Fajitas, red wine and ice cream pie combine into one tasty day

On this episode of the Post Podcast Fort Hays State University's Glen McNeil share some tasty facts about some of these favorite menu items.

 

Transcript:

EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.

 

James Bell 

What do fajitas red wine and ice cream pie have in common? They're celebrated on the same day here in the US. For our nutrition, health and wellness segment Fort State University's Glenn McNeil stops by to share with us some of the nutritional implications of those menu items. On this episode of the Post Podcast.

 

Glen McNeil 

National Ice Cream Pie,

 

James Bell 

ice cream pie love ice cream ice cream pie.

 

Glen McNeil 

And you know a lot of people when you say ice cream pie, think about you know, an Ice Cream Sandwich type thing. Okay, well, this is ice cream pie today, which basically means take a pie crust and fill it with your favorite type of ice cream, and then refreeze it and slice it up and eat it. Or you can do what has become popular over the years as you you can take a pie shell and you soften your ice cream. And then you can add things like Cool Whip and cream cheese to your ice cream and blend it real well put a little fruit in it and then put it back put it into a pie shell and make you a ice cream dessert item. Okay, but you know so it's it's just a different way to to bring a refreshing dessert. Okay in and a dessert most of us like is ice cream. So we have national soft serve ice cream day. We have National Ice Cream Pie Day we have national hard dip ice cream, they so make yourself an ice cream pie today. And the most popular crust from ice cream pie is what

 

James Bell 

I would imagine like the Oreo crust.

 

Glen McNeil 

Well, you're you're close it's the old style graham cracker crust. Okay, were you just crushed up graham crackers and mix it with a little bit of butter and then pack it into a form it into a pie tin or glass pie dish. You can use that or you can do the simpler thing today is just go buy them.

 

James Bell 

That's That's my MO I just, well let's be real, I don't buy the I don't buy any of the shells or the ingredients I just buy pies.

 

Glen McNeil 

And you know, it's it's a different way to sample into dry ice cream. Is that's that's all it is. But it's an opportunity to to celebrate it in an ice cream has some calcium. Unfortunately, real ice cream has more sugar and fat to it. You know, that's what makes it rich and smooth and creamy when you put it in the mouth is that that fat that's in that particular product. So just have to kind of one of those things that you work into your diet. And you go back to that occasionally. It's good moderation. It's good. So

 

James Bell 

absolutely. You know, honestly, I can't remember the last time I had ice cream. It's been a while.

 

Glen McNeil 

I would say probably last week for me. I had some oh gosh, oh, we stopped at a chocolate factory. And we're looking at all that I don't know how people could work in a chocolate factory, right? I really don't but at least we stopped at the Chocolate Factory. And they had we're just bringing out some mint chocolate chip ice cream and that's one of my favorites. So I had some mint chocolate chip ice cream had a small dip though. Instead of the large dip or instead of the two dip. You know I'm trying to be conservative a little bit and what I do in terms that process but enjoy it, you know, that's all part of what we do what we eat. It's different things that you want to enjoy and an ice cream has some value, you know to it that like I said it's got some calcium in it. And so we do get a small benefit from it. In terms of that process, I think I just dropped something. Okay,

 

James Bell 

the headphones, the headphones fall down all day long, they get knocked over. No worries.

 

Glen McNeil 

We go back you know we go back to here today and you talked a little bit about him this morning. And and basically it's it is a it's a Tex Mex dish is what we call it in and it's normally made with stripped peppers, and stripped meat and in in terms of that process or grilled stripped meat. So they do some people make it with ground beef, ground beef, but it's then it's more like a taco than it is here. And the thing about fajitas are they are a great way to add flavor, texture and color to the diet. Now the color comes from using red peppers and I like to use red peppers, green peppers, yellow and purple onions. Okay, and then I've also when I make the heat isn't home, I dress them a little differently because I like to use Squash. Squash him just for different flavor. You can use anything you want. Okay, traditionally there they were made from a kind of meat called the skirt and it's on the lower portion of the belly more towards the front. It is a well it's on. It's called a plate if you're, you know, in carving meat, which is the lower portion of the belly in towards the front, and it's a it's not very tender. You can cook it by stripping it and and treating it with seasonings and sometimes marinating it you can make it more tender, but it's one of the more flavor Over four pieces of meat on on a beef cow. Okay, so and you can buy a lot of that's what fajita meat is when you go to the store and buy it, but you can make it with chicken you can make it with shrimp, you can make it with fish, you can make it with any kind of meat protein source that that goes with that and it's just a great way to to do to serve a blended anywhere from a mild to a highly seasoned product and introduce some new flavors to people. Okay, it's you know, so it's kind of a nice cultural thing brings different food cultural items into what we do and what we eat.

