DASH diet recipe - turkey chili

I made this for dinner last night and it was full of flavor. It was our first official DASH diet meal. I had no recipe, so I hope I remember everything I put in it! TURKEY CHILI 1.5 lbs ground turkey 2 med. onions, chopped 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped green pepper 1 cup diced carrots 1 15 oz can low-sodium tomato sauce 1 15 oz can low-sodium diced tomatoes 1 can low-sodium beef broth 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tbsp chili powder 2 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp oregano 1 tbsp black pepper 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp worsteshire sauce 1 tsp olive oil Heat olive oil in large soup pot and add onions, celery, green peppers, and carrots; cook until onions are tender. Add turkey and cook until all pink is gone. Add all other ingredients, bring to a simmer and simmer for at least two hours. Stir frequently, add water if the chili gets too thick. This made 8 servings. Chili freezes well - just place in airtight plastic container and freeze! I served the chili with homemade corn muffins (no sugar or salt) and a mixed green salad.

Meatless Crockpot Dinner recipe - Moroccan Lentil Stew

I love lentils and I love curry. So this recipe really appeals to me - especially when thinking about the upcoming cool nights of Fall and Winter. Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 9 hours, Ingredients: 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed 1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cubed 10 small new red potatoes, cubed 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained 1 Tbsp. curry powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. white pepper 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper 2 cups water 8 oz. pkg. frozen cut green beans, thawed Preparation: Combine all ingredients except green beans in a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until lentils, squash, and potatoes are tender when tested with knife. Increase heat to high setting. Stir in thawed green beans, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until mixture is thoroughly heated and beans are tender. 6 servings

More on the DASH Diet

Of all the diets I've looked at/considered (and there are many many many over the years), I'm having the hardest time getting my mind around the do's and don'ts of this DASH diet. Lots of "examples" but not much of an actual list of "you can eat this much of this but none of that" type list. So far, this is what I've come up with for the 1600 calorie version of this diet. Vegetables - Artichokes, asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, jicama, mushrooms, leafy greens (collars, kale, swiss chard, turnip greens), leeks, lettuce or salad greens, onions, peas (green, snap or snow), potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, root vegetables (parsnips, rutabaga, turnips), spinach, squash (zucchini, yellow, crookneck, pattypan, acorn, butternut, pumpkin, spaghetti), tomatoes. 1 1/2 to 2 cups per day Fat Free or Lowfat Milk and Dairy - Buttermilk, hard and soft cheese, cottage cheese, milk, flavored milk, margarine (trans fat free), mozzarella, sour cream, yogurt. 2 - 3 cups per day. Whole Grains/Cereal - Whole wheat whole grain bagels, bread, english muffins, pita, pizza crust tortillas (corn or whole wheat) Bran Cereal, whole grain cereal (hot or cold), lowfat granola, muesli, old fashioned or steel cut oats. Barley, brown rice, bulgur, couscous, kasha, pasta, quinoa, millet, amaranth, spelt, triticale, kamut, wild rice. 6 oz. daily Fruits - Apples, apricots, bananas, berries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, citrus (grapefruit, oranges, tangerines), dates, figs, grapes, kiwi, lemons and limes, mango, melons, nectarines, peaches, papaya, pears, pineapple, plums, prunes, raisins. 2 cups daily. Frozen Foods - Skinless chicken breasts, fish fillets (plain), french toast (whole grain), fruit (no added sugar), 100% fruit juice, 100% fruit juice bars, pancakes (whole grain), vegetables, veggie burgers, waffles (whole grain). Servings according to appropriate group lists above. Canned Foods - Applesauce (unsweetened), beans and lentils (canned or dry - black, garbanzo, kidney, pinto, refried, split peas, white), broth (reduced-sodium), salmon or tuna (canned in water), soup (reduced sodium), tomatoes (reduced sodium), tomato paste, tomato sauce (reduced sodium). Servings according to appropriate group lists above. Condiments, Sauces, Spreads - Bean dip, chili or hot sauce, fruit-only spreads, hummus, marinara sauce (low sodium), mayonnaise (low fat), mustard, oil (canola, olive, sesame), pesto, fresh salsa, salad dressing (reduced sodium), soy sauce (reduced sodium), sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar (balsamic, cider, redwine, rice wine, etc.) Not sure how you count these -- I assume you count the sodium content. Nuts and Seeds - Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, nut butter (peanut butter), peanuts, pecans, seeds (pumpkin or sunflower), soy nuts, walnuts. 3 - 4 ounces per week.

A visit to the doctor's office...

Apologies for not blogging for so long. You know my excuse. Fulltime babysitting and consequential lack of time and energy afterwards. It's almost over. One more week and Mr. B's regular babysitter is back!

For the past two weeks I've had some shoulder problems, and finally finally did what I had to do to find a new doctor (my doctor of 20+ years decided she no longer wanted to do family practice, and went into the specialty of "pain management" or some such thing). Working hand in hand with my insurance provider (yeah, right - I brought up the list of doctors that accept my insurance, and looked for one that was female, hopefully spoke English, and was older than my children), I finally found a new doctor. So hi ho hi ho, off to the doctor I go....

As the result, I'm off to get some blood work and x-rays done this week. X-rays of the shoulder and of my back (gasp! someone wants to fix my back? Now there's a unique concept!), plus fasting bloodwork, mammogram, pap smear - the whole nine yards. My 100,000 mile tune-up.

Unfortunately, the one thing we discovered right away is that I have high blood pressure. Well, it's hard to figure out exactly HOW high it is because I have a very real condition called "White Coat Syndrome" -- put me in direct contact with anyone of the medical profession (eye doctor, dentist, medical doctor, waitress in a white uniform), and my blood pressure goes sky-high. My old doctor knew to take my blood pressure again at the end of the visit, and watch it drop as much as 30 points.

But even at 30 points less, my blood pressure would have still been over what it should be. Uh oh. Time to do something about it. Big history of heart disease in my family so... not good.

My (new) doctor gave me two weeks to show her I could get my blood pressure down on my own or she was going to put me on medication for it. I'm not big on medicine taking - never have been. I'll take antibiotics for infections when I have to, vitamins and supplements are fine, but I just don't have great confidence in FDA testing of some of these drugs, and try hard not to take any. My (old) doctor was great about herbal and natural remedies, and that's what I prefer.

I definitely have a weight problem, and of course that contributes to the high blood pressure. My back prevents me from exercising like I used to (fanatically at one point), which just makes the weight problem worse. So I've been scouring the Internet for some solutions -- and here is what I've come up with.

The DASH Diet - A diet low in fats and sugars, high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes. Lots of research from lots of educational facilities have shown it can drop blood pressure dramatically in as little as two weeks. DASH, by the way, stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension".

Exercise - My back (and now my shoulder) currently won't allow me to work with weights, which has always been my exercise of preference. I can't lay on my back, so that eliminates many types of flexibility exercises, and I can't walk for extended periods of time. (Yeah, I know - I need to get my back FIXED!) But I can walk for SHORT periods of time and that's what I plan to do. Three walks a day, 10 minutes each. I am very fortunate that I have a top of the line treadmill ($1500 price tag on it - I bought it new in the box at a storage facility auction for $75) in our basement, and will use that most of the time, but will also do walking outside with Mr. B and, when I can talk him into it, Jeff.

So that's my plan, Sam. Despite being heavy my entire life (since age 5), I have never had high blood pressure before, and it scared the bejeesus out of me. I need to be around for Mr. B. I want to be around to see more grandchildren. And God knows, my husband needs me to be around for awhile more - who would iron his shirts?? LOL

So just for giggles and grins - and to keep me honest and motivated - I've started a Yahoo Group on this journey! There will initially be information on the DASH diet with links to same, plus I'll post now and then about what I'm cooking and what exercises I'm doing and anything and everything else. I'd love to have some company, so if you're 50 and over (sorry, but 20-somethings have NO idea what 50-somethings have to go through to lose weight or break 50 years of bad eating habits!) and interested in joining me (whether it's this diet or just eating more healthy), you can join here: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DashJourney/

Here are some links you may want to look at:

http://www.womensheart.org/content/Nutrition/dash_diet.asp

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dash-diet/HI00046

http://www.dashdietoregon.org/resources

That's it for now! Wish me luck!