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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Big Breakfast Bowl

Begin your day with a hearty breakfast that isn't full of saturated fats like eggs and bacon! This high fiber meal will not only keep your weight down but also your cholesterol and blood sugar. It's super filling, quick to make, and great for you. In one cup you'll average over 10 grams of fiber and over 10 grams of protein (not including the milk).

My Big Breakfast Bowl
In a big mixing bowl dump, equal looking parts of:
  • Old Fashion Oatmeal
  • Shredded Mini Wheat (plain, not frosted)
  • Grape Nuts
  • Uncle Sam cereal (or any other unsweetened, whole grain cereal you like)
Add:
  • crushed walnuts
  • chopped raisins
Mix it all together and put in an air tight container in the pantry. In the morning put about a cup in a regular bowl and add a sliced banana and any berries you have on hand, then pour your favorite milk alternative on top (almond, soy, rice...). Recently, I've been experimenting in adding a 1/8 tsp of different extracts for variety. My favorite is caramel but coconut and vanilla are also good! 

What's the Deal with Fiber?
Fiber is basically the indigestible carbohydrates in plant based foods (vegetables, fruit, grains and beans). So if we don't digest it and it provides virtually no calories then why is it important to good health, what nutritional significance does it have?

This indigestible "bulk" has huge health benefits from the moment you eat it to the moment you excrete it! Here's a few:
  • Weight Loss
    •  Fibrous foods require more chewing time which helps give your body more time to signal your brain when it's full. Since it takes up more room in your stomach, the stretch receptors in your stomach tell you you're full on less calories verses higher calories in smaller volume of food.
  • Regulating Blood Sugars
    • Fiber slows the digestion of sugars. Natural sugars found in whole, plant food is "packaged" with fiber so it takes longer to "unwrap". There's no quick sugar rush.
  • Lowering Cholesterol levels
    • Fiber traps cholesterol (from bile in the intestines) and eliminates it
  • Keeping you Regular
    • If you have problems pooping- eat more plant based foods and drink water! All the extra fiber will naturally relieve your constipation.
Because fiber comes only from plant sources if you increase your plant intake you will increase your fiber intake... and plants are loaded with many, many more health building substances! So the more plant based, whole foods you eat the better!


Thursday, January 19, 2012

Hummus- More Versitile Than You May Think & A Super Easy Recipe!



If you think you don't like hummus, give this heart healthy, red pepper version a try... you might change your mind! It's so easy to make I don't even need to write out the recipe... just look at the pictures!
2 cans of garbanzo beans, 1 jar of roasted red peppers in water, 3 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, 2 garlic gloves

Place everything in a food processor or blender.

Blend!!
 

I altered the original version slightly for my personal tastes. I found the recipe in in the book Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Cadwell Esselstyn.  As recommended by Dr. Esselstyn to prevent or reverse heart disease, I don't ate oils or nuts or seeds (watch here to see the "Reader's Digest" version of his book). Since it is really hard to find hummus without olive oil and impossible to find it without tahini (sesame seed butter), I make my own.

Try This!
I have use hummus in many ways. It's something I like to always have on hand. 
  •  It can be a quick snack on the go... just buy packed hearts of Romain lettuce and use the stiff leaves as a dipper/spoon. 
  • It's a great sandwich spread- it adds favor and headiness to your veggie sandwich.
  • Use it instead of pizza sause on your next no cheese, all vegetable pizza!
  • My most recent favorite thing is spreading it on sprouted english muffins (Food for Life makes  delicious ones) and toasting it. Then I add sliced tomatoes and cilantro.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

What is Healthy Eating? TED talk

Everyone has their own definition of healthy eating. For some it's cutting out red meat, eating only fish, switching to skim milk, buying fat free products, cutting out sugar, eating their favorite dessert only once a month, using protein powders, eating raw, buying only organic... the list goes on. There is no one definition of healthy eating. It's totally subjective. It's different for everyone and typically changes over the span of your life.

My goal is to be heart attack proof! Heart disease is still the number one killer in America! It doesn't have to be that way but we eat such a SAD (Standard American Diet) way- high in fat and highly processed. I have been a vegetarian most my life but after reading Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Esselstyn I have become a "Vegan Plus" (my own terminology). I not only don't eat animal products, I cut out all oil and eat as many greens as possible. Sound extreme?... So is cracking your chest open to save your life. I would rather eat healthy.

Here is an excellent TED talk that Dr. Esselstyn just hosted. It's worth the short watch.



