Tags: healthy eating

Plant Based Eating – Staying On Trend

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Staying on Trend with Plant Based Eating

Plant based foods are trending in the world of health and nutrition, and for good reason! By aiming to incorporate more plant-based foods in your meals and snacks, you’ll increase your serving of fruits and vegetables, vary your protein sources and boost your fiber intake. All can aid in digestive health, weight management, and overall health.

Choosing more plant-based foods doesn’t mean throwing out all your meat and poultry options. It simply means adding more variety to your food choices to jazz up your meals and snacks! You’re likely eating some plant-based foods as part of your daily routine already. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and beans are all examples. With spring upon us, it’s a great time to be thinking about potentially having a vegetable garden or having some tomatoes or green peppers in potted plants on your deck. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to have more produce on hand.

Digestive Health

As a registered dietitian, I want to be clear that eating meat and poultry is not bad and can still provide great nutrition! However, sometimes we are repetitive with our shopping list and food choices. (I’m guilty of this as well!) There are so many plant-based foods that can help us achieve our protein and fiber needs throughout the day. For example, beans, quinoa, brown rice and lentils all provide protein and fiber! 

Inside our guts we have a microbiome that is made up of mostly bacteria (don’t fret – we need these bacteria!!) Our gut plays a huge role in our overall health and you’ll feel much better if your microbiome is well balanced! We can help balance our microbiome by having good nutrition and feeding it pre and pro biotics.

Prebiotics and Probiotics

People often think of these two as the same, but they are in fact very different! Prebiotics act as food for the current bacteria that’s in our gut and helps it to grow. On the other hand, probiotics are the new bacteria that we add to our current microbiome. They are both essential for a healthy gut!

Prebiotics can be found in many of the foods that we consume (or should consume) daily. That’s why there is more of an emphasis on probiotics in the media. Foods that have prebiotics include fruits, vegetables and other complex carbs including fiber. So, plant based foods can offer great benefits towards our gut health!

Probiotics contain live organisms, which is good! Yogurt is a perfect example of a common food that contains probiotics. Now if you look on the shelf at the store, you’ll see other items such as kombucha and sauerkraut that have probiotics. Then again, you can find supplement forms of both pre and probiotics. Food is the best source for pre and probiotics, as they offer so many other nutrients beneficial to our health.

Find what works for a healthier YOU!

As always, our goal as Registered Dietitians is to help you feel your best! We’d challenge you to tie in more plant-based foods into your day-to-day life and see how you can boost your intake of fruits and vegetables as well as provide protein, fiber, pre and pro biotics into your routine. If you have any questions, please reach out to us through our Dietitian’s Corner page!

Check out these plant-based recipes!

 Amy, RD, LD

 

Mayo Clinic. (2018, March 06). Prebiotics, probiotics and your health. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/prebiotics-probiotics-and-your-health/art-20390058

Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

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Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Pressure cooker recipes like this Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup are super easy, convenient, and delicious on chilly fall days! Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!

Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!


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Coborn’s
Cash Wise
MarketPlace Foods


Around Our Family Table

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Around Our Family Table

By: Ashley Kibutha, Supermarket Registered Dietitian & Mother of Two

At our house life is crazy as is the case in many of your households. We now have 2 kiddos, a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old, plus I work a full-time job and my husband works a full time and a part time job! We love to stay active in the community and be social with lots of friends and family.

As a dietitian, I strive to serve healthy meals for dinner (at least most of the time). Of course, there will be a random night here or there where we have pizza and wings but that is not the norm – everything in moderation and proper balance! So how do I do this? First of all, every Sunday I create a menu for the week and go grocery shopping for just those items. I look in our cupboards to see what we have available to serve as components to a meal so nothing will go out dated.

For example, I see spaghetti noodles in the pantry – great! That means spaghetti is the entre for one night and that’s a rather simple meal to make, so I will put that on for Monday in case it’s a hard transition to work from the weekend. Then I always think about the rest of the components of the meal using MyPlate… do I have all the food groups? Fruit, veggie, whole grain, protein and diary… So, for spaghetti I will have:

  • whole grain pasta
  • lean beef for the protein
  • Dietitian’s Choice tomato sauce (such as our Four Brother’s brand)

Then I will add extra veggies like:

  • frozen spinach
  • sautéed onions (already diced from the Chop Shoppe at my Coborn’s store)
  • minced garlic (in the jar, pre-done of course)
  • squeezable cilantro so I don’t have to cut it (always makes such a mess!)
  • precut mushrooms in the package
  • diced tomatoes in the can (no salt added)

Then we always have a side salad using pre-chopped lettuce from the bag – how easy is that!? I always like to add:

  • nuts
  • craisins (50% less sugar)
  • Bolthouse Farms dressing

For dessert, I will have a fresh berry blend over a Dietitian’s Choice Greek yogurt to get in the rest of the MyPlate components. There you have it! Simple and easy, I try to cut corners and save time by getting prechopped and canned items.

