Go Nuts for Snacks!

Good Morning!

Remember me???? Ya'll can take up any issues stemming from my lack of presence on the online world with my bride-to-be friends... for some reason they think that their wedding showers and events take precedence over my healthy eating tips.... bridezillas I tell ya!

Hee.... just trying to be funny :)

Things have been decently good on the nutrition practice side of things... I'm seeing several new patients and have just as many internal cringes when I hear about their daily eating habits.

(Please, guys, do not go more than 4 hours without eating something. And let's not forget about breakfast.... EAT IT - preferably within 90 minutes of waking up). Thanks :)

Alright, back to this eat every 4 hours business. I'm sure at least 57% of you have heard of the whole "feed the fire" analogy...

- to keep a fire burning, you need to give it fuel 

- to keep your metabolism burning, you need to give it fuel 

Got it?! Understood?!

Now, on the other side of the spectrum, I'm sure the other 43% of you have said, on several hundred occasions, "I don't have time to eat." On these occasions I put on a smile and say nuts.

Almonds. Walnuts. Pistachios. Peanuts even!  

The above picture is an appropriate serving size for a snack - right around 100 calories - roughly a handful. For those of you type A, I need an exact measurement folks, it's right around 1/8 of a cup:

Let's be real for a minute here. Consuming the above quantity of nuts can be done in what, 2 minutes? So don't give me that "I don't have time to eat" baloney! It's bologna!!!! 

Pack them in a ziplock bag. A paper towel. A plastic container. Stuff them in your serving apron or your purse. Please keep them on hand.... you'll thank me... eventually. I promise. 

Go nuts!

Stay Healthy,

Dinner for One.

Sometimes I think one of the hardest parts of being a single 20-something is finding something for dinner. A lot of the recipes out there are designed to serve 2 or more people, and with an appetite like mine, I often find myself struggling to stop at just 1 serving - what can I say - I love food.

And while I love fixing up a big fancy dinner for myself, sometimes all I have the desire or energy for is a simple egg sandwich and a side of broccoli. 

It's easy to make, easy to portion out and it leaves little room for making or eating too much. 

I tossed the broccoli in some olive oil, ground pepper and garlic salt and popped 'em in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or so....

.... and the sandwich consisted of a whole wheat english muffin, 1 "fried" egg, some avocado, mozzarella cheese and a lovely tomato to top it all off:

OH, and some spinach. Twas a lovely dinner. 

What's your favorite "easy" single serving dinner to make for yourself?

Any sort of sandwich and vegetable side is mine.

Stay Healthy, 

Trivia Answer and Ballpark Eats!

Morning!

I apologize for not posting the answer to the hotdog question sooner... excuses aside, it just didn't get done - I'm partially blaming the person who guessed 75 million in the comment section because that number is a lot higher than the actual answer, and it's no fun revealing an answer that doesn't seem as grandiose as originally thought - right?

At any rate, beggars can't be choosers, and I am more than thrilled that someone guessed and even more thrilled to reveal the answer to Thursday Trivia:

The question was: 

How many hot dogs are Major League ballparks estimated to sell this baseball season?

And the answer is:

22.5 Million!

Which is still a whole lot of hotdogs... even when compared to the lonely guess of 75 million. I'm almost certain that if the Columbus Clippers' Dime-a-Dog night hotdog counts were included in the count... that 75 million would be pretty darn accurate...

Okay, okay... let's get down to business....

Ball Park food. 

What to eat?

How much to eat?

Should you indulge?

The Answers:

• Hotdogs. Nothing beats eating a hotdog while watching a baseball game, so eat the hot dog. Sure the ingredient list may be longer than one of my rambling blogposts, and some of the ingredients could be questionable, but you're at a ball game - enjoy yourself. Typical hotdogs (bun included) will usually run you about 320 calories. With that being said, gon't go overboard. 1 hotdog will suit you just fine!
• Cracker Jacks. 1 box will cost you 120 calories, a serving of whole grain and a cool souvenir to take home with you. Stick to 1 box and your sweet tooth and waist line will be more than satisfied. 
• Peanuts. A 12 oz bag contains roughly 1,200 calories. Share with a friend and slash the calories in half while still enjoying one of baseball's timeless foods and also reaping the high counts of magnesium, heart-healthy fats and Vitamin E that peanuts provide.

With all that being said, the best thing to do when it comes to food temptations is to be smart. 5 hotdogs is not a good idea... but enjoying a hotdog every now and then will not hurt. Sucking down 7 beers is a bad idea altogether... for your waistline, liver and wallet, but enjoy 1 with your hotdog and you'll leave the game guilt-free. 

Additionally, like a lot of restaurants these days are doing - baseball stadiums across American are providing healthier options and even some vegetarian and vegan options as well. A number of cities offer up vegetarian hotdogs, sandwiches and even sushi! 

I recently read an article on health.com that highlights 30 different baseball parks and their top healthy food options. You can find it here: Healthy Eats at Major League Baseball Parks. 

Did anyone get the privilege of attending an opening day baseball game? 

My friends and I were originally going to attend the Columbus Clippers' opening day game... but we were scared off by the cold temperatures... those warm days in March really spoiled us!

Did your favorite team win?

Mine did! Go Redlegs!

Have a great Saturday guys and Stay Healthy,

Trivia Thursday Answers

Happy Weekend!

I apologize for making you all wait for the answers to yesterday's trivia.... with all the guesses that were made, I'm sure there were quite a few of you up all night in anticipation to find out what exactly that hockey puck means....

So without further sarcasm... here are the answers....

PORTION CONTROL!

Mrs. Oliver guessed correctly! The everyday objects you saw on the previous post were actually representations of proper portion sizes for the foods we eat!

Cooked Pasta:

Leafy Greens:

Cheese:

Protein:

Lucky for you guys, Connie lives all the way up in Cleveland, so while she did bring a smile to my face (as always) I'm still going throw that free appointment out there for anyone who has any additional tips or strategies they use in order to keep their portions in control. Take advantage of the free appointment.

Stay Healthy and Stay in Portion, 

P.S. for those of you dying to know what the little man with the baseball head represents.... it's my favorite baseball team! Go Reds!!!! 




all pictures courtesy of RiversideOnline