My Popcorn Secrets

I’ve been the bearer of bad news lately. First it was skim milk, then salad dressing and last week I was urging you to “just say no” to nonstick cookware. It’s generally more fun to add than subtract and I’m happy to be here today to tell you to eat more of something. That “something” is popcorn and it happens to be a family favorite of ours.

A couple of weeks ago I experienced a popcorn convergence of sorts. We were in San Francisco at the divine Ferry Building/Market. My boys and I made our way through the various vendors. We hit Happy Girl Kitchen Co. where my son selected cinnamon, plum jam and I snagged a small jar of Meyer lemon and ginger marmalade. My salty son settled on porcini salt and we purchased gifts for both Granny and nanny.  As I was picking up some fruit and nuts for the plane ride home,  I came across a bag with what looked like red rice in it. It wasn’t red rice though, it was Rancho Gordo’s “Premium Crimson Popping Corn” and I couldn’t wait to try it.  The only problem was that I was heading back to a hotel so the Rancho Gordo I purchased would have to wait.

The next day we headed home. I sat down at the American Airlines terminal with a green juice (gotta love the SF airport) and a stack of magazines. As I leafed through the September issue of O, I saw an article featuring Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame and creator of the best lamb chop recipe ever. Cat talked about her boys getting home from school famished and her love for popcorn. I ripped out her recipe for “Pizza Popcorn” and felt between the crimson corn and this article; the universe was trying to tell me something. The universe was saying, “eat more popcorn” and you have to listen when the universe talks.

Why eat popcorn?

Popcorn is a gluten free, whole grain. As much as I love quinoa (technically a seed) and brown rice if I can choose those grains or popcorn there’s really no contest. Popcorn is a fantastic fiber source.  Surprisingly, popcorn is also a good source of antioxidants particularly polyphenols. Polyphenols may sound familiar as they’re found in high levels in green tea and red wine.  And popcorn is a high volume food; you get to have a nice serving. Three cups of plain, air-popped popcorn have under 100 calories leaving a little room for toppings.

PYOP

When you’re buying popcorn, and I’m not naming names, you don’t want to go for the boxes with bags of microwave popcorn inside,. There are many problems with these products. First, some contain bad fats, second one of the chemicals used for buttery flavor has been linked to lung disease in popcorn factory workers (Google “popcorn lung” and then purge any boxes you own) and finally the same chemical in nonstick cookware or PFOA is also in the lining of the microwave bags. The bottom line? PYOP or pop your own popcorn.

How do you PYOP?

We use this handy glass popper we got as a gift from the NY Rangers. I find it infinitely more useful than a Stanley Cup though my offspring may disagree. It’s very similar to this from Crate and Barrel. The O article also mentioned placing ¼ cup popcorn and ½ tsp. oil in a brown lunch bag. Fold over the top and microwave for 2 minutes or until popping stops. My friend Julie Negrin changed my life when she posted about popping in a pot on the stovetop (same proportions as above) cover for 3-4 over med-high heat. And finally there’s the whirly pop that my friend D. swears by.

Popcorn toppings are endless. Nutritional yeast, truffle salt, fresh herbs such as rosemary and cayenne pepper are some of my favorite or try the Pizza Popcorn. It turns out there was a popcorn secret I didn’t know. That crimson corn? When you pop it, it turns white. It’s really the best popcorn I’ve ever had.

What are your popcorn secrets/how do you pop it? What are your favorite after school or after work snacks?

Foodtrainers Five Favorite Finds

This past Saturday I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I could tell you that it was the first nice day we’ve had in NYC in what felt like weeks. I could tell you about spotting Marc a few times during the run and the fun finish on the Coney Island boardwalk near the beach. It was a memorable day but I’m not dwelling on the scenery or the soreness (now gone). Instead, I’ve been thinking more about the delicious breakfast I had a 5am Saturday morning and that’s what I want to tell you about. I’ll throw in 4 other “fantastic finds.”

