Birthday Revelation!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Sarah

Maybe you noticed that I have not posted a blog in a while-or maybe you have not noticed! I have made an executive decision to move forward with videos for the time being and blogging when I feel like it! Today is my birthday and if you are like me, you may reflect on where you want to go next with your life, what you appreciate and what means the most to you. I do this personally and professionally each year. I have traveled quite a bit this past year and I really appreciate the cultures of other countries. I do miss my community, though and appreciate it when I return.
I just returned from California for the almond harvest and a conference. I have a better understanding of the almond industry now, of course. But I also appreciate that California is sometimes our “local” fruit, nut and vegetable supplier since many of foods come from other countries as well. So instead of blogging on my experiences and “hot nutrition topics” in the news, I am going to move full-steam ahead to “nutrition education videos”. Since it’s my birthday, your present to me can be for you to support, share and “like” SarahRD.tv via Facebook, Twitter or straight from the website, SarahRD.tv-no need to go to YouTube! When I run into various people and they say that they showed Episode 2: Breastfeeding to a friend and she was on the fence about breastfeeding, it makes me realize that I am facing the right direction.
This year I am extremely grateful to my husband, Kevin, who believes in me more than I do at times! Also to my 3 children, who are learning about videography as much as I am and will be leaders in a healthy lifestyle at some point—my 8-year-old already is in his own way—so I see their potential to make a healthy difference in this unhealthy world. So on my birthday I will enjoy my chai marshmallows, chocolate almond cake (I made with the almond flour I purchased in Newman, CA) and champagne! Get ready for “the almond” video, which will up by Sunday. I know you will enjoy my journey with me and you will learn a few nutrition tips along the way!

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Back to School Time = School Lunch Choices

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Sarah

For many families this time of year is a transition time: the long days of summer seem to come to a screeching halt and turn into jam-packed days of school work, after-school activities and nightly routines. So if you are like me, you are also starting to talk with your children about either taking lunch to school or buying lunch. Which is better; more nutritious? We all want our kids to be successful by achieving good grades, doing well in any activity they are interested in and just performing their best. So to me, as a mom of three children and a registered dietitian, having kids eat the most nutritious foods before, during and after school is just as important as the school work.
Many of the families I work with have the same struggles when deciding about buying or bringing lunch to school. Here are a few you may relate to (note-this also applies to adults who decide to bring or buy their lunch during the work week!):
1. Many complain that the school lunch has mostly poor nutritional choices.
2. Lack of time to pack a healthy lunch.
3. If a family qualifies for reduced or free school breakfast and lunch, they feel there are not any healthy choices.
4. The children are very ‘selective’ on what they will eat, so they eat the same lunch from home every day.

5. Arguing with the children about what goes in the lunch brought from home is stressful, so the parent gets frustrated and usually gives in to only chips, fruit drink and/or pre-packaged lunch kit.

So what are the solutions? Frankly, there can be equally nutritious food choices at the school or brought from home. If you choose to eat the lunch provided at school, here are a few tips:
*Stick with the baked, whole grain foods and limit any fried foods (chicken and fries) to monthly!
*Get the fruit and vegetable most days; if fresh is the favorite, get an apple or banana. Like canned fruit? Applesauce or apricots are great choices. Some kids enjoy a salad every day and some like cooked: bottom line is to eat a variety and enjoy it!
*Don’t forget the milk or yogurt (if available). Chocolate or white is fine, but nonfat is best and is sometimes the only kind available, which is great!
Bringing your lunch from home? The sky is the limit here, but if you stick with the following tips, your student will have most likely have more energy and learn more this year!
*Pick a whole grain food (whole wheat pita, corn tortilla, pasta, brown rice, quinoa or whole wheat bread) as a base and add
* A lean source of protein from either the meat, vegetable or dairy group: turkey is great, but can be salty for young kids, hard-boiled egg (packed on ice), edamame, beans, nuts and nut butters (if allowed at the school), low-fat cheese sticks and yogurt are great choices too
*Fresh fruit and vegetables should be staples, so let your child pick out what they like. Some favorite combinations in our house are: baby carrots and dried cranberries mixed with a bit of cinnamon, cucumber slices mixed with grapes, applesauce, pepper slices, celery hearts with almond butter and cherry tomatoes with sugar snap peas.
*If your child does not buy milk at school, stick with water or 100% juice.
When kids are hungry, they will eat and during the school day is a crucial time for solid nutrition. May this school year be healthy, happy and a great success!

