Don't Hide the Grill in the Chill

Although our guest writer for today’s specialties historically include math, Google image searching, Friday emails, rocking suspenders, quoting The Simpsons, and eating Mexican, my brother has graced us today with his passion for grilling. This is Mark’s second article for Defending Veggies, and he’s written today to help motivate you to keep that grill cooking this winter!!


Thanks for the help today, Mark!
- Erin

Lots of people love to have cookouts. People come over, you fire up the grill, then burgers and brats for all! Then comes November, and with the cold, comes the grill cover. And other than maybe getting the mini-grill out at football games, we won’t see those coals again until May.

Well I don’t buy that at all.

Grilling can be an easy, inexpensive, time saving, and healthy… all year long. You can cook entire meals all at once! Last week I ran into the same old issue…I didn’t know what I was having for dinner. I didn’t have a ton of options. Let’s see…I had two potatoes, some chicken breasts, and asparagus. And all I thought was, “Yahoo! No dishes for me tonight!"

Chicken in BBQ sauce for 30, potatoes cut in half, wrapped in foil, asparagus with a little salt n pepper, and I was ready for the grill. (That took about 5 min by the way.) Cook time was 30 minutes for potatoes, 20 for the chicken, and about 7 for the asparagus. Done. Dinner served. Not a 5 star restaurant, but also cost about $4…and I had some leftovers. And seriously, not to pat myself on the back, but it was pretty freakin’ good.

The grill gets used year round for sure. First of all, it is easy and quick. But secondly, it’s also healthy. (Sorry, had to put that in or Erin wouldn’t have posted it.) Now you can choose to eat the brats and burgers, but (your welcome, Erin) lean cuts of steak, pork, and especially chicken, are your healthier choices. Another thing that puts grilling ahead in the health game is that you’re not using any butter or oil to cook with… maybe just some marinade.

Skinless chicken is really the way to go - find new marinades, and find different veggies to go with it. It is low in fat and high in protein. Another option, although not my favorite, is fish. People like to try new things every once in a while, so tilapia, salmon, and tuna steaks have all been grilled at my house. I’m not a master with the sea food, but it was easy enough to find how to cook whatever on the internet, or the thousands of cook books out there.

Note: The aroma of something like salmon about an hour into cooking is not the most appealing. Grill outside, and that stays outside.

Last but not least, the smoker; I received an electric smoker as a gift. I wasn’t really that excited about it, but hey, why not give it a try?! First, I tried ribs. I failed. I failed miserably. Although a great man once said, “See! You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: Never try,” I have given it a few more tries, and it has worked out great. I smoked a 3lb pork tenderloin that took about 5 hours…it was awesome! I named the pig, “lucky.” My company didn’t think that was funny, but they didn’t reject eating “Little Lucky” either. I had little lucky leftovers for about a week!

So, get out there and get grilling! Let Erin know how much I inspired you by sending her grilling recipes that she can post on here!

The Food Flavoring Industry

60 Minutes delved into the world of food flavoring last night. They covered all the things you would think...the actual flavorists, large factories pumping out liquid chicken, a montage of Americans' fat mid-sections...you know the drill.

To watch the video in full, just follow the link.

The last little blurb was about how "health and wellness" is the new rave, and how flavorists now have the challenge of creating healthy foods that taste good. That scares me. That scares me because the "health" foods that have already been introduced to the market are not necessarily healthy; however, Americans perceive that purchasing these items equals better health.

I'm pretty sure that the answer to healthier eating, or to obesity in general, is not going to be created in a lab. I understand that those working in this industry are just doing their job - I have no issues with that. They are just responding to the demand. Until the public becomes more intelligent than the industries (food, flavoring, marketing, media, etc) demanding whole, natural foods, they are just going to keep at it.

I eat foods that have been artificially flavored every single day. 99.9% of Americans do. One of the best things you can do is educate yourself. It will still be difficult to outsmart the geniuses that are creating delicious, short lasting flavors that keep us running back for more. You can't blame it on them though...you have to be in charge of your own self control!

You obviously can't survive on lettuce and water, but everything in moderation. The piece warns you about any food that comes in a can, a box, or a jar...think of ways that you can enhance the nutritional value of each of your daily meals adding in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Its at least a step in the right direction for now!!

Happy Monday:) What are you having for lunch?!

William Shatner.

Leave it to William Shatner to make a safety video on Turkey Fryin'! He shares all sorts of tips on how to keep you, your family, your house, and your turkey safe this Thanksgiving.

Here's my safety tip: DON'T FRY SHIT...EVER. You're a lot more likely to get diabetes than to burn your house down.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Grab your chopsticks...it's teriyaki time!

