Feta Chicken with Yellow Squash

I admit, I do not try all of the recipes that I post...those that I list with nutrition information, notes, and a link to the recipe are ones that I think sound good, but have never actually made. This one, however, I made Sunday night and it's so good. This is when a camera will come in handy...if I had a picture to post, I'd be more convincing!

I love chicken...its easy, inexpensive, and very lean. I always have it in my freezer. My mom cooked chicken all of the time when we were growing up...I remember saying with my brother and sister "chicken again?"...my kids will definitely say the same one day!

I love feta....salty, creamy, delish! And like most soft cheeses, it's lower in fat (75 cals and 6g fat per 1 oz serving).

I love squash...during the summer I like it grilled and in the winter I like it roasted. I like that the vegetable side is incorporated into the main dish...one less side dish to prepare!

So this recipe is perfect for me! It originally called for zucchini (which would be just as good), but I had yellow squash in the fridge so yellow squash it was. I served it with a side salad (just butterleaf lettuce and a Dijon vinaigrette) and sourdough toast.

Feta Chicken with Zucchini
adapted from realsimple.com

Makes 4 servings

3 teaspoons olive oil
2 lemons
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds or 6 oz each)
salt and pepper
4 medium yellow squash
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced (or pressed)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta

Preheat oven to 400° F. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil in a roasting pan (or spray with cooking spray). Thinly slice the lemons. Place half the slices in the pan.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (I actually like to use coffee filters because they don't stick to the chicken). Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place it on top of the lemon slices.

Slice each squash in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons. In a bowl, combine the squash, Italian seasoning, garlic, remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, remaining lemon slices; season with salt and pepper and toss. Spread the squash mixture around the chicken.

Roast 15 minutes and then remove from oven and sprinkle the feta over the top of the chicken. Return to the oven and continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, another 5 to 10 minutes (at the very end I turned on the broiler to brown the cheese a little...just for a few minutes). Serve.

Per serving - 293 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated), 10 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 43 g protein (exchanges: 2 fat, 6 protein, 2 vegetables)

Notes - The original recipe called for 2 medium zucchini and so I used 4 small yellow squash. But once everything cooked, the squash really shrunk and I wished I had used more. That's why I'm calling for 4 medium. So, even though it may look like alot of squash when you are spreading it around the chicken, go with it. I also cut each breast in half before serving...6 ounces of chicken (and 43 g protein) is alot in 1 meal for a girl (my dad ate the whole breast). The lemon slices aren't meant to be eaten...just for flavor and moisture.

Enjoy!

All We Can Do Is Keep Breathing

Have you heard the Ingrid Michaelson song "Keep Breathing"? Its at the top of my playlist right now...love it! She sings that when life gets crazy and out of control all you can do is keep breathing.

My life has been crazy since November started and as a result I haven't posted anything since November 3rd! In addition to my normal schedule (teaching dance from 3:30 - 9:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 1:00 - 6:00 pm on Sundays) I've been doing a lot of extra choreography: 2 dances for the Saintsations, a duet for 2 kids at the studio, a solo for a high school dancer, and a competition number for the senior company at Tari's School of Dance.

I've also starting working with several high school girls on weight management...I'm on the verge of officially starting my own business...it's so exciting! I love working with this age group (no offense TWL members). I feel that if you can teach young girls healthy eating habits then they will pass what they know on to their families once they get married and have kids.

On top of all of this, LSU has played 4 (going on 5) straight home games. When LSU plays at home my entire Saturday is filled with tailgating, watching band/Golden Girl practice, helping my sister get ready, more tailgating, the game, and finally more tailgating. I also flew to Houston last Friday to watch the Houston Met's fall show and flew home the following morning to get back for the game. Sunday I "worked" from 11:30 am - 7:00 pm. Last night (after teaching from 3:30 - 7:00 pm) I went to Tigerama to watch Hil perform and didn't get home until 12:30 am.

But now I can breathe! Its 10:00 am on Tuesday morning and I am still in bed, blogging. And next week the studio is closed for Thanksgiving so I can really relax.

