In Which Super Tracker Helps Me Justify my Love of Fatty Meats


As a future dietitian, I should know better. I know which fats are the "healthy" kind and which ones to avoid. 
But I love my sausage, be it at breakfast or dinner, be it in patty form or bulk, be it Italian or Andouille. In this case the good outweighs the bad. And I can prove it. (If you trust me already, skip to the bottom for a delicious recipe; if you want my evidence, read on.)
I just learned about this great new tool called the Super Tracker. It is part of the government's MyPlate campaign, and it tracks just about anything you could want. In this case, I wanted to know how many servings of vegetables I am getting. The Super Tracker tells me that one half a squash has 1 cup of vegetables (40% of my Daily Value), and 1 1/2 oz protein (27% of my Daily Value). (The other 1/2 oz sausage per serving contributes to my discretionary calories due to the fat content.) In my opinion, for the average healthy person can handle a little fat from a natural, minimally processed source.
You won't see me substituting leaner meats for this pork sausage because the spices and the flavor make the recipe and deliver the satisfaction you crave. However, when you look at the sausage's nutrition label, please do me a favor. Make sure that the ingredients list does not include the words "monosodium glutamate", "autolyzed yeast extract" or "MSG".

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped apple
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground sage
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 pound bulk pork sausage
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine apple, onion, sage and pepper. Add sausage; mix well. Spoon into squash halves; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until sausage is no longer pink and squash is tender.

Allergens: None
Nutrition (1/2 squash): 255 calories, 12 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 56 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium, 839 mg potassium, 26 g crabohydrate, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 13 g protein, 16% vit A, 44% vit C, 9% calcium, 13% iron, 18% vit B-6, 8% copper, 11% folate, 18% magnesium, 20% manganese, 21% thiamin

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-n-apple-baked-squash/detail.aspx

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