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Dog Days of Summer

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Administrator

Well, here we are in the last few weeks of summer before school starts. Some parents may be feeling a little antsy with the pressure to get school supplies while still keeping  the household a bit fun in these last warm, sticky days. Now, I will be honest and tell you that I love to take my kids outside for as many nature activities—any time of the year. And when we have rainy days like we did this week where going outside is not an option, I usually dread any activity outside of the kitchen. So the first rainy day we did many activities inside: making forts, making smoothies, reading, puzzles, cleaning bedrooms, laundry, etc., etc. So on day two we were looking for something different to do!

This week is also the birthday of our 14-year-old dog and we usually make a cake or cupcakes for the birthday person (hound). Why should this family member be any different? Long before my husband and I became parents to children, Puffer was our first baby. I made homemade dog biscuits for him on his birthday and Christmas….and the last time I made them was about 12 years ago!  The kids were pestering me about making a dog cake for Puffer, so I suggested the dog biscuits and they were game. I dug out the recipe I used to make and it turned out to be a pretty fun activity. Yes, I do have a dog bone shaped cookie cutter, which we used (for a few); the kids thought the dog would also like different shapes: stars, sharks, flowers….

While we are stirring the batter, cutting shapes and baking them (they do smell a little dog bone-ish while baking), I was just hoping the aging dog still likes them. Sure enough—he does and with all the sickness he has been through this past year (we really thought he would not make it to 14), he perked up when we gave him a treat.

Baking with kids provides so many emotions and learning opportunities. Of course there is the science of it, but in our house it is also about sharing/taking turns, learning about temperature, food safety, and giving unto others—canine and human. This recipe is old just like the dog is and I really don’t know where it originally came from—if it looks familiar to you, please let me know. I hope you try it too—with your kids or with another family or friend—the dog will appreciate it too!

5 cups whole wheat flour (not all-purpose)

1 cup chicken broth or stock

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 eggs

Mix all together in large bowl with a wooden spoon. Add a bit more broth if it is dry. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut shapes out with cookie cutters. Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

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Got Food Poisoning?

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Sarah

A ConAgra Food: mustard-my fave!

A ConAgra Food: mustard-my fave!

You may be wondering why I am talking about so much food safety lately. For one, this is the time of year where in all parts of the country the temp has reached its max and folks will still treat food like it is safe to eat when it is 30 degrees out. So I would just like to share my personal fave “food-borne illness” story with you so you can think about throwing up today! Here’s the thing about getting sick with diarrhea, fever or the throw ups from food: IT DOES NOT ALWAYS COME FROM THE LAST FOOD YOU ATE! Here comes my personal story: this happened 8 years ago when 1. My oldest was 5 months old 2. My sister was living with us 3. I had not gotten sick (except once in that pregnancy) in over 10 years.
It started with my husband (who is famous for his impromptu gagging—love you, Kevin!). He started throwing up one night from what I thought was heartburn or stress or something else-he throws up quite easily and I am not fazed by it-tmi? But then I started feeling the quesies in the night and was feeling like our dinner of homemade chicken soup with vegetables and cheese tortellini was not going south! Well, sure enough by the time I got up the next morning, I vomited once and thought I felt better. I was working very part time at this point but was scheduled to work that morning….so I trucked on. Grandma was coming over to watch the baby for a few hours while I went to work. Well, I lasted about an hour or so. Got sick at work and called Grandma to say I was coming back. So meanwhile Grandma tells me that my sister had been lying on the cold bathroom floor trying to find relief…what?! So 3 people were sick at the same time and the baby was happy as a lark (breasted only at that point!). He never got sick. Everyone was back to normal that night, but we were all questioning each other’s food intake from the previous day. My sister never ate that soup, but that was what I threw up (12 hours later!) and thought for sure she ate it too. Grandma never got sick, so it wasn’t contagious. So unfortunately we really never figured out what the culprit was, but because it came on quick, moved through our digestive system pretty quickly, we knew it was from something we ate: probably 3 to 4 days prior. So here’s the take home message. We don’t like to get sick, right? There are stomach bugs that go around, but to prevent an illness that is in our control…we want to do that, right? Here is what we can do to keep ourselves safe from puking and having stomach cramps:
1. Wash hands before you eat and wash hands between cooking with fresh and cooked foods. With soap.
2. Get a food thermometer and go to homefoodsafety.org to see what temps your foods need to be cooked to and reheated to (hint: 165 degrees is a good place to start).
3. If it smells “off”, pitch it. Don’t cook more than you can chill or freeze within an hour. Don’t waste food, either—-that’s a money waster too.
4. Look at the temp of your fridge. It better be 40 degrees or less! Check labels, like this pic: if the date is past, you may want to pitch it. ConAgra Foods created the homefoodsafety.org website with the American Dietetic Association. It is a great tool you can use to prevent illness!

