Get Healthy with Bento!

My First Bento: Turkey Day Leftovers!

Rice, Sausage Cranberry Stuffing, Yams, Brussel Sprouts, Cranberry Heart.

What is bento?
According to my Japanese dictionary, "bento" simply means "a packed [box] lunch."  A traditional Japanese bento has rice, protein (tofu, egg, fish, or meat), and vegetables (pickled or cooked).  Overtime bento has evolved into an artform, using all varieties of food to create beautiful arrangements.  Bento culture has expanded globally.  Yet despite the diversity of these portable single-meals, a bento box still has one universal pre-requisite: it must be crafted with care.
Get Healthy with Bento!

Get on board, bento is reviving the lunchbox culture!  Sure, we know that packing lunch saves money.  But it's healthy too!  Here's 3 reasons why bento's all-star nutrition line-up makes me excited to pack my lunch:

1. Portion Control.

The whole purpose of bento is to fit an entire meal into a box.  Bento containers come in many shapes and sizes; what a fun way to monitor calorie intake and portion sizes.  Brilliant!

2. Balance in a Box.

Bento is about balancing food groups, and the options are endless.  The main players are carbohydrate (rice, pasta, potato) and protein (meat, fish, egg, tofu, leftover dinner).  However vegetables and fruit add shape and color, making them the real stars of the show.  It's more than just slopping leftovers into a tin.  It is meal planning.  With bento it's easy to eat all the food groups, in one box!

3. A Bento Mindset is a Healthy Mindset.  
While arranging my first bento, I realized that I felt a strong ownership over my food.  I think bento fosters an appreciation for food.  Surely such a thoughtful attitude will stimulate more healthful food choices and less mindless eating.  I believe that a healthy mindset is the first step to a healthy body.  A dose of bento might be just the trick for both.

Show Me More!
Bento is now popular around the world, with hundreds of people blogging about their creative bentos.  Forget my novice attempt, and check out these bentos from the pros!

Teriyaki Salmon Bento, posted on Happy Little Bento by Sheri Chen.










I'm also enjoying:
Adventures in Bentomaking by  Pikko
Bentolicious by Lia Chen
Hapa Bento  by Debra Littlejohn
Hawai'i Bento Box Cookbook, Bentos and More for Kids  by Susan Yuen
Just Bento by Makiko Itoh
Lunchbox Limbo by Amanda

Bento in the recent news:
From the New York Times, Bento Boxes Win Lunch Fans.  Look out, the bento culture is sweeping America!

You know me, I love books!

This is on my wishlist.

This one is on reserve at the Boston Public Library.

Do you make bento, and what are your tricks and tips?  What are your favorite bento blogs or bento stories?  I'm a newbie, but I can't wait to learn more!

Thank you.

Dainty and Delish: Shrimp Quiche Bites

Want to impress your friends with a dainty but delicious appetizer?  Treat your guests to these sophisticated but SIMPLE shrimp quiche bites.  The flaky crust, delicate shrimp, and cheesy top are sure to make your guests feel like royalty.  Surely that's a successful start to any Thanksgiving meal.

Sign me up!  What do I need?
4 oz. mini shrimp (from deli)
1/2 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
8 oz (1 can) crescent rolls or dinner rolls
1 egg
2 tsp finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup swiss or mozarella cheese

Divide dough into 24 even pieces.

Grease mini muffin tins.  Push dough into tins.

Place 1-2 mini shrimp on top of dough.

Mix together half-and-half, onion, egg, and salt.

Spoon evenly into dough, leaving space for the quiche to rise.

Don't overfill, or it will erupt over the top of the tins!

Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375.
Makes 24 Shrimp Quiche Bites.

It's that easy, I promise!  I made these on Sunday for a church Thanksgiving potluck.  Not only was I out of the kithchen with time to spare, but these tasty bites vanished before I got to the table!
Shrimp Quiche Bites.  Add some easy elegance to your Thanksgiving meal.

Nutrition Facts

for 1 Shrimp Quiche Bite

49 calories, 1.37g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 13.3mg cholesterol, 2.6g protein, 6.4g carbohydrate, 0.2g fiber, 115.5mg salt

Momofuku

by David Chang and Peter Meehan

published 2009

If I had the big bucks, I would book a flight to New York City.
Or I would endure the 4 hour Bolt-bus ride and go to 1st avenue and East 10th Street.
Then I would step inside Noodle Bar and order the Momofuku ramen.

Instead, I'm browsing in the Borders bookstore on Boylston Street, Boston.  And for the last 20 minutes I've planted myslef in front of the "Season's Eating" display, monopolizing the new hardback cookbooks.  I'm stuck on Momofuku.  Momofuku is the memoirs of chef David Chang.  It is also the story of Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar, and Ko-his three NYC restaurants.  Momofuku is also a cookbook and coffeetable picture book.  Momofuku, a flashy read.  But the recipes look challenging.
Pork Buns, from Ssam Bar.

Photo from theilladelph.blogspot.com/ 2009/05/at-chifa-jo...

Touched My Heart, Touched My Mind

Dietetic Internship, Community Nutrition Rotation
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 
Massachusetts State WIC Program
November 2nd-20th, 2009

Massachusetts WIC handout: Introducing Vegetables

Just finished up my fifth rotation of the dietetic internship.  Three weeks of community nutrition, and I loved every day!  Ok fine, I wasn't jumping up and down every single second--but this experience was stimulating and very instructive.

So, what is WIC?  WIC is a federally funded nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) that started in 1974.  WIC primarily offers nutrition education, checks to buy food, and referals for medical care.  And who is WIC for?  WIC is for children under 5 years old, women (from prenatal to postpartum), breastfeeding women, or families under a certain income level.   In undergraduate classes, WIC was presented with a reverant aura of respect.  I learned that it is an established, powerful, and effective community nutrition program.  But coming to the MA Department of Public Health WIC office, I got to see the behind-the-scenes management at the state level.  I learned about WIC's nutrition education initiatives within Massachusetts, and I learned a lot about myself too!

MA WIC Handout: Breastfeed For A Full Year.

What did I do for 3 weeks?

1. Visited 2 local WIC programs (East Boston and Somerville)

2. Assisted with the Mass in Motion Blog.  This is a nutrition education piece with the MA State Department of Public Health.

3. Researched nutrition information to update WIC's Pregnancy Guide

4. Helped write the December WIC Nutrition Buzz, on the Mix 104.1 local radio network

5. Attended WIC training, staff meetings, WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator meeting, webinars, and teleconferences.

MA WIC Handout: Infant feeding 0-6 Months.

What did I learn?
I learned all about WIC!  
WIC is huge.  It's BIG!  It's national.  (I had heard some crazy statistic, saying that 60% of dietitians or something in America work for WIC.  Now I might believe this.)  And the Massachusetts WIC has money to work with (from both the federal and state government).  The big bucks make such a difference in community nutrition.  You can offer many more services to your clients,  and continuing education to your staff.  This challenged my view of community nutrition, which had been limited to small programs with limited funds.

I learned that WIC has a new food package!  Since October 1, 2009 WIC programs across the country are now offering checks redeemable for fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains (bread, tortillas, or brown rice), whole grain cereals, canned fish, and even baby food.

I learned about nutrition counseling.  
I never took a counseling class in undergrad, so this was great.  The Massachusetts WIC office discovered that emotion-based counseling is more effective in changing behavior than instructional counseling.  The state office has developed a nutrition education curriculem called Touching Hearts Touching Minds (THTM).  THTM has 33 handouts, and I've included my favorites here.  I learned about participant-centered counseling through the WIC Framingham training day.  This profoundly affected me.  There I learned that the most important thing is to listen to your client.  As a nutrition professional, can I be a good listener?

I learned about myself.

This rotation changed my view of public health nutrition.  During these 3 weeks, I relished my independence.  I came into the office each morning with a purpose.  As I walked up the stairs (or rode the elevator) I  could visualize the small stack of papers waiting on my desk.  I liked the feeling of accomplishment when I could finish a project and give it to my preceptor.   I liked the challenge of finding the latest information on nutrition topics and writing about them.  This was quite hard, and I need to get better at researching.  With so much nutrition information out there, it is hard to narrow down the current and relevant information.  I am learning how to collaborate with clients, peers, and authorities.

MA WIC Handout: Infant Feeding 6-8 months.

What did I like about this 3-week rotation?

State job.  You can leave at 4 or 4:30pm.  I loved this rotation, because I didn't need to bring any work home on the nights.  Good thing, since school is getting more crazy at the end of the semester.  Made for early 7:30-8am mornings though.  I liked the work atmosphere in the state office.  Great nutritionists there.

At the state office, people are working on projects that they know will make a difference.  Their nutrition education materials and policies will benefit many people.
At the local WIC programs, I like the busy atmosphere.  Between scheduled appointments and walk-ins, the pace was fast.

What did I not like about this 3-week rotation?

Although I am thankful for my brief visits to the local WIC programs, I am not sure if I would like working at a local WIC program.  The nutrition education is repetitive.  Also it is hard to develop a quality conversation with the participants due to lack of time, disinterest of the participant, or both.  The nutrition education at the local sites required less critical thinking skills and more personal counseling skills.  I need to work on both of those skill sets.  
This is whiny...but I didn't like sitting at a cubicle in the state office.  Tap, tap, tap at the computer all day. 

Could I see myself working in this type of position?

Yes.  I think I like researching and writing nutrition information for education materials.

If so, what skills would I need to learn?

Research skills.  Writing skills.  Counseling skills.  Managing skills.  Microsoft excel skills.  I wish I got better at excel in undergrad!  *hint for any dietetics students who might read this*

MA WIC Handout: Healthy Snack Ideas
*aren't these handouts pretty awesome?*

P is for Polenta

A few days ago I wrote about Judith Jones' book The Pleasures of Cooking for One.  Among her many recipes I was particulary eye-boggled by the Baked Polenta with Vegetables.  Before returning the book last week, I photocopied the recipe and taped it to my wall as motivation.  Polenta, oh mysterious polenta.  My mom never cooked polenta while I was growing up; and I didn't eat it until a year ago, perhaps.  Until today I associated polenta with fancy restaurants, where it is delicately dollaped underneath an overpriced steak.  Polenta is just not in my vocabulary.  But Jones' recipe makes it super easy!

Baked Polenta with Vegetables

from The Pleasures of Cooking for One

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 tomato, chopped

3 Tbsp chopped cooked spinach/Swiss chard

3-4 strips roasted pepper

*any cooked vegetables

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup medium-grain polenta

1 cup warm water

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet and saute onion for a few minutes.  Add tomato and cook 2 minutes.  Mix in additional vegetables and add salt.  Remove from heat.  Put polenta in smallish, rather shallow baking dish, and stir in warm water and remaining olive oil. Add the sauteed vegetables, sprinkle in the rest of the salt, and stir everything together.  Bake in a preheated oven for 350 for 25 minutes, then sprinkle Parmesan on top.  Bake another 5 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

*My modifications*  First, I accidentally bought kale instead of spinach (that's what I get for relying on a mental grocery list instead of writing it down).  Second, Jones' recipe is for an individual serving.  I decided to make the whole box of polenta, and had some fun baking minuture polenta cakes using a cupcake tin.  For the minuture polenta cakes (pictured below), I added less warm water so that the insides would be less creamy and more crumbly.  The polenta to water ration seems flexible, so just follow the box directions or added water until you reach a desired thickness.  Third, Jones calls for grated Parmesan cheese on top.  I did not add cheese.  Fourth, I added cut up deli lunch meat to the mixture.  But next time I think mini shrimp would be scrumptious!

The polenta turned out well, and it's actually pretty straighforward.  While the polenta was baking I found two fun links.   Mark Bittman's New York Times blog features a recent polenta post, Polenta Without Fear.  Also, Cook Almost Anything Blog features a Blueberry Polenta Cake, which looks like a cross between cornbread and sugary blueberry cake.  Oh yum.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

"Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional.  The hurt part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand any more is up to the runner himself."

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
by Haruki Murakami
This is a fun book for runners, aspiring runners, writers, aspiring writers, or anyone inbetween!  I read it on the commuter rail to Framingham last week.  Inspiring.  Afterwards I was canceled my evening plans (date at the library with my textbooks!) and went for a long run.  For Murakami, writing and running were two passions that grew together.  He started running at age 33.  Around that time Murakami closed his Tokyo jazz bar and started a novel.  Now, after twelve books (maybe more) and over twenty marathons later, Murakami offers perspectives on his journey.

“Most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day.  These are practical, physical lessons.  How much can I push myself?  How much rest is appropriate—and how much is too much?  How far can I take something and still keep it decent and consistent?  When does it become narrow-minded and inflexible?  How much shold I be aware of the world outside, and how much shold I focus on my inner world?  To what extent should I be confident in my abilities, and when should I start doubting myself?  I know that if I hadn’t become a long-distance runner when I became a novelist, my work would have ben vastly different.  How different.  Hard to say.  But something would have definitely been different.”

Murakami spent time writing and running in Japan, Hawaii, and...Cambridge!  Now when I run along the Charles River I picture him running those same paths.  At one point Murakami equates Boston with Sam Adams draft beer and Dunkin Donuts.  I chuckle, but have to agree.

Seseme Street's 40th Bday Celebrates Healthy Kids

 

Seseme Street, the longest running children's television program in the US, celebrated 40 years on November 10th, 2009!   The anniversary episode featured First Lady Michelle Obama, who helped Elmo and kids plant a garden (video link).   Also, check out this 40th anniversary news brief video, courtesy of Seseme Workshop.

I remember singing along with Ernie about rubber duckies, and counting apples with Count von Count.  But while some things have remained the same, it seems that Seseme Street has changed its messages to promote health in American youth.  This is awesome!

According to a recent The New York Times article by Alessandra Stanley, "Mrs. Obama’s message on the anniversary episode isn’t an exhortation to future soldiers, scientists and presidents to be all that they can be, but to tiny consumers to eat the freshest food they can find. “Veggies taste so good when they come fresh from the garden, don’t they?” Mrs. Obama tells a rainbow coalition of children gathered around a soil tray, an echo of her White House kitchen garden. “If you eat all these healthy foods, you are going to grow up to be big and strong,” Mrs. Obama says, flexing her fists. “Just like me.”

 Cookie Monster’s palate was refined during Season 36 as part of the show’s “healthy habits for life” campaign. He now also gobbles fruits and vegetables, which are labeled by the show as “anytime” foods while cookies are held in reserve as “sometime” food. And almost every episode has a subliminal message about exercise and nutrition, along with a fruit bowl."

Happy Belated Birthday to Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and friends!