It's live!

Are you ready to find out my new blog name? Well, I'm happy to announce that my new blog is live starting now! It still has all the same great stuff, and I'll be adding more content every few days! Please let me know how you like it, and if you come across any issues. Starting tomorrow, all traffic will be automatically redirected to the new site. Okay, to find out the new blog name.......

Big Announcement Coming Up!!

There is a little secret that I've been working on for the past couple months and I am almost ready to share it with you all! My blog will be getting a makeover! I have been working diligently on designing my own blog. And by that I mean completely self hosted and self run. No more blogger. I will have my own domain name as well. With the change, my blog will start looking a little more like a website, although it will still be a blog. Don't worry, all the posts and recipes are transferring over, so you'll still be able to find everything. Along with all this, I will be changing my name.

Recently, I have felt like I am outgrowing my name "The Dietitian's Kitchen." I wanted something broader and more easily understood. I am going to continue posting recipes, but I will also be expanding to add more educational posts about nutrition as well as gardening tips. I have my name picked out, but I can't share it with you quite yet... so keep your eyes open for the next few days for the big announcement!

I'm so excited and I hope you are too!! :)

Why Garden?

Good health starts in the soil. 

Have you ever thought about it? Whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, all nutrition originates from the soil. Plants soak up nutrients from the soil and sun, and animals eat those plants to get their energy and nutrition. With this in mind, it is obviously very important to make sure your food is coming from good soil. Healthy soil.

However, if you buy all your food from the supermarket - how do you know if it came from good soil? According to the USDA food database, 1 cup of raw spinach contains 141 mcg of Vitamin A (or roughly 56% of your daily requirements). However, what we often don't think about is the fact that this is just an estimate, or average. If you go to the grocery store and buy spinach for your salad, it may actually have much more or much less than that amount of vitamin A. 

The amount of vitamin A that spinach has depends upon its growing conditions. Did the soil that it grew in have adequate vitamin A for the spinach to absorb? Or was the soil replete of nutrients and full of arsenic? Did the spinach have adequate sunlight to allow it to grow and absorb the appropriate nutrients? Was it allowed to ripen adequately? All these things can affect the nutrition of that cup of spinach that you just bought. 

What better way to ensure that your food has adequate nutrition and growing conditions than to grow it yourself? Gardening allows you to choose high quality seeds and plant them in soil that you have personally tested for quality. Being so involved in your food's growing process allows you control over how nutritious it is. You don't have to worry about pesticides being used, or anything that you wouldn't want to put into your body.

One of the most interesting things that I found when researching gardening is relating to B12. Vitamin B12 is one of the biggest nutrients that vegetarians have to worry about getting enough of. However, B12 is very common in the soil. In days gone by when most people grew their own food in their garden, vitamin B12 was not a problem, because not all the dirt would get washed off of the produce. People consumed adequate B12 from the soil that remained on their food. In today's society, we buy all our produce from the supermarket - where it has traveled thousands of miles from its original growing place and has been washed and sanitized numerous times. The produce that we are eating has been so sanitized that no dirt remains on it, and therefore no vitamin B12. Vegetarians that grow their own food would have no trouble getting enough B12.

Gardening is also a great way to get exercise which can help you lose weight and prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and even arthritis. The increased sun exposure can help you get adequate levels of vitamin D as well. As you can see, there are many reasons why you should try your hand at gardening.

Guest Post: Pressure Cooking Dry Beans

by Jane Lorenz

In my previous post on dry beans I explained the most traditional method of cooking dry beans by slow cooking on the stove.  Today I’ll explain the fastest way to cook beans and my favorite. When pressure cooking dry beans, I typically use an electric pressure cooker.  This allows me to do other work and not worry about constantly watching the stove. I think this is the most efficient cooking method both with time involved and energy used.

