November 2009 « askGeorgie.com

Sweet Potato, Acorn, or Butternut?

I’ve always grouped these three starchy vegetables together. After all, they’re all orange, rich in complex carbohydrates, and have a sweet flavor and firm texture. I’d use them interchangeably in recipes. But nutritionally, how do they stack up? (For ease of comparison, and fairness, I’ll use 100 grams raw for each.)

In terms of calories, acorn squash [...]

Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes

Val and I have been enjoying these the past few days…. despite being quite healthy, the addition of just a bit of chocolate makes them feel like quite a treat A high protein breakfast is the way to go if you’re interested in weight loss, stable blood sugar, and great energy. This healthy pancake [...]

Holiday Weight Gain: how real is it?

Feeling heavy today? If you overindulged a bit (or a LOT) yesterday at Thanksgiving, you might be feeling a bit zaftig today. And Thanksgiving only marks the kickoff of the holiday season, we’ve merely crossed the starting line down a stretch of holiday parties, festive family gatherings, and an abundance of sweet holiday goodies. It’s a [...]

Delicious Finds in A Doctor’s Kitchen

It’s about time I tried someone else’s recipes for a change. The trouble is — I’ll be first to admit it — I know only a few healthy cooking sites that I really like. They tend to either miss the mark as far as my expectations for taste, or else they don’t meet my high nutritional [...]

Crunchy Roasted Garbanzos

Got a craving for salty, crunchy snacks? Make a batch of these mildly spiced, addictive garbanzos and you’ll be well-armed for your next snack attack. They travel well, too. A ziploc of these roasted chickpeas can get you through class, Christmas shopping, or help fend off the afternoon vending machine raid.

Of course, they’re much healthier than chips [...]

Low Fat Diets Not Best for Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed by having at least three of the following conditions: abdominal obesity (meaning excess belly fat), high triglycerides, low good cholesterol (HDL), elevated blood sugar and high blood pressure. People diagnosed with metabolic syndrome are at very high risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Because the incidence of metabolic syndrome [...]

Greek Beef Skillet

I had a plan one night to make meatballs from these ingredients, but after a long day … rolling meatballs was NOT going to happen. I tossed it all in pan instead… and it became a superfast one-pan meal; ideal for a weeknight supper. Sometimes laziness does pay off. It’s also excellent served with Greek yogurt [...]

Does cinnamon help control blood sugar?

Does cinnamon help control blood sugar? I’ve heard a lot of things, but I’m not sure if I should try it or not. – P.A.

Good question! Cinnamon remains controversial. There is some evidence that taking cinnamon (either in supplemental forms or as the spice we’re all familiar with) can help improve glucose disposal, and it’s [...]

Pear-Gingerbread Cake

This cake isn’t overly sweet, with warm spicy flavor and a fabulous aroma. Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list; it’s mostly spices. Assembling the cake takes just a few minutes, two bowls, and a spoon.

2 pears (not overripe)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp ginger (ground)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp [...]

To revisit the artificial sweetener topic….

I wrote a post on artificial sweetener safety not long ago, but found today a short and well-written piece from Time magazine on the topic I’d like to share. Honestly, I think this writer put it better than I did.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Really That Bad For You?

It’s short, take a second if you’re interested. And thanks [...]

Green Tea Smoothies and Cookies

Don’t adjust the color of your screen- yes these cookies are green! Sometimes I feel like making something a bit different than the usual, so this weekend I made a batch of cookies with a unique flavor twist! I had some matcha green tea powder in my cupboard for a while now, and I wanted to try [...]

Rosemary Farinata

What’s farinata, you say? Farinata is a chickpea-flour flatbread, a street food and bakery specialty from Liguria, Italy. Just a handful of basic ingredients, chickpea flour, olive oil, salt and pepper come together into a delightful crispy-but-soft-inside pancake. While I’ve recently read many traveler’s accounts of tasting this amazing regional specialty in Italy, and then creating [...]

Balsamic and Sweet Onion Pot Roast

This slow cooker meal requires very few ingredients and even less work! Meals this effortless feel like cheating. But I love ‘em. Using the slow cooker is a great way to cook cuts of meat, like top round, which are low in fat and can end up being too dry for other cooking methods. [...]

Misleading Labels and Deceptive Marketing

Thanks to Barb for pointing out this story to me. Kellogg’s has recently been under fire for conspicuously labeling boxes of sugar-laden cereals (including Cocoa Krispies) with the phrase, “Now helps boost your child’s IMMUNITY”. The company makes this claim based on the fact that the cereals have been fortified to contain 25% of [...]

Avoid these common healthy eating mistakes

Even the smartest eaters, veteran dieters, and dietitians make food mistakes. Read on for some common pitfalls than can trip you up while you’re trying to eat healthfully.

1. Eating a fat-free diet. Your body needs fat to absorb certain vitamins, maintain tissues and cell membranes, and synthesize prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Essential fatty acids (EFA) are types [...]

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