Tasty Tuesday!

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cud and Mascarpone
From Epicurious.com


Ingredients:

Lemon curd

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cake

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 14 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Filling and frosting

• 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 8-ounce containers chilled mascarpone cheese*

Directions:

For lemon curd:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until thickened and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add butter; whisk until melted. Transfer 1 cup curd to small bowl for spreading on cake layers. Reserve remaining curd for filling. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of both curds. Chill overnight. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line bottom of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with parchment paper (do not grease pans or parchment). Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and slowly dissolving ribbons form when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff and glossy. Fold half of whites into yolk mixture, then sift half of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt over and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining whites, then sift remaining flour over and fold in just until combined, being careful not to deflate batter.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks.

Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto 9-inch-diameter cardboard rounds, tapping on work surface if necessary to release cakes. Cut each cake horizontally in half (layers will be thin). Peel off parchment.

For syrup:
Place sugar in small metal bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water; stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in lemon juice.

For filling and frosting:
Beat whipping cream and sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Add mascarpone to lemon curd in medium bowl; whisk until blended. Fold whipped cream into lemon-mascarpone mixture.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Brush with 1/4 of syrup. Spread 1/4 cup lemon curd over, then 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Top with second cake layer; brush with 1/4 of syrup and spread with 1/4 cup lemon curd and 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Repeat with third cake layer, syrup, lemon curd, and filling. Top with fourth cake layer. Brush with remaining syrup, then spread remaining lemon curd over. Spoon 2 cups lemon-mascarpone filling into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch star tip (to be used for rosettes). Spread remaining lemon-mascarpone filling as a frosting over sides of cake. Pipe small rosettes of frosting over top of cake, covering completely. Cover cake with cake dome; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Tasty Tuesday!

Blueberry Pie!



Ingredients for filling:

• 3-4 cups of blueberries
• 7 tablespoons of corn starch
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 9 inch pie crust in a deep dish pie plate
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Splenda

Ingredients for crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour (use whole wheat!)
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine

Directions:

1. Make pie crust (unless you're using pre-made)
2. Wash blueberries in cold water and pick out the stems
3. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, Splenda, corn starch and spices)
4. Mix in the liquids (water, lemon juice)
   
5. Add blueberries into the pie crust and pour the liquid mix into the pie
6. Combine the crumb topping ingredients and add them to the top of the pie
7. Bake at 375F for 1 hour
8. ENJOY!

For more information on this recipe go to: http://www.pickyourown.org/blueberrypie.php

The AmeriCorps Year Comes to an End.

July 29th was the last day of my year of service and work with this wonderful crew of people.


During our AmeriCorps graduation we were asked to reflect on some of the projects that we have been a part of and some of the successes that we've had, and I got pretty overwhelmed by all the things that Elisa and I accomplished this year. To name a few of our projects:

• We've started 2 walking groups, providing individualized exercise information to over 60 patients
• We've started the Sea Mar Smart Food projects, and provided nutrition counseling and grocery store tours to about 50 patients
• We created and carried out a 6 week tobacco support group curriculum
• We built a comprehensive system of health education referral follow-up reaching over 200 patients since January
  
• We were part of the Hypertension Quality Improvement Initiative, and I was able to lead 3 hypertension classes reaching over 20 patients

All in a year's worth of work. I'd say we did a pretty good job. The thing is, none of it would have been possible without our fearless leaders and mentors. As well as without our team's support and inspiration. So, after a year of hard work, I say "Good work, Team" and a big big big THANKS!

Tasty Tuesday!

Spinach Basil Pesto
Courtesy of Prevention.com

Serves 4

8 ounces whole wheat pasta, such as elbows or penne
2 cups packed baby spinach
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, cut in half

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and toss with pasta. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Stats Per Serving (1 1/2 cups): 264 calories, 9 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat (1 g saturated), 4 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 390 mg sodium.

Tasty Tuesday!

Mexican Style Quinoa!

Ingredients

Makes 3 1-cup servings

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Rinse quinoa well. Add all ingredients to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, cover with lid, reduce heat to med-low and cook for 20 minutes until quinoa is tender.

