Power Up Your Plate With Pork

October is National Pork Month and a great time to power up your plate with pork. The high quality of protein in pork may help you feel fuller longer, provide you with an excellent source of many B vitamins for energy and may even help you lose weight.

For a healthy and balanced diet, choose lean cuts of pork. To identify lean cuts of pork at the grocery store, look for the word “loin” on the label, such as pork tenderloin or loin chop. Pork tenderloin is just as lean as a skinless chicken breast. An analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found there are six cuts of pork that are considered either extra lean or lean by labeling standards (less than 10g of fat, 4.5g saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per serving). These include pork tenderloin, pork boneless top loin chop, pork top loin roast, pork center loin chop, pork sirloin roast and pork rib chop.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that the safe end-point for cooking pork is now 145^oF (lowered from 160^oF). At 145^oF, the pork will be a little pink in color, but is safe to eat. Since today’s pork is leaner than ever, the lower cooking temperature results in a juicier, more flavorful meat. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure proper cooking temperature.

Pork is a versatile product that can easily be incorporated into all your meals. Try these simple ideas and remember to choose lean cuts of protein!

At breakfast:

-Make your own healthy breakfast sandwich at home. Start with a light whole wheat English muffin and top with an egg, Canadian bacon (more lean than regular bacon) and low-fat cheese.

-Scramble together eggs, Canadian bacon and veggies and place on a whole wheat tortilla. Serve with your favorite salsa.

-Try Stick-With-You Sunrise Muffins (recipe below).

At lunch:

-Substitute pork for chicken in your favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, or substitute pork for beef in your traditional chili recipe.

-Top romaine lettuce, spinach or kale with thinly sliced pork tenderloin, black beans, pineapple and one of your favorite citrus fruits.

-Fill a whole wheat wrap with lean pork, avocado, red onion and diced green chiles.

At dinner:

-Stir-fry cubed pork loin with your favorite vegetables and serve with quinoa.

-Consider lean pork as a pizza topping; use a whole wheat pizza crust and top with lots of vegetables and 2% shredded cheese.

-Make stuffed peppers using 96%-lean ground pork.

Get your day started off with a powerful punch of protein from pork with these simple and delicious muffins!

Stick-With-You Sunrise Muffins

Serving size: 2 muffins

Serves 6.

All you need:

Hy-Vee olive oil spray

6 tablespoons minced green onion

9 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

12 ounces baby spinach leaves

8 large eggs and 4 large egg whites

3/4 cup skim milk

24 slices Amana Canadian bacon

4 ounces grated reduced–fat crumbled feta cheese

All you do:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange rack in middle. Spray muffin pan with olive oil spray.

2. Spray olive oil in a large frying pan and heat to medium. Add onion and bell pepper; season well with freshly ground black pepper and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook until spinach is well wilted, about 2 minutes

3. In a bowl, scramble eggs and egg whites and mix with skim milk.

4. Place 2 Canadian bacon slices in the bottom of each muffin cup to line it and top with vegetable mixture

5. Divide eggs into muffin cups and divide feta cheese evenly among the cups.

6. Put muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes.

Easy Tip:  Prepare multiple muffins and keep frozen. Muffins can be easily microwaved for 1-2 minutes to re-heat for an easy grab-and-go breakfast.

*Adapted from the National Pork Board.

-Dietitian Amanda

Ingredient Spotlight: Pumpkin

October has arrived. This means fall is in full swing. If you’re looking for and craving all things pumpkin spice, this fiber-ful dip should hit the spot! It will be a festive addition to all your tailgates, fall parties and potlucks. 

Pumpkin Spice Dip

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 (5.3 oz each) containers vanilla yogurt, such as Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla

2 packets stevia

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, plus additional for garnish

1½ tsp cinnamon

Graham crackers and/or apple and pear slices, for serving

All you do:
Stir together pumpkin, yogurt, stevia, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice. Serve with graham crackers, apples or pears, if desired.

Pumpkin is a vegetable from the squash family. It offers a variety of health benefits, one of the most prominent being its vitamin A content. Just one half cup of pureed pumpkin offers 280% of the daily value of vitamin A. That half cup also provides 4 grams of fiber, making pumpkin a diabetic-friendly choice. It also has just 10 mg of sodium and 65 mg potassium, making it a heart-healthy choice. With only 50 calories per half cup serving, this fall favorite is also weight-management friendly. 

Happy Fall!

-Dietitian Natalie 

Conversation Starters

Looking for ways to get the conversation going with your kids at meal times? Check out these ideas that were featured in the Back to School edition of the Hy-Vee Seasons magazine!

