The 80/20 Principle of Calorie Consumption

If you've ever taken a business class (in my case by force, not by choice) you may remember The Pareto Principle. It states that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. It's also the case that 80% of the world's wealth is held by 20% of the population. And on and on and so forth (are you bored to tears yet?).

The Pareto Principle (we shall call it The 80/20 Principle) can also be applied to healthy eating and nutrition! Is it possible that 80% of your calories come from 20% of the foods that you eat? Yep. Those foods are most likely items that are high in fat such as salad dressing, butter, cheese, ice cream, etc.

I challenge you to write down everything that you eat for one day (make it a typical day). Make note of the calories in the servings you are eating. At the end of the day, add up your total calories. Next, go through and highlight the highest calorie items. I bet that that list is not more than 5-10 items. Do the math! Are 80% of your calories contained in 20% of what you eat? Think about the volume of the foods. Could a few little tweeks to those foods dramatically change your calorie consumption?

photo courtesy of www.poorboymo.org

80--- Herbed Elk Ravioli with Warm Portobello Tapendade

I am always trying to find ways to use the elk in our freezer. This was truly a first class meal. And it was easy and excellent!

A tapenade is classically a dish made from finely minced olives, anchovies, capers and oil. I used mini portobello mushrooms as the main ingredient and omitted the anchovies (however I think they would have been tasty-- I just didn't have any). Tapenades are typically served at room temp or slightly chilled and spread on bread. So, really this was not a tapenade at all, but I like the sound of it so I am sticking with it!

Herbed Elk Ravioli with Warm Portobello Tapenade

Serves 4

Ravioli

32- 3" wonton wrappers

3/4 lb ground elk

1 egg white

2 Tbsp panko crumbs

1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 Tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

6 cups water

3 tsp chicken bouillon

Combine elk, egg white, panko crumbs, herbs and seasonings in a medium bowl. Mix well, then cover and place in refrigerator for ~3-4 hours.

Lay out wonton wrappers (a few at a time is fine). Lightly brush water onto each wrapper with a pastry brush. Place 1 Tbsp elk filling into the center of a wrapper. Place additional wrapper over the top of the elk mixture and press out all of the air. Fold the bottom edges of the wrapper over the top edges. Using a fork, press the edges to seal ravioli. Set aside and repeat to make 16 raviolis.

Bring water and bouillon to a boil. Gently place 4 raviolis at a time into boiling water and allow to cook for ~5-6 minutes. Remove raviolis from water and place in a strainer. Repeat with remaining raviolis.

Tapenade

2 tsp olive oil

8 oz mini portobello mushrooms, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed and finely minced

1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped

16 kalamata olives, pitted

3 Tbsp capers

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp fresh chopped sage

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste



In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms become tender, ~5 minutes. Add white wine, thyme, fennel and sage. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until wine is slightly reduced. Remove from heat and allow to cool for ~10 minutes.



In a food processor, combine olives, lemon juice, and cooled mushroom mixture. Process until ingredients are slightly pureed, but coarse texture still remains. Transfer tapenade to a container and stir in capers. Refrigerate for 3 hours.



Remove from refrigerator and place in a nonstick saucepan. Heat over low heat, and add salt and pepper to taste.







Serve 1/4 cup tapenade over 4 raviolis. Enjoy!



Nutrition Info per 1 serving: 412 calories, 9 g fat, 32 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber

Mardi Gras--- ooops

I forgot about Mardi Gras. Could it be because I live in Montana? Yes.

So, I did not plan any special recipes. I thought about making Beignets, but my love for fried dough will have to wait until I have a little more free time.

Let's revisit a couple recipes that could help you get into your Mardi Gras spirit in a pinch!

Heather's Creole Shrimp

Thanks again to Heather for these little pieces of sunshine.

Shrimp Jambalaya

I guess if I were at Mardi Gras I would be eating a lot of shrimp.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Cava Sangria

I'm pretty sure that a lot of hard alcohol is involved in Mardi Gras. However, if I were there, I would rather be drinking Sangria.

20--- Twisted Peanut Butter Cookies

Salty and sweet together.........a favorite of mine! These savory peanut butter cookies have sweet little dark chocolate chips and ................ PRETZELS! When you eat one, you don't notice the pretzels right away. And then you get a crunchy bite of one. People say "Are there pretzels in these?". Why yes there are. So worth a 20!

Twisted Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

8-10 salted pretzel rods, broken into small pieces but not crushed (do your best), to equal 1 1/2 cups

11 ounces dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix until well-combined.

Fold in pretzel pieces and chocolate chips. Place spoonfuls of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, separating them by 2".

Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool and set for ~ 2 minutes before removing from sheet and transferring to wax paper to cool fully. Store in an airtight container.

80--- Roasted Butternut Squash Arugula Salad

I associate butternut squash with fall and winter meals (I guess it IS a winter squash). So, I thought that I would make a warm squash salad in the first week of March to symbolize MY end of winter.

Butternut squash is a great source of carotenoids! For lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin, winter squash is among the top three food sources. Hooray for antioxidants!!

Roasted Butternut Squash Arugula Salad
Serves 4

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed into 1" pieces
4 cups baby arugula leaves
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted (I toasted mine over medium heat in a nonstick skillet)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Dressing

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a baking dish, toss squash with 2 tsp olive oil and ground cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes, until fork-tender.

To prepare dressing, whisk all ingredients together. Add toasted walnuts.

Spoon warm squash over arugula leaves and drizzle on dressing and walnuts.

Nutrition Info per ~1 1/4 cups: 194 calories, 8 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber

80--- Kale Chips

I have been seeing these chips everywhere, so I had to make them!

Kale is a powerful food! It's fiber and isothiocyanate content help to prevent cancer and heart disease. Kale is also a super source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C.

A couple of years ago, we planted some kale in our front planters. It was beautiful! I was so excited to be able to harvest it and make healthy meals with it! And then I found out that kale was sort of difficult. It's not difficult to grow or harvest..... it just has a texture that reminds me of a jungle leaf (no, I've never been to the jungle). It's pretty thick. And, if you do not use it correctly, it tastes like dirt. I think I made a salad with ours. DIRT. I have since learned that soups and stews are great applications for kale.

These chips are fabulous! They turn out really light and crunchy and the bright color is a bonus! I bet you can't eat just one!!!

Kale Chips
Serves 6

1 bunch kale, rinsed
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp seasoning salt (your choice-- I used Johnny Salt)

Trim 2x2" pieces of kale away from the large stem. Place on a paper towel and allow to dry completely.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place dry kale pieces into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss gently. Lay out kale pieces onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping and rotating pieces halfway through baking. Remove from oven when pieces are crisp and allow to cool prior to storing in an airtight container.

Nutrition Info per 6-8 chips: 40 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber

80--- Quaker Who? Granola Bars

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars contain sugar as their second ingredient, and partially hydrogenated oil (aka: TRANS FAT) as their fourth ingredient.

Granola bars are so easy to make-- without that "stuff". Add ingredients to your liking! The recipe below is for a chocolate-covered cherry granola bar.

Quaker Who? Granola Bars
Makes 20 bars

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
14 oz canned light sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add condensed milk and stir until dry ingredients become sticky (I used my hands to finish this process).

Spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Scoop oat mixture into dish. Spray a flat spatula with cooking spray and press oats flat into dish.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until edges are slightly browned. This will produce a dense, slightly chewy bar.

Allow to cool for ~5 minutes. Using a table knife, gently cut bars into 1"x 4" pieces. Gently slide knife around border of bars to release from dish. Allow to cool in dish for ~20 minutes prior to removing bars. Wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap for storage.

Nutrition Info per 1 bar: 158 calories, 6 g fat, 4 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber