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The Med Way: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

by Sarah Myer

My husband is a vegetarian so we usually get a good portion of our vegetables at dinner. We have been trying out some recipes to swap our protein but I realized that we hadn’t had fruit in a while. For Med Month I decided to make a conscious effort to eat more fruits and vegetables during the day. I decided to try to eat at least a fruit or vegetable with every meal and snack. It has been fun. The first week I kept the fruit pretty simple and ate a lot of apples and bananas. As the month went on, I was able to get in at least 2 servings of fruit a day while choosing a variety of colors and making sure to include berries more often than other fruit. My big success of the month was successfully cutting open a pomegranate.

Unexpectedly, this has caused me to do a better job at meal planning. I am going to the grocery store less often and I am sticking to the grocery list. I have everything on hand to pack my lunch for the day. As a result, I have brought my lunch to work almost every day this month. That was not part of the plan but it has been a good habit to restart. It is amazing how much time this has saved. I am also less hungry before dinner and have more energy to cook. My husband has been pleasantly surprised as I have pulled out recipes we haven’t had in a while – Butternut Squash and Roasted Chickpea Salad (with pomegranates) and Zucchini Boats made with Soy or Quorn instead of meat.

So here is what I did:

Breakfast

Snacks

  • Fruit and nuts
  • Fruit and yogurt
  • Veggies and hummus, peanut butter, or guacamole
  • Chopped vegetables and a cheese stick

Lunch

  • Leftovers
  • Salads
  • Chopped Up Vegetables
  • Piece of Fruit

Dinner

  • Read the recipe ahead- if it didn’t have at least 2 servings of vegetables than I found some way to add more to the recipe or had an extra vegetable as a side.
  • Swapped pasta or rice for a vegetable like cauliflower or zucchini.
  • While cooking dinner I often prepped vegetables or fruit for the next night or for lunch. Last night we had Cauliflower Nachos for dinner. I just made another small pan of it for lunch today. It was super tasty!

Easy and Healthy MED Breakfast: One-Eyed Jacks

by Zandra Alford

A classic favorite that is easy to make and delicious. These one-eyed jacks are cooked in olive oil, giving them a savory taste that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serve with your favorite fruits for a delectable meal you and your family will love.

one eyed jack

One-Eyed Jacks

Recipe Information:

  • Serves 1
  • Serving Size: 1 one-eyed jack
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
  • 1 slice of 100% whole wheat bread (look for a bread with minimal added sugar)
  • 1 egg
  • dash black pepper
  • dash oregano
  • dash paprika or cayenne

Directions:

  1. Use a spoon, butter knife, or the rim of a cup to cut a circular piece out of the center of a slice of 100% whole wheat bread.
  2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  3. Add the slice of bread with the hole in the center to the pan (reserve the cut-out center piece of bread for later). Use a fork or tongs to move the slice around the pan to collect a little bit of oil from the pan onto the bread. Flip the slice and repeat the process on the other side.
  4. Crack an egg into the hole in the center of the slice of bread. Let the egg cook until it is firm enough to flip. (Note: If desired, you can break the yolk during the cooking process in order to ensure that the center cooks all the way through.)
  5. Once ready to flip, season with black pepper, oregano and cayenne and then flip to cook on the other side. Season again on this side.
  6. While the one-eyed jack finishes cooking, add the cut-out center piece of bread to the pan with a small amount of olive oil if needed. Toast the bread on both sides.
  7. Cook the egg and cut-out center piece of bread to your desired level of doneness and serve.

 

Nutrition Information per Serving:

  • Serving size – 1 one-eyed jack
  • Vegetable – 0 cups
  • Fruit – 0 cups
  • Calories – 255 calories
  • Carbohydrates – 13 grams
  • Fiber – 2 grams
  • Protein – 9 grams
  • Fat – 19 grams
  • Sodium – 191 mg

 

Carrot Ginger Soup

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

My favorite vegetable is carrots by a long shot – raw, cooked, in soup, whatever.  I am always looking for new ways to make sure I get my carrot fix. This is one of my favorite soups. You can eat it hot or cold. It has some interesting ingredients (lemongrass and Kafir lime leaves) that you can find at most Asian markets or you can leave them out. You can play around with different toppings such as toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds. You can also make this soup with butternut squash in place of the carrots or use half carrots and half butternut squash.

Carrot Ginger Soupcarrot soup

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 ½ cup soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

 

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

5 cups rough chopped carrots

1 large onion, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

2 stalks of fresh lemongrass use the bottom white part only, chopped or you can use 2 t lemongrass paste (optional)

4 cups low salt or unsalted chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (found in the International section of the grocery store)

1 Tablespoon grated ginger (more to taste)

2 Kafir lime leaves (optional)

Juice from 1 lime

Plain yogurt for topping

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, lemongrass (if using), and salt and cook until tender over medium heat (about 15 min.). Do not let the mixture brown, adjust heat as needed or add a bit of water.
  2. Add the stock, curry paste, ginger, and lime leaves (if using). Cook for about 20-30 minutes until very tender.
  3. Remove the lime leaves.
  4. Puree with a handheld blender, in batches in a blender, or in batches in a food processor.
  5. Add the lime juice and adjust the seasoning.
  6. Top with yogurt and serve with lime wedges.

 

Serving size – 1 ½ cups

Vegetable – 1 cup

Fruit – 0

Calories – 100

Carbohydrates – 14 grams

Fiber – 3 grams

Protein – 4 grams

Fat – 3 grams

Sodium – 123 mg (sodium will vary based on the broth you use)

 

 

Healthy Salmon Patties

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

I grew up eating salmon patties made with canned salmon. We always had them with peas and mashed potatoes. Since moving my diet to the Med Way, I decided to resurrect a childhood favorite and give it a modern twist. Using canned salmon makes this dish an easy go to even with salmon is not on sale. I choose to remove the skin and bones which takes a minute but gives the final product a better look and taste, in my opinion. This step is optional as are some of the modern twists I suggest. The recipe is a good basic one that you can add to as you like with different vegetables (such as green pepper) or spices. The canned salmon has a bit of salt already so I don’t add any more.

Salmon Pattiessalmon cake

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 Pattie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 can salmon, skin and bones removed

½ cup finely chopped green onion (about 3)

¼ cup breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat Panko)

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)

juice from 1 lime (optional)

2 teaspoons olive oil or non-stick spray

 

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until combined but do not to over mix.
  2. Shape into 4 patties.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet so that each patty has plenty of room.
  4. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes per side. Lower the heat if needed to keep from burning.

 

Serving size – 1 patty

Vegetable – 1/8 cup

Fruit – 0

Calories – 190

Carbohydrates – 6 grams

Fiber – 1 grams

Protein – 22 grams

Fat – 8 grams

Sodium – 444 mg

 

Simple and Healthy Stovetop Popcorn

by Zandra Alford

Making fresh popcorn on your stovetop is delicious and surprisingly simple! All you need is a large pan or pot with a lid and some popcorn kernels. Homemade popcorn makes a great snack and can be made in advance to have on hand for later.

Flavor your popcorn to your liking – some of our favorite flavor combinations include:

  • paprika, black pepper, and salt
  • oregano, thyme, parsley, black pepper, and salt
  • shredded parmesan and black pepper
  • cinnamon and nutmeg

Pop, season and enjoy!

healthy popcorn

 

Simple and Healthy Stovetop Popcorn

Recipe Information:

  • Serves 4
  • Serving Size: about 1 cup
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons popcorn kernels – about enough to cover the bottom of your sauce pot with one layer of kernels. (Note – Popping kernels grow a lot during cooking, more than you’d expect, so if you’re in doubt of whether you’ll have enough room in your pot or pan for all the popped corn, start with fewer kernels.)
  • Herbs and spices to taste

Directions:

  1. Put a medium sauce pot on high heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with a thin layer of oil. Add three popcorn kernels and put a lid on the pot.
  2. Once one or more of the kernels has popped, cover the bottom of the pot with a single layer of the remaining popcorn kernels and replace the lid.
  3. Gently shake the pot over the heat source to prevent the kernels from burning. Continue shaking until most kernels have popped.
  4. Turn off the heat and continue to shake for a few seconds to pop any final kernels.
  5. To season popcorn, choose your preferred flavor combination (see suggestions above). To help herbs and spices stick, drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over the popcorn, toss, season, and then toss again. (Med Tip: Season your popcorn while it’s still warm so it will better absorb oil and spices.)

 

Nutrition Information per Serving (using 1/4 teaspoon of both salt and black pepper):

  • Serving size – about 1 cup of popcorn
  • Vegetable – 0 cups
  • Fruit – 0 cups
  • Calories – 131
  • Carbohydrates – 5 grams
  • Fiber – 1 gram
  • Protein – 1 gram
  • Fat – 12 grams
  • Sodium – 156 mg

 

Celebrate Memorial Day the Med Way

by Megan Haubenreiser

Whether you are throwing a backyard cookout or preparing a dish to pass, consider placing a healthy twist on traditional Memorial Day favorites. Holidays have quite the knack for throwing us off track from making healthy eating decisions. After all, nothing quite beats a burger with a little char and a cold glass of lemonade on a warm day. By flipping this meal the Med way, you can have the best of both worlds; a juicy burger and fruit drink, but without the guilt.