Had this for dinner last night. Turned out pretty good!

Easy Chicken Teriyaki (4 servings)

Ingredients:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1 20oz can pineapple chunks
1 bag of frozen broccoli
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ginger

Directions:
Throw chicken, teriyaki, pineapple and juice, brown sugar, and ginger into crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over brown rice. Add soy sauce to taste.

It's not the prettiest dish in the world, but it makes your whole house smell like egg rolls:) Yum!!!

Before

After

Petition to Kill.

I would like to thank the women and photographers of the world ruining the image of health...making us health and wellness folks look like tool bags forever to be ridiculed by our accountant, P.R., nursing, and teaching friends.

Let me clarify something. In order to depict "health," you DON'T have to be leaping over a rock. You DON'T have to be jogging on a beach, making phallic gestures with fruit, holding a measuring tape around your waist, OR exercising in a bathing suit. (Get some boobs, ass hole.)

I would like to start a petition to hunt these women down...and kill them.

Happy Friday!

GET YOUR PEANUTS!!...Before you can't afford them.

Get your peanuts! You might notice a price increase in your favorite peanut butters recently. Well, guess what, they are only going to get worse! The 2010 U.S. peanut crop struggled due to bad weather causing the supply’s quality to dwindle. Where a pound of peanuts used to run around 45-58 cents, they are now as high as $1.20-$1.35 a pound.

A majority of our peanut supply comes from Georgia and Alabama, with other smaller amounts coming from Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. A quality control that peanut manufacturers look at is the amount of Alfatoxin in a peanut crop. Aflatoxin is a byproduct of mold that decreases the quality of a peanut crop. A peanut manufacturer has to spend money separating this byproduct from their peanut product to a specified parts per billion (depending on what their buyer is asking for).

It looks like both Kroger and Aldi, among a few others might not be as strongly affected because they have their own manufactures…some of which already have certain prices locked in. Thankfully, once the prices started increasing, farmers started planting more peanuts…which will hopefully even out the prices within the next year! Oh, supply and demand. Got to love it!

If you stock up on peanut butter now, there is no need to refrigerate your product. Many large brands like Kroger and JIF use a process called a nitrogen flush that decreases oxidation of the peanut butter. This oxidation, producing peroxide, is what makes peanut butter stale. If you do open a jar that seems stale, just scrape off the top 1/4” or so and the rest of the product should be good! Worse comes to worst, make some cookies or candy out of your peanut butter!

Happy Stocking! I’m clearing shelf space now!

Fun fact: Did you know that leftover peanut product goes to make animal food?!

Thanks, Tim, for the info – Tim is a peanut expert from Southern Indiana having worked as a peanut manufacturer for many years. He took time to speak to me yesterday about this issue. We appreciate the heads up!

Exercise. Ugh.

I recently had a stint where I wasn't allowed to exercise (doctor's orders) for 2 weeks. Today is my "you're allowed to exercise now" day. This experience has been very interesting. I'm sure there has been countless times where 2 weeks has gone by and I have not worked out, but this time is was presented as a guilt-free getaway ok'd by a medical professional....THE medical professional. Very different.

You would think that knowing I wasn't going to be active would have made me keep a closer eye on the things I was choosing to eat, but in fact, I discovered the exact opposite. I, for some reason, interpreted "no activity" as "no health intuition what-so-ever." It threw off everything. I started eating out more, which of course leads to...bad decisions. I started eating late at night...more bad decisions. I started having a cocktail/cocktails at night for no apparent reason...different, but equal, bad decisions:) It was the beginning of a crazy cycle that included no activity leading to increased lethargy leading to decreased motivation which led to increased intake of what can only be scientifically deemed as....fried shit.

French fries. Shit. Waffles. Shit. Tacos. Shit. Queso. Shit. Hamburgers. Shit. Butter. Shit.

There has been positives though! It is SO much easier to eat out. It is SO much less time consuming to not pack my workout bag and not drag it all the way through the parking garage and up to my office and to not to have to spin my wheels on some gym contraption for an hour....ok 30 minutes...but still. I can see how this is appealing to so many!

Here's the issue though... I feel like crap. I'm foggy. I don't want to get out of bed in the morning. I'm less productive. There's a skin roll now that rests on my thighs when I pee (IN 2 WEEKS - is that even possible?). Anyway, these are all things that are just not good for anyone...especially a new fiance! Like how I worked that in?

So, what I need now is a plan! An I Don't Want Things Resting On My Thighs When I Pee Plan.

