Things I've used:
- Tomoato
- Zucchini
- Red Pepper
- Ham
- Chicken
- Onion
- Garlic
- Corn
- Black Beans
- Mozzarella Cheese
These types of pizzas are great for college students and anyone that wants a quick, easy and fairly inexpensive meal!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Loving the Pizza Pie...College Style
Pizza has always been one of my favorite foods. But it has recently taken on a whole new meaning, of cheap and convenient meals. My version of pizza is also fairly healthy (depending on which vegetables are handy). I start with a tortilla for the crust: it can be flavored, regular or even whole wheat. Then comes the sauce. I prefer a little ranch dressing, but pizza sauce, Italian dressing and salsa also work great. From there you can be creative or just use any vegetables and meat you have.
Things I've used:
I usually pair my pizza with a salad or fruit, and sometimes there's a baked treat like a brownie! I have a major sweet tooth!
These types of pizzas are great for college students and anyone that wants a quick, easy and fairly inexpensive meal!
Things I've used:
These types of pizzas are great for college students and anyone that wants a quick, easy and fairly inexpensive meal!
Monday, July 29, 2013
A New Gluten Free Expereince
As I shared in my last post, I attended another gluten-free group meeting. This meeting featured a speaker from a local company that makes gluten free flour blends. We tried food items from the pizza blend and the pastry blend.
From the Pizza Blend we tried:
Pizza
Flatbreads
Biscuits
From the Party Blend we tried:
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Roll Cake (like pictured below)
Donuts
Here is a link to the recipes page on the AgVantage Natruals website (the name of the company). There are more recipes there than what we tried, but the products were all great.
My favorites were the cinnamon roll cake and the donuts, but I really like my sweets! It was very helpful to learn about the combinations of flours and gums used in baking different types of products. If you would like any of the additional recipes I mentioned, just comment with an email address!
I had never thought of a career in the gluten-free baking industry, but it sure sounds like I will have to keep my ears open!
From the Pizza Blend we tried:
Pizza
Flatbreads
Biscuits
From the Party Blend we tried:
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Roll Cake (like pictured below)
Donuts
Here is a link to the recipes page on the AgVantage Natruals website (the name of the company). There are more recipes there than what we tried, but the products were all great.
Image source: http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/cinnamon-roll-cake/
My favorites were the cinnamon roll cake and the donuts, but I really like my sweets! It was very helpful to learn about the combinations of flours and gums used in baking different types of products. If you would like any of the additional recipes I mentioned, just comment with an email address!
I had never thought of a career in the gluten-free baking industry, but it sure sounds like I will have to keep my ears open!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Perks of Changing Your Major
A year ago, I switched my major from food science to dietetics. However, this was not before learning a great deal about grain processing (I have also worked in a small flour mill and lab for four years). The reason this background is especially helpful is when it comes to understanding gluten free products and baking. Don't get me wrong, I am not a seasoned gluten free baker, honestly I've only tried once! But, I do understand why wheat is superior to other flours for baking...GLUTEN (the protein in wheat)... the exact thing that individuals with Celiac disease cannot have.
The hardest parts of gluten free baking (from what I've heard) stem from the moisture balance and protein levels. This is why in gluten free baking a blend of flours is used, and also why that blend can be different for various products.
Last night, I attended another gluten free group session sponsored by a local grocery store. The speaker was a representative from a local company that makes mixes for baking: the mixes are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and soy-free (so friendly for those with food allergies). The company claims that their product can be used in place of flour, for the same amount, in any recipe.
One of the main flours they use is sorghum. Personally, I have found sorghum products to have a gritty texture. However, these sorghum flours are milled so fine that there is not gritty taste!
Above is a picture of sorghum. The grain is small seeds about the size of a kernel of wheat, but round. Sorghum is lower in protein than wheat, so in order for it to act like wheat flour, it must be mixed with higher protein ingredients. This understanding is an important part of gluten-free baking that I can share with future clients as a dietitian.
We tried many products and those will be posted next along with links to those recipes!
The hardest parts of gluten free baking (from what I've heard) stem from the moisture balance and protein levels. This is why in gluten free baking a blend of flours is used, and also why that blend can be different for various products.
Last night, I attended another gluten free group session sponsored by a local grocery store. The speaker was a representative from a local company that makes mixes for baking: the mixes are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and soy-free (so friendly for those with food allergies). The company claims that their product can be used in place of flour, for the same amount, in any recipe.
One of the main flours they use is sorghum. Personally, I have found sorghum products to have a gritty texture. However, these sorghum flours are milled so fine that there is not gritty taste!
Image Source: http://www.mississippi-crops.com/2013/02/09/2013-grain-sorghum-hybrid-recommendations/
Above is a picture of sorghum. The grain is small seeds about the size of a kernel of wheat, but round. Sorghum is lower in protein than wheat, so in order for it to act like wheat flour, it must be mixed with higher protein ingredients. This understanding is an important part of gluten-free baking that I can share with future clients as a dietitian.
We tried many products and those will be posted next along with links to those recipes!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Calorie Comparison
As a dietetics student, I hear a lot about the number of
calories individuals should consume throughout the day. However, it is still
sometimes difficult to picture the calorie densities of certain foods.
Yesterday I was sent this link. It has 75 pictures of
different foods and each is 200 calories. It is so interesting to see how even
vegetables compare or butter and a candy bar! Feel free to check it out, it
just might surprise you!
