02-25-10

Life Balance Challenge – Question #6

Here is this week’s Life Balance Challenge Question:

How many eggs are needed in the Cheesecake recipe?

To Answer The Question:
1. Read this blog post.
2. Email the answer to rosereismanpg@gmail.com with the
subject line: Life Balance

The Prize: A 2 Day Food Sampler (3 meals and 2 snacks per day) delivered to your front door.

To Qualify:

1. You’ll need to be located in the Personal Gourmet Delivery Areas – click here to see the areas
2. You’ll need a valid email account so we can contact you (please include your phone number)
3. You’ll need to be a fan of Rose Reisman on Facebook

That’s all there is to it.

The cut-off to submit your answer is 5:00pm Friday, February 26, 2010

Good Luck!

02-25-10

3 Podium-Worthy (& Nutritionally Grounded!) Dishes To Enjoy As We Watch Canada Soar!

Whether it’s Alexander Bilodeau winning Canada’s first ever gold on home turf or Clara Hughs shining in her bronze finale, most Canadians will surely remain glued to their sets for the remainder of these truly spectacular Vancouver Olympic games. So as our women’s and men’s hockey teams advance to gold, and with the extraordinarily courageous, Joannie Rochette skating with a heavy heart… there are many hours of thrilling action ahead.

But as spirits soar and we get caught up in the festivities, how we eat and drink tends to nosedive. So, as you cheer on our athletes during the remaining week or so of competition, we present these 3 delicious and nutritiously grounded dishes and desserts we hope you, your family and friends will find podium-worthy…

Rose’s Tex Mex Chili

This is a great, lighter chili typically served in the Southwest. Using chicken rather than beef reduces the calories and fat. Dusting the chicken with flour maintains the moisture. Aged cheddar is the perfect accompaniment. Add diced avocado to the list of garnishes if you like.

Ingredients:
12 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts), diced 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup canned corn, drained

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 1/2 cups canned black beans,
drained and rinsed

2 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or store-bought spaghetti sauce) 3/4 cup chicken (or beef) stock
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp seeded and finely
chopped jalapeño pepper (or 1½ tsp hot chili sauce)
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1/2 cup shredded aged light cheddar cheese
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

Directions:
Place the chicken and flour in a bowl and toss to coat. Lightly coat a nonstick saucepan with
cooking spray, add 1 tsp of the vegetable oil and set over medium heat. Sauté the chicken for
5 minutes or until it is lightly browned on all sides, but do not cook through. Set aside.

Re-spray the same saucepan, add the remaining vegetable oil and set over medium heat. Add
the onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn and garlic
and continue to cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the corn is browned.

Stir in the beans, tomato sauce, stock, chili powder, basil, oregano, jalapeño, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the diced chicken and
simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through and the chili
thickens. Serve the chili in bowls, and garnish with cilantro, cheese and sour cream.
These burgers are extremely moist and flavorful due to the hoisin sauce. Instead of meat, use ground chicken, veal or pork, or try a combination.

Serve these on miniature hamburger buns and add some sautéed onions. If you prefer, make 4 or 5 burgers instead of the minis.

Miniature Hoisin Garlic Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 egg
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
4 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

Heat the barbecue to high and spray with cooking oil, or preheat the oven to 450°F.

Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, green onion, cilantro or parsley, 2 Tbsp of the hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger and egg in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and form into 10 mini burgers.

Whisk the water, remaining 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce and sesame oil together in a small bowl. Brush half of the sauce over the burgers. Barbecue, or place on a rack on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (until no longer pink in the center). Turn the patties once, halfway through, and brush with the remaining sauce. Serve on mini hamburger buns, if desired, and garnish with sautéed onions.

Cappuccino Rocky Road Cheesecake

A great combination for a cheesecake is coffee, chocolate chips, marshmallows and toasted almonds. This cheesecake is not only delicious but beautiful to present to your family and guests, especially if you drizzle it with more chocolate.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
11/2 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
1 1/2 Tbsp hot water
2 cups light ricotta (5%)
1/2 cup light cream cheese (about 4 oz), cubed
1 large egg
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup miniature marshmallows
3 Tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp slivered toasted almonds

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°f. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs, water and oil. Pat onto the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water. In the bowl of a food processor, add the ricotta and
cream cheese, egg, sour cream, sugar, flour and dissolved coffee. Purée until smooth. Pour
into the pan and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the marshmallows, chocolate chips and almonds over the cake and bake for another
5 minutes. Allow to cool, and chill before serving.

02-18-10

Life Balance Challenge – Question #5

Here is this week’s Life Balance Challenge Question:

What do female athletes need to get more of when they are at high altitudes?

To Answer The Question:
1. Read this blog post.
2. Email the answer to rosereismanpg@gmail.com with the
subject line: Life Balance

The Prize: A 2 Day Food Sampler (3 meals and 2 snacks per day) delivered to your front door.

To Qualify:

1. You’ll need to be located in the Personal Gourmet Delivery Areas – click here to see the areas
2. You’ll need a valid email account so we can contact you (please include your phone number)
3. You’ll need to be a fan of Rose Reisman on Facebook

That’s all there is to it.

The cut-off to submit your answer is 5:00pm Friday, February 19, 2010

Good Luck!

02-18-10

5 Nutrition Tips From A Winter Olympian Diet

Many will remember hearing about Michael Phelp’s Olympian breakfast of champions during the Beijing games. Packing in a whopping 3000 plus calories, it allegedly consisted of three sandwiches of fried eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried onions, mayonnaise, an omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast with powdered sugar, and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

While for most of us, Phelp’s breakfast menu would be enough fuel for two days, according to nutritionists it’s actually a pretty healthy distribution of major nutrients for competition… that is about 50% from carbohydrates, a little less than half from fat, and 15% protein.

Not surprisingly, the nutritional needs of athletes are largely dictated by the type of sport. For instance, according to Olympian sports nutritionist, Suzie Simmons, Canadian freestyle skier (and gold medalist!) Alexandre Bilodeau needs to be light and explosive, so he’ll eat much differently than the cross-country skier who requires calorie burning endurance… in fact, says Simmons, female cross-country athletes have a very tough time actually ingesting the 4000 plus calories needed for a day’s worth of competition.

As civilians – despite needing only a fraction of an athlete’s calories – we can learn from the quality and composition of an athlete’s diet. “Athletes do not need a diet substantially different from that recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines” or the Canadian equivalent, says a 2009 position statement on nutrition and athletic performance issued by the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine. That means a healthful mix of carbohydrates, protein and fat centered around an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein, plus good fats such as olive oil.

According to Nanna Meyer, the nutritionist for United States Speed skating team, the nutritional ranges recommended for average folks is usually 10 to 35 percent protein, 45 to 65 percent carbohydrates, and 20 to 35 percent fat. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that would mean between 50 and 175 grams protein, 225 to 325 grams carbohydrate, and 44 to 78 grams fat per day. To keep calories constant, explains Meyer, obviously, the more you have of one nutrient, the less you’ll have of another.

With these guidelines in mind, the following are five tips of Meyer and Simmons to consider when tinkering with your diet composition if you’re particularly active or athletic winter sports enthusiast…

1. While following a balanced diet, sprint-type sports like speed-skaters, tend to add a bit more protein to help build and recover muscle. Longer-distance sports, such as cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing often need more carbohydrates for endurance and recovery.

2. For an athlete like a figure skater who is attempting to drop a few pounds, Meyer suggests maintaining the carbs needed to sustain training and bump up the protein a bit, but reduce overall fat. As weight declines, this will prevent any loss of muscle mass.

3. If on the other hand, you find yourself not able to keep enough weight on because of a lot of activity, Meyer suggests boosting healthful, good-quality foods but simply eat more of them to increase calorie consumption. Oatmeal is a popular breakfast item in the cold mountains of Vancouver. Adding in raisins and nuts and making it with milk all adds calories and nutrition for the athlete.

4. Heavy activity in high altitudes – where the heart has to work harder to pump blood – can really throw the body off because it tends to dehydrate and also needs more energy. Nutritionist, Simmons suggests using sports drinks, which addresses both issues. She points out to be wary of liquid calories in the form of alcohol, which have the reverse effect of causing dehydration. Some athletes, particularly women, also need to take in more iron while they’re at high altitudes, however, Simmons strongly advises seeing a nutritional professional or physician before using any supplements.

5. While frigid outdoor temperatures are seemingly unimportant if strenuous activity like snowboarding is keeping you warm on the inside. Still, Meyer points out that during those down times like waiting in a long line for the chairlift is “when you really start shivering, you burn carbs more and your glycogen is depleted”. Since that’s the last thing you want to do before a big event, Meyer says, it’s time to reach for a warm sports drink or hot chocolate.

02-11-10

Life Balance Challenge – Question #4

Here is this week’s Life Balance Challenge Question:

What are 2 benefits of smiling?

To Answer The Question:
1. Read this blog post.
2. Email the answer to rosereismanpg@gmail.com with the
subject line: Life Balance

The Prize: A 2 Day Food Sampler (3 meals and 2 snacks per day) delivered to your front door.

To Qualify:

1. You’ll need to be located in the Personal Gourmet Delivery Areas – click here to see the areas
2. You’ll need a valid email account so we can contact you (please include your phone number)
3. You’ll need to be a fan of Rose Reisman on Facebook

That’s all there is to it.

The cut-off to submit your answer is 5:00pm Friday, February 12, 2010

Good Luck!

02-11-10

5 Healthy Tips To Get You Through The Winter

While this winter has hardly been typical (touch wood!) so far, snow or no snow, the cold temperatures do have an impact on how we eat, as well as triggering cravings for foods versus those our bodies actually need to survive these often sunless days. Here are few tips to tide you over until spring has sprung…

1. We definitely crave carb-heavy comfort foods this time of year (they contain the uplifting brain chemical serotonin, which gets depleted during cold months), but be sure to steer clear of refined carbohydrates and go for whole grains, use sweet potatoes in place of white in a mash and get re-acquainted with good old fashioned oatmeal dressed with dried fruits and drizzle of honey.

2. Another essential nutrient we get less of this time of year is vitamin D. Choose foods high in it like fatty fish, whole eggs – and because it’s hard to get vitamin D from food alone, consider taking supplements… best to consult your doctor or nutritionist to find out dosage and type best for you.

3. Load up on purple fruits like grapes, cranberries, blueberries, all loaded with vitamins and antioxidants—among the best antidote to fend off a nasty cold.

4. Be sure not to stay housebound—get outside and breath the crisp, clean air… guaranteed to burn lots of calories to get trim just as spring arrives.

5. Don’t forget to SMILE! Besides making you look better smiling has been proven to relieve stress, boost your immune system, lower your blood pressure and release endorphins into your body that make you feel better. Regardless of the weather these are great reasons to show off you pearly whites.

02-04-10

Life Balance Challenge – Question #3

Here is this week’s Life Balance Challenge Question:

What is the name of the Spa on Madison Avenue?

To Enter This Week’s Challenge:
1. Read this blog post.
2. Email the answer to rosereismanpg@gmail.com with the
subject line: Life Balance

In Order To Qualify:

1. You’ll need to be located in the Personal Gourmet Delivery Areas – click here to see the areas
2. You’ll need a valid email account so we can contact you (please include your phone number)
3. You’ll need to be a fan of Rose Reisman on Facebook

That’s all there is to it.

Good Luck!!!

The cut-off to submit your answer is 1:30pm Friday, February 5, 2010

Good Luck!

02-04-10

Enlightenment Through Chocolate?!

Pasta, red wine and chocolate. Not exactly a trio of ideal foods that pops to mind when on a path to mind and body enlightenment. But last Friday, food columnist for The New York Times, Julia Moskin, transitioned smoothly from downward dog to a cinnamon-spiked butternut squash puree… followed by a roasted tomato pasta, all chased with good dark chocolate and glass of wine. The class is called, “Yoga For Foodies”, and of course, only in New York.

“The past decade has produced thousands of new foodies and new yogis, all interested in healthier bodies, clearer consciences and a greener planet,” writes Moskin, “Inevitably, the overlap between the people who love to eat and the people who love to do eagle pose has grown.”

The core idea behind the yoga-foodie program is to enable yogis to taste, smell and digest food in a heightened state of awareness. In 2007, a similar combination yoga studio and fine dining restaurant, Ubuntu, opened in Napa, California.

But Moskin explains that not everyone agrees that rich foods, especially those containing animal protein are compatible with yoga enlightenment. The culture of judgment is very real within North American yoga communities… aptly dubbed, “yogier than thou”, she writes.

Others argue that it’s not written anywhere that one must exclusively eat vegetarian to enjoy an optimal yoga practice. “We do not live in the time of the founding fathers of yoga, and we don’t know what they wanted us to eat,” yoga instructor, Sadie Nardini, told Moskin.

Many would agree with Moskin that there are many ways to “do” yoga: after all, the term embraces meditation, worship, study, action and physical activity – and over the 5,000 years of its evolution has always been broadly understood as a route to enlightenment and purification. It’s unquestionably a compelling lifestyle, having grown to a $6 billion dollar business across North America… no matter how it’s interpreted and expressed.

The owner of Exhale Spa on Madison Avenue, which hosts the “Yoga For Foodies” program every Friday night, believes that any profound pleasure of the senses can bring on the “yoga high” that is a gateway to divine bliss.

In the end, we believe it’s all about what makes us personally feel good… mentally and physically. When we slow down and listen to our bodies, it’s  amazing what it tells you. Be sure to shift some meaningful time amid a hectic schedule to shop for seasonal whole foods, then prepare and share them with your family and friends you’re sure to achieve ‘divine bliss’.

And when mindful of moderation and balance there’s no reason to ever ditch the pasta, red wine or chocolate… yogi or no yogi!