by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Oct 23, 2022 | Cooking Tips, Nutrition and Health
The holidays have looked a lot different the past couple of years. The great news is that holiday parties, school concerts, family gatherings, shopping, and vacations are starting to pick up, though with some restrictions remaining for many of us. This probably means you are busier this year. This is great after being cooped up the past couple of holiday seasons. However, it also means less time at home.
It is always nice to have some new ideas (or reminders of the old ones). So here are 3 Time Saving Kitchen Hacks for the Holidays to help deal with the time crunches that are likely to occur at some point in the next couple of months.
3 Time Saving Kitchen Hacks for the Holidays
1 – Go Semi-Homemade
As you know if you've been following me for a while, we are very pro-cooking around here. However, sometimes taking shortcuts can turn a potential take-out night into a total kitchen win. For example:
- Grab a rotisserie chicken and incorporate it into soups or chilis or tacos so you can reap the benefits of high-quality protein without spending extra time cooking it.
- If you're limiting grains, you can shred the chicken and stuff lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lime for lunch or dinner.
- Start with your favorite pre-made pizza dough (this is our favorite which we have delivered to our home), then add your favorite jarred sauce and vegetable toppings plus a sprinkle of flavorful cheese to make it a meal!
- Buy pre-chopped produce, especially those hard-to-manage vegetables (ahem, squash) that are more time-intensive to prepare. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and roast for a side dish or added to salads during the week.
- Here are some delicious herbs we purchase to make life easier.
2 – Cook Once, Eat Twice
Batch cooking is an efficient way to keep up with your healthy eating goals no matter what time of year. There is a good chance you have already done some batch cooking in the past. If not:
Batch cooking is essentially cooking more than what you need in the moment so you can take advantage of having all of your cooking tools and gadgets out (read: it’s way more efficient!). For example, we often chop up the broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and wash fruit so that it will be ready to go. This truly increases our intake of fruit and vegetables in addition to saving time in the long run.
Batch cooking shouldn't be confused with leftovers, because batch cooking refers to pre-prepping one component so you can repurpose it later.
For instance:
3 – Sheet Pan and One Pot Meals
Is your least favorite part of cooking the cleanup? I get it! Simplify your life by searching for one-dish meals to seriously cut down on time spent doing the dishes. Here are a few to get you started:
- Create baking pockets by putting them in foil (and lining with parchment, if you prefer) then crimping for perfectly roasted fish that stays juicy, never dry.
- Roasting your favorite protein with seasonal produce is a tasty no-fuss way to incorporate a few servings of vegetables into a meal.
- Still learning how to use your Instant Pot? Now would be a good time! Click here for a great help for this.You can get frozen proteins to the table fast with this safe and simple pressure cooker.
- A simple 12-minute recipe: frozen protein [like chicken thighs] + favorite jarred tomato sauce + a jar of olives = yummy cacciatore that will have everyone running to the table for dinner. If you use plant-based protein, like dried chickpeas, just soak the dried beans overnight and be sure they are covered with fluid [jarred sauce + some broth] before cooking in Instant Pot.
Can you think of any other kitchen hacks? Write a comment below. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and experiences. I am still learning every day! You can also email me at: Debbiesuerd@RD-Mom.com
You might also like:
27 Christmas Cooking Ideas for Kids
5 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
5 Reasons Why I Love Epicure
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Aug 10, 2022 | Education Materials
A diet low in FODMAPs may improve your IBS
Did you know that one in seven adults suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
Common IBS symptoms include:
- Lower abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloating
- Altered bowel movement (constipation and/or diarrhea)
- GI upset sometimes characterizes this condition
Research conducted at Monash University suggests that the best way to alleviate the symptoms associated with IBS may be to limit a group of small chain carbohydrates (such as sugars and fibers) that may be poorly digested. This group of carbohydrates, known as FODMAPs, is well tolerated by most and, in fact, FODMAPs feed healthy gut bacteria.
But for those individuals who do not fully digest these molecules, they enter the large intestine where fermentation causes undesirable symptoms.
The low FODMAP diet has gained popularity for its usefulness in reducing symptoms associated with IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders. So, what exactly are FODMAPs?
FODMAP is an acronym that stands for:
- Fermentable
- Oligosaccharides (legumes)
- Disaccharides (lactose, milk sugar)
- Monosaccharide (excess fructose)
- And
- Polyols (sugar alcohols)
Some common foods high in FODMAPs include
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Onions
- Garlic
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Mushrooms
- Sugar-free gum can trigger IBS-related symptoms because it contains sugar alcohols, like erythritol, which are high FODMAP
A diet low in FODMAPs may improve your IBS
Removing problem foods has been shown to improve IBS symptoms by 70-80%. And many foods can be identified in the short-term as not being problematic, thus, making the long-term removal of foods less burdensome.
The low FODMAP diet is a temporary elimination diet rather than a lifetime prescription. The elimination phase is about 2-6 weeks and involves the removal of all high-FODMAP foods from the diet, followed by the gradual reintroduction of these foods by FODMAP category.
It is important to work through the reintroduction period with a registered dietitian for guidance on appropriately reintroducing foods and how to accurately assess tolerance.
The objective of this method is to identify which foods trigger symptoms. Adhering to a low FODMAP diet for a period of time can be difficult but there are a variety of resources that may be useful.
You can use the Monash University app will help get you started.
The really good news is that not every high FODMAP food causes symptoms in everyone. This means that after the elimination phase, you can slowly re-introduce foods. If there are no symptoms, you can continue eating those foods.
