Join Chicago-area pediatric dietitian Betsy Hjelmgren and her husband, David, as they venture on their own nutrition journey this August. Their vlog contains all the laughs, fun banter and tips you would expect from a great couple attempting a restrictive diet rollercoaster. Tune in as Betsy learns to truly appreciate the difficulties clients and families face when embarking on a new diet with nothing but a few handouts and some encouragement from others!
Betsy made a delicious chickpea pasta primavera tonight, utilizing lots of garden veggies she wouldn’t have normally used. One benefit she notes from diet restriction is a push to the more creative side of cooking, and increased willingness to use ingredients she normally wouldn’t bother with. Recipe “sort-of” posted on FB and website. 🙂
David had an okay day. His lunch was packed and dinner was handled, so he didn’t have to think about it… which makes following a diet a lot easier. Three days to go!
Breakfast
- Coffee with half-and-half
- Plain Fage 2% yogurt
- Omega-3 trail mix
- Raspberries
- Oats
Lunch
- Peanuts
- Colby cheese
- Fresh peach
- Dates
Dinner
- Chickpea Pasta Primavera
- Greek Horiatiki salad
- Red wine
Snacks
- Dark chocolate – 78% cocoa
Total
- Betsy – 2,212 calories, 95g protein
Pasta Primavera Recipe (sort-of)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 jalapeno (de-seeded), diced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 cups chopped fresh kale
- 2 cups fresh green beans, cleaned and cut
- 1 cup fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
- 2 boxed (16 oz) chickpea pasta, uncooked
- 1/2 rotisserie chicken
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 oz Asiago cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large stock pot, place 1/2 rotisserie chicken (with the bones in) into 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and jalapeno. Add oregano. Add kale and stir, sauteeing kale in the oil and aromatic veggies until wilted – 10-12 minutes. Add green beans and chopped tomatoes. Saute 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
After 2 hours of simmering is up, remove chicken and bones from water. Remove bones and skin and discard, reserving and setting chicken meat aside and reserving cooking broth/water. Bring broth/water to a boil. Add pasta to the water/broth and cook for minimum recommended time on the box (7-9 minutes). Pour pasta and the cooking broth into saute pan with the veggies. Add chicken and stir. Add fresh chopped basil and shredded Asiago. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot. Serves 6-8 people, depending how hungry they are.
Send your anti-inflammatory diet or any pediatric nutrition questions or comments our way! Let’s chat!
