Pretty Decent Spart Dip

We are stuck inside today due to another air quality alert so my project du jour is to clean out the fridge and freezer of anything that is starting to head south of the expiration date. Or has already made it there.

I had just enough ingredients to make this spinach and artichoke dip that I love and wanted to share with you. The good news is it's filled with lots of yummy cheeses and spinach, it's lower in carbs and is a great source of vitamins, protein, sodium and fat. The bad news is that I made it while Lil Guy is napping so it might be all gone before he gets a chance to try it.

Pretty Decent Spart Dip

One 8-oz package of cream cheese softened (leave on the counter for a bit)
1/8 cup mayo
1/8 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or a parmesan/romano blend
1/4 shredded mozzarella or shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic minced (or the minced garlic equivalent in a jar)
Dash of salt
One 14-oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
A little bit of Asiago cheese if desired

Mix all cheeses, mayo, garlic, salt with a spatula. Then gently stir in the chopped artichokes and spinach. Bake in a greased glass baking dish at 350F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned. Serve warmed with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Notes:

• CFers should make sure all ingredients are full fat and not the "light" version.
• While I love fresh spinach, the stuff that comes in a frozen bag in the freezer section is already chopped and makes this a lot faster for preparation.
• Don't like/don't have artichokes? Just add more spinach - about 1/4 or 1/2 cup more additional depending on your personal preference.

Have leftovers? Try stuffing a chicken breast with a little bit of this stuff and baking in the oven.

No Boston Market Why!

Was disappointed to read this article in today’s USA Today about Boston Market planning to lower sodium in their menu offerings. Am I the only CF mother that gets anxious reading stories about making food healthier? From a proposed junk food tax to healthier school lunches, I’ve become paranoid that when Lil Guy is older, he’s going to be overtaxed for his nutritional needs and labeled as the kid with the “special lunch” at school.

Don’t get me wrong, understandably the vast majority of the U.S. population is facing an obesity epidemic while just 30,000 CFers are trying to maintain a good weight. Just another example of some of the paradoxes CF patients face in their daily lives.

Anyway...

Boston Market is still an excellent place for CFers with lots of calories, fat and sodium in their meals, especially their kids meals. Check out their easy-to-use

nutrition page.

Go with:

• Fried chicken; the dark meat in particular packs a lot of fat and calories
• Meatloaf
• Creamed spinach or squash casserole
• Salad options – most are high-fat, high sodium

Stay away from:

• Chicken pot pies, they are high in fat and sodium but also pack a lot of carbs
• Sweet potato casserole, with almost 90 g of carbs. Not every CFer may agree with our decision to shun carbs but even I think that is a lot for a side dish.
• Watch the sandwiches too, some of them seem carb-heavy.

All is not lost – was very happy to see this quote from Chief Brand Officer Sara Bittorf at the end of the article:  “We don’t want it to be misconstrued that Boston Market is becoming a healthy fast-casual chain. We’re never going to have the healthiest mac and cheese on the block.”

Thank goodness for that!

Coconut: Did you know?

While on vacation, found this great article on the benefits of coconut in the local grocery circular. It's attached but thought I would reprint some interesting quotes:

“One tablespoon has more than 13g of saturated fat.”

“In a recent study where athletes drank coconut water after dehydrating workouts, it proved to be an equally effective source of electrolytes like sodium and potassium compared to sports drinks.”

“Coconut oil also offers immune-supporting properties and hearty-healthy benefits. The fat in coconut oil is nearly 50 percent lauric acid, which the body converts into monolaurium, a known  immune fighter that staves off viruses and bacterial infections.”

The article also gives info about how to substitute butter or other oils with coconut oil when cooking (follow the 1 to 1 rule)

Oh, and coconut oil has a shelf life of two years. Excellent news for our house where you always have to check the expiration date of anything you plan to eat.

If anyone has great coconut oil or coconut milk recipes, please share! I'm still stuck with this one.

Finally, here is a great buying resource for coconut oil.

 

 

Say CHEESE!

So in my whole label-reading experiment, I have learned one thing: cheese adds calories.

And by now all you expert parents of CFers are saying “no duh.”

Cheese adds calories to crackers (think Cheez-Its over Wheat Thins). Cheese adds calories to casseroles and fajitas. And it does it all without adding too many carbs. Yup, there’s no doubt about it, cheese is a CFers best friend.

The good news is when I was researching fat content of different cheeses, I came across Linda Stradley of “What’s Cooking America” and her great nutritional chart, including a long list of fat content by cheese type. Thanks Linda!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/NutritionalChart.htm

The bad news is that some of my personal favorite cheeses actually are lower in fat than I would have thought. And be careful – swiss is a great higher fat cheese unless you accidentally buy the low fat brand.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see Gruyere listed as one of the higher fat cheeses, which is great because I have a fantastic recipe to share for Quiche Lorraine.

Quiche Lorraine

3 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded/grated gruyere cheese*
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/8 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onions (we use white ones)
8 large slices of crispy bacon (the less fat the better)
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell frozen for 24 hours then thawed for 10 minutes

* The secret to a great quiche is the quality of the cheese. If you have the means and budget, find a gourmet cheese shop and ask for a recommendation for the best gruyere to bake with. You won't be disappointed.

Fry the bacon and break into small bits, trimming fat where necessary. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together. Then add the cheese and stir well. Next, add the onions, salt and pepper. When the pie shell is thawed, spread the bacon bits in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the cheese mixture over the bacon bits, making sure that the cheese is spread evenly over the bottom of the pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 35 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Remove from oven and use a pie crust shield or just cover the crust edges with thin strips of tinfoil. Return the quiche to the oven for 15 minutes or until a fork comes out clean in the center of the quiche.

To truly low carb it, I found a crustless receipe using bread crumbs as a base here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crustless-Quiche-241749

More “cheesy” articles here:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/379153-fat-grams-in-cheese/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409887-cheese-nutrition-guide/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/296334-the-calories-in-sharp-cheddar-cheese/

Formula formula and oh more formula

It was tough for me to write the previous post because I didn’t want to open up the breast vs. bottle mommy bashing debate. So I was thankful to receive one nice “hello” message from a fellow mom!

The fact is, when dealing with CF, it’s pointless to argue the virtues of choosing breastmilk over formula. If a CF baby is getting enough nutrition and mom is mentally happy, then all is right with the world.

That said…personally I hate formula. It stinks, never mixes right and is so darn expensive. But I couldn’t be a full-time working mother without it. So formula, reluctantly, is my friend.

With Big Guy, we went through so many formulas. I tried every organic version on the market – even obscure ones from Ohio and Vermont.
Big Guy did not tolerate a single one.

Frustrated, I finally turned to Nestle-Gerber-whatevertheycallittoday Good Start Protect in the green can. It's like the Coca-Cola of formula. But presto chango Big Guy was happy again.

When switching Lil Guy over to formula, I didn’t even take the chance of trying something new and the fact that the Good Start Protect had probiotics seemed like a big plus for that digestive boost.

Here is how the top formulas on the market stack up with fat and carbs. It's really hard to tell if one whole gram of fat or carbs per bottle is really going to make a positive/negative impact on a CF baby in the long run. Ironically in our Gerber’s Good Start Protect is near the bottom of the list!

	Fat	Carbs
Similac Advance Powder	5.6	10.7
Similac Expert Care Neosure Powder*	5.5	10.1
Similac Go & Grow Milk Powder (Toddler)**	5.4	10.2
Enfamil EnfaCare Powder*	5.3	10.4
Enfamil Enfagrow Gentlease Powder (Toddler)	5.3	10.5
Bright Beginnings Organic Milk Based Organic Infant Formula	5.3	10.6
Earth's Best Milk-Based Formula	5.3	10.6
Vermont Organics DHA Milk Based Organic Infant Formula	5.3	10.6
Bright Beginnings Gentle Milk Based Infant Formula	5.3	10.8
Bright Beginnings Premium Formula	5.3	11.0
Enfamil Newborn Powder	5.3	11.2
Enfamil Premium Powder	5.3	11.2
Gerber Good Start Nourish Powder*	5.2	10.5
Enfamil A.R. for Spit-Up Powder	5.1	11.0
Gerber Good Start Protect Powder	5.1	11.2
Gerber Good Start Gentle Powder	5.1	11.6
Baby's Only Organic Dairy Toddler Formula***	4.5	9.0
All per 100 calories and 5 fluid ounces (except where noted)
* per 4.5 fluid ounces
** per 5.2 fluid ounces
*** per 4 fluid ounces