Tonight's Dinner Beef and sweet potato pockets recipe

Usually when dinner is served, you have your entree, a side and possibly some nice bread or rolls on your plate. Tonight, why not wrap all those food groups up in a nice little pocket?

 

Four food groups
take pocket form

There's nothing my son likes more than eating with his hands. Of course since he's almost three, we're desperately trying to teach him how to eat with a fork and/or spoon. But some nights are just a lost cause. It's on these nights that I decide not to fight the toddler and give him something he can actually pick up and eat with his hands. Sure, my husband and I still usually pull out the fork and knife, but if I can get the baby to clean his plate using his hands, I'm going to take that road rather than fight him.

These delightful little pockets from Real Simple are just one way to achieve that clean-your-plate-goal. What's even nicer about them, is that you get four out of the five food groups all wrapped up in a cute little turnover. And since it's stuffed with sweet potato, ground beef and cheese, there's just no way your child isn't going to clean his plate.

Beef and sweet potato pocketsIngredients:1 tablespoon olive oil1/2 pound ground beef or bulk sausage1 garlic clove, minced1 sweet potato, roasted1 cup baby spinach, choppedSalt and pepper to taste2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeseDirections:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef or sausage and cook until no longer pink, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and remove from the heat.Add the sweet potato, spinach, salt and pepper to the skillet and toss to combine.Lay the pastry on a cutting board that's lightly floured and cut each sheet in half, forming a total of four rectangles. Spoon the beef mixture onto one side of each rectangle. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.Fold the dough over the filling and press firmly with a fork to seal the edges. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

More Tonight's Dinner recipes >>Other turnover recipes

Curried chicken turnovers
Pizza turnovers
Sausage-cheese turnovers

10 Ways to improve your workout

Work It OutThe first step in improving your health is finding or making the time to exercise. But just going through the motions won't give you the health benefits you're looking for. Doing the same workout over and over can get boring and you are unlikely to see improvements because you are always recruiting the same muscle fibers. Check out these tips for changing things up from the American Council on Exercise:

intensity of your training

Altering your routine will help you avoid conditioning plateaus and force your body to adapt to new movements and levels of intensity. Get creative and challenge yourself. Do new exercises or focus on targeting different muscle groups each day. You can even change the order of your work out routine.

Hire a personal trainer

Working out with a certified personal trainer allows you to focus on the exercise at hand and let the trainer worry about the routine. A trainer will keep your workouts fresh and always progressing. They'll also make sure you're targeting all the right areas and muscles in your body.

Eat properly and stay hydrated

Without proper nutrition and fluid intake, there is no way you can have a great workout. Your body needs these fuels to build muscle and repair damaged tissue. Eat some protein or healthy snacks before you work out and drink water throughout the day to ensure hydration.

Emphasize quality over quantity

Although it may seem that working out more often would be the best way to get fit, more intense workouts performed less often will actually produce greater results. Your body needs rest to recover and repair damaged muscle tissue and avoid injury.

Incorporate mind-body training

Mind-body fitness has been associated with improved muscular strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, as well as increased mental development and self-efficacy.

Exercise at the right time for your body

Work with your body's natural energy level -- not against it. Exercise when you usually have the most energy, rather than putting your workout off until a time when you might not feel your best. 

Get a workout partner

Exercising with a partner makes you accountable to someone else for each workout and can improve adherence to a program. A partner can inspire you to push yourself a little bit harder when your energy level is not at its peak. You both can give each other motivation and even do exercises where two people are required.

Emphasize breathing

When strength training, take full breaths during each exercise, inhaling on the exertion and exhaling as you release. During cardiovascular exercise, full breaths will deliver as much oxygen as possible to the working muscles, making them more efficient.

Listen to music

Music can make a workout more fun and give you that extra burst of energy you need to work your hardest. Make a special playlist for working out with songs that get you pumped up and your energy flowing.

monitor your heart rate

A heart-rate monitor is a great tool to gauge how hard your body is working and can help you stay within your target heart-rate training zone.

Ask a labor nurse 9 Things you need to know about pregnancy and birth

Ask a Nurse

Planning for your first baby can seem daunting, if not downright scary. Every woman and every pregnancy is unique, which proves challenging for women who want to know exactly what to expect. Though we can never have exact answers to every question, there are some facts that every mom-to-be should know.

