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Newsletter - Summer 2011

It's Veggie Time!

To kick start your healthy eating, try a new vegetable today. Or, try an old reliable in a new way!

Click here for a complete list of area Farmer's Markets.
 
For a fun new spin, try a squeezing a lemon or a vinegar based dressing on your favorite salad. Bonus! Lemon and vinegar have a positive effect on your blood sugar. Another old reliable worth another try is an “old spice” that will have you looking at it differently, did you know that cinnamon can be used not just to flavor your favorite holiday treats but it is also a treat for your blood sugar!
 
An idea for a new vegetable to try in place of an old, ever try a sweet potato in place of a plain white? Sprinkle that with cinnamon for a tasty, healthy and lower blood sugar impact side dish.  For a more savory side dish spin, try roasting a sweet potato with some other veggies, like onions, carrots and peppers or any of your other favorites with a little bit of olive or canola oil (heart healthy fats!), you can add spices or just let the natural, fresh flavor shine through.  Remember though, even though  a sweet potato is a healthier carb than a white potato, we still want to watch the portion size as it is still a starchy vegetable!
 
Some other new veggies to try; tomatillos in your salsa, leeks in your soup, cabbage in your salad, cucumbers on your sandwich, squash in your stir fry, the combinations are endless! Go explore your grocery today, see what you come up with. What is all this fuss about vegetables? Well, besides the obvious that they are delicious and add color to our lives, they are naturally low in calories and full of fiber.  That extra fiber is what makes them more filling so that you’ll be eating fewer simple carbohydrates and less fat, which means you can eat more without spiking your blood sugar or increasing insulin resistance.
 
“Free” Non-Starchy Vegetables:
Artichoke        Asparagus     Baby corn     Beans (green)     Beets          Broccoli
Cabbage         Carrots         Cauliflower    Celery                Cucumber   Eggplant
Green onions   Greens         Mushrooms    Okra                  Onions        Peppers
Spinach           Tomatoes/Tomato juice
 

Healthy Cooking Classes

Healthy Cooking Classes hosted by your own Hillcrest Dietitian, Cassie Wrich, RD/LD and cooking demonstrations by Bill Leib, from the Culinary Arts Department at OSU Institute of Technology.

Classes will be held on the following Saturdays from 11:00-12:00:

June 25th
July 23rd
September 24th
October 22nd 

Cost is $15 per person.

 Call today to sign up, (918) 579-3385! Limited seating available.

Crock Pot Ratatouille

1 serving = 1 cup
 
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 eggplant, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped coarse
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. oregano
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
 
In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. Eat hot or cold!
 
Yield: 4-6 servings
Nutrition Facts: 10g total carbohydrates
Recipe modified by Betsy Manis, RD/LD, CDE