consider the source…
I’m sorry about the silly title, but I just had to go there…
This month, I have an article up about juicing on Food & Nutrition’s website. If you’re interested or even just a little curious, check it out!
Tag Archives: writing
Worlds Collide
I had to laugh yesterday afternoon, when I glanced at my desk. I was enjoying a post-work green smoothie while waiting to throw some laundry in the dryer. Next to the bowl (which was resting nicely on top of my behavioral health nutrition homework) was my copy of Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems. It was almost too appropriate, given the title, but at the same time, the “world’s colliding” factor amused me.
While helping others feel good by eating well is one of my main passions, I practically came out of the womb with a pen in hand. Writing has always been my “thing,” what makes me feel happiest and most at peace, and I love that I get to write about nutrition and health as part of my job.
April happens to be National Poetry Month, and I’ve been having a great time attempting to keep up with the “30 poems in 30 days” challenge—I actually kind of like having a long subway commute because it gives me time to put pen to paper and see what happens.
What are some of the things you’re passionate about?
1,000th Post!
Good times in Greve, 2010
Wow, guys—this is my 1,000th Keeping It Real Food post! Where has the time gone? So much has happened since I began this blog in 2009 when I went back to school. I just wanted to say thank you so, so much for sharing the journey with me. So far so good. I continue to be surprised, humbled and amused on a daily basis : )
What are you grateful for today?
Inspiring RDs
Thanks again for the well-wishes I received yesterday on the blog, on Facebook, and from friends & family yesterday. It was a whirlwind of a day, but I really feel like I’m in the right place.
Something cool for you to check out—The ADA Times has relaunched as Food & Nutrition magazine and revamped their website. They now have a new section called Inspire, which features Registered Dietitians doing cool, meaningful work in the field. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to interview some of these fantastic folks and hope you enjoy reading their stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Cheers to a great Tuesday!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, community, food, health, nutrition, RD, work, writing
What I Ate Wednesday #46
Good morning! How’s your week going? Did you celebrate Mardi Gras? I think the last time I did was in middle school French class! It’s also been a while since I’ve made any morning-after Lenten-type vows, except maybe that one time in 2008 I thought about giving up alcohol, but let’s never speak of that one again, k? Still, kudos to you if you’re spending the next 40 days trying out a new good habit, whether it’s for religious reasons or just because now seems like a good time. With so many huge changes in the works, I think my goal for the next 6 weeks is to not freak the f*** out, which will hopefully benefit those around me.
Wednesday totally snuck up on me this week, thanks to the long weekend. No complaints, though. Yesterday was my last Tuesday working from home in who knows how long, so I took advantage of the extra time by doing a ton of laundry, stocking up on groceries, and cleaning the hell out of my apartment. I also ran a bunch of errands I’d been putting off.
Because I felt like I was constantly moving, my meals and snacks were mostly quick, thrown-together assortments of leftovers. Sometimes I forget just how much of a workout you get cleaning and rushing around crossing things off your to-do list. So much for that active rest day. I’ll make it up later this week…
In the spirit of What I Ate Wednesday, let’s do this thing.
Breakfast: Oats with plum and chia seeds, topped with fig butter and PB2 sauce (I’ve been won over—this stuff is kinda neat) 
Lunch: Butternut black bean chili over kale; toast w/ hummus & roasted pepper
Snack: Kefir w/ berries & cereal 
Dinner: Spaghetti squash w/ roasted broccoli & eggplant, kale, Tofurkey sausage, marinara, and parmesan 
Snack: (unpictured) glass of white wine at writers’ group; banana w/ 1 tsp-ish of Biscoff when I got home (I tell myself the potassium will counteract the onset of a wine headache, but this may or may not be true)
As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. For more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.
Did you do anything for Mardi Gras? Giving anything up for the next 40 days?
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cooking, dietetic internship, internship, New York, school, vegetables, What I Ate Wednesday, wine, work, writing
Marathon Fuel
After a few social weekends, I stayed close to home Saturday to get some work done. I had a few exciting projects that needed my attention, so after an early hot yoga class, I settled in for a productive day.
Post-sweat-lodge yoga glow. Be glad you can't smell through the computer screen...
Breakfast: pumpkin-flax oats in a nearly-empty peanut butter jar
Fueling your brain and body for a marathon work session (especially after a workout) with balanced meals is important. Luckily, I had a lot of pre-prepped ingredients and leftovers on hand to keep me going without cutting into my time too much.
A mix of proteins, carbs and healthy fats keep you satisfied and energized, and adding fiber-rich fruits and vegetables help keep you full longer so you can stay in the zone. I don’t know about you, but nothing frustrates me like a grumbling stomach when I’m trying to work!
Spaghetti squash with tons of leftover veggies, kale, peas & parmesan—whatever works
Lazy-person's shakshouka
I did go out on Friday night to see Pina with a few friends who had been wanting to check it out. If you haven’t seen it, it’s wonderful. I’m not normally someone who gets into movies about dancing, but it’s so engaging and truly beautiful to watch. After getting a lot done today, it looks like Saturday may involve an outing after all, at least for a little while. Tomorrow’s another busy day!