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Nutrition Information | Per serving (1/3 recipe)

calories: 233; fat: 3.6 g; saturated fat: 0.4 g; calories from fat: 14%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 9.1 g; carbohydrate: 42 g; sugar: 6.2 g; fiber: 5.4 g; sodium: 195 mg; calcium: 52 mg; iron: 3.3 mg; vitamin C: 19 mg; beta-carotene: 254 mcg; vitamin E: 2 mg

Oh No! Where to Start?

It's been a while since I've had a moment to sit down, sip some tea, read a book, and update the blog! Many things have happened since April. Many. Here are some highlights:

• Member Led Training on Gender, Sexuality and LGBTQI health disparities - check
• Two graduations one week apart - check
• Roadtrip - check
• New old furniture purchases - check
• Teaching a class about hypertension to funny older folk - check
• Starting a new season of Tobacco Cessation classes - check
• First ever one-on-one official health education session with older Russian lady who doesn't give a hoot - check

An a cherry on the top - I lost my phone. Fun times!

This month and a half has been really good though. I'm riding my bike more often and enjoying the scenery around me with some wonderful company to boot. I'm getting more confident in my professional skills, which is great, since I'm now having to look for a job. That's not too exciting but hopefully soon there will be a check mark next to that as well.

Things I'm looking forward to in the next months?

• Camp Sunburst in two weeks
• Teaching more group classes
• Sunshine and warmth of the PNW summer
• Finding a job that I'm really excited about AND that pays better
• Road trip to Canada!!
  

On that note, I'll go look up a nice recipe for Tasty Tuesday that's long over due!

Tasty Tuesday!

Molly's Birthday Cake
(there's nothing healthy about it!)


Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts (hazelnut meal)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
• 1.5-2 (11 oz) packages bittersweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Make cake layers:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (7- or 8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.

Sift together flour, hazelnut meal, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.

Divide batter among pans (about 2 1/3 cups per pan), smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25 minutes for 8-inch (whole batter, in a 10 inch pan, coked for about 40 minutes) . Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.

Make ganache while cakes bake:
Bring cream to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer ganache to a chilled bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)

Assemble cake:
Arrange 1 layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 2/3 cup ganache evenly over it. Top with another cake layer and 2/3 cup ganache, spreading evenly, then third cake layer. (Chill ganache if necessary to keep at a spreadable consistency.) Chill cake until ganache filling is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remaining ganache at a spreadable consistency, chilling when necessary.

Spread a thin layer of ganache over top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs, then chill 30 minutes. Spread remaining ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.Decorate the sides of the cake with hazelnut meal if there's any left over.

I adjusted my recipe from this original epicurious recipe:

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Ganache-Cake-105133#ixzz1L3VrCqW7

Tasty Tuesday!

Maple Walnut Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (Sugar Free still does the trick!)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
  
• 2 table spoons molasses (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Mix all ingredients in one big bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Put the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake, turning over often with a spatula, until mixture is golden brown. About 40 minutes in my oven. Store in an airtight container so that the granola doesn't get soggy.
Enjoy over yogurt, or mixed in with your favorite cereal. It may be too crumbly (not chunky) to eat on it's own.

Success in Tobacco Cessation Support

I've brought it up some time before, but I thought that I would mention my work with tobacco cessation efforts again. Before I go any further, here are some numbers from the CDC:

Cigarette smoking causes about 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States each year. Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following:

• 443,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
• 49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure
• 269,655 deaths annually among men
• 173,940 deaths annually among women

Cigarette use causes premature death:

• On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
• Based on current cigarette smoking patterns, an estimated 25 million Americans who are alive today will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, including 5 million people younger than 18 years of age.

Yesterday we met with our weekly Tobacco Cessation Support Group - the only one available in the entire of Clark County, by the way - and we talked about how much money our patients have spent on cigarettes over the years, and how much money the tobacco companies have made off of this nasty addiction. One of our patient estimated that throughout his 43 years of smoking 1-3 packs a day he has spend over $313,000 on tobacco products (the class average was around $96,822). That's equivalent to a full price of a 3-4 bedroom house in Vancouver, WA. At current prices. Now, think about the 443,000 people (that's half the population of Portland, OR, by the way) who died from tobacco related illnesses every year - if each of them spent even a half of what this patient has on tobacco products, the tobacco companies have made themselves a nice chunk of change, don't you think? Let's say, $100,000 per person, times 443,000 people = $443,000,000 just from this year's folks. And, if they smoked more than that, $313,000 x 443,000 = $138,659,000,000 That's TRILLIONS of dollars! Just from one year's crop of smokers. It's incredible, and rightfully so it made our class participants rather mad. So, hopefully they'll take that anger and do something about it - more people need to know that there are folks out there making a huge profit from your bad health.

