Taco Salad with Greek Yogurt

We know football season is right around the corner. And we thought it might be a good idea to post some yummy, healthy recipes in case you want to start planning your menu for the season opener. (And let’s be honest…we’ve all started thinking about that!) So whether you’re a Cards or a Cats fan, take a look at this awesome recipe.

(Thank you to Erin Brown, our very own Registered Dietitian, for graciously sharing her knowledge with us!)

Taco Salad – Greek Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

8oz Greek Yogurt
8oz Fat Free Cream Cheese
1 bundle of green onions, diced
Shredded lettuce to cover
2 tomatoes, diced
8oz of shredded 2% cheese
1 package of taco seasoning

Mix greek yogurt, cream cheese, and taco seasoning as a base. Then top with diced onion, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded cheese – in that order. Makes 8 servings.

Total calories/serving: 123 total fat/serving: 6g protein/serving:14 g

Sandy’s Weight Loss Journey with the Y

Sandy Campbell has been a member and participant in the YMCA Weight Loss Program at the Oldham County Family YMCA since January, 2012. She has seen great success through this program, and has graciously shared her views on the program, her success, and her overall attitude with us.

Sandy, how has your life changed since beginning the YMCA Weight Loss Program?

I’ve been on every diet in the world and I was mislead on how to lose weight. The difference that I have seen since January in my life is night and day. I have figured out what hungry means and my body is now in charge of telling me what I need.

When losing weight in the past, what led to gaining the weight back?

Once I had reached my goal, I thought I was done. I went back to eating more, back to the TV, and back to eating while watching TV. I didn’t really think or know much about maintenance.

What is one of the main health improvements you have seen?

I was actually told by my physician at one point that I was a Type 2 Diabetic, but my last fasting glucose was 78 and my Hemoglobin A1C  was 5.1%.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

I always have a goal in mind. My next goal is to eliminate artificial sweeteners. Also, I am not a water lover, so I am still working on that. I will never give up my creamer, though.

What part of this program makes it work for you?

I have learned to set goals that I can reach. This program’s focus on goal setting and counting fat grams is great. I was taught about the macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. I have now found the perfect formula for me!

What would you tell someone who was thinking about joining the YMCA Weight Loss Program?

If you want back your youth, you’ve got to get yourself back. The person inside has a lot of self worth, you have to get back that self worth to compete in this world. You’ve got to want it. You’ve got to want it bad.

Any last words of wisdom?

My lifestyle has changed and I will never go back. I am throwing out my fat clothes. I stopped listening to what I wanted and started listening to what I needed.

Greening My Thumbs

Warning: three months ago I would have just about killed everything under my watch. GARDENING, y’all, I’m talking about gardening. Don’t get wound tight. Seriously, though, I couldn’t understand how both of my parents and my sisters totally understood the science of simply keeping plants alive. I’d water too much, I wouldn’t water at all. I’d leave them out in the sun too long, I’d basically tie them up in a black garbage bag. I’d fertilize the right amount, or I’d just short of dump the whole container of blue chemical on them. What on earth was I doing and how come I couldn’t get it right? It just wasn’t my thing. I just wasn’t made to get along with nature, I guess. Plants were happier, more lively (understatement of the century), and just plain better off without my touch. Oh well, on to the next hobby.

…Then my husband and I bought a house. Enter hallelujah chorus. Suddenly my interest in gardening peaked. I wanted flowers and I wanted them badly. Our back deck needed some C-O-L-O-R. Homeowner’s pride, according to my Mom.

Housewarming gift(s) #1 were two gorgeous hibiscus bushes from my Mom and aunt B. Deep breath. I can do this. I’m not going to let these babies die (hibiscus are p-p-p-pricey!). The tag says full sun. Check! The deck gets nothing but sun. Hot, 12-hours-a-day, full-exposure sun. We’re on to something. The tag says to keep them moist. Mental note: water every day. The tag says fertilize monthly. They include a scooper for a reason, Joan, don’t get chemical happy. My hibiscus are gorgeous! Every day I notice a new bud and I’ve got the most amazing, coral pink blooms as big as my palms. Extra excitement: my hibiscus look even better than my parents’ (sorry Mom)!

Next up: planters. Don’t laugh, I’m not confident enough to plant in a ground bed yet. I found some perfect rectangle planters to sit on our deck banister, bought some Miracle-Gro potting soil (side note: Costco’s got an amazing deal on a giant bag of this), and went to town. Marigolds, Celosia, Vinca, Impatiens, Verbena, Zinnias, and Viola now litter our back deck and front porch. They’re blossoming, blooming, trailing, volunteering, and in all their glory are big, beautiful, but most of all, mine. And you know what? Caring for and watering our plants is quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable and relaxing parts of my entire day.

Me. This girl. The one with (remember?) zero gardening talent.

Celosia (Love these! I think they look like feathers.)

Vinca (These guys grow like weeds!)

Marigolds (Easy-peasy to grow and their blooms are, say it with me, vi-brant!)

Choosing apples over chips

Chocolate and chips are a weakness of mine. I’m a snacker, and if I’m within six feet of either of these treats, there’s a good chance I’ll soon be munching on them. In trying to eat better these last few months, I’ve been looking for ways to make my snacking habits less hazardous to my health. Enter the apple!

This fall has been a great season for apples, and while you can find them at grocery stores year-round, it’s hard to top the taste of in-season fresh fruit. Apples serve as a great addition to breakfast or as an anytime snack–definitely a good post-workout snack to have in your gym bag. If you’re in a hurry or in a setting where crunching a juicy apple (apple juice running down the side of my mouth at work is something I’d like to avoid), then dried apples might be worth trying.

Using a food dehydrator, you can make sure your big bag of apples doesn’t go bad before you eat them by drying them out and making a tasty and portable treat. I’ve been carrying a little baggy filled with dried apples lately to munch on at work, and they’re just as addictive as chips! Dried fruit certainly does make a fine snack, but because some nutrients are lost and sugars are more concentrated, you still need to pay attention to just how much you’re eating. A serving of dried apples does still serve as a healthy snack in that one serving gives you 20% of your daily dietary fiber and 8% of your daily potassium.

So, if you’re a snackaholic like me, passing over the chips for dried fruit might be a good move for you. Home dehydrating is best, but if you don’t have access to a dehydrator, you can find a variety of dried fruits at most grocery stores.

What are your favorite healthy snacks? If you don’t have one yet, get to it!

Limited Options

I almost never eat fast food.  I say “almost” because there is one exception to my rule:  road trips.  After upwards of 3 hours on the highway my tummy starts to rumble.  The rumbling coupled with the agony of knowing I’m not even half way there inevitably leads to some very poor nutritional choices.  I’ll pull over for a quick bite to eat at any number of fast food dining establishments.  If I’m really in a hurry or daylight driving hours are quickly escaping me, I’ll go straight for the drive thru.  After inhaling my burger and fries (which, by the way, is never as good as I initially imagined) I’m ready to get back on the road. With a junior frosty in hand, I continue to make my way toward my final destination.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with this scenario, or have your own Achilles heel of an environment that breaks a healthy eating streak.  For some people, it’s a family get together.  For others, it’s a late night out.  For me, it’s driving East on I-64 where I go for the quickest, cheapest, and easiest choice.  But, the biggest reason I choose fast food isn’t because it’s quick, cheap or easy.  Between Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia, fast food is the only choice I have to make.

Back home I’m lucky enough to live in an area of Louisville ripe with farmers markets, grocery stores, and delicious independent restaurants.  When it comes to eating, I have access to a wide array of choices.  Even when I’m in a hurry or don’t have a lot of money to spend, I can find ways to eat healthy.  I know from my work at Y however, that not all Louisvillians share in this luxury.  12 neighborhoods located directly east of downtown and through much of West Louisville are considered food deserts, or areas with severely limited access to fresh and affordable food.  The problem is compounded further due to low access to automobile transportation.  It just so happens that residents of Louisville’s food deserts suffer disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiac disease. Studies throughout much of the country have linked access to healthy food directly to health outcomes.  While environment only limits my ability to make healthy choices a couple of times a year, for others the problem is far more systemic.

The Healthy in a Hurry Corner Store Initiative aims to address this issue by helping existing corner stores get set up to sell fresh fruits and vegetables.  The program, which is funded through a federal grant, is a low cost way to change the food desert environment to one in which people have the choice to eat healthy.  An equally important step, of course, is education.  Changing habits is hard enough, but habits which have now been carried through generations resulting in a loss of cultural knowledge on how to even prepare and cook healthy food, well that’s really really really hard.  I’m proud to say we’re working on it though, and I’m also proud to say that I plan on skipping the frosty next time.

Check out http://www.ymcalouisville.org/social-responsibility/social-services/healthy-in-a-hurry-corner-stores.html for more information.