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“I feel the best that I have in years!”

by Madi Johnson

Below is a testimonial from current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant, Sandra:

I started this program in the Spring being pre-diabetic with a 5.9 A1C level. After less than three months my level dropped to 5.5 and I believe it will be lower at my next appointment. I have lost 4 inches from my waist. Most of all I don’t have the fast food cravings and lack of energy. I make healthier food choices and have the energy to enjoy being active. This is an instructor-led program where you learn to make specific goals and continue your progress. Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes has proven how easy it can be to improve your daily habits so that it becomes a lifestyle. I feel the best that I have in years!

-Sandra, a current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant

You may also enjoy:

“My weight went down, my A1C went down and my confidence went up thanks to this program!”

“I’ve lost over 40 pounds and feel 100% better!”

“I lowered my A1C out of the “prediabetes” range, lost 7 inches from my waist, and lost 40 pounds”

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How to Cook Steel Cut Oats in an Instant Pot

by Surabhi Aggarwal, RD, LDN

A warm bowl of oats topped with fresh fruits and/or nuts is the perfect breakfast for cold winter mornings. Steel cut oats are the least processed as compared to other types of oats and may provide longer satiety making them a great choice for breakfast. However, they take longer to cook as compared to other varieties which can be a hurdle for busy morning times. Worry not – the recipe below takes the baby-sitting out of the process. You can put everything in and let the Instant Pot do the work. Whether you use that time to get ready for work, go out for a walk or take care of other tasks, the oats will be ready without any supervision.

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup steel cut oats
  • 3 cups milk (this recipe was made using 2% milk but it can be made with 1% milk as well)
  • ¼ cup California raisins
  • 3 tsp brown sugar
  • ½ cup water

Directions:

  1. Put all ingredients in the Instant Pot and mix once. Close the lid. Make sure the pressure valve is turned towards sealing.
  2. Put it on Porridge (or high Pressure Cook) mode for 13-14 minutes. 
  3. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.
  4. Stir well and add some water if needed to adjust the consistency to your liking.
  5. Serve warm.

Note: You can add a variety of toppings to individual servings according to taste and what you have on hand. Options include fresh berries, sliced banana, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, hemp seeds, peanut butter, etc.

Nutrition Information per Serving (excluding any toppings)*:

  • Calories – 200
  • Fat – 5 grams
  • Protein – 9 grams
  • Carbohydrates – 32 grams

* Calculated using MyFitnessPal recipe analyzer, www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator

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Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

The Fastest and Easiest Way to Cook Steel Cut Oats

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New Year, New Start: Goal Setting Tips

by Archana Revankar

The new year is here! We often find ourselves starting the new year by making resolutions hoping that the new habit sticks with us every day for as long as possible. But unfortunately, most of these resolutions are forgotten within a month or two. Do you remember seeing a packed gym in January or February and then slowly as the year passes by the gym gets less crowded?

Instead of making a resolution, setting a new Goal is a better alternative as goals help us progress towards a gradual positive change rather than expecting to change immediately.

Differences Between Resolution and Goals

Resolution

  • Rigid/ stays the same – e.g.: “I will exercise regularly.”; “I will go to bed early.”; “I will stop eating sugar.”
  • It can be very overwhelming if you are trying to make a big change.
  • Many times when resolutions are broken you can feel like a failure and give it up altogether.
  • If resolutions seem difficult to carry out you may drop it altogether.

Goals

  • Goals are more fluid and can be tackled in steps starting with small steps and then increase in difficulty as you get more accustomed to change.
  • Can be more realistic as they allow you to work through them slowly and steadily.
  • Working through baby steps gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps you motivated.
  • If you face difficulty in accomplishing a set goal, you can still adjust the goal to a lower intensity or even pick a different new behavior to achieve the same result.

So we know that setting a goal is better than setting a resolution, so how do we set good goals? Below are a few tips to set a SMART goal.

How to Set SMART Goals

  1. Specific: The more specific and intentional you are in setting a goal, the more likely it will be met. Instead of a general goal such as “I want to lose weight.”, be more specific of how much weight you want to lose.
  2. Measurable: Have a way to measure your progress by using tracking tools such as daily or weekly logs of your new/changed behavior to help you move closer to your goal.
  3. Attainable: Set goals that are challenging but not too extreme. Set yourself up for success with small achievable goals.
  4. Realistic: Set goals that matter to you the most and that can be embedded in your daily schedules the easiest way.
  5. Timely: You must have a time-cap for every goal that you set. This practice will help you hold accountability to your goal.

Tips for Setting a Goal:

  • Break down your long terms goals into smaller realistic goals and work on them while keeping your future goal in mind.
  • Choose specific behaviors to achieve your broad goals but also be open to change the specific behaviors if you find yourself stuck or unmotivated.
  • Set goals that add a behavior rather than stopping a behavior. For example, instead of making a goal to eat less junk food, focus on eating more real foods such as fruits and vegetables. Adding something good will subconsciously make you feel much better than the feeling of depriving yourself of something you like.
  • Use reminders, daily planners, or sticky notes to put it in a place where you can see/access it every day to help you create new habits. In addition, assign a time each day to practice this new habit.
  • Do not forget to reward yourself every time you achieve small milestones until you reach a time where your progress becomes your reward.

For more information, click here for a short video on goal setting.

You may also enjoy:

Rethinking the New Year’s Resolution

How to Plan for a Healthy New Year

My SMART Goal: The NC 100 Mile Challenge

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Barbecue Rather Than Bake or Fry Your Turkey

by Cathy Thomas

If you enjoy Eastern North Carolina barbecue, you will love this recipe. It is delicious, healthier than pork barbecue, and a great way to enjoy turkey with a twist.

Take a turkey. Split it in half, you can remove the backbone if you like but it is not mandatory. Cook on the grill (medium heat) skin-side up for 2-4 hours depending on the size. Test the breast with an insta-read digital meat thermometer. When it hits 165, it is done. Allow to cool slightly so you can handle it. Discard the skin and pull the meat off the bone. Chop coarsely. Add Scott’s Barbecue Sauce (or other similar vinegar-based barbeque sauce) to the chopped turkey. It will take several cups of sauce as it will soak up the liquid. Now that’s turkey with a twist!

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“My weight went down, my A1C went down and my confidence went up thanks to this program!”

by Madi Johnson

Below is a testimonial from current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant, Elaine:

“When I finally woke up to the fact that the way I was living was driving me right toward the diabetes that is in my family history, there it was an email from Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes! This program came at a time when I was ready to do something about my health and it’s been an amazing tool. I love the information, the online classes and interactive lessons with people just like myself…working to prevent or delay diabetes. My weight went down, my A1C went down and my confidence went up thanks to this program! The information and tools I received will benefit me the rest of my life. That is exactly what I was looking for a life change not a diet plan. Thanks for everything.”

-Elaine, a current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant

You may also enjoy:

“My A1C is in the normal range and I feel better about myself”

“I’ve lost over 40 pounds and feel 100% better!”

“I lowered my A1C out of the “prediabetes” range, lost 7 inches from my waist, and lost 40 pounds”

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

5 Essential Rules of Cooking

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

Now that we have our new Dinah E. Gore Teaching and Research Kitchens on NC State Campus, I have been doing more culinary training including our Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes Cooking School. Working to help others be better cooks always makes me a better cook and helps me analyze what is important in the kitchen. What is essential to making good food? There are literally hundreds of things that make a good cook. However, I wanted to boil it down to what is essential, what can you not overlook if you want to cook great tasking and healthy food. I came up with 5 essential rules of cooking.

5 Essential Rules of Cooking

  1. Have a good knife and cutting board. Having 1 or 2 good knives is important. One of these should be a chef’s knife. This is the work horse in your kitchen. Just as important is a good cutting board. If you do not have a cutting board with a non-skid back, place a wet paper towel under it to keep it from slipping. Now for the ESSENTIAL part – learn to use your knives. Check out our knife skills videos to get you started. Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice good knife skills the better (and faster) you will become. Having good knife skills will make all of your recipes come together faster.
  2. Ready your space and your ingredients. Before you start to cook anything, clear and clean your space if it is not already. This reminds me of something a chef I once trained under told me – you clean the kitchen until it shines not for how you feel leaving the kitchen but for how you will feel walking into the kitchen the next morning. You really need a clear clean space to be able to be your best as a cook. Ready all of your ingredients. Pull them out of the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. Chop or prep as needed. This is called mise en place – or put in place – it is how every commercial kitchen is run. Learning from the pros will make you a better home cook.
  3. Cook a lot. You may think this essential rule is about cooking all the time – nope. It is about cooking more food than you need for each meal. Cook a lot – volume. Double that soup recipe and freeze two quarts. Make extra roasted vegetables and use them in salads, in omelets, as a snack. Cooking twice as much as you need does not take double time and you will have planned-overs for other meals or the freezer. I like nothing better than thinking about my week of meals and realizing that I have a quart of butternut squash soup in the freezer – there is one meal with no work.
  4. Cook with ingredients not only recipes. This is a hard one for beginning cooks but the more you can be driven in your cooking by ingredients as opposed to recipes the better. Recipes are great, we all use them – keep that up. However, let the ingredients drive your cooking instead of the recipes. Let’s say you decide to make a recipe that calls for asparagus, you go to the store and buy sub-par asparagus that doesn’t look great and it is not on sale. You are letting your recipe drive your cooking as opposed to buying the Napa cabbage that looks fresh and is on special then deciding what to do with that. Try this for at least one fruit or vegetable each week and soon it will become second nature.
  5. Find YOUR food. Find 5-10 recipes you like, your family likes, and you enjoy making. Make them all the time. Making a dish over and over will make it get easier. Think about the first time you made a dish that you now make all the time. I guarantee that it is easier and quicker now. It is ok to have even a small number of dishes that you make over and over. Making something multiple times also allows you to change the recipe if you like based on the season or what you have on hand.

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Travel Hack: Bring Your Own Healthy Breakfast

by Madi Johnson

Eating healthy while traveling can be tough. Whether it’s for one night or one week, being away from home can mean more eating out at restaurants – sometimes for every meal! To eliminate eating out for every meal, I have started bringing my own breakfast every time we travel. It has been a simple change that has really made a big difference. Now, I can start the day on the right foot – with a healthy choice that helps me stay on track the rest of the day. In addition to the calories this has saved, it’s also saves time and money. No more waking up and wondering where, and when, we will eat breakfast before starting the day’s activities. I bring this breakfast literally everywhere I go – on a weekend getaway, to my parent’s house, and even on a weeklong trip in Europe!

So what is this easy-to-travel-with breakfast? A packet of plain instant oatmeal mixed with peanut butter. I pour the packet of instant oatmeal into a bowl (borrowed from the house we are staying at or from a hotel – a sturdy paper coffee cup works too), add a little bit of water, pop it in the microwave, and then mix in a dollop of peanut butter. If there is milk available, I will pour a little bit of milk on top too.

The above works if you are at a friend’s, family member’s, or an Airbnb with a microwave available. If you are at a hotel and there is no microwave, you can use hot water from a coffee station, cover it with a second bowl (or a second sturdy paper coffee cup) and let it sit for a minute or two.

My favorite oatmeal to bring is a packet of Trader Joe’s instant oatmeal because it also had other grains, such as quinoa, flax, and amaranth, which gives it a more dynamic flavor and texture. I only choose plain oatmeal options because the flavored varieties are very high in sugar. However, if you are used to sweeter oatmeal, transitioning to plain might take a few tries – I started my transition to plain by adding a small squirt of honey or pure maple syrup when I first made this and then would use less and less every time until I felt like I didn’t need it anymore.

Now to address the traveling with peanut butter part. If I am going longer than a night or two I actually pack a small jar of peanut butter with me (a natural but also shelf-stable option). If I am traveling just for a night or if I am really short on space, I pack travel peanut butter packets. A packet of plain instant oatmeal and a packet of peanut butter take up zero extra space – and I am set for a healthy breakfast!

How to Make Your Own Travel Oatmeal:

  • 1 packet of plain instant oatmeal (I prefer Trader Joe’s brand)
  • 1 spoonful of natural peanut butter (or a packet)
  • Hot water and/or microwave
  • Optional: top with milk or a small squirt of honey

Directions:

  1. Heat oatmeal according to package directions. If a microwave is not available, use boiling water and place a second bowl on top to cover and allow to sit for one to two minutes.
  2. Stir in one spoonful of peanut butter.
  3. Top with milk and other optional toppings if available such as a squirt of honey, nuts, or fruit.

Already traveling without access to oatmeal and peanut butter? Many restaurants, hotels, and fast food joints now offer oatmeal – just make sure you ask for it plain and then sweeten it yourself.

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Quick Weeknight Dinner – Mexican Quesadillas

by Surabhi Aggarwal, RD, LDN

Mexican Quesadillas with Vegetables and Black Beans

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 zucchini, diced into small pieces
  • 1 yellow squash, diced into small pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced into small pieces
  • 1 medium carrot, diced into small pieces
  • 1 small broccoli head, chopped
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2-3 Tbsp Mexican taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 8 whole wheat soft tortillas (for quesadillas)
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add all the vegetables, black beans, and taco seasoning.
  2. Stir well and let it cook until all vegetables are soft. If the mixture gets watery, keep sautéing until the water evaporates.
  3. Add lemon juice and mix well.
  4. For quesadillas, heat a flat griddle and place one tortilla on it. Layer one half of the tortilla with ¼ cup cheese and 1/8th portion of the filling. Close the quesadilla with the other half of the tortilla. Flip a few times until it is well done on both sides.
  5. Cut it into half or quarters. Serve with a side of sliced jalapenos and/or fresh avocado.

Note: The same filling can be used to make soft tacos or burritos. Also, other vegetables such as mushrooms, sweet corn, onions, etc. can be added or substituted according to taste preference and availability.

Serving Size – 1 Quesadilla

Nutrition Information per Serving (excludes avocado or other sides)*:

  • Calories – 315
  • Fat – 13 grams
  • Protein – 15 grams
  • Carbohydrates – 36 grams

* Calculated using MyFitnessPal recipe analyzer, www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator

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Is there anything to eat on the highway that is healthy?

by Cathy Thomas

Traveling and eating healthy is not always a winning combination. How can you stick to your healthy goals and still travel to see friends and family?

When you are driving to your destination, it is a bit easier as you can pack a cooler or bag lunch for your trip. Bring along yogurt, peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, cut vegetables, whole-grain crackers, and bottled or sparkling water.

How about coming back? Not so simple. In a recent trip to Asheville to present at a conference I was faced with this dilemma. Going to the conference, I had a sandwich and apple so I was all set. Coming home, what to do? My go-to on the open road is Subway. It is not perfect but it is a better choice than most fast food places. However, what you order is key. Steer clear of processed luncheon meats and cheese. I get the 6-inch vegetarian on whole-wheat bread. Ask them to toast the bread for a better sandwich. Pile on the vegetables – all of them – lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, jalapenos (if you dare), cucumbers, spinach, black olives. Add oil, vinegar, and oregano. It is a pretty good sandwich for not so many calories and at least a serving of vegetables. It will get you down the road!

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Tips for Staying Healthy While on the Road

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Cook More, Waste Less

by Sarah Myer

Last summer, I challenged myself and my husband to add more fruits and vegetables to ALL our meals, not just dinner. This summer I challenged myself and my husband to try to not waste any of the vegetables or fruit we bought. This came about after finding a particularly slimy cucumber in the back of our fridge.

Just like previous challenges we have done, this challenge caused us to do more meal planning, shop more carefully, and cook more at home. As a result we have wasted less food.

I have gone back to some of my favorite cookbooks for inspiration.  I am currently cooking out of Ottolenghi Simple and The Meatlover’s Meatless Cookbook. Rather than going page by page, I search for recipes that have the fruit or vegetable I have on hand or have put on the shopping list. Some of my favorites have been eggplant stacks with homemade pesto and trout with cherry tomatoes and barberries.

Roasted Trout with Cherry Tomatoes and Barberries
Ottolenghi Simple Cookbook
Eggplant Stacks with Homemade Pesto
The Meatlover’s Meatless Cookbook

I have also have found ways to quickly prepare meals when there isn’t much time or energy for cooking. There have been a few nights of chop up everything left in the fridge and put it in a pasta sauce, salad, or scrambled eggs. Those have been delicious meals as well. I have added Za’atar spices and preserved lemons to my pantry and eggs have never tasted so good! I got my kitchen knives sharpened and have been working on improving my knife skills. If anyone has tips on how to cut up a butternut or spaghetti squash, I am all ears!

I also joined The Produce Box. This CSA-type group delivers a box of vegetables and fruits to my office each week. I am able to choose everything by Sunday night and it is delivered on Wednesday. I have time to plan ahead for what is coming or swap out a vegetable if I am making something specific.

There was a cauliflower in this week’s box. Last night we had roasted cauliflower with cumin and cheese for dinner. It is still one of my favorite recipes from our first food challenge to eat more vegetables in 2016. Tonight’s dinner will be something with the green beans. They were in our last week’s box and I haven’t cooked them yet. I don’t want them to go to waste!