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Summer Eating on the Road: Camping, Cooking or Dining Out?

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Sarah

I just returned from a week of hanging out with my husband, 3 kids, dog and a camper. It was our first camping experience since having 3 kids. It was actually the first camping outing I have done since I was a kid. I was kind of dreading it…because to me I would be doing the same things I do at home, but I would be surrounded by more dirt and red ants than usual. Ok, enough of the negative thoughts! So we survived and really the worst part was the bickering between the kids, which seemed to echo in the outdoors! The best part for me was the meal planning. And the best part of the trip was when I was sent into town to the store to get food for dinner! To me, camping means cooking in the outdoors—to you too? There is currently a ban of open fire cooking in any Florida state park—boo!, but understandable. We used our outdoor stove on the outside of the camper and it was great! Here is how I fed my family for 3 days:
Day 1: leftover fried chicken with skin removed–that a friend brought to our July 4 party…it was good to start with a food we just reheated. I also made a pesto pasta and mango chutney. So day 1 was super easy and was a nice ice breaker since we were starving after setting up the camp late in the day. S’mores rounded out the night and was dessert for the remaining nights too!
Breakfasts: boiled eggs and whole grain toast with jam or oatmeal, bananas, coffee, milk (Clif bar and coffee latte for me—and they were hungry for lunch before I was!).
Lunches were a quinoa/vegetable salad I made ahead of time at home and packed on ice. By the way: I really wished I would have brought a thermometer for the mini fridge in the camper. I sure did not trust the temp in there, so I kept the quinoa salad, a small amount of milk and cheese in the cooler on ice. Next time it is a must! The kids also had whole grain pb&j for lunches with fruit cups or fresh fruit and granola bars. We burned so much energy with swimming, biking, hiking, walking and running. They slept hard each night and I offered high-energy foods when they were hungry: cashews, almonds, 4-ounce 100% juice boxes, slices of cheese and fresh fruit along with water, of course.
Dinners: ground chicken burgers (fresh meat mixed with onions, peppers, seasoning and served on Cuban bread with shredded cheese, fresh papaya with lemon on the side-so good!
I asked my husband what he would have picked up for dinner if he was sent to town. Of course he said “something already prepared”. It is so easy to do that, right? Go through a drive through for burgers, pizza or whatever. But we want our kids to learn how to survive by preparing their own meals. So I encourage you this summer to keep on grilling, checking out the farmer’s markets and making meals with your kids. We DO have more time now than during the school year…so take advantage of this time. They will be on their own sooner than we think……

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Mango Mania!

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Sarah

You may have read the blog about lychees. They are a glorious food, but they are quick to arrive and leave, so now my mango trees are producing. I have done a little research on the mango since buying a house with the trees included; I learn more each year. Mangoes originated in India and are highly respected by Asian Indians! Mangoes arrived in the U.S. state of Florida in the 1830’s and later in California. Am I missing any other states that grow mangoes? Mangoes love a hot, steamy summer and dry, frost-free winters. Hello-that is Florida! Our yard is down to black sand and dirt, so apparently this is where they thrive because this year the tree is loaded. I love that we do nothing to treat the trees and they still produce this amazing fruit! This is my local, organic fruit for sure….

Mangoes are a nutrition gold mine if you ask me. I love their golden yellow orange color. This means there is a lot of beta-carotene from Vitamin A. They are also high in potassium, which is a nutrient most Americans are lacking and it helps to lower blood pressure. Oh, and there is only 1 gram fat, 0 sodium and almost 4 grams fiber per medium mango.

The only bad news about the mango is that it is in the same family as poison Ivy (sigh). Here is where my love/hate relationship with mangoes begins. If you react to poison Ivy (~70% of people do), then you may develop dermatitis when touching the sap and skin of the mango. Here is my dilemma: I slice mangoes by the hundreds sometimes, and I get a horrible reaction on my skin. And it doesn’t seem to matter if I wear gloves! Oh, mango, how I adore your nutritional qualities, your sweet aroma, your pleasant taste, and how you take over my yard, but do you have to be so nasty on my skin?

Most people have feelings of want and then guilt with ‘what I would call’ indulgent foods: rich desserts, creamy milkshakes, platters of French fries and juicy cheeseburgers. But, I have this feeling with the mango. I know at some point of touching the mangoes I develop horrible skin from the skins, but the taste and the nutrition….what to do? Stay tuned for a video dedicated to this amazing, historical fruit.

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Got Lychees?

