Happy Halloween

Today provides a great opportunity for all of us to get out and be active. Because it is Halloween, your children probably have their minds set to get out and collect goodies from everyone within a 2 mile radius of your house. Instead of letting them run around with the other hooligans in the neighborhood, you can join them while traveling from house to house. Not only will you be getting physical activity, but you will be spending quality time with family and keeping them out of trouble. If you are curious about the distance you traveled while collecting sacks full of Oh'Henry!s, visit the Google Maps Pedometer website and track your path.

When you get back home examine their haul of candy and discuss the merits of not eating it all at once. Below is a list of potential treats you may come across accompanied by some nutrition information.

So put on an extra jacket, leave the car in the garage and take your children to see what the neighbors have to offer this year.

Recipe of the Week

Quick Tacos
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1lb 90% lean ground beef
5/8 cupwater
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion salt
8 6-inch flour or corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded, reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, diced
1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce

Cooking instructions: Brown beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Drain fat. Add water, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and onion salt and simmer 2-4 minutes. Warm tortillas. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup taco meat, 2 tablespoons cheese, lettuce, tomato, and hot pepper sauce.

Serving size: 1 taco

Nutrient Information
Calories 211
Calories From Fat 77
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 39 mg
Sodium 410 mg
Total Carbohydrate 19 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 16 g

This recipe came from the American Diabetes Association website

Recipe of the Week

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried or 3 tablespoons fresh minced onions

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and coarsely chopped

Cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, basil, and pepper. Add spinach and artichoke hearts. Mix until blended. Spread evenly in a pie plate that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated throughout.

Serving size: 1/4 cup

Nutrient Information

calories 70

total fat 4g

saturated fat 1g

cholesterol 6mg

sodium 182mg

total carb 4g

dietary fiber 2g

sugars 1g

protein 3g

This recipe came from: Quick and Healthy Recipes and Ideas, 3rd edition, Brenda J. Ponichtera, RD, Published by Small Steps Press, publishing health conscious books for the general population, a division of the American Diabetes Association.

Recipe of the Week

Jumbo Banana Muffins
Yield 9 muffins

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour

2 eggs, separated
¾ c Splenda sugar substitute

1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
½ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded carrots
½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Instructions: Combine flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a medium sized bowl beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Stir in honey and orange peel. Fold in mashed bananas and applesauce. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. In a separate small bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter to “lighten”. Then gently fold in remainder of egg white. Fill greased or paper lined large muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.(If smaller muffin pans are used decrease baking time) Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to wire rack.

Nutrient Information: 131 calories and 1.3 g fat per muffin

Being active in cold weather

With winter coming, you may find yourself thinking it is time to hibernate on the couch until spring. Focus on how physical activity has benefited you and how it will continue to do so if you stay motivated throughout the winter months. Exercise can be a cure for the winter time blues. It improves your mood, increases your energy level and helps you sleep. If you continue exercising and working towards your goals you will also be in better shape when the weather improves in the spring.

There are several options you have to continue your physical activity regime in the winter months. You can exercise indoors or if you dress accordingly and follow a few safety tips you can continue exercising outside. Don't let cold weather be an excuse for missing out on an evening stroll!

Some ideas for exercising inside during the winter include:

• Walking at the mall. The hardest part about mall or indoor-track walking is getting there. Once you get started, you may be amazed at how quickly you finish your workout.
  


• Join a health club. Choose one that's convenient and geared toward your fitness level. Ask the staff to show you how to use the equipment.
  


• Make a splash at an indoor pool. Working out in water is easy on your joints. Try lap swimming or a water aerobics class.
  


• Invest in home exercise equipment. Choose something that's practical, enjoyable and easy to use. To stretch your exercise dollars, consider buying used equipment.

The American College of Sports medicine suggests these things when considering exercising outside in the cold:

• Layer Clothing Several thin layers are warmer than one heavy layer. Layers are also easier to add or remove and thus, better regulate your core temperature. The goal is to keep the body warm, minimize sweating and avoid shivering.
  


• Cover your Head Your head should be covered while exercising in the cold, because heat loss from the head and neck may be as much as 50 percent of the total heat being lost by your body.
  


• Cover your Mouth To warm the air before you breathe it, use a scarf or mask. Do this especially if breathing cold air causes angina (chest pain) or you are prone to upper respiratory problems.
  


• Stay Dry Wet, damp clothing, whether from perspiration or precipitation, significantly increases body-heat loss.
  


• Keep your Feet Dry Use a fabric that will wick perspiration away from the skin. Polypropylene, wool or other fabrics that wick moisture away from the skin and retain insulating properties keep the body warm when wet.
  


• Stay Hydrated Dehydration affects your body's ability to regulate body heat and increases the risk of frostbite. Fluids, especially water, are as important in cold weather as in the heat. Avoid consuming alcohol or beverages containing caffeine, because these items are dehydrating.
  


• Avoid Alcohol Alcohol dilates blood vessels and increases heat loss so the odds of experiencing a hypothermic event increase. Alcohol can also impair judgment to the extent that you may not make the best or brightest decisions in a cold weather emergency. It's best to leave the alcohol behind when you head out into the cold.