Another huge piece of family meals is that you need to make cooking time part of family time. I love multitasking this way because I am spending time with the kids and my husband as well as making a nutritious dinner. I always feel a sense of accomplishment plus I feel like a good mom and wife. I know I am also helping to meet my goals of returning to that pre-pregnancy weight. 

You are probably thinking where are these kids that sound so peaceful and perfect?! Don’t worry, it can be chaotic at our house too! A baby and a toddler – need I say more? We involve our toddler in many of the meal prep activities. He gets his step stool and watches us chop up items or prep the food. He has a cute little plastic toy knife, cutting board and veggies and likes to be a part of the meal prep by mimicking us and “chopping” up his toy veggies! Then we let him do age appropriate tasks to help us, i.e adding the vegetables in the pan, mixing, and pouring in the noodles. [See the backside of our Picky Eaters Handout for how kids can get involved in the kitchen.]

If he’s having a bad day or a melt down then we put on music and let him dance and play in the kitchen with his toys, or color or do play playdoh at the table so he is still a part of this and we can have family time. My husband or I are with the baby, depending on who is cooking. I am still breastfeeding so I breastfeed in the living room while my husband cooks and observes our toddler, keeping him engaged. We have a small house so we are able to hold a conversation while he is cooking in the kitchen and I feed the baby in the living room.

Yes, it may take longer to cook if our toddler is helping but remember you are prepping a healthy meal and having family time all at the same time! Yes, your toddler is probably starving after daycare and so are you, so you can have an appetizer of veggies with hummus or a piece of fruit. When dinner is ready we all sit down and enjoy our family dinner including the baby. We set him in a bouncer near us so he is a part of it all too! If it’s an exceptionally good day we even get to sneak in a glass of wine while the dinner is cooking while playing a memory game with our toddler!

So, think of cooking as time together with the whole family – rather than a mundane chore. Keep it exciting with new meal ideas and recipes! We have lots of great Dietitian’s Choice recipes right here on CelebrateMORE… so make sure to check those out to help make your family meals nutritious as well as time well spent with the whole family. 

Peace and wellness,
Ashley, RD, LD 

Dijon Crusted Chicken Breasts

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Your New Back-To-School Routine: Batch Cooking Breakfast

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Your New Back-To-School Routine: Batch Cooking Breakfast

Back-to-school means new routines for the entire family. While this change in daily patterns can be stressful, there’s one routine recommended by the Coborn’s Dietitian Team that can set the stage for a successful kick off to the new school year – breakfast batch cooking.

In batch cooking, key meal elements are prepared in advance to make daily meal prep quicker. Given the pace of hectic school mornings, pre-prepping breakfast meals over the weekend ensures all family members start their day with a nutritious, quick and convenient breakfast. There’s no need to stop and think “what’s for breakfast?” every morning, as you’ve planned it out in advance.

While we’re not the first to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, what you may not know is that only 18% of breakfasts include fruit and less than 6% include vegetables. Batch cooking breakfast can ensure kids and parents alike start their day with at least one fruit or vegetable.

Breakfast meals that are perfect for batch cooking include:

  • Omelet cups made in muffin tins. Use leftover vegetables in your refrigerator such as spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, and onions, and consider adding spice with seasonal ingredients like hatch chili peppers. Once the omelet cups cool, individually wrap them.  On busy weekday mornings, microwave for a quick, hot breakfast.
  • Blueberry Protein Walnut Breakfast Bars, our featured recipe, is a great example of how to optimize nutrition by pairing nutrient dense foods, like blueberries and walnuts. Combined they provide protein, good fat and fiber. Make a batch of the bars on Sundays, cutting into portions perfect for your ages of children. You now have a grab-and-go breakfast ready for the week ahead.
  • Bento Box Breakfast. In a plastic container that has segments, place finger friendly fruits like orange or tangerine slices or berries in one segment, nuts, such as walnuts in another, and string cheese in another. Pre-pack the containers and refrigerate so they’re ready to grab as you head out to the carpool on busy school mornings.
  • Customized smoothie packs. Based on flavor preferences of your family members, use small containers or baggies to package fruit and vegetables with added plain yogurt or your favorite nut butter, and then freeze. On weekday mornings, set out milk and the blender for each person to make their own smoothie.

Starting this new routine means setting aside some time over the weekend to prep, but the reward of knowing your family starts off on their day with a nutritious breakfast that includes fruit and vegetables is a valuable payoff.