A few tips to remember:

• Soaking methods when using the pressure cooker choose one of the following:
• Soak dry beans in 4 times their volume of water for  4 to 6 hours (do not exceed 12 hours)
• Speed soaking: Cook the beans on high pressure for one minute then quick release the pressure cooker to bring the pressure down. Then drain the water, rinse the beans and soak in fresh water for 1 hour.  Then pressure cook the beans normally using the standard soaked times.
• This is my favorite: NO SOAKING! Place the beans in the pressure cooker! This requires a longer cooking time but overall time is greatly reduced!
• Pressure cooking times vary according the age and quality of the dry beans.
• If the beans are not done after cooking, return to pressure and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer.
• It’s important to note that dry beans are a staple and they will get old if left to sit around too long. So if you’ve cooked your beans way longer than the suggested time and they’re still too hard chances are you have old beans and they just won’t get as tender.
• It’s debatable if soaking the dry beans, draining the liquid and then putting fresh liquid in will reduce the amount of gas received from them.
• To cook 1# of dry beans you will need a 6-8 quart pressure cooker.
• Dried beans double in volume and weight after soaking and cooking
• One cup (8 ounces) dried beans equals 2 to 2 1/2 cups (1 to 1 1/4 pounds) soaked and cooked.
• It is important not to fill your pressure cooker fuller than ½ full of beans and water.
• Always add 1 TBS of oil to prevent foaming in your pressure cooker.
• The broth is wonderful, don’t throw it out! Save it for soups
• Always choose the high pressure over low if your cooker gives you the choice.
• It’s best to let the cooker release naturally instead of using the quick release method.
• ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PRESSURE COOKER MANUAL FOR SAFETY DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO USE YOUR PRESSURE COOKER!
• If cooking lentils or dried split peas do not soak!
• ALWAYS clean the lid and vent thoroughly after cooking beans! Be sure to check the vent tube to make sure no bean skins are stuck in it.
• Storage is easy.
• Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Freeze for up to a year
• It’s nice to package in 2 cup containers adding 1 ½ cups of cooked beans and the rest with liquid (this is equivalent to the amount in canned beans)

How to cook 1 pound of most kinds of dried beans

2 TBS salt (I like to add after cooked)

¼ yellow onion left whole

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

1 TBS oil

1. Wash and sort the beans looking for any imperfect bean or stones.
2. If you are presoaking the beans do so now, but I choose not to!
3. Drain the soaked or unsoaked beans in a colander.
4. Place in a pressure cooker on the stove or an electric pressure cooker (my preference)
5. Add 8 cups of water, 1 TBS of oil and any aromatics desired.  Onion, garlic and bay leaf are suggested.
6. Cook the beans: Secure the lid according to instruction manual and lock shut. Turn burner on or set the electric pressure cooker to desired time. (see chart below)
7. If using a stove top pressure cooker start timing the cooking time when it gets to pressure.
8. Natural Release:
1. Stove top: When the time is up, turn off the heat and allow the cooker to release pressure naturally.  Follow your instruction manual to determine how you will know when the pressure cooker is ready to be opened.
2. Electric Pressure cooker: Leave the beans in the cooker until the pressure is completely released naturally.  Follow your instruction manual to determine how you will know when the pressure cooker is ready to be opened.
9. Unlock and remove the lid, always holding the lid away from you and allowing any condensation to drip back in the cooker.
10. Your beans are now ready to use or store.

Helpful Table:

Beans (1 cup dry)	Pressure Cooking Time
	Soaked (12 hrs)	Presoak	Unsoaked	Yield
Black	9-11 min	14-18 min	20-25 min	2 cups
Chickpeas (garbanzo)	10-12 min	21-25 min	30-40 min	2 1/2 cups
Cranberry	9-12 min	20-25 min	30-35 min	2 1/4 cups
Great Northern	8-12 min	14-18 min	25-30 min	2 1/4 cups
Lentils	------	------	7-10 min	2 cups
Lima (large)***	4-7**min	8-12 min**	12-16 min	2 1/2 cups
Lima (baby)	5-7 min	8-12 min	12-15 min	2 1/2 cups
Peas (split, green)	------	------	8-10 min	2 cups
Pinto	4-6 min	7-10 min	22-25 min	2 1/4 cups
Navy (pea)	6-8 min	10-13 min	16-25 min	2 cups
Red kidney	10-12 min	12-15 min	20-25 min	2 cups

Dietitian vs Nutritionist

I find that many people are not very aware of dietetics in general, and often have questions about what I do and how I got here. So I thought I'd break it down to make it easier to understand.

Dietitians

First of all, dietitian is a term that is regulated by law. To become a dietitian (also known as a registered dietitian or RD), one must complete a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution, and then go on for an accredited internship. The internship process is very competitive, with about a 50% acceptance rate. Out of all the students who complete their bachelor's degree and are eligible to apply to the internships, only half will get a spot. Internships have strict requirements about the hours of supervised practice and the skills that must be learned. Most internships last about a year, sometimes 2 years if they are combined with a master's degree. After completing an internship (if you get one), there is one final step - taking a national registration exam. Since dietitian is a regulated term, you can only use it if you have completed all three of those requirements. 

