Berry Dessert

Such a sweet finish to a summer supper!

Fresh mixed berries are in season!  All the berries, with their bright blue and red colors are full of antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, and fiber.  Purchase berries that are grown locally and organic if possible. 

Calorie counts vary with the berry - blackberries may have 70 calories per cup, but strawberries only have about 45.  The dessert above has about 90 calories and over 3 grams of fiber.    It consists of one cup of mixed berries topped with 2 tablespoons of sweet organic yogurt.  You may sprinkle some almond slices on top or even shaved chocolate. 

- Kim Fielding

Steak Supper



Filet mignon steaks.  To compare, the largest is 6 ounces, then
5 ounces, 4 ounces, and the smallest is 3 ounces.

If you are a big meat lover, then the 6-ounce steak must look delicious. In reality, the 3-ounce steak is best for women and 4 ounces for men. A typical restaurant serves an 8-ounce (or larger) steak for dinners. That is twice as much as one needs! Sounds like a good time to share your meal with another person at the table.

A 3-ounce steak supper is shown here.  Note how full the plate looks!

The dinner shown above includes 1/2 cup of roasted new potatoes, lots of tossed green salad, 1/2 cup of sauteed zucchini, carrots and leeks, and the grilled steak.

The steak was cooked on a grill and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.

The sauteed vegetables were cooked in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I started with cooking sliced leeks for a minute, added carrot slices and cooked for another minute, then added the zucchini slices and finished cooking when the zucchini was tender.

The new potatoes were cut into even sizes, placed in a baking pan, and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. These cooked for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The salad included avocado and light vinaigrette.

Total calories for this meal is about 550. Beef steaks have approximately 70 calories per ounce. With the 3-ounce steak, that is only 210 calories. But with the 6 or 8-ounce steak, the beef comprises the majority of calories consumed for a meal. Balance is the key to good nutrition. Make sure to round out your meats with two vegetable side dishes and a whole grain or potato. No bread is needed here.

Alpha note:  Beef should not be eaten daily.  Your primary proteins should come from chicken, fish, tofu, and other foods.  A 3-ounce steak contains about 70 mg of cholesterol.  That is a high number to come from just one food, especially if you are on a restricted diet.  Make the meat a rare treat.

- Kim Fielding

Packet Snapper

Pile on your favorite vegetables to enhance the flavors in your packet.

My family calls this meal Packet Fish.  The fish is enclosed in a foil packet along with seasonings and vegetables.  In this case we used red snapper, but tilapia, cod, or other white fish works well too.

serves:  4                    prep time:  10 minutes

foil squares

olive oil or Pam spray
4 4-ounce red snapper fillets
4 new potatoes, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start with a 12-inch square of foil for each person.  Set the pieces of foil on the counter and spray with Pam or brush with olive oil.  Lay a 3 to 4-ounce piece of fish on the foil and top with thinly sliced red onion, new potatoes, and red pepper.  You may use other vegetables too such as zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and top with sliced lemon.  Enclose the fish by bringing the sides of the foil up and securely sealing in the ingredients.  Place packets on a baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove packets from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before opening.  When you unseal a packet, be careful not to burn yourself with steam. 

Packets may be placed directly on the plate.  Each packet has approximately 375 calories and over 4 g fiber. Serve with a large tossed green salad and 1/2 cup of brown rice.  This entire meal has over 100% of your RDA for B12, close to 100% for selenium, a quarter of the RDA for potassium, and a multitude of other beneficial elements.

This is a "time-friendly" meal.  Start to finish, the meal was completely cooked in just under 45 minutes.  This is how:  1) Start with the brown rice as this takes the most time.  Brown rice in my rice cooker takes just about 40 minutes.  2) Make the fish packets and put them in the oven.  3) Make the green salad.  Our salads include lettuces, avocado, tomato, and a light vinaigrette.  4) Pull the fish packets out of the oven and set aside while you toss the salad.  5)  Plate the fish, brown rice, and green salad.  One of my kid helpers sets the table and another one pours the water into glasses.  Voila!

- Kim Fielding

Be able to accept the change.

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden” Goethe.

Humans are creatures of habit.  Some habits we have to lose and some we have to gain and accept.  Healthy eating and regular exercising eventually grows on you but you need to give it a chance.  Here is an obvious example:  start eating breakfast.  If you force yourself for 2 weeks in a row, it will grow on you and most likely will turn into a habit.  Give a try to all the variety of breakfasts in this book – those are all extremely tasty and of course, healthy.

