Chicken Sausage Skillet Dinner Recipe, Spotlight on Fennel, Wok—A Stovetop Essential, Add Spice for Portion Control, and Mindfulness and Step-tracking Boost Motivation

I love a meal that comes together in one pot with ingredients that create a yummy sauce. I’m using chicken as a change from pork sausage and checking off all the boxes by combining it with fresh peas and new potatoes. There’s also a reason for the sprinkle of peperoncino—a study showed that chili peppers can help you eat less while still feeling satisfied. And if you’re looking for added motivation to get involved in warm-weather activities, there’s an app that can help.

Chicken Sausage Skillet Dinner

• Chicken Sausage Skillet Dinner

  Parboiling the potatoes cuts the cooking time of this flavorful dish. The recipe makes a delicious dinner, but it’s also great for a picnic since you can enjoy it at room temperature—for safety, remember to consume hot or cold foods within an hour of taking them off the stove or out of the fridge. Note: If you can only find chicken sausage links, simply squeeze them out of their casings and into the hot pan.

  Ingredients

  • 1 pound fingerling or new red potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 pound chicken sausage
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino (Italian red pepper flakes)
  • 1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
  • 1 cup freshly shelled green peas
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

  Directions

  Step 1

  Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes; drain. When cool enough to handle, cut them in half.

  Step 2

  Heat a large flat-bottom wok over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the chicken sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and stirring until the meat is opaque and cooked through. Add the fennel seeds, peperoncino, and potatoes and sauté with the chicken until the potatoes crisp.

  Step 3

  Add the stock and use the spoon to release any bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat and cook down the stock until reduced by half. Add the peas and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano, stirring constantly (the sauce will thicken as the cheese melts).

  Step 4

  Off the heat, add black pepper to taste. Top each portion with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil.

  Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Fennel Seed

Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club know that I’m a fresh fennel fan, but I also love fennel seeds, harvested from the plant’s flowers and then dried. While they’re ubiquitous in Italian pork sausages, they’re not always included in chicken sausages, so I’ll simply add them for their distinctive light licorice taste. Part of the same family as anise, fennel is more subtle.

Delicious in pork dishes, fennel seeds are also a great addition to summer potato, seafood, and pasta salads. When shopping, look for fennel seeds that are a pale green, not grey or brown, for freshness. If a recipe calls for ground fennel, simply pulverize them in a spice or coffee bean grinder.

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Wok: A Stovetop Essential

Did you know that a flat-bottomed wok can lead a double life as a frying pan? With higher sides and a wide surface area, a wok should be used for more than stir-fries—often it can sear, sauté, and even deep fry, not to mention cook stews and curries. Many companies now manufacture high-quality woks made of carbon steel that cost less than $70 and will last for decades with the proper care.

For Your Best Health

Add Spice for Portion Control

It’s a provocative—and potentially tasty—concept: Making meals slightly spicier can lead to eating fewer calories, according to Penn State University Sensory Evaluation Center researchers who examined how increasing “oral burn,” the spicy taste from ingredients like chili peppers, affects how much food people consume during a meal.

“We know from previous studies that when people slow down, they eat significantly less,” said Paige Cunningham, PhD. “We suspected that making a meal spicier might slow people down. We thought, let’s test, under controlled experimental conditions in the lab, if adding a small amount of spice, but not so much that the meal is inedible, will make people eat slower and therefore eat less.”

The researchers found that increasing spiciness slightly with dried chili pepper did indeed slow down eating and reduce the amount of food and energy consumed at a meal, all without negatively affecting the palatability of the dish.

The team conducted three related experiments with a total of 130 adults who were served one of two lunch meals—beef chili or chicken tikka masala—in one of two versions: mild or spicy. The spiciness level was controlled by carefully varying the ratio of hot versus sweet paprika added to the dishes while keeping chili flavor constant.

The researchers recorded participants on high-definition video while they ate their meals to monitor their eating behaviors. From the videos, the team measured the amount of food and water consumed, meal duration, eating speed of grams per minute, bite rate, and bite size and collected ratings on appetite, liking, and spiciness before and after the meal.

The study suggests that the reduction in intake is driven by changes in what are called oral processing behaviors. Specifically, participants ate the spicier meals more slowly. Dr. Cunningham explained that a slower eating rate often means food is in the mouth longer, which can help signal fullness and lead to eating less. Other studies that slow eating rate by manipulating texture have shown similar effects, she said.

“What’s critical here is that the reduction in intake occurred without negatively impacting how much participants liked the food,” said John Hayes, PhD, Penn State professor of food science, director of the Sensory Evaluation Center, and corresponding author on the paper.

He added that water intake didn’t differ significantly between spicy and mild meals, suggesting that one seemingly obvious explanation, that people drank more water and filled up faster, was not the primary reason people ate less. “This is why we need to do empirical studies of behavior, because what you might intuitively expect is often not the case,” Dr. Hayes said.

