Protein packed pancrepes

Recently I’ve started paying more attention to how much protein I’m eating and wanted to start adding a little bit more to my diet. My breakfast is still usually oatmeal, but nowadays I add some hempseed to give me some extra protein, omega-3 and iron. I do also like to indulge in crepes every now and then, and decided to make some, but with a protein punch. My creation: protein packed pancrepes!

2 cups of Ripple (or any other milk)

1 egg

½ scoop of protein powder (I used a vegan one)

¼ cup whole grain barley flour

¼ cup oats/oat bran

¼ cup whole grain spelt flour

Dash of salt

The batter is simple to make: I mixed the eggs and the milk and then added the flour, protein powder and salt and stirred until smooth. I used coconut oil to make them in a cast iron pan in the hope of getting a bit more iron into my food. Note to self: make sure the pan is well greased or else the batter will get stuck BAD. I managed to get the fourth crepe actually to look like a crepe and not scrambled eggs!

To be honest, the pancrepes tasted a little bland without any toppings, but with some cream cheese and jam they tasted surprisingly good. This is nice as I’d much rather eat pancakes/crepes with fiber, protein and other nutrients than just calories. Cream cheese you may wonder? I once tried a recipe that used cream cheese and berries for a filling of a wrap and noticed how nice cream cheese can taste with some added sweetening. I recommend trying it as a substitute for whipped cream.

Nutrition facts: one crepe ended up containing about a 100 kcal, 7 g protein, and 1.5 g fiber. A teaspoon of coconut oil for frying adds 50kcal per pancrepe. So one crepe ended up having the same amount of protein as one egg! I did not count in the toppings, so the calories can really add up. Better be mindful about that… or take it easy the rest of the day.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have some cool crepe/pancake topping ideas that pack a nutrition punch!

Anna-Kaisa

Nature for all senses

Hello all!

Wow. It’s been a half a year since my last post! But it's no surprise - the rest of my last semester at Berkeley was very hectic and I worked hard to finish strong, which meant that I had no time for anything extra. It paid off, since I graduated in May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics. Up next is my dietetic internship at UCSF Medical Center, which I just started a few days ago. It’s going to be a crazy, but a rewarding year.

View from the lake shore toward the lake

Before starting the internship, I had a chance to enjoy a break in my first home, Finland. Even though nutrition is my main emphasis when it comes to promoting well-being, I noticed very tangibly this time how much being in nature can induce happiness. The first thing that I noticed when I arrived in Finland this year, were the amazing smells. Forest and wild flowers are everywhere and they produce such amazing aromas! Additionally, multiple times I woke up to the singing of birds, which is one of the best ways to wake up in the morning in my opinion. The hum of traffic is also almost nonexistent there, which is very nice since it is almost impossible to escape it in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Nature can offer stimulation not only for hearing and smell, but also for sight and touch. For example, one day I decided to take a walk to a nearby lake shore. The lake shore offered breathtaking views of the lake, and sitting on the solid rock, which is very common on most shores here, warmed up by the sun’s rays, felt amazing, too. At that moment nature engaged all of my senses, as the needle trees also smelled wonderful, and the birds singing and waves rippling against the rock provided a lovely soundtrack. It was easy to feel happy and at ease!

Bedrock and needle trees at the lake shore

Even though I do really enjoy living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I sometimes miss the closeness of nature that is available in Finland. Of course, nature is not too far away here either, since one can drive to the mountains and enjoy a hike there as well, but it is not quite the same as having to walk only 30 seconds from your front door to be in the forest. In Finland, Everyman’s Rights guarantee that anyone can walk almost anywhere in nature, as long as he or she doesn’t cause harm to it, or go too close to buildings. In California, one always has to stay on the path and roaming freely is not possible. Still, at the end, it comes down to what a person is used to – I am used to having the forest right there all the time, whereas having a city park nearby is all that some may need.

My first Biology teacher at my community college told the class once that nature is good for one’s health, seen in the drop in their blood pressure. I also – through personal experience – think that being in nature can promote one’s well-being instantly. Similarly, in a study conducted in Stanford, the researchers found that spending time in nature decreases the risk of depression (1). I’d like to see even more scientific research studies done on the subject, as we can both improve people’s health, and increase the general desire to protect nature, when we tangibly understand what healthy nature can offer us (2).

Even though I can’t just walk into the forest from my front door in California, I can still find beautiful nature close-by. I just need to expend a little more energy to get there, which, once I get there, really doesn’t even feel like effort at all! The nature in California is different, but equally good. I encourage everyone to go for a hike at the next chance and invite me to go along!

Tilden Regional Park

  Thanks for reading,

  Anna-Kaisa

References

1)     http://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental-health-063015/

2)     https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201403/does-nature-make-us-happy

Playing with Food

Testing four kinds of apples: Mushu,
Sonata, Golden Delicious and
Jonagold

Empowered by a food science class that I took last semester, I decided to start experimenting on making desserts healthier. I love dessert, but haven’t been too happy with how devoid of nutrients most desserts are. Therefore, I wanted to start making my favorite desserts healthier while still keeping them delicious.

As my first project, I chose a dessert that I used to make all the time in Finland during the fall season: apple crisp. I had made it here in California before, but felt that something seemed different about it. In addition to making it healthier, this would be my chance to make it right, too. To help me make a decision on the right recipe, I had friends and family tasting different versions of the crisp and filling out score cards to grade them.

My friend Weiwei is filling a
descriptive testing score card
on three versions of the crisp

My first step was to find an apple variety that would taste great when baked. I tried many apples and by far the most flavorful one ended up being Jonagold. A close second was Granny Smith, which works well in this recipe, too. The first time I tried Jonagold apples, I realized the reason why my previous takes on the apple crisp had felt so wrong - I had used apples that are almost flavorless when baked. The complexity of the flavor of Jonagold apples made everything fall into place!

Next, I tried many combinations of fat and sweetener for the crisp. My favorite combination ended up being butter and agave syrup. (You might wonder how these are healthy, but they are less processed than vegetable shortening and white sugar, and as agave is mostly fructose, you might need less of it, too.) I noticed that ghee and virgin coconut oil could do the job, too, as well as maple syrup as a sweetener, although the crisp would then be slightly less sweet. The beauty of this recipe is that you can change the amounts of ingredients quite freely. The only thing to keep in mind is that the fat is supposed to “wet” the oats thoroughly.

Lastly, I looked for a recipe that would take the place of a Scandinavian instant vanilla sauce as a topping for the crisp. I did some substituting and found that a recipe using eggs and potato starch as a thickener worked pretty well. 

The final recipe? A flavorful mixture of apple and cinnamon, topped with vanilla goodness.

Funnish Apple Crisp (Omenapaistos)

2 Jonagold apples

2/3 stick Kerry Gold reduced fat butter

3 tbsp agave syrup

1.5 cups rolled oats (quick and baby rolled oats will also work)

Cinnamon to taste

Peel and slice apples, put into a baking dish that will accommodate the apples in a one to two-inch layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon and mix. Melt the butter and mix with the oats and maple syrup. Spread evenly on top of the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 400F for 40 mins, or when apples become thoroughly soft. Serve with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla sauce (adapted from this Finnish recipe)

1 2/3 cup cold whole milk

1 egg

1 tbsp potato starch

3 tbsp agave syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Mix the cold milk with the egg and the starch in a sauce pan suitable for heating milk. Make sure to break the egg completely. Heat the mixture while mixing continuously until it thickens and just starts to bubble. Put the sauce pan in cold water and add the agave syrup. Mix the sauce every now and then until you can touch the pan with your hand without burning. Add vanilla extract.

Note – this sauce will break down if you double dip your spoon in it. It also has a tendency to gel over time, so eat it soon after preparing.

Let me know what you think if you decide to try out my recipes! I'm sure there is always room for improvement.

Love,

Anna-Kaisa

Eating while traveling - not a problem!

Inspired by my trip over the New Year’s vacation, I wanted to share with you my thoughts about eating healthy while on the road. It’s pretty easy to eat healthy at home when you have a fridge, an oven, a blender and such to help you, but you might not have any of that stuff when traveling. It is important for me to eat well even during trips and I’ve found that with a little bit of thought and preparation, you can do pretty well to prevent weight gain and stay properly nourished!

1.       On the road. Plan ahead: it might be close to impossible to find food that is not a candy bar or chips at gas station mini markets. Fast food is also much more readily available than anything else, but it really is not the food to eat, unless it is an emergency. Airports are beginning to have juice bars etc., which are a great option if your wallet allows it. With air travel, when it comes to fresh food, fruit, like cuties or bananas are easy to take with and also easy to eat, requiring no extra tools. Carrots are also convenient. Other than that, nuts, granola bars and dried fruit are useful to have around as well. My favorite thing to bring along was mashed fruit baby food, but with the no-liquid policy, I can’t have them anymore. Bummer. 

Oatmeal is my favorite breakfast even when traveling 

      2.       Breakfast. If your hotel offers breakfast, it is a great idea to pick the oatmeal or boiled eggs rather than go for the waffle or white bread. Fruit are also often available and provide you with plenty of nutrients in addition to few calories. Starting the day right can help you stay energized throughout the day. One year I was traveling in Europe and most places I stayed in did offer breakfast, though not a very nutritious one. What I did was carry wheat bran and ground flaxseed and I sprinkled this on my cereal or toast.

If free breakfast is not available, there are many ways to make it healthy at a restaurant. Again, oatmeal is a great choice, but other than that, an omelet with plenty of vegetables is a great choice, too. If you must have something sweet, have one pancake or piece of French toast for dessert, rather than as the main item. And by the way, Jamba Juice offers oatmeal and tasty yogurt and granola cups, making it a good breakfast place option. Bagels are another good choice if they’re made with whole grains and filled/eaten with vegetables and lean protein.

Such good cauliflower they have in Bulgaria! 

3.       Lunch and dinner. It is very tempting to think that while on vacation, you are justified to eat whatever peaks your fancy. Trust me, this happens to me all the time. I believe that you can do this some of the time, but your body and your gut will thank you if you put a little bit more thought into meal/restaurant choices. In my experience, vegetables are not usually the main players at restaurants, except for salads and perhaps appetizers. If this is so, it is a good idea to choose that side salad or appetizer. In Carlsbad, CA, I had a slice of pizza for example, but for an appetizer I picked curried cauliflower with aioli. It was delicious and I really didn’t even want the pizza afterwards, as it was satisfying enough on its own.

4.       Snacks. Hunger tends to surprise me more than I like to think. That is why I always carry a ton of food with me, not just during trips. My staples are nuts and dried fruit, and perhaps a raw granola bar as well. As mentioned above, bananas, cuties and carrots are great snacks, which I often take with me to school. It really pays to plan ahead as it is not fun at all to be unable to enjoy a cool place fully because you are dying of hunger and no food is available! This has also happened to me multiple times.

5.       Drinks. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. It gets tricky when you don’t know the next time that you’ll have access to a rest room, but it is important to stay hydrated. Especially if your meals haven’t been the most fiber-rich, dehydration can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal problems, if you know what I mean. Water is my go-to drink and I rarely drink sweetened beverages. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times.

Yes, I had this in LA along with а veggie burger... But the next
day I went to Veggie Grill and had а salad 

6.       Strike a balance. In a new place, you definitely want to try all the cool new dishes you won’t have a chance to try anywhere else. Just know that traditional dishes may not always be just meat, cheese or refined grains, many cultures have awesome vegetarian and vegetable-rich dishes, too. In Bulgaria, this is very true: they have many delicious salads and dishes like zucchini in a garlic sauce, or filled bell peppers. In addition, in Budapest, I found an excellent vegetarian restaurant – Napfenyes Etterem (http://www.napfenyesetterem.hu/) that offered traditional Hungarian dishes (I loved their stuffed cabbage). The portion was U.S. style, meaning enormous, but it was very nutritious.

7.       This brings me to another subject: what to do when the dishes are very big? During a trip, it might not be possible to take what you can’t finish with you, as you might not have a fridge to keep it in, or you don’t want to carry it around during sightseeing. I wouldn’t recommend finishing huge portions, as overeating can lead to unnecessary weight gain and notable discomfort (been there). I recommend either splitting the dishes with whoever is traveling with you, or if not possible, just leaving it. I’m very much against food waste, but at times like these it can be necessary. Also, even though upon ordering you might feel like eating a horse, it is a good idea to start small and order more if still hungry.

Enormous, but nutritious

I love to travel, but I often dread what happens to my eating. I’ve been able to improve using these tips above and I hope you can, too! No more weight gain during trips (and remember, staying active also helps)!

Thanks for reading till the end, this was a long one. Go ahead, you deserve a snack now - you know how to do that well now too!

Till next time,

Anna-Kaisa