Quin-WHAAAT? Quinoa!!!

FACT: Up until about 2 years ago I had never heard of quinoa, ever. Now it is an irreplaceable staple in my pantry. I LOVE ME SOME QUINOA! I remember the exact day that I was introduced to this phenomenal pseudo-grain. I went to eat a spaghetti dinner at my cousins house because my Aunt was in town. She generally eats gluten-free, or at least she did at the time so she made some quinoa for herself to substitute for the noodles. I figured I'd give it a try...I try to stay adventurous! SOO glad I did. Quinoa topped with spaghetti sauce, who knew? Simple and delicious!


I love quinoa for it's simplicity, versatility, and mostly I just love it because it is so good for me!


The important FACTS:

• Quinoa is actually a seed not a real grain, however because of it's grain-like qualities it is often classified as a grain. It's like a grain...BUT BETTER.

• Quinoa is a complete protein! What does this mean? Well our bodies have the ability to produce amino acids, however there are 9 amino acids that our bodies are incapable of producing on our own. These 9 essential amino acids are vital for proper tissue growth and repair. A complete protein contains all of these amino's. Incomplete proteins do not contain all of these amino acids. Examples of an incomplete protein would be rice, which must be paired with beans to create the complete protein that your body needs for repair. It's a great protein source for all you vegetarians/vegans out there! Quinoa has it all folks, so get excited!

• Quinoa is high in fiber, but low in fat. It will keep that blood sugar regulated and keep you fuller longer, which makes it an excellent choice for those trying to lose weight.

• It's high in maganese which acts as a disease and cancer fighting antioxidant.

• It is also a good source or phosphorus and iron keeping those bones strong and energy levels high. 

• As I stated above it is gluten-free for those with Celiac disease.

• It only takes about 15 minutes to cook. Simply cook 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water in a pot. It's hard to mess up (especially compared to rice)! Side note: make sure you rinse well before cooking to remove saponin on outside of the seed which can create a foul taste. 

• It has a very mild flavor and texture so it works with just about ANYTHING...It can be used as a hot breakfast, in place of rice or pasta, in salads, casseroles, ect. Our neighbor makes a mean cold quinoa salad, simply by cooking the quinoa and chopping up lots of raw colorful crunchy veggies (like cucumber, peppers, celery, onions) tossing in some herbs and seasonings, often adding a touch of agave to add a little sweetness! Again, simple and delicious!

•  Most kids love it...because of it's mildness it adapts to whatever flavors toss with it and it has a likable texture. Try making Mac and Cheese with quinoa, ohh yeah! 

There you go. Now you know. Here is a protein punch avocado quinoa salad I made the other day! It was perfect! (Not so much for kids unless they have the acquired taste for cilantro- which mine do not, but I still made them eat a small amount as I do with anything so they learn versatility) So for you mommies out there you can cook a little extra quinoa and heat it up with some cheese and dash of milk on the side for the kids! This is slightly labor intensive compared to a few of my other recipe's but it is well worth it!!! If you're ambitious give this recipe a go, or if you're more of the simple recipe type try the other ideas I posted in this blog! 

Avocado Cilantro Quinoa Salad

adapted from http://thediva-dish.com

1/2 C. dry quinoa

2 C. vegetable broth (or chicken)

1 can garbanzo or black beans-rinsed 

1 avocado diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

3 tsp. minced garlic

For the dressing:

2 TBSP of lemon juice

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 TBSP. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak rinsed quinoa for 15 minutes in vegetable broth. Then turn up heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. It's OK if there is a little excess broth, as long as quinoa is tender. Turn off heat and let set while you prepare the rest of the salad.

2. Throw rinsed spinach, cilantro, onions and garlic in food processor or finely slice and mince finely by hand if you don't have a food processor. Put green mixture in bowl and toss in beans. 

3. In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. 

4. Once quinoa is slightly cooled toss it into the green mixture along with the dressing. Then add your diced avocado. I'm not a tomato fan, but if you are slicing up some cherry tomatoes and adding it here would add some more color.

5. Set in refrigerator for 15 minutes or so, then serve and eat. Viola. 

Define CLEAN.

I got a little ahead of myself and my friend Allie brought this to light. I think this should have been my second post! Some of you may be very familiar with the basics, others however are not, so here goes. WHAT IS CLEAN EATING?  WHAT SHOULD I AVOID? WHAT ARE SOME ESSENTIALS I SHOULD BUY?

Loaded questions, right?...how on earth did I miss this entry (kicks self)!?

I would define clean eating in a nut shell as ridding your diet of processed, refined, toxic food-like products and replacing it with healthier whole food alternatives. I'll leave it at that for now as you'll learn a little more in depth as we go along.