On a cheerier note, our clinic's Tobacco Cessation Efforts have not gone unnoticed. Over the last 9 months we have developed the only free Tobacco Cessation Classes and Support Groups in the whole county. We have been recognized by the Washington State Tobacco Cessation Resource Center as Tobacco Cessation Champions. We have referred over 350 patients to the Washington State Quit Line Services, which actually came out to over 30% of all Quit Line referrals in the entire state of Washington. That's something to be proud of. Hopefully we can spread the word even more, and get more people to kick their nicotine addiction once and for all.

Tasty Tuesday

Peach MANGO and Mascarpone Cheesecake with Balsamic Syrup

I cannot emphasize enough how much I've fallen in love with Epicurious.com - their recipes have yet steer me wrong. So, here's another gem from that delectable website. I substituted mangoes for peaches, because they have been on sale at the store and I've bought too many, and they were about to go bad. I had to use what I had at hand. The substitution was well worth it!

Ingredients:

Crust

• 7 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used brown sugar here)
  
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Filling

• 3 (8-ounce) packages mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup sugar (I used a little less)
  
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large peaches MANGOES (about 1 pound), peeled, pitted, diced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup sliced peaches mangoes

Directions:

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend graham cracker pieces, sugar, and butter in processor until moist clumps form. Press onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer crust to rack to cool. Maintain oven temperature.

FYI: Adding sugar to the crust will add amazing taste to it, BUT, it's a lot harder to detach from the springform.

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat mascarpone, sugar, and flour in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time; add vanilla extract. Puree diced peaches in mini processor or blender until smooth. Beat peach puree into batter. Pour filling into crust. Bake until edges are raised and dry and center is softly set, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Place hot cheesecake directly in refrigerator. Chill uncovered overnight.

I don't know if it was due to faulty oven temperature or the substitution of mango, but my cake started to bubble and became covered with caramelized sugary, bubbly top layer; it also fell flat. I was nervous, but followed the instructions for any cheesecake and kept it in until only a 1-2 inch in the middle were wobbly, and the rest was firm. The cake ended up DELICIOUS, even though it's funny looking.

Boil balsamic vinegar in small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes; cool syrup. Cut around cheesecake; remove pan sides. Top with peach mango slices, drizzle with balsamic vinegar syrup, and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peach-and-Mascarpone-Cheesecake-with-Balsamic-Syrup-235611#ixzz1Jqos7sEH

Toxic Sugar Facts

So, I've already had a post about the sugars in fruit juice that are slowly killing this nation. But, more and more validity has been given to studies done 2 years ago by UCSF's Robert Lustig, MD that he called "Sugar, The Bitter Truth". You can watch his presentation on YouTube.



For whatever reason, Dr. Lustig's research has only recently began getting more momentum. I suppose his lecture in December at UCSF has started causing ripples and waves throughout the medical and the health education communities. Even NY Times covered him in this story.

The point is, or the point that he's trying to make, is that we eat way too much sugar! Over the last 2-3 decades Americans had done a great job cutting out carbs or fats - everything you see is available in low carb, or low fat option. But few things are available in a sugar-free option.



Remember these? The High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials? Well, everything they say is true, so get the facts: HFCS is fine in moderation, and is nutritionally the same as sugar = your regular sugar is just as bad! What they fail to mention is that everything we eat lately has HFCS because it's cheaper than sugar, and because of the subsidies from the US government to the corn farmers. Cereal (including Special K), any deserts and sugary snacks, juice and soda, some English muffins, ketchup, some yogurts, salad dressings, soups, cough syrups, even some pet foods.... the list goes on and on. Again, sure, HFCS is okay in moderation, but how can you consume it in moderation if you don't realize that it's in most foods that you eat? Especially when you are a family of 2 living on $90 food stamp budget and shopping and the cheapest stores in town. Thank you Grocery Outlet for being there for me in low-budget times. But, also, thank you government for pumping up all my favorite foods with high fructose corn syrup.

On that note Dr. Lustig goes to address the myths that regular sugar is better for you. It is not! Furthermore, different kinds of sugars - glucose, fructose, sucrose - all are metabolized quite differently.

