Heart Healthy Recipes

Today Stephanie Alsbrook, a Dietician with Baptist Health, joined us to share more about the heart healthy eating.  

Below are 3 heart healthy recipes from heart.org.

Cool Cucumber Dip 

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 medium green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt-free extra-spicy seasoning blend

In a medium skillet, dry-roast the almonds over medium-heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Put 1 tablespoon almonds in a small bowl. Set aside to use as a garnish.
In a food processor or blender, process the remaining almonds for 3 to 5 seconds, or until coarsely crushed (1/4-inch irregular pieces). Transfer to a medium serving bowl.
Process the remaining ingredients until the desired consistency, 5 to 10 seconds if you prefer a chunky texture, 15 to 20 seconds for smooth. Stir into the crushed almonds.
To serve, sprinkle with the reserved almonds.

Cook's Tip

Crushed toasted almonds provide crunch, and the just-right seasoning blend adds zing to this unusual dip.  It’s convenient and stress-free for parties--you can make it up to four days in advance and serve it with colorful precut vegetables.
For a decorative presentation, peel a medium cucumber in lengthwise strips about 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch apart, leaving 1/2-inch strips of peel intact. Cut the cucumber crosswise into 3/4-inch slices. Using a melon baller or the tip of a small spoon, partially hollow out the slices, making little cups with enough of one end intact to hold the filling in place. Spoon the filling into the cups.

For a complete list of the dietary information visit: www.heart.org


Modern Tuna-Pasta Casserole  

4 ounces dried whole-wheat rotini (about 1 1/2 cups)

Cooking spray

1 16-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables, such as a carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower blend, thawed

2 5.5-ounce cans low-sodium chunk light tuna, packed in water, flaked

1 10.75-ounce can low-fat condensed cream of chicken soup (lowest sodium available)

1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers, rinsed before chopping

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning blend

3/4 cup lightly crushed (about 1/4-inch pieces) low-sodium whole-grain crackers (about 34 squares)

1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the pasta using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain well in a colander. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 2-quart glass casserole dish with cooking spray.

 

Stir the mixed vegetables, tuna, soup, roasted peppers, half-and-half, and seasoning blend into the pasta until combined. Transfer to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the crackers and Parmesan.

 

Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the casserole is warmed through and the topping is golden brown.

Cook's Tip

This casserole, brimming with veggies and whole grains, is so tasty and easy to put together that it’s likely to become a weekly tradition.
With the variety of frozen mixed vegetable blends available to choose from, you can easily incorporate new tastes into this casserole. You can also change the flavor of the sauce by substituting low-fat condensed cream of mushroom or celery soup for the chicken soup, always choosing the lowest-sodium product available.

For a complete list of the dietary information visit: www.heart.org

Pear and Cherry Crumble


Ingredients for the fruitCooking spray
Juice of one lemon
5-6 fresh pears, the riper the better
1 cup dried cherries
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup pear juice (may substitute apple juice)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour

Ingredients for the topping1 cup vanilla granola
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup trans fat free margarine spread

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.  Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water and the juice of one lemon. Cut the stems off the pears and peel them, placing each one in the acidulated water as you do so. Then, half, core and seed the pears and cut them into inch-thick lengthwise slices or chunks, returning each sliced pear to the lemon water until the job is completed. Drain the cut pears in a colander and return them to the mixing bowl. Add the cherries, lemon zest, pear or apple juice, honey, flavorings, spices, and one tablespoon of flour to the fruit and stir to mix everything well. Let the fruit macerate for 15 minutes; then place it in the prepared baking dish. Make the topping. Place the granola, flour, brown sugar, almonds, and spices in a large mixing bowl and toss them together lightly. Add the margarine spread and use your hands to work the spread into the dry ingredients until blended but crumbly. Spread the topping over the pears. Place the dish on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake the crumble for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling and translucent. Serve warm.
Note: This is a good way to “sneak” heart-healthy whole grains and nuts into the diet via an irresistible dessert.

For a complete list of the dietary information visit: www.heart.org

Moneyball Sneak Preview

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 

7:30pm
Rave Colonel Glenn
LITTLE ROCK, AR
For your chance to receive screening passes, 

Log on to WWW.GOFOBO.COM/RSVP
& enter RSVP Code: KATVYRNT

Passes are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
You must have or will need to create a log in to get your pass.

If you encounter technical problems, 

please contact Gofobo's customer support line at 

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A Monstrous Giveaway

Step 1:

Email photos (or videos) related to the 2011-2012 Celebrity Attractions Season to goodmorning@katv.com.

You have until September 21 to submit your photos. 

Emails must include the entrant’s name, town, phone number, and names of those in the photo/video. 

Step 2:

The top 3 will then be selected by the GMA staff from all of the entries based on: 

• entertainment value
• relevance
• creativity

Step 3: 

On September 23 viewers will have the chance to vote on the best of the top 3. 

The top 3 entries will be posted on the GMA Blog with a poll to the right.
Voting will run from September 23-29.  Voting will end at noon. 

Whichever entry receives the most votes wins 2 season passes for Celebrity Attractions.  

 We will announce the winner of Good Morning Arkansas on September 30.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Your photos can be anything from green or blue faced kids or a dog dressed as Frankenstein to a video of your young fiddler sharing his or her talents to your husband creating his own masterpiece (which started as your lawnmower) in the garage.  

Have fun!

 

Rebecca's Advice on Divorce with Children

Thanks to therapist Rebecca Ward for sending us this blog entry about divorce & children.

 

One of the questions I get asked most often by couples who are getting divorced is "How do we tell our children?" And another is "How can we make this as easy on our children as possible/"

 

Now there are many variables to consider in answering this question: the age of the children, how many there are, how long the marriage has lasted, whether it's a nuclear family or a step-family, what the circumstances of the dissolution of the marriage are and on and on.

 

I do know if one or both of the parents are asking me that question then they are able to acknowledge that they are not the only people that will be affected by their divorce. If only one parent is there, well, that's better than no parent being there. Asking for some guidance as the family "restructures" is usually a great indication that their children will do better than those whose parents seem only able to focus on their own misery or hurt or anger or revenge. Unfortunately since divorce is about disappointment (and rejection, betrayal, disillusionment) in some form or another, it is ordinarily not a pleasant experience and unless both parties are in agreement about the need to dissolve their union, there is going to be emotion to be handled and the more mature the spouses are, the less likely they are to handle it in a way that involves the children.

 

I encourage parents to act like parents first and foremost which means they will put the needs and feelings of their children first during this trying experience. The children are part of a family but they are not a part of a marriage. The failure of that relationship has to be borne by the two people who created the union. Whatever faults and blames there may be to foist upon self or other, that needs to be done away from the children. "Your marriage is none of their business," I say to parents and "the less they know about it, the better it is."

 

Children at any age have difficulty "seeing" Mom and Dad as anything but "Mom and Dad'. Their traits as a man or woman aren't really of much interest to children though that will slowly change as they turn into adults. My experience is even grown children have  some difficulty accepting their parents in any other roles. We really want them to be our Moms and our Dads forever, don't we? So don't talk about each other to the kids. They do not need to hear who is drinking too much, spending too much, never home, never listens, is selfish and inconsiderate, etc etc etc. The focus is on giving them the information and being as reassuring as possible.

 

So my advice to divorcing parents? Act like parents, keep the details minimal, do not slander the other parent in any manner, reassure the children they will see both of you and that you love them and will continue to be there for them.  Tell them emphatically that they had NOTHING to do with your decision to divorce. NOTHING. Tell them this is between the two or you and you both love them dearly.They will want to know some details about how their lives will change so address those, ie., "Dad will be living in an apartment and you can see him whenever you want" or "Yes, you will still be in the same school and we'll be staying here for the time being." Let them know they will know of any big location changes and that their life will stay as normal as possible. It is helpful if both parents can talk to the children together so they can see that there is  still a parental unit and  their parents are going to be able to communicate with each other. Fighting parents upset their children at any time but when they're divorcing it is more so.

 

Divorce is common in our society and children know all about it from friends and the media. But when it happens to them, they need lots of attention and reassurance.

 

Rebecca Ward, MSW, LCSW