Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Of course we try to do our best to eat healthy but my hubby is a sucker for anything buffalo chicken. Tonight I thought I would try buffalo chicken enchiladas. Of course I saw several different recipes on Pinterest to inspire me but I ended up settling on trying the one posted by a dietitian (No surprises there). Too bad I didn't have the green onions. Check out the original recipe on the Prevention RD blog. 

Of course I never follow an exact recipe. So I started with two chicken breasts and shredded them. Then I made made own red enchilada sauce (the original used canned enchilada sauce). It is really simple. Use 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 Tbsp of Chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp of Cumin, 1/2 Tbsp on Onion powder and 1 clove of chopped garlic.  The original recipe used 1 cup of canned enchilada sauce but I didn't have any and this turned out great.  The add 1/3 cup of your favorite buffalo wing sauce. If you like them really hot add more!

Preheat your oven to 350.  I then put a little of the sauce on the bottom of my dish.  Next take about 1/2 cup of your sauce and mix it with you shredded chicken and 1/2 cup % 2 milk shredded mexican cheese blend.

 Fill each tortilla with the mixture, roll up and place seem side down in your baking dish.
The next step is simple. Put the rest of your sauce on top of your enchiladas.

Top the enchiladas with another 1/2 cup cheese and 3 ounces of crumbled blue cheese.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350.

When they are done. Feel free to top with chopped cilantro and green onions. I unfortunately was out of both. I would also strongly encourage you to make sure that you serve some veggies on the side and be sure to watch your portions!  

When you are done with dinner. Follow up with a nice walk like I did! Hope you enjoy them.

Hunting for Treasure

Every spring, my dad sets out on a treasure hunt. Searching in a secret location for the prize of spring.  I anticipate his success every year and wait for the day that he shares his treasure...MOREL MUSHROOMS!  The location of the mushrooms is a secret for most that hunt for them. No one wants to share their "spot" for fear others will sneak in and steal those mushrooms.   This year I was fortunate enough to have a Morel Mushroom Fairy deliver a bunch right to the door of Phil's barber shop! Jackpot!

Nutritionally speaking, as long as you don't fry them or add too much fat to them, the morels are low calorie--only about 20 calories for a whole cup! They have vitamins and minerals too-most notably the Morels have 136 IU of Vitamin D which is more Vitamin D than in a cup of milk. These mushrooms also have B vitamins, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus and magnesium. You can check out this link to the USDA nutrient database if you want to know the exact amounts!

For me,the thing I love the most about Morels isn't their value but the joy of eating them each spring. I have pulled together a board on Pinterest with some of the recipes I might want to try. My favorite is the Morel Galette with spring onions. http://pinterest.com/kjl_rd/morel-mushrooms/ Please check it out and be sure to share your favorite morel recipes too!

Is Pinterest Sabotaging your Health Goals?

It has been way too long since I have posted a new blog.  Life has gotten a little busy lately, but I promise I will try to write more often.  I have completed 30 miles so far in my walk a hundred miles in a hundred days at work.  I will add it has been only 21 days.  It would have been more but Easter weekend put me behind just a little.

So speaking of Easter, my goal was to find a few new recipes to try.  The first place I looked was Pinterest. Of course! If you need a new recipe, it is a great place to find inspriation.  Wow but as far as health goals go.  I think of every one recipe that appeared that was real food, healthy food, that looks like it would taste great there were at least 20 that were well --definitely in need of a nutrition makeover.

I could pin recipes all day but I have to wonder if looking at all of those less healthful choices tempts me more.  Don't get me wrong I always eat enough veggies, I eat whole grains, lean proteins, etc., but I am a sucker for some of the indulgent treats that constantly appear.  If you can look but stay out of the kitchen or only make some of these tempting treats on occasion it may do no harm. But if you love to spend your days in the kitchen, social media might just be influencing your health in more ways than one.

I have decided that I am really going to try to "pin" more of those healthful recipes and try to ignore those that are less healthful following the 90/10 rule. That would be 90% healthy, 10% splurge. This weekend, I even tried a few including chocolate hummus! It was a great fruit dip and my kids loved it! It was definitely a winner. If you want to see what kind of recipes I am looking for, let me know and I'll be sure to post my boards on my blog!

Walk a Hound Lose a Pound

A few years a go I fell in love with a program in Cleveland created by the Steps to a Healthier Cleveland Program called Walk a Hound Lose a Pound.  Every week people from different neighborhoods get together at a park and walk their dogs. It is great for your health and for the dogs too.  While I don't have this program in my community, now that the weather is nice, I think it is time for me to get my puppy Lucy out on a leash and start walking her more. Maybe once we get better on the leash we can walk with other dogs too.  There are some benefits to walking your dog too. Unless you have a lazy dog, you are likely to walk at a faster pace than you would without your dog and boost your cardio benefits. The dog can help motivate you too! It is really hard to turn down your dog when they look at you and make those puppy eyes begging you to take them for a walk.  So as I work on my 100 more miles, I am going to try to get in a bunch of those with Lucy. Take your dog for a walk too and you might be more surprise how much you both benefit! 

100 More Miles

Tomorrow is the first day of the annual Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days sponsored by the Wellness program of the WVU health sciences campus.  This 18 year old program held every spring is a great way for employees and community members to get in shape.  I am excited to be participating this year.  My goal is a little different. Since I already try to lead an active lifestyle, I really want to push myself. My goal for the next 100 days is to do 100 more miles than I usually do.  I am going to add an extra 100 on top of my average of 6 or 7 a week plus other activities to try to get 14 and still maintain the other activities like strength training or aerobics too.  I challenge you to do it too!  I'll post my progress on Sunday nights!

Is there too much on your plate?

I love the social media world of Pinterest. I always find great recipes and helpful hints.  Last night thanks to a Pin from ALW, I saw a perfect tool for my kitchen and maybe for yours too.  She always pins great healthy recipes and workout ideas!

One of the biggest problems with eating healthfully is portion control.  Despite my efforts to promote it, most people do not measure their food or weigh it.  It isn't always easy. Even as a dietitian, I will admit that when I am in a hurry the last thing that I want to do if measure my food.  I do measure it when I feel my portions are creeping up in size.  After measuring for a week or so, I get back into the routine of using the right amount.

I have given out portion plates that I got from nutrition education catalogs or trade shows too. The ones with dividers or odd pictures of dancing vegetables to show where the vegetables go.  I have used them too. I like the ones with lids that I can take for lunch. More for the convenience of them because I love the fact I can bring different foods, have them separated and cover them with a lid.

There is one big problem with those plates.  They are not very attractive and don't help with food presentation at home. I like to sit down with my family, have a nice dinner on real plates with real silverware!  Call me old-fashioned, but we even eat at the dining room table and these plastic plates just aren't going to cut it. But someone figured out a way to create a set of dishes that allow you to have a nice dinner and learn to control your portions.  You can see ALW's pin is a perfect solution to my aversion of plastic dinnerware.  The vine design separates your portions with the larger section being for veggies.  The bowls even use the vines to help you see your portions inside.

I did some searching and found a few others as well.  I found a set of Slimware dishes on Amazon that are cute as well.  And was a little disappointed that they were melamine but with just a little more searching, I found they also make ceramic Slimware Dishes! 

Ceramic Slimware Dishes

If you don't really want to buy the portion dishes and you still want to keep perfect portions, there is one last option outside of weighing and measuring that I will share. This one is probably my favorite, mostly because you don't need to invest in a whole new set of dinnerware.  The Meal Measure Portion Control Tool gives you the same visual tool but once you have served yourself, you just pull it off the plate and have a beautiful appetizing meal.  The price is right too!

Getting your portions in shape doesn't have to be difficult and these tools can really help you to get started.  Thanks ALW for a great Pin! I hope it will inspire others to think about how much food they are putting on their plates!

Lace Up Your Running (or walking) Shoes This Spring

This week my fitness goals were totally thrown off track when I got sick. I haven't been able to walk around the house let alone run.  I had been working on the couch-2-5K plan. I had been walking and working out but my goal was to run a 5 K at the end of March.  I am pretty sure with this set back, I will be walking.  For me, having a race to train for and a charity to support help me to stay on track. If you are looking for an event that might inspire you to get fit, I have listed a few that will keep you working on your goals at least through June.

The first is the Boston Beanery 5K on March 18 at the Uniontown Mall in Uniontown PA.  This 5K is the first one that I ever ran.  That was 15 years ago! It has a special place in my heart because it supports families in need in my hometown and I saw first hand how the money really made a difference in people's lives through one of my first jobs at Community Action.

Then in late March check out the 2012 Miracle Bunny 5K Run/Walk on March 31 at Penn State Fayette Campus. This is the first year for this race that benefits the Miracle League of Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands--a baseball league for individuals with special needs.  It am partial to this race because I have both a nephew and a niece that play :)

If you want more of a challenge try the Yough River Trail 10 Mile Run 10K, 5K on the trail in Connellsville on April 7 or set your sights on the Mount Summit Challenge on April 22. This 3.5 mile race climbing up 1,200 feet along the National Road (Route 40) is a challenge for young and old alike. The Summit Race was a goal that I set for myself this year (not to run but walk this year) and unfortunately I am on call that weekend so a race is probably not a great idea. I haven't made a final decision so I may see you there!

If you are just starting, you might want to think about trying something in May.  Try the National Road Festival Chase The Wagon 5K on May 19.   You have plenty of time to start walking or running to be in shape for this race.   Or give yourself an extra two weeks and make the Point Marion Park 5K a family activity on May 27 and kick of a summer of fun and fitness.

While I know I won't be doing all of these events, my goal is to do a few.  I think they are a fun way to keep on track! Let me know if there are any other events or activities that might help me reach my fitness goals this spring!

**some of the links will take you to an email to request additional info if the race doesn't have its own web page.