Check Out My Cookbook-Delicious Dishes: Dietitian Approved

I'm proud to present my cookbook, Delicious Dishes: Dietitian Approved. View my cookbook at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-photo-book/delicious-dishes-dietitian-approved/10912538

Gingerbread Coffee

There's nothings better than gingerbread coffee in your cup on a cold winter's morning! This medium, dark roast is spiced with gingerbread pieces and cinnamon. Find your very own canister at Trader Joe's!

Candy Cane Joe-Joe's 'n Cream Ice Cream

It's back! Candy Cane Joe-Joe's 'n Cream ice cream sold only at Trader Joe's is many people's wintertime indulgence. The peppermint and cream with a little cookie crumble is irresistible. Stock up before its sold out- it makes a great pairing to any holiday dessert.

Pumpkin Pancakes!

I started off my weekend with Pumpkin Pancakes. These were easy to prepare using the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix. This is a seasonal item featured in Trader Joe's stores during the Fall season usually making an appearance on the shelves by early October. If you haven't tried them yet, I encourage you to do so. There's nothing like the fragrent smells of cinnamin and pumpkin lingering in the rooms of your house on a beautiful Fall morning. These pancakes or waffles are soft and fluffy and also light enough so that you can enjoy your fair share.

Happy Eating!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

With the coming of the Fall season comes pumpkin spice coffee. If pumpkin spice coffee is your forte, but you cannot afford the time, money and calories it takes to get your hands wrapped around a warm cup of this seasonal joe at your local coffee shops, try finding pumpkin spice coffee in your local grocery store. Trader Joe's is currently selling it at $8.99 for a 14 oz. container. The price seems a little steep, but you will save time and money by being able to make it right at home. You also will save those precious calories. Try adding a 1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk to a mug full of pumpkin spice coffee. It eliminates the need for added sugar or artificial sweeteners and reduces the calories that usually comes from half and half, milk or creamers.

Fast Food Nation

By: Eric Schlosser

I read this best seller book on my honeymoon, and it really opened my mind to the fast food industry. This book, by Eric Schlosser, depicts the dark side of the All-American meal. Do you really know what you're eating at restaurants now-a-days? These chronicles will make you think twice before you put that cheeseburger in your mouth the next time you're eating at a fast food chain. Eric Schlosser covers the rise of the fast food industry in California to the industrial corridors in New Jersey where many of the fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he touches base on the obesity epidemic, food production, pop culture, Hollywood and real estate. This book is a stomach churner yet is irresistible. Don't let yourself be ignorant when it comes to the food you fuel your body with. Research food products, read food labels, make educated food choices!

Trader Joe’s Sea Salt & Pepper Crisps-Made with Rice

I’m and avid Trader Joe’s shopper, and I love trying all their new food products that they promote in their stores. I recently came across ‘Sea Salt & Pepper Crisps’ earlier this summer, and I have not gotten tired of them yet! I encourage all of you try these or any type of product similar to these. These crisps, made from rice, make a great low calorie snack. They crunch in your mouth like potato chips, but are full of so much more flavor even though they are baked with 65% less fat (also trans-fat free).  There is no wheat added and it contains 11 grams of whole grains per serving, only 22 carbohydrates for those counting carbs. A serving is 38 crisps which is about 120 calories!! That’s a low calorie snack that you don’t have to feel guilty about munching on. These crisps are great plain or as I like them, with hummus (I prefer tomato basil hummus). The crisps and the hummus have become and an essential purchase each week! 

Product Review: Homedics 475 Digital Scale

As a bride-to-be, I was showered with many gifts to fill a home this past month. Little by little, my fiancé (let’s call him Mr. FoodieforLife) and I, have been slowly but surely opening each gift and putting it to use. Yesterday, we opened our digital scale as we were curious how much we weighed…with a wedding coming up in less than 30 days, we’ve been trying to lose some extra pounds.

Mr. FoodieforLife and I were extra satisfied with the product. Not only is it decorative for any bathroom as it looks like a stone tile, it is light weight for transport. Another great feature about this digital scale is that you can easily convert pounds to kilograms with a flick of a switch, although, as a dietitian, I learned how to calculate this with a simple formula. (If anyone was wondering how to do this, simply divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms—pretty simple. Here’s an example: 125 pounds/ 2.2 = 57 kg rounded up). This scale has a ten year limited warranty. It also comes with information on reaching your target weight and assessing your weight using a body mass index chart. Body mass index is a measurement dietitian’s use to assess patient’s weight relevant to their height. The body mass index can tell you if you are underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, or even morbidly obese all relevant to an individual’s height. One limitation to consider with body mass index is that it is not always completely accurate. It can overestimate body fat in people who are very muscular, and it can underestimate body fat in people who have lost muscle mass, such as in the elderly. Want to know how to determine your body mass index (BMI)??

BMI= Weight (kg)/Ht² (meters) 

Example: 145 pounds/2.2 = 66 kg; 

64 inches (height) x 2.54 = 162.56 ---convert this to meters simply by moving the decimal = 1.6256

66kg/1.6256/1.6256 = 24.9 BMI (indicates normal weight)

How to assess the results:

BMI less than 18.5 = underweight

BMI 18.5-24.9 = normal weight

BMI 25.0-29.9 = overweight

BMI 30.0-39.9 = Obese

BMI greater than 40 = morbidly obese

*One limitation to this digital scale is that it uses a lithium battery. I foresee having to replace it often in the future.