"This means we can eat 100 calories of glucose (from a potato or bread or other starch) or 100 calories of sugar (half glucose and half fructose), and they will be metabolized differently and have a different effect on the body. The calories are the same, but the metabolic consequences are quite different."

What fructose does, Dr. Lustig argues, is actually make you eat more and more. Unlike natural sugars (natural carbohydrates), like glucose found in vegetables, starches, etc., fructose and HFCS does not signal to the brain that your stomach is full, that your body is done eating, and does not need any more. This all has to do with hoq quickly your body is able to metabolize these sugars and really deserves a good listen to the guy's lecture.

The point is - we need to stop eating so much sugar. HFCS or natural sugar (remember the 100% juice with more grams of sugar than a coke?), it's all equally bad and may lead to the high levels of diabesity in the US. Yes, diabesity, which = diabetes + obesity, most often co-occuring conditions that I see in our clinic.

Think back to one of my previous posts - we like to think that regardless of sugar content juice is better for you. But what about this - do you want a can of poison, or do you want a can of poison with some vitamin C?

There's so much food for thought, I only hope that none of these articles are sugar-coating the even darker truth.

Tasty Tuesday!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Courtesy of Gluten Free is Life


I had the most delicious flourless oatmeal date bar today, and I wanted to look up a recipe that would do that bar justice. This one looked really good, and I may try a few substitutions when I actually make the bars.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry oats
• 3/4 cup flour - gluten free flour if choose.
  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup sugar (I would skip this altogether; white sugar=devil!)
  
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or 1/2 cup of applesauce!)
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins (or chopped up dates!)

I would add more cinnamon, and 1tsp of allspice.
I'm trying to find out how to use hazelnut meal instead of flour in this recipe but that will require actually trying to make the bars! According to the limited powers of google, it seems to be a 1:1 ratio for substitutions.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.
3. Spread batter in prepared baking pan, and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until bars are cooked all the way through.
4. Let bars cool completely in pan before cutting.

Juicy Sugar Facts

Today's post comes from a great website called Hooked on Juice.

I remember when my family first came to the United States, my sister, my brother and I went crazy with a few things that were now available every day to us which were only a treat before. Some of these things - bananas, gummy bears (my personal favorite 5lb bags from Costco), muffins, chocolate chip cookies, and lots and lots of juice. Oh, and I have quite a special place in my heart for Sunny D and Tampico! I don't think that those beverages even claim to be juice at all.

I remember always having in our fridge a giant jug of apple juice, orange juice and Costco sized containers of cranberry juice. Yumm! Healthy and nutritious, you say, WRONG! Full of sugar and corn syrup. Unfortunately what we never noticed is the high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients, the grams of sugar per serving, and not to mention the serving size! I always drank a pint glass, which is twice the 8oz serving size, dozing myself with as much sugar (if not more) than a coca-cola can!

Even 100% juice, full of vitamin C and natural (non corn syrup) sugars, will contain more sugar than one should be drinking. Cutting out these sugary beverages can be a great first step towards weight loss and improving one's diet. So, when your school or workplace replaced Coke with 100% juice in the vending machines, did they really do your health a favor? Considering that you could now be consuming even more sugar than you were before? Sure, the natural sugars in fruit may be better for you than a can of Pepsi or Cherry Dr. Pepper, BUT, why not eat a piece of actual fruit and drink some water? That's advice that even I have a hard time following, but it's definitely something to think about.

Here's a lovely table that I took from Hooked on Juice. Go to their website for more information.

12 ounces of >>>>>>>	Coca-Cola	Orange Juice	Apple Juice	Cherry Juice	Grape Juice
Total carbohydrates	40 g	39 g	42 g	49.5 g	60 g
Carbs from sugar	40 g	33 g	39 g	37.5 g	58.5 g
Sugar (teaspoons)	10 tsp	8 tsp	10 tsp	9 tsp	15 tsp
Calories	145	165	165	210	240

Tasty Tuesday!

Berry Crumble

Ingredients:

For the Crumble Topping:

• 3/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly crushed
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened ,plus more for greasing your ramekins

Filling:

• 1 10-oz bag of frozen mixed berries
• 10-oz fresh strawberries (they're in season!)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grease four 6-ounce ramekins and transfer them to a foil-lined baking sheet and set aside.

To make the topping, in a bowl combine the almonds, oats, sugar, and spices. Add the butter, and, with your fingers or a fork, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until large, coarse crumbs form. Set aside while you make the filling.

To make the filling, put the berries into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices. Add the sugar and cornstarch to the juices and whisk until smooth and the starch dissolves. Gently fold the berries back into their juices, and divide the mixture among the greased ramekins. Top each filled dish with one fourth of the crumble topping and place on the baking sheet. Bake until bubbling hot and the topping is golden, about 20 minutes. Allow the crumbles to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Very-Berry-Crumble-358372#ixzz1I9hiz3RF

Walking to Better Health

Since I started at Sea Mar, the one solid and on-going project that we had was the Wednesday Morning Walking Group. We first walked outside, and there was only 1 or 2 patients that would join ou 3 person health education team. But when it got rainy, and as more people caught wind of our project the group moved into the Vancouver Mall, and gre to a regular size of 6-8 people, occasionally attracting as many as 11 participants.

It's really great to see all these otherwise sedentary patients of ours get out and walk several miles with our health ed team. Studies show that walking for as little as 10-30 minutes a day for 3-4 days a week can seriously improve your health. Having an hour walk with a health educator and get nutrition and exercise advice as you're walking, can have an even more significant impact.

An average American walks only 2000-4000 steps a day, while an average Japanese person walks over 10,000. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are so vastly different between our two cultures. 66.5% of Americans are overweight, but only 24.7% of Japanese people are overweight (according to BMI measurements). Can it be due to our differences in lifestyle? Can it be in part due to the overwhelmingly sedentary lives that we lead in the US?

I found that out for myself, as I got a car this week, I walked a THIRD of the number of steps I averaged while car-less. That really encouraged me to keep walking to work, instead of driving. It saves me gas too!

Just food for though, pick up those walking shoes and take a stroll after dinner, it will boost your metabolism and improve your overall well-being! In the meanwhile, enjoy these photos from our walking group!

Our walking group founders have lost a significant amount of weight since September, and are on their way to walk off a even more pounds!


Even dogs are welcome at our walking group.


Walking at a quicker pace can really improve your cardio-vascular health.

Our health educator Eric focuses on balance and strength at a mid-way break.

AmeriCorps Greetings

Last Friday our entire AmeriCorps team was finally all at the same place at the same time. It is currently almost 2/3 mark in our year of service, and I thought that instead of a Tasty Tuesday recipe I'd post out team photo. Updates will come soon. Well, as soon as I end the battle with this cold!

Love, M.

Tasty Tuesday!

Zucchini Bread


Ingredients:

• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 1 Cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons granulated while sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 large eggs (try using squash, banana, or applesauce instead!)
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Stir the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. When cominbed, mix in the oats. Make a well in the center of the ingredients. Whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together in a small bowl and pour the mixture into the well. Combine lightly, then stir in the zucchini. Do not overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, mounding it up in the center. Bake for 60 or 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack covered with a clean dish towel to prevent indentations. Let the bread cool at least 10 minutes longer before slicing.

The bread can be served warm or at room temperature. It keeps well and makes good toast, too.

Tasty Tuesday!

Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp

From Epicurious.com


Ingredients:

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 lb medium shrimp
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.

Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture and briskly simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy and tender but still al dente (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), about 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth mixture.)

Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in asparagus, zest, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (Thin risotto with some of remaining broth if necessary.)

IRIN Global | HEALTH: Poor struggle to access diabetes care, says study | Global | Thailand | Health & Nutrition

IRIN Global | HEALTH: Poor struggle to access diabetes care, says study | Global | Thailand | Health & Nutrition

It's funny how I spend day in and day out talking to people about getting their diabetes under control, only to go home and think of it as an American Epidemic. Well, it is. However, what I sometimes forget that diabetes doesn't discriminate. Diabetes, similar to all other diseases and chronic conditions does not care where you live or who you are. And, the reality is, diabetes really is the disease of the poor.

Think about it.

Joe has diabetes - why?

Because he has a poor diet - why?

Because he can't afford a meal that's full of fresh fruit and veggies? Because there's no grocery store that sells fresh fruit and veggies? Because he can now buy a large Little Caesar's Pizza for $5 and not think about cooking after a 12 hour work day? Because he's grown up eating junk food? Because McDonald's makes diabetes cheap? Because all there is to eat is white rice, processed grains, fake unsatisfying sugars and starches?