What are you up to this weekend? What do you eat when you need to work for a long time?
Busy-Day Lunches
Hello hello. Happy Tuesday. Hope you liked yesterday’s Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe. It’s already been a busy week over here—I am buzzing with all kinds of projects, and I love it that way. Do you have a typical busy-day lunch? This time of year, I love soup (I make big batches and freeze in single servings) with a side salad and toast with hummus.
What I Ate Wednesday #26
Happy What I Ate Wednesday! I can’t believe the week is half-over. So far so good with this one. My work load has been a little lighter than normal, so I’ve actually had time to get things done at home and feel like a human being again.
I don’t know what it was about today, but I had the hardest time focusing on studying. There’s something about October that makes it really easy to work on poems and stories but impossible to read about macronutrients or discuss enzymes. I am totally guilty of scribbling lines of dialogue for a new piece throughout my first class today.
My Complementary & Alternative Nutrition class was really fun tonight, though. We did presentations on functional foods, and everyone brought in samples so we could all taste them. I brought in roasted cauliflower as part of my presentation on cruciferous vegetables, and there was also kefir, honey, chocolate-covered cranberries, sweet potato ginger muffins, blueberries, garlicky bruschetta and a margarine with plant sterols. Sorry I didn’t get any pictures, but I felt kind of weird about taking pictures in class.
Since I got home so late—and since we’d had appetizers in class (hah), dinner was on the smaller side. It kind of bums me out that Chris often gets home even later than I do, but weeknight solo dinners can be good too.
Breakfast: Apple spice oats with sunflower seed butter and granola
Lunch: Egg-white cottage cheese omelette, giant salad; sliced up chocolate chip zucchini muffin for dessert
Pre-Class Snack: Greek yogurt with half a peach, strawberries, flax, and granola
Dinner: Red lentil butternut squash and apple soup 
Dessert: A peach that was on its way out; dark chocolate
How was your Wednesday? What was the best thing you ate?
To see more WIAW posts by other bloggers visit founder Jenn’s blog, Peas & Crayons.
Low-fat dairy impacts kids’ health but maybe not weight
Photo courtesy of FYI Living
Did you get milk in school? I did, at least in elementary school. At the beginning of the year, our parents would sign us up for either red milk (whole), blue milk (low-fat) or light blue milk (skim). There was also chocolate milk. Every day on the way into the multi-purpose room, I’d grab a blue milk off the tray and go sit at whichever table my grade was assigned to.
While I don’t remember if I actually drank this milk, the endearingly curmudgeonly lunch lady, Elsie, used to walk around instructing, “Drink ya milk!” For her sake, I hope I did.
Dairy products like milk have long been considered healthy options for growing kids, but whole milk products are the main source of saturated fat in kids’ diets. Too much saturated fat has been linked to elevated cholesterol levels and other health conditions rarely seen in children until the past generation.
A piece I wrote on a study of kids and low-fat dairy products is up on FYI Living. Researchers looked into whether switching kids from full-fat to low-fat dairy products would improve their health and/or weight. Take a look and see what they found out.
In my humble opinion, both full-fat and low-fat dairy products have their place in a healthy, balanced diet so long as parents keep overall calories in mind and offer a variety of healthy options. Kids with lactose intolerance may benefit from lactose-free products and milk alternatives like soy, almond, rice or coconut milk products.
Did you get milk in school? Do you drink milk now?
Weekend Eats
Sometimes I feel like a big dork calling food “eats,” but titling a post “Weekend Foods” or “Edible Things I Consumed This Weekend” just seems wrong.
I’ve been a little off the radar this weekend, mostly because I’m holed up working on a writing project I’m really into. I’ve been making a point of going outside and took a nice long walk this morning while I thought and entered a few notes into my phone, but I’ve been happy as a clam standing (yes, standing) in front of my computer typing away and doing research. Weird, I know. Where is this energy when I’m trying to write paper?!
I did manage to tear myself away to go out to dinner with Chris last night (we went to Gazala Place, a favorite), and tonight I’m going to a sparkling wine-tasting with my mom and sister (I love Groupon). For the most part, though, I’ve been making myself simple, easy meals to keep myself fueled while I write.
recycled picture, but basically the best falafel ever
Saturday I made the best veggie burger I’ve had in a while: A Dr. Praeger’s California burger with greens, tomato, roasted pepper, avocado, and sharp white cheddar.
It was totally falling apart but in the best way possible.
Breakfast this morning was something easy but new (to me)—peaches n’ cream overnight oats. Honestly, all I did differently was add a chopped peach to the mix the night before. If I really want to do it up right, I’d puree the fruit or something fancy like that, but I was still happy with it.
Of course I topped it with berries in the morning.
Foods like this remind me what a big part texture plays when I’m deciding what I feel like eating. I get bored when there’s not enough variety.
Maybe that’s why I like sparkling wine so much ; )
What have you been up to this weekend? What was the best thing you ate?