Interestingly enough, it looks like, for me, and I bet for many, that an exercise routine is the 1st step to healthy eating!! See, I don't like working out. So, why would I go and waste what I just did on some stupid Panera cookie? (Good god, those cookies are delicious) See what I'm getting at?

So, here is the plan. I'm going to take one more day (just to be safe of course:) and then I'm back on the workout train tomorrow. It doesn't have to be anything major...I hate it all...so whatever I do, I will go home after and sure as hell not ruin it with a few Bud Lights...like I did last night.

Happy Hump Day...get out there and exercise, so you can eat healthy!!!

Food = Emotion

Don't tell me that food isn't emotional. Even from a young age, our feelings are attached to the deliciousness that is...chocolate:)

Check out this video from Jimmy Kimmel Live. The very last clip of 2 brothers is my favorite:)

HAPPY FRIDAY!! ENJOY!

LAY OFF ME, I'M STARVING!!!!

Screaming at the driver in front of me, dodging my neighbor's dog, screeching up the driveway, barging through the door, throwing my bags, shoving on elastic pants, sliding into the kitchen, and looking for anything to fill the raging hunger pit that is my stomach.

This is how I feel everyday when I get home from work. I'M STARVING!! I know what you're thinking, "Erin, don't you have an afternoon snack?" And the answer is, "Yes, so BACK OFF!"

Like I have said a million times before, I need dinners that are nutritious and delicious....but I need them FAST!!

Prepackaged meals get a bad rap...and some of them for good reason. However, they can be used as a great base for a great meal for one! You just have to get creative:) Many prepacked meals are a little low in calories for a full dinner, and many are missing vital nutrients that you would receive from fresh, whole ingredients.

Here's how I doctored up a Lean Cuisine I found in the back of the freezer last night. I started with this selection.

Here's how it came out of the microwave.

That obviously wasn't going to cut it. So, I cooked 1/2 cup of instant brown rice, chopped up a few green onions, and brought out the salsa. After changing dishes and piling on all the new ingredients, here is what dinner looked like!

Much better!!!

How can you improve your prepackaged meals?!!

Understanding Gluten

Everyone is talking about gluten these days. Many people, due to allergies or other issues, have starting trying to avoid gluten. But, what exactly is gluten and where can it be found in your diet?

WHAT IS GLUTEN:
Gluten is a protein most commonly found in wheat, rye, and barley. Oats are often avoided as well due to cross-contamination with other grains in the facility.

ARE THERE ANY GLUTEN-FREE GRAINS OR FLOURS:
Yes - rice, corn, quinoa, amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, montina, flax, millet, potato, sago, sorghum, topioca, cornstarch, and manioc. Flours from nuts, beans, and legumes are also gluten-free.

CROSS-CONTAMINATION:
You need to store gluten-free food in a separate area. Use separate utensils and tools when preparing gluten-free products (don't forget things like the toaster!)

WHERE IS GLUTEN FOUND:
Besides the obvious, be aware of products including processed meats, canned goods, gravies and sauces, chips, dressings, soy sauce, thickeners, ice cream, broth, root beer, syrups, and imitation seafood. Look for tricky ingredient works including modified food starch, malt, and malt flavoring.

Anytime you try a new diet in order to asses an intolerance or food allergy, journal, journal, journal. This way, as you begin to experiment with different things, such as a gluten-free diet, you know if it is producing any changes.

Happy hump day!!!

The Calorie King Book

Knowledge and tracking = half the battle of healthy eating. As I've said before, tracking is one of the main predictors of successful weight loss! Thankfully, there are websites and smart phone apps that help us accomplish this; however, there is nothing quite like flipping through an ACTUAL book!!

This is the commercial for the Kindle where the "book" girl talks about the satisfaction of turning down the page corner. I think she was on to something!

I wanted to let you know about the most popular, most handy pocket guide when it comes to tracking. I don't care if you track fat, or if you track carbs, or if you track calories! This book has it all! The Calorie King Book is cheap and complete - the perfect combo! You can buy it at any place that sells books including pharmacies...just make sure to get the latest edition...2012.

I know one guy who doesn't go anywhere without his Calorie King:) Here is my dog, Bannon, chewing up his Calorie King that he stole from his mother!! I wonder how many calories was in that?

I mean, I'm a really strict dog owner. I say, "No!" all the time. I just don't think he knows what it means:)

P.S. If you're really not into books...don't worry...there's a website:) http://www.calorieking.com/

Panera Breakfast Power Sandwich

Panera Breakfast Power Sandwich

Step 1: Remove the ham - you will save 210mg of sodium right off the bat! Some can do without cheese, I'm not one of them, so I'm going to suggest that:)

In the end, here's what you've got!

