Author Archives: Cherylanne Skolnicki

Healthy Disney

I’ve just returned from a week-long vacation to Disney World in Orlando, FL (which explains my brief absence from blogging). With a 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old, it just doesn’t get much better than a week at Disney! The kids had a ball and so did we. Seeing Disney through the eyes of a child is amazing…princesses and castles become real…the sun always shines…and brief encounters with classic characters are preserved for a lifetime in photos.

As you might imagine, since I’m a food coach and health counselor, I was especially intrigued by the dining options we’d find in the parks during our stay. Would we be relegated to a week of chicken nuggets and french fries? Or would there be healthier options for us and our kids that would help us return home feeling as good as when we left? In truth, I was pleasantly surprised with what we found.

While there are certainly countless venues that sell chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pizza, or burgers…..nearly all of these outlets ALSO have salad options (with the dressing conveniently offered on the side), deli sandwiches, or veggie burgers. Kids meals come standard with fruit or veggies (grapes or applesauce or carrot sticks) and milk, water, or juice – and menus state that fries and soda are available upon request.

Sit-down restaurants offer even healthier fare – tons of grilled fish and chicken, fresh vegetables and salads. Even mobile kiosks in the parks sell prepackaged bags or cartons of grapes, celery and carrots, and of course, bottled water.

Our favorite lunch experience was at Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion at Epcot where I had a delicious Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese salad and a cup of vegetarian vegetable soup. What a delightful respite in our very busy day! We had several wonderful dinners of mahi mahi, grouper, and corbina (a fish caught locally off the coast of Florida).

We also took advantage of our in-room refrigerator in the hotel and made a stop at a local grocery store to stock up on breakfast basics and some healthy snacks. This let us have our normal high fiber, low sugar cereal with fresh fruit and organic milk to start the day (and saved us from paying high prices for hotel or park breakfasts to boot). We bought hummus and veggies and pita chips, some cheese and crackers and more fruit to have on hand for afternoon snacks. I’m so glad we did this because we always had good choices nearby that helped to keep our bodies feeling normal during our week away from home.

All that said, it wouldn’t be vacation without a few extra indulgences, so we all dug into our favorites over the course of the week. Mine was definitely Dole Whip from the Aloha Plantation in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland. Whoever invented this frozen pineapple concoction should be canonized – it’s amazing! Seriously, there are fan sites all over the internet dedicated to this hard-to-find dessert. YUM.

My daughter loved her Mickey shaped ice cream bar at the park and cherished her chance to order chicken nuggets and, yes, french fries, for lunch! Our son chomped through the messiest red lollipop EVER and had an in room ice cream party with is sister and grandparents one night when my husband and I went out to dinner. My husband ordered a hot dog and fries while watching the parade that he described as “amazing”!

So all told, a great week that left me feeling like Disney understands how to offer a good mix of healthy fare AND vacation-worthy indulgences throughout the park system. Would we really expect anything less from Disney?

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Mmmm….butter.


This may sound heretical coming from a health coach, but I honestly can’t imagine my life without butter. Maybe it’s because I am ancestrally descended from family farmers or maybe it’s just that it tastes incredibly good…but regardless of the reason, butter is one of my can’t-live-without-it-absolutely-worth-it foods. (Incidentally, I encourage all of my clients to know what theirs are…those foods that make life worth living. Any meal plan that doesn’t include them isn’t going to last long!)


It’s hard to argue a nutritional case for butter vs. healthier fats and oils. It is one of the most calorically dense foods on the planet and is extremely high in saturated fat so this is simply not health food. But in terms of its contribution to food ENJOYMENT? Off the charts. And to me, that matters.

To be fair, I do most of my cooking in super-healthy olive or canola oil and often use an excellent, fruity, extra virgin olive oil as a dipping condiment for a really good crusty bread or on popcorn. So when I do choose to use butter, it’s in a place where flavor really matters and where no other cooking fat will do the same job. For certain things…only butter will do. Here are a few examples.

Buttered Toast
I often have high-fiber wheat toast for breakfast, maybe with cottage cheese or Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. I COULD eat that toast plain and dry…but my morning joy skyrockets if I spread it with a little pure, salted butter (my mainstay for pure butter flavor is Land O Lakes). In any case where the flavor of the butter will really stand out, quality matters. You really do get what you pay for. Store brands or discounted butters have a much higher water content and far less butter flavor than their high quality counterparts. My advice is to buy the best butter you can afford and use it sparingly. And remember that butter stores beautifully in the freezer for months, so stock up when your favorite is on sale and rest assured that the quality won’t suffer when you move it from the freezer to the refrigerator or table.

