Dairy Entry #1: Meet My Neighbors
This summer is a little different for me. Since May 31st, I’ve been trying to figure out life after leaving my job of seven years. I can honestly tell you it has not been easy; however¸ I’ve learned to embrace those challenges and opportunities that follow the next day.
For the past several weeks, I have continued to study for the RD exam, which is quickly approaching; work on getting my own consulting services called “C Jonez Nutrition Consulting Services,” licensed and approved by the District of Columbia government, do some summer cleaning, exercise, and hangout with my next-door neighbors! Yep! I have three new girlfriends—Lisa, age 48, and her two daughters Korei, age 19, and Romona, age 15.
Now let me tell you my neighbors can cook their butts off! All three of these women can whip-up tasty, southern-style, home cooked meals in a matter of seconds. Each meal is well seasoned, full of flavor, mouth-watering and finger-licking good!
The problem is each meal is prepared the ‘ole’ fashioned way…with BUTTER! As Lisa says, “NOT margarine but BUTTER chile.” (lol). When they are not using butter, they are frying in grease. Mayonnaise, (BUTTER), cheese, (BUTTER), table salt, (BUTTER), and sugar are other kitchen favorites, and often used as the primary ingredient for their homemade sauces and juices. Everything is than washed down with a glass of high sugary juices, ice tea, and sometimes water. White bread and rolls are preferred over whole-wheat. High sodium canned foods fill the kitchen cabinets. High-fat salad dressings and barbecue sauces take up nearly all of the side-shelves of the refrigerator. While watching their favorite movies and television shows, which two of them happens to be the Food network’s Hell’s Kitchen and Chopped, they indulge on their favorite snacks (sour cream and onions potato chips, slim-Jim, gummy bears, and ice cream). Now do not get me wrong, my neighbors do snack on fresh fruits and incorporate cooked vegetables with each meal, however they are victims of poor eating habits, obesity, and have a high risk of developing cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
As a soon to be RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist), my biggest concerns with my neighbors are their food choices, food preparation methods, and lack of exercise. Since I am home, I spend a tremendous amount of time with them, and to be honest I am guilty of indulging in their food too, but I think it’s my God fulfilling duties to get them moving towards better health soon. I will be honest with you; this will be a great challenge for me as I also work towards reaching my own personal goals this summer. These women are already set in their ways, and they surely loooove their food and how it taste. And, I mean, they looooove how their food taste. Therefore, I realize being a food police and patrolling their food intake and food choices would not be a good way of helping them change their eating habits. This may come off as offensive and too aggressive. I would rather take a simple approach that I learned during my internship--encouraging physical activity, introducing healthier foods and cooking habits one at a time, and let your clients actually prepare his/her own healthy snack or meal on their own. That is what I planned to do!
Each week I plan to share with you my journey of helping my neighbors adopt healthier eating habits, make better food choices and increase their physical activity level. Surely, I will provide tips that you could incorporate into your own life as you work towards your health goals. So, I encourage you to subscribe to my blog to follow my neighbors’ food drama madness this summer for a good laugh, but mostly for your support of our journey!
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SNEAK PREVIEW ON NEXT WEEK JONEZI’S Neighbors Food Drama: Summer Series
Dairy Entry #2: Give Olive Oil A Try!
Lisa: “Honey, you crazy if you think I’m using this good olive oil for cooking! I can use it for my hair to make it shiny and grow and to anoint my forehead …I ain’t using this olive oil for cooking.”
Jonezi’s Favorite Summer Snack of the Week:
Banana Ice cream
“What you need?”
Four large ripe bananas, soy milk or low fat milk, Greek plain yogurt or just low-fat plain yogurt, honey, and cinnamon
Optional Toppings:
Berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries) and sliced pecan
“How to make it”
Step #1: Peel bananas and slice each in halves. Place and cover the bananas in a tubberware container. Store the bananas in the freezer for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Step # 2: Take the frozen bananas and insert them into the blender or food processor. You can break the frozen bananas with your hand.
Step # 3: Add ½ cup of soy milk and ½ cup of Greek plain yogurt into the blender.
Step#4: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Step #5: Place and secure lid on the blender or food processor. Press the “puree” option on the blender. Puree until mixture becomes thick and creamy. Depending on your blending, you may have to pulse it several times allowing the bananas to be chopped up before letting the blender or processor make that creamy ice cream. You may also have to push down the bananas that gather on the sides.
Step #6: Pour the ice cream into bowl. Top the cream with honey, raspberries and sliced pecan.
Enjoy your ice cream!
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