Heart Health Recipe Contest

You love to cook, right? Why not get paid for the awesome heart healthy dish your family begs you to make weekly. We will give a $25 Harris Teeter gift card to the winner. 

The rules are simple:

1. Take a picture of heart healthy dish that you have prepared.

2. Include recipe in email.

3. No pictures can be taken from other websites, but from your kitchen.

Judging will be based on:

1. Inclusion of heart healthy ingredients

2. Budget friendly

3. Ease of preparation

4. Visual appeal

The winner's recipe and picture will be posted to TNT's website and social media sites.

  

 

Meal Prep Tips

You have gone grocery shopping now it is time to prepare your meals for the week. It is easier to make healthier food choices if your meals are ready to go. It will save time and take the guesswork out of determining what you should cook for dinner or take for lunch the next day.

It might seem tedious at first coming up with your menu for the week. You may find it easier to plan for a couple days or the entire month in advance. It is completly up to you how far ahead you prep your meals. The more you prepare meals in advance the easier it becomes.

 

Here are a few tips with preparing meals:

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1.     Start the water boiling – as soon as you place the bags on the kitchen counter, break out the stock pot for boiling potatoes, rice, pasta, or eggs. Then, while waiting for the water to boil, you can start prepping or putting items away.

2.     Turn the Oven on – plan ahead of time what meat, veggies, or potatoes you will be roasting or broiling for the week or the evening’s dinner.

3.     Plan the Proteins - Decide what meat you need to have cooked ahead of time or what can be portioned off in placed in the refrigerator, and what can be frozen. Break out the George Foreman Grill and grill up some chicken to be used for grilled chicken salads, wraps, quesadillas or sandwiches.

4.     Prep the Veggies - while the water is boiling away and the meat is grilling, it is now time to slaughter those veggies! You will be so much more likely to eat them up in salads or steamed or grilled if the prep work is done ahead of time. Wash, peel, and slice everything that will not go bad or get mushy or discolored if you do. Having the right storage container is a must. Choose stackable and see through.

5.     Take Care of Snacks - keep a bowl on your table or counter top where the non-perishable snacks can be easily reached. This is the time to portion the pretzels, dried fruit, and nuts into zip lock baggies. Keep granola and protein bars, fuit buddys and your pre-portioned snacks within eyesight.

6.     Cook for the Evening  - if you are making something special for that night. Think Chili, a crock pot dish, soup, or stew that can be used again for leftovers or frozen for later use midweek.

Google, Pinterest, Facebook and blogs are your friend. You can find ideal storage containers, freezer friendly recipes, and other meal ideas.

Go forth and PREPARE! 

Tackling the Weekly Grocery Store Trip

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“Have you ran out to the grocery store for bread, milk, and eggs, and come back with bread, milk, chips, cupcakes, soda, and forgot the eggs?”

You are not alone. Grocery shopping is a never ending battle between intention and temptation. Unfortunately for most of us, temptation usually wins out.  The following tips are designed to help you track down the most nutritious foods, and avoid the most tempting distractions and impulse buying traps.

Let’s Take a Tour!

1.     Timing is Everything – try to establish a routine for grocery shopping same time and day of the week. Try not to shop when hungry or stressed. If possible, leave the kids at home.

2.     Come Prepared – start by taking inventory at home. Include spices, cooking oils, and condiments. Make a list and stick to it. Only deviate if it is a healthy choice. The list should include fresh fruits and veggies, as well as fresh frozen or slightly processed fruits and veggies that will keep longer than the fresh ones. The next week, “rotate” your fresh fruits and vegetables to include different choices. Include some whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy items. For every item you choose, try to think of at least 3 different ways you can incorporate that item.

3.     Hit the Walls Running – Shop the perimeter first to get to the whole food action. Beware of the bakery which is usually located right near the fruits and veggies.  Most grocery stores get more deliveries on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, so you will get a larger selection if you shop the 1^st part of the weekend, and avoid the after church crowds.

4.     Rethink the Fresh Fish – fish labeled fresh does not mean off the boat, it just means it was not frozen. Most grocery stores get their fish delivered at the beginning of the week, but do check your grocery store for their schedule. Frozen fish does not go bad, and commercial freezing techniques minimize textural damage.

5.     Counter Attack the Deli Counter - when buying deli meat choose fresh over the processed versions for lower fat, sugar, and sodium. Choose the hummus or bean dip instead.

6.     Be a Cheese Whiz – most grocery stores have 2 cheese sections. In the domestic section, shop the lowest fat possible. If cheese is a “gateway” food for you, better to shop the imported section. The choices there will be higher in fat, however, studies have shown that people usually serve smaller portions of the more expensive, full-fat variety, therefore consuming less.

7.     Don’t get Butchered by the Meat Department – Choose select cuts, which are the leanest, most healthful, and most affordable meats you can find.  Prime cuts are often marbled, which means more fat. Most meat is packaged in family sized cuts. Ask the butcher to package the exact amount you need. Beware of the sale items and the 2 for 1 deals. While cost effective, they can sometimes be at the end of their life. Check the expiration date.