The slow re-introduction of higher FODMAP foods back into the diet is important in pinpointing which foods trigger your individual symptoms and in what quantities.
Other articles you might find helpful:
Is it Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease?
7 Surprising Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
10 Small Steps to Improve Your Health
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Jul 15, 2022 | Education Materials
How to Stop Letting Our Food Hang-ups Win: Common Scenarios
So now we know what are the common food hang-ups and rituals that people tend to have. We also know that when we stay stubbornly stuck in these behaviors, we’re less likely to reach our weight loss and fitness goals. Or, if we do reach them, we’re more likely to put the weight back on that we lost.
What goes in the typical adult’s life that can trip up your health and fitness quest? How can we actively decide on a course of action, so we aren’t as likely to fall into the trap of our food hang-ups when the goal is to lose weight and get healthy? What about our kids? How do we stop the food hang-up patterns from repeating?
Let’s get into some scenarios.
Scenario 1: Trying to stick to a healthy eating plan after starting a new job.
Starting a new job means you’re likely to feel hungrier than normal, as well as experiencing cravings due to the change in work environment and all of the adjustments and new things to learn that go along with it.
What can happen if you're not careful? A long busy day at a new job can leave you feeling pretty hangry when all is said and done. Probably you have a strong urge to hit the drive-thru and load up on whatever your favorite fast food is. Or maybe you want to make a beeline to the local bakery while it's still open and lose yourself filling sweets.
Make the healthier choice. There are definitely ways to reduce cravings when you're facing a life transition like starting a new job. First, don't deny the hunger. Even if you're trying to lose weight, your body is signaling that it needs something to combat the stress… so give it what it needs.
Add protein and healthy fiber.
There are lots of great snacks that don’t need to be full of fat and sugar to relieve that hungry feeling when it happens as a result of stress or mental overload.
Pack a healthy snack.
Get in the habit of packing a snack that combines fruit or crunchy veggies with a filling protein. Think hard-boiled eggs, cheese in small amounts, a handful of nuts, or something like lean turkey bacon. Mix up with a few whole grain crackers, carrot sticks or some other healthy produce to curb your hunger and stop you from cruising to the drive-thru after work.
Scenario 2: Let’s celebrate your personal victory with a great, big meal or fattening treat!
Most people’s food hang-ups involve always celebrating accomplishments, both for ourselves and our kids, with an unhealthy food choice. We buy cakes for every occasion, make small personal victories into a pizza night, reward our kids for straight A’s with a night out at a restaurant, and eat pie after we do our taxes. But when you’re really trying to make a permanent lifestyle change that leads to weight loss, falling back on the same old food hang-ups can trip us up big-time. So how can we change the pattern?
Make the healthier choice.
Nonfood based reward.
When you want to reward yourself or your kids for a job well done, you do have other options other than treats and snacks. For kids, you might decide to offer an experience type of reward such as a trip to a trampoline park, amusement park, night of bowling or something else that the family would enjoy doing together. If it’s for yourself, how about a spa day, trip to a museum, or something that you would enjoy as a reward for a job well done?
Don’t double down on ice cream.
Another creative option is to use the treat as a meal. Maybe on a night where there's no school the next day, you can treat the kids to an ice cream dinner. Normally people would do dinner and follow it with ice cream. But if you treat ice cream as the main meal for the evening, you can supplement with a light snack like veggies and yogurt dip later on.
Scenario 3: Emotional upheaval has you reaching for fattening desserts using the biggest spoon you can find.
Your boyfriend broke up with you. Or your rent went up and you’re freaking out about money. Your boss came down on you at work today. Or your sister is having health problems. You’ve been trying to be so good with making healthy food choices. But the emotional stress is putting a crimp in your plans. Carrot cake sounds so much better than carrot sticks right now. How can you avoid using food as an emotional band-aid when everything seems so crappy in your life?
Make the healthier choice.
Fattening and addictive foods always seem to be within easy reach. But try to remember that once you start, it’s hard to stop, especially when you’re feeling emotionally worn down and your nerves are in a fragile state.
The best thing to do for yourself when your emotions are getting the best of you is give your body and brain what’s needed most: protein, and whole grains. It’s hard to believe that when you want pie you should go for brown rice and lean chicken. But if you plan ahead and keep your fridge and pantry stocked with the right foods that will make a difference for your health, you’ll be less likely to cave to cravings when emotions run high.
Run it off, stretch away the stress.
You might not feel like it at first, but at those times when you’re experiencing emotional pain are exactly the times when you should exercise. Getting started can be tough if you’re feeling down, it’s true. But this is where having a motivating support group on your side can help you over the hurdle of not being emotionally up for caring for yourself.
Work through the emotions.
Instead of using food as an emotional band-aid, try actual emotional support.
A better idea when someone we care about is upset or struggling with something emotional is to provide a healthy balanced meal and a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen. Fattening foods might send a message of love because that’s what mom always did. But you can break the cycle and offer a hug and a big dose of sympathy instead. Then, when it’s your turn to grapple with emotions, you’ll have established a good way for others to offer you what you’ve been giving.
We’re here talking about how a mental shift is needed if we want to make permanent lifestyle changes that lead to weight loss, a fitter, stronger body and better health overall. So, let’s talk about the food psychology that’s standing in the way of our weight loss success. Did your family do any of the following (See next post)? If so, it may be time to get a new way of thinking about old eating habits.
Common Food Hang-ups and How they Halt our Weight Loss Progress
Food Hang-ups…Why Diets Don't Work – Homeschooling Dietitian Mom
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Why is it So Hard to Lose Weight?
