Diabetes, low-fat menu: chicken and rice stuffed peppers, steamed broccoli, roasted root vegetables, roasted butternut squash
Hey everyone! My name is Heidi Olson and I’m a dietetic intern at the Baltimore/Washington D.C campus. I chose to complete the culinary concentration in my internship to enhance my cooking skills and further educate myself on preparing healthy recipes. This was my first theme meal at my culinary concentration site and it was a hit! I was nervous the customers wouldn’t want to eat my healthy spin on a classic dish. Luckily, they were very receptive and wanted to learn more about my role as an intern. Each week I will be doing a theme meal pertaining to a disease state such as diabetes and heart disease, and choosing dishes that go along with the theme. In addition to planning, preparing, and serving the food, I will be decorating the hot bar to make the area more attractive.
For my first meal, I did a lunch-and-learn and answered any questions pertaining to diabetes as well as overall health. I also went on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ website and printed a handout that contained educational material and easy tips for managing diabetes. I chose the stuffed peppers as my entree because they were lower in carbohydrates and contained whole grains, which are important for stabilizing blood sugars. The peppers were filled with marinated chicken, whole wheat rice, mushrooms, and onions. I left out the cheese to keep this item low fat. I prepared parsnips, carrots, turnips, and rutabaga by peeling, cutting, and steaming the vegetables. Once they were soft, I seasoned them with Kosher salt, sage, basil, and pepper, then baked them in the oven until they were crispy. The broccoli was steamed and had salt and pepper as seasonings, and the butternut squash was cubed, tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then baked. Since the other menu items were very low fat, I wanted to add some healthy fat to the squash.
Everything sold out with the exception of a few stuffed peppers! The customers were excited to hear I’ve planned a theme meal each week, as they are looking to have different and healthier options at the hot bar. I was extremely happy to have them approach me throughout the rest of the week asking what my theme is for next week and what I will be preparing! Overall, this was a huge success and I’m extremely happy with the way my first theme meal turned out!
Hey everyone! My name is Heidi Olson and I’m a dietetic intern at the Baltimore/Washington D.C campus. I chose to complete the culinary concentration in my internship to enhance my cooking skills and further educate myself on preparing healthy recipes. This was my first theme meal at my culinary concentration site and it was a hit! I was nervous the customers wouldn’t want to eat my healthy spin on a classic dish. Luckily, they were very receptive and wanted to learn more about my role as an intern. Each week I will be doing a theme meal pertaining to a disease state such as diabetes and heart disease, and choosing dishes that go along with the theme. In addition to planning, preparing, and serving the food, I will be decorating the hot bar to make the area more attractive.
For my first meal, I did a lunch-and-learn and answered any questions pertaining to diabetes as well as overall health. I also went on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ website and printed a handout that contained educational material and easy tips for managing diabetes. I chose the stuffed peppers as my entree because they were lower in carbohydrates and contained whole grains, which are important for stabilizing blood sugars. The peppers were filled with marinated chicken, whole wheat rice, mushrooms, and onions. I left out the cheese to keep this item low fat. I prepared parsnips, carrots, turnips, and rutabaga by peeling, cutting, and steaming the vegetables. Once they were soft, I seasoned them with Kosher salt, sage, basil, and pepper, then baked them in the oven until they were crispy. The broccoli was steamed and had salt and pepper as seasonings, and the butternut squash was cubed, tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then baked. Since the other menu items were very low fat, I wanted to add some healthy fat to the squash.
Everything sold out with the exception of a few stuffed peppers! The customers were excited to hear I’ve planned a theme meal each week, as they are looking to have different and healthier options at the hot bar. I was extremely happy to have them approach me throughout the rest of the week asking what my theme is for next week and what I will be preparing! Overall, this was a huge success and I’m extremely happy with the way my first theme meal turned out!