We turned to pregnancy and birthing expert Jeanne Faulkner, RN, Fit Pregnancy's Ask the Labor Nurse blogger and author of The Complete Illustrated Birthing Companion (Quayside, November 2012) for answers to the most common questions women have about pregnancy and birth.

Meet our expert

Jeanne Faulkner is Fit Pregnancy's Ask the Labor Nurse blogger, a contributing writer for Fit Pregnancy magazine and is a registered nurse with 20 years experience in labor and delivery. She is a writer for the Parent Network, and writes regularly for many magazines, websites and newspapers about health, parenting, fitness, politics and global maternal health issues. Faulkner is also CARE's (global humanitarian organization) advocacy chairperson for Oregon. Here are nine things the labor nurse wants you to know about pregnancy and giving birth.

SheKnows: With all the horror stories about being pregnant, shouldn't women expect something to go wrong?

Jeanne Faulkner: Despite all the scary stories you'll hear about things that can go wrong during pregnancy, none of them are likely to happen to you. You're far more likely to have a perfectly normal, healthy pregnancy and baby than not. Sure, some women have trouble, but most don't. Treat your pregnancy as the healthiest event in your life and odds are, it will be.

SheKnows: Is a doctor or midwife the key to a healthy pregnancy?

Jeanne Faulkner: The best way ways to achieve a healthy pregnancy and baby have nothing to do with your doctor or midwife and everything to do with you. They're diet, exercise, stress management and lifestyle habits. Put down the soda and pick up the water. Eat your fruits and veggies. Don't drink alcohol. Exercise (at least a walk) every day. Watch your weight. Dial down the life-drama and for God's sake, don't smoke or do drugs.

SheKnows: Will prenatal tests ensure a healthy pregnancy?

Jeanne Faulker: You don't need every test offered at your doctor's office. Some are important for every mother, but lots of tests that are offered as standard or routine, are not only entirely optional, they're not even a good idea for every women. Tests like genetic screening and frequent ultrasounds aren't necessary for everybody and in fact, most women can get through her entire pregnancy without them.

SheKnows: Is there a downside to getting all the prenatal tests?

Jeanne Faulkner: If you opt for some of these tests, be prepared for the information they provide. For example, if your genetic screening test says you have a tiny chance of having a baby with a problem, what are you going to do with that information? Would you be better off if you never knew? If an optional ultrasound speculates you're actually further along than you thought, does that put you at risk for an induction you don't really need later on (because ultrasounds are often off by a week or two)?

SheKnows: Do women who plan on getting an epidural really need prenatal education on labor?

Jeanne Faulkner: Yes, you do need prenatal education, even if you're having an epidural in the hospital. The more you know about your body, baby, labor and birth, the more capable you'll be of being involved in your own medical care and health Learning some natural childbirth techniques will be a great help during the hours of labor that come before your epidural, or if your epidural wears off, or if your baby comes too quickly.

SheKnows: Should women get worried about their health or their baby's health if they go past their due date?

Jeanne Faulkner: It's perfectly normal for most women to go past their due date. In fact, only five percent of women deliver on their due date. Doctors get nervous once you're 39- 40 weeks, because a very small number of women might have placental problems or extra large babies. Most women, however, can go as long as 42 weeks before they're really in a high-risk group. Midwives don't get nervous until 42 weeks.

SheKnows: Are there dangers to getting an induction?

Jeanne Faulkner: Don't even think about getting induced without an excellent medical reason before 39- 40 weeks. If you don't have a medical reason, think twice before you get induced at all. Inductions are for women who really need to deliver because their health or their baby's health is in danger. If you get induced before your body is ready for labor or your baby is ready to be born, you increase chances you'll have a c-section and your baby will need the NICU.

SheKnows: Should women strive for natural childbirth or get an epidural?

Jeanne Faulkner: Natural childbirth isn't for every woman and getting an epidural doesn't mean you're a slacker-mom. About 71% of American women get epidurals, partly because American women have fewer pain management options than women in other developed countries (with lower epidural rates). For American women, it's epidural or nothing (Oh, OK, we can also use narcotics as long as the baby won't be born soon, but they don't work very well or for very long). Women in other countries have access to nitrous oxide (AKA laughing gas – well studied, used by millions of women all over the world and found to be very safe) and other safe medications during labor. We used to use nitrous oxide routinely in labor, but when epidurals came into the hospital, laughing gas went out of style. Women in other countries think our lack of options is brutal.

SheKnows: Are home births putting women and their babies at risk?

