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February 2003
Happy Valentine's Day!
So the questions is: are your resolutions for a healthier lifestyle still alive? Now is a great time to take inventory of how well you are progressing with your nutrition and fitness goals for 2003. The awfully cold weather in January has made it difficult to stay active, but there are many simple strategies to help you from becoming a winter "couch potato". This month, focus on reviving your resolutions with a new dedication to nutrition and fitness. You will find that by staying active, you are less likely to fall victim to an unhealthy eating pattern.
Included in this newsletter, you will find tips on how to stay active while staying indoors. You'll find out what's new in the produce section at your local market and how to enjoy Valentine's Day hot cocoa without the guilt. I have also included a couple of healthy, yet hearty, recipes to keep you warm on a cold winter's day.
Remember to stay focused on short-term goals. These will ultimately lead to long-term success in both weight management and overall health. Although January may be over, you still have 11 more months to work on your 2003 resolutions so let's keep moving!
February Nutrition Tips: Banish the Winter Blues
Burning Up Calories While Indoors: The frigid temperatures may keep us from spending too much time outdoors, but they can?t keep us from exercising indoors! There are a number of exercises, as well as common everyday activities, that help us burn calories. Instead of just curling up with a snack in front of the TV, do some crunches, bicep curls or jump rope, while watching your favorite show. What about housework? Did you know that cleaning, cooking and vacuuming all burn substantial amounts calories? See the activities below for an idea of how many calories you can burn while being productive in your house! (All activities are based on an average 150lb person.) Keep in mind that you only burn 62 calories per hour while watching TV, and see how you can up the ante!
- 1 hour of moderate cleaning burns ~250 calories
- 1 hour of cooking burns ~155 calories
- 1 hour of vacuuming burns ~217 calories
- 1 hour of doing laundry burns ~265 calories
- 1 hour of washing windows ~186 calories
- 1 hour of dusting ~155 calories
- 1 hour of jumping rope ~486 calories
- 1 hour lifting free weights (light to moderate lifting) ~279 calories
Fresh at the Market: During the month of February, fruit and vegetable options can get old and boring. You might feel like apples and bananas are the only fruits to choose from. However, if a sweet burst of refreshing flavor is what you're looking for, how about grabbing a Valencia orange. Valencia oranges, which come into season this month, are the most widely grown oranges, providing 60 calories and 3gm of fiber per medium-sized orange. Eat as a snack, or toss some sections onto your favorite salad for some added flavor.
Are you sick of green beans and broccoli? Looking for a new veggie to spruce up your dinner meal? Try broccoli rabe (also called rapini). This leafy green veggie is rich in phytochemicals, which are helpful in protecting against some types of cancers. A classic preparation of this flavorful vegetable is to sauté it in a little olive oil and garlic. It makes for a great side dish. And with only 20 calories and 72mg of Vitamin C per 1-cup serving, broccoli rabe also delivers a healthy nutrition punch!
Healthy Happy Hearts: Mugs of rich hot cocoa usually drum up thoughts of keeping warm on cold, winter nights. A recent study (conducted at Penn State University) has revealed that cocoa is a rich source of flavonoids, plant based antioxidants, that may help to prevent heart disease. To make your hot chocolate "heart-healthy", use a recipe that calls for dark chocolate or cocoa powder. Also, keep fat and calories down by making your cocoa with skim milk.
Love is in the Air with these Delicious Recipes
Whole Grain Pancakes - Low in fat, calories and carbs! (Makes about 10-12 small pancakes)
Ingredients:
1-cup plain low fat yogurt (fat free would work as well)
2 teaspoons honey
1?2 cup skim milk
3 egg whites, plus 1 yolk, lightly beaten
1-cup quick cooking oatmeal (i.e. Quaker Oats)
1?4 cup wheat flour
1?4 cup white flour
1?2 teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon baking soda
Non-stick cooking spray (i.e. Pam)
Directions
To make pancake batter, combine all wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl (yogurt through eggs). Then mix all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl (oatmeal through baking soda). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until batter is uniform.
Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium high heat and spray generously with cooking spray. Using a ladle, pour a small amount of the batter onto the skillet to create your pancakes (use more or less batter to create a larger or small pancake). Cook about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Serve with fruit preserves or powdered sugar. For a Valentine's Day treat, throw in some semi-sweet chocolate morsels to make chocolate chip pancakes!
Nutrition information per pancake:
75 calories
4 grams of protein
14 grams of carbohydrate
2 grams of fiber
0.7 grams of fat
Chicken Fajitas
Makes 2 hearty servings of chicken fajitas
Ingredients
10 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch strips (can substitute with sirloin strips or shrimp)
1 cup of store bought salsa (personal favorite is Dessert Pepper Trading Company)
juice of 1 lime
1-2 bell peppers, one green one red or yellow
1-2 red onions
Nonstick cooking spray (i.e. Pam)
optional condiments:
low fat grated cheese
low fat sour cream
Directions
Combine salsa and the juice of a lime in a large non-reactive mixing bowl, add the chicken strips and marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Slice the red onion and bell peppers into 1/4 inch strips. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and sauté for about 10-15 minutes, until they are soft. (If desired, you may add other favorite veggies such as sliced button mushrooms to the pepper mixture). Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and remove the peppers/onions from the skillet and place into a oven proof casserole and place in the oven on a very low temp to keep warm.
Add chicken strips and salsa mixture to the same skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the salsa has come to a simmer. Remove chicken/salsa mixture from skillet and add to peppers and onions. You now have a nice dish of chicken fajitas!
Serve with low-fat sour cream and grated cheese if desired. For those lucky enough not to be watching calories, you may heat up store bough flour tortillas and wrap the mixture inside a tortilla. Remember, one medium-sized flour tortilla can contribute up to 230 calories and 40 grams of carbs.
Nutrition information per serving, without sour cream or cheese:
310 calories
47 grams of protein
19 grams of carbohydrate
5 grams of fiber
5 grams of fat
Hope your year is off to a good start. Keep your resolutions alive, as spring is right around the corner! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
All the best,
Sara
Sara Ryba Nutrition
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