 

James Bell 

Yeah, you know what I like about fajitas kid friendly, because then you don't ache you can just kind of put a little bit a little bit a little veggies, a little meat on the plate and they can just fingerfood it and and what used to my house, the kids have always fajitas are a staple at my house. And they always enjoy just because of that it's easy for them,

 

Glen McNeil 

it's very easy to to eat and fajitas to me is one of those things if you decide to go out and buy for us at a meal they are generally served on a large platter. Okay, and there's there's plenty of meat and vegetables there for most time. And then usually, you get a secondary platter that's got lettuce, maybe some pickled Guile, or diced tomatoes, then it's cheese, some sour cream that you can use to dress them up, I can usually get three meals out of a big heated platter. Okay, back in the younger days, I can get one meal out of them. Okay, nowadays, it's kind of one of those meals where I can go order fajitas. And at the same time, I get my meal, I asked for a take home box, and I take it and I just kind of cut everything in half and put it in and then I get my lunches out of it the next day. But it's a it's a great way to alter taste, you don't have to use just one form of protein source and someone's popular day or simply just vegetable fajitas no meat. And yet some you know some people just have to have that meat product in there. Okay, but I like just plain vegetable fajitas with with guacamole and different flavorings on them, because it's, it's a great way to bring those colored vegetables in, you know, to bring that mix of from my standpoint to bring that mix of water soluble vitamins and fiber into your diet. Okay, so they are good contributors to that process. So I would say go out and get some they're easy to make at home. You can buy fajita meat in the store already. Or you can buy some people use a flat iron steak to do it. Some people will take leftover roast, and strip the roast, cooked roast and then just cook their vegetables and blend the media in with that. So you can use leftovers in the product and it does impart and make things taste really good. So I would say you know, go get you some tortillas and just mix up a bunch of fajita meat vegetables tonight, and it's gonna be beautiful sit out on the deck and

 

James Bell 

I need some Yeah, and nobody especially if you got one of those Blackstone's you got and cook, cook outside just do the whole thing outdoors?

 

Glen McNeil 

I don't have one of those.

 

James Bell 

I don't either. I have some friends that have one. They love them. Yes, I

 

Glen McNeil 

know quite a few people that have them. And I really liked the outdoor kitchen style. Now along with the fajitas you could have a glass of red wine. Today is National. Okay, so if I get this right here,

 

 

nor day, is that right? I have no idea. Which is it is a red

 