That's a lot of celery for 200 calories and at least 2 whole apples!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Growing Pains
This past week has brought all sorts of personal and professional growing opportunities...so many in fact at times I feel as though I'm a young child with growing pains. They would come sporadically and suddenly when I least expected it!
In addition to internship supervisor transitions, I have summer class, graduate school application drafts, and preparation for activities I am planning/leading this fall. All of these opportunities are wonderful and I have gone to great lengths to streamline the types of activities I am involved in, however it catches me off-guard when it all comes at once!
Anyway, enough about that. The past few weeks in the EFNEP office have seen a great deal of progress. I am over half way done scripting and creating handouts/worksheets for over 20 activities that will correlate to the pregnancy nutrition lessons. I am hoping to finish the scripts by the end of the week, which I know will give me a great sense of accomplishment.
The August TEFAP list came out two days ago. I love looking for recipes to use with this list because it lets me be creative with the serving information that is being shared with clients across the state! In addition to generating the recipes and creating a Nutrition Facts Label using special software, I will soon (hopefully this afternoon) begin working on guidelines for turning over the TEFAP handouts!
In addition to internship supervisor transitions, I have summer class, graduate school application drafts, and preparation for activities I am planning/leading this fall. All of these opportunities are wonderful and I have gone to great lengths to streamline the types of activities I am involved in, however it catches me off-guard when it all comes at once!
Anyway, enough about that. The past few weeks in the EFNEP office have seen a great deal of progress. I am over half way done scripting and creating handouts/worksheets for over 20 activities that will correlate to the pregnancy nutrition lessons. I am hoping to finish the scripts by the end of the week, which I know will give me a great sense of accomplishment.
The August TEFAP list came out two days ago. I love looking for recipes to use with this list because it lets me be creative with the serving information that is being shared with clients across the state! In addition to generating the recipes and creating a Nutrition Facts Label using special software, I will soon (hopefully this afternoon) begin working on guidelines for turning over the TEFAP handouts!
Image source: http://www.mpull.com/blog/growing-your-sales-pipeline-using-lead-management/
Friday, July 5, 2013
A Slice of Humble Pie
Yesterday as I was enjoying a slice of apple pie, I started to think about everything I have to be thankful for! If there were 100 people selected at random from around the world:
Only 5 would speak English.
33 would be Christian
21 would be overweight and 16 would be undernourished or starving
23 would have no place of shelter
22 would have access to a computer, 17 would be illiterate
7 would have a college degree.
Only 7 would have a college degree. This one really sunk in. I will graduate college in a year and have every intention of attending graduate school the next fall.
Why is it that I have this sense of entitlement or expectation? There are people that probably wouldn't be able to comprehend the idea of this blog, let alone have clean water to drink! I firmly believe it is because of those who have fought to protect what we have. I also believe it is due to my parents that told me I could do anything I wanted (yes even as a child when I thought it would be cool to be a cheerleader)!
So as the summer months get hotter, and we dread the day to day grind, just remember all of those that are far less privileged!
Only 5 would speak English.
33 would be Christian
21 would be overweight and 16 would be undernourished or starving
23 would have no place of shelter
22 would have access to a computer, 17 would be illiterate
7 would have a college degree.
Image Source:
http://www.indexmundi.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-world-as-100-people.png
Only 7 would have a college degree. This one really sunk in. I will graduate college in a year and have every intention of attending graduate school the next fall.
Why is it that I have this sense of entitlement or expectation? There are people that probably wouldn't be able to comprehend the idea of this blog, let alone have clean water to drink! I firmly believe it is because of those who have fought to protect what we have. I also believe it is due to my parents that told me I could do anything I wanted (yes even as a child when I thought it would be cool to be a cheerleader)!
So as the summer months get hotter, and we dread the day to day grind, just remember all of those that are far less privileged!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Healthier Sweet Treat
I have a confession...I have a major sweet tooth! It began when I was younger and became worse when I was in middle school and playing sports!
Recently, I have started paying more attention to the amount of sugar I am consuming. I have never really liked yogurt, but know it is a healthier sweet/desert option. One day at the grocery store, I picked up a new kind of Greek yogurt to try. I picked it because it was coffee and dark chocolate flavor and I knew the protein would help me feel full!
To my surprise, I really liked the flavor. The type of yogurt is pictured below. The particular flavor that I tried is 100 calories and has 12 grams of sugar, 8 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat.
This has been my new sweet treat for the past couple of months and is far healthier than a brownie, cookie or slice of cake!
Recently, I have started paying more attention to the amount of sugar I am consuming. I have never really liked yogurt, but know it is a healthier sweet/desert option. One day at the grocery store, I picked up a new kind of Greek yogurt to try. I picked it because it was coffee and dark chocolate flavor and I knew the protein would help me feel full!
To my surprise, I really liked the flavor. The type of yogurt is pictured below. The particular flavor that I tried is 100 calories and has 12 grams of sugar, 8 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat.
http://www.dairyfoods.com/ext/resources/Food-Photos/Cultured_Dairy/Chobani-bite-300.jpg
This has been my new sweet treat for the past couple of months and is far healthier than a brownie, cookie or slice of cake!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Change
Today, I just have a few thoughts on change. Change can be a scary word but it is an inevitable part of life and learning. Like the quote below states, it is our response to change that determines our fate. We can choose to dig our heels in our current ways, or we can learn about the change and accept it after learning about it!
If we fail to change, we are only harming ourselves by means of our own ignorance. So do we run towards change full speed ahead, not necessarily. I have learned that it is best to be informed before proceeding with change. By approaching change with caution, you can make an informed decision!
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