Best of the Blogosphere From the Last Week!! Tons of PARTY RECIPES for The Super Bowl Party, Diabetes & Vitamin D, Small Town Living & MORE!

Well it looks like everyone in the blogosphere is gearing up for the big day:  The Super Bowl!!  We're off to Florida for vacation next week (thank goodness!!!) and Sunday is my husband's birthday so the Super Bowl action has been a bit off my radar!  Still, any party is a challenge food-wise if you are a compulsive overeater OR someone with food restrictions (i.e. vegan, gluten, sugar, etc).  So thank you thank you thank you fellow bloggers for giving us all some fantastic healthy ideas to make a party weekend fun and delicious!!  Below, I have a list of some great Super Bowl or snack related blog posts, but first, a caveat:

If you are worried about maintaining your healthy eating habits during a social event, I encourage you to check out my blog post Holiday Survival Tips.  Here are the party tips in a nutshell (I explain the tips in the post):

1) Use the "One Plate Method" of eating at all events involving food

2) Call ahead to events so you can plan your food strategy & if appropriate, offer to bring a dish

3) Talk about "allergies"

4) Make sure to have a lot of yummy meals on hand at home (your FAVORITES) throughout this season so you never feel deprived.

5)  Eat at home before food events and eat the foods from Tip #4!

6) Become willing to believe that there is NO SUCH THING as "one bite" or "just a little taste" or "just this one time" or "I don't want to offend anyone by not eating this lovely meal."

7)  Use your resources

8)  Remember the point of a party

9)  Leave

10) If you slip once, get right back up and march on as if it didn't happen!

11) Make new traditions that don't involve food

12) Be realistic

OK, moving on.....

The Best of the Vegan Super Bowl Party Blogosphere:

• Susan Voisin from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen shares a fantastic CHILI recipe and some wonderful tips on staying healthy during the Big Game :-)
• Angela Liddon from Oh She Glows shares a yummy recipe for Easy Black Bean Chili Dip!
• Forks Over Knives shared this recipe for "Dirty Rice" by Meg Wolff in the Huffington Post.  Sounds delicious!
• The Happy Herbivore shared this great "Super Bowl Party" menu!
• Robin Robertson's book "Party Vegan" has an awesome Super Bowl menu in it, but here is her blog post on it.  She also has a fantastic selection of vegan dips on this blog post about the Super Bowl!  
• This isn't a Super Bowl specific post but Post Punk Kitchen posted a yummy looking recipe for "Baked Garlic Curry Fries" that sounds like some awesome Super Bowl finger food to me!

and now non-Super Bowl, my favorite blog posts for the week:

• Awesome post from The Healthy Librarian on Type 2 Diabetes:  How Exercise Intensity, Meat & Fat Consumption, Vitamin D, Body Weight, & Muscles All Affect Type-2 Diabetes. Vitamin D is my research area--I just completed a study Vitamin D's effect on falls--many people are not aware how important this Vitamin is for a number of body functions.  I feel the current RDA for Vitamin D is incorrectly low--for folks over the age of 65, 2000IU daily is a much better dose (if you don't have hypercalcemia or renal disease).  That said, I do not believe loading folks with high dose Vitamin D (50,000 units etc) is safe with regards to bone metabolism!  And on a funnier note, OH MY GOSH I SOOOOO want to put this cartoon that she shared in the story on a t-shirt and wear it every day!  
• Ok this is technically from last week but its too good to pass up mentioning!  This blog post on the Nutrition Facts blog is a fantastic way to learn more about which foods are dense in anti-oxidants:  Acai to Zucchini: antioxidant food rankings
• If you live in a small town than definitely don't pass up this Engine 2 Diet blog "The Daily Beet" post:  5 Tips for Small Town Living.  I did part of my medical training in a very rural area and we are considering returning to a rural area to practice in the next few years so I found this post to be an awesome guide!

Well thats a sample of MY favorites!  What were YOUR favorite posts this week?!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

RECIPES: What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week! Chili, Pad Thai, Banana Bread Bars, Shepherd's Pie and MORE!

Banana Bread Bar!

 Its Sunday & time for bulk cooking planning!  So since I've been off at the conference last week & am now exhausted, my lovely, wonderful husband (The Happy Nurse) is going to be tackling the cooking since he is off tomorrow!  Hooray Happy Nurse!! (cheer cheer!)

This week we'll be eating:  

Soups & Chilis 

1)  (again!)The Healthy Librarian's version of Robin Robertson's Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup

Sweet-Potato, Roasted Tomato,
Spinach & Peanut Soup!

2) Leftover 17 Bean & Barley Soup from last week! (now frozen) Made with dried beans mix from Trader Joe's (Recipe on the package & on a website I found via Google!)

3) AWESOME "Quick Black Bean Chili" from Ann Esselstyn (Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease)--our variation has 2 cans of Garlic Chipotle Trader Joe's Salsa, 2-3 cups kidney beans, 2-3 cups black beans and 1-2 cups frozen corn.  Slow cooker cooked of course!