The following recipes are all slow-cooker recipes. When life gets really hectic, a common problem with getting a home cooked meal on the table is not enough time. With a little planning ahead and by using a slow cooker, you can have dinner ready when you walk in the door at the end of the day. I've already blogged once about slow-cooker meals.

Planning your meals ahead of time can help save time, money, stress, a trip through the drive thru...It will save you from going to the store multiple times a week. You won't have to think about "what's for dinner" each day. And if you have the ingredients to make a recipe on hand, you will probably go ahead and do it as opposed to eating out at a restaurant or getting take out. And as a result you will eat healthier, less processed food.

Before I head to the grocery store, I make a list with the staples I buy every week: apples, yogurt, milk, lettuce, baby carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, cottage cheese. I check to see if I'm out of English muffins (I keep these in the freezer), natural peanut or other nut butter, oatmeal, and nuts. And then I pick my recipes for the week and add the ingredients I need to the list. And this always includes the ingredients for my "salad of the week" and seasonal fruits to snack on.

I actually write down what I plan on eating for the week...and although I don't use it, I found this meal planning worksheet and thought it might be helpful.

Now, I know most of you are thinking right now..."she doesn't have kids", "she doesn't have a whole family to cook for", etc...and you are right! But as you can see above I am really busy, and if I don't plan ahead one of two things happens (1) I don't have enough food for the week and have to eat out more...wasting my calories, or (2) I end up making several trips to the store, usually on my way home from teaching dance late at night ...wasting my time.

My thought is "if you buy it, you will eat it", so buy lots of fruits and vegetables so that you have them to eat and buy fewer processed foods so that you don't have them to eat.

The salad recipe was sent to me by at TWL member. If any of you have any recipes you would like to share with me, I'd love to have them so that I can share them with everyone else! Leave the links as a comment.

Strawberry Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette -

• Per serving - 153 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 11 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber (exchanges ½ fruit, 1 vegetable, 2 fat)
• Notes - Prep everything ahead of time (except the avocado) so that you have a quick lunch ready all week - store everything in separate containers in the refrigerator; make the salad more filling (so that it can be lunch by itself) by adding more veggies (lettuces, red bell pepper, green beans, shredded carrots…) and some lean protein (chicken, turkey, beans); notice the serving size...it makes 12 2/3 cup servings - if you double the size of your serving, don't double the fats (dressing, avocado, pecans); if you don't have raspberry vinegar, just use balsamic or red/white wine

Slow Cooker Rosemary and Red Pepper Chicken -

• Per serving - 200 calories, 4.4 g fat (1.2 g saturated), 4.9 g carbohydrates, 31.9 g protein, 0.7 g fiber (exchanges ½ vegetable, 4 protein, 1 fat)
• Notes - You could use white wine instead of vermouth; Here are some notes I gathered from the comment section: 1) needs more liquid...chicken broth, water, can of chopped tomatoes, or wine (but if you do this double the cornstarch mixture), 2) needs double the rosemary and oregano, 3) serve over pasta

Slow Cooker Chicken Creole -

• Per serving - 191 calories, 1.8 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 14.3 g carbohydrates, 29.6 g protein, 2.7 g fiber (exchanges 2 vegetable, 4 protein, 1 fat)
• Notes - From the comment section: 1) it's spicy...you may want to adjust the amount of jalapeno, 2) you may want to add some tomato paste and okra (frozen would be fine)

Jeanne's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce -

• Per serving - 210 calories, 9.3 g fat, 19.9 g carbohydrates, 14.2 g protein, 5.7 g fiber (exchanges 2 vegetable, 2 protein, 2 fat)
• Notes - When buying tomato products, read the labels and try to purchase brands without sugar (in any form) as an ingredient; ¼ of a cup of olive oil seems like a lot to me (even though ¼ cup = 4 Tbsp = 12 tsp…and the recipe makes 12 servings…so each serving only ends up with 1 tsp of oil, but there is fat from the sausage and beef too)...I would probably start out with just 2 tablespoons; the sausage is optional; you could substitute 1 1/2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning instead of all of the separate seasonings; make the whole recipe and freeze half to use later; make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage, beef, and turkey and using 24 - 32 oz of sliced mushrooms

Slow Cooker Fajitas -

• Per serving - 335 calories, 10 g fat (3 g saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein, 2 g fiber (exchanges 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 protein, 2 fat)
  Notes - Sirloin is one of the leaner cuts of beef, however, you could substitute chicken breasts and save even more calories and fat grams; try to find whole wheat tortillas that are around 120 calories…or less; notice the serving is 1 fajita for 335 cals...serve with a side salad (such as carrot-cumin slaw) or a bowl of tortilla soup (such as Campbell's Select Harvest Mexican-Style Chicken Tortilla)

Curried Lentil Soup -

• Per serving - 169 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated), 34 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, 2 g fiber (exchanges 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 protein)
• Notes - I would use chicken or vegetable broth in place of the hot water

Lagniappe...

The last thing I want to share with you is a web-site where you can map the distance that you walk/run/bike...

When I run outdoors (sometimes its just too pretty to get on a treadmill!), I'm always interested in knowing how far I went...and this website tells me. Under "Map New Run" you enter your starting address and then on a map you click along the path you took.

Guess How Many Calories...

So, I'm sitting here watching TV and a commercial for this new Kentucky Fried Chicken meal comes on. KFC describes the "Variety Big Box Meal" like this:

"Hungry for all of your KFC favorites and can’t pick just one? Now you don’t have to. Your rumbling stomach doesn’t stand a chance against our new Variety Big Box Meal, which includes a drumstick, a Crispy Strip, an individual box of Popcorn Chicken, two Homestyle sides, a biscuit and a refreshing 32-oz. drink. Fill up on all your favorites!"

I immediately went to the website to look for the nutrition information. It wasn't listed on the Nutrition Guide, but they did have a nutrition calculator. I guess because there are so many components to the meal, you have to calculate it yourself. So I did. I chose mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans (I had to pick at least 1 healthy thing) as my 2 sides and a large Pepsi as my beverage.

And the nutrition totals? Drum roll please....

1450 calories, 64 g fat (98% of DV), 13 g saturated fat (63% DV), 4.5 g trans fat, 175 mg cholesterol (59% DV), 4150 mg sodium (173% DV), 160 g carbs, 79 g sugar (from the Pepsi), 62 g protein

And the incredible thing is that this is made for 1 person...it's not a family style meal!

So the next time you are at KFC, please don't order this!

A Special Day

Me, mom, and Hil right before "step-off" at an LSU game

I originally sent this message as a TWL email on Mother's Day earlier this year when I was still living and working in Houston. Tonight marks 4 years since my mom suffered a brain aneurysm and passed away. Needless to say, Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays to celebrate (and on top of that, I am sick right now with a sore throat/ear infection and I always miss her more when I am not feeling well). However, tomorrow is All Saints Day...a day of celebrating those who have left us for the most perfect life in heaven...and she could not have passed on a more appropriate day. My mom was a Saint in more ways than one and I am so blessed to have had her in my life for 23 years. So in honor of my mom, here is the email I sent:

Morning!

First I want to wish all of the moms reading this Happy Mother's Day! I hope someone fixes you breakfast in bed...that's what my brother, sister, and I always did for my mom on Mother's Day. I talk about my mom a lot in the TWL classes and most of you know that she had a big influence on my healthy eating habits. What a lot of you don't know is that my mom passed away 3 1/2 years ago. She was such a great person and I am so thankful that I had her in my life for 23 years...she had (and continues to have) such a huge influence on my character, personality, and values.

When I was younger I probably couldn't appreciate the fact that she didn't keep sugary cereal, Oreos, and candy in our house or that we could only have a Coke for a "special treat" (we actually used to ask her, "mom, could I have a coke tonight for a special treat?"). Now that I am older I can appreciate what she did for me!

However, sometime I think I see things about her and the way we ate "through rose colored glasses". If I really think back to it, we didn't always eat perfectly...we ate spaghetti with beef meatballs, pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken tenders. She would occasionally bake a cake or make cookies for us...sometimes we would have a frozen store bought fruit pie after dinner (with ice cream). She would pick up Popeye's fried chicken and biscuits or order delivery pizza sometimes. And during the summer we would get snow balls (snow cones in Louisiana are called snow balls).

