I am obsessed with learning about health. I love to cook healthy food. I love to exercise. I also love to eat too much and have a hard time staying away from sweets. Today, I have to start being good to myself. I have to start walking the walk and talking the talk. I'm good at giving all sorts of advice about health food and exercise, but I haven't been so great about doing it myself, especially these last few months. I have been inspired by several friends and family members who are losing weight and taking care of themselves. I want to join them. I have to do this publicly. I have to report my progress here for all to see, maybe then I will take it seriously.
I will try to post weekly...I refuse to put how much I weigh on here. I will let you know how much I lose :)
My worst fear...I'll try hard and won't lose anything, but that is just the devil on my shoulder. I have to remind myself that when it gets hard.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Jen's Refried Beans and Enchilada Filler
So, in an effort to eat more beans around our house and less meat for every meal, I put together these super yummy beans!
Refried Beans
2 cups pinto beans
1 cup kidney beans (can use more pinto beans)
1 cup Quinoa (optional)
1/2 c up to 1 c. Water ( depends on how thick you want your beans
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1-2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime No salt seasoning (optional)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or another oil you can cook at high heat, I get my grapeseed oil at smiths)
Heat oil and cook onion and garlic until slightly brown, add a little water and all spices and cook for a few minutes. In a food processor, combine onion/garlic/spice mixture, as well as beans, quinoa and 1/2 cup water. Mix in processor until creamy, add water, if needed to desired consistency.
This recipe makes the BEST enchilada filler or burrito filler!
Refried Beans
2 cups pinto beans
1 cup kidney beans (can use more pinto beans)
1 cup Quinoa (optional)
1/2 c up to 1 c. Water ( depends on how thick you want your beans
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1-2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime No salt seasoning (optional)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or another oil you can cook at high heat, I get my grapeseed oil at smiths)
Heat oil and cook onion and garlic until slightly brown, add a little water and all spices and cook for a few minutes. In a food processor, combine onion/garlic/spice mixture, as well as beans, quinoa and 1/2 cup water. Mix in processor until creamy, add water, if needed to desired consistency.
This recipe makes the BEST enchilada filler or burrito filler!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Another Addiction - Sodium
Question: Which measurement contains 550 mg of sodium?
a. 1 tablespoon
b. 1 teaspoon
c. 1/2 teaspoon
d. 1/4 teaspoon
Go look at the nutrition facts on your salt container.
If you suffer from high blood pressure, you should be eating around 1500 mg of salt, if you are a healthy adult you should consume no more than 2400 mg of salt. That's a lot of salt, you say, but it can add up...try adding your salt up for the day. I did, my exceeded 2400 mg of salt and I don't eat processed foods....imagine if I did, what that amount would be. Read on...
My Dad went to the doc the other day and he encouraged him to eat less salt. This brought on lots of discussion in our house. The one thing we talked about was what we all love to eat most, for some it's sugar, for others it's salty foods, like chips, fries. So, salt can be an addiction? I think it can. It's in everything! Now, don't get me wrong, salt is important, very important, however, too much salt can cause all kinds of problems....how do you know if you're getting too much or too little?
I just read, yet another article that sums up what I'm trying to say much more eloquently! Click HERE to read more!
Low Sodium Brown Rice and Barley Soup
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 small package baby carrots chopped in large chunks or 3-4 large carrots, cut in large chunks
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
3 potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Barley
2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
8-12 cups water
Cut all veggies and saute in Olive Oil on Medium heat, for about 5-8 minutes. Add in brown rice and barley, saute again for another 5-10 minutes. This alone give the soup so much flavor (without salt!). Add in about 6-8 cups water and bring to boil on medium heat. Turn to low and let simmer until barley and brown rice is soft. Add in the tomatoes and spices and heat through. Add more water if your soup is too thick, unless of course you like it this way!
One more little tip: Most broths found in the store are LOADED with sodium, as well as canned goods, like tomatoes. So, our goal is not to cut out salt, but to cut back. By bringing out the flavor in our veggies and adding spices, not containing salt and letting them simmer before adding water, is a great way to go. I didn't use low-sodium canned tomatoes, because they added a lot of flavor alone. However, if you need to cut back even more, you can buy low-sodium tomatoes as well.
ENJOY!
a. 1 tablespoon
b. 1 teaspoon
c. 1/2 teaspoon
d. 1/4 teaspoon
Go look at the nutrition facts on your salt container.
If you suffer from high blood pressure, you should be eating around 1500 mg of salt, if you are a healthy adult you should consume no more than 2400 mg of salt. That's a lot of salt, you say, but it can add up...try adding your salt up for the day. I did, my exceeded 2400 mg of salt and I don't eat processed foods....imagine if I did, what that amount would be. Read on...
My Dad went to the doc the other day and he encouraged him to eat less salt. This brought on lots of discussion in our house. The one thing we talked about was what we all love to eat most, for some it's sugar, for others it's salty foods, like chips, fries. So, salt can be an addiction? I think it can. It's in everything! Now, don't get me wrong, salt is important, very important, however, too much salt can cause all kinds of problems....how do you know if you're getting too much or too little?
I just read, yet another article that sums up what I'm trying to say much more eloquently! Click HERE to read more!
Low Sodium Brown Rice and Barley Soup
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 small package baby carrots chopped in large chunks or 3-4 large carrots, cut in large chunks
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
3 potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Barley
2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
8-12 cups water
Cut all veggies and saute in Olive Oil on Medium heat, for about 5-8 minutes. Add in brown rice and barley, saute again for another 5-10 minutes. This alone give the soup so much flavor (without salt!). Add in about 6-8 cups water and bring to boil on medium heat. Turn to low and let simmer until barley and brown rice is soft. Add in the tomatoes and spices and heat through. Add more water if your soup is too thick, unless of course you like it this way!