Here is another example:  If you’re a white rice eater, you need to know that eating five servings per day increase your risk of diabetes for 17%.  On the other hand, eating two servings of brown rice was associated with decreased risk of diabetes.  The difference is the whole grain that is polished off the white rice.   Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health demonstrated  that just substituting of white rice with brown lowers the risk of diabetes.  (Archives of Internal Medicine, June 14, 2010)

Make a small change, and break a habit. It's the most effiective form of treatment.

Roast Chicken with Grape Tomatoes

Beautiful colors and wonderful flavors always excite the palate.

I was at Safeway the other day and noticed Grill Pack chicken for 99 cents per pound.  This consisted of a mixed package of half breasts and hind quarters (legs with thighs attached).  Back home was a half package of grape tomatoes that needed to be used up and that was the inspiration for this chicken dish.  Not only was this dish inexpensive, it used local and seasonal produce.

We included a side of fresh sauteed zucchini and a tossed green salad with avocado, a light balsamic vinaigrette and croutons. 

Nutritionally, this meal offers over 30% of your daily requirement for vitamins B6, C, and E, niacin, and iron.  In addition, you take in over 20% of your RDA for copper, manganese, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium and zinc.  Believe it or not, you only ingest 450 calories with this entire dinner!

Red and yellow grape tomatoes inspired this easy dish. 

How to make the chicken:  For four people, place two pieces of chicken (I used one whole breast and one thigh/leg) in a baking dish.  Place half a pint of colorful grape or cherry tomatoes on the chicken.  Sprinkle over a clove of chopped garlic.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper.  Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for one hour.  Chop up some fresh basil and reserve to sprinkle over the chicken just before serving.

While that is cooking, make a light balsamic vinaigrette using 2 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper and blend thoroughly.  Set aside and toss the salad only just before serving.   I love to recycle jars for making salad dressings - just add ingredients, top with lid, and shake. 

For the salad, allow at least one cup of lettuce per person, 1/4 avocado sliced, other vegetables if you like, and croutons (note the serving size for the croutons).  Good lettuces for this salad might include romaine, spring mix, green and red leaf varieties.

Slice three or four zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds and discard the ends.  In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat and saute one clove of chopped garlic for about 30 seconds.  Add the zucchini and cook until it is almost tender.  You may add broth or water to the pan if it gets dry.  Don't cook the zucchini all the way because it will be reheated later.

You may find that you have an extra half hour or so at this point.  Take a walk around the block or do some other exercise during this time, or do chores!  These activities all burn calories which is good.

About five minutes before the chicken comes out of the oven, reheat the zucchini over low heat and toss the salad with the dressing in a bowl.  Allow about 1 tablespoon of dressing per person.  Cut the breast half into two pieces and separate the thigh from the leg and place on plates. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil over, as shown above and serve with the zucchini.  The salad is on a separate plate.  The chicken skin must be removed before eating.  The chicken in this dish was remarkably juicy!

- Kim Fielding

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable and a member of the same family of plants that includes cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, and most closely to broccoli. Although it used to be considered a winter vegetable, it is available in California year round. Recently I was at the grocer and was thrilled to see several beautiful colors of cauliflower on the shelves. China and India are the top producers of cauliflower and broccoli with China producing about half of all the cauliflower in the world.

Cauliflower packs a nutritional punch. A one-cup serving of steamed or boiled cauliflower is high in dietary fiber providing about 3-1/2 grams and has less than 30 calories! It is an excellent source of vitamins C, K and folate and is a very good source of other B vitamins, tryptophan and omega 3 fatty acids. Cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables, contain phytonutrients in compounds called crucifers that have been proven to reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancers and are extremely important for colorectal health. In addition, it is being researched for its ability to help the liver detoxify cancer-causing substances.

Cauliflower can be cooked many ways including boiling and steaming, roasting, pickled, sautéed or eaten raw. If you are trying to cut down on potatoes, boiling and mashing cauliflower makes a light alternative to them. They can be buttery with a minimum of added fat but are watery by themselves so if you are mashing them, don’t add fluids until you need to. They have a slightly sweet and nutty flavor and can be adapted to almost any meal or cuisine. Indian cuisine usually pairs cauliflower with turmeric which has its own health preventative qualities when used in that combination. Many different cultures use cauliflower with varying spices so be free to try herbs and spices that you are fond of with this treat.

Roasted cauliflower

serves:  4-6

I like to roast several vegetables in the oven at once to have on hand for leftovers. This simple method also works for carrots, green beans, asparagus, broccoli and broccolini (broccoli rabe), and onions to name a few.  For those people who don't really like cauliflower, this recipe may convert you!

Break up a head of cauliflower into florets and place in a roasting pan. (It is okay to use a knife to cut up the bigger bunches).  For four cups of vegetable, toss with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt and a light sprinkling of pepper. You may also use garlic infused olive oil which makes your kitchen smell heavenly!  Toss all together with your hands to evenly distribute the oil and seasoning.  Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir the cauliflower once while in the oven to make the pieces roast evenly. The time will vary depending on how big the pieces are. When they start to brown, watch them closely so they don’t burn.

85 calories for a one-cup serving

Suggested Menu

1 cup roasted cauliflower
½ cup fresh grape or pear tomatoes (try the sweet yellow ones)
½ cup mushrooms sautéed in 1 teaspoon olive oil and with a pinch of salt and pepper, broth added if needed
3 oz. grilled beef (the sautéed mushrooms are a great topping for the beef)

350 calories

P.S. If you really need a starch, add about 120 calories for a small whole-grain roll or ½ cup of brown rice. Also, if you love onions, sauté some of them in with the mushrooms to spoon over the beef – Yum!

- Kim Fielding

Throwing DARTs at diabetes

•         Total number of people: 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes.

•         Diagnosed: 17.9 million people

•         Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people

•         Pre-diabetes: 57 million people

•         New Cases: 1.6 million diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.

The major source of the epidemic of diabetes is the epidemic of obesity.  Although the rise in obesity rates has slowed in the US, it is rampant in developing world.  1.6 billion people world wide are overweight and 400 million are obese.  The good news is if people make the needed lifestyle change, then in the majority of cases diabetes is preventable.   The bad news is the effort to make a change is cumbersome.  People stick with a change for a short while and then go back into old established habits.  The medical community and researchers have discovered new trick: medications to treat the appetite, blast off fat, increase metabolism, stop the fat absorption, et cetera, but those measures are not sustainable unless the person truly and permanently invest into their lifestyle. 

The real pill we need is the DART pill – or, the “Do All the Right Things” pill. DART has many side-effects. Upon taking this pill, the user wakes up 6:30 in the morning and exercises for 30 minutes. Then, he or she eats a healthy breakfast with 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Throughout the day , they walk as much as they can, eat a healthy, low-fat, and full of fruits and vegetables lunch and dinner (mostly home-made and fishy), drinks a glass of wine and lots of water, before squeezing in another half-hour round of exercise. They get in bed by 10:00 and are asleep by 10:30 PM, for a full 8 hours.  Oh, and don’t forget to take DART again.

Avocado Ole

Avocados and guacamole made with mashed avocado with lemon, salt and pepper.

The avocado is a fruit native to the warm climates of Mexico, Guam, Central and South America. It is unable to tolerate frost, so it is cultivated in tropical or sub-tropical climates. Although avocados are available year-round, they are most abundant in California in the spring and summer months and from Florida in the fall months.

A medium avocado has a high-fat content of around 80%; however, most of it is monounsaturated fat such as the health-promoting oleic acid. They contain more than 1-1/2 times the potassium found in bananas and are rich in the E, K, and B vitamins. Amazingly, they are the biggest fiber providers of any fruit with ¾ being insoluble and ¼ being soluble fiber. When the Alpha Plan recommends ¼ of an avocado in salads or on a sandwich, that serving includes approximately 2-1/2 grams dietary fat and only 70 calories.

Guacamole is probably one of the most well-known avocado treats, but it is also enjoyed chopped raw in salsas, sliced raw on sandwiches and in salads, and on top of soups and stews. It can be blended into a salad dressing and spread onto sandwich bread and used instead of mayonnaise.  If you don't use your entire avocado right away, seal it tightly with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator, preferably with the large pit in it.  Brown spots can be cut out or around and the rest of the avocado should still be good.  Enjoy the following recipe with your chicken or fish, or however you like it!

Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
The tomatillos and avocado provide a Latin American twist to your meals.

serves:  6                    prep time: 15 minutes

10 medium tomatillos
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 large shallot (can substitute scallions or other onion), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper

Heat a pot of water seasoned with salt to boiling. Discard the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them under warm water to remove stickiness. Cook them whole in the boiling, salted water for 8 minutes or until they feel tender when poked with a knife.  While they are cooking, place cilantro, shallot, and garlic in a large bowl.  Cool and then chop tomatillos and add to cilantro mixture, tossing to combine. The tomatillos will exude a lot of juice. Add that to the bowl as well.

Peel and pit avocado and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Add avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper to tomatillo mixture, gently tossing until just combined.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  Salsa may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups, or six servings as a topping for your cooked lean meats.

Calories: 70 per ¼ cup serving

Menu Suggestion: (per person less than 500 calories)

1 4-oz. piece of white fish such as baked cod, or
3 oz. chicken breast topped with
¼ cup Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

1 cup sliced and sauteed zucchini with
cumin and oregano

½ cup each roasted or grilled red pepper and red onion

½ cup black beans

Light coffee sprinkled with cinnamon or
cinnamon herbal tea

- Kim Fielding

Ode to Burgers

Everyone loves a good burger. Whether it is made from beef, lamb, chicken, fish, tofu, or vegetables, it is delicious served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, condiments, and whatever else you enjoy on it. However, with the way America eats, this icon of American fast food has become a not-so-great choice in our menu plan. Portion size has a lot to do with why this beloved food has disappointed us, but also, what we put on it and what we eat with the burger as a side dish. With a typically high saturated fat content, low fiber, and low nutrient value, we need to take a look at how we can create a more healthful way to eat this favorite American staple.

Beef is the typical ingredient for hamburgers so be sure to select extra-lean meat and keep your portion size to 3 or 4 ounces. Ground chicken and turkey are increasingly used as a healthier alternative to beef. 3 ounces of ground turkey and ground chicken offer 106 calories, 6 grams fat and 12 grams protein. 3 ounces of extra-lean ground beef has 185 calories, 12 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein. As you can see, the beef has twice as much fat and has more than twice the saturated fats of the poultry.  2 ounces of ground lamb has 160 calories, 13 grams of fat and 9 grams of protein. Another idea is to mix ground meats to reduce calories and fat. For example, if you love the lamb flavor but don’t need the calories, use half ground lamb and half ground chicken mixed together.

Soft pillow-type white bread buns are a huge obstacle for healthy eating. One bun can have over 200 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (half of which is saturated), less than 2 grams of fiber, and over 35 grams of carbs, 10 grams or more which may be from sugars. Several of the packaged hamburger buns that you see in the stores are twice as big as a regular portion and contain high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated fats. Your best bets are whole grain rolls, whole grain pita or just plain lettuce as in the popular lettuce wraps, or “protein-style” that you can now order in restaurants (bunless burgers!)

Get creative with condiments. Use the freshest tomatoes, lettuce or shredded cabbage, avocado, onions, cucumber, mushrooms, sprouts, or any other vegetable that sounds yummy. If you love herbs, fresh basil leaves, cilantro, parsley, and mint can be added either to the meats or on top for more zing. Grilled vegetables such as peppers and onions, summer squash, and eggplant add great flavor and filler for the burgers and can be cooked at the same time as the rest of the burger. Forgo the mayonnaise please! If using catsup or mustard, ensure they don’t have high fructose corn syrup or artificial colorings or flavorings in them. Notice too that we didn’t mention cheese. A one-ounce slice of cheese can add over 100 calories to your meal – just say no to cheese.

For a special treat, you can cook up and carmelize some onions and or mushrooms to top your burger. With these toppings you don't need catsup. A spot of dijon style mustard would be nice with these two.

For each of these toppings, I put a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and then added the veggies. 

For 1/2 pound of mushrooms, I added 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Garlic powder is also delicious with the mushrooms.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft and golden.

To cook a whole onion, remove the outer skin and slice it thinly.  Add to the oil in the pan and cook over low heat stirring occasionally.  After about five minutes, sprinkle a small amount of sugar over and stir into the onions.  Continue cooking until the onion is transluscent and golden. 

Each of these toppings should serve four burgers.  Have fun and experiment with different vegetables.

- Kim Fielding