The morning of the race, after pouring a cup of Le Pain Quotidien coffee, I prepared a bowl of fruit. I had blackberries, blueberries and strawberries and cut in some banana as well. I sprinkled granola over the fruit. This was not just any granola this was Purely Elizabeth’s “ancient grain” gluten free granola. This granola is outstanding. It’s made with gluten free oats, chia seeds, coconut oil and other carefully chosen ingredients. I had the original but there’s cranberry pecan and pumpkin fig.  My only concern is that this granola is too good, measure out the 1/3-cup serving and put it away. Purely Elizabeth will send one of our readers a 3-pack sampler of their 3 granola flavors. Be sure to comment to be in the running.

As we left the apartment Saturday, I filled a water bottle with my new favorite pre-race drink. It’s made by a company called Vega that was started by a vegan triathlete. These are not your run of the mill sports nutrition products.  I use the lemon-lime Sport Performance Optimizer. It comes in single serve envelopes if you want to try it out. It has ginger and turmeric, yerba mate and kombucha. It’s 70 calories per serving and I’ve never had a bad run after drinking it. One note, no dyes are used and it will appear you are drinking sludge. It’s good sludge I promise. 

Over the winter, I tweeted about not wanting to show my “post pregnancy abs” when I inverted in yoga. I received a number of responses. Some people commiserated with me. Others asked when I had my baby (7 years ago, not recently) and then there was one reply offering up a solution (a non-surgical solution ha). The owner of Nuttzo nut butters said, “you have to try Yummie Tummie it will change your life.”  Yummie Tummie was kind enough to send me their appropriately named Skinny Tank.  This tank did in fact make my tummy look yummy (or flat). The problem? My tummy was initially a little too “yummy” for the XS I received.  While temporarily scarred that I wasn’t skinny enough for my "Skinny Tank",  I sized up and it was great. Order a size larger and save a therapy session.

My next “find” is something I should have used more during ski season this year. I am not someone who weighs or measures every morsel of food I eat nor do suggest my clients do so.  We all need check-ups from time to time. When that handful of almonds becomes two or you’re bowl of cereal (or Purely Elizabeth granola) is growing- I found the perfect gadget. It’s the EatSmart Nutrition Pro Scale. It doesn’t do much for me to know I am eating 30 grams of nuts (servings in grams are a whole other topic/pet peeve). With this scale, you plug in the code for almonds and the calories (145 the first time I tried) are displayed. There are over 1,000 foods in their database. We had my brother in law and his girlfriend over, not for the purpose of testing the scale I promise, and had fun with this contraption. Small glass of wine? 62 calories. Apple from fruit bowl 75 calories.  This is an incredibly useful weight loss tool. I have it permanently on my counter and use it for cooking but much more often for fun.

EatSmart is offering a 20% discount to Foodtrainers’ blog readers who us the code FOODTR20 when ordering on their website.  You can also follow EatSmart on Twitter @Eatsmartscales,

For my fifth find, I have to tell you about my current favorite snack. They’re from a company called Kaia foods. Although I refer to myself as a nutritionist, I could be more aptly called a professional food tester. We try a lot of products or order to find some keepers. Kaia’s sweet curry sunflower seeds are a keeper. Kaia makes kale chips and sunflower seeds in a number of delicious flavors. You can purchase all their products on the kaia website and amazon. You can also find them at Whole Foods Markets. Kaia’s philosophy is also noteworthy “kaia foods was founded with the belief that our health is best supported by eating an abundance of minimally processed whole foods. We sprout, mix and dehydrate our organic foods at low temperatures so that they remain 'raw.' No baking, frying, bleaching, or weird processing steps!” I’m not religious but I’m feeling an “amen”.

Which of these “finds” would you want to try? What are your new favorite foods or gadgets? Isn’t it nice that some great companies avoid “weird processing steps”? 

Kosher for Foodtrainers: Top 10 Healthy Passover Snacks

At Foodtrainers, we help clients, of all religions, adapt their food plans for various holidays. After all, we see many holidays as weight loss opportunities and recently suggested nonreligious lent for all. . Passover starts tonight at sundown, do not stop reading if you aren’t Jewish. An unleavened week isn’t a bad thing for anyone. I asked Market Melissa to present some of her favorite Passover snacks that are not only Kosher for Passover but Kosher for Foodtrainers as well. Take it away Melissa.

 I find myself each year reviewing Passover food rules as I create client's food plans. Some clients feel they can actually eat better during this week, while others struggle to find appealing snack choices. After all, there is only so much matzo (aka intestinal mortar) you and your digestive system can handle.

For those of you not familiar with the dietary rules, during Passover Jewish people refrain from eating chometz or hametz, which is anything that is leavened or fermented. This includes anything made from barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt. The exception is matzo, which is made from wheat, but has not been allowed to ferment. Many Jews, who don’t regularly keep a Kosher house, will clear their cupboards and fill their home with “Kosher for Passover” only food.  

Here are some Foodtrainers’ top 10 Passover snacks that can be enjoyed all year round:

1. ½ a bar Matzel Toff Dark Chocolate Matzo (available in NYC at Zabars and Dean & Deluca) 

2. 1 cup of Dannon Kosher for Passover plain yogurt with ¼ cup fruit compote

3. Mock (mushroom) Chopped Liver or 2 oz. Kosher for Passover Tuna wrapped in a large  romaine leaf 

4. 2 Medjool Dates with 1 oz. of Natural & Kosher Goat Cheese – slice dates in half, remove pit and spoon goat cheese into the 4 halves 

5. Quinoa Almond Butter cookies *use Ancient Harvest Quinoa for Passover

6. Pesach Pizza: 1 Whole wheat matzo or Lakewood gluten free matzo 2 tbsp  Geffen tomato sauce  and 1/2oz natural and kosher pizza cheese (they actually have a pizza cheese).

7. Trader Joe's individual trail mix and nut packs (We like the Go Raw Trek Mix)

8. 2 oz. Empire turkey slices rolled around 1/4 of an avocado (sliced) and a dash of lemon juice

9. 1 Haolam string cheese with 1 cup bell pepper and celery sticks (if you’re going to eat any matzo you need the fiber)

10. Pre-Seder Smoothie –1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, handful baby spinach, 1-2 tsp. chia seeds, honey. Combine ingredients in blender; add ice water to desired thickness (note frozen banana slices are a tasty treat on their own).

If you observe Passover are there any other snacks you enjoy? If you're not Jewish would you consider an unleavened week? Do you ever  find it difficult to follow food rules during a religious holiday?

10 Allegedly Healthy Foods

( A far prettier version of this post appeared on Blisstree)

I’ll bet my nutrition credentials that broccoli will remain in the good--for-you food group for eternity. Similarly, SPAM and Velveeta will always be unhealthy. Still, many foods aren’t solidly at either end of the health spectrum. And lots of foods that people assume are healthy really aren’t. So, in the hopes of helping you to make smarter eating choices, here are ten foods you may think are healthy and nutritious, but the reality? Not so much           

Pretzels

Most pretzels boast no fat and so have a beloved place in many snack drawers. But aside from taste, exactly what do pretzels have to brag about? One ounce of pretzels contains 100 calories and 580 mg of sodium (and little else). Which is almost the same as eating 1 oz. of white hamburger bun: 77 calories and 149 mg sodium. For healthier alternatives, we suggest Happy Herbert’s Gluten Gone Pretzels or our favorite, Food Should Taste Good Chips.

Couscous

Couscous is cute, with its small bead-like shape. And my clients often put it on the “good carb” list with bulgur and other whole grains. I hate to break it to you, but couscous is pasta. The nutritionals are exactly the same. Bulgur and quinoa contain more nutrients.

Veggie Burgers

“Veggie” doesn’t automatically mean healthy. Many veggie burgers are made with TVP (processed soy), grains, and at times, scant amounts of actually vegetables. Scan ingredient labels for TVP and look at the sodium. (Our favorites are Sunshine Burgers.)

 Tuna Salad

And now for many people’s treasured tuna salad. Fish contains omega-3’s and we’re told we should consume more of those. However, these particularly omega-3’s have globs of mayo added to them. Four ounces of tuna salad contains 212 calories and 10 grams of fat – double the calories and five times the fat of sliced turkey. We suggest those delicious jarred tunas with chopped peppers, onion and celery, like the Zoe or Tonnino brands.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar should be healthier than white sugar, right? Unfortunately, it’s not fiber that gives brown sugar its color; it’s molasses. When it comes to calories, brown and white are equals.

