by Michelle | Jan 17, 2019 | Recipes
Garden Vegetable Cakes
Recipe and photo source: FoodHero.org
Number of servings: 4
Time for preparation (including preparation and cooking): 35 min
Ingredients:
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄3 cup all purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon dill weed
1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 eggs (or 1 cup egg substitute)
2 Tablespoons minced green onion with tops
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1⁄2 cups shredded vegetables (unpeeled zucchini (drained and pressed), potato, carrots, bell pepper, celery, sweet potato or yam)
Directions:
- In medium bowl, stir together cheese, flour, baking powder, dill weed, salt and pepper.
- Beat in eggs, green onions, lemon juice and garlic until well blended. Stir all shredded vegetables into the batter.
- Heat skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (350 degrees in an electric skillet). Lightly spray or oil with cooking spray. For each vegetable cake, pour 1/3 cup batter onto hot skillet or griddle. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
- Top with low-fat sour cream and tomato slices.
- Precook “harder” vegetables like carrots and potatoes, if desired.
by Michelle | Jan 11, 2019 | Recipes
Bell Pepper Nachos
Recipe Source: Recipe and photo from www.FoodHero.org
Number of servings: 8
Time for preparation (including preparation and cooking): 20 min
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers
1 cup salsa
2 teaspoons seasoning (try a mixture-chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, pepper)
2 cups cooked meat (chopped or shredded), beans or tofu
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash bell peppers, remove seeds and cut into bite-sized pieces. Arrange pieces close together in a single layer on a large foil-lined baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, combine salsa, seasonings and meat, beans or tofu. Spoon the mixture evenly over pepper pieces then top with cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until peppers are heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
by Michelle | Jan 11, 2019 | Being Well
Tillamook couple makes positive health and lifestyle transformation with innovative program
By Patti Atkins, APR, Columbia Pacific CCO
TILLAMOOK, Ore. — When Mandie Phipps was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, she knew that she was going to have to make some significant changes to improve her health. But when her partner, Shawn Parker, decided to join her and include the whole family, they were able to transform their lives for the better.
Columbia Pacific’s Community Advisory Council in Tillamook County teamed up with local health care providers, OSU Extension and Tillamook Family YMCA to offer an evidence-based Diabetes Prevention Program that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control for members on Oregon Health Plan. The instructor was trained as a certified Community Health Worker through a partnership that was forged with OSU Extension.
Beginning with diagnosis, the yearlong pilot program encourages participants to learn more about diabetes, diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle changes. The participants can also join the YMCA for one-third of the cost, the other two thirds are covered by Columbia Pacific CCO and the YMCA.
“My health care provider at Tillamook Regional Medical Center gave me a prescription for the program,” said Phipps. “I realized that this was very serious and that I was going to need to make some significant changes to stay healthy.”
“I joined Mandie for moral support,” said Parker. “But in the first class we took a test where I learned that I was at high risk for pre-diabetes as well. We realized that we were going have to overhaul our entire lifestyle.”
“In the classes, we learned about how to evaluate healthy food choices,” Phipps continued. “We read labels, count calories and fat in everything we eat now. We began to practice good portion control. We have almost cut out all soda and drink water about 90 percent of the time. And we added walking as a family activity in the evenings instead of just hitting the couch and watching TV.”
“We used the activity trail at the middle school, next to our house, as a walking path after dinner to spend quality time together as a family. We focused on our diet first and lost most of our weight. Then we slowly added exercise. Since we started in April, Mandie is down 31 pounds and I’m down 40 pounds. And we are still losing weight, even when we take time off for vacations and holidays. Our children are in sports now as well. It’s helping the whole family be healthy.”
At the end of the first year, program collaborators will decide how to improve or continue this project. More information will be announced.
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About Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization
Established in September 2012, Columbia Pacific CCO coordinates health services for more than 25,000 Oregon Health Plan members in Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties. For more information, please visit www.colpachealth.org.
by Michelle | Jan 3, 2019 | Recipes
Chicken & Pear Salad
Recipe & Photo Source: FoodHero.org
Number of servings: 5
Time for preparation (including preparation and cooking): 15 min
Ingredients:
2 cups pears, diced (fresh or canned)
1⁄4 cup celery, chopped
1⁄2 cup onion, chopped (sweet onion will be most mild)
1⁄4 cup raisins
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
2 Tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
Dash of Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Serve now or chill.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
by Michelle | Jan 3, 2019 | Being Well
The Gift of Resiliency: Protecting a Growing Brain
By DeAnna Pearl, M.A.T, B.S., Certified Prevention Specialist, SOS Tillamook – Prevention, Tillamook Family Counseling Center
What does it take to build resiliency in ourselves? What is resiliency? The definition is the ability to overcome challenges of all kinds–trauma, tragedy, personal crises, plain ole life problems–and bounce back stronger, wiser, and more personally powerful.
It’s important because this is what we need to do when faced with life’s inevitable difficulties. AND it’s important because there is a growing social science research showing that you can bounce back, even from a lifetime of “risk factors” or very painful trauma or tragedy, and how you help those you care about bounce back.
However, it takes clear steps to create a safe and healthy community. There is a reason for age restrictions for legal use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, gambling, etc. The brain has not fully developed its regulatory system (frontal lobe) until the average age of 23. The resiliency factors that a community can provide greatly impact the access and exposure to risk factors during the most formable brain growing years, ages 0-24. The use of drugs and alcohol at an early age can hardwire the brain and can lead to abuse and addiction.
The simple act of reducing the normalization of use, abuse and addiction is a protective factor. Example, not providing scratch-it tickets in Christmas stockings reduces the potential brain pathways that can lead to highs and lows of gambling. Disallowing the casual use of alcohol under adult “supervision.” The brain makes connections with all of these experiences which can actually hard-wire it for future use, abuse and addiction.
Until the average age of 23, the brain is especially focused on seeking fun and easy entertainment. It first routes decision making through the (1) emotion center (amygdala) resulting in fight, flight, freeze or “freak out” responses. The dopamine, “feel good” chemical, quickly rewards the (2) pleasure center (nucleus accumbens) which then sends a signal to the (3) frontal lobe (where decisions and judgments are made) causing a reaction. Note: This is the last part of the brain to fully mature and does not have full facility to reason consequences or control impulses.
Continuous exposure to quick fixes such as gambling, drugs, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, sex and violence, means greater potential to be hard wired for external stimuli thus causing the potential cycle of addiction.
Can individuals learn to be more resilient, or are some just born with the ability to bounce back from adversity? Both! Research suggests that human beings are born with an innate self-righting ability, which can be helped or hindered. The findings are fueling a major shift in thinking about human development. Instead of obsessing about problems and weaknesses (splat factor) we are beginning to recognize “the power of the positive” (bounce factor). Identifying and building individual and environmental strengths better support helping people overcome difficulties, achieve happiness, and attain life success.
