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Do you need help cutting back on salt in your diet? Check out this video from eatright.org.

 

Don't forget that March is National Nutrition Month. What are you doing to eat healthier this March?

March is Nutrition Month and all month long we'll be giving you tips and ideas to help make you and your family healthier. Below are some ideas from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on ways to enjoy more fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Building a healthy plate is easy when you make half your plate fruits and vegetables. It’s also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat. Make 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables your daily goal. Try the following tips to enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day.
1. Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.
2. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.
3. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.
4. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.
5. Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.
6. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.*
7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.
8. Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-therun.Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.
9. Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.
10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.
11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.
12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.
13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.
14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.
15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.
16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.
17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.
18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). Top with low-fat dressing.*
19. Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.
20. Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.
*See “Color Your Plate with Salad” at
www.eatright.org/nutritiontipsheets for more tips on creating healthy salads.
(source: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/handoutsandtipsheets/)

When you’re hungry and looking for a quick snack sometimes choosing what seems to be a healthier choice can add up in calories if you are not paying attention to portion sizes.

For example the photo below is of trail mix containing cranberries, bits of dark chocolate, almonds, walnuts and raisins. How bad can that be, right? A single serving is 1/3 cup which amounts to a heaping handful and 190 calories. Not bad, if you can stay with the single serving…most don’t. A few handfuls of this “healthy snack” can add up to 600 calories to your daily consumption.

Planning ahead and bagging single serving sizes of this snack can help. Not only does it create a visual of how many servings found in one container it also may help you satisfy your craving while avoiding over indulgence. 

Can it be Labor Day already?  Wow this summer went by fast.  This week, Chez Mike is offering us a great halibut dinner that is sure to make the summer last a little longer.

 

Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Summer Vegetable Salad & Tomato Marmalade

Pacific Coast Halibut Filet          4, 6oz portions

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                3 Cups

Whole Garlic Cloves                  5

Thyme & Rosemary Sprigs        2 Each

Eggplant, Zucchini, Yellow Squash,

Red Bell Pepper, all diced         1Each

Roma Tomatoes                        5

Red Wine Vinegar                     1 Tablespoon

Sugar                                        ¼ Cup

Juice of 2 lemons

Extra Virgin Olive Oil                ¼ Cup

Fresh Basil                                ½ Bunch

 

1) Tomato Marmalade – Deseed and dice tomatoes.  Place in small sauce pot with sugar and red wine vinegar.  Cook on low heat until mixture gets thick (about 1 hour), Let cool.  Reserve.

                       

2) Sautee vegetables on medium high heat until slightly soft.  Transfer to bowl, let cool.  Toss with basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

3) Heat olive oil, thyme, and rosemary on low heat to 180 degrees.  Season with salt and pepper.  Submerge fish in oil (use more if necessary).  Cook on very low heat for 8-10 minutes.  Serve on vegetable salad with tomato marmalade.

We're back with another great recipe to make your summer party fun.  This month, Chez Mike is whipping up some Grilled Peaches with "Great Hill Blue" Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar.  Enjoy the recipe and let us know how good it was!  You can also upload a photo of the dish, or your family enjoying it to our Facebook page.

 

Ripe Peaches                            4

Arugula                                    ¼ Pound

Honey                                      ¼ Cup

Olive Oil                                   2 Tablespoon

Balsamic Vinegar                       ¼ Cup

Blue Cheese of Your Choice      ¼ pound  

 

Whisk oil, honey and vinegar together.  Quarter peaches by cutting around the pit.  Coat with vinegar mixture.  Grill peaches until just charred. Top with arugula and blue cheese.

 

 

 

The Capital District YMCA is pleased to introduce another contributor to our website.  Starting in July, you can visit CDYMCA.org to find healthy recipes from Chef Mike Cohen, from Chez Mike's Restaurant in East Greenbush.  This month's recipe comes just in time for a long weekend.

Here is a great summer recipe that is easy to make, delicious, and very healthy.  It can be eaten plain, or used in many other ways:  Add chilled seafood for a nice appetizer or lunch, or even blend with extra virgin olive oil for a delicious gazpacho vinaigrette to dress salads or grilled chicken.  The key is to use fresh vegetables, and eat within one day.  If you like, you can make a lot, and freeze it airtight for another time.  This way the gazpacho doesn’t loose its vibrancy. 

 

Summer Gazpacho

Tomatoes(romas are best, but whatever looks freshest)  2#

Cucumbers, peeled  1#

Small beet  1

Jalapeno 1 (more if you like it spicy)

Red bell pepper  2

Garlic cloves  2

Cilantro leaves,  ½ bunch

½ Cup kosher salt

Juice of 2 limes  

1-      Roughly chop first 7 ingredients, mix with salt in a large bowl, let sit for 1 hour.

2-      There are three options for blending the vegetables: Juicer-this will give you the finest texture, resulting in the thinnest soup.  Blender- this will be slightly chunkier.  Food processor- chunkiest texture, for a more rustic appeal.  All are good, so go with what equipment you have or what you prefer.

