Delicious Fish Recipe April 22, 2009

I tried this recipe tonight with grouper and it was so delicious. I always get asked about how to cook fish so here is a great idea.

Pecan-Crusted Fish

Thick fish fillets (however many you need; salmon, grouper or other white fish work well)

Pinch of Kosher salt and pepper

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp melted Smart Balance Light Spread

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover baking pan or dish with aluminum foil (helps with cleanup). Spray foil with cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper and place skin side down on pan. It’s fine if the fish doesn’t have skin.

3. Combine mustard, Smart Balance and honey and spread over the fish with a spoon or brush. Combine breadcrumbs, pecans and parsley. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of fish and gentle press it down with your hand. Lightly spritz the top of the fish with cooking spray (to help get a golden crust on top).

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until fish flakes with a fork.

Tonight I served mine with roasted sweet potatoes, green beans and blueberry muffins. It was a huge hit! Enjoy!

Meal Planning April 21, 2009

Meal planning is a hallmark of a healthy lifestyle. Remember that good nutrition does not happen by chance. It happens because you planned to make it happen.

Meal planning takes time and effort. The more you do it the more natural the habit becomes. Below is my meal plan for our dinners this week. I will try to post this from time to time to give you ideas.

Monday : Dinner on my own. Baked sweet potato and veggies.

Tuesday: Sesame beef stir-fry

Wednesday: (Brian starts football) Baked grouper, roasted cinnamon sweet potatoes, and green beans

Thursday: Chicken and rice, salad

Friday: Dinner out with parents

Hope this gives you some fresh ideas for meal planning your dinners. Although annoying, meal planning always pays off in your food and calorie budget!

I’m an Official Sports Dietitian! April 15, 2009

I just found out that I passed my board certifying exam to become a Specialist in Sports Dietetics. I will now add “CSSD” to my title. Hooray! Sports nutrition is one of my first loves and I am thrilled to be credentialed at the highest level now. Please feel free to post sports-related questions.

To learn more about CSSD’s please visit: http://www.scandpg.org/index.php

High Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Sugar April 14, 2009

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has taken over the grocery store!!! What are we to do? (This is in my mocking panic voice.)  I have had several clients complain to me about spending 30 minutes in the bread isle trying to find a bread without HFCS. I’ve been told there is only one, and I don’t remember the brand. So what is going on? There are now commercials on TV about the evils and positives of HFCS. We now are now being led to think that sugar is better for us because it is more “natural.”  My take-home-message is reduce your intake of both!

Sugar and HFCS are carbohydrates and therefore have the identical 4 kilocalories per gram that defines them chemically. So calorie wise, it doesn’t matter which one is the source of your sweetener. There has also not been shown a true difference between the way the 2 sweeteners are metabolised.

I’ve been learning a lot about HFCS lately because I am reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma. HFCS came on the scene around the early 1980’s because America was producing way too much commodity corn for the demand in the food supply.  Scientists began creating new uses for corn and thus HFCS was born. It is made from corn (therefore making it “natural”) which is extensively processed. It is a cheaper sweetener than table sugar because corn is very cheap due to its excess (read the book).  The Coca-Cola brand switched completely to HFCS in the 80’s and this enabled them to increase the serving size (from 8 oz bottles to 16+ oz bottles) and only have to raise the price a little bit. No one noticed a taste difference, by the way.

So now, HFCS is in everything! What should we do? Hopefully you picked up along the way that we should all reduce the amount of sugar in our diets. Sugar is rich in calories and void of any real nutritional value. We all have an innate desire for sweet-tasting foods, unlike the taste/desire for salty foods. So it adds quantity and calories to our diet and leaves us with no disease-fighting, weight-managing properties. It’s not the “devil”,  as many hard-core sugar-haters may tell you. But it does need to be controlled and manage in our diets.  Sweets are a joy in a life! I think a world without tasty sweets sounds terrible. I just don’t think we need to be eating twinkies, brownies, soda, sports drinks, and Fruit Loops every single day.

In conclusion, it is important to reduce your intake of both HFCS and sugar. Neither one is great for you. But having HFCS is also not going to ruin all your efforts at weight management.  I’d much rather you pay attention to the total calorie content of a food, the amount of fat, and the amount of fiber a particular food item contains.

Have a healthy, low-sugar day!

Baking with Flax Seed April 6, 2009

My post on flax seed vs wheat germ gets the most hits on my blog. So I am assuming people want to know about flax seed.

Baking with flax seed will change your product. It makes the batter more dense. This means that the leavening agent (baking soda or powder, eggs, etc) will not be able to rise as much and the cell structure of your baked good will be smaller. Your recipe will probably taste similar but it will feel chewier in your mouth. Be cautious when you add flax to new recipes. I would start with no more than 1/4 cup, as a little goes a long way, and see how your product comes out. Below is one of my favorite banana bread recipes that I have added flax to. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

 

                             1/3 cup    Canola Oil

                             ½ cup        Honey

                             1 tsp          Vanilla Extract

2                                           Eggs

1 cup         Mashed Bananas

1 ¾ cups   Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 cup      Ground Flax Seed

½ tsp         Salt

1 tsp          Baking Soda

¼ cup        Hot Water

½ cup        Chopped Walnuts

 

 

1.    Preheat oven to 325° F.

2.    Prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan by spraying with non-stick spray.

3.    In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour, flax seeds, and salt.

4.    Add baking soda to hot water. Stir the solution to mix. Add to batter.

5.    Blend in chopped nuts.

6.    Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

7.    Bake for 55-60 minutes.

8.    Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Then remove bread and cool on wire rack for ½ hour before slicing.

 

Recipe by Jenna Braddock, RD 

Shape Up Jacksonville April 5, 2009

I have been asked to be on the expert panel for a health initiative in Jacksonville. Our local paper, The Times-Union, selected 5 people to embark on a 6 month journey to shape up. Check out the group’s blog, where I contribute, at www.jacksonville.com/shapeup. It just got started last week. I think it’s going to be a great experience for everyone.

Book Alert!!! April 2, 2009

I just picked up a copy of the new book, Eat This Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide. It is an awesome book and my favorite in this series. It takes you through every area of the grocery store and compares similar products for the healthiest choice. It also talks extensively about various nutrients in different produce, mercury in meats, and even recipes. I got mine for $11 at Costco (cover price is $19.99). This book is well worth it and will serve you with good information over and over again.