Skinny Spaghetti

I am thankful Josh was out of town last week because I was having one of those weeks where I felt like an orca whale and no amount of compliments could have convinced me otherwise. Lucky for him he was on business and didn't have to deal with my moping and complaining. My hands were swelling, my feet were tingling and my pants were fitting tighter than normal. So I increased my water, and made sure to monitor my salt intake. Here we are a few days later and luckily I am  feeling much less like Shamu and more like Jessica.

Just in-case you need a visual of what I felt like.

As you get farther along in pregnancy your body starts to retain more fluid and you may notice some swelling. Although this doesn't normally happen until the end of pregnancy, not maintaining a proper diet and water intake can cause the swelling to happen earlier. I usually advise my clients to avoid a lot of processed foods and limit the amount of meals eaten out at restaurants as they are loaded with sodium!

It's also very important to keep up a good exercise routine! You really need to get in a good cardio workout at least 3 times/week. The more you sweat the more water your body will release and this too will keep you from getting so swollen.

Here is one my favorite low sodium dinners from this past week. It is really easy to make and not only is it low in sodium but it's also a low carb dish! I don't get home from work until 7:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I really don't like to eat anything starchy that late at night. This dish is a great alternative for your average spaghetti and meatballs.

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

For the Squash:


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cut your squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle both halves with a little bit of olive oil and a few cranks of fresh ground pepper. Place both halves of squash on a baking sheet with rind side up and bake for 30-45 minutes.

When squash is done cooking remove it from the oven and scrape the inside lengthwise with a fork. The squash should come out easily in long strands that look a lot like noodles (hints the name spaghetti squash).

 

Meatball Nirvana Recipe (from allrecipes.com)

-1lb of extra lean ground beef
-1/2 tsp of sea salt
-1 small onion, diced
-1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
-1-1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
-3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
-3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- dash of hot sauce ( I use Franks Red Hot Sauce)
-1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1/3 cup skim milk
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

Season the beef with the first 9  ingredients (through the Worcestershire). Add milk, cheese and bread crumbs and mix well. Form beef into 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place onto baking sheet. Cook for 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees or until they are no longer pink in the middle ( I cooked them at 350 because I put them in the oven with the squash and just let them cook a little longer).

I recommend a slotted baking dish like this one so the extra fat can drip off.

Place about 1 cup of squash in a your bowl with a couple of meatballs and top with a sauce of your choice( I used PREGO Heart Healthy because it's lower in sodium) and VOILA. Spaghetti and meatballs!

Not only is it heart healthy but it's for us "PREGO" folks hahaha

I topped mine with a little reduced fat bleu cheese (pasteurized of course)

The average 1 cup of cooked pasta has about 220 calories compared to the average cup of cooked spaghetti squash which only has 42 calories!!!




I had a lot of left over squash so I gave some to my parents and took the rest for lunch the next day. Instead of topping the squash with tomato sauce I tossed it in lemon juice, cracked pepper and bleu cheese crumbles. It was a delicious combination!

HAPPY TUESDAY! PUT DOWN THAT EXTRA HOLIDAY COOKIE AND REACH FOR A PIECE OF FRUIT INSTEAD

Shop Smart: Your Baby will Thank You!!

I just hit my 16 week mark and I'm happy to say I haven't had TOO many horrible cravings! I have craved more red meat than usual, and it's been harder for me to turn my head on potato chips when they are near, but that has been the worst of it. As a nutritionist I talk to a lot of prenatal women who complain about craving and indulging in unhealthy foods which leads to an unwanted amount of weight gain. There is an easy fix to this...DON'T BUY THE JUNK! You don't have to ignore every craving all the time, but you also shouldn't give in to them all the time. Instead, fill your house with healthy foods to munch on!

When grocery shopping there is an easy technique to use that will ensure you are filling your cart with the most nutritious foods. Instead of heading straight to the aisles when you enter the market, try to stay on the perimeter of the store. You'll notice the perimeter of the store is where you will find all of your fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, and often times fresh baked whole grains. Sure you will need to wonder into the aislse for your cereals, soups, and some other healthy snacks, but you should be able to get the majority of your shopping done on the perimeter of the store.


I've also learned a very important shopping technique since I became pregnant; never let a pregnant lady shop hungry HAHAHA. I made that mistake once during my second month of pregnancy and came home will all sorts of crap that I wouldn't normally buy. My husband, Josh, loved it! So from now on, I munch on a snack before heading out to shop. Here are some of the delicious, nutritious foods I picked up this week.


 



I always load up on fresh fruits! At the beginning of my pregnancy when my heart burn was at it's worst I had to stay away from most citrus fruits. Now that my heart burn has subsided I indulge in sweet fruits like apples, oranges and grapefruits when I have a sweet tooth.

Avocados are a great source of healthy omegas, fat that is. Adding a small amount of avocado to your favorite sandwich or salad is a great way to increase the healthy fats in your diet.

I also keep baby carrots in the house for snack time. The crunch and slight sweetness of them usually satisfies my taste buds. The are also packed with fiber which helps you feel more satisfied.

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite starchy vegetables!!! Not only are they rich in vitamin A and potassium but they are also low in calories compared to many other starches. My grandmother taught me a great trick about sweet potatoes. She taught me to cook them ahead of time in the microwave and then freeze them. When you are ready to eat one just take it out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for about 4 minutes. The freezing puts a lot of moisture back into the potatoes and they are SO creamy and moist when reheated!

 

Green peppers are another staple in my house. I use them in so many recipes! I try to buy them in bulk when they are on sale. If they start to go bad before I can use them up, I just slice and freeze them! They sauté up wonderfully for fajitas!

 

I don't cook eggplant too often, but I do love it! It makes a great meal for vegetarian night. Whip up an easy eggplant parmesan or roast some in the oven for a delicious side dish!

 

 

 

As I said before it's ok to listen to your cravings every once in a while, and mine has been potato chips. When I do listen to my cravings I do it in moderation and try to keep it somewhat healthy. Baked chips are lower in calories and fat compared to the normal chips and they still give you the taste you are looking for!

 

So I splurged and bought myself a treat. Yes, I opened them before I even got home, and yes, they were delicious! But I am happy to say one week later most of the bag is still in the pantry :)

 

Remember you can eat healthy and still enjoy all the flavors you love! Use the internet as a way to discover new healthy recipes. Cookinglight.com is one of my favorite websites!

 

 

EAT HEALTHY, LIVE HAPPY, HAPPY FRIDAY!!!









It's Fall Y'all!

This past weekend I traveled to Arlington, Virginia to spend some quality time with my sister and brother-in-law. It rained most of the weekend so we spent most of our time relaxing, watching football, cooking and catching up. Sunday morning my sister and I woke up and made some delicious low fat pumpkin bread.  It’s another one of my fall favorites! I have used this recipe from Cookinglight.com several times and it never disappoints! Paired with a steaming cup of coffee with pumpkin creamer and you’ve got yourself a perfect Sunday morning!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

 3 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 TBPS baking powder

2 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground allspice

2 cups of granulated sugar ( we used a sugar substitute )

½ cup of egg substitute ( such as egg beaters)

½ cup canola oil

½ cup low fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

2/3 cup water

1-15 oz can of pumpkin

Instructions:

 Preheat oven to to 350°

 1. Combine flour and the next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a mixing bowl and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs and beat with a mixer on high until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Lightly coat 2- 9X5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and pour batter into pans. Bake in oven for 1 hour.

After finishing our delicious breakfast we headed over to Germantown in Maryland to check out Butlers Orchard. It is such a neat little place! You can pick all kinds of fruits and vegetables during peak seasons. We went to see the pumpkins of course! While there we also picked up some locally made snacks for lunch. My sister picked up a jar of both apple butter and pumpkin butter. They are AMAZING!! The apple butter has no added sugar, it’s sweetened with its own juice. We also picked up some venison sausage and local cheese. Paired with their homemade sweet onion mustard and some whole wheat crackers and we had ourselves a delicious lunch! If you have never tried venison you should put it on your to-do list. It’s very high in protein and iron and has about 1/3 the fat of beef! It’s great in chili, as burgers, or even as meatloaf!

When my sister and I get together we REALLY love to get in the kitchen! We continued the fall theme for the day with a healthy dinner of bbq chicken, pan seared brussel sprouts, and winter squash gratin. Fantastic doesn’t even begin to describe how wonderful that squash gratin was! It will definitely be making an appearance at Thanksgiving this year!

Squash Gratin

Ingredients: (Serves 6-8)

*** I have listed the ingredients we used. We altered some ingredients to make it healthier

3 TBSP of unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 TBSP of fresh, chopped thyme

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 small kabocha squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and pepper, just a dash of both

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

½ cup fat free half and half

¼ cup bread crumbs ( if you can use homemade bread crumbs do so- they are much better!)

2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

2 TBSP chopped parsley

½ grated gruyere cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and thyme and cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine both types of squash in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook until squash is just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add squash to the skillet along with garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes. Add the broth and cook until mostly absorbed. Stir in the half and half and cook until slightly thickened.
3. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and toss with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Sprinkle on top of the squash and top with gruyere cheese. Transfer the skillet into the oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then serve!

I used a cabernet garlic olive oil blend I got in Seattle to sautee the brussel sprouts. When I don't have something fancy like that I use olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!