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Sarah

I have yet another confession to make. This one my family will appreciate. The confession is this: I treat fruits and vegetables almost like they are people. I connect with them when I prepare or cook them, I take pictures of them, I document how I prepare them, I swoon over new recipes for them and I have shed tears over them! Here is one example, which is probably the one that stands out most with me (and my family already knows where I am going here). The story goes like this:
The fruit: Asian pear
The date: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2000
The location: Hong Kong and then Shenzhen, China
I found the most perfect Asian pear in Hong Kong and I was going to eat it on the train Christmas Day as we traveled from Hong Kong into China. It was the most special day of the year and this was one food that was going to make it extra special for breakfast. The night before Christmas we are in the hotel packing and I am washing the pear and making sure it is ready to eat on the train. I pack it gently in the carry-on so it avoids damage. The next morning going through security, they searched our bags. The guard looks at the pear, grabs it and tosses it like he is making a long-distance basketball shot into the giant garbage can. I lost it! I mean I lost my emotional control. I cried; I wanted it back! I had my brother try to communicate in Cantonese that I wasn’t going to grow a tree or sell it; I was going to eat it in an hour! I never cried so hard over a piece of fruit. Silly, you say? Well, I would love it if everyone enjoyed fruits and vegetables the way I (and lots of RDs!) do. I continue to tell folks that fruits & vegetables ARE like people in that people all are unique in who they are and produce is the same way. Fruits & vegetables all have unique nutritional profiles that our bodies crave and need on a daily basis.
So why am I bringing this fruit stuff up? Because we are now in the best fruit season of the year. Bring on the mangoes, lychees, berries, guavas, pineapples, melons, etc, etc. Fruits taste best when they are picked and then eaten soon after, right? I was inspired to write this blog because of my passion for lychees. Our lychee tree is ready this week and it is the only time of year we enjoy them fresh. We freeze some of them right in the shell to enjoy later in the year. So here is my request.
If you see lychees in the store or a fruit stand, pick some up and try them. The smell and flavor is amazing. Please enjoy the bounty our earth provides this time of year. Eating fruits and vegetables every day will keep your face and body smiling from the inside out!

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Sugar, Summer and a Plate!?

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Sarah

What a crazy and very exciting past few weeks this has been. I now can officially say I am the mom of an 8, 5 and 2 year-old since we recently celebrated my eldest child’s birthday. My 5 year-old graduated from preschool yesterday and will start Kindergarten in August and the 2-year-old…well, he is a full-time job at the moment-aren’t they all? So I (like most moms) am transitioning from “school mode” to “summer mode” in the next few weeks. The headline of this post is “Sugar” because it has been on my mind since my last post. You already know I adore sugar, but since I am officially on break from birthday planning for a while, I can’t help to think about all the ways my kids (and yours) are eating the sweet stuff. It’s all about celebration-or is it? My take on sugar is to eat it where you want to eat it: sweet and sour pork, chocolate desserts and ice cream. But when it sneaks up on us in every form of food…that’s when I draw the line. I want to know what I am and what my kids are eating. So I prefer to make my kid’s birthday cakes, muffins and other foods, so I know what goes in it. Here’s the fun part though. At my son’s birthday party I made a dark cocoa chocolate cake (laced with whole wheat flour, oil, no eggs and completely delicious) with a filling made of…sssshhhh…..pureed dried plums (a.k.a. prunes) with 90% cacao, my orange peels and lite whipped topping—the worst offender in the bunch. The frosting was homemade chocolate marshmallow-nonfat frosting. So the cake was trans-fat free, heart friendly and tasty. I also brought a tray of fresh cherries on the stems and strawberries. I put a few of each on each plate. I didn’t ask if anyone wanted any. Guess what happened?

  1. Kids asked for more fruit….so I ended up putting the platter on their table and they finished it.
  2. The parents said “thank you” for not bringing a store-bought cake. REALLY? That was a surprise!!!! In FL, there is one store where most everyone purchases birthday cakes. This is good news! Parents are craving parties where the same old foods are not provided.
  3. Kids are learning that they can eat fruit and healthy cake and still have a great time!!!!

So the next part of the headline is “Summer”. So here we are. Parents are really in charge now. No more school lunch. You are packing your kids lunch (for the most part) this summer for camps. I will post another blog in more detail about summer eating, but for now will say: start keeping the watermelon, peppers, cucumbers, mangoes, pineapples and other fruits and veggies in front of the kids at home because the kids will be around more often for the next few months.

Yesterday the new choosemy”Plate”.gov was launched. In short, this is why I speak about fruits and vegetables for the most part. We have got to eat more of these amazing food groups. Your kids will eat it, but WE have to offer it to them.