But, all of these things were occasional...and weren't readily available in our house. We didn't eat out a lot and my mom cooked on most nights...mostly things like baked chicken, pork tenderloin, or fish. We always had at least one vegetable with dinner and we didn't have dessert every night. This way, when we did have a "special treat" it was okay...no need to feel guilty.

That's how I eat now too...believe me I eat my share of dessert, beef, full-fat cheese, etc. (although I rarely eat fried food). Most of the time, however, I eat more nutritious foods...that way I can afford to have a treat.

So just remember, it's what you do MOST of the time that's important. Don't keep junk food in your house...it's too tempting (so many parents tell me they have to keep it around for the kids, but the kids don't need it either!). Make it a family event and go out once or twice a month for ice cream, pizza, or another treat, instead. That way those "forbidden" foods go from being "bad" to "special".

Happy All Saints Day to everyone!

Me and mom on the beach in Atlantic City for the Miss America Pageant

Pumpkin Butter

One of my favorite fall foods is pumpkin. Even though canned pumpkin puree is available all year, I rarely buy it except during this season. But once the weather changes and the leaves are falling, I can't get enough. Last fall when I was in Houston I made pumpkin biscotti, pumpkin oatmeal, and crustless pumpkin pie...all delicious and relatively healthy. This year I've already made pumpkin muffins and have several other pumpkin recipes saved in my "to make" folder: pumpkin dinner rolls, yeasted chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and pumpkin bread pudding...the muffins and rolls the healthy ones out of these.

Yesterday I made pumpkin butter...and guess what? There is no butter involved and it's fat-free. Just like apple butter (which is basically thickened apple sauce), pumpkin butter is sweetened and spiced pumpkin puree that has been simmered so that it gets thick and dark. It would be great on English muffins/toast/bagels or stirred into oatmeal for breakfast. For a snack, I stirred some into my Greek yogurt and loved it...very thick and creamy! I'm sure you could bake with it too...replace 1/2 of the fat in a recipe with the pumpkin butter (you can also do this with apple sauce and mashed bananas).

Pumpkin is fat-free and low-cal (1/2 cup = 40 calories). It's rich in beta-carotene, which can protect against heart disease and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. It is also a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber (5 g per 1/2 cup).

Pumpkin Butter
adapted from Allrecipes.com and Smittenkitchen.com

Makes about 1 1/2 cups (24 tablespoons)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 1 3/4 cups
6 tablespoons apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, sugar, and spices* in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

*1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for all of the spices.

Per tablespoon - 20 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated), 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 0 g protein

What Does a Dietitian Eat? (Day 6 & 7)

I told you Saturday was game day...get ready for this:

Saturday October 25th

• Breakfast - Oatmeal with pear, walnuts, cinnamon, and maple syrup; skim milk
• Tailgating (10:00 am - 2:30 pm) - Roasted eggplant and red pepper dip with pita chips; Turkey finger sandwich; a few M&M's; Muffaletta wedge with Zapp's chips; Mini pulled pork sandwich; Cream cheese stuffed oatmeal cookie; water
• At the game (2:30 - 6:00 pm) - 1/2 bag M&M's; water
• Tailgating (6:30 - 8:00 pm) - Almond cookie bar; Blondie; BBQ pork sandwich; Mini pulled pork sandwich; Cream cheese stuffed oatmeal cookie; water

Are you scared/worried yet?

Sunday October 26th

• Breakfast - Coffee with skim milk and sugar
• Lunch - Cottage cheese; Iced latte with skim milk and fat-free condensed milk
• Dinner - Apple; Huge salad from Whole Foods
• Snack - Peanut butter toast

Comments: I'm human! I don't eat perfect all of the time! But eating like this doesn't make me feel guilty...I just know I can't do it very often if I want to stay healthy and in shape. It's about what you do MOST of the time...and I eat healthfully 95% of the time.

I'm not going to even try to calculate the nutrition info for the weekend...all I can say is too much sugar and fat, not enough fiber and calcium. It looks like a lot of food (and believe me it is...and there might have been more that I don't remember!), but most of the things were small bites or finger food.