Foods to avoid:

• ANYTHING WHITE. Seriously. Not only are white products severely processed and stripped of almost all nutritional value, they are bleached with chlorine (hence the whiteness). So when you eat products that contain white flour, sugar, rice, breads, noodles, ect you are consuming toxic chlorine. Cool, right? :-/
• Other extremely processed foods/substances (artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, ect)
• Foods with long uncomprehendable ingredients lists. It's important to KNOW what it is you're putting in your body. By doing this you will be decreasing the amount of food additives, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives that can be harmful and toxic when consumed in excess amounts. Try to stick to ingredient lists with less than 5 ingredients when possible.
• ALL Trans fats. And minimize Saturated fats.
• Most pre-packaged and frozen pre-made meals and snacks. 
• Fatty cuts of meat, and meats that come from factory farming instead of free range grass raised animals. Factory farmed meats are loaded with steroids, hormones, and antibiotics which we then ingest secondarily. 

That about wraps up the bulk of foods to avoid, there are many specific clean eating diets that would add to the list of foods to avoid, and that would take away from some of the foods I am about to list as clean. Clean is a very relative term to one's beliefs. Some of these more specific diets include paleo, vegan, vegetarian, raw foodists, ect... I kind of eat a combination of all of these diets because I believe in some of the benefits from a lot of these diets but I also believe in listening to your body and choosing the clean lifestyle that works best for your bodies needs.

So you just clean swept your kitchen. Where do you start? This can be a daunting task to those unfamiliar with clean whole foods. This is a grocery list of some of the major basics that I always keep on hand.

Clean foods:

• PRODUCE, PRODUCE, and more PRODUCE. Obviously only keep on hand about a weeks worth of what your household will consume but you want variety. This will keep your meal options endless. Switch up the types of fruits, greens, veggies you purchase weekly so that nothing gets boring. We get a local produce basket (bountiful baskets) every Saturday. Our baskets are never the same and often gives us new fun fruits to try that I otherwise would have never opted to buy myself. Then once we see what we have in our basket I buy whatever other produce I want to use for the week. 
• 100% whole grain products (not multi-grain, multi-grain just implies they use multiple types of grains, it doesn't necessarily mean the entire nutritious fibrous grain is included). These include whole wheat/grain noodles, breads (watch ingredients lists and sugar content though), tortillas, steel cut or 100% rolled oats, and brown rice.
• Quinoa is an excellent mild versatile grain-like crop that can be used as a rice or pasta substitute as well. It's also a complete protein- score!!
• A variety of raw unsalted nuts, seeds, and dried fruits (however watch the added sugar on the dried fruit) make great quick snacks, granola, and additives for salads and such.
• Find your favorite healthy fat substitute: the two I use religiously are olive oil and coconut oil.
• Greek yogurt. I use it as a substitute for mayonnaise, sour cream, or eat it as a snack with some honey and fruit.
• Sugar substitutes such as raw honey, agave nectar, and stevia. 
• Lean grass fed, free range meats and eggs (look for labels like organic, grass fed, no hormone added, free range)
• For those cheese lovers try to stick to white cheeses as they are generally leaner

This is a list that will get you started and although it's all simple relatively whole ingredients that possibilities are endless. Organic is always the best option when feasible. 

Here is a smoothie to get you started on your clean eating endeavor using your freshly bought produce! CHEERS!

Creamy Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

6-8 fresh strawberries

1 ripe banana

2 TBSP plain greek yogurt

1 c. vanilla almond milk (or other milk of choice).

about 5 ice cubes

optional add-ins I commonly use: handful of spinach and chia seeds. 

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Indulge guilt-lessly.

Did someone say breakfast?!

We've all heard it before. Common knowledge is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But why? Let's start with the basics. What does the word itself tell us... that it is a break from our fast. Our body slows down at night but that's not to say that it's not hard at work still. The body repairs itself and detoxes every night while we are resting our muscles and brain. Let's say you eat dinner at 6 pm, and you don't eat breakfast until 7 or 8 am...your body has been hard at work all night, yet you haven't eaten in over 12 hours. It NEEDS fuel asap to properly function. If you skip breakfast and don't eat until noon, your blood sugar is likely to be extremely low. Energy levels non-existent Brain incapable of function. Muscles fatigued. It's a concoction for disaster, and you're setting yourself up for a serious lunch time gorge, which isn't a healthy thing either. Studies show that those who skip breakfast (both adults and children of all ages) are at higher risk for obesity than those who eat breakfast regularly. If you think you are doing your body a favor by opting out of those calories, you're very very wrong. Your metabolism slows at night because it knows you wont be eating for a long period of time...if we don't fuel it within an hour of waking then our metabolism can't "wake up" either. Which would you rather...a quick metabolism, active brain, fueled muscles or a dragging metabolism, dead brain, and groggy muscles? Take your pick. Children are constantly growing physically and mentally- it is even more important that their bodies and minds are constantly being fueled. Skipping breakfast can be even more harmful than in adults.


Now we know why we need to eat it. Let's move on to WHAT we need to eat. This is where I get excited, because I LOVE breakfast! No, I don't think you understand the extent of my obsession with breakfast foods...I LOVE BREAKFAST! I dream up my breakfast all night long, then wake up...pee...drink a glass of water (because your body dehydrates over night) then I eat. It takes priority to just about everything. My kids love breakfast too, the first thing out of their mouth when they wake up is "I want breakfast" and it's because there body routinely gets fueled and fed first thing when they wake up. It's all about training that metabolism!


I used to be a serious cold sugary cereal eater...I had a inadament object crush on cinnamon toast crunch, I've long sense moved on. Walk into your pantry. No really, get up out yo chair and go look at the nutritional facts on the cereal currently in your pantry. Look at 3 things...the serving size, how many grams of sugar, and how high up on the ingredients list is sugar listed. I'd throw down some serious cash that your jaw will drop. First off that serving size...1/2 c-3/4 c. You know your cereal bowl gets filled to the rim with 3 times that much cereal. Now grams of sugar...raisin brand which most people view as a "healthy" option averages 16 grams of sugar per serving depending on the brand. Even if you just double that serving size that is 32 grams of sugar in a single mean, oh and that's not even taking into account milk. Sugar is most commonly in the top 3 ingredients in most cereals. Yes, I'd like a little corn flake with my white refined sugar! Gross. Your blood sugar and your child's blood sugar is going to spike and then crash and burn shortly there after leaving you just as dysfunctional if you hadn't eaten. Just pay attention, read the labels...not all cold cereal is bad so check the label and purchase the cereals with less than 5 g of sugar per serving AND have contains whole grains.

Breakfast needs to contain healthy protein and plenty of fiber. We fill our mornings with 100% whole rolled oats oatmeal (lots of it, my son will eat it everyday, multiple times a day, if I'd let him), fruit, eggs and omelets, smoothies, turkey bacon, whole wheat toast w/ nut butter..we even eat whole wheat muffins, french toast, waffles, crepes and pancakes. YES, WE EVEN EAT PANCAKES! We are not deprived, we just eat the cleaner alternatives that have just as much if not MORE taste!

Here is my ALL TIME favorite pancake recipe....so far ;-)
When we purchased our vitamix we got a recipe book which had a recipe for apple whole wheat pancakes...well I have made them several times and have made some modifications and this is my favorite version.

Ingredients:
1 c whole wheat flour
3 TBSP of stevia
3 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp of coconut oil (or other oil of choice)
1/4 tsp of vanilla
1 c of milk (I generally use soy or almond, but have made it with skim as well)
1 large apple deseeded (remove core too if you don't have a powerful blender)

Directions: Combine the first 7 dry ingredients in large mixing bowl until well blended.
Put the last 5 ingredients in blender and blend for about 30 seconds until well mixed and there are no apple chunks. Pour the wet mixture into dry mixture, combine well. Pour onto hot skillet greased with healthy oil of choice (I used coconut). Check frequently and flip when lightly browned on the bottom and bubbles are starting to form on top.

These are good enough to eat completely plain. Or spread some peanut butter on it and drizzle it with honey. Or a little pure maple syrup or agave. Less than 100 calories a pancake yet fully satisfying and satiating. All the fiber you need to jump start your day! Guilt-less eating at it's finest! More breakfast recipes to be posted, because, well I LOVE BREAKFAST and I hope you learn to love it too!

Who you calling chicken?

Are you chicken? 

What are your fears? Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of the unknown? Are you afraid of suffering or sacrifice? We ALL have our fears, our weaknesses, our skepticism's, but there is few greater feelings than that of accomplishment. Over coming those fears, conquering those weaknesses, is extremely empowering and worth every bit of sweat, blood, and/or tears that might come along with that. You need to know that you are strong enough. Repeat with me... "I AM STRONG ENOUGH." Whatever your goals may be: to lose weight, gain muscle, gain energy, live healthier, eat cleaner, run faster, run longer, lower cholesterol, strengthen heart...YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. No one ever got to where they wanted to go without a little hard work, heart ache, or sacrifice. You can't take a vacation without working for the funds to travel, and moving around the schedule to make time available to travel. Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb on his first try (but aren't we glad he didn't quit on himself). I didn't get to where I am today with out a lot of hard work, personal heart ache, and sacrifice. Here are a couple of tips I use with my clients to get you started. 

1. Remove "I can't" from your vocabulary. LIKE NOW! Then replace it with "I WILL"...You have to fully commit: the words "I will" enable that. It is 90%+ mental.  But really, I can't tell you how many times my brain has started to say: "okay, Nikki, you can stop running now" or "you are too tired today" or  "you could really go for a cookie right now" and I have had to use every last bit of will power I have to just keep running, or just get out of bed, or literally throw the cookies out. However bad it sucked in that moment... I do not regret it at all when I set personal records in my running, or step on the scale and drop another pound. Just remind yourself that it DOES and WILL pay off. Stay strong. Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH.

2. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. Don't just jot it in your head, your head lies. Physically write them down. We've all heard this time and time again...I can attest to it's validity. So just do it...write it down and put it somewhere in plain sight so that you can be reminded why you are making these sacrifices. Perhaps even on the pantry or refrigerator door? Then share your goals with others, so that you are held accountable.  Don't forget to give yourself a deadline, and then set new ones once those are achieved. What got my running going was actually signing up for my first race. It was done, I paid for it, it was happening whether I was prepared for it or not....I HAD to make it worth my while. As soon as I finished my first race, I registered for another and wrote down my goal finishing time for that race. AND I KILLED IT:-)

3. Create a game plan. You can't just say "I want to be rich" and expect money to be handed to you because you thought about it long enough and hard enough. Set those goals, and then write down and plan out HOW you will achieve them. Write these on a calender or set notes or alarms in your phone to go off, whatever works for you,  so that you can follow through with your game plan. Set that alarm to go off 6 am Monday through Friday so you get to the gym or take that walk. Written on your calender: Monday is the day to clean out that fridge and pantry. Feel free to get specific with it too. I like to write down which muscle group I'm training on what day. 

4. Make the achievement of these goals a priority. Rearrange your schedule to MAKE it work for you. Tell that sneaky little part of that mind of yours that likes to come up with all those nasty excuses that YOU AIN'T LISTENING! 

5. Mentally prepare yourself for the roadblocks, and hard times to come. It is going to get hard, you are going to feel weak (again it's all in your head)...but if you're prepared for it then you will prove to be strong!

6. Find a support person or group. Perhaps it's found amongst those that you chose to share your goals with, or someone else who has similar goals, challenges, weaknesses. Someone to lift and motivate when feeling hard. Someone to contradict those lies that your sneaky mind might be telling you. Someone to remind you that "YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH"

I'm sure you get the idea by now. The point is don't hold yourself back. You can do it by preparing and then running at those hurdles full force. Why wait for tomorrow?

Don't be a chicken, eat chicken! (I'm pretty punny right)

As many of you know I don't really eat any meat besides the occasional turkey or chicken. I'm picky and just prefer leaner meats. Some think this could get bland or boring, my meals are hardly either of those! We had some plain cooked and shredded chicken left over from the whole wheat chicken enchiladas from the night before. So last nights dinner was a breeze. I threw together a mayonnaise-less chicken salad. It was awesome so I thought I'd share my concoction. 

CHICKEN SALAD LETTUCE WRAP

(about)3 boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts-shredded (could sub canned chicken)

3 TBSP of plain greek yogurt

2 TBSP of yellow mustard

2 TBSP of relish or pickle juice.

2 TBSP of raw honey

1/2 avocado-mashed

1 stalk of celery- sliced thin

1/4 an onion-diced

1/2 bell pepper (I used orange)

1 apple- remove core and dice

handful of craisins

salt and pepper to taste

A few leaves of lettuce of choice (I used romaine)

garnish with chopped pecans

Toss all ingredients in a bowl (minus the pecans and lettuce) until well blended. Spoon it out onto lettuce- sprinkle pecans on top. DEVOUR. 

Simple & Devine! It's wonderfully versatile as well. Experiment with your favorite diced fruits and veggies...you could try some of these add-ins as well: raisins, grapes, cucumbers, walnuts, ect. Or for a little more fiber put your lettuce and chicken on whole wheat bread or tortilla. 

Exercise on a time CRUNCH!

As many of you know my husband is away working in Indiana for the summer. We do not get to join him until my son gets out of school in May. So it's a nice 7 week stretch of single-momming it. We have survived 2 weeks so far, and the only reason we've survived is because I've learned some serious time management skills. Confession: I am very much addicted to exercise. I NEED MY ENDORPHIN FIX ON THE DAILY (or else I am a serious grump- my husband can attest to this). But now, with my husband gone I have some time and vehicle restrictions because my husband has my car out in IN. This means I have to work around my parents schedule when I need a car to get to the gym, or my son to school, ect. Yeah, that part blows. I got to thinking...I am sure I am not the only mother out there who struggles to find the time to exercise, period- let alone make it to the gym. I'm going to share my two ways of getting in that worth while workout with out getting in the way of my schedule...and really many of these tips are beneficial to those who do have the time. I firmly believe that if it's important to you, you will find a way...if it's not you'll find an excuse. My health and happiness is most definitely important to me so I have found a way. NO EXCUSES PEOPLE!!!!

First, I've been running outside more again since my husband left. I had picked up my strength training at the gym lately and toned down my long distance running just slightly since I have no big races coming up. But, I've really missed those longer runs. There are some serious benefits to running. The best one is it's free! Next, is you can do it any time of day- before or after work (or spouses work schedule), and there is no travel time involved unless there is a particular trail or course you want to hit up. A more physical benefit is that weight baring exercises- or exercises done on your feet (walking, running, elliptical, ect) BURN MORE CALORIES! And, out of all of those weight baring exercises, running burns the most calories in the shortest amount of time. I'm all about efficiency. And because I am still aiming to strength train and build muscle mass while decreasing body fat percentage I have been hitting those hills harder, and including sprint intervals into my runs. Important note with sprint intervals- the key is to pick up your pace for a designated amount of time depending on skill level, and then dropping it down and allowing your heart rate (HR) to RECOVER. If you are still panting and unable to talk relatively easily after 30s-1min recover time DON'T start again until can carry on a conversation. Start timing how long it takes for your HR to recover- and then watch that time improve the more you run. Short recovery time is a sign of a strong heart!

Some of you might be saying "but I'm not a runner"...NO EXCUSES PEOPLE! Even if you are not a runner you can totally walk it out (burst into song here). Remember from my first blog entry- I was never a runner either. I thought I didn't have the "build" to be a runner- my short stumpy legs were never going to carry me farther than 2 minutes down the road. I thought wrong. Start with a 10-20 minute brisk walk every day (if you have kids and have no one to watch them, bring them with) get that heart pumping regularly and then build up pace and endurance from there, and don't forget to add in some of those hills when you're ready. Another thing, don't think you can't incorporate sprint intervals. Just pick up the pace for 30 seconds at a time, then recover- it's all relative to your abilities. The couch to 5k apps work pretty well for a lot of people. JUST STAY CONSISTENT AND PLEASE DON'T QUIT!

Next, CIRCUIT TRAINING!!!!! My ABSOLUTE favorite style of training. I use this style of training with probably 90% of my clients (mind you 90% are weight loss clients). Why? Because it's affective. What is it? It is rotating through exercises using different muscle groups with minimal rest in between. HUH?! Here is a simple example:

20 squats (legs)

20 jumping jacks (cardio)

15 push ups (arms)

1 minute plank (core)

20 walking lunges (legs)

30 sec jump rope (cardio)

20 tricep dips (arms)

30 bicycles (core)

Rest for 2 minutes then repeat 2-3 more times.

(naturally, you would have a 5-10 minute warm up and cool down before and after a routine like this)

In this example you're targeting your upper, lower, core, and cardio with 2 different exercises per muscle group each. Rotating through them with little to no rest in between until you've done 1 set of each...then you take a short rest just long enough for your HR to recover and your body to produce more energy to cycle through it again. Remember, this is just a sample- feel free to use it or switch it up and fill in your favorite exercises. The important factor here is this method. If you wanted to do an entire lower body circuit one day you could do so by isolating each muscle (example: isolate quads, hamstrings, inner thigh aka adductors, outer thigh aka abductors, glutes, calves, rest, repeat). Let me explain why it's so beneficial... Traditional strength training methods have you do your 20 squats, rest, 20 squats, rest, 20 squats, rest. That rest is necessary because you're using the same muscles back to back. By the time you have completed all 3 sets you have spent 3 minutes resting and maybe 1 minute working. Circuit training reverses that, you spend 5 minutes continuously working, 2 minutes resting per set. You are switching up the muscle groups being used so your arms are resting while those legs are working. This keeps your heart rate up longer and keeps those muscles safely working which enables you to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. Your EPOC (or metabolic rate post workout) is higher when circuit training practices are applied as well. Burn more calories during 30 minutes of exercise and continue to burn more calories post workout- not a bad deal, right?! And the nice thing is there are THOUSANDS of exercises you can do from home. Kids napping? Do a 30 minute circuit then go finish the remainder of nap time with them. Get up a few minutes earlier in the morning or do it after the kids are in bed. My kids find it fun to try and do whatever it is I'm doing, so they generally will do my squats and push ups with me. Find what works for you.  NO EXCUSES PEOPLE!!!!

Now, I still like to hit the weights or cycling class at the gym a couple times a week so I usually have my parents watch the kids and I'll get up early and do my thing. It jump starts my day and I never regret it when I'm done. Make a sacrifice and commitment and you'll succeed. As my blog continues I will go further into depth into a broad array of beneficial exercises themselves so, as always, stay tuned for more. 

GET UP AND GET MOVING!

NO EXCUSES PEOPLE!

During that EPOC (post workout metabolic rate) time frame I discussed earlier is the most important time to eat. Your body needs to replenish the carbs spent and it needs protein to repair those torn muscle fibers. Here is a high protein smoothie to try. Best if consumed within 30 minutes of working out.

Choco-nana-nut smoothie

1 scoop of chocolate protein of choice (I use a muscle milk whey protein from costco or hemp protein)

1 c milk of choice (I used vanilla almond milk)

2 TBSP of plain greek yogurt

1 small banana

1 TBSP of your favorite nut butter

8-10 ice cubes

A spoon full of sugar- get the inside scoop.

DISCLAIMER: THIS COULD GET LENGTHY

...and I'll TRY to keep my cool, I have some very big opinions on this subject. I will do my best to site my sources, however, I have done a TON of research on the infamous sugar so some of the information runs together and I can't always remember which tidbit of information came from which study, paper, article, documentary. 

My 5 year old Parker has a mild combination of ADD and OCD...it runs in the family. However, he has never been formally diagnosed (again, because I avoid doctors when possible).  I also would like to continue to avoid medicating my child when possible. Those medications are heavy stuff and there is some serious issues with the pharmaceutical industry- but that's an entirely different post. Don't get me wrong, I am ever so grateful for modern medicine...but I also believe our society is over medicated too often covering symptoms instead of fixing the real problem. Anyways, getting back to Parker...I was about at my wits end with my sons behavioral troubles at about the same time I started my eating overhaul. The moment I started reducing my sugar intake, naturally, his sugar intake was affected as well. And can you guess what happened?! Of Course, his compulsions DRAMATICALLY decreased. Now, this was all before I really started to do my major research on food and health...but I noticed the difference and had my suspicions. I began taking special note of his behavior when he did get that special sugary treat or drink. Almost instantaneously he would lose control of his actions and compulsions. I vocalized my suspicions to my R.N mother. She also began to observe the exact same things I had been observing. Needless to say this is where my research began. I wanted to know why and how.  Now moving onto my findings.

What is the poison Ann is referring to? Processed & refined foods, of course...more specifically SUGAR! I believe it was in the 80's when Fat Free, Reduced Fat trend began. Well when you take the fat out of food, it tastes like cardboard. The food industry knew this...so what did they do about it? They added refined sugars to EVERYTHING. Whether it be high fructose corn syrup or table sugar, THEY'RE BOTH POISONOUS. Once sugar is stripped from it's natural form (corn or sugar cane) it's stripped of all it's nutrients and our body is incapable of properly digesting it. Well, guess what has happened since fat was taken out of foods and replaced with sugar...obesity and diabetes has nearly TRIPLED!!! The documentary "Food Matters" (available on netflix) discusses this further.  

Okay, so, you just ate a couple of hot fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies (my weakness). What happens? Well, your body breaks it down...actually, more like attacks it because the body doesn't recognize it as food but rather as a toxin. The sugar hits the blood stream and that blood sugar starts rising so your pancreas reacts by releasing the hormone insulin. How do you think insulin regulates that spiking blood sugar? By storing this unusable energy as fat! No bueno. This is a lot of work for the body. Excess hormone production is never good, and can do a lot of damage to our precious bodies!

 So that is what happens to an adult body, what kind of damage can sugar do to our little loved ones.... Heather K. Scott addresses this in an article I once read called "Too Much Sugar". She talked about why and how a childs bodies reacts to sugar. If an adult drinks a can of soda, 40 grams of sugar mind you, that's like 1 gram of sugar to 4 pounds of body weight. BUT A CHILD, let's say a 40 pound child...you do the math. That's like drinking 4-6 cans of soda. Their blood sugar spikes rapidly giving them that sugar "high" and they are incapable of self-control. Then they have that sudden crash which leads to just as much dysfunction- mood swings, tantrums, inability to concentrate. For children, like my son, who already have mild imbalances even the slightest amounts of sugar can throw them for a loop.

Another study that I just recently watched was on CBS 60 minutes, "Is Sugar Toxic?"...it hit a couple different issues which I thought were enlightening. But mostly, I wanted to bring to light the addictiveness of sugar. The second sugar hits your tongue it stimulates the same part of your brain that reacts when one consumes alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and other drugs. Dopamine is released. Dopamine is that feel good neurotransmitter. The more sugar you binge on, the more sugar it takes to get that same "feel-good" affect...just like any other drug. No wonder we keep coming back for more.

How on earth do you cut the cravings?

Calling all sugar addicts...I am here to help. Hopefully. For me, if it wasn't in my house I wouldn't eat it. Time to clean out the pantry...I know, I know it's heart breaking but necessary.

 1.THROW OUT THE DING DONG'S, HO HO'S, SODA, DOUGHNUTS! Toss the BIG STUFF first that you KNOW you shouldn't be eating. 

2.Next, learn to read labels! This is VERY important! Sugar is hidden in everything...and I'm not saying you have to completely rid your diet of any and all sugar but minimize when possible. 

