this dough may not be perfect, I can pronounce all the other ingredients and I am not gluten intolerant, so I decide to try it. I was also concerned about the dough not having quite the amount of fiber I would want in it, (2 grams per serving...I was hoping for at least 3 or 4!) I added a few spoonfuls of flaxseed meal into the dough. For the record, flaxseed won't do much to change the taste unless you add a lot of it, but it does add Omega-3 essential fatty acids and as I mentioned before, fiber.

Next, I looked online for a decent and easy recipe for pizza sauce from scratch. I found this recipe, which will now be my go to pizza sauce, because it turned out delicious. Using real tomatoes makes the pizza much more hearty and much less salty! I can't believe I never tried this before.

Being someone who doesn't eat pizza too often, I am not a fan of your usual cheesy pizza with pepperoni pieces. I am a fan pizza with more non-traditional ingredients. I decided I wanted to use fresh parmesan, arugula and mushrooms. I used more sauce for my pizza and less cheese, because especially in the United States, pizza from restaurants use WAYYYY too much cheese, leaving you feeling heavy and gross after eating a pizza. I like Parmesan because if you buy the real stuff, it is quality enough that you don't have to use a lot to taste it in food, which is how it is supposed to be. Arugula is a fun pizza ingredient because it is not typically used on a pizza, but it gives a kind of peppery flavor to the pizza. Plus, this way we get to consume more leafy greens and anyone who knows me knows I am a fan of that!

My pseudo-healthy pizza...looks good right?

Arugula Parmesan Pizza

-2 ounces of Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, or dough of choice (if you are gluten-free, Bob's Red Mill makes a gluten-free pizza crust mix)

-Home-made pizza sauce (or pre-made sauce of choice)

-2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (optional)

-1/4 cup real Parmesan cheese

-1 cup organic arugula

-1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

Stretch the dough by hand or with a rolling pin into the desired shape. Top with the sauce and toppings and bake on a cookie sheet in the oven at 450F for 8-12 minutes.

ENJOY!