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Author Archive for Elana Natker, MS, RD

Talkin’ About Tacos {Plus: Contest Alert!}

Posted on October 4, 2017
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

Few food holidays get me more excited than National Taco Day, which is today! Tacos are perhaps the one meal my little family can all agree on, and one that my kids will eat without (too much) complaint. That’s because tacos are the ultimate finger food, are endlessly customizable, and can be served up in a variety of ways. Follow these basics to make taco night new and interesting each time you serve it up!

  1. Figure out the Foundation. There are several choices to make when it comes to the foundation of a taco, beyond just soft or hard shell. There are flour or corn tortillas (and then white, yellow corn or even blue corn?). Or, go carb-free and wrap in a piece of butter lettuce or place your taco fillings atop a salad.
  2. Pick your Protein. The protein component of a taco is usually its defining feature: are you having steak, chicken or fish tacos? Don’t limit yourself to the standard ground beef: there are so many protein options. Even mix and match, with ground meat and beans.
  3. Add Volume with Veggies. Tacos are a good way to pack in at least a couple servings of vegetables, either within the taco itself (hint: beans are a protein AND a veggie!) or as a topping. A family favorite is to make homemade salsa fresca with just tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, some salt and lime juice. In-season veggies are often fresh and abundant, but you can also throw in anything that’s starting to show its age and would otherwise be destined soon for the trash heap (waste not!!). Broccolini, sautéed spinach, baby bella mushrooms and roasted sweet potatoes are all yummy options.
  4. Top it Off with a Light Touch.  A well-built taco needs just a few enhancements to top it off – no need to go overboard. Salsa, fresh avocado or guacamole are great veggie toppers that supply a lot of nutrients. Cheese can give a salty-savory dimension, but just a little can go a long way. Strong flavors such as sharp cheddar or queso blanco require just a few bits without overpowering each bite. I’m not a fan of sour cream, but if that’s your jam then go for it. Just a little dab’ll do ya, though!

The fillings, toppings, and combinations are endless with this extremely versatile food! There’s no right or wrong way to build a taco. And for your little ones, you can make them as kid-friendly as you’d like! Here’s one of my new favorites from my friend and fellow dietitian, Sara Haas. I use a combo of ground turkey and pinto beans for my recipe.

Adiós amigos and enjoy your tacos!

 

P.S. I just found out about a great contest from Uncle Ben’s. The Uncle Ben’s® Ben’s Beginners™ Cooking Contest inspires families to cook together. Enter online before midnight Monday, October 9, 2017 for a chance to win $15,000 for your family and $30,000 for a school cafeteria makeover. I have no affiliation with this contest nor am I being paid to promote it, but how could I not let you know about this amazing chance to win some serious cash not just for you, but for your school??? Five winners will be chosen.

 

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Fall Back in Love with Oatmeal

Posted on September 27, 2017
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

The fall season is officially upon us, despite what the outdoor thermometer is saying (is it really 90 degrees outside right now???) And with September as Whole Grains Month, I’d like to shine a spotlight on my favorite whole grain: oatmeal.

While autumn’s crisp morning air might motivate me to cook up some oatmeal for breakfast, the truth is that oatmeal is a year-round staple in my house. It’s one of my favorite foods because it’s so nutritious and versatile. I use it mostly in these three ways:

 

  1. As a basis for my recipe for the most perfect oatmeal.

I gotta admit, overnight oats makes for Instagram-worthy photos with pretty mason jars and colorful toppings, but the trend is totally lost on me. The whole process of making hot oatmeal in the morning takes less than 5 minutes from start to finish, so I never felt the need to prep it the night before. Besides, when I make oatmeal, it’s to warm me both inside and out, starting with my hands as I cup the piping hot bowl. I’ll sit there with my bowl, breathing in the cinnamon-y aroma while the oatmeal itself cools just enough so it won’t burn my tongue. As it cools it transforms to a gelatinous, thick porridge that’s both hearty and nutritious.

  1. In place of breadcrumbs when making meatloaf.

I wish I could take credit for this genius idea, but I got the recipe from a cookbook many years ago. This same recipe introduced me to the idea of using muffin tins beyond making actual muffins, well before it became trendy. When you use oatmeal in place of breadcrumbs, the result is a meatloaf that’s a little more fluffy, but also a little less stable. Still, it’s very yummy!

  1. To add toothiness to my smoothies. Just add a scoop of uncooked dry oats – so easy!

I can’t remember how I came across this idea, but this is one of my favorite concoctions, especially as a post-run smoothie. I love green smoothies using kale or spinach as a base, but then the rest is similar to my Most Perfect Oatmeal recipe: ½ cup frozen berries, ½ frozen banana, ½ cup kefir or milk, ½ cup almondmilk or water, 1/3 cup dried old-fashioned oats, dash of cinnamon and vanilla, and voila! Sometimes I add almonds for extra protein.

 

 

 

What I love most about oatmeal is that it’s inexpensive and superbly nutritious. It’s a good source of fiber, and the type of fiber (beta-glucan) has been proven to lower cholesterol. It’s also low in fat and sodium – all the markers of a heart-healthy food. For all this nutrition, I can make about 30 bowls of oatmeal using a $4 canister. And, because I’m making oatmeal from just rolled oats, I’m in charge of how much sugar to add (or not).

If you have a favorite or unique way of using oatmeal, please share!

Disclosure: none. I do not work with any oat companies or brands. All opinions and messages are my own.

favorite foods

{Repost} Making, and Keeping, Traditions

Posted on November 29, 2016
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

This post originally appeared last year. While the organization mentioned has changed its name to Britepaths, the mission and need remain the same. Please consider donating this Giving Tuesday.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year I spent it at my sister’s house with her family, my mom, and lots of friends. We ate until we were stuffed, waited a while and ate some more. The next day there were plenty of leftovers for another Thanksgiving meal (“second Thanksgiving” is secretly my favorite dinner). We have our favorite foods and even our not-so-favorite (I’m thinking of you, pecan pie) which we can easily pass up because there’s a lot of other, tastier stuff to go around (ahh…cherry pie!).

What I love about Thanksgiving most of all is the tradition. Yes, traveling can be a hassle, especially with kids and all the gear they require. We eat too much and sleep too little. But it’s all worth it for the memories, the connections and the familiar scents from the kitchen.

But sometimes, “tradition” translates to “responsibility,” or worse, “burden.” I felt a smidgen of this when I was a young professional, living on my own for the first time. My entry-level job barely paid the rent, but the holiday season meant trips back home and presents to buy and extra tipping. For a while my holidays came with a little black cloud (let’s call it “credit card debt”) that I hoped a Christmas bonus that may or may not materialize would go directly to help make that cloud go away.

My holiday burden was nothing compared to a parent with kids depending on them. To this parent, the holidays mean trying to keep tradition alive even when it seems impossible. This is especially true for households already living from paycheck to paycheck, with income levels “too high” to be eligible for assistance. Many times these families were doing OK until circumstances led to a downward spiral, things like a job loss, divorce, injury or serious diagnosis. These families don’t necessarily need ongoing support, but they do need help to get back on their feet at minimum, and most certainly a little extra help around the holidays. And their kids…they need a sense of normalcy.

This year, my family started what I hope will be a new tradition. Through a local program called Our Daily Bread, families in Fairfax County are matched with a sponsor to provide essentials for a holiday dinner. As a dietitian, I can’t imagine not having a delicious meal at Thanksgiving, not to mention the aromas and togetherness and family time it can bring. That’s why we sponsored a family of six and provided them with provisions to cook their own Thanksgiving dinner. It was so easy: I was matched with a family, called the main contact, asked about food allergies and preferences, and arranged a drop-off. I knew I found a great match when I asked the mom if she wanted a pre-made meal, but she said no: she’d like the ingredients so she could make the Thanksgiving meal together with her kids.

Food insecurity isn’t a problem “out there” or in a city far, far away. It’s here. It’s everywhere. It may affect your child’s classmate. Or your favorite store clerk. It may be your coworker, who hides his debt behind a facade. A full 14 percent of households in the U.S. were food insecure last year. That’s 48.1 million people, 15.3 million of which are children.

“Finding the courage to ask for help is tremendously hard. Having no one answer that call is heartbreaking. This Giving Tuesday, please find a way to make someone’s holidays a little brighter.”

favorite foods, kids and toddlers, Traditions

Crandall, Crandi and Cranberries – A Thanksgiving Story

Posted on November 24, 2016
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – but it wasn’t always. That’s because yeah, while Thanksgiving is all about family and giving thanks, it’s really all about food. Although my preferences have changed over the years, when I was younger I didn’t like any of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (except for dessert – mmm…warm apple pie!) In my teen years I remember my mom’s Thanksgiving table included the usual turkey (yuck), stuffing (never liked it), and a smattering of unusual side dishes (Israeli salad? Not exactly what the Pilgrims ate). After whining and complaining as my mom was planning the next Thanksgiving she offered to make one side just for me. “Green beans,” I told her. Green beans with what, she asked? “Just green beans. Steamed.” She shrugged, but she made it. And I ate it. That, and pie.

Years later the Thanksgiving hosting duties were shifted to my older sister, who gave a gourmet twist to Thanksgiving. We didn’t have just turkey, but picked-from-the-farm, homemade-brined, cooked-on-The Big-Green-Egg organic turkey (luckily by then my aversion to turkey was a thing of the past. My brother-in-law’s turkey is soooo gooood!) Sides were multicolored cauliflower, brussels sprouts with pancetta and shallots, homemade stuffing with chestnuts and fresh herbs, cranberry chutney. And that was just what my sister and her husband made. The multi-family and -friend feast was a potluck, and everyone was encouraged to bring their favorite food. My husband’s contribution? Canned cranberries.

Our joke was that we needed to give some balance to the gourmet-ified Thanksgiving, but the truth is canned cranberries – in all its ridged and sliced glory – is a key element of my husband’s Thanksgiving tradition. It starts with the perfect can of Ocean Spray jellied cranberries (store-brand or frou-frou versions need not apply!), carefully opening the lid and letting the gelatinous contents fall out in one audible “thwap” in a perfect can-shaped form, then sliced uniformly into round full moons, and displayed lovingly on a plate.

The best part – when the canned cranberries and the cranberry chutney were served side-by-side on the buffet, guess which went faster? Yup. Don’t mess with tradition.

One year another guest took it upon him or herself to plate the cranberries, deciding to “pretty” it up with some fork-fluffing. The look on my husband’s crestfallen face was priceless. After that, we guarded the can until the timing was perfect to unleash the cran-goodness.

Last year we had some fun with my sister: we dressed up a can of cranberries like a Pilgrim, named him Crandall, and documented his journey from can-to-plate.

All buckled up – safety first, of course!

No time to visit the relatives!

Almost there!

As with most traditions, Thanksgiving has evolved for my immediate family. We now rotate years, going to my sister’s house every other year and my husband’s family in the opposite year. This year was also a change for my sister as she took a year off (after 11 straight years of hosting duties) and flew to the nearest tropical island with her family. Can you blame her?

So this year, in our absence, we sent Crandi. So far, she seems to be having a blast.

All packed up and ready to go, passport in hand

Enjoying some sushi pre-flight

Watching in-flight TV (a cooking show, naturally)

Rum punch upon arrival. Vacation has begun!

It’s Thanksgiving – and it’s all about family, food, and having a bit of fun.

My sister, her family, and Crandi

Happy Thanksgiving! Go ahead…play with your food.

Traditions
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