3. Once you've read the labels, purchase the lesser of two evils. I'm not so much a fan of artificial sweeteners because they have their own set of repercussions. But, the no sugar added varieties are generally a safer bet. Don't forget to purchase your healthy sugar substitutes- these include raw honey & agave nectar. They are safe sugars because they are unprocessed, they are still attached to the other nutrients that the body can recognize, digest, and utilize. Stevia is an herb that is an excellent natural sweetener as well, not to mention it's 0 calories. 

4. PURCHASE AND EAT FRUIT!!! Want a candy bar...snack on some grapes, apples, bananas, berries instead. Again, it's natural sugar still bound with natural fibers and nutrients creating a lower glycemic index and leaving them usable and digestible.

5. EXPERIMENT!! Look up new modified, healthier, substitutes for your favorite weaknesses. I'll post a recipe at the end for a delicious cookie. But another example, you can't have thanksgiving without pie right?! So I made a whole wheat pie crust using healthy oil instead of butter...then made a delicious strawberry raspberry filling using a touch of honey and stevia instead of any sugar! IT WAS SOOO GOOD!

6. Stay strong. Don't try to cold turkey it...Remember it'll take time and you don't need to completely illuminate it, just be aware of your sugar intake and continually work to decrease it. If you are a religious soda drinker- start with 1 less can a day. Then progress to only a couple times a week, then continue until it's just the occasional treat. 

MY FAVORITE COOKIE RECIPE!

3 RIPE mashed bananas (the riper the sweeter, if bananas aren't ripe enough add a couple TBSP of honey to recipe)

1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. Rolled oats
2/3 c. Ground almonds (can be ground in a blender your self or buy almond meal)
1/4 c melted coconut oil (or olive but coconut is best)

Make them versatile by adding your choice of add ins...ex:Shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and/or dried fruit to taste.

Combine ingredients. Bake at 350 about 20 mins.

NOM NOM NOM!

If you aren't bored out of your mind yet, come back tomorrow for a few of my favorite workouts!

A Cabbage Rampage...Really, Nikki?

Growing up, the only recollection I have of consuming cabbage was annually on St. Patricks Day. Once I became a Mother- seeing as I don't eat beef, that tradition died hard... The only consumption of cabbage for my kids and I was maybe the occasional mayonnaise loaded store bought cole slaw at a church function. But, NEVER would I buy it or make it on my own mostly because I just never knew much about the stuff. Turns out, I was a deprived child (I still love you Mom)!

My own lack of know how growing up, leads me to this blog post. HOLD ON TO YOUR TROUSERS PEOPLE, I AM ABOUT TO EXPOSE CABBAGE...AND ALL OF IT'S GLORY! Not only that, but I will share with you my favorite ways to use and eat cabbage- YUMMMM! Let's begin with how I discovered cabbage and why I swear by it. The beginning of this last winter both of my darling children came down with a nasty cough. They had no other symptoms, aside from the occasional nose drainage, so it wasn't worth a trip to the Doctors. I generally try to avoid them when possible. This wasn't any old cough, cough. This was a -keep Mommy and babies up all night, every night, lingering for 4 weeks- type of obnoxious cough. During all of this, I made a trip to the library with the kids one day and decided to grab me a book on health, as I generally tend to do. I found a book called "Super Foods for Children" by Michael Van Straten and Barbara Griggs. I checked it out and started reading it. I couldn't put it down. It broke down vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, explaining how our body utilizes them. Then it proceeded to pick apart super foods and explain their healing power and benefits particularly in children throughout different age groups and developmental stages. TOTALLY AWESOME, RIGHT?! (Ahh, This blog is totally exposing me in all my nerdy-ness) Moving on, I got to cabbage and a little light bulb went off. I ran to the Farmers Market that day and bought a monster head of cabbage (amongst other super foods we frequently keep stocked that we were running low on, like berries and mangoes). I brought it home and went to work. I was determined to overdose my kids on earth's natural goodness and cure this cough! I fed my kids cabbage for 3 days, and I swear to you that dreadful, nasty, no good, month long cough vanished. So now let me fill you in on the Whys and How's!

This is why cabbage rocks: Cabbage can be used to fight against and cure constipation, stomach ulcers, headache, excess weight, skin disorders, eczema, jaundice, scurvy, rheumatism, arthritis, eye disorders, heart diseases, ageing, Alzheimer's disease, colds, coughs, and cancers (particularly lung and colon). Here is why...Are you ready: Cabbage is loaded with calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and phosphorus. In the vitamins department, it is filled with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, K and folic acid. Not to mention it is a great source of dietary fiber and Omega 3's! I wonder why they call it a super food? No wonder it zapped my kids cough. Here is the really cool part, I know I just said it has vitamin C BUT IT IS RICHER IN VITAMIN C THAN ORANGES. YEPP! We all know this antioxidant is one of the most important as it boosts our immune system and rids the body of free radicals. Now Sulphur? In food? Helps us? Yes, sir! Sulphur fights infection. Who knew?! It's the combination of sulphur and vitamin C that makes cabbage a great detoxifier, enabling it to purify blood and get rid of those nasty toxins that frequently make us sick. Detoxing doesn't just cleanse the digestional tract like the intestines & liver, it also clears out the chest and mucus membranes, ect. Cool, yes?!

