Sub. for baby Pastene

One of my patients was looking for a substitute for baby pastene (and pasta in general). I had mentioned that she try grains like Millet, Quinoa and Amaranth. Quinoa was already in her vocab and a staple in her pantry, so she thought she would give millet a try.

Now those of you unfamiliar with millet, it is the tan, round ball shaped seed in the bird seed mix, the one that the birds don't like, which obviously made it seem like an inedible thing to humans as well.

Apparently though, as my patient found out, when you cook millet to package instructions (1/2 cup millet to 1 1/2 cups water) and then you mix in a pinch of salt and a light scrambled egg the mixture is a near twin for the baby pastene recipe many Italian mothers prepare for their very young children. A great source of protein for post-op bariatric patients: 1/2 cup (measured out when cooked) has 3 grams protein and 1 gram fiber + 5 grams protein from the egg for grand total of 8 grams protein in 1/2 cup of food.

Fun Fact: Millet is also great for pregnant women, that same 1/2 cup cooked serving yields 33mcg of Folate and 19 of choline - two essential nutrients for the developing fetus.

Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed
2-3 red bliss potatoes, cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 jalepeno, chopped
clove garlic, minced
pinch paprika
pinch salt and pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
handful chopped spinach/kale (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Eggs

Directions

1. Toss potatoes and onions in oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Put onto a covered baking sheet and place in oven at 400 to roast for about 20 mintues (until soft).
2. Meanwhile, in saute pan, heat some olive oil and suate garlic and jalepeno until soft.
3. Add spinach/kale if using.
4. Add potatoes and saute to incorperate.
5. Start small pot with water on high heat to boil. When water is boiling add 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or red wine vinegar).
6. Crack eggs into boiling water, turn heat down to low. Whites of eggs will congeal up. Cook 2-3 minutes for runny centers.
7. Place eggs over top of hash.

ENJOY!

NYT article: Learning to be Lean

Another great article in the New York Times about helping overweight and obese children get their health back on track.

Learning to be Lean by Reed Abelson, published January, 16, 2012

New Twist on Lentils

I was making lentils the other night - pretty much due to complete lack of any other food in the house - when I realized that I didn't have any of the normal fixings for making Vosp (red onion, parsley or tomato - click 'Vosp' to go recipe, 2nd one down on Lentils page). The lentils were 1/2 cooked by the time I realized I had nothing to eat them with, so another search through the ice box yielded feta cheese and pesto sauce. When the lentils (1/2 cup dry) were fully cooked I put a little less then a tablespoon of pesto on them and then crumbled some feta cheese on top, added salt/pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic and BINGO impromptu deliciousness!

You could buy pesto at the store or try Big Ter's Famous pesto sauce recipe under the sauce link (second recipe down once on that page).


Enjoy!