The Mediterranean eating pattern emphasizes the importance of including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and beans into your diet. A traditional ground-beef burger can be made the Med way by substituting the ground beef with a different source of protein, such as beans. Or, replace a portion of the ground beef with vegetables, such as these Mushroom Beef Burgers. See the recipe below for Med-style burgers you are sure to love. For more Mediterranean recipes, visit MedInsteadofMeds.com.

healthy memorial day recipe

Quinoa Pinto Bean Burger

Serves: 8-10 people

Serving size: 1 patty

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cool Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • ½ cup minced onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt (use a little less if using Homemade Taco Seasoning)
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
  • ½ cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked (you can use any type of quinoa)
  • 2-3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

Directions

  1. Drain and rinse the canned beans.
  2. Cook the canned beans in water over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Drain well.
  3. Place ½ of the beans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
  4. Add the spices and pulse again to combine.
  5. Add the carrot, onion, and egg and process until mixed, the mixture will not be smooth.
  6. Place the bean mixture in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, flour, bread crumbs, quinoa, and remaining beans. Combine.
  7. Form into patties (form 8-10 depending on how large you want the burgers).
  8. Refrigerate the burgers for at least an hour. Can be overnight.
  9. Cook the burgers in a large skillet with vegetable oil over medium-high heat, approximately 3-4 minutes per side.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

Serving Size: 1 patty; Vegetables: ¼ cup; Fruits: 0 cups; Calories: 141 calories; Carbohydrates: 19 grams; Fiber: 4 grams; Protein: 5 grams; Fat: 5 grams; Sodium: 382 mg

 

Fruity drinks, such as lemonade, are delicious; but they contain loads of added sugar.  Mixing a smaller portion of fruit juice with club soda enables you to still enjoy this sweet treat, but with half the calories.

 healthy memorial day

Cranberry Lime Soda

Serves: 1

Serving Size: 1 cup (8 ounces)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup cranberry juice
  • 2/3 cup club soda
  • 1 lime juice

Directions

  1. Combine cranberry juice and club soda. Splash with lime.

Nutrition Information per serving:

Serving Size: 1 cup; Vegetables: 0 cups; Fruits: 1/3 cup; Calories: 31 calories; Carbohydrates: 9 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Protein: 0 grams; Fat: 0 grams; Sodium: 39 mg

5 Ways to Help Your Employees Stay Active at the Office

by Madi Johnson

This May, we are celebrating #MedMonth by providing resources and tips on the Mediterranean Diet. Although most of the resources involve healthy eating, a big part of the Mediterranean lifestyle is physical activity. It is recommended to be moderately active (e.g. brisk walking) at least 150 minutes per week, which breaks down to 30 minutes per day. Since employees spend a majority of their day at the office, and most of the time at the office involves sitting, it is important to encourage them to move more throughout their day and provide opportunities for physical activity.employee wellness

Providing physical activity opportunities can be done by encouraging employees to adopt periodic stretching breaks, desk exercises, to take the stairs instead of the elevator, and to walk to a colleague instead of sending an email. The best way to do this on a regular basis is to set a timer or calendar reminders to stand up and stretch or move once an hour. This has been proven to be effective through the Pomodoro Effect, which has demonstrated that taking short breaks can improve employee performance.

Although very effective, it takes an employee’s individual motivation and discipline to incorporate these frequent movements. So in addition to these daily movements, how do we reach employees on a broader scale to encourage physical activity? Consider physical activity opportunities that involve all staff members and employees. Below are 5 ways to do just that.

  1. Create a walking challenge. Walking challenges create a little competition between employees while allowing them to work together to reach similar goals. Walking challenges also encourage team building and social connections between employees, especially team walking challenges.
  2. Encourage physical activity breaks during meetings. Keep employees engaged during long meetings by offing a five-minute physical activity break. This could be a simple stand-up and stretch break, a lap around the office break, or a YouTube-led break. Get your employees involved by assigning a designated activity break leader for each meeting.
  3. Coordinate a weekly walking routine. Create a weekly walk to be held at the same time and the same place each week. For example, a “Tuesday Trek at 10am”. Each Tuesday, employees know they can meet at 10am at the designated location for the 15 minute walk. Send reminder emails and calendar invites to keep employees motivated and appoint coordinators to lead the weekly walks.
  4. Offer on-site exercise classes such as Zumba or Yoga. Coordinate on-site physical activity classes all employees can enjoy, whether it’s once-a-month yoga or weekly Zumba classes. Determine a common place and time for employees (lunch time or after work hours), and consider holding the class outside if the weather is nice.
  5. Provide alternative desks. Offer alternative desk or chair options for employees to stay active throughout their day. For example, standing desks or treadmill desks are a great way to keep employees from sitting for too long. Even just offering one treadmill desk for the office for employees to use when needed will help encourage them to move more. Another alternative desk idea is to provide exercise balls for employees to use as chairs. These can be used for the whole day or for a few hours each day to help strengthen their core. Consider a “check-out” station for employees to grab one as needed.