Are you overwhelmed yet? Let's get to the question I know you all are wondering ;-) HOW ON EARTH DID I GET MY KIDS TO EAT CABBAGE?! 

Naturally, I experimented with a mayonnaise-free cole slaw...it rocked!!! I know it rocked because my daughter ate it for 3 days straight for lunch. However, you will have to wait on that recipe.

Cabbage is relatively bland when juiced SO sneaky me, I added a couple leaves when I made their beloved carrot apple juice. They never knew!!!

Lastly, I MADE CABBAGE ROLLS! In the crock pot. AND THEY WERE DEVOURED BY MY KIDS. and husband. oh and myself too. SERIOUSLY GOOD!

Did I mention they were easy? Maybe 10 minutes prep time.
CABBAGE ROLLS
1 head of cabbage
1 pound defrosted lean ground turkey
1 packet of french onion soup mix
1 16 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of wild or brown rice
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 16 oz can of natural chicken broth

Peel off 8 large cabbage leafs...stick in large microwavable bowl with a touch of water in the bottom and microwave for about a minute until slightly tender (bendable, do not over cook).
Combine turkey, french onion soup mix, tomato sauce, and rice in bowl. Put a large spoonful of turkey mixture into cabbage leaf, and roll. Place seam side down in crock pot. (They don't have to be perfect) Once all leafs are rolled, pour undrained can of tomatoes in juice on top along with the can of chicken broth. (Also, if there is any turkey mixture left feel free to pour on top, and I like to thinly slice extra cabbage and sprinkle on top as well- both optional).
Cook for about 6 hours on low. EAT IT UP!

Introducing me!

HOWDY! The name is Nikki. I am new to the blogging world so please forgive my errors of all varieties, as I am sure there will be many! I have had many of my close friends and family request that I start a blog and load it up with my fun nutritional facts, recipes, favorite work outs, ect. So get pumped, because I am jumping into this thing head first! I am excited...NO, I AM ECSTATIC, to share my knowledge and passion for healthy living with the world (well, the blogging world at least- it's a start). I am going to share my advice on how to eat clean, train mean, and get lean! I feel it important to start with a little selfish insert about ME, before we switch gears and focus on you.

This was me....2 years ago. This was about 6 months after having my second child.


This is me...NOW!


I went from weighing 135 to 105. I went from never running over a mile in my life to running marathons. I went from being depressed to happy. I went from self conscious to confident. I went from chronically fatigued to bursting at the seems with energy. I went from over 26% body fat, to 17%. I went from never working out, to working out 6 days a week. I went from not knowing how to cook anything that didn't come from a box to becoming an innovator of gourmet healthy meals composed of whole foods. I went from not knowing or caring what a calorie was, to obtaining a personal training certification through NASM. And now my next certification will be in holistic nutrition and health coaching. I am a completely new Nikki, and not just physically. This wasn't a 3 month fad diet. This was a lifestyle change. It took baby steps, determination, sweat, perseverance, and time. BUT HOW SWEET THE REWARD. I had no idea that, what started as just a weight loss venture, would change my entire demeanor and perception on life. I want others to feel how I feel. I want others to know what I know. I didn't know how gloomy life really was until I experienced the light on the other side. NOW I WANT TO SPREAD THIS LIGHT AND MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD SHINE. SOOO WITH THAT SAID- LET'S GET TO WORK!

I'll start with a simple delicious recipe today. These are my new favorite snack!


CANDIED CARROT STRIPS

5 medium carrots (washed, peeled, remove stem)
1/4 c coconut oil (could sub olive oil)
3 heaping TBSP of organic Agave nectar (or raw honey)
2 tsp of cinnamon
2 tsp of garlic
dash of ginger & nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350
Wash, slice, destem carrots and cut length wise with knife or mandoline slicer, if you have one, for more even strips. Place carrot strips on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Stir all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper in bowl until well blended then brush it evenly over carrots. You might have to flip the carrots a time or two to ensure both sides are evenly coated. Then salt and pepper lightly to taste.
Throw it in the oven for about 45 minutes- flipping carrots over once about halfway through.

ENJOY! These are the perfect balance of sweet and savory, chewy with a touch of crunch.

FUN NUTRITIONAL FACT ABOUT CARROTS: Carrots are pretty much the only vegitable that become better for you once cooked. Although you lose the enzymes once cooked, it breaks down their protective barrier releasing a much more potent dose of beta carotene. Beta carotene is one of those rock-star, cure-all antioxidants our body needs to fight off free radicals. It boosts the immune system and vision, while lowering risk of heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. What's not to love about Carrots!