Happy & healthy eating,
Amy, RD, LD

Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tzatziki

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Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tzatziki

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast 
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 Cup English Cucumber, diced
  • 1 Cup Romaine Lettuce, shredded
  • 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
  • 4 Whole Wheat Pita Pockets
  • 2 Tbsp Opa Tzatziki Sauce 

Directions: 

  1. Cook or grill chicken breast with any desired seasonings. 
  2. Cut fully cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces. 
  3. Fill each pita pocket with chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.
  4. Top with Tzatziki sauce and enjoy. 

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

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Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Simplify your morning routine by meal prepping these tasty Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats for both you and kids! Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!

Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!


Shop Ingredients

Coborn’s
Cash Wise
MarketPlace Foods


Whole Grain Tacos In Minutes

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Whole Grain Tacos In Minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 xtreme wellness whole grain tortillas or corn tortillas
  • 1 cup black or pinto beans
  • 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions
  • Cilantro to taste
  • 2 avocados
  • 4 leaves lettuce
  • 1/2 cup full circle salsa or the donkey salsa
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream or plain fat free Greek yogurt
  • Feel free to add 93% lean ground beef or 99% lean ground turkey to increase the protein – cook on the stove according to directions and add Mrs Dash taco seasoning

Directions: 

  1. Place 1/4 cup beans on each tortilla.
  2. Microwave 30 seconds each.
  3. Arrange 1/8 cup cheese on each tortilla and microwave another 30 seconds.
  4. Layer with toppings and fold

Whole Grain Better For You Pizza

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Whole Grain Better For You Pizza

Ingredients

  • Golden Home 100% Whole Grain Pizza Crust
  • Food Club Pizza Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese 

Topping Suggestions

  • Chicken Breast
  • Shredded Pork Tenderloin
  • 93% Lean Ground Beef Or Lean Ground Turkey
  • Turkey Pepperoni
  • Any Vegetables
    • Bell Peppers
    • Onions
    • Tomatoes
    • Mushrooms
    • Zucchini 
    • Summer Squash
    • Broccoli
    • Cauliflower
    • Pineapple
    • Herbs – Garlic, Basil, Cilantro

Directions

  1. Prepare pizza crust as instructed on back of package.
  2. Spread pizza sauce lightly over crust.
  3. Top with cheese and other toppings.
  4. Bake as instructed or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Find more dietitian approved recipes and great info on their Dietitian’s Corner Page! 

National Nutrition Month!

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Hello friends!

It’s March which means it’s almost Spring, but more importantly it means it’s National Nutrition Month! We may be bias, but March is by far our favorite month at the grocery store. Not only is it a month to celebrate food, it’s also a time to celebrate nourishing our bodies.

Every year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ March campaign emphasizes the importance of making informed food choices and building a healthy relationship with food. In 2018, the theme is “Go Further with Food.” What does this mean exactly? Well, it means a few different things. First, we can have more energy and do more when we fuel are bodies with nourishing foods. Second, when we are more aware of what food we have on hand and how much we buy at the grocery store we can reduce food loss and waste which also means saving money! That being said, let’s talk about my top 5 tips for “Going Further with Food”:

  1. Include a healthful variety of food. Remember, each food group contains different types of nutrients and in different amounts. It’s importance we get a good balance of these nutrients daily, but don’t be afraid to mix things up! Have a banana with oatmeal for breakfast every morning? Mix things up and add berries!
  2. Consider what you have on hand. Before going to your local Coborn’s, Cash Wise Or Marketplace Foods, make a mental or physical note of what your already have in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. When we are aware of EVERYTHING we have on hand before going to the grocery store we often are able to use up those items that may be otherwise thrown out.
  3. Buy only the amount of food that can be eaten or frozen within 4 days. Say what? Yes, you read that right. This is because items that are fresh or prepared should be eaten or frozen within a few days after preparing. Unfortunately, that hotdish sitting in the fridge you made last week needs to be tossed. To make sure that doesn’t happen again, be aware of how much you will eat within those days and freeze the rest. Hello, easy heat and eat meal!
  4. Be mindful of your portion sizes. If we paid attention to our serving sizes and hunger cues I can guarantee we would not only feel better, we would also be reducing food waste as we would be more in-tune with how much we eat.
  5. Move. Although this isn’t a food tip, it’s still a VERY important part of overall health. Find activities you enjoy (even in the winter!) and be physically active most days of the week.

We’d love to hear how you will be celebrating National Nutrition Month this year! Tune in to our Healthy Tip Tuesdays on Facebook Live each week and join us for lots of great topics on nutrition and even some great giveaways! 

Healthy and Happy Eating,
Emily, RD, LD