Lower Cholesterol Diet: Chicken Salad Healthy Style

In preparation for my dietetic internship beginning in late August I was given a set of assignments to complete in order to asses my current knowledge and get me ready for the intense 10-month track to becoming a dietitian. Since two of my goals this summer are to do an excellent job on all my homework assignments and keep up with blogging I decided to combine the two tasks and blog about my assignments. Don't worry I will try and make it interesting and I'll of course include food!

The frist assignment was on the topic of lower cholesterol diets.

The question:

"Your patient tells you they have tried fat-free mayo and reduced fat mayo and complains that both taste awful. What alternatives would you suggest for them to use in making tuna salad that is low in fat and cholesterol"

Here are my substitutions:

1. Non- Fat Greek Yogurt
2. Olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes

Time for a test run! Greek yogurt was the first thing that came to mind since it's creamy like mayo but without the fat and cholesterol. PLUS it's got a ton of protein. Since I know I'll be having tuna steak for dinner I decided to create a chicken salad recipe using greek yogurt! It was awesome so I'm definitely adding it to my recipe index!

Sweet and Creamy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 oz canned chicken
• 2.5 oz non-fat Chobani Greek Yogurt 
• 1 celery stick 
• 10 g raisins 
• 1tsp honey 
• 1 shake cinnamon 

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for one hour!

Swimming out of My Comfort Zone.

Last night before I went to bed I wrote down my aspired workout:

Run 5 miles, Swim 20 lengths of the pool and go to spin class. 

I wanted to do this because one of my summer  goals is to broaden my fitness routine to take it to the next level.

I tell myself that I love running so much that I tend to favor it and forget about other sports. The reality is that running is comfortable for me . This summer I am making an extra effort to step outside of my comfort zone and try new sports and gym classes. But I want to do more than just try them... I want to work them into a weekly routine so I can truly reap benefits of the exercises and maybe even begin to enjoy them the way I do running. When I started running I wasn't necessarily good at it but I became good doing repeatedly day in and day out...

The only problem with my summer goal is Swimming is way out of my comfort zone!!!  In fact I have been telling myself for two years I am going to start swimming and have been to the pool a total of three times that I can remember in those past two years. The whole process of swimming intimidates me. It's not that I can't swim, I can in fact I was life guard in high school. I think it's just doing something new and intimidating can be hard.

What did I actually do today? I went to spin class, ran 3 miles, and I swam 2 laps of the pool. Not quite what I wrote down this morning but I'm really proud I stepped out of my comfort zone and got in the pool. I would have swam more I think but a life guarding class came to use the pool and my insecurities got the best of me and I left resolving to redeem myself tomorrow morning!

Simple Protein Packed Breakfast

Protein in the morning helps you get through your day because it increases satiety and reduces hunger . It is the building block of all cells in the body so it is especially important on those mornings when you wake up sore from a hard work out the night before because it repairs your damaged tissues to help rebuild muscles. Which was exactly my motivation for making this protein packed deliciousness this morning! Last night I went to an intense boot camp class which consisted of ALOT of push ups, power jacks, and some unidentifiable exercises. This morning my entire body ached so I decided on creating a high protein breakfast:

• 8 oz Chobani plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 oz pecans 
• 1/2 Tbsp honey 
• 4 large strawberries 
• cinnamon to taste

The Nutrition: 

Strawberries - Raw, 6 large (1-3/8" dia)	35	8	0	1	2	1
Clever Country Honey - Raw Clover Honey, 0.5 tbsp	30	9	0	0	0	0
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Plain, Fat Free, 8 ounces	140	9	0	23	0	105
Archer Farms - Raw Pecans, 0.5 oz, (about 1/4 cup)	100	2	10	2	2	0
	324	30	10	28	4	135