The problem I have with game day is that I graze all day and never really get full or hungry...I stay somewhere between the two on the hunger scale all day. The food is all so tempting because there are lots of things that I rarely eat, but really like (cookies, M&M's, BBQ sandwiches). It would probably be a good idea if I actually fixed a plate instead of just picking things up and eating them. Grazing can be a bad thing at home too. It's always better to serve yourself a pre-determined amount and then put the rest away.

I always make sure that I eat a good breakfast (and lunch if it's a night game) so that I'm not starving once I get to campus. And I drink lots of water. I don't waste calories on the concessions sold at the game (except for the M&M's...its a superstition* - my dad, sister-in-law, and I have to split a bag after half-time at every game).

Not surprisingly, I wasn't very hungry the next morning. I had coffee before church and afterwards I still wasn't hungry. But I teach dance from 1:00 - 7:00 pm, so I needed to eat something. Cottage cheese it was (plus a iced latte...I needed the caffeine). I knew I was going to have a salad for dinner...its the best "get back on track" meal. Plus an apple!

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback since I've been writing about what I eat. I'll repeat this from time to time...it takes a lot of work to calculate the nutrition info!

* Another superstition we have with LSU Football involves my cat. When I was a Golden Girl at LSU we wore capes over our uniforms when we weren't dancing. At least 5 years ago, my mom found a cape for an animal and since then, one of our cats wears the cape on game day (only for a little while, they hate having it on).

Me with Betsy

Scotti

What Does a Dietitian Eat? (Day 5)

Here is the fifth day of what I eat.

Friday October 24th

• Breakfast - Muesli with pear
• Lunch - Turkey sandwich on pumpernickel bagel with Havarti cheese, mustard, tomato, pickles, and lettuce (about 2/3 of the sandwich...Hil ate the other 1/3); bagel chips with light veggie cream cheese; water
• Snack - Iced latte with skim milk and fat-free condensed milk
• Dinner - Salad with chicken, butter lettuce, yellow bell pepper, feta, croutons, and oregano-Dijon-lemon vinaigrette; water
• Snack - 2 cream cheese stuffed oatmeal cookies

Approximately: 1929 calories (33% fat, 20% protein, 47% carbs); 25 g saturated fat (12%), 163 mg cholesterol, 16 g fiber, 1165 mg calcium

My target numbers: 45 - 65% carbs, 20 - 35% fat, 10 - 35% protein (less than 10% saturated), at least 25 g fiber, less than 300 mg cholesterol, at least 1000 mg calcium

Comments: Fridays are my day off. I don't set foot in the dance studio and I get to run all of my errands. If there is a home LSU game on Saturday then I also bake...I always bring some sort of "treat" to the game for our tailgate party. This Friday was no exception. I woke up and went to the grocery store to get things I needed for the game and my weekend guests (my dad and Jessica, my dietitian sister-in-law) and then met my dad for lunch at New York Bagel. I love bagel sandwiches, but only eat them occasionally because it's a lot like eating a sandwich with 4 pieces of bread (plus they give you bagel chips...5 piece of bread!?!)

I didn't have 2 snacks like I usually do because I was planning on taste-testing the cookies for dessert. I'm also notorious for snacking on the batter as I make the cookies (I should chew gum while I bake!). Unlike on Thursday, I planned ahead.

The cookies were not healthy by any means, but I did make some healthier changes: 1) replaced some of the AP flour with whole wheat pastry flour, 2) eliminated 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter, 3) used 2 eggs and 2 whites instead of 3 eggs, and 4) used 1/3 less fat cream cheese. As a rule of thumb, I always remove a quarter of the sugar and fat when I bake (unless the recipe is from cookinglight.com or another healthy source). I also replace a few of the yolks with whites and try to use part whole wheat pastry flour. Here are more healthy recipe substitutions. I didn't calculate the nutrition info for the cookies, so my daily nutrition totals are not very accurate (I used the nutrition info from Little Debbie Oatmeal creme pies...that's what the cookies remind me of!)

It was another high saturated fat day...Havarti, cream cheese, feta, and cookies made with butter. I need to try to pay more attention to my daily cheese intake and not let this get to be a habit...having cheese on both my sandwich and salad needs to stop.