Dietitian Ali

08/20/2019

One of my favorite ways to eat the rainbow!
Garden tomatoes and fresh basil

04/28/2019

Kabob night. I separate everything since cooking times vary.
(And sorry to my OCD friends. You’ll know exactly why I’m apologizing 😂)

04/08/2019

I’ve totally brain washed my kids into thinking that water is the best beverage choice ever!!!
But....it gets boring!
This weekend my daughter made cucumber/mint/lime water.
Today I did strawberry/orange and watermelon/mint.
The science nerd in me might turn it into a lesson on density 😂. My poor children

04/07/2019

Lunch box prep

04/02/2019

Visited my parents this weekend and my mom made these for breakfast. So yummy! I came home and made them immediately. Mine aren’t so pretty but top with salsa and an avocado slice and they are tasty!
They are meant for breakfast but I call this an anytime food. I’d eat these for breakfast, lunch, or even a hearty snack.

03/29/2019

03/28/2019

Health is a commitment and can be overwhelming. It’s ok to have bad days.
Rest. Don’t quit

03/26/2019

Know your triggers and avoid them. Advice I give to clients often.
I also tell my clients not to grocery shop when hungry.
I didn’t take my own advice and over indulged on this Pub Mix today.
But that doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel on healthy eating for the rest of the day. I will stick with the planned meal of seared tuna, broccoli and baked potato for dinner.
Health is a journey! So often I hear clients say they messed up their ‘diet’ and ‘fell off track’
Don’t let one decision derail your journey!!!!!

03/25/2019

I have this conversation with my clients a lot.
Write down your goals, make a plan and take small steps forward

03/21/2019

Thinking Green. Another night, another practice to shuttle kids to.
Love shopping Trader Joe’s for those nights when I need the short cuts!

Super quick meal prep tonight before the evening run around
* Pour a jar of Trader Joe’s pesto on salmon
* toss pre cut bag of Trader Joe’s broccoli with olive oil, salt, and Parmesan
* microwave bag of frozen brown rice

03/20/2019

I’ve said this a few times on my personal page but figured I’d address it ‘professionally’!
***Feeding a teenage boy is no joke****. Like seriously it’s work!!! Especially when they are also an athlete! I have had more than one request for “second dinner” from my son.
And while I love that my kids eat lots of fruits and veggies that’s not really going to keep them feeling ‘full’! Fruits and veggies are packed with vital nutrients that kids need, but since they are carbohydrate based A growing teen athlete is going to burn those carbs quickly!!

Some simple science.
1 gram of carbohydrate has 4 kcals
1 gram of protein has 4 kcals
1 gram of fat has 9 kcals
Fat has more than twice the calories in the same unit of measurement - it helps you feel full. It also takes longer to break down both fat and protein so these foods leave you feeling satisfied longer.

So how does that translate into actually feeding your kid!

Traditionally kids ‘ snack’ on non nutritive, non satisfying foods (think chips, cookies etc)

Trying adding some healthy fats and proteins to those snacks! You may get a little more time between those “mom I’m hungry again”

Examples of some of a few of my teens go to snacks:
* Air popped popcorn with melted coconut oil and sea salt
* toaster oven nachos (tortilla chips, cooked chicken, cheese, salsa, avocado). My son eats this almost daily and uses a whole avocado
* banana with peanut butter (giant spoonfuls for the boy). Sun butter can be subbed for allergies
* protein shake. I keep vanilla protein powder at the house. Both kids make shakes with almond milk, protein powder and fruit. This is breakfast some days. A post run
Snack for my son and occasionally a small ‘meal’ before practice for my daughter if she doesn’t want something heavy before practice
* Greek yogurt parfait with berries and almonds
* hummus with just about anything- veggies, crackers, whole wheat pita
* mini veggie quiche

Some protein and fat staples I always have: variety of nuts and nut butters, avocados, hummus, protein powder, cooked shredded chicken, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, eggs

03/19/2019

Time is my most valuable commodity. I definitely struggle to find the time to ‘cook’ every night between work and kids activities.
So when I do have the time I make the most of it. It’s just as easy (and takes the same amount of time) to grill 8 chicken breasts as it is to grill 4 - only this way I’ve got more than one meal ready to go. Lemon, garlic, rosemary chicken on the left. Teriyaki chicken on the right. Foil packet contains veggies
Recipe for lemon garlic chicken (3 tbsp oil, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 lemons juiced, 6 garlic gloves crushed - pour mixture over chicken and marinate for several hours or overnight)

03/18/2019

I love this quote.
Sundays are food prep days in my house.
Yesterday was no exception. However, none of the food prep took place in my kitchen.

Spring is in the air so I spent my day in the garden! Cleared out the raised beds, pruned the fruit trees and planted some Spring onions.
Food tastes better when you grow it yourself!

03/17/2019

To those new to the page - Welcome!!
If you know me personally, you know I love food!!!
I love to cook, eat and utilize food for health.

I use this page to provide ideas, tips and recipes. It’s general (non disease specific) nutrition advice for what I do to try to keep my family healthy. Many of us struggle with work life balance and carry the weight of responsibility for providing meals for our families. It’s my hope you can find solutions on this page.

I welcome feedback on things you would like to learn more about!
Happy, healthy eating to you!!!

03/12/2019

We’ve reached that phase of our lives that due to work schedules and Spring Sports sitting down to a family meal on a week night is...challenging at best. I try to prep some foods on the weekends that can be eaten anytime. Huge proponent of plan and prep!!

