The Sun, the Surf, and Your Feet

I am going to talk about feet today. But not perhaps what you might expect. 

Yes, I have talked several times about diabetes and feet. Today, my foot thoughts are for everyone whether they are diabetic or not. 

Things that surprised me about foot melanoma -

1.        It is the most deadly form of melanoma. It is deadly because it is so rarely caught before it has spread.

2.       You can get skin cancer under your nails. If you see a spot under your nail and it does not grow with the nail, you need to go to the doctor right away.  Women should make sure that they look at their nails without polish so that they can see if there are any spots under the nail. 

3.       The bottoms of your feet and between your toes are susceptible to skin cancer.

4.       Melanoma is not as common as other types of cancer but its rates are increasing.

5.       One person dies of melanoma every 57 minutes. 

You should do periodic self-exams for skin cancer. For directions on how to do a self-exam, there are guidelines from the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

When you go out, you should be applying sunscreen. Even if you are just making a quick trip to the store. Always apply sunscreen and re-apply it often especially when you are at the beach or pool. Don’t forget to apply it to your feet – top and bottom. 

And for goodness sake, don’t use tanning beds. 

End of lecture for today.

Thanks for reading!

It’s a Turkey! A Three-peat!

It isn't every blog that brings you video of wild turkeys.

How can I shock you this week? I know that having two recipes in a row from me was pretty shocking. 

What is it called in bowling when you have three strikes? A turkey?

I am writing a turkey! Yes, that is three weeks in a row of recipes. 

I really could not help myself with this one. I have to share it. It is so easy that I know you will love it. 

Crock Pot Chicken Pesto - Serves 6

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet of Ranch dressing mix

6 oz. Pesto

½ cup low sodium chicken broth

1.        Spray the inside of your crock pot with a non-stick spray. I do this to be nice to the person who has to do the dishes after dinner. Cleaning the crock pot is often the worst job.

2.       Put the check breasts in the crock pot

3.       Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix over the top of the chicken breasts

4.       Add the pesto over the chicken

5.       Pour in the chicken broth.

6.       Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. 

Nutrition info for 6 chicken breasts (the ones I used were about 9 oz each so they were pretty big), per serving: Calories 455, Fat 16.3g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 151.7g, Sodium 1257.8g, Carbs 6.8g, Dietary Fiber 0.7g, Sugars 1.4g, Protein 61g.

That is it! Really, it is so easy and the chicken comes out moist and tender with some flavor! 

My mistakes –

Really with this recipe you think I made mistakes?  Even I got this one right.

My Suggestions –

I understand that the ranch dip mix is high in sodium so you might want to look for a recipe that you can use to make the powder yourself.  I did a minute’s worth of research and found one recipe here. http://happymoneysaver.com/diy-copycat-homemade-hidden-valley-ranch-mix/

This recipe also uses prepared pesto.  It is not exactly light on the calories.  You might want to find a low calorie way to make it yourself.  Here is a "skinny" recipe that you could try from skinny taste.com.  

Please note - I have not tried either of these recipes.  They are just suggestions for things you could try if you want to cut back.  

This is a great meal for the summer. It takes all of about 2 minutes to put everything in the crock pot and then you can just be ready to serve dinner.  I got the recipe from a friend who made it to serve on the 4^th of July.  Everyone loved it and she didn't spend any time making it. 

So make it easy on yourself and try this recipe.   

Thanks for reading!

HA! Fooled You! Another Recipe This Week!

This cookbook has a lot of great recipes. 

Just to surprise you, I have another recipe this week. Yes, I have cooked something else new.

This recipe is from the same cookbook that I used last week, The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook.  This book is available from The American Diabetes Association or from Amazon. (The cookbook  is less expensive from Amazon.  If you can buy it from the American Diabetes Association, you are giving to a good organization.)

I will first give the recipe as it is written and then will tell you my mistakes and suggested improvements. Also, in case you are an  intimidated cook, please know that I am a self-professed terrible cook. I do think that if I were  interested in cooking it would help but  I am not that interested. Oh, I LOVE to eat but just not cook.  Given the knowledge that I am not much of a cook, you will know that the recipes I provide are always easy to make. I also like them easy to clean up.  That is why I am drawn to recipes like this one.

Carne Asada Tacos - Serves 8 - Serving size is two tacos

1 lime, juiced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 green onions chopped
1 lb. flank steak
1 tbsp. canola oil
16 small whole wheat tortillas (about 6 inches in diameter each)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, garlic, and green onions. Pour into a large sealable bag. Add steak, seal and marinate in refrigerator for 45 minutes
3. Add oil to a medium oven-safe skillet and heat over high heat. Remove steak from marinade and sear on one side for2 minutes. Flip steak, pour marinade over it, and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes.
4. Remove steak from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice meat thinly against the grain.  Divide meat among whole-wheat tortillas.

Calories – 260, Total Fat – 8 g, Saturated Fat – 1.6g, Cholesterol – 20 mg, Sodium – 415 mg, Total Carbohydrate – 29g, Dietary Fiber - 4 g Sugars- 2 g Protein- 15 g

 My mistakes 

I know you will find this hard to believe but I didn't make any significant changes to this recipe. I did use lime juice instead of the juice of a lime.

