Organic or Not Organic…That is the Question

You’ve seen the articles, the research, etc. Eating organic definitely has its positives…along with a bigger piece of your paycheck! About 3/4 of traditionally grown produce show pesticides. But you don’t have to fork over your paycheck, just narrow your splurge to organic produce with soft skin or skin that you eat and save your $$ on foods that are usually free of pesticides due to their tougher, thicker outter layers. So go organic on apples, peaches, bell peppers, strawberries, pears and lettuce.  And go for conventionally grown bananas, kiwis, onions, mangoes (my personal fave!), pineapples and broccoli. How do you tell the difference? If you see a 5 digit number starting with 9, that means it is organic. A 4 digit number means conventional. And regardless of whether you purchase organic or conventional fruits and veggies, wash all of them with soap, water and a brush.

Then, to do triple duty–help the environment and your pocket book AND your body–shop nearby farmers’ markets which means less shipping, fresher produce, fewer greenhouse gases and lower costs.

On the dairy side, I personally opt for organic milks and free range eggs and meats in order to avoid antibiotics sometimes used and added hormones.  Is it worth it? You BETCHA!  

I mentioned earlier that I was going to start writing about some of my favorite things. Sometimes it will be a product, sometimes it might be a place, or sometimes it could be a product or thing–like a movie. Today, however, it is about a recipe. A HEALTHY recipe from a friend of mine Allison Reyna whose life mission is about helping people use food as medicine. As a single, working mom with kids on the go, the following recipe is easy, healthy, and full of protein, good fats and complex carbs. Plus, it stores well in the fridge or freezer. Just pop them out when you need them. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

No Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites

(Makes 24 1-inch balls and takes < 30 minutes to make!)

2 ½ cups rolled oats (regular)

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 Tbs. cocoa powder

½ cup raisins or dried cranberries

1 Tbs. raw sunflower seeds

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup almond butter

1/3 cup + 1 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: ¾ cup cacao nibs

(I also throw in some dried blueberries, and mini dark chocolate morsels!)

Directions:

1. Grind ½ cup oats, ¼ pumpkin seeds and 2 tbs. cocoa powder in food processor until powdery. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

2. Combine remaining 2 cups oats, remaining ¼ cup pumpkins sees, raisins, etc. and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in almond butter, honey, barley malt or brown rice syrup, and vanilla until soft dough forms.
3. Moisten hands and roll dough into 1 inch balls. Coat balls in oat-pumpkin-cocoa powder. Place on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer to set, then serve or store in fridge.
4. And– oh yeah, enjoy!

P.S. If you have allergies, food issues, weight loss goals, energy problems, or are battling an illness, I encourage you to seek guidance from a nutritional counselor. There is power in the right foods.

Are you ready for summer… and SWIM season?!! It’s just about here….with Memorial Day typically being the “official” kick-off for the summer season. The topic du jour at the gym and around the office is getting swimsuit ready! Losing weight is simple math, really. You’ve got to burn/take in 500 calories less a day in order to lose one pound a week. I think it’s easiest to do it by adding an extra 100-200 calories of activity coupled with a reduction of 250-300 calories a day. You can get there with a focus on food and fitness–two of my favorite things! (This btw, reminds me that in future blogs I am going to share a few of my favorite things! I hope you do, too.)

If the 500 calorie a day deficit seems too aggressive, losing half a pound a week is much easier–and definitely doable–especially for the ladies since our daily calorie needs are less than the guys. A 250 calorie a day decrease and/or exercise burn is easier to reach consistently.

For the fitness angle, get moving! No way around that one. For at least three workouts that include 20 minutes of resistance (minimum), 20 minutes of cardio and 5-10 minutes of stretching. (For why, look at past blogs on the importance of muscle and its calorie burning effect.) If you need some ideas for exercises, two sites I really like are Fitness Magazine where you can tailor your workout to your time, location, and equipment (if any). You do need to join the site, but it’s free and from there you can design a workout just for you, change it as often as you like, and see how to do the exercises. Another good site with exercise ideas is Runner’s World which also contains videos of the movement execution with verbal descriptions. Gotta love technology! On the food front, keep your focus on UNprocessed foods (oatmeal, eggs, lean meats, veggies and fruits and nuts—oh my!). When dieting, fiber and protein and good fats keep you feeling full longer. (DO watch your fat intake when trying to lose weight, however, since fat is calorie dense!) A great way to ensure your calories are not out of line is to keep a log. (And trust me, it keeps you honest!) If you are unsure about calorie counts, go to www.nutritiondata.com . Also, you can log your fitness and workouts on multiple free sites. My faves are www.runnersworld.com and www.fitday.com . To see ideas on the right foods for flat abs, check out Fitness Magazine Food For Flat Abs. Good luck on that bikini bod—I know you can do it!