Of course, every group of employees is different and every office campus is different. Tailor the above suggestions to fit your particular group, adapting and adding new ideas as they pop up. Listen to your employees and consider sending out a survey to gauge their interest in wellness activities. What type of exercise classes would they be interested in? What time of day works best? You can then form your plan based on their feedback.

 

What is the Mediterranean Diet

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

Eating like those who live in the Mediterranean region has been shown to promote health and decrease risk of many chronic diseases. The Mediterranean-style eating pattern incorporates the basics of healthy eating that are traditionally practiced in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. Eating the Mediterranean way is not only healthy, it is delicious and satisfying. Foods that you once thought of as too high in fat or unhealthy, including nuts, olive oil, olives, and whole grains, become an everyday part of your diet. The Mediterranean way of life includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, olive oil and only small amounts of red meat. It does not include highly processed foods, fast foods, and greatly limits sugar and red meat. To make it even easier, we have broken down the Mediterranean-style of eating into 7 simple steps: 7 Steps to Eating the Med Way.

Mediterranean-Style of Eating Includes: 

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Whole grains
  • Fish
  • Nuts
  • Olive oil

The Mediterranean-Style of Eating Limits: 

  • Sugar
  • Red Meat

The Mediterranean-Style of Eating Excludes: 

  • Highly processed foods
  • Fast foods

Eating a traditional Mediterranean diet has been shown to decrease some forms of cancer, protect against cognitive decline, improve eye health, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, help manage blood pressure, reduce cardiovascular disease, and is more effective than a low-fat diet for weight loss. If that is not enough, it is simple, satisfying, and delicious. Learn more at medinsteadofmeds.com.

benefits of Mediterranean diet

Celebrate #MedMonth with Roasted Vegetables

by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN

To start, I will answer the question that you all are thinking, Yes, I do feel fancy using a hashtag in the subject line of my blog.  ?

In honor of May and #MedMonth, I wanted to a share a new staple in our house inspired by the Mediterranean Diet …ROASTED VEGETABLES!  They are perfect as a side dish or a snack!  I always make enough for leftovers, as they are delicious cold, reheated, or at room temperature.  Cruciferous vegetables are our favorite including, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, repeat; however, nearly all vegetables are delicious when roasted – Recipes for oven roasted vegetables.

Roasted Vegetable Reciperoast vegetables

Vegetables (Choose one or mix and match.  Yields ~6-8 one-cup servings):

  • 5 large broccoli crowns – washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 bags Brussels sprouts – washed and sliced lengthwise into 1/4 –inch thick slices
  • 3 heads cauliflower – washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 large bunches asparagus – washed and woody ends snapped off

Topping:

  • 10-12 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to drizzle over both pans of vegetables)
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Separate and single-layer the washed vegetables into two 9 x 13 rectangular baking pans.

Drizzle with ~5 tablespoons of olive oil over each pan of vegetables.

Sprinkle ~¼ cup grated parmesan cheese and 1/8 teaspoon salt over each pan of vegetables.

Toss to coat.

Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes until slightly charred on top.

Each recipe makes ~6-8 one-cup servings.

How to Make Your Own Kale Chips

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

You can buy kale chips already made in some specialty shops. They come in small bags with a big price tag. You can make a large pile of these delicious healthy chips at home. I have experimented with multiple ways of making these. This technique is super easy and nets a great bowl of chips.

Homemade Kale Chipskale chips

Serves 4

Serving Size: about 1 cup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch Kale
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Wash and dry kale.
  3. Remove thick stems.
  4. Tear into “chip” size pieces.
  5. Place torn kale in a large bowl and add olive oil.
  6. Using well-washed hands, massage the oil into the kale. You want to get a thin coating of oil on each surface of the kale. You will see it change colors slightly, this is ok. Keep working it until the oil is well distributed.
  7. Place kale chips in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  8. Sprinkle with salt.
  9. Bake until completely toasted. You want all the moisture removed.

Note: If you are not eating immediately, store open on the counter. You can re-crisp if needed in a warm oven.

Nutrition

Serving size –  ¼ recipe or about 1 cup of chips

Vegetable –  ½ cup

Fruit –  0

Calories –  93

Carbohydrates –   6 grams

Fiber –   grams

Protein –   3 grams

Fat –   7 grams

Sodium –   304  mg