When you read the directions for this recipe, it sounds like you will be pouring the juices that are left in the bag over the flank steak after you turn it. In reality, there are very few juices.        

I did leave the steak marinating longer than 45 minutes. I didn't think it would really matter. I don't think that it did.

My changes

Okay the recipe calls for you to just put the steak in the tortillas and eat it that way. I did try one that way. While it was okay, there was a strong taste of lime to the taco. We had some salsa that we tried putting with the meat on the tortilla. That just seemed to overpower the whole thing.

Then like Goldilocks I found a way that I felt really worked great. I put the steak on my salad. It was delicious. The lime taste was subdued and it was a great addition to my salad.  So, I would vote that it should be Carne Asada Salad not Carne Asada Tacos.

(Okay, it was good but I will also say that flank steak is not cheap so this is an occasional recipe at best. This is not a weekly staple.)


Have a great week!

Thanks for reading!

Here are some pretty roses for you!

Recipe - One Pot Skillet

It has been a long time since I gave you a new recipe to try. If you are thinking it is because I have not been doing much cooking, you might be right but really, you shouldn't think that way about me.  I cook, I really do. I just have not felt like finding new recipes. 

But I decided that it was time to expand the choices again. Also, while I have not made any new recipes, it does not mean that I have not marked recipes that I want to try. 

I have found many good recipes in this cookbook

This week for new recipes, I turned to The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook.  This book is available from The American Diabetes Association or from Amazon. (Sadly, it is less expensive from Amazon but if you can, if you buy from the American Diabetes Association as you will be giving to a good organization.)

If you have followed this blog before, you will know that I will first give the recipe as it is written and then will tell you my mistakes and suggested improvements. Also, in case you are a slightly intimidated cook, please know that I am a self-professed terrible cook. I do think that if I were slightly interested in cooking it would help but generally, I am not that interested. Oh, I LOVE to eat but just not cook.  Given the knowledge that I am not much of a cook, you will know that the recipes I provide are always easy to make. I also like them easy to clean up.  That is why I am drawn to "one pot recipes" like this one. (Oh, and it is a misnomer - it takes two pots) 

One-Pot Skillet – Serves 7 - Serving size 1 cup

2 cups whole-wheat rotini pasta, uncooked

1 lb. lean ground turkey breast

1 medium onion diced

1 14.5 oz can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Splenda

1 cup reduced-fat, shredded Monterey Jack cheese (You can substitute reduced fat mozzarella or Swiss)

1.        Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt. Drain.

2.       In a large skillet, cook ground turkey until it begins to brown, about 6-7 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add onions and sauté about 5 more minutes or until translucent.

3.       Add next six ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Fold in cheese and toss with drained pasta. 

Calories 225, Calories from fat 40, Total Fat 4.5 g, Saturated Fat 2.2g, Cholesterol 55 mg,

Sodium 390 mg, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber 4 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 23 g

Did we like it?

Yes, we did. Despite my feelings about the extra lean ground turkey, (see listings of mistakes below)  it was good. 

My mistakes –

First of all, it seems that Silent Sam bought extra lean ground turkey.  It is just my opinion but I would suggest that you not buy extra lean ground turkey.  It is just TOO DRY. You do not have to worry about draining excess fat from it BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY. I didn't like the way it cooked.

We also have trouble finding some whole wheat pastas. I used Trader Joe’s Organic vegetable radiator pasta in the recipe. (It is made from organic durum wheat semolina, spinach, beet, red bell pepper and paprika.) I like to use it because it adds color and a different look to a dish.  I cannot tell you if it increased the carbs. 

In our grocery store, crushed tomatoes come in a 28 oz. can. There was not a 14.5 oz. can and really not a no-salt variety. In a moment of inspiration or idiocy, I used a 14.5 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. The mixture seemed so dry; I thought this might add more liquid. I cannot always explain my thought process. The only thing was that it was the right amount which made it easier. 

I did not add the optional cayenne pepper. I am a spice wimp. 

I also did not add the Splenda. I might have added it if I had it on hand but I was not going to buy Splenda so that I would have 1 tsp. for this recipe. Silent Sam did bring home 3 packets from work the day after I made the recipe. I am not clear as to why you would want the Splenda in the recipe but perhaps my substitution of the diced tomatoes for the crushed tomatoes made the difference. I don’t know.

Also, we did not find reduced fat Monterey jack cheese. I used reduced fat mozzarella. 

What would I change the next time?

I think that I would try making it with the crushed tomatoes and I would experiment with adding more than the 14.5 oz. that the recipe suggests. I think that it depends on what you like - the diced tomatoes are chunky while the crushed tomatoes would probably make more of a sauce. I would also add sliced black olives, spinach, and mushrooms. I think it would add just a bit more flavor without adding many calories.

(Let’s face it – I think that you should add spinach to almost everything. It is good for you and adds color and a bit of flavor to a dish.)

Thanks for reading!

I wish you a safe and happy 4^th of July. Please take a quick moment to breathe a "thank you" to all the men and women who have served and currently serve to make our country safe and free.