Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Association

NEILY’S NEIGHBORHOOD NUTRITION

Jan 03, 2008

By Jennifer Neily, MS, RD, LD

The Trick in the Treats !
Halloween is almost here. Is this a holiday that you find difficult to practice self control? Are you tempted by all the treats and say, ?“Oh what the heck, it?’s just one day??” (Or is it?) That one day can last for weeks!

A way to avoid temptation is to buy candy that you don?’t like. You?’ll never find Snickers, M&M?’s, Reese?’s, pretty much anything made by Hershey at my house. Way too tempting! Or how about this ?“out of sight, out of mind?” tactic?—one year I conveniently forgot to buy some candy but had a big bowl of loose change, so just dropped some coins into the little ghosts?’ and goblins?’ bags.

Here are some different options to give away as suggested by my registered and licensed dietitian friend, Meridan Zerner:

?• Mini cans of Play-Doh (60 for $10 at Sam?’s)
?• Inexpensive little toys or trinkets from the dollar store?—like plastic spider rings, Halloween-themed pencils, etc.
?• Fake tattoos or stickers
?• Mini boxes of raisins
?• If you do have candy, get fat free items like lollipops, licorice, Skittles, Starburst, Gummi Bears, Jolly Ranchers, jelly beans, etc. They are the lesser of two evils since they don?’t have the artery-clogging fat like chocolate.

So now the trick and treaters are gone, what to do with the left-over candy & that your kiddos bring home? I suggest keeping only the very favorites (their favorites, not yours!) Allow for a little indulgence (hey, I?’m a realist, not a sadist ). A few days of sugary delight is not going to ruin an overall healthy diet. Freeze some of the candy and then allow for a treat now and then. And then ?… bring the rest to work for everyone else to indulge!


Healthy Chili for the Cook-Off !

Jennifer offered this for the first chili cook-off ?– re-printed for all you new neighbors and new chili entrants?…?…?….
Are you ready for the chili cook-off? I wish you the best of luck! Chili is potentially one of the healthiest meals there is and so easy to prepare. There are many variations, but the basic chili ingredients are beef, tomatoes, cumin, chili pepper/powder, and beans. Some purists don?’t include beans -but they?’re one of nature?’s nutrition powerhouses. Beans are a good source of protein, cholesterol free, nutrient-rich and loaded with fiber ?– the cholesterol lowering soluble fiber. Cooked tomatoes are a terrific source of phytonutrients - antioxidants that help fight disease.

Here?’s my basic recipe: Brown some onions, add crushed garlic and extra lean ground beef, then cook until the beef is no longer pink. Then add cumin, chili pepper or powder, chopped jalape?±os (optional), kidney beans, and add the tomatoes - tomato sauce, paste, tomato puree, or stewed or diced tomatoes, or any combination of those. Let that simmer for at least an hour (the longer the better) but not before adding your secret ingredient. Be creative! Here?’s another recipe from the Cooking Light website ?– www.cookinglight.com. Enjoy and we?’ll see you at Pumpkins in the Park and the Second Annual LHNA Chili Cook-Off! Be sure to double this recipe for the picnic crowd!

Chili

Vegetable cooking spray
1 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, undrained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
2 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
7 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
Sliced green onions (optional)

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; place over med.-high heat until hot. Add meat, onion, and garlic. Cook until the meat is browned, stir to crumble. Drain well. Return mixture to pan. Add beans and the next 8 ingredients (beans through pepper); stir well. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili and 1 tablespoon sour cream).

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 233(27% from fat); FAT 7.1g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 23.4g; CHOLESTEROL 42mg; CALCIUM 69mg; SODIUM 462mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.9g

Jennifer Neily, MS, RD, LD is 2007-2008 Pres. of the Tx Dietetic Assoc. She is a neighbor in Lakewood Hts. & a registered, licensed dietitian at the Cooper Clinic. jenniferneily@yahoo.com