It is also important to be smart when being active in the cold. If the weatherman is predicting a severe storm, it may not be the best time to go out for a walk. Wait until the snow piles up and then shovel your drive way. This way you work becomes your exercise and you kill two birds with one stone.

Information for this post was found on MayoClinic.com

Recipe of the Week

Santa Fe Veggie Quesadillas

6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup no-added-salt canned corn, drained

1 green onion, chopped

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Cooking spray

4 eight-inch whole wheat tortillas

1 cup shredded 2% Colby–Monterey Jack cheese blend

Cooking Instructions: In a bowl, stir together red pepper, black beans, corn, onion, cumin, and garlic salt; set aside. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray warm skillet with cooking spray and place one tortilla flat in the skillet. After 1 minute, use a large spatula to flip the tortilla over. Sprinkle evenly with half of the cheese, then with half of the vegetable mixture. Top with a second tortilla. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook 30 seconds, or until the cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip quesadilla over with the large spatula, cover, and continue cooking an additional minute. Transfer to a serving dish and slice into 6 pie-shaped pieces. Cover to keep warm or place in a warm oven. Repeat process to make second quesadilla.

Serving Size: 2 pieces
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

Calories: 180

Carbohydrate: 27 g

Protein: 9 g

Fat: 4 g

Saturated fat: 2 g

Sodium: 368 mg

Fiber: 3 g

This recipe came from diabetes self management.com

Physical Activity Guidelines

On October 7, 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines give you information about the type and amount of activity that you will need to take part in so you can enjoy the health benefits of being physically active. The adult guidelines are:

• 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
  OR
  
• 75 minutes each week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
  OR
  
• An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity

The guidelines also answer many of the questions we all have about exercise like: How do I do it?, Why should I be physically active?, How many times a week should I be physically active? and How much physical activity do I need to do? They also provide many examples of moderate and vigorous physical activity to help you get started.

• Moderate physical activity (I can talk while I do them, but I can’t sing.)
  Ballroom and line dancing
  Biking on level ground or with few hills
  Canoeing
  General gardening (raking, trimming shrubs)
  Sports where you catch and throw (baseball, softball, volleyball)
  Tennis (doubles)
  Using your manual wheelchair
  Using hand cyclers—also called ergometers
  Walking briskly
  Water aerobics
• Vigorous physical activity (I can only say a few words without stopping to catch my breath.)
  Aerobic dance
  Biking faster than 10 miles per hour
  Fast dancing
  Heavy gardening (digging, hoeing)
  Hiking uphill
  Jumping rope
  Martial arts (such as karate)
  Race walking, jogging, or running
  Sports with a lot of running (basketball, hockey, soccer)
  Swimming fast or swimming laps
  Tennis (singles)

You can also find helpful information about physical activity on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Here they provide you the option of choosing your age (child, adult or older adult) and then provide you with specific information regarding your age group. They also explain a number of ways to incorporate the required amount of activity into your daily life to receive health benefits.

So if you have questions about physical activity or need ideas to become more active check out these informative sites. Be sure to choose activities that you will enjoy, so you will continue to do them!

Recipe of the Week

Fiesta Lower Fat Corn Chowder
6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup chopped peppers (any combination of green, red, yellow, or orange)
1 cup chopped onion
3 ½ cups fresh or frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup fat-free lower sodium chicken broth
¾ cup cooked lean ham cubed (98% fat free)
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 ½ cups fat free half and half (or evaporated skim milk)
1 ½ cups skim milk
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp flour

Cooking instructions: Spray a large saucepan with vegetable oil cooking spray and sauté onions and peppers over medium heat (add up to 2 Tbsp water if needed) about 5 minutes until tender. Stir in corn, broth, ham, cumin and white pepper. Cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Pour ½ cup fat free half and half into medium bowl and whisk in flour until well blended. Add remaining fat free half and half and skim milk and mix well. Slowly pour milk mixture into saucepan. Increase heat to medium high, stirring constantly for 5 minutes until mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly.

Nutrient Information: Approximately 2 grams of fat and 210 calories per serving

Keeping track with a "little blue book"

To assist DPP participants in losing weight, they are asked to keep a journal of what they eat and how often they exercise. These journals are referred to by participants and coaches alike as “little blue books” and are a very important part of taking pounds off and keeping them off.

To help out with monitoring, participants are also provided a DPP Fat and Calorie Counter. As we all know, deciphering the contents of what you eat can be tiresome, but inside this pamphlet fat gram and calorie contents of a variety food are presented in a user friendly manner. If you have a turkey sandwich for lunch, you look up all the ingredients, write them down and total them up. Its just that easy!


Once you have determined the ingredients of the foods you eat often, writing down your daily intake will become faster, easier and less time consuming if you refer to previous blue books.

The original DPP found that monitoring was the key to success. They also found that writing down what you ate and physical activity was important for maintaining weight loss. In the Montana Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Prevention Program we found similar results.

So if you are part of the prevention program in your area and you are experiencing the blue book blues or if you are just trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle; remember those who do the work are able to lose the weight.