Love Your Heart Month!

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada, affecting millions of adults each year.

We can all reduce our risk by making healthier choices. Living a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult if we think of starting with small steps, setting and accomplishing 1-2 goals at a time.

A few ways we can improve our health heart in-clude factors such as quitting smoking, increasing physical activity, choosing healthy foods, getting proper rest, and reducing our stress levels. Some-times these seem much easier said than done but remember, small steps, one goal at a time, it’s YOU that will benefit in the end!

Looking at heart healthy foods, most of us know the basics. Limiting saturated fats (found in animal products) by choosing lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy products, reducing our sodium intake by choosing less fast-food/take out and more home cooked meals as well reducing our processed foods (processed meats, boxed foods and ready to eat foods) and eating more fruits and vegetables will all help our hearts live longer! However, food is just one piece of the puzzle. We must remember our heart is a muscle that continuously works hard. By being active, we help to keep our heart strong and healthy! Being active doesn’t mean we have to join a gym or start marathon training. It can be as simple as a morning/evening walk, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking the dog, playing with the kids at the park, just keep moving!

We should aim for 20-30 minutes of physical activity each day to keep our heart happy.

Cooking at home with a busy schedule can be tricky indeed! Some tips are to choose meals that are quick but healthy. Try to get a variety in your diet to ensure you are getting all required nutrients. Look at produce in season to help you plan more affordable meals. Some foods in season in the month of February include turnip, beets, carrots, cabbage, red onion, sweet potatoes, garlic and squash. How do you put these together? See below for some ideas!

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced

2 cups sweet potato, diced

1.5 cups carrots, diced

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated

1 clove minced garlic

1 apple, peeled and diced

2 tbsp. honey (if vegan, use maple syrup

instead)

Salt and pepper, to season

2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

4 cups vegetable stock

Directions

1. In a large pot heat vegetable oil and add onion over a medium heat. Fry for 5-6 minutes until translucent and soft. Add ground coriander, gar-lic and ginger and fry for a further 2mins until fra-grant.

2. Add sweet potato and carrot to the pot along with the vegetable stock.

3. Cover and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

4. Add diced apple and honey and puree with a stick blender or blitz in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If a little thick you can add a little water until you get desired con-sistency. If desired, garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some

coriander.

Roasted Beets

Ingredients

12 beets

3 Tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp thyme

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp raspberry vinegar

Juice of 1 large orange

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)

3. Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately toss with vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.



Turnip Puff

Ingredients

3 cups cubed peeled turnips

1 tablespoon butter

1 egg

4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Dash ground nutmeg

Topping

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

Place turnips in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cov-er and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; mash with butter. Cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir into turnip mixture.

Spoon into a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Toss bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, un-til heated through and a thermometer reads 160°, 30-35 minutes.

Submitted by Nikki O’Melia,

Director of Dietetics