MEET REGISTERED DIETITIAN TORI GARNER

As the dedicated dietitian for Harney County Health District, Registered Dietitian (RD) Tori Garner oversees inpatient nutrition at Harney District Hospital (HDH) and consults with outpatients at NewSun Energy & HDH Specialty Care Clinic.

Tori’s goal is to provide accessible nutrition education in a fun and engaging way to anyone and everyone!

Tori attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., obtaining her bachelor’s degree in community nutrition, with a specialization in geriatric care. She then completed the more than 1,500 hours of required training as well as the certification exam to become an RD while at Oregon State University.

Following her education, Tori worked in Medford, in long-term care and skilled nursing. From there, she moved to Portland and worked with a low-income, geriatric population, helping patients secure adequate and nutritious food.

Tori said her approach to working with patients is holistic and focused on “meeting them where they are.” She believes small changes can lead to big results, and food should be an enjoyable experience.

“Food is so much — it’s emotional, cultural, and social. I learned a lot from that and want to bring that here,” she explained. “I’m not the food police. There’s room for enjoyment of food, while still taking care of your health.”

Outside of work, Tori enjoys a variety of hobbies — one of which (unsurprisingly) is cooking. Additionally, she and her husband, Logan, like hiking, fishing, and spending a lot of time with their silver lab, Cooper.

Talk to your primary care provider to learn more about whether nutrition consultation might be right for you. You can also call the Specialty Care Clinic at 541-573-4099 to learn more about Tori and the services that she provides.

Tori Garner Cropped Square

Registered Dietitian
Tori Garner

TORI’S RECIPE BOOK

Peach Salsa

Ingredients:
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 small tomatoes (or 1 large tomato), diced
• A handful of cilantro, diced
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 4 small peaches (or two medium/large peaches), diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced

Instructions:
Chop all ingredients and mix them together!

Tips:
• If you don’t have peaches, substitute whatever you have in your garden. Pears, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries are all great alternatives.
• Leave bell pepper out, if desired.
• This salsa tastes great with tortilla chips, on top of tacos or quesadillas, mixed into a wrap, over the top of salmon or chicken, or on a salad (instead of dressing)!

Peach Salsa

Peach salsa makes great use of the abundance from your garden harvest and is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Compared to store-bought salsa, this recipe contains 96 percent less sodium, 54 percent fewer calories, and 57 percent fewer carbohydrates.

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
• 1 avocado
• 2 spoonfuls of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 handful of cilantro ( Use more or less, depending on your flavor preference.)
• 1 handful of chopped green onion (Use more or less, depending on your flavor preference.)
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¾ cup skim milk
• Pepper to your preference

Instructions:
Blend together and enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Dressing

This salad dressing is just as creamy and delicious as ranch with 80 percent fewer calories, 85 percent less saturated fat, and 97 percent less sodium. Talk about a win-win!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

For salad:
• 1 quart strawberries
• 10 ounces spinach
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 avocado
• ½ red onion

For dressing:
• Juice from ½ lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Pinch of black pepper
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic

Directions:
1. Chop strawberries, walnuts, and red onion.
2. Slice avocado.
3. Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. Mix dressing ingredients together.

Make it a meal:
You can make this salad into a full meal by serving it with grilled chicken and brown rice or a tuna fish sandwich on whole-grain bread. You can also add quinoa and garbanzo beans to the salad to make it more filling.

Suggestions:
• Substitute black or blueberries for strawberries.
• Substitute pecans for walnuts.
• Add chia seeds to the dressing.

Strawberry Salad

This salad is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, omega 3, folate, and vitamin B! It is also appropriate for heart-healthy and diabetic diets. Another added bonus is that it only takes about 10 minutes to make!

Honey Dijon Salmon

Ingredients:
• 16 ounces of salmon (about three fillets)
• ½ tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Additional toppings (if desired) include black pepper, lemon slices, green onion, cilantro, and parsley.

Note: Add lemons prior to cooking, and garnish with herbs afterward.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. (Salmon can also be cooked on a cast-iron skillet.)
2. Place salmon on a foil-covered baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet, skin down.
3. Mix together honey, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and chopped garlic.
4. Pour mixture over salmon. Spread evenly.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Check for internal temperature of 145 F. Bake longer, as needed.

Tips:
You can make a full meal by pairing salmon with asparagus and brown rice or Brussels sprouts and a whole-grain dinner roll.

fried salmon with fresh garden cress, thyme, rosemary and dry sp

This quick and easy dish takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare, and it’s an excellent source of protein, omega 3s, and B vitamins.