Cabot Creamery Declares 'Step Off the Scale' Month In Celebration Of Healthy Weight Week

CABOT, Vt., Jan. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- To coincide with National Healthy Weight Week and to celebrate the second year of the CabotFit Team, Cabot Creamery Cooperative is declaring January as "Step Off the Scale" Month. This month, Cabot's team of registered dietitians want to educate Americans about the core of health and wellness by encouraging them to stop focusing solely on the numbers on the scale and the calorie cutting preached by many restrictive diets.

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"Rather than getting hung up on a 'weight' or a 'daily calorie allotment,' we should focus on things like the way our clothes fit, our energy levels, and knowing when we're full," says Regan Jones, Cabot Health Team Member and Registered Dietitian. "There is a reason our body lets us know when we're hungry; it requires a certain amount of calories and a diverse array of nutritious foods to function properly. Plus, restrictive diets can be difficult to maintain and may leave some people feeling deprived, which is counterproductive to overall health and well-being."

Sometimes, when the goal is eating a healthier diet, adding some foods can be just as important as removing others. "Diets often fail when people feel too restricted," says Jones, "so instead of thinking about what you can't have, choose to focus on all the nutritious, filling, and delicious foods you can eat. For instance, protein-rich foods, such as fish, beans, Greek yogurt and cheese, are important in building and maintaining muscle mass, and help you feel fuller longer."

In an effort to increase awareness about the importance of wellness through nutrition and exercise, Cabot launched the CabotFit Team in 2013 to participate in fitness events around the country. This year's team will be participating in a marathon, half-marathon, and marathon relay at the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon.

CabotFit Team member and Running to the Kitchen blogger Gina Matsoukas encourages her readers to throw away the idea that success equals the amount of weight dropped. "I encourage people to focus on something positive, like exercise. Instead of fixating on a number on the scale think about setting weekly fitness goals, like walking a certain number of steps or running a certain number of miles. Scales don't tell the whole truth when it comes to health. Fitness goals can be a much better, and rewarding, indicator of progress."

Eating healthy and sustaining the energy for productive exercise sessions is much less difficult when you're eating delicious and filling meals. With that in mind, Cabot created a selection of nutritious, tasty recipes, like Baked Chicken Strips, Grilled Fish Tacos, Eggs in Red Peppers, and Raspberry Creamsicle Smoothie at cabotcheese.coop/recipes. 

BAKED CHICKEN STRIPS

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Pinch salt
Pinch ground black pepper
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
4 ounces Cabot Sharp Light Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
6 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. In three separate bowls: 
- mix together flour, salt and pepper 
- beat together egg whites and milk
- mix together cornflakes and cheese

3. Dip chicken strips first into flour, then into egg white mixture, then into cornflake mixture, turning to coat. Place in baking dish. (Discard any unused mixture.)

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until nicely browned, turning over after about 12 minutes. Serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce if desired.

GRILLED FISH TACOS

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Light Sour Cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon blackening or Cajun seasoning
3/4 pound firm white fish fillets (such as red snapper, halibut or striped bass)
4 fat-free flour tortillas
2 ounces Cabot Sharp Light Cheddar, grated (about 1/2 cup)
Optional toppings: fresh lime wedges, diced tomato, finely shredded red cabbage, sliced green onion, chopped fresh jalapeno salsa

Directions:

1. Prepare and preheat grill. 

2. Combine sour cream, cilantro and lime juice in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Sprinkle seasoning over fish. Cook fish on grill over medium-high heat just until opaque in center (about 2 to 5 minutes per side depending on thickness of fillets.) Transfer fish to bowl and flake into bite-size pieces with fork. 

4. Place tortillas on grill and cook until lightly charred on both sides, about 20 seconds per side. 

5. Divide fish among tortillas; top evenly with sour cream mixture and cheese. Serve with toppings, as desired. 

Note: To prepare fish in the oven, place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

EGGS IN RED PEPPERS

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Chipotle Cheddar, Cabot Habanero Cheddar, Cabot Tomato Basil Cheddar or Cabot Pepper Jack, grated (about 3/4 cup), plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley or cilantro
2 large red bell peppers
4 large eggs
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

To make in microwave:
1. In small bowl, toss together onions, garlic and oil; cover loosely with saucer or plastic wrap and microwave on high power (100%) for 1 minute. Stir, then recover and microwave for 1 minute longer or until onions are softened. Let cool slightly, then stir in cheese and parsley or cilantro and set aside.

2. Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Pull out and discard seeds and membranes. Place peppers cut-side-up in 8-inch square or similar baking dish, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power until just tender but not collapsed, about 5 minutes. 

3. Invert peppers onto piece of paper towel to drain, and pour off any liquid from baking dish. Return peppers to dish, propping up along sides to keep level if necessary. 

4. Divide cheese mixture among peppers, pressing it up sides to create hollow for egg in center of each. Break an egg into each pepper. Gently pierce each egg yolk in 2 places with tip of paring knife. Season tops with salt and 
black pepper. Loosely cover with piece of plastic wrap.

5. Microwave on medium-high power (70%), checking periodically, until eggs are cooked the way you like them, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and let stand for a minute or two before serving. 

To make in oven:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In small skillet over medium heat, combine onions, garlic and oil; stir over medium heat for several minutes until onions are tender. Scrape into small bowl; once slightly cooled, stir in cheese and parsley or cilantro. 

2. Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Pull out and discard seeds and membranes. Cook peppers in large pan of boiling water until just tender but not collapsed, about 6 minutes. Drain well.

3. Place peppers cut-side up in 8-inch square or similar baking dish. Let cool slightly. 

4. Divide cheese mixture among peppers, pressing it up sides to create hollow for egg in center of each. Break an egg into each pepper. Season tops with salt and black pepper. 

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until eggs are cooked the way you like them. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and serve.

RASPBERRY CREAMSICLE SMOOTHIE

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Cabot 2% Vanilla Bean Greek-Style Yogurt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. In blender, combine raspberries, orange juice, yogurt and syrup; puree on high speed for about 45 seconds or until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

ABOUT CABOT CREAMERY COOPERATIVE
Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919, and makes a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter. Widely known as makers of "The World's Best Cheddar," Cabot is owned by the 1200 dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast's premier dairy cooperative, with farms located throughout New England and upstate New York. For more information on Cabot, visit: http://www.cabotcheese.coop.

Cabot Creamery Cooperative is the world's first cheese maker and dairy cooperative to achieve B Corporation Certification, a validation of its attention to environmental and social impacts on stakeholders.

Contact: Bob Schiers
1.888.214.9444 or [email protected]

SOURCE Cabot Creamery Cooperative