Dietitians are nutritionists, but they are also much more than that. They have been through rigorous training and have a heavy background in the sciences. They are well-qualified to take scientific information and translate it for the general public. Dietitians can find jobs in many places, doing many different things. Dietetics is generally broken down into three main areas: foodservice, community, and clinical. Some of the many places that a dietitian may work include - hospitals, school foodservice, outpatient clinics, health departments, WIC, nursing homes, grocery stores, corporate wellness, research, and even companies like Monsanto and Kraft Foods. 

Nutritionist

Most people are more familiar with the term nutritionist, probably because it is more common. However, not all nutritionists are created equal. Nutritionist is a term that pretty much anyone can use, because it is not regulated by law. There are some nutritionists that have taken nutrition courses, but these are not regulated and do not have set requirements. Because there is so much confusion between these terms, a new term has been developed to help people realize that dietitians are nutritionists, but nutritionists are not dietitians. Instead of RD (registered dietitian), you may start seeing RDN (registered dietitian nutritionist) more often. These terms essentially mean the same thing and are both regulated by the same laws. 

Cinnamon Quinoa-Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

Looking for an easy, healthy meal? Try this quinoa-stuffed acorn squash. Quinoa is a great whole grain - adding healthy fats, fiber, and lots of nutrients to your diet. Squash is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. Below are the nutrition facts labels for both: 

  

F&V Snacks

You may have noticed that I've been a little quiet lately... I've been working on redesigning both of my blogs and have in the process learned quite a bit about HTML and CSS coding, which is actually pretty fun. I even designed a blog for a friend (but I'm not allowed to share it at this time). I think I've finally found a design that I am mostly happy with, although I may change a few minor things.

Today I thought I would share a few ideas to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet since most Americans do not eat enough. One great way to do this is by adding them into your snacks. Here are my favorite fruit and vegetable snacks:

Freshly Ground Whole Wheat & Honey Bread

[via instagram]

@owlcitygirl91 Favorite ways to eat homemade bread... 

#pbandj #toastedwithhoneycomb

Yes, that's what you think it is. Homemade, still warm, pure delight. Few smells can beat that of freshly baked bread. And this bread is the champion of all breads. ;)

I can still remember the excitement as a little girl when my mother first got her wheat grinder. I got to help scoop the wheat kernels into the deafening machine and watch them slowly disappear. Then I would quickly open up the machine to see the magic transformation - and excitedly sink my hands into the fresh, warm flour. Nothing makes better bread than freshly ground wheat. Needless to say, I was very glad when my mother got a new wheat grinder and passed her old one on to me when I moved out.

There are many reasons to love freshly ground wheat. First of all, it tastes better than premade - as flour ages, it develops a bitter taste due to oxidation (plus it doesn't have the preservatives). Freshly ground wheat has a very sweet nutty flavor. It also makes a better texture - freshly ground wheat makes a loaf that is so light and fluffy that it would honestly compare to white bread - if it didn't taste a million times better. Last but not least, freshly ground wheat is more nutritious because the nutrients have not been exposed to the air as long and have not had a chance to oxidize.

For this recipe, I decided to try my hand at video-making. I will apologize in advance for the poor quality because I was using an old camera. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Another great thing about this recipe is its versatility. Here are a few ways I have made these loaves (add when shaping individual loaves):

• Add 1/4 cup cheddar cheese 
• Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 1 TB Italian seasoning
• Add 1/3 cup chocolate chips (use frozen chips to prevent them from melting in the warm dough)
• Add 1/4 cup craisins and 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• Add some chocolate chips to the above version
• Use your imagination! :)

Print Friendly Version Here!

PS- how do you like videos? Should I do more in the future?

A New Year

Happy 2015! I have a feeling this is going to be a great year...this is the year that I'll finally become a registered dietitian, and I'll get to transition from the academic world to the 'real' world of jobs and career and work. In honor of 2014, I created a wordle of the most commonly used words on this blog. Obviously beans was the most common, and we've still got some great bean posts coming!

However, I also have some other great things planned for this blog, and I'm so excited to share them with you! Keep your eyes open - some new posts are headed your way!

Soon.

(: