TGI mother F...........

So this morning I made coffee with out a filter, sure it was a little chewy and needed to be strained but there was still coffee made...how you ask? I just forgot...put the coffee in, water....but no filter. TGIF. Working a 16hr day yesturday was probably part of why my brain hasn't woken up. however I got to do a pretty cool event last night helping to cater a winter fest for Sprouts Academy in Chicago, if you have an opportunity check it out. It is a preschool that their whole curriculum is centered around responsible and sustainable living. All materials are recyclable and reused, the specialize in kids with special diets/allergies, and the kids are called friends not students, they even have yoga for them......DEFINITELY not the preschool I went to. It has also been a left over week, we and by we I mean my mother throw away soooooo much food so I go to her house once a week and "shop" or clean out her fridge.It leads to some creative meals, ie todays lunch is brie cheese with some jelly on a pita.
Dinner was some left over chicken mixed with bbq sauce and a left over half of a baked potato. This is actually pretty mild it can get stranger. We talk about being more responsible with the purchases we make but if we are just throwing them away it makes no sense. Tough for her though I suppose she still thinks she is cooking and shopping for 5 when its only 2.
Plans for the weekend are to relax. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you noticed....

So watching TV lately and working in the nutrition field I have come to an interesting maybe not so new revolution. Have you noticed that every time a new fad comes out or new diet comes out it is always foreign, Chinese weight loss secrets, the fat fallacy from Paris, or the Mediterranean Diet...ect. Never the new American diet. And then the new Kraft commercial about being as American as Kraft singles. Which by the way aren't even cheese, they are cheese product... Why can't we be as American and whole wheat bread, grass fed beef, or free range eggs?  With the recent news that Taco Bell "beef" isn't even referred to as beef by Taco Bell but taco filling and only is comprised of ONLY 36% meat.. then caramel coloring. Why is there caramel coloring in beef?
So now off that soap box, I have to tell you about my newest fitness routine, anyone that knows me will tell you I am naturally cushioned but like to be active and try new things.. I have to exercise my dog FOREVER each day but then I want to do something by myself. I have taken on TURBOFIRE, not as bad as you think, but yes the lady in the video is nuts. In an effort to stay fit but not spend a ton I have turned to a work out video instead of a monthly gym fee. This one is really fun, despite the fact that the lady seems to be part superhero, its kinda dancy so you can shake out what ever the day presented to you. AAAAnd the best part is you look like a fool, but you are at home so noone knows. Plus its a really good work out. Feeling silly sometimes, even for a minute can sometimes help shake the stress or negativity out of ya......It's mid week folks, we almost made it!

What does responsible living mean to you?

winter drag...

Happy Tuesday and congrats on making it one day closer to Friday! The winter is taking its toll and my enthusiasm for pretty snow covered trees is icing away with frozen fingers and runny noses. Isn't a plus that my dog is insane and requires hours of outside time daily. This inspiration down spiral is translating to food however leading to some interesting creations.
1. Black eye Pead dip-yes folks this is really a food not just a music group. The black eye pea is a southern traditions often believe to bring good luck to those who consume it, usually on new years day. Well thinking I could use as much luck this year I got a lot of them. So I took the last batch here with some marinated artichokes and Ramano Cheese, tossed it in my ninja (an insanely powerful blender) and poof....black eye and artichoke dip. I used it to spread on pitas with some chicken and ate it with crackers. I figured why not, there is white bean dip, hummus, ect....black eye peas are a bean, sooo there we go.  Think of dips, salads, pasta, and other dishes as methods, you can add or take out ingredients according to what you have and what your flavor preferences are. Clean out the cabinets, try something different......

What is something different you have tried?

Java Joe.........

Happy Friday to all!
I must say one of the best parts of my day is my morning coffee....I LOVE everything about coffee, the smell, taste, warm feeling..everything. I enjoy the occasional cup of joe out too from a starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, McD's ect. I really love the coffee from Bleeding Heart Bakery there are a few locations around the Chicagoland area, they are local, use all natural ingredients and their cake balls are amazing!
However due to limited green (and I'm not talking veggies) I am limited on the amount of times I can go for a cup of coffee so I look for good home options.  I have found that if you buy whole bean coffee you can get a better price for it, many stores have grinders you can use there in store. I know I got a free trade, organic, medium-dark roast from Trader Joes for $2.00cheaper than the ground. I do have a coffee grinder at home but there was one in store you can use. Just a good way to get your fix for a bit less.
I also must share I roasted my first chicken last night, it was a bit of a challenge seeing I seem to be lacking some important items, ie a roasting pan, thermometer, and timer. I will post pics of the butchering as well. Turns out its a bit of an art. I am learning......Happy Friday, hope everyone stays warm and GO BEARS!!!!!

Slip Sliddin away.....

Man it is slippery out this morning, I didn't want to risk breaking my neck walking my dog this morning so I brought her to the tennis courts this morning shut the door and let her run, thank you park district!
However I wanted to share a link with you today that a friend of mine sent me.. The absolute key to balancing nutrition with food and health is portion. There is an amazing eye opening program that called Portion Distortion that shows you how portions have expanded so much in the recent years. Kinda how pant sizes have. Did you know that a size 8 now is about what a size 12 was in the 50's and 60's. Women are getting bigger but like to see smaller numbers. Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12-16, now she would wear a 6-8. And they didn't even have sizes, 00, 0-2.  Soo anywho this brings me to the website. It is a look at how much 300 calories can get you between eating out and eating in.  It is a good eye opener for those who think a muffin is a muffin a burger is a burger. It really pays to eat a home, in your pocket book and your waste line.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1260

Check it out!!!!

DIY Organics

Happy Monday all, hope you had a great weekend and GO BEARS!!!!!!
while most football parties include, wings, beer, dips, and other items you can't pronounce half the ingredients and spend the afternoon close to a bathroom. Well ours had organic waffles, kale chips, salsa, guacamole, chips, and fruit. Not your typical party, we know.  There was beer if you wanted it but also Shakeology from Beach Body and orange juice and coffee.
I have to be honest and say I was one of those that was put off by the expense of organic and local eating but it truly can be extremely affordable, I have found many articles along the line of  "eating organic on a food stamp budget" The key is doing it yourself. I am working on that whole chicken this week. Yesturday our waffles we bought the ingredients and made them from scratch, when others do the work for you you pay for it, sooo buy the ingredients local/organic and experiment at home....DON'T HAVE TIME? hog wosh! Make it an event with your friends/family/kids........Got a big week this week, starting my turbofire work out routine and trying to integrate some raw foods in my diet. Keep ya posted?
Any ideas about raw foods?

ALSO I just booked a trip to India and Malaysia so keep tuned for some truly frugal ideas and experiences.

Cluck Cluck Cha Ching.....

This week has been less than perfect. But what is life with out  a little challenge. Wish I could say I was this positive all day.....thanks mom.
However in combination with a little pep-talk from my mom and going for a run (exercise is one of the best ways to get stress and negativity out) I started thinking about dinner. I have been getting increasingly picky about the meat and animal products I will consume. A kind video a friend of mine posted on facebook has gotten me a bit weary of just purchasing meat from anywhere. I have decided to only purchase meat that is certified organic, hormone free and responsibly processed. THIS GETS COSTLY. I must say as with Trader Joe's, I like Whole Foods but it is pricey, don't care what anyone says.
But I have found like our discussion with the produce that if you do the work instead of the grocery store you can save a little more than pennies, even dollars!
SOOOOO the penny pincher of the week is buy a whole chicken instead of chicken strips, breasts,thighs or legs. CRAZY I know..mine is staring at me in the freezer. But here is the breakdown
Whole Chicken (3.11lbs)=  COST-$9.57
two breasts, two legs, thighs, wings, and other meat. AS WELL as the bones and left over to throw in a pot of boiling water with some carrots, celery and onions and make stock out of it.
Package of chicken breasts (3.21lbs)= COST-$21.63   WHAT!!!!!!!!
4 chicken breasts
NOW yes it is a it more work and time but you are DEFINITELYgetting more money for your cluck (sorry had too...buck)
Have a great weekend!

I'm Loving It......

Good morning. The week is almost over, oh thank heaven. Its been a crazy one and today will prove to be even crazier. I have a meeting with Sprouts Academy in the city which is a preschool completely centered around responsible and healthy living. SOoooo COOL. You should check them out if you have time.
Then I am teaching kids cooking classes tonight, we are making home made whole wheat pizzas, oooh and my usual day job mixed in there somewhere. Not sure where eating will come in but have no fear it will get in there.
Which brings me to what I wanted to share with you today. I was at my local Trader Joe's last night doing a bit o light shopping and came across an idea I loved. Now I must share I have mixed feelings with Trader Joe's. I love that they are very affordable, provide organic, free trade, and local options. Also they sport healthier snack and meal options. However they also have a bunch of prepared foods that have a significant amount of sodium and unnecessary ingredient in them. Not to mention when you walk in the first thing you see is a large bakery display.....Thanks
BUT the thing I wanted to talk to you about is their fruit roll up type snacks. They are called Fiber Fulls and are only made for Trader Joes. Now you read the list of ingredients and they are only 5 and they start with pureed fruit/vegetable (depending on what kind you get)
They are completely natural and hand made and pack about 6 g of fiber per roll up. However what the coolest thing about these are is that right next to the roll ups is a bag marked ends and pieces. OF COURSE I needed to see what this was. Because these roll ups are hand made and don't come out in cookie cutter processed shapes, there are imperfect edges and extra ends that are cut off to obtain the desired shape. So they sell these to you for a cheap $2.00 a bag to use up the extras and produce less waste.
LOVE IT!
PS the roll ups are only $0.59 ea so you get 6 g fiber, a great snack, serving of fruit and vegetable for pennies.

Produce Profit

Good morning everyone hope you all got to work safely. Its a real life snow globe out there. Despite the snow this morning has been pretty typical which is nice after the way yesturday started. So today I wanted to take a look at the produce department. I am so often told that it is too expensive to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. To that I say take a look at what else you are spending. I bet if you took the amount of money you spend on going out to lunch and the blood pressure and cholesterol medication you take to accompany your burger and fries you would see that taking that money and applying it to the produce department at your local grocery store you would see if go farther. However there are some things to look out for
1. Do not buy prepared produce. Anytime you purchase fruits or vegetables that are already cut and packaged you are paying more money for less product because you are paying for the packaging, labor, preservatives, ect. Ex. carrots vs baby carrots, buy a bush of carrots for $1.29, each carrot probably equals about 4-6 baby carrots, peel, and cut them up at home. Save yourself anywhere from $1.50 to $2.03, depending on where and how much you are purchasing.
2. to follow the above tip, prepare your fruits and veggies ahead of time for the week. Cut up celery, carrots, asparagus, pineapple, oranges, and other produce and keep in the fridge for easy access and a quick grab for your lunch or a snack. Put a bit of water in the bottom of the container to make sure they do not dry out.
3. So that you aren't tossing away the green (veggies and money) make sure to prioritize the fresh produce in your meals to assure it gets used up prior to spoiling.
In the long run these fruits and vegetables are going to give you the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to improve your health, immune systems, and general daily function.
Food for thought: In my moms fridge the other day I found a package of ham lunch meat, the use by date was 12/2/10, first thought is THROW IT OUT! however upon further inspection we found that the ham appeared to still be GOOD. WHAT! What the hells angels is in our food?

MOOOOOve over bessie!

To start I just have to share how my day has started, by day I am a consulting dietitian for dialysis and this AM so far, I have been surrounded and almost attacked by ally cats (it appears the south side of Chicago has a bit of a stray animal problem), then I get in to the unit and the Chicago Police Dept are here to arrest a resident that while on the dialysis machine attacked a technician by spitting, scratching and cussing and another resident ran away......It wasn't even 9am yet. whew.
Any who...... the point of today's post was to share with you my new cereal accessory. I have never really warmed up to milk and from learning more and more about what ole bessie goes through so we can get some calcium daily I have decided to explore other options.....enter ALMOND MILK. It is sooooo tasty.
Almond milk is made by taking pulverized almonds adding some water and straining out the sediment. So you get all the good vitamin E and other minerals that you receive from eating almonds and keep out the saturated fat and cholesterol, not to mention the added hormones from cow milk.
ONE thing cows milk has it going for it is that it does have 8g more protein per serving....but we are not lacking protein in our diet. SO if you wanna try something different give it a try...Can't hurt!

What animal alternatives are you trying in your diet?

Ready, Set, GO........

Welcome to the very first post of the Frugal RD, this will be my opportunity to share with you all about my life and nutritional experiences. I am a Registered Dietitian working in many different areas from Dialysis to Organic and sustainable school lunches. I look forward to sharing with you all how I explore nutrition, discover affordable ways to include a variety of foods in my diet, as well as eat responsibly supporting local and sustainable agriculture. I also have a number of interesting experiences daily so I will of course share those as well. I will include tips and pointers to expand the nutrition in your daily living as well as anything else I come across I think you would enjoy. I will also share restaurants, shops, markets, and other eateries I come across I think that you will NEED to try. I also will share my exercise tips and knowledge seeing I also work for beach body and lets be honest exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand.
SO..... here we go lets see what we can learn! We will keep it short and sweet for tonight but you can look forward to much much more in the future.
What are you trying out in the new year to improve your health and nutrition?