  310 120  14g   7g  0g  205mg  610mg 30g  4g  2g  18g  10%  0%  20% 15% 0mg

Remember that the 2 thing we look for in a breakfast are fiber and protein! This breakfast hits the mark on protein (due mostly to the egg), but could do with a little extra fiber. Try adding a piece of fruit and you're looking a very well balanced meal!

INTRODUCING.......!!!!!

INTRODUCING!!!.....MISS EMMA MARIE!!! This tickled cute tot is the most amazing, most determined, most feisty ball of adorableness you have ever seen. Oh, and she just so happens to be my niece!

Emma is here to provide irresistible cuteness to this post while I babble on about vegetables. Here I go…


You can read and read about any subject that interests you…history, psychology, money, business…but it’s not until you’re thrown into a sink or swim situation that you can really start figuring things out!

I’ve read the required amount on toddler nutrition (for testing purposes), but the only people that know anything about what a toddler will or will not eat are those that have actually sank or swam with a toddler.


I’m sure many mothers have had issues with their children not eating vegetables. They’ve tried everything…the airplane, hiding them, cutting them in cute shapes, and the worst yet (covering them in ranch). Ugh. America.


Thankfully, there was a dad out there that knew this issue was a concern and decided to make conveniently overpriced veggie pouches for the frustrated parents of the world! These organic, easy to eat products have been god sent for Miss Emma! Called Ella’s Kitchen pouches, these products promise…

• NO added sugar, salt or water
• NO additives or thickeners
• NO E numbers or GM
• NO gluten, wheat, dairy or lactose
• NOTHING artificial

My favorite part is the website! (of course) Find tons of kid friendly recipes to share with your family and read more about Ella’s Kitchen products! (They're worth the money!)


Emma loves the grocery just like her aunt, Erin. hehe. Love you, Emma!



I'm ENGAGED!

I had a great post lined up that will have to be bumped to tomorrow! Be sure to tune in though, because it is a celebrity appearance!

So, back to the news...last night, I got engaged! (Yes, I'm going to tie this into nutrition - I'm not the kind of girl that just walks around talking about my engagement to anyone who will listen!!!) I mean, I would consider trick-or-treaters, the lady at Panera, the Thortons manager, and the guy walking his dog close friends!!

Here's how it happened: Last night, my boyfriend (well he was my boyfriend at the time:) told me he had a business deal he had to close about an hour away in Frankfort, so he wouldn't be home until 7. I was a little peeved because it was Halloween and I was looking forward to handing out candy and I had made a new crockpot recipe for sweet and sour chicken (renamed Engagement Chicken now and you can find the recipe below). Anywho, he kept texting me that this was a big deal and I needed to be ready to celebrate!

I was showing my enthusiasm via text but really I was curled up on the couch in his nasty high school football sweatpants and my favorite Kentucky sweat shirt. GO CATS!

At exactly 7pm, he walked in the door with flowers and champagne!! In my head I was thinking, "Aww yeah! Papa made some money tonight!!"

I went in the kitchen to get a vase for the flowers (and by vase I mean water pitcher because I do not own a flower vase), and as I was babbling on, asking questions about "the deal", he said, "I also got you one more thing." And right there, in the kitchen, in front of the refrigerator, next to my silly water pitcher, in my grubby sweats, (while he was dressed to the nines!), he proposed! Just got down on one knee, didn't say anything else. Just, "Will you marry me?"

I die.

It took me about 5 minutes to stop bawling crying enough to say yes! Yes, yes, yes!!!

Then, the chaos. I was crying. I was laughing. I was jumping around in circles. I kept saying, "I can't breathe." Once the champagne was popped I proceeded to drink...the whole bottle... while calling everyone I knew!

It was amazing. I felt like a million dollars. I never thought he would surprise me...on a Monday:)

Once things had calmed down slightly, there was a knock at the door...a trick-or-treater!! We had forgotten about the fact that it was Halloween! I will never forget the little cow that came to our door. Face painted...his name was Landon. He had just turned 1. I picked him up - he did not like that. I was still in shock and forgot that it was weird to pick up strange kids. Whatev:)

OH, I told you I'd tie this into nutrition somehow! Well, after we went to show my parents the UNBELIEVABLE ring, we went to White Castle:) We had to...I had completely burnt the Engagement Chicken:)

Can't have a classy engagement story without the CATS, a cow, and some White Castle. Amen.

Chris, MY FIANCE!!

Engagement Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb skinless chicken breast

2 cups light Catalina Dressing

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Mix the dressing and applesauce. Place chicken in crockpot and cover with sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
Serve over brown rice.