This weekend I did my weekly staples of fruit salad, green salad and cooked shredded chicken
I also made Asian Chicken salad, Mediterranean tuna salad, ground turkey lettuce wrap filling, hard boiled eggs and crock pot steel cut oatmeal.
Tonight we all ate different things at different times....but glad that we had some real food alternatives vs drive thru.
Planning and Prepping are key!!!!!
Here’s the recipe for Mediterranean tuna salad
https://pin.it/juxn7f7c4hnic4

03/07/2019

Low-carb diet tied to common heart rhythm disorder: Study suggests using caution when restricting carbohydrates for weight loss

Another interesting study.
Per the study afib risk is associated with the ‘long term use’ of such diets. No quantification of what is meant by ‘long term’.

Low-carb diets are all the rage, but can cutting carbohydrates spell trouble for your heart? People getting a low proportion of their daily calories from carbohydrates such as grains, fruits and starchy vegetables are significantly more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common h...

03/04/2019

Why nutritional psychiatry is the future of mental health treatment

Interesting article!
https://theconversation.com/why-nutritional-psychiatry-is-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment-92545

A growing body of scientific evidence is making clear the connection between good nutrition and good mental health.

02/27/2019

Packing lunches for my kids is a labor of love for sure.
Today’s lunch was Cantaloupe, cucumbers, pirates b***y, small lemon bar (and not pictured homemade chicken wrap sandwich with lettuce and hummus).
I added in the cheese, Lara bar and stuffed dates for the teen boy who absolutely needs the calories.
What do you like to pack for your kids?

02/24/2019

Lettuce wraps!!
This weeks after school snack for the kids.
I modify PF Chang’s recipe - pretty much doubling the quantity of their recipe and adding shredded carrots and diced peppers to up the veggie content.
They come home from school pretty hungry and I prefer having real foods around to traditional ‘snack’ foods!

02/20/2019

Slightly different choices for our snow day.
Full disclosure I usually opt for brownies, cookies, margaritas and chips n queso. The novelty of snow days is wearing off so opted for a little more nutrition this time around.
Chose goat cheese stuffed dates, celery with almond butter, fruit and deviled eggs. Not pictured Mediterranean salad and shredded chicken

01/04/2019

These little guys are saving me right now.
Definitely suffering a little post Holiday sugar withdrawal.
At 100 calories and only three ingredients (dates, peanuts, sea salt) they are satisfying the sweet cravings enough that I’m not missing the real cookies

12/03/2018

I have to say the Romaine recall has renewed my love of this 5 ingredient salad. Spinach, pears, pecans, feta, and red wine vinaigrette.

10/30/2018

How to Make Perfect Pumpkin Seeds - Home Cooking Memories

Carved our pumpkins yesterday and I made these today! I’ll be munching my roasted pumpkin seeds on Halloween night (after I steal one piece of my kids candy 😉).

https://homecookingmemories.com/perfect-pumpkin-seeds/

After you've carved your jack-o-lantern for Halloween, it's time to roast perfect pumpkin seeds! Here's how you can make this salty and crunchy snack.

04/25/2018

It’s Rev Your Bev Day!
What are some of your favorite add-ins for water?
We are big fans of cucumber/mint and lemon/raspberry

10/09/2017

If someone were to have told me as a kid that someday I would be super excited about beef and cabbage- I would have told them they were crazy!
What foods did you hate as a kid that you now like as an adult?

10/08/2017

Asian Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe

Just made this for lunches for the week!
Yummy and easy way to get veggies in
http://pin.it/dsVQP0l

Asian ramen noodle salads are a classic at potlucks! With fresh cabbage mix, shredded carrots, scallions, mandarin oranges, almonds, and sesame dressing.

10/04/2017

Girl child: mom what's for dinner?
Me: Tacos. Its national taco day
Girl child: you just made a great day even better

What's meals do you serve that make the whole family happy???

09/20/2017

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

Dangerous dish for me. I can eat it for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks.

http://pin.it/kqb5yKP

Tastes like Hash Brown Casserole without all the calories and carbs

07/27/2017

Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable?
I'll be honest....I don't care. A garden fresh tomato TASTES fantastic!!!! (far superior in taste to a grocery store tomato)!
These little beauties provide lots of nutrition whether considered a fruit or a vegetable

07/25/2017

My daughter was on a play date and was served stuffed peppers for dinner. She LOVED them!!!! She asked me to make them twice since. I don't know about you all....but I feel like I hear a choir of angels singing when I find something that the WHOLE family enjoys!!!
Lots of variations on stuffed peppers (I stayed with traditional beef, onion, cooked rice, tomato sauce and a little shredded cheese but lots of room for creativity)

06/20/2017

Seasonal eating!
Cherries are in Season!!!
Left out two pints for snacking and the rest........pitted and ready to hit the deep freezer to be enjoyed later!

06/19/2017

14 Reasons Why Most Diets Fail - TheDiabetesCouncil.com

https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/why-do-most-diets-fail/?platform=hootsuite

14 reasons why most diets fail. And what can you do to make sure you're among that successful ones. Plus tips from 51 leading experts.

06/17/2017

A startling number of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows

Please can we build in better nutrition education programs in our schools??

Http://www.today.com/food/does-chocolate-milk-comes-brown-cows-t112772

Apparently we all need a field trip to a dairy farm, stat.

06/04/2017

Cooking is a life skill. One that seems to be diminishing with some of our young people. Thank you American Girl Doll Cookbook for inspiring this young lady. Lemony Hummus is on the menu for this weeks after school snacks (recipe in comments)