Glen McNeil 

wine. Okay. And red wine contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals. We know red wine today more towards the product, the antioxidants and the flavonoid compounds that are in red wine, a group of compounds you know that the health benefits when we look at helping control blood pressure, and what we see the alcohol and the rest of aerosol in the wine, okay, which is one of these antioxidant compounds that gives us these, these health benefits. There's information out there that regular consumption of moderate amounts of red wine gets you these these particular antioxidant compounds in them. And that can help lower your risk of colon cancer that can in for men, it can cause a slight reduction in chances for prostate cancer. You know it, there's some tie into consumption of red wine and type two diabetes these days, saying that a moderate alcohol intake can help to lower the risk of diabetes doesn't go curity factors or anything, but lower the risk. Now that doesn't mean if you go out and start drinking red wine today that you're gonna get all these benefits. These are long term benefits that come from consuming red wine. On the negative side, about 10% of the population has an allergy to wine and most of the wine allergies are a reaction to yeast or mold that may be in the product during the process or sulfites okay which which are naturally occurring compounds in red wine. So, you know we see some differences that that go on there. Other things that go with wine, it's got alcohol in it health benefits because the heart knows was relaxed, but can also cause some liver damage. Okay, when you consume any type of alcohol, you'll find changes in the liver. Okay, and the idea is to keep it moderate. And that helps to moderate those and then gives the body a chance to, to deal with those. So I mean, there's there's some good things and then you know, when you think of everything else that's going on with, with fajitas, and red wine and, and ice cream, we're back to school. Okay, our kids are back in school. So parents, grandparents, now's the time to think about if the kids come home after school, they're going to be hungry. Right, that's this sort of tradition, let school lunches are, are only designed to provide about a third of what's needed. You know, each meal is designed on that, well, you got these growing and active kids. So their chances are, they're going to become hungry during the afternoon and hungry when they come home. So have some snacks, look at things like healthy choice, not healthy choice, but a healthy choice style granola bar, the single serve yogurt packets about, they're about 75 calories, good rich sources of calcium, you can get low fat ones with Reser. Even better than that, you can get some that have fruit in them. And there are single serve packs that can be put in the refrigerator, you know, so you can do that. Apples, oranges, bananas, fresh fruits that can be put on the counter. Research shows that if those things are made available to children, as a choice, when they come home, they are likely to take them over less healthy snacks. So the idea is keep the fruit basket out there rotate the fruit in it. So there's different things, put some fresh fruit and you know, in the refrigerator, so they're gonna get into the refrigerator for that have some of those things around that? That are those healthy alternatives to a bag of potato chips, a bag of pretzels, you know that that type of thing. Now, those occasionally are not bad. But they have some of those things around. So there's lots of things to think about today. Especially as the weather is beautiful. You know, today in that process,

 

James Bell 

yeah. And getting into the routines back to school, this i That's my house right now we're, we're kind of in that mode. One of our children went back the other one starting next week. And it's yeah, it's fun all of a sudden together, and we're recognizing like, hey, let's create these good habits while we're in that transitional period.

 

Glen McNeil 

Let me let me remind you that it doesn't. It doesn't work, to have your children get out, get up and have you say, Okay, you need to eat breakfast, when you're not. Okay, children are more likely to eat breakfast and grow into eating breakfast on a regular basis. If their parents do. It's one of those follow example types of things. And then the choices, you know, if all you're going to have for breakfast as a cup of coffee, until they're maybe they're just going to want a beverage or something like that. Have a small bowl of cereal, eat a piece of fruit, no, toasted bagel, split a bagel with your kids, you know, a lot of different things that you can do to encourage them to eat good, good, healthy items.

 

James Bell 

Should you eat breakfast? I don't I never eat breakfast.

 

Glen McNeil 

Well, you know, the, there's a lot of discussion going on about about that. Probably the best answer, as best answer is what the term breakfast means. And that is to break the fast that you have had for an extended period of time. I think the majority of the information is going to come out and say it's a healthy alternative. It's the healthy choice a small amount of fuel to defeat fuel food to fuel you in the morning to bring your blood sugar levels back up from the lower portion that they become to put a small amount of protein in the gastrointestinal system that in the bloodstream will stave off hunger later in the day. People who tend to eat breakfast, a small breakfast, tend to snack less during the morning tend to feel better two to three hours after their app because they have fuel their body. So the answer is yes, you should eat something for breakfast, but I mean, it can be a cool piece of pizza is one of my favorite drives my wife nuts, cold pizza with mustard on it for breakfast.