Seriously, food manufacturers have got us pegged. They have figured out how to make sh– taste really good. And we’re suckers. We go for it. The smells in fast food joints are enticing. They elicit responses and make us want to eat it (so much for the healthy options). Then when you eat it, you feel good while you eat, you feel satisfied afterwards, like a drug. Then, you crash and guess what your body wants after you crash? More sh—.  Seriously, it’s a vicious cycle. The best way to avoid it is to NOT walk in the place. That’s A. And B - when grocery shopping, avoid boxes  whenever possible. Shop the perimeter. The more processed a food–meaning the more things done to a food once it leaves an animal, the ground, a tree or the ocean, the more processed it is. The more chemicals are added. The more fiber is stripped out. The more salt is added. MSG is awful. And the worst offender is the trans fat added to make the product hold up, like forever. Even mold avoids it!  In David Katz’s Flavor-Full Diet: Use Your Taste Buds to Lose Pounds and Inches, he shares the nitty gritty about the physical AND physiological dependence that is promoted by convenience, marketing and price.   Then, there is the Wake Forest School of Medicine which found the effect of trans fats on weight. Turns out they fed these two groups of monkeys an equal # of calories but gave one group just 8 % of their daily intake in trans fats. The trans fat group gained THREE times as much weight. So the moral of THAT story is you can’t go eat a fast food lunch and then think eating lean the rest of the day can make up for it. You might THINK so calorie wise but those trans fats do more than screw up your cardiovascular health. And oh yeah, it’s allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll belly fat!! If that isn’t enough to convince you to start eating healthy TODAY, then consider this:  Another study (CARDIA in 2005) followed 5000 healthy young adults for 20 years (that’s a GOOD sample and a good time period). Turns out, eating fast food was worse on a body than a sedentary lifestyle or alchohol consumption.

Be good to your body. Try a cleanse. I found a really great one several years ago and do it twice a year. It’s not tough and you’d be surprised at how far you’ve moved from eating healthy. I sleep like a baby and wake up before my alarm. I have tons of energy. There’s a great article you can follow at Experience Life Magazine on a fast track detox plan.  ENJOY and Happy Monday!

Several friends of mine have asked me to share my personal snack options….Oh my…how much time do you have? ! Being a food fan, I love to eat–so I was thrilled when years ago, I learned how A.) more muscle = more calories burned (muscle is metabolically active) and B.) eating through the day helps keep your metabolism running. I’ve been on the snack attack for over 15 years now and truly it IS enjoyable! Now, I DID have to make some adjustments to my 3 primary meals so I didn’t add calories to my day, but most days I eat 5-6X a day. What I eat for snacks is where I get the most variety in my diet.  And for me, variety is truly a spice of life. Sort of reminds me of my weekly workout plans….but, I digress!

So, here are examples of my mid meal snacks or mini meals:

PB or Almond Butter and half a banana or granny smith apple (sooooooooo satisfying!).

Apple or gluten free (I’m one of those sensitive to gluten gals) waffle with honey or agave nectar drizzled on it.

My own crunch mix: Barbara’s Cinnamon Puffins (gluten free, good fiber, natural ingredients), almonds and/or 1/8 cup pumkin seeds, + some dried cranberries or cherries for a little tart.

1/4c nut mixture of almonds and pumpkin seeds and cranberries. (Ok,  I AM a chocolate lover so if I want a little treat, I take a bit of sugar free dark Godiva chocolate, melt it, and mix in dried cranberries and then freeze it to harden–then I leave it in the freezer so when I eat some, it takes longer to melt in my mouth….!)

Air popped or microwave popcorn (but not from a bag but Presto Microwave Popcorn Maker about $10 from Wal-mart) and a spray of olive oil, light salt or a Ms. Dash flavor like chipotle for SPICE, or a little parmesan. You can even throw in cranberries again for a little salt and sweet blend. I buy my dried fruits organic with no sugar added or sulfites.

Hummus with raw veggies or wheat free crackers/pretzels.

I also get the low sugar oatmeal and a scoop of protein powder (Biochem is my current fave in ….yeah, chocolate), plus a few dried…yeah, cranberries again. I throw them and some protein powder in a baggie and take it to work, then add hot water and mix it all together.

Ideally for me, I am looking for a mix with carbs and protein and if I can squeeze in some good fat or fruit for antioxidants, even better.

And then of course, there are protein bars….but that’s a whole other blog or two!  They make it really easy for a mid morning snack if you are on the go or at the office.