Canned Foods/Canned Fruit

My mother was a great cook, but we admittedly ate fruit cocktail growing up. I have two issues with canned fruit: one is the corn syrup pool the fruit swims in, and the other are the BPAs present in the can itself. Fresh fruits are always best, but dried (no sulfites) is my second choice. A medium peach has 8 grams of sugar; while one serving of canned peaches has more than 24 grams (or three times as much).

Olive Oil

Now it's time to address a food we all know, use, and love: olive oil. We’re actually fine with EVOO (thanks Rachel), but we’re not fine with using it like it’s “free”. It does contain calories, and if you use it to scramble eggs in the morning, in your salad dressing at lunch, and for dunking your bread before dinner (and more to cook your entrée), you’ve racked up almost 1,000 calories – not so healthy. It’s also not recommended to heat olive oil at high temperatures.

Biscotti

We love Italian names, but these are still just cookies. For you cookie monsters, we like healthier options including GlowCookies and Kookie Karma.

 UHT (Ultra-Pasteurized) Organic Milk

As we mentioned in an earlier post, organic is a good choice when it comes to dairy, but you need to look carefully at the labels. UHT (ultra pasteurized) milk is not as healthy as regularly pasteurized because the high heat process kills good bacteria and other nutrients. Companies like Organic Valley offer both options, and many including Natural By Nature, Milk Thistle, and our #1,  NY Milk always pasteurize at a lower temperature.

Sugar-Free Pudding or Sugar Free Anything.

Sugar-free Pudding (or sugar-free anything) with Splenda or NutraSweet can make brown sugar actually look healthy. We’ll take a little bit of real sugar over the faux version any day.

What were the surprises on this list for you? Any allegedly healthy foods we missed?

I'm Glowing

It was the Friday after the Friday after Thanksgiving. I was at Whole Foods Market stocking up for our first of many trips to Vermont for the season. Aside from produce and meal staples I had to get everyones favorite goodies. I had Bear Naked Fit vanilla granola for Marc, dried strawberries for Myles and smores ingredients for Weston. I always have medjool dates and dark chocolate on hand but noticed a brand of gluten free cookies I hadn’t tried before. I tossed a box of Glow Gluten Free Snickerdoodles into the cart and continued to shop. 

 The next day, after skiing and lunch, the boys and Marc headed down the road to skate. I stayed back to organize the house, do some cleaning and eventually get dinner started. If I’m being upfront, I really stayed back because I get a couple of hours to be alone (and do the aforementioned activities yeah, yeah).  I said goodbye to the boys and started up the teakettle. I choose Harney Hot Cinnamon spice tea 

and turned the lazy Susan (what’s better than a lazy Susan, really?) in the cabinet in search of a mate for my tea. I spotted the pretty package of snickerdoodles and opened it. 

I sat at the kitchen counter with my oversized cup of tea, my generously sized cookie and aptop and before tasting anything knew life really doesn’t get any better than that. And then it did. I had a taste of the tea and it was perfect for a cold winter day. It had a sweetness from the cinnamon and wasn’t too hot to drink. Then I had the cookie, I am not a snickerdoodle person, and it was crispy and chewy at the same time. I dunked the cookie in the tea and almost fainted from euphoria, I tweeted about it instead.

Deliciousness is one thing but I knew that if these cookies and I were going to coexist I had to know more about them. I looked at the label and saw they were 110 calories and had 2 grams of fiber per cookie, pretty good. I glanced at the ingredients expecting to see potato flour or some other gluten-free, and not necessarily wholesome, base and saw “garbanzo and fava bean flour”. While I know this information might deter many of you for me this sealed the deal. My newfound treat was made from legumes, it tasted fantastic and I still had an hour and a half left in the house.

P.S. Over Christmas I bought the Glow Ginger Snaps. I had one and they were even better than the Snickerdoodles. When I returned to the lazy Susan a couple days later, I turned and turned and the Gingersnaps were gone.

Do you love being alone as much as I do? What are your favorite cold-weather treats? Do you think it’s bad that I don’t skate with the boys?

Double Chocolate

People often say to me, knowing that I am a nutritionist, “your kids must eat really well.” For the most part, my boys are good eaters. I find the biggest struggle with balance. I make an effort not to present healthy foods as the only foods and not to have treats off limits. Now that my children are a little older, I find they take less policing as they understand why certain foods are less healthy, at least I thought that was the case.

