Recipe of the week! Chipotle Bean Burritos

We made these for dinner last week. I think it took all of 30 minutes. We had our burritos with a green salad with avocados, and a (small) handful of tortilla chips to scoop up whatever falls out of the burrito. Really really good! This Cooking Light website is really useful. You can store your favorite recipes in a web-based cookbook, check out the nutritional content of the recipes, print them, or email them. It's easy to find recipes, too. You can search based on what course you're looking for, vegetarian or ethnic options, and many more criteria. Last week I mentioned that I like to shop for later in the week by buying canned and frozen foods that won't spoil. This is one of the menus I saved for later in the week, since it uses mostly canned food. I love to buy the Campari tomatoes at Costco instead of the "plum" tomatoes. They usually have a large 5 lb box for $5 or so.
By the way, if you're in the office this week, wish Lindy a happy birthday! Her birthday was on Sunday.

Tip of the week from your practice manager

 Many of you may have changes in your insurance here in the early part of the year. If so, please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your plan's rules and guidelines. Do you need to choose a primary care provider? If so, please do call the number on your card and specify your doctor; otherwise, there can be problems billing your claim and you might be responsible for the visit if the insurance doesn't pay  because of your neglect to take care of this. Your co-pay may have changed; be sure to find out so that you'll be charged appropriately. Also, thanks to healthcare reform, if you are covered under a new plan, your preventive visits must be covered with no co-pay. (Read more about healthcare reform and how it effects you here.) Our front-office staff should always ask you if you have any changes in your registration, including your insurance. Please be sure to have your insurance card with you when you come for your visit so we can make changes when necessary.

Health tip of the week!

I've been working hard all day! But I always have time to read WebMD. It's a great resource for all kinds of health news and tips. Take a few minutes to look at this slideshow of fat-fighting foods.

Fitness tip of the week: Get Classy!

Planning your exercise schedule is a lot easier if you know you have to be somewhere at a certain time. I notice when I don't have an exercise commitment, it's a lot easier to skip it. However, I am lucky enough to have several classes from which to choose during the week. If I know there are classes on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, I can plan the rest of my week around those classes. And even if I miss one or two, I still have at least 3 opportunities for exercise. I work my individual workouts around those classes and usually end up with a fairly successful week.

Rene Kesecker offers Zumba on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM at the Ice House in Berkeley Springs. On Thursday nights at 7, she is at Rankins Fitness Center. And on Saturday mornings at 9:00, you can find her at the Hancock Town Hall. Classes are attended by (mostly) women of all fitness levels and we have so much fun!

If you don't like classes, make an exercise commitment with a friend or two. Agree that you'll always meet at the same time at least twice a week at the gym, or at the C&O for a brisk walk. The motivation to exercise will be enhanced by knowing that letting yourself down by not showing up will also let down your friend! The time will pass by a lot more quickly, too, when you have someone to chat with and compare notes.

Two posts on one day!

Since I was so remiss in my posts, I thought I'd share a recipe that I'm going to try tomorrow from the Cooking Light website (one of my favorites). I'll let you know how it turns out, since I've never made it before, next Monday!

New Blog Features!

Ok, it's been so long since I've been posting regularly that I've guilted myself into ramping up the blog overall. I've decided to schedule a different feature for every day of the week. Here's what I'd like to do:
Monday: Recipe day
Tuesday: Fitness tip day
Wednesday: Health tip
Thursday: Free for all!
Friday: I've been using the Biggest Loser program on my Wii. I'll provide an update on how this is working for me. It'll be my personal workout journal that you can follow along. Maybe you've been thinking of using an interactive program like this, or maybe you already are. We can share information about how useful programs like these are.

How's that sound?

And, since this is Recipe Day, let me start off with something simple but healthy that I did for lunch today. I was working at home today and realized I hadn't been to the grocery store lately. What to do? I reached into the freezer and pulled out a box of the Green Giant Healthy Heart vegetables. I popped a potato into the microwave (after pricking it with a fork) and let it cook. Took it out, popped in the vegetables for a minute or two, and poured them over the potato. It was delicious and filling! Best of all, it was healthy and I was back to work in 5 minutes.

Fresh vegetables taste best, but it's good to keep some options in your freezer for those times you just can't get to the store. When I shop, which I try to do only once a week or every 10 days, I plan my menus so that I can use all fresh vegetables/fruits in the early part of the shopping cycle, and then use canned/frozen vegetables later. So I might have my fresh salads and steamed fresh veggies early in the week, and then chili with canned beans, or soups with longer-lasting vegetables like carrots and potatoes later in the week. That way I use everything up before it spoils.

OK, tomorrow it's fitness tips! In the meantime, if you have a favorite healthy recipe, send it to me at bibi@hahnandnelson.com and maybe I'll feature it here!

Out of touch but not out of mind!

Your faithful blogger has not been so faithful lately. I've been flitting off into other areas of our practice and rather neglecting the blog! I'm so sorry -- not just for that, but because it is one of the more enjoyable features of my job. Believe me, I'd rather be carrying on here than sitting on hold with one more insurance company. In light of that, I'm going to pledge that I'll be on here more than ever, bringing you recipes, fitness tips, news about health and fitness events in our area, and other good stuff. Stay tuned!