Friday, October 30, 2009

The Washington Times Communities!

Look whose on the front page of the Communities with the Washington Times. The communities is officially launching on Monday, so check back in everyday to read all about health and nutrition.

http://community.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/hail-mary-food-grace/2009/oct/30/vegetable-vitality/

Friday, October 16, 2009

Ways to get your kids to eat their vegetables

Kids are always trying to find ways to avoid eating their vegetables, from secretly feeding it to the pet dog or have it magically appear in their napkin. So here is something you can do to get your kids to get their daily dose of vegetables such as celery, carrots, and broccoli.

  1. With adult supervision let your kids play with the vegetables so that the vegetable seems less scary.
  2. Toss them into a dish like Vegetable Steam Fry or Shepherds Pie
  3. Use a microplane to mince the vegetables and add it them to sauces

Recipe of the Day. Shepherds Pie

Shepard’s Pie

Ingredients-

  1. 1 lb Ground Beef 15% or 1 pack soft Tofu
  2. 2-3 ea organic potatoes
  3. 1/2 C warm chicken stock
  4. 1/4 low fat milk, heated
  5. 1 can tomato paste
  6. 1 Yellow Onion
  7. 10 baby Carrots (round slices)
  8. 1-Cup Chicken Stock
  9. 1 Bag uncooked Spinach
  10. 2 Tbsp Butter
  11. Pinch Salt

Steamed Spinach- How to Sauté

  1. Heat up sauté pan with 1 inch of water in pan
  2. Add spinach once it starts to steam
  3. Use spatula to move around
  4. Cook for 1-2 min
  5. Remove from pan
  6. After removed it continue to Cook-

Potatoes-

  1. Peel the potatoes and chop up to equal pieces. (Smaller pieces for faster cooking)
  2. In pot bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once they’re tender dump out the water, add back to the pot and cook out the water on medium heat.
  3. Once the water is cooked out, turn off heat. Then heat up 1 tbsp butter, chicken stock, and low fat milk. Once warm, slowly incorporate into the potatoes, mashing with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ground Beef or Tofu

  1. Dice onion & carrots very small and in a sauté pan heat tablespoon of Olive Oil
  2. Sauté the onion till soft and golden brown
  3. Add the ground beef
  4. Cook ½ way then add tomato past and Chicken Broth
  5. Chef pinch of salt
  6. Let Simmer for 10min.

Directions-

  1. Get Baking Dish
  2. Bottom of dish add Ground Beef or Tofu
  3. Spinach
  4. Top with Mashed Potatoes
  5. Cover completely with Mashed Potatoes
  6. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes

What Types of Chickens do We Eat?

When I was on the farm with my dear friends at Pond Hill Farm they showed me around their chicken coup. Farmer Tim told me all about the different types of chickens. My video from Pond Hill Farm will be coming soon, and you can learn all about their amazing and educational farm.

When it comes to chickens, there are several different breeds used for different things. These breeds fall into one of three categories egg, meat, and the dual-purpose breed. Chickens such as the Ameraucana, Ancona, and Andalusian are used primarily for producing eggs. These breeds are known for being lightweight birds whose hens do not go broody.

While the Bresse, Cornish Game, and Ixworth are preferred for meat alone, though the commercial broiler market is currently monopolized by the Cornish-Rock (a hybrid of the Cornish and Plymouth Rock). Duel purpose chickens on the other hand are the generalist breeds used in barnyards the world over, good at producing both meat and eggs. Though some may be slightly better for one of these purposes, they are usually called dual-purpose breeds.


Thursday, October 15, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

Breakfast on the Go!

Dear Mary,

I’m a college student from OU. With exams, sports, clubs, and every other aspect of the college life I’m always moving. Got any quick and easy recipes for a college student who is always on the run?

Best, Ann

Dear Ann,
There is nothing easy about college including eating healthy, but even though you are in a hurry you should always try and eat a good breakfast. Try these simple ideas.

• 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 1/4 C blueberries and 2 tbsp granola with flax seed
• A protein shake with 9 grams of protein powder.
They’re high in protein and low in sugar and it’s a great way to start the morning because eating a healthy breakfast is essential for good health.


Good Luck Ann

Sincerely,
Chef Mary

College- Ways to Eat Healthier. Keep off the Freshmen 15!