8.     Attack the Interior – this is not the place to browse! Know ahead of time what you want and where it is.

9.     Look high and Low for the Healthier Choices – all of those high sugar cereals are lined up right at our waist level, which corresponds to a child’s eye level. In any store, some products are placed at an adult’s eye level because the manufacturer paid a “placement fee”.  Heavily promoted items are more likely to be unhealthy. Watch out for “Healthy” items that really are not – keep in mind, “Organic” does not always mean low fat, sugar, or sodium.

10.  Check Yourself Out – this does not necessarily mean the self check-out. This means beware yet again of the temptations lined up at the checkout line.

New Year....Better Physique

Can you believe it's 2013 already? Well everyone believes that their body will be completely transformed by hitting the gym 5 times per week. The gym is important but what you are eating will account for 80 percent of that beach bod you will be showing off in the months to come.

Check out TNT President Angela Wilkinson's segment on Charlotte Today. She discuss making healthier food choices that will lead to a healthier and sexier you.

90 Day Challenge

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain

Studies have shown that individuals gain the most weight during the winter holidays which
cover mid-November to January. These are the times where physical activity decreases and
consumption increases, which is the main contribution to weight gain.

There is a way to approach holiday eating without sabotaging a weight-loss program. First, plan plenty of activities for which food is not the primary focus. And, when food is an important part of the celebration, it helps to:

• Change some traditional holiday habits can keep a diet going without having to give upholiday treats altogether. For example, a person can make a list of favorite
  holiday food and then pick two or three to enjoy this year.
  
  Another technique is to eat holiday treats in smaller quantities. Such as
  baking a small-size cake that the family will finish at one sitting with no tempting
  leftovers. Or, use low-calorie, low-fat substitutions for rich ingredients like sugar,
  butter or cream.
  

• Get help from family and friends--Whatever changes you decide to make, it’s important to ask family members and friends to respect these choices and to refrain from tempting the dieter with other holiday goodies.

• Find activities that reduce the holiday stress that often leads to compulsive eating. Sometimes the stress of the holidays causes people to eat more than usual. If that’s the case, it helps to seek out friends and family for support and to engage in activities that produce feelings of contentment or happiness.

For additional tips on reducing calories and fat during the holidays, or if you have specific medical concerns about your meal plan, consult your health educator provider for advice on maintaining a safe weight-loss program during the holiday season.

Spices for Life

Growing up I remember being in the kitchen, forced most times, helping my mom prepare meals for our family. I always remember her telling me to get a piece of cooking meat out of the fridge to put in a pot of boiling water. I asked her why she did this, and she said because it flavors the veggies. As I grew up and began preparing my own pots of cabbages, greens, green beans, etc. I also went into the fridge for that piece of cooking meat. I am in no way saying that using cooking meat is wrong or should be banned. I am trying to make improvements in all areas of my life and wanted to find other ways to flavor my foods.

The only “spices” that were a consistent in my house were Italian seasoning, season salt, salt and pepper. Our foods were always tasty, but I knew that there was more to flavoring foods than just that.  So I went on a hunt, kind of, to find alternatives. Well, as I was hunting, my friend was moving, and she gave me her spice rack. It had spices I had never heard of such as crushed mint, anise, whole allspice, cumin seed, coriander etc. I will go ahead and admit I am still “hunting” and haven’t tried all of these spices. I will also admit that sometimes I surf the web for best practices on such topics, but this time, I just wanted to try random spices.

I have started to bake instead of fry my fish and decided to try a few spices, bad idea! The first time I did used my new spices I put crushed mint, thyme, savory and Mrs. Dash. My fish was just filled with spice and didn’t taste good. I have since learned that when I’m trying a new spice to add one at a time to see if I like the taste. My mom now asks me to be the sole season-er for meats. I am still on the hunt for best practices for seasoning veggies besides my all-time favorite “spice” Mrs. Dash.

Since I wanted to write about spices, I have started “hunting” on the internet for best practices and top spices for overall health. I wanted to share those with you. Here are a few spices that receive rave reviews for various reasons:

	Health Benefits	Great if used on	How to Select	How to Store
Ginger	Anti-inflammatory, great for digestion, treats nausea, gastrointestinal relief	Curries, vegetables, teas,marinades, juices	Firm, smooth & free of mold; if purchasing dried spice choose organically grown	Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks; Unpeeled in freezer for up to 6 months
Turmeric	Anti-fungal & Anti-bacterial properties; Anti-inflammatory; lowers cholesterol	Curries, Lentils, Rice, Vegetables	Found as dried spice-choose organically grown	Turmeric powder-cool, dark, dry place; Fresh can be refrigerated
Cinnamon	Anti-oxidant, blood sugar control, anti-clotting actions	Cakes, Pastries, Chicken, Lamb, Curries	Sticks can be stored longer, but powder is stronger flavor	Keep in cool, dark, dry place; Good for up to 6 months; If it doesn’t smell sweet discard
Garlic	Lowers blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, improve iron metabolism	Breads, Vegetables, Salad dressings, Meats, Vegetables, Soups, Sauces	Purchase fresh, firm	Keep in cool, dry, dark place; Good for up to 1 month

Written by Belinda Phelps