Gluten Free Butternut Squash and Turkey Lasagna

I know this might sound a little "different" for most people but it's absolutely delicious and so full of flavor and veggies that you'll forget it doesn't have any pasta! I saw this recipe on the Food Network channel with Anne Burrell but altered it a little bit to make it a little lighter. It definitely takes a while to make but can be done in stages by preparing the Turkey Ragu the night before or you can freeze it to use whenever!

Avocado Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This recipe was inspired by a dressing that I tried at a farmer's market out in Vail, Colorado during the summertime a few years ago. I'm not a big fan of creamy dressings and thought this was such a great way to make a dressing without using mayo.

Avocado Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
*Makes 1 1/4 cup*

Ingredients:
1 cup      packed fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup   extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup   lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/8 cup   orange juice (about 1/2 orange)
1 clove   garlic
1/2        avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, avocado in a a blender or food processor until smooth.

This dressing would also be really good with a little bit of heat by adding 1 jalapeno to it.

Yum!

• 
  

Helpful Tips: The Basics on Herbs and Spices

Do you ever find yourself sitting in your kitchen wondering how to do something or how long you can store a particular food or what is the best equipment to use or what is the proper cooking technique you should use? If you have had these types of thoughts before hopefully I can help! I've learned most of what I know from classes I took as a nutrition major in college, my mom, the Food Channel, and from experience. I'm not going to act like I know everything because I certainly DO NOT but I will do the best I can! Starting today and hopefully on every Friday, I will provide a list of helpful tips on a particular topic. Please let me know if there is anything that you are interested in learning more about and I will do my best to help you out!
                                           

The Basics on Herbs and Spices!

Herbs:
1) How to keep fresh Herbs FRESH
-To keep herbs fresh for up to 1 week, trim 1/4 inch from the stem and rinse in cold water.  Then loosely wrap herbs in a damp paper towel, then seal in a zip lock bag filled with air. Put in the refrigerator. Check them daily as some can loose their flavor daily.
-You can be like Giada on the Food Channel and have fresh herbs in glass of water on your kitchen counter, this also makes the kitchen smell nice and clean! If you do this, cover the end of the stem in about 1/4 inch of water and change the water every other day. Most herbs will keep for up to a week (cilantro not so much).
-Buying an herb plant keeps the herbs fresh the longest, snip off what you want to use and water your plant accordingly to keep it lasting for weeks or even months.
-Revive limp herbs by trimming the stems about 1/2 inch and place in ice water for a couple of hours and Whaalaa!
-Wash herbs just before using then pat dry with a paper towel.
2) Fresh herbs are always best but not always practical. Rosemary, dill, and thyme dry well and maintain a good flavor.
3) Fresh herbs are not as strong or as concentrated as their dried counterparts. Substituting dried for fresh is 1 to 3 (1 dried:3 fresh).
1 teaspoon dried=1 tablespoon fresh.
Exception: Rosemary, use equal amounts fof dried and fresh.

Cancer Fighting Foods: Featuring the Apple!

There is not a single food or individual food component that by itself can protect you against cancer. However there is strong evidence that does show that consuming a variety of plant foods in your diet daily such as beans, fruits, vegetables and whole grains helps lower your risk for many cancers.

The minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals (a chemical compound that occurs naturally in plants) in laboratory studies do demonstrate anti-cancer effects but evidence does suggest that these compounds offer the strongest cancer protection when working together in the overall diet. In other words, taking supplements containing the individual vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals does not offer the same benefits as consuming whole foods containing these nutrients.

Not only do these whole foods contain nutrients they are also important for maintaining a healthy weight as being overweight with excess body fat increases the risk for seven cancers. Consuming fruits and vegetables can help you get to a healthy weight and maintain it as they are low in calories and provide a great source of fiber to keep you feeling full. Beans and whole grains can also help with weight management. They provide the majority of your fiber and are moderate in calories.

Your goal should be to have at least 2/3 of your plate containing fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains in order to meet the current recommended intake of these foods.

The Cancer Fighting Food of the Week is the Apple! 

The old saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctors away" was not that far off. Apples are a low calorie food with a good source of fiber and Vitamin C. It also contains phytochemicals such as Quercetin (a flavonoid that shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties),  epicatechin, anthocyanins (in red apples), and Triterpenoids (mostly in the apple peel). 

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving of Apple (1 small apple or a 1/2 cup)

75 calories

4 grams of fiber

Mardi Gras Red Beans n' Rice

Hey y'all it's Mardi Gras!! 


I figured that Red Beans and Rice would be just the thing for tonight since I wasn't able to partake in the festivities down in the deep south this year. Today is officially the last day of Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins and the end of a celebration lasting over 2 1/2 weeks. And for those of you who don't know, Mardi Gras originated in my home town and that place is not New Orleans but in Mobile, Alabama! In 1703, the tiny French colony of Mobile observed the first-known Mardi Gras in North America.   


Red Beans and Rice holds a very special place in my heart, not only does it remind me of Mardi Gras but it is also one of my favorite dishes that my mother makes. It's delicious, it's cheap, it's simple, and it makes me feel good. It's definitely one of my top comfort foods. I know my mom changes the recipe around each time she makes it and you'll probably want to fiddle with it each time you make it too, and arrive at the exact, instinctual combinations of seasonings that you like. Feel free to alter this recipe to your taste, but don't stray too far. You can make this dish completely vegetarian (a great meal for Fridays during lent), and it's still really good! 

 

Oncology Nutrition

I worked as clinical dietitian at The George Washington University Hospital (GW) in Washington, DC for almost 4 years before moving to Nashville. At GW, I started on the oncology unit by chance and little did I know that my experience there would grow into the huge passion that I have today for oncology nutrition. I eventually became a board- certified specialist in oncology nutrition (CSO), a member of the Cancer Survivorship Task Force and the Palliative Care team at the hospital. In my practice today in Nashville, I still see oncology patients and my passion continues to grow. Every Thursday in my blog, I will have different topics regarding oncology nutrition from anything like evidence on current "Cancer diets" to foods to fight cancer to nutrition during, before, and after treatment to cancer survivorship to cancer prevention to the latest evidence on cancer research to popular supplements and much much more! If any of you have anything in particular that interest you in this area and would like for me to address it please feel free to comment or send me an email at any time at annab@thedeliciousdietitian.com.

February is also National Cancer Prevention Month! The American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) estimates that 1/3 of cancers of the 1.5 million cancers that occur every year in the US could be prevented by lifestyle change alone. Research shows that what we eat makes a difference, physical activity affects cancer risk and also benefits survivors, and our weight also affects cancer risk. For the current recommendations for cancer prevention visit the AICR website: AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations

This month in my Oncology segment I will be focusing on Cancer prevention so stay tuned!

Would you make any changes to your lifestyle based on the cancer prevention research?

What would you want to know more about based on cancer prevention and oncology nutrition?

A Honeymoon Dinner on V-Day!!

PENNE WITH SHRIMP, GARLIC, LEMON, AND BASIL (or THYME)

Instead of going out to eat for Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided we are going to stay in and cook dinner together. I was having a hard time thinking of something special for us to have then I ran across a cookbook that my sweet mother-in-law gave us for Christmas from one of the restaurants we went to on our honeymoon in Anguilla, it is called Blanchard's and it was amazing! We went a little early and walked out on the beautiful beach in front of the restaurant to watch the sunset then sat down for an incredible meal. Blanchard's was opened by a couple that were actually from Norwich, Vermont (oddly enough that's where my older brother went to college for a couple of years) and came to the beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla to open this restaurant. They wrote the cookbook where this recipe came from, A Trip to the Beach-At Blanchard's Table, to extend the "celebrated warmth and hospitality of their acclaimed restaurant, and its delicious menu, to our homes." And now that it's actually getting cold here in Nashville, I thought this meal might make us feel like we're at the beach again (probably not but it was worth a try)!

The Delicious Dietitian: Love Your Heart!

The Delicious Dietitian: Love Your Heart!: Did you know that 1/3 of adults over the age of 20 have high blood pressure? That is more than 76,400,000 Americans. Did you know that ...www.thedeliciousdietitian.blogspot.com

Blades of Glory!

Today I am going Ice Skating for a birthday party, not your typical birthday party for a group of 20 and 30 year old girls but what a fun way to get exercise and burn off some extra calories before eating birthday cake and drinking a few cocktails ;) Ice Skating for someone who is 130-180 pounds can burn up to an average of 325-500 calories an hour! And sometimes it's not easy getting the recommended 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity at least 5 days a week (total of 150 minutes a week). If you find that the week days are hard to workout most days of the week make sure to take advantage of the weekends and enjoy it with your friends for some extra motivation and accountability. Plan the activity earlier in the week to keep you from changing your mind before the weekend comes around. Get creative and explore what activities your city has to offer - find a new place to go for a hike or a new running/walking route in a neat area of town, get a group together to play a game (softball, soccer, kickball, paintball, etc.), go for a bike ride, and you can always go roller skating or ice skating like Will Ferrell and Napoleon Dynamite in Blades of Glory!
 

Southern Turkey for Your Heart

February is American Heart Month and this Southern Turkey recipe is a great way to keep your heart healthy! Did you know that the No. 1 killer for women is heart disease and that most Americans consume about 4,000-7,000mg of Sodium per day? The American Heart Association recommends only 1500mg of Sodium per day. Consuming too much sodium causes you to retain water which can make you feel bloated and heavy. Diets high in sodium can also cause high blood pressure which puts you at risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure.  


One way to keep your sodium intake from going over the recommended daily intake is trying to consume less than 200 mg of Sodium per serving. 


Another way to lower your sodium intake is by using The Delicious Dietitian Spices and Wine Vinegars that are used in this recipe! All of the products are sodium free and are packed full of great local flavor (to see more about The Delicious Dietitian products visit www.thedeliciousdietitian.com/annabruckmann). The Southern Turkey recipe is a wonderful thing to cook on Sunday if you don't have a lot of time on the weekdays after a long day at work to prepare a home cooked meal. It can be used throughout the week in your salads, sandwiches, casseroles, and as part of meal with roasted vegetables. If you notice the next time you're in the grocery store getting deli meat, most of them contain about 400-700 mg of sodium for every 2 ounce serving - that's almost half your recommended daily intake!  


The Southern Turkey will not disappoint you or your heart!  

Skinny Potato Rounds

This easy and yummy appetizer is used with The Delicious Dietitian Southern Spice Blend and it's definitely a crowd pleaser! I find it hard sometimes to entertain my husband's friends and stay healthy so I created this great app that both the ladies and gentlemen will enjoy and they don't even have to know that's it's healthy :)

Skinny Potato Rounds

**Makes About 20 Rounds** 

INGREDIENTS:
4    Baking Potatoes, thinly sliced (about a quarter inch thick)
1/2 Cup 2% low fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded
3    green onions, finely sliced (may substitute with chives)1    Tbsp of The Delicious Dietitian Spice Blend

2    Tbsp Olive Oil

3    Slices of 40% Lower fat Center cut bacon, cooked

A Guide to Decoding Ingredients on Grain Products

A Guide to Decoding Ingredients on Grain Products: Claims on the front of packages such as “whole grain,” “multigrain” and “12-grain” have been given no legal definition given by the Food and Drug Administration. That means manufacturers are fairly free to use them as bragging points, even if their products contain more refined...

How To Make Your Meals More Healthy!

Cooking at home can save you a lot of calories, fat, sodium, and money just to name a few of the benefits. If you have a hard time choosing healthier options to cook for you and your family, here are some helpful tips for adding more nutrition to your favorite recipes:
1) Change to whole grains. Some examples are brown rice, whole wheat pasta, barley, whole wheat flour, and quinoa. Benefits - extra fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants. 
**(Hint: Make sure that the first ingredient is a whole grain and has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving)