Archives

May 21, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

Build a better cheeseburger… Grill up a burger with less fat, fewer calories & great taste

• Beef: Choose 90% lean sirloin. Great mix in’s: garlic (packs antioxidants) & chili powder
• Hearts of Romaine: Loaded with vitamin C & beta carotene and adds great crunch.
• Cheese: a sprinkle of extra sharp cheese serves up a good source of calcium (and lots of flavor)
• Veggie toppings: sliced avocado, fresh salsa-delivering heart healthy fats & antioxidants

Serves 15 - 20

1c — sour cream
1 — can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2c — fresh corn, cooked
1/2 — pkg taco seasoning mix 4c guacamole
1c — salsa
1c — cheddar cheese, grated 1/2lb cooked shrimp
sliced black olives, green onions, fresh red peppers to garnish

1. Mix 1/2c sour cream, black beans & corn. Season with S&P
2. Mix other 1/2c sour cream with taco seasoning mix
3. In shallow bowl or platter, layer in order: Bean mixture, guacamole, seasoned sour cream, salsa, grated cheese
4. Top with shrimp
5. Garnish with: black olives, green onions, red pepper strips

Serve with tortilla chips

May 15, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

It is a pizza party that hopefully would have made my Italian ancestors proud. Homemade sauce & pizza dough, roasted garlic, prosciutto, pancetta, fresh buffalo mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano & sautéed wild mushrooms, just to name a few.  My husband Tom and I were excited to have some friends over to test out our new kitchen and engage in a “hands on “ dinner party.  What a great idea it turned out to be.  We prepared the toppings beforehand, rolled out the dough and made the spread for our friends to adorn their pizzas with whatever toppings their hearts (and taste buds) desired.  Since this is such a spectacular time of year for fresh produce our side accompaniments were roasted asparagus from the Lynchburg farmer’s market and lettuce from our very own garden (one of the vegetables that seems to grow in our tiny garden against all odds).  I must admit though, my fussy 2 month old did not make it easy for me to savor every bite of my mushroom laden pizza, but the next night my baby happily laid in the arms of his Nona as I savored my pizza and the memories of cooking with good friends.

May 15, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

Food Label Health Claims Primer...
making sense of the nonsense (Part 2)

• “Immunity Boosting”: Bottom line, the foods most likely to support immunity - fresh, whole ones - don’t have any labels at all.
  
• “Made with Real Fruit ”: Some seemingly fruity foods may contain as little as 2 % real fruit.  Check the label to see how far down the “real” fruit falls on the list.
  
• “Trans Fat Free”: Foods making this claim can contain up to ½ gram of trans fat for each serving.  Avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list.
  

May 7, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

Food Label Health Claims Primer... making sense of the nonsense

• “Added Fiber”: fiber added to yogurt & ice cream don’t yet have proven benefits (such as fiber found naturally in foods like whole grain, beans, fruit)
• “Natural”: there is no formal definition, so this could mean anything. Scan the ingredients for additives.
• “Made with whole grains”: does not mean “made exclusively with whole grains”.  No specific % is mandated which means most of the ingredients could be refined flour

May 1, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

“April showers bring May showers” is what my son Oliver has recently declared…which seems fitting on this official May Day morning of rain.   What he really meant was “May flowers” but that is only part of what makes May such an exciting month.  This month kicks of the start of our local CSA- Horse & Buggy Produce and boy did they start off with a bang.  Our first visit includes local asparagus & strawberries, 2 of my personal favorites.  Not in season for long I get my overload of asparagus via eggs, soup or just simply grilled or roasted. Strawberries taste best to me when you just pop them in your mouth (after you wash them of course) and since their season is so short lived I am enjoying the overload.   This is what I love best about spring, the season of new flavors and new sights.

Makes 32 bites

8 — slices bacon
8 — slices bread
3T — basil mayo
32 — slices ripe roma tomatoes (or grape tomato 1/2)
32 — small pieces arugula

1. Cook bacon, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
2. Cut crust from bread
3. Cut bread into 4 pieces: triangles, squares or rounds
4. Brush bread w/ melted butter or olive oil
5. Toast at 350° until golden brown, about 8 minutes
6. Top with: 1/4t mayo; arugula, bacon piece & tomato slice
   

Basil Mayo:
1/3c — good quality mayonnaise
1T — heaping, chopped fresh basil 1/3t each red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt pinch black pepper & splash Tabasco sauce

April 30, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

What’s in store…Use these tips to shop for the healthiest convenience foods

• Go whole: the first ingredients in packaged bread products should be “whole wheat” not “wheat flour”
• Stay pure: ideally the only ingredient in frozen produce should be the fruits or vegetables, no added sauces
• Hold the salt: look for “low in sodium” label, which means a products has 140mg or fewer per serving

April 23, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

Spring Power Salad…Use these nutrition “superstars” to build a healthy, heart salad.

• Pine Nuts: contain fatty acids that help you feel full
• Cucumber: keeps you hydrated & provides fiber
• Salmon: gives you protein, Vitamin D & Omega 3’s.
• Romaine: adds a hint of Vitamin A.
• Orange: juicy and provides Vitamin C
• Buttermilk: boosts calcium & adds tangy flavor

April 16, 2012
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,

Want to improve the quality of your sleep?…exercise regularly!

• At least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 90 minutes of vigorous exercise a week may result in fewer
  sleep woes
  
• People who exercise were less likely to have trouble
  falling asleep, wake up too early, & experience less
  sleepiness during the day
  
• Aim for a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise daily