Kathi Casey, Wellness Coach, Author, Baby Boomer Fitness, Pilates and Yoga Instructor - Kathi's Blog

Summer Fruit Deserts and Childhood Memories

My summer memories from childhood usually involve strawberry shortcake. I grew up in the Berkshires of Massachusetts – a rural area where strawberry festivals happened every July at all of the churches around. Yummy home-made shortcakes piled high with sugary strawberries and whipped cream… My daughter inherited my love for this summer concoction, and I still make my own shortcakes – none of that store bought angel food cake for us! My son has craved strawberry rhubarb pie just about since birth. I grew rhubarb in the back yard and made pie after pie all summer while he devoured them! He still asks for this summer pie when we get together for picnics – and even at Thanksgiving, which means that I freeze the rhubarb!

Since fruits are so plentiful in July and August, try bringing back your childhood fruit favorites like peach pie or blueberry buckle. Just remember to use organic strawberries and wash those blueberries well and try using a little less sugar than the recipe calls for. I’ve been using about 1/3 less for years and no one ever notices. Another healthy tip is switching to low fat dairy in your dishes – especially the fruit desserts. The fruit is already sweet and there are several great tasting low fat ice creams available – give them a whirl and find one you like!  

Best of Health,

Kathi

Corn on the Cob on the Grill - Yummy!

Corn on the cob is a traditional summertime treat in my family, but my friend Jacky from England had never had it until she came here to visit me one summer. It’s hard for me to believe that everybody in the world doesn’t eat this wonderful vegetable! Corn has been cultivated for thousands of years and is a staple in many parts of the world.  It’s a good source of vitamins B1, B5 and C, and whole corn also provides other nutrients that our bodies need, like fiber which is great for intestinal health, and helps with weight loss; folate, which can help reduce the risk of birth defects and the risk of heart disease; vitamin B5 which is vital to healthy adrenal function; and lutein for healthy vision. Now that’s a powerful and tasty veggie!

Corn on the cob is great grilled, boiled or steamed, on its own or brushed with a little olive oil. I know most of you use butter and salt, but do your heart a favor and try some extra virgin olive oil instead!

Best of Health,

Kathi

You’re Not Going To Believe This

I just found a cool summer recipe from another Kathy Casey!  There’s a fabulous chef who has the same name as me (spelled with y instead of i) and Google Alerts brought her tasty recipe for one of my favorite foods – Salmon, right into my e-mail box, how cool is that? I love modern technology! The recipe is from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Grilled Salmon with Herbed Walla Walla Sweet Onions. Here it is – try it, you’ll like it! She has lots of other recipes for Salmon, Crab and other fish as well as some great sounding berry deserts – I plan to try them all – Thanks Kathy.

Ingredients:

Onions:
1 large Walla Walla Sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil or cilantro
1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. 1/2-inch long pieces fresh chives
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salmon:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 skinless salmon fillet portions (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
lots of fresh herb sprigs

Instructions:
1.  To make the onions, carefully separate the rings and place in a resealable plastic bag.  In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper flakes and oil.  Pour the marinade over the onion and close the bag, expelling excess air.  Turn the bag to coat the onion evenly, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.  Just before grilling the salmon, gently toss the onion and marinade in a large bowl with the chopped herbs.
2.  To grill the salmon, prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to high.  Meanwhile, pour the olive oil onto a large plate.  Swipe each side of the salmon fillets through the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.  Grill the fish for about 1 to 4 minutes per side, or to the desired doneness, moving the fillets to create crisscross marks.  Different sized fillets will cook differently- just use good judgment and try not to overcook your salmon.
3.  Place the grilled salmon on plates and divide the onion evenly among them, piling high and spooning marinade over all.  Garnish with herb sprigs and serve immediately.

Serves:  6

Best of Health,

Kathi

The Antioxidant Power of Berries

My friend Ned thinks that I was a bear in a previous life, as I’m perfectly happy eating berries and nuts every day for breakfast. Mix in a little yogurt or soymilk and I’m as jolly as Santa Clause on December 25^th. My favorites are blueberries, but strawberries are a close second. Both of these tasty little treats have powerful antioxidants that help protect us from sun damage and free radical damage. In addition, berries also help to fight inflammation – they’re better than an Advil! And now, researchers at Harvard Medical School have published findings that strawberries and three other foods, are associated with a decreased risk of death from all cancers in a large population of elderly people. Their analysis showed that tomatoes, green and yellow veggies and strawberries protect against certain types of cancers. Cool – I guess that bears just naturally  know what’s good for them! I just hope they’ve read that some strawberries are full of pesticides so it’s better to eat the organic variety.

A cup of strawberries has only about 50 calories and serves up 3 grams of fiber.  It has calcium, magnesium, folate and potassium, and about 85 mg of Vitamin C. Just remember to buy organic because strawberries are on the “Dirty Dozen” list of highly contaminated fruit.

A cup of blueberries contains about 84 calories, 3.5 grams of fiber, and also has calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium and 14 mg of vitamin C. And blueberries are not so pesticide rich, so you can buy local, wash them and enjoy all those lovely antioxidants.

Best of Health,

Kathi

Healthy Breakfast Food Choices

Today many people are attempting to eat healthier, but they may be making choices that don’t provide the benefits they’re looking for. Which of these two breakfasts do you think is healthier: a whole grain bagel with low fat cream cheese and a cup of coffee; or a two egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms and two slices of Canadian bacon, 1/2 cup of blueberries, and a slice of whole wheat toast with jelly? Imagine these two choices sitting on a table next to each other. One seems like an enormous amount of food and the other seems much smaller, but you’d end up with about half as many calories with the omelet as you would with the bagel. It pays to do a little research when you have some time, and then keep a list of healthy breakfast choices that you like to eat in your purse or wallet, for when you eat out. Use the Boy Scout motto and “Be Prepared!” 

Best of Health,

 Kathi