Main Courses:

1) Pad Thai (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

2) Broccoli Pesto Pasta (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

3) Finger Lickin' Tempeh (Robin Robertson's "Finger Lickin' Tempeh Fingers" from her book: "Party Vegan" from my post on snacks: here)

4)  Shepherd's Pie (The Happy Nurse's favorite--we are trying out this new recipe from a new blog that he found for a dinner party next weekend! )

5)  Mushroom Fajitas (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

Mexican Chickpea Snacks!

Sides, Snacks & Breakfast Food:

1) Banana Bread made into Bars from Ann Esselstyn (Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease).  I already made this today using Barley Flour (which is awesomely high protein and high fiber).  I also substituted 2 Tbl Agave Nector for the 2/3 cup of honey or sugar in the original recipe.  I made it into a long loaf/bar (doubling the recipe) in our 9x11 casserole dish because we don't have a bread pan! (going to have to put that on the Christmas list!)

2) Spiced Rice-Lentil Squares (Fat Free Vegan--looking forward to trying these--always need more bars for on the run!)

3) Mexican Chickpeas Pops (leftover from last week--see my post here)

2)  Frozen veggies of course! (Thank You Trader Joes)!

YUMYUMYUM!!

Coming Up This Week:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Practical Stuff:  Kitchen Tools That Help & Products I Like! (Gift Ideas?!)

Coming Up on Medical System Tuesday: 

• Tip #9 For The Best Hospital Care:  Pay Attention ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

RECIPES & Ideas: Snacks! YUMMY & Portable Plant-Based Snack Food--all sugar-free, gluten-free & without adding oil or fat!!

My schedule has been characterized as "insane" and I know that a lot of you can completely relate!  That said, if you are working in health care than you know how poorly "putting yourself first" and "taking breaks" is regarded!


So when it comes to snack foods I need things that include:
1) Eat Standing Up or On the Drive Home:  Quick bursts of good filling energy that makes me feel like I can keep going without having to set up a table-top to eat from!
2) Eat at My Desk:  Something I can eat without silverware and look forward to grabbing during a break from the action
3) Sweet Things:  Sometimes living sugar-free can be a bit of a challenge!  Bring on the mock desserts that I make for myself without any added sweeteners--my blueberry "cobbler" nighttime snack for example or my homemade applesauce!
4) Salty/Savory Things:  Yes this is a heart-healthy diet but I don't think a little added salt now and then is going to kill me since we aren't eating added salt in our main meals!


There are some awesome recipes for snacks in the Vegan blogosphere that I want to try:  
The Fat Free Vegan: Microwave potato chips, roasted curried chickpeas, kale chips!
Robin Robertson's Spinach & White Bean Fritters (I think I'll be able to modify these by baking them?)
Robin Robertson's "Finger Lickin' Tempeh Fingers" from her book: "Party Vegan"


AND, here are a few ideas that my husband and I use!

• Items You Can Eat Standing Up or On the Drive Home
• Homemade Oat Bars from dates, bananas, dried cranberries & oats

• Homemade Trail Mix (raw rolled oats, raisins or prunes, raw irish/steel cut oats)
• Mexican Chickpeas (we use the chickpea filling from the Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Taco's using this AWESOME homemade taco seasoning mix --you can snack on these & they are super yummy, kinda crunchy & filling!)
• Fruit of course!
• Air-popped Popcorn (The Healthy Librarian has a recipe here, just scroll to the bottom of the post)
• Items You Can Eat At Your Desk
• Homemade & Store-Bought Tahini-free Bean Dips: (with my favorite oil-free cracker: Mary's Gone Crackers) 


• black bean, white bean, hummus, lentil, etc
• right now my go-to hummus recipes are in the Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.  My main favorite is made with chickpeas, garlic, tahini, dijon mustard and spring onions!  
• another favorite is Ann Esselstyn's Artichoke Bean dip (also from Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.
• Salsa! (with my homemade tortilla chips)
• garlic chipotle (my favorite Trader Joe's flavor), pineapple, fire roasted, etc
• Sweet Things
• Homemade Blueberry "cobbler" (thawed frozen blueberries with oat milk & toasted rolled oats)
• Homemade Banana "ice cream" (Ann Esselstyn's recipe:  frozen peeled bananas mixed in a blender or food processor--instant ice cream.  This is seriously & surprisingly delicious!)
• Frozen Mango (THANK YOU Trader Joes for your nicely peeled & cubed frozen mango!)
• Sugar-free Homemade Applesauce (see my recipe from my previous post here.)
• Dates or Figs (I try to eat no more than three of each when snacking because of their high glycemic index)
• Salty/Savory Things:
• Homemade Sweet or White Potato Chips (see microwaved potato chip recipe above--I season mine with garlic powder & kosher salt)
• Homemade Tortilla Chips
• I just take plain corn tortillas and bake them in the oven at 350 until they turn brown & then I break them into pieces and use them as chips.
• Homemade Veggie Chips 
• Baked Kale Chips: By Mrs. McDougall from Dr. McDougall's Newsletter (click here)

What are YOUR favorite snacks?  I'm always looking for more recipes--any ideas?  Please post in the comments section :-)

Coming Up on Medical System Tuesday: 

• Tip #8 For The Best Hospital Care:  Be Nice ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

Coming Up Next Week:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Practical Stuff:  Kitchen Tools That Help & Products I Like!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.