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Source: Jackie Mills, RD, Coastal Living Cook time: 10 minutes Prep time: 14 minutes Yield: Makes 4 servings
Salad Ingredients: 4 plum or small heirloom tomatoes, halved 2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 4 slices 2 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 4 slices |
 The Kennedy Garden in East Belfast.
The 21st Annual Garden Walk sponsored by the Hospital Aid of Waldo County General Hospital will be held on Friday, July 8, 2011, from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 the day of the walk. All proceeds benefit the hospital. This year’s walk goes across the river to East Belfast, Searsport and Stockton Springs with visits to eight gardens. The gardens can be visited in any order. Aid members volunteer in each garden and refreshments are served. A map is included with the ticket for this self-guided tour. The Kennedy garden is an extensive lot on the banks of the Passagassawakeag River in East Belfast which has been growing for the past eight years. Perennials, vegetables, raspberries and fruit trees surround the house. Fields of wild flowers such as lupines and Canada lilies run down towards the water dotted with bluebird houses. You’ll want to wear practical shoes as you wander down the mowed paths to the water’s edge where the owners enjoy a bonfire. Rustic seating is available, so enjoy a relaxing moment or bring a lunch to eat in this pleasant spot. The tour continues on a high knoll off Route 1 in Searsport where the Rose and Alling gardens are located. Visitors to the Rose garden will admire the extensive rockwork and shrubs on a steep slope at the driveway entrance. Surrounding the house are planted trees, shrubs, native plants, perennials, Maine fieldstone walkways and Japanese Zen gardens with raked gravel and Asian plantings. At the Alling garden, you can enjoy flower beds, a vegetable garden, meditative sculptures and a view of Penobscot Bay from the back deck where lemonade and cookies will be served. In downtown Searsport, three small neighborhood gardens are within walking distance of each other. The Sweigert garden has large clematis and euonymus plants climbing trellises to entice you to a breezeway sitting area. The backyard is a low maintenance ‘octogenarian’ garden, according to the owner, with gravel paths and woodbine on the fence. Up the street, the Shopmeyer garden has low rock walls, perennials and potted plants in the front yard. Around the corner, the Williams garden uses rustic touches of wooden fences and round boulders to surround flower beds and a small pond. The next garden is in Stockton Springs. In the Clain garden you can walk around the house through perennial beds, past a smoke bush and copper cat sculpture to the backyard with its gazebo and shade gardens. This winter, a large cedar tree fell down and the owners used the chippings as an aromatic groundcover for a seating area. The Woodward garden is a large country perennial garden worth the drive to the Stockton Springs/Prospect border. The owners have been developing the gardens that circle the house for the past 10 years including a rock garden on a sloping bank. Across the road is a vegetable garden and views of the nearby hills. The gardens are filled with creative groupings of found objects such as a bicycle, chair, door, whetstone, watering cans and scarecrow. Places to explore include a charming tool shed in the side yard as well as an antique playhouse from the owners’ childhood in the backyard. The owners’ daughter has made a miniature garden in a wagon. Tickets for the garden walk are $13 in advance at Brambles, Mr. Paperback and the Hospital Gift Shop in Belfast and at the Left Bank bookshop in Searsport. On the day of the tour, tickets will be $15 and can be purchased at the businesses listed above or at any of the gardens. Plan to join the hospital volunteers for this affordable family event, which is the Aid’s largest fundraiser of the year. For further information, please call Wilma Moses at 338-2785 or Sandy Gordon at 930-6739 or e-mail: sgordon@wchi.com. |
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Six months ago, the wellness committee at Waldo County General Hospital put together a weight-loss competition for employees. The idea was to have fun while helping participants make healthier lifestyle choices
 Before
Participants contributed to a pot that would provide weekly prizes as incentives to meet physical and wellness challenges as well as weekly weight loss. The competition was also set up with teams to help provide encouragement, along with a big prize at the end for the team losing the biggest percentage of their body weight and for the individual with the biggest weight loss percentage.
At the beginning of the competition in mid-January, some of the 103 participants were clearly in the competition to win the money.
At the half-way mark of Waldo Weights-In (WWI), make-overs were scheduled for the teams who had been featured monthly on the hospital’s TV show, “Staying Healthy,” which is shown on the local access station on cable in Belfast and also on the hospital’s website, www.wcgh.org). There were also make-overs for five other participants who submitted essays on why they should have a make-over.
Those essays revealed that WWI has been much more than just a fun weight loss competition for some. In fact WWI has been a life-altering experience for many, including two of the participants selected for make-overs.
Rosalyn Grotton, who works part-time in the nutrition program along with holding down another fulltime job, had already been losing weight from the stress of some personal problems when she signed up for WWI.
 Getting her make-up put on.
She joined the competition (without a partner because there was an odd number of participants and she only works at the hospital every other weekend) because she wasn’t feeling well and knew she needed to get healthier.
Her triglycerides level, a type of fat found in your blood, was way too high (over 500), which was increasing her risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. She thought a six-month commitment meant she could lose weight in a healthy way and not make her sick.
Rosalyn came up with a diet plan and then went over it with a dietitian to make sure it was a healthy way to lose weight. She didn’t want to count calories but resolved to only eat low- or no-fat, low- or no-salt, low- or no-sugar high protein and high fiber foods. She also decided to drink 8 to 10 cups of water a day and to exercise at the YMCA at least three days a week. That diet and the exercise have helped her lose more weight faster than she thought she would. So far Rosalyn, who is currently in first place in the competition, has lost 31.5 pounds or 21.14 percent of her starting body weight. She doesn’t want to lose more than 7.5 additional pounds so she can continue to give blood but said if she needs to lose a bit more to win the competition, she will, but then will put it back on sensibly. The weight loss has been great and Rosalyn’s triglycerides, which were around 1,000 when she was put on medication in 1997, are down to 104 and she is off the medication, which was one of the goals she had when she started WWI.
“I’ve met all my goals except one. I’ve lost weight, I’m exercising, I’m getting healthier, I’m off the medication, I feel well and I’m not depressed any more,” says Rosalyn. The goal she is still working on is to quit smoking, which she hopes to do before the end of the contest.
But the biggest change in Rosalyn’s life is how she feels about herself. After growing up in a very dysfunctional family, Rosalyn has gone from one controlling and emotionally abusive relationship to another. She says that is all changed now. “The cycle is broken. I’m breaking it. No one can tell me what to do now. No one can walk all over me. Nobody can hurt me anymore. It’s not happening any more,” she insists.
“When I started WWI, originally, I wanted the money to at least pay the deductible on getting a colonoscopy, which I need. But when I started to do well, I also wanted to be pretty,” she says.
 After
Getting the make-over through the partnership with Lisa Nichols Salon and Paul Mitchell hair products helped. “I thought I’d look pretty and show everybody. I couldn’t believe it. I felt so great and I blew everyone away.” When she returned to work after the make-over, she said the secretary didn’t recognize her and thought she was a new employee who forgot to punch in.
And when she got home, her young adult son said, “Whoa. How wow you look!” And a few days later, a man said to her, “You’re beautiful.” Rosalyn still glows when she explains how incredible that made her feel, adding, “No one had said that to me for a long, long time.”
 Before
Joanne Willis, who works in the medical records department at the hospital, didn’t join WWI to win. “I knew it was very hard for me to lose weight. What I was looking for was something that would make me accountable for what I was doing to achieve weight loss. I was looking for a means to change my lifestyle,” she said.
What she found was much more. Due to degenerative arthritis and a serious car accident, Joanne did not walk up or down stairs unless there was someone close by to help in case she fell. And she frequently used a cane to get around. She could not walk through the grocery store without a shopping cart and sometimes needed to use the motorized carts.
The first physical challenge for WWI was to climb 500 stairs. Joanne didn’t think she could do it, “but when it was stated that it did not have to be done all at once I decided to try it. I succeeded. I now walk up stairs that have only one railing and I will walk downstairs that have two railing (I lose my balance going down).”
That initial success led Joanne to others. “I have met two of my three goals and am almost halfway to my third goal. I wanted to be able to increase my ability to walk on the YMCA track from three laps to one mile by March. I reached that goal before March and now walk at least a mile every other day. I even walked the 5K Bon-Bon Bra-grade.”
 Getting her hair dyed.
As for goal two, “I can now swim more than three lengths of the pool but I do need to stop every once in a while because my foot cramps very badly when I kick.”
As for her third goal, she is half-way to her weight loss target.
Joanne was thrilled with her make-over and when she went home, her son said to her, “You look funny.” He then explained that he really liked how she looked but was surprised to see her wearing make-up. He has since told her that he thinks she should keep her new hair color and have it cut the same way.
Then, “on Friday evening after my make-over (which was great fun) I had a rehearsal for a play and one of the other members of our drama group didn’t recognize me. On Sunday, a lady at church told me, ‘I always knew you were beautiful but not it shows on the outside.’”
 After
But, for Joanne, the benefit of WWI is not only that it helped her to overcome her physical pain to improve her activity level and made her look “hot” but “it helped me to overcome the mental roadblock I was living. I was at what I thought was the best level I could be after my injuries and my arthritis. The program has taught me differently. One year ago I was using a walker. I never thought I would ever be able to do what I am doing now.”
Joanne also wrote in her application for a makeover that if she wasn’t chosen (she was), “that’s OK. I am already on my way to a major makeover.”
(Go to http://www.wcgh.org/quicklinks/staying-healthy/waldo-weighs-in-make-overs/ to see the other before and after make-over photos.) |
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Karl MacLeod, 50, formerly of Belfast and now living in Hope, got a wake-up call on January 5 – one he will never forget. Read more… |
 Dan Bennett, Director of Operations, accepts the Aid donation from the gift shop treasurer Lois Aiken.
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Kathie Boogaart, MS, RN, Director of Patient Care Services, and a member of the hospital’s administrative team, has announced she will retire on July 31 after 21 years on the job here. Read more… |
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The hospital has also been honored with a 2011 Caring About Lives in Maine Award. Tim Woitowitz, Making Change Coordinator, nominated the hospital’s emergency room for the award presented by the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program. He said over the years the ER staff has helped his group Read more…
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Waldo County General Hospital (WCGH) has won another national award. VHA, Inc., a national health care network, honored 28 hospitals for meeting or exceeding national performance standards for clinical care and efforts to improve the patient experience. Read more… |
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Packing healthy lunches and snacks to take to work or school offers many benefits. Healthy brown-bag meals can reduce fat, calories, and sodium in our diet, improving overall health. Smart choices can help us maintain a healthy weight. And brown-bag lunches just may improve your child’s IQ. According to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, a diet high in fat, sugar, and processed food starting at age 3 may lower IQ in later childhood, while a diet packed with whole foods and important nutrients may do the opposite. To move lunch and snack time into a healthful direction:
An easy way to accomplish both goals is to include more whole foods — and less processed foods, junk food, and fast food at meals and snacks. 10-Minute Lunch and Snack PicksCold Cheese and Fruit Kit: Make your own “Lunchables” by filling a reusable container with assorted cheese slices, easy-to-eat fruit like apple slices and grapes, and whole wheat crackers. Falafel Pita Pleaser: Purchase ready-to-bake falafels in the vegetarian refrigerator section of some supermarkets. Bake them up ahead of time, then insert them in a whole wheat pita pocket spread with some hummus (homemade or store-bought). Fish in a Pinch: Work a fish serving into your week by adding tuna or salmon to your green salad, pasta salad, or sandwich. For a satisfying snack, toss some tuna or salmon with balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy with whole grain crackers. Love Your Leftovers: One of the easiest ways that corporate nutritionist Maggie Moon, MS, RD, makes sure she has a healthy lunch tomorrow is to start with dinner tonight. Before serving dinner, she packs some of it away in portable containers, stores them in the refrigerator, and then takes one to work the next day. Pasta Salad Prep: Make cold pasta salad with leftover pasta shapes from last night. Toss chilled whole grain pasta with cheese cubes, lots of bite-size vegetables, and a homemade or bottled vinaigrette dressing made with olive oil or canola oil. Pizza Bagels or Pizza Calzones: Bake a mini pizza in 5 minutes by spreading pizza sauce or pesto on whole wheat bagel halves or a whole wheat pita pocket (use the whole pita as a crust). Top with shredded cheese and your favorite veggie toppings (green onions, tomatoes, chopped red peppers, onions, olives, minced garlic, sliced mushrooms), then broil in a toaster oven until the cheese is bubbling. If using a pita, fold one half over to make a calzone! Wrap it up for your bag lunch or, if your office has a toaster oven, bring it to work unbaked and bake it there. Stock Your Work Fridge With Salad Dressing: To make it easier to enjoy salads at the office, Moon keeps her favorite salad dressing in the work refrigerator. Look for salad dressing with the least amount of sodium and made with canola or olive oil. Southwest Wrap: Toss some drained canned black beans with salsa, avocado, red onions, shredded romaine lettuce, and cheese and wrap in a softened whole wheat tortilla. This is a favorite five-minute grab-and-go lunch for Karen Ansel, MS, RD, American Dietetic Association spokesperson and co-author of The Baby & Toddler Cookbook. Sushi with Veggies: Pick up a tray of premade vegetable sushi at your supermarket or favorite Japanese restaurant. It makes a great grab-and-go lunch the next day. Because it features veggies and avocado, there’s no chance the sushi will smell “fishy” the next day. Wrap It Up: Make your sandwich wrap the night before, using a whole grain flour tortilla and spreads like green or sun-dried tomato pesto, olive tapenade, or honey mustard. Layer it with slices of lean meat or cheese, assorted vegetables, tomato, onion, and lettuce. Because it’s whole grain, the tortilla won’t get soggy overnight. 4 Lunch Salads You Can Make in 10 MinutesReusable containers can hold the makings of a delicious lunch salad. The salad will stay fresh if you add the dressing at lunchtime, so pack a small container or packet of your desired dressing (look for those made with canola or olive oil). Here are four different lunch salad ideas. Cobb Salad: Toss together spinach leaves or chopped romaine with a hard-boiled egg, crumbled blue cheese (or similar), diced avocado and tomato, and lean ham cubes or strips. Chinese Chicken Salad: Toss together salad greens, shredded chicken, shredded carrots, sliced green onion, and toasted sliced almonds. Chicken Caesar Salad: Toss together romaine lettuce, chopped tomato, chicken strips, any other vegetable desired, and croutons. Berry & Walnut Salad: Toss together dark green lettuce, fresh or frozen berries, blue cheese (if desired), and toasted walnuts (add chicken or salmon if desired). This salad is best with a raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette. 4 Freezer-Friendly Lunch and Snack TricksFun-to-Eat Edamame: You’ll find bags of edamame (in pods) in the freezer section of most supermarkets. Keep a bag in the freezer, add some to your brown bag in the morning, and by lunch they will be thawed. Open up the pods and snack away at the high-protein, high-fiber green soybeans inside. Leftover Breakfast Becomes Lunch: When you have leftover whole grain pancakes from breakfast, wrap each of them around a soy or chicken sausage and freeze a serving in a reusable container or zip-lock bag. If you are making healthful egg entrees over the weekend (egg and cheese sandwich on toasted wheat english muffin, quiche, frittata, French toast) and have a couple servings left, wrap them up and freeze them for a fast grab-and-go lunch or snack. Just warm in the microwave for 2 minutes! 4 Freezer-Friendly Lunch and Snack Tricks continued…Mini Muffins: Homemade muffins can be a healthful alternative to processed snacks and junk food when made with mostly whole wheat flour, moderate amounts of canola oil (2 to 3 tablespoons per 12 muffins), and minimal added sugar. Just pop a serving of mini muffins in each zip-lock bag and store in the freezer. Pack them in the brown bag, and they’ll be soft and ready to eat by lunch or snack time. Spanakopita Triangles: These spinach-and-cheese-filled phyllo dough triangles are available in the freezer section of some supermarkets, such as Trader Joe’s. Brown them ahead of time in your toaster oven and wrap them up for tomorrow’s lunch or snack. 4 Fun Foods to Pack as a Snack or Lunch TreatThe following foods double as a satisfying snack or as a fun treat in a bag lunch because they contribute some protein and some fat (and some have fiber). Nuts or Trail Mix: If age- and allergy-appropriate, nuts offer a satisfying combination of fiber, protein, and smart fats. Trail mix pumps up the carbohydrate calories by adding dried fruit to the nuts. A 1-ounce snack-size serving of mixed nuts (i.e., Planters NUTrition Heart Healthy Mix) contributes around 170 calories, 6 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, and 8 grams monounsaturated fat. Cheese Sticks: Individually wrapped cheese sticks are available in part-skim mozzarella and 2% sharp cheddar, and even pepper jack.Two part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks have around 160 calories, 14 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 0 gram fiber, 6 grams saturated fat, and 40% Daily Value for calcium. Kettle Korn Fun: For something a little sweet but crunchy, pop up some Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Kettle Korn (or similar) and pack half of the 2.9-ounce bag of popcorn for a brown-bag treat or snack. Each serving satisfies with 140 calories, 4 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, and 1 gram saturated fat. Yogurt and Fruit Cups: Stir 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries into 8 ounces of low-fat plain yogurt to make your own naturally sweetened yogurt cup. It has a nice balance of nutrients—185 calories, 12 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 2.5 grams saturated fat, and about 40% Daily Value for calcium and 30% for vitamin C. |