Jeanne Faulkner: Contrary to what the American College of OB-GYNs says, home and birth center births (when attended by an expert midwife with an iron-clad emergency back up plan and access to a hospital) are usually safe for most healthy mothers and babies. That's according to data and birth records gathered by the Centers for Disease Control. That said, over 98% of mothers and babies deliver in the hospital and almost all of them are safe too.

For more information, visit FitPregnancy.com.

More expert health advice

Ask a dietician: 10 Best tips for losing weight and keeping it off
Ask a dietician: 10 Best diet tips for more energy
Bob Greene's fitness tips for holiday health

3 Easy no-cook chicken recipes

Quick, Light Recipes
For Your New YearTake the stress out of healthy meal planning by recreating one of these easy, no-cook chicken recipes. Made from one rotisserie chicken, these three recipes are not only quick to make, but very budget friendly too!

Who said chicken had to be boring? Each of these recipes is filled with unique spices, healthy vegetables and great sauces, so your family will never get bored. Plus, the no-cook takes time out of meal prep, giving you more to spend with your kids, husband or watching Lifetime.

Thai chicken noodle salad with peanut dressing

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the salad: 

8 ounces rice noodles, fully cooked2/3 cup broccoli slaw1/3 cup bean sproutsAbout 3/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken1 celery stalk, sliced1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

For the peanut dressing: 

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce1 teaspoon red pepper jelly1 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/4 cup warm waterJuice of 1 limeSalt and pepperDirections:

To make the salad, mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.To prepare the dressing, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, jelly, cayenne pepper, lime juice and pepper to a food processor. Pulse on low until mixture is beginning to smooth. Gradually add the water to thin out the sauce.Dress the salad and mix well. Serve immediately!

Buffalo chicken pasta salad

Recipe inspired by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Serves 4

Ingredients: 8 ounces cooked noodles (we used elbows)1/2 cup buffalo sauce1 tablespoon lemon juiceSalt and pepper to taste1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 cup chopped carrotsAbout 1-1/2 cups shredded chickenShredded mozzarella cheese (or blue cheese)Directions: 

Mix the buffalo sauce, lemon juice and salt and pepper together with a whisk until fully combined.In a large mixing bowl, mix the chicken, celery, carrots and pasta. Pour the buffalo sauce over the mixture and mix well to cover. Serve with shredded cheese and enjoy!

Curried chicken salad wrap

Recipe adapted from All You

Yields about four 3-inch wraps

Ingredients: 2 pieces of flatbread, cut in half1/2 cup nonfat plain Chobani Greek yogurt2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken2 teaspoons curry powder1 celery stalk, sliced1/4 cup red bell pepper, choppedSalt and pepper to tasteDirections:

Mix the yogurt, chicken, curry powder, celery, red pepper and salt and pepper together until mixed.Put about 3-4 heaping tablespoons on to each flatbread and roll up.

More easy chicken recipes

15-minute quick chicken recipes
Fast chicken sandwiches
Quick grilled chicken recipes

ABC's head doctor's Swine Flu exclusive advice

Dr Besser's H1N1 Fight PlanABC News Senior Health and Medical Editor, Dr Richard Besser, phoned SheKnows for an exclusive chat about the Swine Flu and the H1N1 Virus. Health advice on a viral attack from the medical professional on the front lines, as the former head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there is frankly, no better source for Swine Flu information.

Besser is specifically speaking to SheKnows readers of the two at-risk populations: pregnant women and children. What can be done to ease the worry this cold and flu season? The good doctor will be reporting throughout this critical flu season on ABC News and abcnews.com.

The doctor is in!

Dr Besser: Hey Joel, this is Richard Besser at ABC News.

SheKnows: Hello, Dr Besser, thanks for calling SheKnows.

Dr Besser: I was just looking at the website and it looks great.

SheKnows: Well, thank you very much. We have a lot of moms who visit our site and they, as many of us are, are quite concerned this flu season -- more so this year than ever. I wanted to start by asking how does the Swine Flu, H1N1, differ from the regular seasonal flu?

Dr Besser: It differs primarily in who is at greatest risk. This is a virus for which young people don't have much immunity. So, unlike seasonal flu which tends to hit the elderly, this virus tends to hit children harder. It also hits pregnant women harder. Seasonal flu does that as well, but what the CDC has reported with this virus, pregnant women are at increased risk of hospitalization and severe consequences.