 

About Chez Mike

Chef Michael is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with exceptional restaurant experience. 

After graduating in 1999, he worked for 2 years in Atlanta, GA at the 4 Diamond/5 Star Seeger’s Restaurant.   It was there, under the tutelage of world renowned Chef Gunther Seeger, that Chef Mike learned the art of simple, fresh, seasonal cooking.  Later, Mike worked at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City.  At the Four Seasons, Chef Mike learned the extreme importance of going out of your way to ensure guest satisfaction.

Finally, Mike decided to move up to the Capital City area to marry his long time love and inspiration, Michele.  His most notable job was as Executive Chef of Lipperas at the Chatham House in Columbia County.  There, the Lippera family allowed Chef Mike to demonstrate his ability to transform the Chatham House into a premiere dining destination.  During his tenure as Executive Chef, the Chatham House received many accolades including, Times Union 3 1/2 Stars, Best Entree Capital City Area 2005, and Columbia County’s Best New Restaurant among others. 

Chef Michael Cohen has also been noted in Hudson Valley and Dinnerware Magazines.  Most recently, he has made several appearances as guest on Carmine’s Restaurant T.V. Show.

Michele Cohen is also a Culinary Institute of America graduate.  Upon graduation in 1999, she chose a career in foodservice management.  Michele worked for such establishments as Harvard Business School and Fidelity at the World Trade Center, both in Boston, MA. 

Since settling back into the Albany area with Mike, she has worked various positions at Provence and is now with J&S Watkins Homebaked Desserts.  It is here that Michele excels at the fine, from scratch creations they offer.

Happily married, Michele and Mike, currently reside in East Greenbush, excited to be serving the community in which they live.

 

During the summer of 2008, I was getting ready for High School and wanted to start losing weight.  Also, at a physical during my 8^th grade year, my pediatrician said that I needed to lose weight or I would get Type 2 Adult Onset diabetes, at that time I weighed in at 268.

I talked with my Mom about wanting to lose weight and she arranged for us to join the YMCA as a family.  At first I went to do weight training, because I wanted to build up my chest muscles but that didn’t make much of a difference in how I looked or did not help me lose weight.  In September 2008, I was frustrated that I did not lose much weight and my mother suggested that we go talk to the YMCA’s nutritionist Kendra Evans and that’s when my weight loss really began.

At the first meeting I weighed in at  260 pounds.  Kendra explained that if I wanted to lose weight I would need to eat 250 calories less a day and burn at least 250 calories.  She gave me healthy lifestyle tips sheet, food tips and a list of healthy foods to choose from.  We agreed to start seeing Kendra once a week to check in on my progress.

So, I looked at the food sheets and tried to figure out meals that I would like eating.  I got into a routine of having cereal in the morning and would pack my lunch for school which usually consisted of a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, an apple and 100-calorie pudding or pretzels.  At dinner, I tried to cut down on seconds, which was hard because my Dad is a really good cook.  Mostly I tried to cut down on the starches (rice and pasta).  I also stopped drinking 2% milk and replaced it with skim milk.

For exercise, I would use my mom’s elliptical machine in the basement and would try to burn at least 250-500 calories a day.  Now, I’ve worked my way up to burning 1,500 calories a day or working out for about an hour a day. 

When a year had passed around the summer of 2009 I had lost 85 pounds, and I’ve kept it off.  I want to lose more weight and go lower.  Now I’m in the 180s, but I’m starting to lose again. And I am not over exaggerating when I say that most of this is because of Kendra, a large part of it was her pushing me and me being determined to do it.

-Matt Gariepy

We'd like to thank Matt for sharing his Y story with all of us.  Everyday, someone starts their journey to a healthy lifestyle at the Capital District YMCA.  If you would like to share how the YMCA has affected your life, email Rob Totaro at rtotaro@cdymca.org.

Have you noticed the Chain Restaurants and Food Manufacturers are feeling the nutrition pinch.  Taco Bell’s Weight loss Campaign features 7 “Fresco” menu items with less than 9 grams of fat.  Applebee’s launched a new category of menu items, all less than 550 calories and this is in addition to their Weight Watchers menu.  Starbucks had expanded its food line with the addition of a variety of Panini sandwiches of 400 calories or less and will begin promoting all of its beverages under 90 calories.  Dunkin Donuts has introduced a “DDSmart” menu that features “better-for-you choices that keep you running” and include hot and cold beverage options, muffins and breakfast sandwiches.  KFC offers 395 calories for $3.95 for 2 pieces of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans.  General Mills says it will cut the sugar in 10 of its cereal marketed to children to single digit grams of sugar per serving in response to consumer desire for less sugar. 

All of this added information seems to help us exercise restraint and curbs appetites, but is it changing the way you eat at home?  At the Capital District YMCA we have dozens of nutrition programs designed to help you eat better and live a healthier life.  You can check out these programs at www.cdymca.org.