Our family skis most (ok pretty much all) weekends from December through March.  My sons are in a ski program. They are with the same kids and teacher each weekend and really get to know their way around the mountain. Most parents choose to put money on the kids’ lift tickets so that they can purchase snacks when they come in for breaks. Unlike ski school, the kids don’t go to a separate building with specified food. They may take a break at the summit or one of the base lodges, wherever they are they tend to come in mid-morning hungry.

I was thrilled when I found out about this debit card option. It eliminated the worry of either boy losing their money or us forgetting to give them money. Plus, the kids love what they think is a “credit card.” This was the first weekend of their program and they had a few snack questions before drop off. “Can I get candy?” I told them candy wouldn’t fill them up and maybe they should get something else like cereal. “Can we get Gatorade?” I told them it wasn’t the best drink and to stick to water or some hot chocolate (probably as sweet as Gatorade but no coloring, better ingredients).  They had a great first day skiing, chose pretzels and sun chips for snack. Given the less-than-stellar options, it was fine.

Yesterday was rough weather for skiing. It started as snow, progressed into hail then sleet and finally rain. Marc and I went inside after a few (ok 2) runs with zero visibility. Our friends told us most of the groups were upstairs and some parents were pulling kids out. We went to check on them. We located one boy, I’m purposely not telling you which one. This son was wet from the weather and diplomatically, in front of his instructor said, “I’m having fun but I can leave.” Our other son’s instructor told us the other child was downstairs getting something to eat.

I turned to head down the stairs and collided with this rosy-cheeked child of mine. His hands were full of food and drink and he had that guilty/busted look on his face all parents know.  Clutched in one hand was a bottle of water and in the other? A snickers bar AND a brownie. My initial reaction was to laugh, I did and told him to have his snack and meet us downstairs. The more I thought about it though I was a little upset. I do not pack a snack for the boys, do not expect them to choose the apple every day and know my children come by their chocolate love honestly; it’s genetic. My issue was with the volume. Choosing both the chocolate and the brownie seemed like the mouse really playing when the cat was away.

I later asked my son about his snack and he said, “it wasn’t candy or Gatorade.” Technically this was true, I didn’t make too much of it. I told him that one snack is probably sufficient and if he wants a second item try for a fruit. Of course chocolate guy’s brother chimed in “next weekend I am going to get an apple for my snack.” The truth is, all children will go to school or camp and will be left to make their food choices eventually. When I think back, I can think of snacks around the swimming pool or at canteen at camp with fond memories. My realistic hope is that some of this Foodtraining my kids have received will rub off. I hope that they will be able to strike a healthy balance for themselves where chocolate and apples can coexist.

P.S. In full disclosure, I came to these somewhat rational conclusions only after “with all I taught him he chooses this” and other thoughts were cleared.
What do you make of this episode? What were your favorite childhood snacks? Do you think most kids go overboard when parents aren’t present? And finally, snickers or brownie?

Snack of the Week

 

I suggested Food Should Taste Good to a client with a chip habit. I told her about my 2 love children. First there was  "Lime" and later  "Cheddar".  My client showed up at her next nutrition session visibly annoyed.   She sat down and unloaded "so I'm wondering why you didn't tell me about The Works, this is the best Food Should Taste Good flavor and you didn’t’ mention it. Did you think I couldn’t be trusted with them?” I tried to diffuse her anger and told her I hadn't tried The Works. They were a new flavor and I would never intentionally withhold crucial snack information. My client calmed down and the session ended nicely.

A few days later I was with my family in Vermont at the local Shaws market. I was going up and down the aisles explaining to my kids why we couldn't buy the junky items they requested. Finally, I spotted Food Should Taste Good chips and staring me in the face was "the Works". We opened the bag right there in aisle 4 and they didn't disappoint. It was as though an everything bagel had been transformed into a snack food. We all loved them. My 8 year old said " Mom you have to buy these again." I emailed  my client to tell her about my 3rd child.

What are your favorite snacks? Your favorite Food Should Taste Good flavor? And if you were a bagel what type would you be?