SheKnows: What are some of the early signs that pregnant women or moms should look for?

Dr Besser: It was much easier to spot in the summer and late spring when there weren't other respiratory viruses around. This time of year, there are a lot of colds and flus around and its hard to sort out. But the general symptoms of the flu are runny nose, cough, body aches and fever. Most children, who get the Swine Flu, have had mild illness -- but some have not.

Swine Flu red-light warning signs

SheKnows: Would you say, to err on the side of caution if you were a parent or is it more about making yourself educated?

Dr Besser: I think it's important parents understand what the signs and symptoms of the flu are and more importantly to understand what some of the danger signs are. The danger signs for this flu would be a child or an adult who has the flu and is getting better and takes a turn for the worse -- getting a high fever, for instance. That would be a reason to see your doctor. Other danger signs for children, and for adults, would be any difficulty breathing -- any grayness or blueness around the lips. Those would be reasons to seek medical care right away.

To test or not to test?

SheKnows: Also, some places perhaps might not test for Swine Flu, H1N1, and may think it's simply a regular flu virus. When, do you think, you should be a little pushier with your medical professional that you get that test?

Dr Besser: That's a really good question. Earlier, when there weren't other viruses around, anyone who had flu symptoms who came in would not be tested for Swine Flu. Right now when there are look-alikes around, testing makes more sense, but there is an important message on this one, the tests that are out there are not very good. Doctors, who are suspicious that a patient has Swine Flu, should treat high-risk individuals regardless of what the test shows.

SheKnows: Fascinating…

Dr Besser: If you're a pregnant woman who has flu symptoms, you should be treated for Swine Flu regardless of what the test shows.

SheKnows: That's a really good point. If people get the H1N1 vaccination, should they also get the season flu shot?

Dr Besser: That's a really good question and there's a lot of confusion around that. The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect you against Swine Flu and the Swine Flu vaccine does not protect you against the seasonal flu. So, if you are in a risk group for both of those infections, get both vaccines.

SheKnows: Of the two, which would you say is more important to receive and why?

Dr Besser: They are both important. It's hard to prioritize. If you're over 65, the season flu is definitely the one that you should be most concerned about. If you're a young individual, the Swine Flu is the one that you are at greater risk for. If you have an underlying medical condition or if you're pregnant, both of them are very important.

H1N1 vaccine side effects

SheKnows: Some people, particularly parents, are concerned about the side effects of H1N1 vaccine, what have you found in your own research as to any kind of side effects?

Dr Besser: I think there's a lot of misinformation circulating around the side effects of the vaccines. The Swine Flu vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine are made by the same companies, using the same factories, using the same procedures, same safety testing that have been done for flu vaccines every year. The main side effects that are seen with both of these are redness and soreness at the site of vaccination if you get the injection. If you get the nasal vaccine, the leading side affect may be a little fever in the day or so after you get the vaccine. Flu vaccines are given to more than 100 million people each year and have a very good safety record.

SheKnows: Are you aware that pregnant women were involved in any of the research that went into the approval of the Swine Flu vaccine?

Dr Besser: I know that there is testing going on now in pregnant women looking to make sure they get the same immune response as other individuals. There is no reason to assume that they would not. The flu vaccines are given to pregnant women every year. Millions of them have received the flu vaccine and they have had a very good safety record in pregnancy. There are no side effects beyond those seen in other people.

The Swine saga

SheKnows: Lastly, what would say is the biggest misconception about the Swine Flu? Or maybe, there's more than one?

Dr Besser: There are two. One has to do with the safety procedures around the manufacture of this vaccine. That it was somehow different than other flu vaccines. It's not. The other misconception, that the Swine Flu is all mild. Thankfully, for most people it is, but for individuals who are at greater risk and for those unfortunate individuals who have a bad course of it, it can be very serious.

SheKnows: Thank you so much doctor. I really believe you are being a life-saver to our readers.

Dr Besser: My pleasure, and good luck with your website.

More on swine flu and the H1N1 flu vaccine What you need to know about the H1N1 swine flu vaccine Back to school tips to avoid swine flu Protect your family from the H1N1 swine flu

6 Stretches for better posture

De-Stressing Stretches For Posture HealthGood posture goes beyond sitting up straight. Slouching over a computer keyboard all day creates a chain reaction throughout your body that can result in shoulder, neck and back pain. Not pretty. Here are six simple stretches you can do to improve your posture. Good posture means good health.

How sitting hurts your posture health

Sitting is part of our every day, even if we lead an active lifestyle. Sitting isn't necessarily a bad thing, but long periods of sitting and lack of stretching can cause postural problems.

Hip flexors, for example (the muscles in front of your hip that raise your leg when you walk), become shortened from sitting for long periods of time. Over time, these muscles stay shortened even when you stand up, which changes the position of the pelvis. Since the pelvis creates the foundation for the rest of the body, your spine, which connects to the top of the pelvis, also becomes compromised. The chain of imbalance continues up the spine to the neck and head, which typically juts forward as a result of the body's need to balance itself.

The stretching solution: Regular stretching can address these specific postural imbalances. Here is a posture-improving stretching routine to help realign your body and reduce your risk of back and joint pain and injuries. Do these stretching exercises in the prescribed order every day for best results.

1Relax the back

Lie on your back, knees bent at 90 degrees, placing your calves on the seat of a chair. Straighten your arms out from the shoulders with your palms up. Relax, breathing deeply, letting your low back settle into the floor. Hold the position for 5 minutes (yes, minutes!).

2Stretch the chest

Stay in the "relax the back" position. Lace your fingers, palms together, with your arms extended above your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your arms, keeping your elbows straight, over your head to the floor behind you. Repeat 30 times with a steady, controlled movement.

3Back-friendly crunches

Lie on your back with your feet on the wall and your knees bent less than 90 degrees (glutes should only be about four to six inches from wall and knees almost touching chest). Lace your fingers behind your head to support your neck. Keep your elbows back while looking at the ceiling. Exhale as you use your stomach muscles to lift your shoulders, elbows and head off the floor, then lower. Be sure you don't pull on your head with your hands. Repeat for two sets of 30 reps.

4Kneeling hip-flexor stretch

Kneel (preferably on a padded floor). Bring your right knee into a 90 degree angle and push your left leg back so it's at an angle where you feel stretch in the front of your hip. Keep your legs parallel to each other and place your hands on your right knee and let your hips sink forward to the floor, keeping your upper body straight. Do not lean forward. Hold for 1 minute and switch legs.

5Supine hip-flexor stretch

Lie on your back with your right leg bent and resting on a chair at a 90 degree angle. Place your left leg straight on the floor, keeping your toes pointed up so your knee and foot do not roll out. Place your arms straight out from your shoulders with your palms up. Breathe deeply and relax your body. Remain in this position for 10 minutes, then repeat on other side.

6Airbench

Sit against the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees, heels straight under or slightly in front (not behind) of your knees. Keep your feet pointing straight ahead, push your lower back into wall and keep pressure on heels. Press your shoulders back, keeping your head up, and relax your shoulders, neck, arms and hands. Hold for 90 seconds.

More health and fitness tips

The top 20 fitness trends for 2012
Kettlebell workouts: Why you need to pick up a kettlebell
Full-body fitness trends for the New Year

Starbucks offering free coffee Nov. 18-21!

BOGO Deal On Holiday FlavorsStarbucks is offering free coffee for you and a friend from Nov. 18-21. What flavors are included in this warmly-delicious offer? Read on!

Need a little afternoon pick-me-up? Grab a friend and head to Starbucks for their buy-one, get-one-free offer on their special holiday drinks.

Starbucks BOGO available!

The special Starbucks BOGO deal starts today, Nov. 18 and runs until Nov. 21. The catch? The deal is only available between 2 P.M. and 5 P.M. and is only good on their special holiday flavors, including:

Caramel Brulee LattePeppermint MochaPeppermint White Chocolate MochaPeppermint Hot ChocolateGingerbread LatteEggnog LatteCrème Brulee FrappucinoPeppermint Mocha Frappucino

These are all delicious winter flavors, so we're not that upset that the Starbucks BOGO deal is only available on these flavors.

Plus, Starbucks hardly ever offers special deals like this on their coffee, so we won't complain too much about this awesome deal.

Make your own Gingerbread Lattes at home! >>>

De-stress with a friend

Thanksgiving is only a week away and you're sure to be stressed with all of the preparation. That's why the free Starbucks offer is a great excuse to grab a gal pal and gab over the latest gossip this afternoon. We're sure planning on it. Maybe we'll see you there!

More deals for holiday 2010

Petsmart Black Friday 2010 ad hits the web
Target Black Friday 2010 ad leaked!
WalMart Black Friday 2010 ad