Whole Grains! Give your mouth a treat, it matters to your health.

Beyond just loving whole grains, I can’t stop raving about ALL of the health benefits of eating whole grains. MyPlate recommends you fill one-quarter of your plate at each meal with grains – and that at least half of the plate is whole grains.  Most of us get enough grains in our diet but not enough whole grains.

Vital to Your Health

Whole Grains Keep You Strong

I am super busy.  Whole grains give me the energy I need to keep up. They are loaded with B-vitamins that play a role in metabolism.  Feeling energetic, I am more confident in my day.  Whole grains are packed with minerals like magnesium and selenium which build bones and strengthen your immune system. Whole grains are also rich in folate and iron.  Folate builds red blood vessels.  Iron carries oxygen in the blood.

Whole Grains for a Long Life

∂  Eating whole grains may help you live longer and gain extra protection against diseases that creep up with age. 

∂  They lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

∂  They help prevent and control type 2 diabetes, partly by helping control weight.

∂  They protect the cells in your body from damage that leads to cancer.

A Good Way to Boost Fiber

Whole grains contain a great deal of fiber. Fiber has a long list of health benefits, from helping you feel full longer after a meal, to losing weight, to keeping you “regular.” Americans don’t get enough fiber. In fact, most of us get less than half the fiber we need every day: 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Most whole grains are packed with fiber.

Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight

Whole grains digest a little more slowly, so you’re less likely to binge on junk foods. People who eat more whole grains, like oatmeal or brown rice, gain less weight than those who fill up on refined grains, like white rice or white bread. Many more people are choosing whole grains now instead of white bread or white rice. The process to make refined grain products, like white bread, strips out bran and germ, removing important nutrients.

Smart Ways to Add Whole Grains

Even TV chefs start are praising the taste of whole-grain pastas and brown rice. The taste can be nutty and firm.  Here are a few easy tips to to get more whole grains in your diet.

Meals  

∂   Substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product –

• Eat whole-wheat bread instead of white bread

• Cook brown rice instead of white rice

• Use whole-wheat pasta instead of white pasta

• Put turkey dogs on whole-wheat buns

• Switch to whole-wheat tortillas

∂   Experiment by substituting whole wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin or other flour-based recipes.

∂   Use whole-grain bread or cracker crumbs in meatloaf.

∂   Try rolled oats or a crushed, unsweetened whole grain cereal as breading for baked chicken or fish

Snacks

∂   Snack on ready-to-eat, whole grain cereals such as toasted oat cereal.

∂  Add whole-grain flour or oatmeal when making cookies or other baked treats.

∂  Try 100% whole-grain snack crackers.

∂  Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack if made with little or no added salt and butter.

Don’t be Fooled

Whole Grain Label Clues

If a bread is brown, it does not it mean it’s whole grain.  It may not be whole grain even if it is labelled “multi-grain” or “cracked wheat”.  There are two good ways to tell.  One, you can trust products with the is 100% grain food label.

Second, if there is no 100% grain label on the front of the package, you may need to read the ingredient lists. — The first ingredient should be a whole grain.  Look for:

 ∂  Whole oats

 ∂  Whole grain rye

 ∂  Whole wheat or 100% whole wheat

 ∂  Brown rice

After reading labels a few times, you will soon know which products you like and which ones you can trust to be whole grain.

Give your mouth a treat, and experience the slightly nutty, rich flavor of whole grains.

Karla and the ONIE Team  

Recipe of the Month: Broccoli and Cheeseburger Bake

Broccoli & Cheeseburger Bake

Hi, my name is Veronica.  I am new to the ONIE project and am so excited to be part of the team.  I love to cook.  My family is very close.  We eat and cook together, and try new recipes.  To read more about my favorite meals, fruits, and vegetables, just follow the link to all about the authors.

Today, I would like to share a recipe with you that uses one of my favorite vegetable, broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. It is tasty raw but, especially steamed served in pasta and beef dishes. I don’t know much about broccoli except that it looks like a tree. So I have looked up a few fun facts about broccoli for us to get to know this beautiful veggie a little more.

1. Broccoli originated in Italy! Its name comes from the Italian word “broccolo,” meaning the flowering top of a cabbage.

2.  Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family.

3. It is a high source of Vitamin C.

Ingredients:

½ lb lean ground beef (90/10)  
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
½ tsp salt
1 cup fat-free cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup heart smart biscuit mix
1 cup skim milk (fat free)
2 eggs
Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400F. Coat 9”pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until beef is brown stirring to break up meat. Drain well.
Spread in pie plate and sprinkle with cheese.
In a medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate over beef mixture.
Bake 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. TO check, insert knife in the center of the dish. If it comes out clean, it is ready to serve.
Refrigerate left overs within 2-3 hours.

We hope you enjoy this month’s quick and easy and healthy ONIE recipe featuring broccoli! Try it and let us know what you think!

Veronica and the ONIE Team

For more healthy, hearty & homemade recipes check out the ONIE website,  Simple Healthy Recipes.  

“MyPlate”: The Perfect Plate

 The Basics

When it comes to eating healthy, “MyPlate” is all the rage!  But like, what is it? Most of us were taught about the food pyramid.   “MyPlate” has replaced the food pyramid as a guide to healthy eating.  “MyPlate” has the same information as the food pyramid.  It is just easier to use because it helps us see what our plate of food should look like.  About half the plate should be vegetables and fruit with a little more vegetables than fruit.  Fill the other half of the plate with grains and proteins with a little more grains than protein.

The idea is easy enough but eating a healthy, balanced diet is not always as easy: schedules are busy, food budgets are tight, not everyone likes the same food, and some of our favorite foods may have a few too many calories. ONIE has a few tips to make it easier. 

3 ONIE Tips on Using “MyPlate” to Eat Healthy 

Tip 1: “Sometimes” foods and moderation

Some foods that I enjoy are high in calories.  I still enjoy them but I choose to eat them sometimes like once a month or so.  I also eat smaller portions.  By saving these foods for a “sometimes” food, I enjoy them even more.

Tip 2:  Eat more of major food groups

Increase the fruits and veggies in your diet; they should take about half of your plate. 

Eat more whole grains by choosing products with the Whole Grain Stamp!!!

Increase your dairy by drinking 1% low-fat milk with meals. 1% low-fat milk has all of the vitamins and minerals without the fat.  Check out the PERKS! 

Tip 3: Reduce sugary drinks

ONIE is all about moderation.  My advice is to reduce surgery drinks and choose smaller containers. A 20-oz soda contains 19 tsps of sugar.  A 12-oz can of soda typically contains 10 ½ tsps of sugar. Full-calorie iced teas, sports drinks, and flavored waters contain about 3 to 5 tsps of sugar per 8-oz. serving.  It is easy to Pour on the Pounds.

Tip 4:   Sodium matters 

Almost all of us consume too much sodium. No more than 2300 mg of sodium is recommended each day. A first step is to look at the nutrition label to see how much sodium is in each serving.  Soups, breads, canned foods, prepared sauces, and frozen meals often contain too much sodium.  See LABELS for easy ways to use a food labels  

Click to learn more about “MyPlate”

Stay tuned, we will continue to talk about “MyPlate”.  The next “MyPlate” topic will be fruits and vegetables.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Peggy and the ONIE Team

Happy National Nutrition Month: featuring a fresh, healthy, and quick recipe

Happy National Nutrition Month!

Hello all! Although the ONIE Project Team celebrates good nutrition throughout the year, we wanted to point out that March is designated National Nutrition Month!  Today is a great day to take a step in the healthy direction. My challenge to you is to try finding one thing you can improve in your daily routine.  My personal goal is to add more (and new) veggies in dishes I already make.  Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and stick to the same veggies for every meal because they are my favorites.  Although I like oldies, but goodies, I’m trying to eat more of a variety of veggies.  For this week’s recipe, Veggie Black Bean Frittata, I added an extra cup of veggies and threw in some spinach to give it more color and nutrients!

This recipe is one of my favorite week night meals when I’m short on time and ingredients. My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can mix and match ingredients to whatever your little heart desires.  You can use fresh, frozen, or canned veggies. Just make sure to rinse those canned veggies to reduce your sodium intake!

[Shown below are the ingredients, from my fridge, I used in my build your own frittata.]

Here is the base formula for making your own frittata:

• 6 eggs (you can also use egg substitute to lower cholesterol)
• Additional protein if you choose (beans or lean meat)
• 4-5 cups of vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1-1 ½ cups shredded cheese (low fat or reduced fat)
• Spices (oregano, basil, garlic, pepper,  cumin, or chili pepper)

The ingredients I used:

• 6 eggs, whisked
• 1 ½ cups red potatoes, diced and par-cooked (boiled for a few minutes separately).
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• ½ cup bell pepper(any color), diced
• 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, part skim, shredded
• ½ cup broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 cup black  beans (rinsed if canned)

Supplies I needed:

• Colander (washing/draining veggies & beans)
• Knife & cutting board (to cut veggies)
• Whisk/fork (to mix eggs)
• Small mixing bowl (eggs)
• Large mixing bowl (everything else)
• Saucepan/pot (used to boil potatoes)
• Spoon & large skillet (cook veggie mix)
• 8 x 8 Pyrex or oven safe dish (too bake it)

Serves: 9    Prep time: 15 minutes  Bake time 15-20 minutes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Par-cook the potatoes: place diced potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a high simmer and cook until just tender (approx. 5 minutes once simmering).  Drain and set potatoes aside.
3. Prepare filling:  In a large skillet, sauté garlic, onion and tomato in 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft (3-4 minutes).  Add broccoli, spinach and bell pepper (2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat and stir in potatoes and beans.
4. Prepare egg mixture:  crack eggs in a small,  mixing bowl.  Wish together eggs and 1 cup of cheese until mixed thoroughly.
5. Prepare dish for oven: Spray 8 x 8 glass oven safe dish with cooking spray.  Spread vegetable filling evenly in dish.  Pour egg and cheese mixture over veggie filling and mix evenly.  Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until frittata is set (jiggles slightly or place toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

**Extra Event Alert**

If you are local to the OKC area make sure and check out H & 8th Market

on March 29th from 9pm to midnight. 

It will be a night of food, family and fun! 

Below is the nutrition label for my “Black Bean & Veggie Frittata”

 

Happy eating, Stephanie