And one last shout out to Matt Reed at lpntornbridge.org who classified my blog in the Top 50 Blogs Dietitians Should Read. Who knew Matt? Thanks and at the end of the day, I am a mother who cares about my family and the future of their lives and others. We have a bit of work to do!

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Sugar, Sugar On the Brain!

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Sarah

Photo of Sugared Florida Orange Peels

Sugared Florida Orange Peels

There has been a lot of media talking about sugar lately. And at the same time I am in birthday planing mode for my oldest son’s party this weekend. I have sugary goodness on my mind because I love a good dessert! So now is the time to talk sugar. What’s the problem with sugar? Why does it have such a bad reputation? Well, I shared a link this week on Facebook about a good article that discusses all the hidden sources of sugar in foods, but also describes the function of sugar in various food products. To top it all off, you know that as humans we are born loving the taste of sugar. That’s right! Salt, bitter, sour and umami are required tastes, but sweets…bring it on! Even newborns love sugar so much that it is used as a pain “medication” instead of the alternative. Let’s face it: we love the sweet stuff, but what has gone wrong? In a word: portions. You may already know the #1 source of sugar in the U.S. is soda. Not the diet kind. Sugar really is in a lot of foods, so you know what my strategy is? My strategy is to eat sugar where I want to eat it. Yes, of course, I read labels. I would rather have sugar in my homemade versions: my homemade marshmallows, chocolate sauce, chocolate cake and frosting made the classic way—the 7-minute kind. I will wait for sugar-worthy goodness; I pass up store-bought cookies, pies and candies. I want the real stuff, straight from a home kitchen. Food prepared with time, passion and love….not on a conveyor belt. If sugar is the first ingredient in an applesauce, salad dressing or cereal, I put it down. Who needs it there? I want it at the end of the meal.
You see, the key to long-term weight control is that you can have your sweets and eat them too; however, we have to be very selective. I eat only what I truly want to savor. There is not an ice cream container in my hands while watching a movie-although I’m sure my husband would love to see that day. If I am eating a richly-flavored meal, such as salmon, with a lot of fats, I will have a “lighter” dessert such as watermelon with honey drizzled on it. But if I have a light meal, like a salad with cottage cheese and lots of veggies, then I will have my “gluten” in the form of cake. Remember the scene from the movie “When Harry Met Sally” in the diner? Well, I am Sally, for sure. Eat the salad and the pie. Life is so short and precious…and to be on a low-carb, no-sugar, I’m depressed diet, is not to live. Eat the foods you love, but savor them, eat them with family and friends and cook them yourself so you know what is in your dessert.

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Family Meal Time: Where Do You SIT?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Sarah

I have another confession to make. You already know my least favorite (yet very nutritious) food is the egg. Now I have another topic I have wanted to discuss. I want lots of comments after this posting! The topic: is where you eat when you eat with your family. I actually love to stand up while I eat…..for a few reasons. Every job I have ever had was in a kitchen (pre-RD and during college). Chefs eat while they stand and I have been doing it since I was 16. I have never been a waitress/server, but have always worked in the kitchen and most of the time passing dishes to the servers. So it is very natural(ly learned?) for me to stand and taste and then eat.  So I would say it is the eating issue I personally work on the most. I sat with my kids when they were in the high-chair learning how to use a spoon. My how quickly those days pass—I have already done it 3 times!; and I try to sit most of the time. But really my favorite way to eat with my children when my husband is not here for a meal is the following scenario: me standing behind the counter chopping and slicing or stirring something on the stove and dishing out to my 3 kids on the other side of the counter; they sit on chairs and I stand. We all use plates, cups and utensils. We are close to each other, no TV. or computer is on and we talk. I love that the counter is both the table and place where I slice and dice since it is only one surface to wipe after the meal. Again, most meals are together as a family and my husband would never stand up to eat!  But I have noticed that I do it most of the time when it is just the 3 and me.  I still wipe chairs and the floor, but I also have noticed that I am happier as a mother when I serve meals to them this way. I would be constantly going back and forth from the far away table to the (sink, fridge, counter etc. anyway). Actually, I make them get what they need, but I notice that it is less STRESSFUL during meal time now that the 2-year-old is not in the high-chair when we eat at the counter. I maintain that eating together as family should not involve DVDs, TV programs or computers. There is a major disconnect between families when this occurs. I also know that research shows that teens that eat with their families are less likely to: experiment with drugs and alcohol and/or have sex at an early age and they are more likely to communicate with their families. So to me, whatever is the happiest way to provide a meal at home is the best way.

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