I would love to tell all of American this good news! I have known too many young friends with high cholesterol, taking statins and eating a "healthy" diet still have heart attacks. I don't want one more dear person dying from the power of nutrition. The power of nutrition can either harm or heal you. I hope you pass this on to others are inspired to change a few things in your own diet. My desire is to continue to share with you truly healthy information and practical ways to incorporate it into your lifestyle. I'm always learning new things trying new recipes. You get the benefit of not having to try all my failed "experiments"! LOL!

Let me know what you think of Dr. Esselstyn's talk. Were you amazed? Stunned? Challenged? Encouraged?

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Want A Treat But Don't Want To Cheat?

The other day I wanted a treat but didn't want to cheat. The only ingredients I had to make a sweet treat were fruit and I wasn't in the mood for a smoothie. It just wasn't enough. I wanted chocolate. That's when I remembered I had cacao powder! I took stock of my frozen fruits and saw I had cherries. I decided to make a Chocolate Cherry Smoothie! And it was delicious!!

Here's what I did:
(Sorry I don't have exact measurements but I never measure when making smoothies.)
3 huge fistfuls of Kale (you won't taste it)
1 frozen banana
A large handful of frozen whole cherries
Cacao powder - maybe 1,5-2 tablespoons (you can use cocoa powder)
Soymilk to cover

Blend together! Pour in a large cup and add a straw :)
I put cacao nibs on top (bad idea, they stuck in the straw).
This was soooooo good! You can add greens to any smoothie and you won't taste it. It can change the color to a greenish brown color. If the color grosses you out just add blueberries or put it in a cup you can't see through. I switch up the greens depending on what I have. I encourage you to try it- greens are super important to your heart health! I will post about that another time. You can also use any type of milk you normally buy. I usually have both soy and unsweetened almond milk.

What is Cacao Powder?
I bought mine at a local, healthy grocery store.
No, I didn't spell cacao powder wrong-lol! Raw cacao powder is comes from the cacao bean. Cacao beans are the source of chocolate and cocoa powder. All that good stuff you hear about dark chocolate- cacao has all that an even more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff! And because it's not processed at high temperatures, all the nutritious goodies stay intact! It is loaded with anti-oxidants, fiber!, flavanols (good for your blood vessels) and polyphenols (gobble up free radicals).

Saturday, January 7, 2012

No Oil Bruschetta with Baked Pita Chips

A few days ago, I made this delicious, easy snack. It's based on Chef AJ's A Better Bruschetta recipe from her book Unprocessed. I view recipes as inspiration and don't worry about following the measurements. I will add more or less ingredients depending on my mood and family's preferences. So use my modifications and create your own yummy version of no oil bruschetta with my quick baked pita chips!
Here's how I made the bruschetta:

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl! It's that easy!
6 chopped Roma tomatoes
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 14-oz can of artichoke hearts (rinsed and chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (I buy bagged, peeled cloves from Trader Joe's and use a garlic press)
1/4 of a red onion, chopped super fine (my husband doesn't like big chunks of onion)
1 cup of chopped basil - (I didn't measure, I just used one basil bunch from the store)
a handful of chopped Italian basil
2 Table spoons of balsamic vinegar

Chef AJ's recipe calls for sun dried tomato powder but I didn't have any. She says you can make it from grinding your own sun dried tomatoes. I tried this but it didn't work for me. I looked in three different stores and couldn't find the powder. You have to buy this on line. One day I'll buy it and try it but this recipe is great without it!

How I made the baked pita chips:

I bought no oil added, whole wheat pita bread from Trader Joes. Then I cut them into quarters using a pizza cutter. Put them on the rack of my toaster over at 425 degrees and baked for about 6-8 minutes. They were crisp and tasty- perfect for scooping up the bruschetta!

The next day, I modified the left overs to make a meal! I mixed in a can of rinsed, white beans. Then put a few huge spoonfuls over brown rice. You have an instant, healthy, filling meal! To make it super quick, I always have frozen brown rice in the freezer so all I have to do is put it in a bowl and microwave for a few minutes. Easy nutrition that will make your insides smile :)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

How To Cut Basil - Video




Herbs and spices are a great, healthy way to give flavor to food. Basil is a tasty source of vitamins, particularly K and A- both of which are great anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help prevent free radical damage which can cause inflammation. Over time inflammation causes damage to your organs, contributing to disease.

I love fresh basil. I've tried growing it but tend to eat the leaves faster than they can grow. Maybe I should plant several. I wonder how many plants it would take to always have an abundance to harvest?