Zucchini!

Enormous zucchini time has arrived, get out your food processor!  I am too busy processing zucchini to research anything so I thought I would post my three (current) favorite zucchini recipes.

Look out Baby C, you've been replaced by the newest member of the family... Monster Zucchini (and his cousins)

Zucchini Muffins

Ingred:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c milk
1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 c chocolate chips or raisins (optional)
1/2 c walnuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, blend together and fold in zucchini and "chunky stuff".  Pour into muffin cups and bake at 350 F for 20-25 min.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I made this one for J's birthday and thought it was quite yummy.  It's a dense, moist cake.  Would be good with just some icing sugar sprinkled over top if you made it in a flat pan but it worked well iced too.

2 c flour
2 c sugar
3/4 c cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 c canola oil
3 c shredded zucchini

Mix dry ingredients together then mix in eggs and oil, fold in zucchini.  Bake 50-60 min at 350 F in a bundt pan or greased 9x13.

Orysha's Zucchini Salsa

A mild salsa that works well as a dip or over fish or chicken.

In a large dutch oven, combine:

• 10c grated zucchini,
• 3c onion, diced
• 8-12 jalepenos, diced, seeds removed (if you like it hot, keep some of the seeds in)
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 5 tbsp salt

Let this mixture set overnight in the fridge. 

Next day drain excess liquid (I usually press it through a sieve in batches). Put canning jars in dishwasher so they are warm when you are ready to use them. To zucchini mixture add: 

• 5-10c chopped tomatoes (can use 4 cans (28fl oz/796mls) of diced tomatoes with most of the juice drained)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp crushed red chili pepper flakes (or more if you prefer hot)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup vinegar (reserve some vinegar to mix with cornstarch)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch 

Bring to a boil, simmer for 45mins, stirring. Pour into hot canning jars. (Before starting the recipe, put canning jars/lids in dishwasher so they are hot once they are ready to be filled) This recipe makes ~ 9 jars (500mls)

Oink and the Perils of Giving Advice

This post is part book review and part self reflection.  My daughter picked out the book “Oink?” by Margie Palatini (http://stalbert.bibliocommons.com/item/show/395414031_oink) because she liked the piggies on the front.  But apparently it was a good choice for me.  Oink? is the story of Thomas and Joseph, two rather contented pigs.  Contented, that is, until their neighbours the chickens, rabbit and duck decide that the pigs could use some improvement.  Each animal has a project for the pigs that they feel sure will improve the pigs’ quality of life and health.  The chickens ‘encourage’ the pigs to paint the fence, the rabbit encourages them to get some vegetables from the garden and the duck wants them to dig a hole to take a bath in clean water.  But when the pigs prove too inept at all these projects the other animals end up taking over and doing it for them.  In the end, Thomas and Joseph remain as they were, contented muddy piggies who are not overly impressed by the labours of their neighbours.

It struck me that there are two key lessons here for all people in the business of giving advice whether you are a parent, a well meaning neighbour or a health care worker.  Firstly advice is usually wasted when it is unsolicited.  I know, I know sometimes people are doing things that just aren’t logical, it’s not good for them to do it that way or, as the hens put it, they would be so much happier doing it differently! It is so hard to wait for them to ask for advice or help... and what if they never do?  I am gradually coming to realize that this height of arrogance is how I was frequently approaching people both at work as a dietitian and in my personal life (I use past tense because I hope I am improving!).  I have found that unsolicited advice either backfires completely or frustrates me because I wonder why its recipient is not following my wonderful ideas!  So, to all who have received or continue to receive my unsolicited advice – feel free to disregard and I hope I have not offended you.

The second lesson from Oink is that advice is just that, it is not mandatory that it be followed.  Even when someone comes requesting advice, they are not signing their life over to you to control.  It is their decision to what extent they will follow your advice.  I am learning to feel honored if clients choose to listen to even a fraction of my advice.  Lifestyle change is hard, so, if they respect my opinion enough to implement even one of my suggestions this should be a big deal to me.  And lastly, if someone chooses to disregard my advice because they don’t like it or they find it impractical to follow, I can’t do it for them!  This is key in behaviour change science.  People have to decide when they are ready to do the lifestyle change.  Otherwise, I can be working and working and working and wondering why we are not achieving the goals we have set but until the client him or herself becomes engaged the status quo will be maintained.  As I write this I also am realizing that these lessons can also be applied to potty training, another little project I am working on J.

I would encourage any of my readers who seek advice from healthcare professionals to keep this in mind as well.  When you receive advice you are not required to follow it – listen carefully, do some research and then follow whatever parts of the advice seem wise and practical to you.  In terms of maintaining a good relationship with your provider, however,  I know I always appreciate it when clients come back to me and let me know what parts of my advice are working and what parts they chose not to follow and why.  This way I have the opportunity to perhaps change my approach to make it more practical or palatable and possibly still achieve the outcome the client wanted in the first place.

Yet another reason why breastfeeding is so important!

I'm doing some reading about allergies right now and was reminded of yet another reason why everyone who is able to breastfeed should seriously consider doing so.  Babies are born without the ability to produce secretory IgA, an immunoglobulin that is the first line of defence against foreign molecules entering the body through the mouth (1).  BUT they do get this important protein in the colostrum (the first milk).  What a beautiful gift from our Creator!

1. Joneja, J. Dealing with Food Allergies in Babies and Children. Boulder, CO: Bull Publishing Company; 2007.

Introduction

I've been on my second maternity leave for 6 months now and am crawling out from under my rock and blinking blearily in the sun. I've achieved alot in the past year; produced a new person, moved into a new home, done a LOT of diaper changes, nearly toilet trained my 3 year old (fingers crossed), tried some new recipes and reconnected with old friends.  But I'm also a dietitian who is returning to work in another 6 months and, remembering the stress of re-entering the work force the last time, I've decided to be proactive and get studying. Life is entering a new routine and it seems like a good time to try a new method for staying current in my fields both as a mom and a dietitian.  People often express an interest in nutrition so I thought I'd share some of the interesting information I come across with my acquaintances.  My posts will likely be very random but we'll see if themes develop.  I welcome your questions as I go as they may lead me down interesting avenues of research.  I always feel a bit overwhelmed at the amount of information that is out there regarding human health and nutrition but it is also amazing how much we don't know.  Sometimes I advise a client feeling very confident in my advice only to learn later that the reality was much more complex than I had realized.  So, as you read my posts you can trust that they contain the most up to date information I am aware of but obviously this is a fast changing field of science.