Funny College story-
Some believe the Freshmen 15 is an urban legend, a myth while in fact it’s a real thing. When I was a freshmen in college I went to an all girls school in Virginia. I only stayed for a year but the year really made an impact on my life. Saturday morning I would wake up at the usual 11 am and make my way down to the cafeteria, getting the last of the breakfast buffet. As I would sleepily stroll into the cafeteria, I would see walls of waffles, bagels and delicious morning desserts lining the walls. Though I didn’t know there was also tons of fruit, whole grain cereals, wheat toasts and yoghurt. Yes, I was not always the healthy person that I am today. I completely indulged on the waffles and donuts and everything else sweet, and fattening. Unfortunately I gained the freshmen 15 and then some. I have learned from experience that the freshmen 15 is no lie, but with proper eating you can avoid the extra weight.
1. Eat breakfast daily, even if it means having a protein shake.
2. Eat white proteins (fish, chicken, lean pork)
3. Don’t eat after dinner
4. Eat whole foods- Apples, whole grain breads, broccoli, chicken breasts
5. Have only healthy snacks (refer to my blog) in your dorm room so that if you must eat you know what you are eating is healthy
6. Go to sleep at a regular time
7. Sleep at least 8-9 hours
8. Learn how to maneuver the grocery store, and stay away from the frozen food isle
9. Make a play list that is 30 minutes and walk from the start to the finish
10. .Have one day a week where you splurge on fattening foods.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Recipe of the Day. Salsa and Guacamole from OU Cooking Tour



Salsa
  1. 2 c diced deseeded tomatoes ( about 6 roma tomatoes)
  2. 6 garlic cloves minced (chopped really fine, or put through a garlic press)
  3. 1/2 Jalapeno (deseeded)
  4. 1/2 red onion small dice
  5. 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  6. 2 limes juiced
  7. chef pinch (three fingers) salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients and serve with chips! Please be kind to your guests. No one wants to eat huge chinks of onion, so be kind please chop fine!

Guacamole-
  1. 3 avocados
  2. 1/4 c of the salsa from above
  3. Add more salt and pepper if you need it
Remove seed from avocados and slice avocado into squares. Mix avocados with salsa mixture from above.

Romaine vs. Iceberg.


Everyday I am constantly asked, “Mary which is better, romaine or iceberg?” Well when it comes to our leafy greens, Romaine is indeed better. According to the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory these are the nutrition values for one cup of Iceberg and once cup of Romaine. Aside from nutritional facts you also want to think about what you are cooking. If it is just casual on the go salad's absolutely choose romaine, however if you are making a classic dish like the wedge you might want to stick with what works, the Iceberg.

Iceberg- Great for wedge salads
• 8 calories
• 0.5 gram protein
• 0.7 gram fiber
• 10 mg calcium
• 78 mg potassium
• 1.5 mg vitamin C
• 16 mcg folate
• 13.3 mcg of vitamin K
• 164 mcg beta carotene
• 152 mcg of lutein + zeaxanthin.

Romaine- Great for everything else!
• contains 8 calories
• 0.58 gram protein
• 1 gram fiber
• 16 mg calcium
• 116 mg potassium
• 11.3 mg vitamin C
• 64 mcg folate
• 48.2 mcg vitamin K
• 1637 mcg beta carotene
• 1087 mcg of lutein + zeaxanthin.


Numbers don’t lie so when deciding which lettuce to buy go with romaine because the darker the green the more nutrients it has. At the end of the day we all want to be healthy even if you are on a budget, live in a residence hall, or don't know where to begin.

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Healthy College Snacks

As some of you may or may not know this week I am touring in Oklahoma promoting my Healthy Cooking Tour. With that said, here are some quick snack ideas for those college students who are always short on time. Try . . .

• Low fat string cheese wrapped with sliced low sodium turkey.
• Hard boiled eggs. One large egg has 70 calories, 6 grams of protein. Boil a few at the beginning of the week then store them for up to four days
• Protein bars that are high in protein around 15 g but low in carbohydrates and calories.
• Cucumber slices topped with hummus. Easy to store in your fridge


With these simple snack ideas you college students will have never have to worry about having something that is both filling and delicious when you are short on time.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Ask Chef Mary-Canned or Frozen Vegetables?

Dear Mary,

I live in a state where it is sometimes difficult to get fresh produce in the winter. Should I buy canned or frozen?

Sam

Sam, I am getting ready to post my Organic farming Cooking with Mary webisode on Itunes that does discuss this question. I will give you a brief idea but I still encourage you to look it up on itunes.

You should buy your produce frozen whenever you don’t have the option to buy it fresh. It retains more of the vitamins and minerals than it’s canned counterpart. Although freezing does reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals in the produce, you will still get more than you would canned.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Mary