He also noted that appetite ratings made before and after the meals were similar, suggesting participants still felt full after the spicy meal, despite eating less of it. “This points to added chilies as a potential strategy for reducing the risk of energy overconsumption,” he said. “While portion control wasn’t the explicit goal of this study, our results suggest this might work. Next time you’re looking to eat a little less, try adding a blast of chilies, as it may slow you down and help you eat less.”

The team is now focused on understanding how oral burn can impact other eating behaviors, like snacking.

Fitness Flash

Mindfulness and Step-tracking Boost Motivation

A study from the Centre for Motivation and Behaviour Change at the University of Bath in the UK and published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity shows that combining step-tracking with mindfulness training delivered via a mobile app can significantly boost the desire to exercise.

While step-tracking alone versus step-tracking alongside a daily mindfulness training course had similar impacts on short-term physical activity, with all study participants exercising more than before the study, those in the mindfulness group did increase their intentions to stay active, a key psychological driver of lasting behavior change.

Lead researcher Masha Remskar, PhD, from the department of psychology at Bath, said, “Our findings show that even short-term mindfulness training combined with step-tracking can make people want to move more, which could have lasting benefits. Helping people build that internal drive towards behavior is essential, especially at a time when many people are struggling to stay active.”

The trial involved 109 adults in England who weren’t meeting recommended activity levels. Over 30 days, all participants were asked to aim for 8,000 steps a day using a basic tracker. Half also followed a daily mindfulness program via a mobile app, with short practice sessions focused on body awareness, movement, and exercise. The sessions that participants used were created by the research team, in collaboration with the Medito Foundation, and are available through the free app Medito.

By the end of the month, both groups had become more active. On average, participants in the mindfulness group increased their activity by approximately 373 minutes of moderate exercise per week, while those in the steps-only group averaged 297 minutes per week. Those who used the mindfulness app also reported a significantly stronger intention to keep exercising, which may suggest that a gradual longer-term change was beginning (the current study did not include a longer follow-up period to explore this trend further).

“Intentions are one of the strongest predictors of future behavior,” Dr. Remskar added. “What’s exciting is that adding a mindfulness component to step-tracking seems to help people mentally commit to being more active. We are particularly excited to have worked with a non-profit collaborator, Medito, which means that the mindfulness program is freely available to anyone who wishes to try it for themselves.”

“This is an exciting first study that combines mindfulness training with strategies designed to help people move more and internalize their motivation for physical activity,” said Max Western, PhD, study co-author and senior lecturer in the department of health at Bath. “There is a lot of potential here and we are keen to refine these tools to make them more engaging and effective, especially for people balancing competing demands.”

Future studies will test whether the motivational benefits seen here translate into real-world behavior over time.

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Smashed Potato Pie Recipe, Spotlight on New Potatoes, Sizing Up Cast-Iron Skillets, More Reasons to Boost Plant-Based Proteins and Easing Concerns About Soreness After Activity

Viewers of the Great British Baking Show know that pies with “soggy bottoms” are a top fear of its contestants. There are no worries about that with this crust made from potatoes—a tasty version of a quiche that’s a win-win. So are the two studies I’m sharing. One busts the myth that we experience greater muscle soreness after workouts, a concern that leads many to scale back on workouts unnecessarily. The second provides food for thought from research that included data from 101 countries: it found that there are longevity benefits to getting more daily protein from plants.

Smashed Potato Pie

• Smashed Potato Pie

  Whether you want to skip the gluten of a typical pie crust or are simply looking for a tasty alternative, using new potatoes is a delicious choice. 

  Ingredients

  • 2 pounds new red or small Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed and left whole
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided use
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
  • 6 asparagus spears, sliced on the diagonal into 2” pieces
  • 8 large eggs
  • 8 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese 
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Optional garnish: your choice of fresh herbs

  Directions

  Step 1

  Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the potatoes and the tablespoon of salt. Boil until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes then drain. 

  Step 2

  While the potatoes are boiling, heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, bell pepper, asparagus, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté until the vegetables are tender then transfer them to a bowl. 

  Step 3

  Preheat your oven to 400°F. Brush the skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, place them in the skillet. Starting in the center, use a metal measuring cup to flatten them against the bottom of the skillet. Then use the side of the measuring cup to press them halfway up the sides. Check the “crust” to be sure the entire bottom of the skillet is covered. Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy. 

  Step 4

  While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Fold in the shredded cheese, vegetables, remaining teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. 

  Step 5

  When the crust in done, transfer the skillet to a heat-resistant pad or trivet. Carefully pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly across the top and return the skillet to the oven. Continue baking until the eggs are set, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before garnish with herbs, if desired, and cutting into wedges.

  Yields 6 to 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

New Potatoes

New potatoes are early-harvest spuds, just as rich in vitamin B6 and potassium as more mature ones but sweeter. Their thin, tender skins don’t need to be peeled, but they’re also more delicate—buy only what you’ll use within a week or two at most, and store in a paper bag in the fridge. Wash just before using, but don’t scrub or you risk wearing away the nutrient-rich skin. These potatoes also cook up fast. When drizzled with olive oil and roasted, the skins crisp up while the flesh becomes creamy—heavenly!

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Sizing Up Cast-Iron Skillets

Many chefs love cast iron because of how well it retains heat, resulting in more even cooking. But most people own just one cast-iron skillet, if they own any. And chances are it’s either 10 or 12 inches. So, you might be surprised to learn that they come as small as 3-1/2 inches—great for making one perfect fried egg—and as large as 17 inches, and sometimes more. Another thing that might come as a surprise is that these pans can be either smooth or rough surfaced. Smooth surfaces are better for cooking delicate foods, like a fish fillet, without sticking. They’re also more expensive because of the manufacturing process needed to create that smoothness.

For Your Best Health

More Reasons to Boost Plant-Based Proteins

A global study published in Nature Communications by experts at the University of Sydney has shown that people around the world who consume more plant-based proteins, such as chickpeas, tofu, and peas, have longer life expectancies. Alistair Senior, PhD, PhD candidate Caitlin Andrews, and their team at the Charles Perkins Centre studied food supply and demographic data between 1961 and 2018 from 101 countries to understand whether the type of protein consumed had an impact on longevity.

Said Andrews, “Our study suggests a mixed picture when it comes to comparing the health impacts of meat- [and] plant-based protein at a population level. For the under-5s, a food system that supplies large amounts of animal-based proteins and fats, such as meat, eggs, and dairy, lowered rates of infant mortality. However, for adults, the reverse was true, where plant-based proteins increased overall life expectancy.”

To understand the impact of plant- and animal-based protein diets on human longevity, the researchers analyzed publicly available data about the food supply across a 60-year period. The data included the amount of food produced per country, along with the levels of calories, proteins, and fats. The countries studied represented a range of food systems, including those where the consumption of animal-based protein is higher, such as Australia, the US, Sweden, and Argentina, and those where the consumption of plant-based foods is more prevalent, such as Pakistan and Indonesia.

To compare the impact of different countries’ food supplies on life expectancy, the researchers corrected the data to account for differences in wealth and population size between countries. They then found that countries where the overall availability of plant-based proteins was higher, such as India, people had relatively longer life expectancies than countries where animal-based proteins were more readily available, such as in the US.

Eating high levels of animal-based protein, particularly processed meat, has long been linked to a range of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Plant proteins, including legumes, nuts, and whole grains, are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases and overall mortality rates, with studies suggesting that plant-based diets have contributed to longevity in the most long-lived communities on the planet, such as Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria Greece; and Loma Linda, California.

“Protein is a crucial part of the human diet, but as eating habits change and developed countries look to decarbonize, where we get our protein from has come under greater scrutiny,” said Dr. Senior. “The knowledge that plant-based protein is associated with a longer life is really important as we consider not only how our diets impact our own longevity, but the health of the planet.”

Fitness Flash

Easing Concerns About Soreness After Activity

A study done by researchers from multiple institutions in the UK, published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, has overturned the widespread belief that aging muscles are less resilient; they found that older adults experience less muscle soreness than their younger counterparts. 

The research provided a comprehensive analysis of how aging affects muscle function, soreness, and biochemical markers of muscle damage after exercise. By pooling data from 36 studies, the scientists found that older adults do not experience greater muscle function loss after exercise than younger individuals. Younger adults were categorized as between 18 and 25 years old and older adults more than 35 years old. 

The findings suggest that, despite physiological changes with age, muscle resilience remains relatively stable, allowing older people to continue engaging in regular physical activity without increased concern for prolonged weakness or loss of function.

One striking discovery was that muscle soreness was consistently lower in older adults, around 34 percent at 48 hours and 62 percent at 72 hours, compared with soreness in younger individuals. Creatine kinase level, an indicator of muscle damage, was approximately 28 percent lower in older adults at 24 hours post-exercise.

Interestingly, sex appeared to play a role in muscle function recovery, with males showing slightly greater decreases in muscle function after exercise than females. There was no observed impact of upper- or lower-body or exercise type (resistance training or endurance training) on muscle damage markers.

“These findings are significant because they challenge the widespread belief that aging muscles recover more slowly or are more prone to exercise-induced damage. This misconception often discourages older adults from engaging in regular physical activity due to fears of prolonged soreness or weakness,” said senior author Lawrence Hayes, PhD, of Lancaster University Medical School.

If older individuals experience less muscle damage symptoms than previously thought, recovery strategies, training programs, and post-exercise care could be adjusted accordingly. For example, older adults may not require significantly prolonged recovery periods compared with younger individuals, potentially allowing for more frequent or intense training sessions, leading to better long-term health outcomes.

Overall, this study reinforces the importance of staying active throughout life and dispels myths that aging equates to frailty or impaired recovery. These findings could contribute to greater participation in fitness activities among older adults, improving overall health, mobility, and quality of life.

“This means exercise has no age limit, so move more to live longer and healthier,” Dr. Hayes said. “Aim for 150 minutes of activity each week, add strength training twice per week, and most importantly, find a workout you love. When you enjoy it, you’re more likely to stick with it.”

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