Get Steamed! (Veggies, that is)

Each Dining Services' restaurant has at least one steamed vegetable option at every lunch and dinner. The veggies can be entirely plain or seasoned with herbs and spices - there is no butter or margarine or oil added to these side dishes.

This plain, steamed veggie option is always a healthy choice!

The picture at right is a vegetable medley of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and squash served at Cafe Ventanas.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Day on Thursday, May 27th!

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES are being featured today, May 27th, in all Dining Services' restaurants!

You already know that strawberries are good for you. They are high in vitamin C, folic acid and fiber. Even chocolate has health benefits; it contains flavonoids, which we believe are good for your heart. And who can deny that sometimes chocolate just makes you feel good! Pairing chocolate with fruit is a good idea because the volume and fiber in fruit helps you to be satisfied with less total chocolate and therefore fewer total calories and less total fat.

Memphis in May & Farm2U TODAY on Revelle College!

TWO great events on ONE great day!

Memphis in May at Plaza Cafe

Dinner from 4-8pm

Live Music from 5-7pm

Come get your southern fix of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, portobello mushroom (vegetarian; vegan upon request), catfish BBQ and many delicious sides!



AND Farm2U outside Roger's Place & Market
3:30-6:30pm
Special produce from the farmers this week include:

• blackberries
• blueberries
• cherries
• many, many more of the regulars (greens, carrots, apples, etc.!)

LiveWell Cod with Spicy Mango Salsa

LiveWell COD w/SPICY MANGO SALSA

(per 4oz piece of fish)
180 calories
2.5g fat
1g fiber
33g protein

With 2 sides (as pictured to the right at Cafe Ventanas), this healthy entree is $6.95.

Still not sure what LiveWell meals mean? All LiveWell meals are nutrient-analyzed and approved by me, Dining Services' registered dietitian (RD). LiveWell meals must meet nutrition criteria for calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, fiber or vitamin/mineral content.

Ode to the Avocado

On Sunday, May 16th, the Revelle RAs at Matthews Apartments hosted the annual ODE TO THE AVOCADO. I had the pleasure of being one of the judges for the guacamole contest. YUM! Each guacamole team was allowed one secret ingredient to make their version a winner.

Check out the Event page and photos on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31199322&op=1&o=all&view=all&subj=117891958245416&aid=-1&oid=117891958245416&id=1057890187#!/event.php?eid=117891958245416

Congratulations to the winners in the guacamole contest:

• 1st place: Tiffany Le, Katie Judson, Giana Lando (secret ingredient = corn)
• 2nd place: Cynthia Barajas, Jessica Nguyen (secret ingredient = queso fresco)
• 3rd place: Elyse Hallett, Andrew Zhen (secret ingredient = jalapeno)

Check me out with the awesome Arvind the Avomoto Man: 29074_1419093951524_1057890187_31199281_484515_n.jpg


I blog about avocados alot because I love them and they are very good for you. We live in the the avocado capital of the United States so go local and eat avocado!

Thanks Arvind, Britton and the other RAs and Aaron Austin for inviting me to this awesome event.

Farm2U Farmer's Market at Earl's TODAY!

Farm2U is happening RIGHT NOW from 3:30-6:30p (5/19) at Earl's Place & Market on Warren College. Come by for some fresh, local and organic produce and treats. You can use your Dining Dollars or cash. See you there!

UC Walks TODAY!

UC WALKS is today!

Who? open to all students, staff and faculty of UC San Diego

When? TODAY! May 19, 2010 from 11:30a-1:30p

Where? Sun God Lawn

What?

• Group Walks every half hour
• win prizes and learn about wellness resources
• Discover the Trails jog at 11:45am
• Free t-shirt to the first 400 people to walk Sun God Stroll or visit booths

Why? Walking makes you feel good. We live in San Diego - it's beautiful here. GET OUT AND WALK!

More info at http://walk.ucsd.edu

Organic Items on the Salad Bars

Dining Services has the following organic items on the salad bars on all campuses:

• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• spring mix
• cucumbers
• broccoli
• baby carrots
• tomatoes
• olives
• kidney beans
• garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• black beans

We also have some organic salad dressings. The picture here is Cafe Ventanas' salad bar. Mix and match your salad fixings for endless meal variety. Choose mostly oil-based salad dressings or, if you really love creamy, ranch-type dressings, just go easy on the amount.

Sun God Festival and Ode to the Avocado!

The Sun God Festival is here! Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day's festivities. Check out Sun God's Water Program: http://sungodfestival.ucsd.edu/water



Have fun and be safe!



After you recover from Sun God, come see me at the annual ODE TO THE AVOCADO festival this Sunday!


When? Sunday, May 16th at 3:00pm

Where? between Matthews A and B buildings

What? avocado games, prizes and food!!!

Goody's Goodies

I met a friend from the Wellness Center (http://wellness.ucsd.edu/ ) for lunch at Goody's Place today. Chef Vaughn (Dining Services' executive chef) also joined us. The 3 of us talked about vegan and vegetarian eating on campus while munching on some delicious Goody's food.

Here is a photo of my lunch: a burrito bowl with cilantro rice, pinto beans, lettuce, guacamole, fajita vegetables, cheese, tomato salsa and fire-roasted salsa. My choice today was vegetarian. If you prefer a vegan option, you could order this same bowl just without the cheese.

Goody's Grab It and Go!

Goody's restaurant on Marshall College has some great sandwiches that you can grab on your way to or from class. I really enjoy the carved turkey sandwiches (pictured at right) and the roasted vegetable sandwiches.

On a nice day it's fun to enjoy your Goody's meal out on the patio with friends. There is even some great people-watching from this location on Ridgewalk.

Also check out Goody's Market on the lower level to get some groceries, treats or supplies.

Steel Cut Oats

Have you noticed a difference in the oatmeal at Plaza Cafe?

The oatmeal there is now made from STEEL CUT OATS! Here is my bowl of oatmeal from this morning with brown sugar and raisins.
Oats are good for your heart because of their soluble fiber content. They are a fast and healthy breakfast option. These steel cut oats are also non-GMO.

Cinco de Mayo Today!

Dining Services celebrated Cinco de Mayo today with special Mexican meals on campus. Plaza Cafe's salsa bar (pictured at right) was awesome.

I love salsa!
I had a carnitas plate with beans, rice, tortilla and several types of salsas.

Today was a bit of a splurge but it was well worth it. There was so much delicious food from which to choose.

Cage Free Eggs from Happy Chickens

Dining Services uses cage-free eggs from Wilcox Farms for all its egg needs. Why cage-free? Well, it's the right thing to do. Wilcox Farms is committed to humane treatment and preserving the natural behavior of chickens to keep them healthy and happy. Check the farm out at http://www.wilcoxfarms.com

The cage-free eggs that Dining Services purchases from Wilcox also taste delicious! Here is a picture of Dining's Executive Chef Vaughn Vargus with the Wilcox chicken (Vaughn is the one in the white coat.)

Eggs are a nutrient-dense food with high-quality protein and lots of other good stuff: vitamin B12, folate, choline, zinc.

The Guiness Book of World Records has a record for fastest omelet maker. It's held by Howard Helmer who made 427 omelets in 30 minutes.