 

James Bell 

Oh yeah, had me tell the mustard. Oh, it's really good. And I love mustard, but

 

Glen McNeil 

with yellow mustard. I mean, something we you know, it's like there's nothing wrong with having pancakes and eggs for supper. Okay, so it's just the it's just the idea of fueling your body. So yes, it's it is, you know, at least my opinion in many health professional opinions. It is a very good idea to eat breakfast. A lot of times it's called the most important meal of the day. And you think about it, it's that's a pretty long period of time from the last time you ate in the evening. Through the morning it forces the body to tap into all those stores well. It can help you stay more consistent with your blood sugar with By eating meals on a regular basis, including breakfast, which in turn helps to keep you from overeating later in the day. And for children, very important, because their blood sugar levels are low in the morning. And if they go to school with those blood sugar levels, an hour or so maybe hour and a half after they get to get to school, they have trouble concentrating, they have trouble being active, because of those low blood sugars and low protein levels in the bloodstream. So they should have something for breakfast.

 

James Bell 

My children do. Okay, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna I'm going to incorporate in my diet and I'll let you know how it goes. Next time you hear

 

Glen McNeil 

even, you know, like I said, You could do a cup of yogurt. You could do the pie like sourdough toast, with a little bit of olive oil on it for breakfast. That's good, but my favorite breakfast is take frosted Mini Wheats and layer the bottom of the bowl, one layer frosted Mini Wheats in the bottom of the bowl. And then on top of that about half inch of Raisin Bran. And then on top of that, I sprinkled some Grape Nuts or crunchy nut cereal, and then just enough to kind of fill in the gaps. And right on top of that he put some granola and then 1% milk on it. I put whole milk on it but my wife won't let me have anymore. Okay, and that's why my breakfast it's high in fiber. It's high in B vitamins. It's got good sources of protein in it and you know when I don't eat breakfast, that mid morning, I get a little grumpy. So it's good for me to eat breakfast now. I also like a bagel with some cream cheese on it or locks bagels you know smoked salmon on it. English buff and toasted English muffin with a little bit of either cream cheese or butter. And I'm a butter not margarine user and it's just because of taste. It's nothing health wise in terms of that. Or waffles with peanut butter and syrup. Have you put peanut butter on your waffles?

 

James Bell 

I did and you know I think I think maybe you'd mentioned it to me a while back and I tried it is it wasn't my favorite but it's definitely good.

 

Glen McNeil 

Yeah, you know, so there's lots of things that you can do for breakfast that that are there. Okay, and a lot of times we'll go we'll just buy a bunch of fresh fruit chop up fresh food big bold, fresh fruit in the refrigerator and a bowl that for breakfast is fine. So my breakfast you know rotates around but my favorite is that bowl of cereal. For that nets I grew up eating oatmeal for breakfast that I still like oatmeal I tend to like it more as a cold cereal that hot cereal these days but I still like oatmeal for that process. So a lot of good things we can do today especially garden fresh items that are coming out now we've been eating tomatoes we've been eating zucchini we've been eating not much to Keaney here but Sam lots of cucumbers love sliced cucumbers and he just keeps a big bowl of sliced cucumbers in the refrigerator and vinegar and water. Like that tartness that comes with the with the vinegar and just chop up put them in salads and put them in stir fry the other night so I liked it. My wife didn't but that's okay. You know we have different tastes. So there's a lot of things that you could do to to enhance the nutritional value of the food shooting. Very good. One last thing. You're a music guy. I am your music guy. What is important about August 18 in the music business in the 1960s

 

James Bell 

You're gonna stump me.

 

Glen McNeil 

You've always got all these cool trivia things. 1962

 

James Bell 

I got nothing. I have no idea. Okay.

 

Glen McNeil 

You know who Pete Best was?

 

James Bell 

Pete bet you know the name. Sounds familiar, but I'm drawing a blank. Okay, you're stuck with me on how to he was the

 

Glen McNeil 

first drummer The Beatles?

 

James Bell 

Ah, yeah, there you go.

 

Glen McNeil 

1862 on August 18 are right around that. August 18 is when Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as a drummer. Very cool. Do I win the pizza?

 

James Bell 

I can get Jackie. You'd have Dini called with mustard though.

 

 

Oh, well, I just put it in the refrigerator and the next day.

 

Glen McNeil 

You know, on days like this. Just go out. Have a good day makes some healthy food choices and enjoy the weather.