Health Trends The Governor has called for a
special Healthcare Session, which would allow lawmakers to tackle
many of the changing healthcare needs and requirements. In light of
the Affordable Care Act, there is quite a "to do" list in
2013.
Capital Public Radio's healthcare reporter Pauline
Bartolone sits down with us to talk about the AFA, the
Healthy Families Program, and other big changes
coming to healthcare this year.
Eating Better With the sugar, fat, and
salt of enormous holiday meals behind us, how many of you are
penning something akin to "diet" in your list of new year's
resolutions?
Capital Public Radio's food reporter Elaine
Corn has another take on how to eat going into a new year, and
it doesn't include the word "diet"! Join us for what Elaine
laughingly calls her "New Year's Rant".
See below for
recipes.
The Anti-Diet / Living Well
1. Learn to cook--What you put in your body ought
to be up to you, not up to the waiter who communicates it to
somebody else in the kitchen. You really don't know
everything that's on that plate. When you start a different
eating routine, it's better to take charge and what better way to
cook your own food? It doesn't mean you should never eat out,
just do it as often as you can. This means you'll have
control over your budget, your nutrition, your calories, your
flavors, and your preferences.
2. Eat clean--Shop for and simply cook fresh fruits
and vegetables, and a piece of meat for dinner. It's staying
away from what Elaine views as "unclean food" that usually poses as
low-calorie, frozen dinners which aren't "Lean" on chemical
ingredients and aren't true "Cuisine," if you catch her
drift.
3. Stop eating junk--Cheetos, Twizzlers,
pizza...just stop snacking altogether. Eating out every day
also falls under this category. Elaine's #1 tip for eating
out: Look over the whole menu and see which ingredients are on it,
then basically create your own meal with the ingredients. For
example, ask for the grilled salmon sandwich minus the sandwich,
and ask the waiter to add the Swiss chard that comes with the steak
that's also on the menu. They'll make up the price for doing
this, but you'll eat better this way.
4. Get used to being a little hungry--Some people
say this puts the body into starvation mode, but not in the few
hours between lunch and dinner. A few hunger pains means your body
is getting accustomed to eating less. Eat dinner early, so
you'll have more time to burn more calories.
5. Go to a farmers market--If you've already been
to one, go more often! We have a gift in this region--we have
a farmers market somewhere in this county all year long. One
of the best things about going to a farmers market is that you will
eat seasonally by default. You'll be able to practice one of
the best nutrition advice called "Eating Your Colors."
http://members.cruzio.com/~dolson/healthtips/colors.html
5 Tips for The Anti-Diet, i.e. Living
Well
1. Learn to cook - What
you put in your body ought to be up to you, not up to the waiter
who communicates it to somebody else in the kitchen. You really
don't know everything that's on that plate. When you start a
different eating routine, it's better to take charge. What better
way to take charge than to cook your own food? It doesn't
mean you should never eat out, it just means you should cook as
often as you can. This means you'll have control over your budget,
your nutrition, your calories, your flavors, and your preferences.
2. Eat
clean - Shop for and cook with fresh
fruits and vegetables, and a piece of meat for dinner. Eating clean
means staying away from what Elaine views as "unclean food" that
usually poses as low-calorie, frozen dinners which aren't "Lean" on
chemical ingredients and aren't true "Cuisine," if you catch her
drift.
3. Stop eating junk -
Cheetos, Twizzlers, pizza...just stop snacking altogether. Eating
out every day also falls under this category, but if you want
really want to spend a night out, here's Elaine's #1 tip
for eating out: Look over the whole menu and see which
ingredients are on it, then basically create your own meal with the
ingredients. For example, ask for the grilled salmon sandwich minus
the sandwich, and ask the waiter to add the Swiss chard that comes
with the steak that's also on the menu. (They'll make up the price
for doing this, but you'll eat better this way.)
4. Get used to being a little
hungry - Some people say this puts the body into
starvation mode, but not in the few hours between lunch and dinner.
A few hunger pains means your body is getting accustomed to eating
less. Eat dinner early, so you'll have more time to burn more
calories.
January Arts It's a brand new year and
perhaps your social calendar hasn't yet been filled with things to
do and places to be. In that case, make it a point to delve into
the
regional arts scene and go see a Broadway show,
the ballet, or a symphony performance.
Capital Public
Radio's arts critic Jeff Hudson gives us a heads-up on what we
might want to note on our calendar.
--
MICROWAVE YOUR WAY TO CLEAN EATING
Refer to sidebar for
photos
By ELAINE CORN
"BAKED" CHICKEN FROM THE MICROWAVE (makes 4
servings)
1 whole cut-up fryer, bones in, pieces rinsed and dried with
paper towel
Salt & ground black pepper
About 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano (leafy type, not powdered)
Few sprinkles paprika, for color and a bit of kick
1. To make breasts of relative size to the rest of the pieces,
hack the breasts in half crosswise. Arrange chicken pieces on a
microwavable large dinner plate like spokes, with the fat ends
along the rim of the plate and narrower ends toward the
center.
2. Season with salt, pepper, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with
oregano and paprika. Do not cover.
3. In a microwave equipped with a turntable, microwave on High, in
5-minute intervals, for up to a total of 10 to 15 minutes*, until
meat is browned and no longer pink inside.
4. Serve with fresh green beans and half a sweet potato.
*Depending on microwave's wattage power, your chicken may cook
very quickly or slower. At home, mine is done in about 12 minutes.
At a friend's house with an older model, the chicken was done in 14
minutes. You can stop the microwave at any time to check
progress.
"BAKED" MICROWAVE SALMON* (makes 1
serving)
1 3-ounce filet salmon
1 slice lemon
2 tablespoons slices of green onion
Salt and ground black pepper
1. Arrange salmon filet on a small microwavable plate. Top with
lemon slice, green onions and salt and pepper. Do not
cover.
2. In a microwave equipped with a turntable, microwave on High for
2 minutes; check doneness. If still too raw inside, continue in
30-second intervals on High, but do not exceed 3 minutes. Fish
sections should separate slightly and there should be some milky
protein extractions coming out of the done fish, meaning you've
done it right!
3. Serve with fresh green beans and half a sweet potato
*I used wild-caught Sockeye salmon
FRESH MICROWAVED GREEN BEANS WITH A DAB OF BUTTER (makes
2-3 servings)
Instead of reaching for plastic wrap, cover the beans with a
plate.
1/3 pound green beans (pick tender ones instead of big fat
ones)
Sprinkling of salt
1 pat of butter
1. Trim stems off beans. Set beans in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle
with salt. Set dab of butter in center.
2. Cover with a plate. Steam-microwave for 90 seconds. If still
too crunchy for your taste, add 15 seconds.
MICROWAVED YAM (makes 2 servings)
This is the easiest type of produce to microwave. Simply halve
lengthwise, lay flat on a plate and microwave until the yam is
caramelized a bit on the bottom.
1 medium-sized yam
Dab of butter
1. Halve yam lengthwise. Lay both pieces on a large dinner
plate, flat side down. Puncture several air slits in the skin for
steam to evaporate. Do not cover.
2. Microwave on High for 5 minutes. Test doneness by piercing with
sharp knife. If it glides in easily, yam is done. If not, microwave
1 minute more.
3. Turn yam over, cut slits and top each with a dab of butter.
Serve hot.
