Foil-Pack Mustard Cod over Swiss Chard

In nutrition clinic last week, one of the patients wailed, "I know I should eat fish, but I don't know how to cook it!"  The dietitian rummaged in her drawer, and promptly produced this recipe.  Meanwhile I was sitting in the corner with similar murmurs of fishy concern cycling through my head.  So after the appointment was over, I secretly photocopied the recipe to try at home this weekend.  Sure enough.. simple, fast, and delicious.
Foil-Pack Mustard Cod over Swiss Chard
modified from original recipe as featured in Diabetes Living
Original recipe uses haddock and spinach
(serves 4)
4 leaves of Swiss chard (or 4 cups of spinach), washed
1 pound cod or other white fish, cut into 4 pieces (1/4 - 1/2 inch thick)
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Teaspoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
20 grape tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat oven to 375. 
2. Place 1 leaf swiss chard (or 1 cup spinach) in center of each 4 (18-inch-long) sheets of heavy duty foil.  Instead of heavy-duty foil, you can use a double layer of regular foil.
3. Flace fish on top of greens.
4. Combine mustard, olive oil, vinegar, and garlic.  Drizzle evenly over fish. 
5. Sprinkle with shallots, black peppers, and tomatoes.
6. Bring up foil sides to form a packet.  Double fold the top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.  Place foil packets in single layer on baking sheet.  
7. Bake 15 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.  Cut slits in foil packets with sharp knife to release steam before opening.

Dinner time study session.

Nutrition Info for 1 serving.
Calories 150 kcal, Protein 23 g, Total Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Carbohydrate 7 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sodium 200 mg.
Nutrition Tip: American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week for heart health.

I thought I would be floundering, but cooking fish wasn't so scary after all.
Do you cook fish often?  Did you eat something new this weekend?
Rachel

Top 10 Clinical Nutrition Resources

This summer I finished adult hospital rotations, yipee!  In addition to developing a graham cracker addiction (the food of choice stashed at every nurses' station), I also discovered a growing curiosity for the medical principles that accompany nutrition recommendations.  Here's some handy references that I want to share.

(A few dietetic interns.  Shout out for the summer crew!)

My 10 Favorite Resources for Hospital Rotations:
When I wasn't google-ing definitions and abbreviations, these books and websites were my go-to references.

1. Nutrition and Diagnosis Related Care by Sylvia Escott Stump (2008).  Easy to use textbook with nutrition guidelines organized by medical diagnosis.  
2. Dynamed.  Website that provides the medical information organized by disease state.  Includes causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and evidence-based recommendations with direct links to cited studies.  AWESOME! (By subscription only-hopefully most hospitals have this.)
3. The ICU Book by Marino.  This book provides useful medical background for the intensive care units (issues like shock, acid-base balance, respiration and ventilation).  Great layer of medical understanding to top off a nutrition foundation.  
4. Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank H. Netter.  (Also known as "Netters" by the medical students.)  Standard anatomy textbook with great illustrations.  Makes up for that cadaver's class I never took in college, hehe.
5. ADA Nutrition Care Manual.   Are you scrambling for a quick patient-education handout?  The Amercian Dietetic Association has standardized handouts and menus, ready to print.  (Subscription only.)
6. Medcalc- Smartphone application with medical calculations (BMI, Harris-Benedict).  Life just got easier.
7. The ASPEN Nutrition Support Core Curriculem.  Book by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN); authoritative reference for tube feed and TPN.
8. Food Medication Interactions by Pronsky.  Easy to use flip book with medications and their nutrient interactions.  Pretty sure this is a standard reference.
9. Pubmed.  Step into the world of research by searching this free digital archive of biomedical and life science journal articles, organized by the U.S. National Institute of Health and run by the National Library of Medicine.  (Supposedly there's a "Pubmed Health" encyclopedia, but I can never find the link!)  
10. Krause's Food and Nutrition Therapy (2007) and Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology (2010) by Nelms.  Here's one college textbook I don't regret buying!  Nothing beats these fundamental Medical Nutrition Therapy books.   

*TIP: If affiliated with a teaching hospital, try treasure hunting in the medical school library!

It will be fun to look back on these references in a year...

What do you think?
What are your favorite nutrition and medical resources?   

Got to keep this list going!

Cheers,

Rachel

So Long Summer

Sunnny summer reading in Harvard Yard.  

I didn't realize how long it has been since I last blogged; I notice that my furlough has been marked by a change of seasons.  It's time to say goodbye to frothy smoothies, chilly treats, and frozen yogurt (fortunately I had a farewell dose of Pinkberry on a recent California visit).

But I accept the simple facts: Pumpkins have replaced watermelons, and a fresh army of squeaky leather boots have been stationed in every department store window.   Here in Boston we've entered into the brief months between air conditioning and constant heating, where the electicity bill is delightfully low.  Why hello Autumn, I see you've arrived.

I'm going to keep these summer salads, which have become a lunchtime fetish.  But I also expect my pantry to provide a warm welcome to the newcomers, those sturdy but stubburn squashes, the winsome sweet potatoes, and trustworthy apples (I'll be crunching on these until April!).  Of course I'm eager for a Japanese pumpkin reunion as well!

Thankfully my seasonal concoctions can be executed with style.  

I have a new apron, made with love from someone special.

This fall I'm determined to bake bread; the crustier the better.

What are your fall cooking resolutions?  

What hearty foods are you hankering for?

Goodbye summer,
Rachel