Or, is it because there's no education? Because diabetes and hypertension are silent killers and don't get you until it's too late? Because your blood sugar can be 3 times the normal level and you will not feel any symptoms?

Why isn't there education? Because who cares about preventing disease when there's so much money to be made in treating it. Because there's not enough money in the budget for the poor people to get healthy. In any country.

"Poor diabetes management is in part due to the shortage of trained medical staff (such as ophthalmologists, nephrologists, dieticians) to deal with disease complications"

I guess that's where we come in. At least we have a ton of free services for our chronic care patients. But, even they don't seek care. All that the man diagnosed with diabetes hears from our chronic care coordinator is "you're fat, you're sick, you need to stop eating hamburger", but what we really need to say sometimes is - although you now need to take your health into your own hands, it's not your fault. Look around you. Become not only an active participant in your health, but your health care, your community, your world. Good thing that they have universal coverage in Thailand now.

It's Washington's turn.

Tasty Tuesday!

Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rice vermicelli
• 8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
• 8 large cooked shrimp - peeled, deveined and cut in half
• 1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 leaves lettuce, chopped
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
4. In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
5. Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.

Babies in Africa

PlusNews Global KENYA: Integration of maternal, HIV services shows results Kenya

I was reading this article and although it has nothing to do with my current position, it reminded me a lot of what I was doing in Ethiopia in 2009. We worked so hard to assess the pediatric HIV services in Addis Ababa that this kind of data does not surprise me at all. I wish that more people were more conscious of the stigma and the consequences that HIV positive status has on the lives of women and children.




But, how awesome would that be - prenatal care, HIV care, and social support, all in ONE PLACE? Magic. Easily done with just a little re-organization of medical systems. The thing is, that kind of all-in-one maternal health and support is not even present in the US. Think of your local community health center - you wait for an hour for your 10 minute meeting with a Nurse Practitioner, who sends you to the infectious disease department to get HIV treatment, and to the separate pre-natal clinic, and to separate social support services organization - all likely to be in different buildings accross town, with their own hour long waits. Why can't it be centralized? Not only women in Africa have issues with transportation access.

I wonder how many children are still being born with HIV in the US due to poor access to services?

Just food for thought.

Tasty Tuesday!

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag spinach, chopped
1 1/3 cups fresh Clementine orange or grapefruit sections
1 cup grapes, and/or 10 strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup fat-free raspberry vinaigrette ( I use less)
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon chopped almonds

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to mix.

Serve immediately.

Tasty Tuesday!

Butternut Sage and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut Butter Sauce

from epicurious.com


Ingredients:

• a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 ounces aged goat cheese, grated (about 2/3)
• 60 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Make filling:
Put squash halves, flesh sides down, an baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well.

In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling heater 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow baking pan and add enough cooking water to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Keep ravioli warm, covered.

Transfer ravioli with a slotted spoon ( letting excess cooking liquid drip off) to 6 plates and top with hazelnut brown-butter sauce.

Care for your heart

By this point in our lives, all of us have heard about the Go Red for Women campaign that raises money for women & heart disease. But, why? Because there are 42 million American women (that's almost the population of Ukraine) who live with heart disease, and some didn't even know it until it was too late. Why? Because similarly to high blood pressure, heart disease is a silent killer. Many are unaware of the threats they face.



Here are some statistics that even I didn't know about until doing some research on American Heart Month.

• Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. As many as a third of women die from heart-related issues.
  
• More than 200,000 women die from heart disease every year. That's 5 times as many as die from breast cancer.
• Smoking increases your risk for heart disease at least two to three times.
• Diabetes increases this risk 2.5 times. Obesity, and being overweight weighs in as well.
• Women are less likely than men to receive appropriate care after a heart attack, because it's commonly misdiagnosed as stress or a panic attack. Women are such drama queens and hypochondriacs, they can't possibly be having heart attacks.
• Women make up only 27% of all heart health clinical studies in the US.
• Prevention and early detection is key.

Know your risks

These are some of the things that put you at a greater risk for heart problems:

• Family history
• Age (55+)
• Race/Ethnicity (any non-white women, really. But, more specifically: African American, Native American, South Asian, and Hispanic)
• Being overweight and/or physically inactive
  
• Smoking
• High blood pressure or high cholesterol

Check with your doctor if you think that you may be at risk.

Tasty Tuesday!

Apple Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats or oat bran
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large apples, finely chopped
• 1 12-ounce can apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup raisins
• vegetable oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats or oat bran, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Add apples, apple juice concentrate, and raisins. Stir just enough to mix.
3. Spoon batter into lightly vegetable oil sprayed muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until tops bounce back when pressed lightly.

Nutrition Information:

Per muffin:

calories: 227
fat: 1.3 g
protein: 5.4 g
carbohydrates: 50.5 g
sugar: 17.2 g
fiber: 4.4 g

Tasty Tuesday!

Oven-Roasted Kale

Ingredients

• 2 bunches kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 to 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse kale and pat dry thoroughly. Remove and discard thick ribs and roughly chop leaves. Pat leaves dry again. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Kale does not need to be in a single layer, as it will shrink in volume as it cooks. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until leaves are tender, crisp on edges and slightly browned. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Blood Blood Blood!

Today there was a Red Cross blood drive at one of our clinics and I thought that I would use it as a public service announcement.
Did you know that:

• Every 2 seconds someone in the US needs blood
  
• There are about 14 million blood transfusions given every year
• An car crash victim can require as many as 100 units of blood
• Less than 38% of the US population is eligible to donate blood - so check yourself, maybe you're one of the few that can save a life!
• The demand for blood donations grows faster than donations
• One donation can save as many as 3 people!

Go donate blood today!

Tasty Tuesday!

Shaved Fennel Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, shaved paper thin with a mandoline or meat slicer
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley
• 2 Tbsp shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.

Serves 2-3

Tasty Tuesday!

Tasty Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 T + 1.5 t olive oil
• 3/4 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 bottle dry white wine
• 1/4 lb lentils
• 16 oz. vegetable broth
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• 1/2 t dried parsley
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1.5 t dried onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine olive oil, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are nice and golden brown.
2. Add white wine, and brign to boil. Lower heat to medium/low and cook for 10 minutes
3. Stir in lentils, vegetable stock, seasonings, dry onion and parsley
4. Bring to simmer on high, and reduce to medium low to simmer until the lentils are cooked. The lentils should cook in about 1.5 hours.
   
5. Season with salt and pepper or additional spices.
   

Happy New Year!

Well, it was bound to happen - the calendar has turned over one more leaf and a new year is upon us. Since it is a well known, though much hated, tradition to make resolutions for the new year, I decided to give it a try too. Maybe this blog will help keep me on track!

People tend to have such anxiety about these resolutions, and keeping them, that it's really surprising to me that year after year we still try and set these unattainable goals for ourselves. But, why? Just so we can let ourselves down? I am not wise or reflective when I say this - everyone and their mom has said this before. However, I suppose this is sort of a prelude to my resolutions this year. They are brief, and vague, but hold a deeper meaning for me, so hopefully I will not be so bummed at the end of the year that I didn't read enough, or didn't travel enough or did "____" enough, because I hope that there will be no limits that I set for myself, just something to reach for, and live by.

Dear 2011,

This is what I propose to you, and I hope that you will be generous enough to help me succeed.

This year I will be kinder to myself. I will love and accept who I am, if only for a moment.

I hope that this year I will listen before shouting.

This year, I will play with my friends' children, and love them unconditionally.

I will read more, and I will tell you all about it. You know who you are.

I will take a good photo. An amazing photo, perhaps. One that will rival the others that I hold so dear.

I hope that the timing belt crack will last at least another 30k.

This year I will see some more of the World.

I will continue to follow my dreams and my passions, and I will not sacrifice them for money or comforts.

I will try to break a sweat, at least once every 3 days. Though I'd love to aim for every day.

I will do my best to care and help. I will not let myself be lazy, at least most of the time.

I will follow my intuition, not my calculations, at least once a week.

Perhaps, I will finally do something daring.


I will climb another mountain.

I will stop (or start?) looking before leaping.

Maybe this means that I will succeed. Maybe, I will have to reflect on my stupid idealism with a weathered and skeptical eye next year. Or, maybe it doesn't even matter, and I will just laugh.

I don't know.

Check in with me in 2012.