One more little tip: Most broths found in the store are LOADED with sodium, as well as canned goods, like tomatoes. So, our goal is not to cut out salt, but to cut back. By bringing out the flavor in our veggies and adding spices, not containing salt and letting them simmer before adding water, is a great way to go. I didn't use low-sodium canned tomatoes, because they added a lot of flavor alone. However, if you need to cut back even more, you can buy low-sodium tomatoes as well.
ENJOY!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
12 Super Foods
I love reading articles about food and health and I came across an excellent one on MSN the other day. It listed 12 super foods that can heal and protect against all kinds of sickness. I'll list them below, click on the link for the article HERE to read the specifics!
1-Kiwifruit - has double the vitamin C found in oranges, more fiber than apples, and more potassium than bananas.
2-Cherries - fight inflammation and cancer.
3-Guava - Contains more Lypolene than any other fruit or veggie. Lypolene protects our healthy cells and fights cancer.
4-Beans - are a miracle food. From the article..."If you think fiber, protein, and antioxidants and immediately think, whole grains, meat and fruit, think again - beans offer all three in a single package."
5-Watercress - 4 times more calcium than milk, as much vitamin C as an orange and more iron than spinach
6-Spinach - protects against vision loss. It includes an assortment of vitamins...including vitamin K, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, magnesium and iron.
7-Onions & I'll add Garlic - "Onions are also extremely rich in sulfur and they have antibiotic and antiviral properties, making them excellent for people who consume a diet high in protein, fat, or sugar...".
8-Carrots - "In Chinese medicine, carrots are used to treat rheumatism, kidney stones, tumors, indigestion, diarrhea, night blindness, ear infections, earaches, deafness, skin lesions, urinary tract infections, coughs, and constipation."
9-Cabbage - "Cabbage is a powerhouse source of vitamins K and C. Just one cup supplies 91 percent of the recommended daily amount for vitamin K, 50 percent of vitamin C, good amounts of fiber, and decent scores of manganese, vitamin B6, folate, and more—and it'll only cost you about 33 calories. Calorie for calorie, cabbage offers 11 percent more vitamin C than oranges."
10-Broccoli - "A single cup of steamed broccoli provides more than 200 percent of the RDA for vitamin C (again, more than oranges), nearly as much of vitamin K, and about half of the daily allowance for vitamin A, along with plentiful folate, fiber, sulfur, iron, B vitamins, and a whole host of other important nutrients."
11-Kale - Kale is in the same family as broccoli and cabbage. "Kale is highly nutritious, has powerful antioxidant properties, and is anti-inflammatory." *Kale grows fast! It is best grown in your garden in the early spring and fall. Plant in the shade during summer.
12-Dandelion - promotes digestive health, treats heartburn and indigestion, and packs potassium that over the counter constipation remedies lack.
I loved this article! It gives new meaning to the phrase your Mommy repeated "eat your vegetables". This article suggested putting your greens like spinach, watercress and kale in a fruit smoothie. It masks the taste. My Sister-in-law also puts carrots in her shakes. This is great for kids who fight you on eating their greens. There is so much more interesting info in this article, so if you have the time...check it out ;)
1-Kiwifruit - has double the vitamin C found in oranges, more fiber than apples, and more potassium than bananas.
2-Cherries - fight inflammation and cancer.
3-Guava - Contains more Lypolene than any other fruit or veggie. Lypolene protects our healthy cells and fights cancer.
4-Beans - are a miracle food. From the article..."If you think fiber, protein, and antioxidants and immediately think, whole grains, meat and fruit, think again - beans offer all three in a single package."
5-Watercress - 4 times more calcium than milk, as much vitamin C as an orange and more iron than spinach
6-Spinach - protects against vision loss. It includes an assortment of vitamins...including vitamin K, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, magnesium and iron.
7-Onions & I'll add Garlic - "Onions are also extremely rich in sulfur and they have antibiotic and antiviral properties, making them excellent for people who consume a diet high in protein, fat, or sugar...".
8-Carrots - "In Chinese medicine, carrots are used to treat rheumatism, kidney stones, tumors, indigestion, diarrhea, night blindness, ear infections, earaches, deafness, skin lesions, urinary tract infections, coughs, and constipation."
9-Cabbage - "Cabbage is a powerhouse source of vitamins K and C. Just one cup supplies 91 percent of the recommended daily amount for vitamin K, 50 percent of vitamin C, good amounts of fiber, and decent scores of manganese, vitamin B6, folate, and more—and it'll only cost you about 33 calories. Calorie for calorie, cabbage offers 11 percent more vitamin C than oranges."
10-Broccoli - "A single cup of steamed broccoli provides more than 200 percent of the RDA for vitamin C (again, more than oranges), nearly as much of vitamin K, and about half of the daily allowance for vitamin A, along with plentiful folate, fiber, sulfur, iron, B vitamins, and a whole host of other important nutrients."
11-Kale - Kale is in the same family as broccoli and cabbage. "Kale is highly nutritious, has powerful antioxidant properties, and is anti-inflammatory." *Kale grows fast! It is best grown in your garden in the early spring and fall. Plant in the shade during summer.
12-Dandelion - promotes digestive health, treats heartburn and indigestion, and packs potassium that over the counter constipation remedies lack.
I loved this article! It gives new meaning to the phrase your Mommy repeated "eat your vegetables". This article suggested putting your greens like spinach, watercress and kale in a fruit smoothie. It masks the taste. My Sister-in-law also puts carrots in her shakes. This is great for kids who fight you on eating their greens. There is so much more interesting info in this article, so if you have the time...check it out ;)
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