Preschool:
-If you could be any animal, what would you want to be and why?
-What is your favorite book? What characters did you like and why?
-In the book, Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-am says he will not try green eggs and ham. Then he does and he likes them. Have you ever tried something for the first time and said, "Hey, I like this!"

Elementary:
-What do you like most about school so far?
-What do you want to be when you grow up?
-What can you give or do for someone that doesn't cost any money?
-What do you think about rules? Do you think they're important? What are some rules you have at school?
-If you have three cookies and five friends, what would you do?

Middle School:

-Did you read any new books from the library? 

-If you had three wishes, what would they be?

-Talk about something nice someone did for you this week or something that you did for someone to make them feel better.

-What makes someone a good friend?

-What do you do when you disagree with your friends?

High School:

-How did your science experiment turn out?

-What special talents do you bring to the table when you work on group projects?

-How do you know when you can trust another person?

-What traits about your mom or dad would you like to have as an adult?

College:

-What are your favorite classes?

-What types of food do you enjoy eating around campus?

-What do you enjoy doing for fun?

-What is the best thing that's happened to you since you started college?

-Are you finding any classes more interesting that you expected? Why?

-What is one way that you take care of yourself?

-Dietitian Amanda

National Family Meals Month–Whole-Grain Lasagna Cups

September is National Family Meals month. Your West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians encourage you to eat one more family meal together each week. Below shows a step-by-step method in creating a healthy, tasty and fun recipe. The whole family can be involved in making these Whole-Grain Lasagna Cups!

Gather the following ingredients:

Reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, whole-grain lasagna noodles, dried parsley, dried basil, lean ground turkey, low-fat cottage cheese, pasta sauce or marinara sauce.

Traditional lasagna ingredient	Ingredient to swap	Health benefits of swap
White flour lasagna noodles	Whole-grain lasagna noodles	Increase in fiber
Whole milk shredded cheese	2% reduced-fat shredded cheese	Decrease in calories and saturated fat grams
Ground beef	Ground turkey	Decrease in calories and saturated fat grams
Part-skim ricotta cheese	Low-fat 1% cottage cheese	Decrease in calories, saturated fat grams, increase in protein
Traditional pasta sauce	Prego Light Smart pasta sauce	Decrease in calories and grams of added sugar

Cook entire box of lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles. Spread noodles out on a paper towel to dry and cool.   

While noodles are cooling, brown ground turkey in a skillet with ½ tablespoon basil and ½ tablespoon parsley. Drain turkey.

 Stir in 2 cups pasta sauce. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Place a cooled lasagna noodle on a cutting board. Find a household item that is similar in size to the bottom of a muffin cup, such as a wine glass. Cut the cooled lasagna noodles into circles. You’ll use about 3 whole lasagna noodles for this step. Discard scraps.

 Coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil non-stick cooking spray. Place one cut-out lasagna noodle circle in the bottom of each muffin cup.

Place cooled lasagna noodles on cutting board. Using a knife or the edge of a spatula, cut the noodle in half lengthwise. You’ll use 6 lasagna noodles for this step.  

Wrap each noodle half around the inside of a muffin cup to form the sides of the lasagna cups.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of turkey mixture into each noodle cup.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, ½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese and ½ tablespoon ground black pepper.

Place cottage cheese mixture on top of turkey mixture.

Top cottage cheese layer with another layer of turkey mixture, followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with additional pasta sauce. 

It’s important to make your family meals balanced to ensure everyone is receiving proper nutrition from each food group. Use MyPlate as a guide to help visualize what a healthy plate looks like. These whole-grain lasagna cups primarily represent the grains and protein food groups. The pasta sauce is also a non-starchy vegetable source and the cottage cheese is a calcium-rich dairy source. To balance this plate furthermore, pair with a leafy green strawberry salad along with an 8 oz. glass of skim milk, and you’ve got a complete meal!

Take the Hy-Vee Family Meals challenge today! Simply post a photo to your social media of your family enjoying a meal together and use the hashtag #hyveefamilymeals. Hy-Vee will donate $1 per post to Meals for the Heartland, up to $100,000. Sharing or retweeting the posts below will also count toward the $1 donation. 

 https://www.facebook.com/HyVee/photos/a.95639907796.97759.84150862796/10153766361267797/?type=1&theater

https://twitter.com/HyVee/status/775724595294986241

-Dietitian Natalie 

Blueberry Pumpkin Seed Back-to-School Breakfast Bars

Looking for a healthy breakfast bar? Try these nutrient-dense back-to-school breakfast bars. Each bar is a good source of protein, fiber and is low in added sugars. Whether you’re a student headed back to school, or an adult headed back to work, these bars are sure to fuel your day the healthy way! 
  

  Base Ingredients

All you need

2 cups quick cooking oats

 ¾ cup sliced almonds

¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 ripe bananas

2 tsp vanilla

2 scoops Tera’s Whey vanilla protein powder

1 scoop Pinnaclife prebiotic fiber 

 All you do

Pulse quick cooking oats, sliced almonds, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, cinnamon, bananas, vanilla, protein powder and fiber in food processor. A high-powered blender works really well.

Using a spatula, press into a 9-inch-square baking pan, lightly greased with Hy-Vee 100% olive oil cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Topping Ingredients

All you need

½ cup quick cooking oats
¼ cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

½ tsp cinnamon

All you do

Combine oats, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, almond milk and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.  Pour on top of base mixture.  Bake for another 15 minutes.

 Cut into 16 squares. Voila! These bars can be enjoyed as a snack or breakfast item. Substitute the blueberries for raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture of dried fruit.  

Nutrition Facts per serving (1/16^th of recipe): 152 calories, 7g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 149mg sodium, 19g carbohydrates, 3.5g fiber, 6.5g sugar, 5.5g protein.

-Dietitian Natalie 

Dietitian Pick of the Month: Beanitos

Try this month's dietitian pick: Beanitos^TM! Beanitos^TM are chips made with beans, which means they are loaded with nutrition. Here are five reasons to choose Beanitos^TM:

1. High in fiber! Studies have shown that diets high in fiber may help lower LDL cholesterol levels (the 'bad' cholesterol).
2. Variety! Beanitos^TM are made with black, white and pinto beans that come in several delicious flavors.
3. Beanitos^TM may help you maintain a healthy body weight-foods high in fiber and protein may help reduce appetite.
4. They are gluten-free, MSG-free and corn-free, making them a good option for those with food allergies and sensitivities.
5. Beanitos^TM are a kid-friendly healthy snack-great for after-school snacking!

Beanitos^TM taste delicious all by themselves or with your favorite hummus or guacamole. You could also substitute the Triscuits for Beanitos^TM in Ned's Nacho Recipe. If you're feeling adventurous, check out the recipes below for some new dinner and snack ideas using Beanitos^TM!

Beanitos^TM Chips Chicken:
Serves 6.
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup white rice flour
1 (6 oz) bag nacho cheese flavored Beanitos^TM chips, crushed
Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste
2 pounds chicken breast, pounded thin and cut into 6 portions
2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

All you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg and milk together in one bowl. Place white rice flour in separate bowl. Put Beanitos^TM chips, salt, pepper and garlic powder in separate bowl.
3. Lightly dip chicken in flour and then in egg wash. Dredge chicken in Beanitos^TM chips.
4. Place chicken breasts in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the butter cubes between and over the chicken. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Source: adapted from beanitos.com.

Chocolate Covered Bananas:
Serves 10.
1 bag dark chocolate chips, melted
3 or 4 bananas, sliced
1 bag white bean Beanitos^TM chips, crushed

All you do:
1. Melt chocolate according to package instructions.
2. Dip banana slices in the melted chocolate and top with crushed Beanitos^TM.
3. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least 1 hour.
4. Store in a freezer.

Source: adapted from beanitos.com.

-Dietitian Amanda

Spiced Chickpea "Nuts"

Are you looking for a snack that is both healthy and tasty? Try chickpeas. Chickpeas are naturally a healthy snack as they are high in fiber, a good source of protein, low in unhealthy fats and free of added sugars. Try this recipe from www.eatingwell.com. It’s simple and satisfying. Who knew chickpeas could become so crunchy! 

Spiced Chickpea “Nuts”

Serves 4: ¼ cup each

Source: eatingwell.com

All you need:

1 15-ounce can Hy-Vee chickpeas, rinsed

1 tablespoon Hy-Vee extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon salt

All you do:
1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
2. Blot chickpeas dry and toss in a bowl with oil, cumin, marjoram, allspice and salt. 
3. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until browned and crunchy, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts per ¼ cup serving:

Calories 103; fat 5g; saturated fat 0g, cholesterol 0mg, carbohydrates 14g, sugar 0g, Protein 4g, Fiber 5g, Sodium 303mg, Potassium 2mg.  

Enjoy!

-Dietitian Natalie