I DO find, that if I am rushed and I miss my morning snack and have had a lighter primary meal, I start to run low since my calories are down, so I do try to think ahead and be prepared. When I can keep food intake at regular intervals, I find my energy levels are constant throughout the day.

Hope you had a great Monday.  Set your goals for this week, plan your meals, your workouts, and count your blessings.  Live FIT, be STRONG, and LAUGH often.

-Lisa 

Hello friends! I’ve heard from a few of you that you would like more breakfast ideas. EASY, quick breakfast ideas–but HEALTHY ones. Kudos to you guys for going the healthy route ! OK, here’s a couple of easy ones to try:

Almond Protein Shake - there are a couple ways to do this depending on your preference for vanilla vs chocolate! (I’m a chocolate girl, myself!) I start with chocolate, unsweetened almond milk (you can go for nonfat dairy milk, vanilla oat milk, or vanilla rice or soy milk. Then add either chocolate or vanilla protein powder. Currently, I am using Biochem’s chocolate protein powder. If you want to cut calories, go 4 oz of the base milk and 6-8 oz of water, add 1/2 banana (I freeze mine once they start turning so I never lose a banana!), 1 tbsp almond butter. You can also add 1/4 cup raw almonds if that’s easier. I also keep organic frozen blueberries in my freezer and throw that in as well, plus some cinnamon flax seed oil. Yum!

Another easy meal is your basic eggs and toast. Try 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread ( like the cinnamon and raisin–can you tell I love cinnamon?!) and make your self an omelet with 3-4 egg whites and 1/2 cup chopped spinach and if you have them on hand, you can throw in tomatoes/sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and/or onions (another good one to keep chopped and frozen in the freezer for ease. On your toast, again I go for a little sweet and good fat by either putting a tad of coconut oil on them fresh from the toaster so a little goes a long way, then I sprinkle stevia and loads of cinnamon. Add 1/2 a grapefruit and don’t forget your cup o’ GREEN! (…tea, that is–but with this breakfast you are also starting your day with a dark leafy veggie which is AWESOME!)

Another easy breakfast is OATMEAL. If you haven’t tried it in a while, this is one I tend to cook up more in the winter. Get yourself the SLOW cooked oatmeal, 1/2 cup, cook it per directions either microwave or stove top depending on your available time. Then, add in your protein powder . Again, I go for chocolate protein powder, about 1/3 package of sugar free hot chocolate mix (for sweetness), and 1 tbsp of almond butter. Mix it all up, then throw in fresh or frozen fruit–blueberries are a super food and they are always handy, but banana slices or raisins work well with this high protein, complex carb power breakfast.

These ought to get you going. If you have some ideas, please share them! Later I will share some snack ideas. My kids are hooked on a couple raw foods and home made energy bars.

POWER UP and LIVE FIT!

You know, try as I might, there are still days we are moving too fast. Now granted, it is usually due to the fact that we went too bed too late and didn’t get up as early as we should have…! Nonetheless, we still need something quick and easy AND healthy on our way out the door. Here’s a little something that is fast and good…AND healthy. It beats a refined-rich blueberry muffin and sugar coffee any day! (which, btw ladies, is 820 calories, 11 g protein, 35 grams of artery clogging / butt clinging FAT and 1 measly gram of fiber!) Try this and let me know what you think:

• 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese w/
• 1/2 fresh or frozen blueberries and 7 chopped almonds

(This little power mix provides 254 calories with 30 grams of protein, 7 grams of good fat, and 3 grams of fiber.) Sometimes I use Greek yogurt (so yummy and creamy) in place of the cottage cheese and throw in some Stevia and cinnamon, plus some whey protein and ground flax.

What about you? Got any on-the-go healthy snacks and meals you can share?

You BETCHA!!

Strength training builds muscle. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body. At REST, a pound of lean muscle burns up to 25 times more calories than a pound of fat. So, when you add muscle, your body burns more fat. Even at rest. How GREAT is that?! So, lift weights, eat protein. One of my favorite breakfasts is a protein pancake:

• 1 whole egg (preferable free range) + 2 whites
• ½ -1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (my fave right now is Designer Protein)
• ¼-1/3 c unsweetened chocolate almond milk (or soy or nonfat cow stuff)
• ½ c slow oats.

Add a couple drops of vanilla extract & mix it all together and let sit for about 2 minutes, so the oats soak up some moisture. Then pour it into a lightly sprayed omelet pan and cook. When I am finished cooking, I will remove the pancake, then throw in some organic frozen blueberries to lightly cook them. (I do try to avoid the microwave when possible.) You can either add a light syrup or try this. To get your good fat, pour a little flax oil over the pancake, then sprinkle with stevia and cinnamon and cover with your blueberries. Yum. Think I will go make some now!