Browned Butter
In the summer, one of our favorite meals is flank steak or salmon served with grilled asparagus, peppers and onions and boiled red-skinned potatoes swirled in browned butter and a little sea salt. Add a salad of sliced heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers and you have summer on a plate as far as I’m concerned. The healthfulness of everything else in the meal makes room for the fat and calories in the butter and if you keep portion sizes reasonable, there’s no reason this dish can’t fit into a healthful diet. Browning butter (the French call it beurre noisette) is so simple…you simply heat butter over medium heat until it foams (swirling the pan or stirring periodically). Once the foam rises and then falls, it’s done! As you swirl the pan a bit you will see browned bits in the butter (these are the milkfat solids and salt that have browned). Remove the pan from the heat immediately as the butter will keep cooking even in the hot pan and you don’t wan to overly brown it or the flavor will become bitter. Browned butter tastes completely different than plain melted butter. It’s a bit sweeter, far more complex, and even a bit nutty. It is AMAZING on boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables, or a simple mild fish (like sole, flounder, or tilapia). Try it and trust me, you’ll be a convert.

Compound Butter
I discovered this technique in a cooking class I took in college and am still amazed by the transformative power a compound butter can have on a dish. The technique is pretty simple. You simply soften some butter and then mix in anything you can think of! One of my stand-by combinations is chopped shallots and fresh thyme with sea salt and black pepper but you can experiment with any herb or flavor combination that appeals to you. Once the extras are mixed in thoroughly, you reshape the butter (i.e. press into a ramekin, roll into a log in waxed paper, form into an elaborate rosette – just kidding) and chill. It keeps well in the refrigerator so making it once will set you up for a while. As the butter melts into whatever you put it on, all of those complex flavors do too. Yum. I love to use this on a crusty whole grain bread or melted on a piece of salmon, chicken or steak as it comes off the grill. You can stir it into pasta or rice or top steamed vegetables with a dab for a flavor boost. I also do a sweet variation of this with a honey, vanilla, walnuts, and cinnamon (or toasted pecans, brown sugar, and a splash of rum) that can be used on pancakes, waffles, or even toasted bagels. This makes a brunch or breakfast party that much more special.

Margarine
I’ll wrap this up with a word about margarine. I know a lot of people have bought into the health marketing claims on margarine packaging and use it in everything from baking to sauteeing to flavoring foods. While there are certain health situations where margarine is likely the only butter-flavored alternative available (dairy sensitivities, lactose intolerance, high cholesterol issues), if I had those conditions, I think I’d convert to to healthful oils like olive or canola before I’d convert to margarine for most uses (except maybe baking). And if you don’t suffer from one of these conditions and have stopped using butter because you think margarine is healthier, I’d encourage you to do a bit of homework on the nutritional value of margarine (Marion Nestle’s Book “What to Eat” is a good source), then try butter again and let your taste buds be your guide.




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Steel Cut Oats on a Snowy Morning


We woke up to snow last Monday and it was scheduled to fall all day! While I don’t always take the time to make steel cut oats for breakfast, it’s one of my winter favorites. I got up early and put a pot on the stove before everyone else woke up. I added a little vanilla and cinnamon to the oats as they cooked and I chopped up some roasted almonds and got out pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried cherries, fresh blueberries and fresh strawberries for toppings. In 25 minutes, we had a pot of winter warmth ready for us. This is every bit as easy to make as regular oatmeal…it just takes a little longer to cook.

What I should do more often is to make this the night before in our crockpot so it is ready for us in the morning! I found this recipe on recipezaar.

If you’ve never had steel cut oats, they are simply oats left pretty close to their natural form. The whole oat kernel is cut into two or three pieces using steel discs. They are a better source of fiber than rolled oats, but take longer to cook. They taste a little chewier and nuttier than rolled oats.

By contrast, rolled oats have the bran mostly removed and are rolled flat to make them easier to cook. With the bran removed, they have less fiber than steel-cut oats.

Quick-cooking and instant oats are rolled oats that have been cut into smaller pieces and rolled thinner to cook even more quickly. They are an easy source for preparing many oatmeal dishes. But the kind found in packets often has a lot of added sugar! I’d rather get my sugar from my dessert than my breakfast.

So…if you’re waking up to snow and cold today or have a little extra time one weekend, try steel cut oats for breakfast and let me know what you think!

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