2 cups rolled oats
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup honey
¼ cup molasses
2 Tbl water
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup raisins
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the oats and almonds in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan combine the honey, molasses, water, vegetable oil and cinnamon and heat through, stirring for about one minute. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to blend. Spread the granola onto a baking sheet and toast, stirring every 10 minutes until golden-crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the raisins. Cool completely before serving.
Note: This recipe can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving: 223 calories; 5g fat (0g saturated); 4g protein; 42g carbohydrate; 3g fiber; 7mg sodium.
Courtesy of Emily DuVal at http://emilytrains.wordpress.com/
Creamless “Cream” of Broccoli Soup
This hearty, delicious soup is perfect for cold winter evenings!
12-oz fresh or frozen broccoli, chopped
1 large russet potato, cut into ½ in. cubes (or 4-5 small red potatoes), skin on
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil (approx. 6 Tbl.)
2 ½ c. low-sodium organic chicken or vegetable broth
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
5-oz (one single serving container) nonfat greek-style yogurt (I prefer the brand “***e” from Trader Joe’s)
2 Tbl. Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat 4-6 Tbl. olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and onion, cook until tender. Add garlic and 1 c. broth, cook for 2-3 min. Stir in potato cubes and cover with remaining broth (1 ½ c.), and cook until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth (or divide in sections and put in a standard blender, then return to pan). Stir in yogurt, mustard, and add black pepper to taste. Serves 6.
Nutrition info per 1 cup serving: 178 calories, 14g fat (2g saturated, 0g trans, 1.5g monounsaturated, 10g polyunsaturated), 5.2g protein, 12g carbs (2.3g sugar, 6.7g fiber), 0mg cholesterol, 128mg sodium.
This deliciously simple recipe is a real crowd-pleaser, and its nutritional benefits are off the charts!
2 parts black strap molasses
2 parts dijon mustard
1 part white wine vinegar
coarse ground black pepper, to taste
Whisk ingredients together in a bowl, then dip shrimp, fish or chicken in mixture right before grilling (do not use as a marinade). The molasses will caramelize slightly on the surface, sealing in the moisture and taste of whatever you are cooking.
Nutritional info:
Black strap molasses is an excellent source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6.
Mustard is packed with selenium (a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to preventing cancer), tryptophan, and mega-3 fatty acids.
Vinegar has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, reduce the glycemic effect of foods eaten with it, and increase satiety.
Courtesy of Emily Duval at http://emilytrains.wordpress.com/
Portions have increased steadily in the past 20 years which makes it harder for some of us to know when we've eaten too much food. To get a reality check, take the portion distortion quiz.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="166" caption="Recover the Joy of Eating at Donate Your Weight.com"][/caption]One of the things you'll learn is that 20 years ago an average bagel was 3" in diameter and 140 calories. Now the average bagel is 6" in diameter and 350 calories. That's a 210 calorie difference...more than double what it used to be! No wonder we're perplexed.
Maybe when you say, "I used to eat a bagel everyday when I was younger and I didn't gain weight" your statement actually says more about the portion distortion than it does about your age and metabolism?
For more interesting facts and figures about food and health without the hype and judgment, go to: http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Have you ever thought about taking the word remember and breaking it into two parts: re-member? I hadn't thought of it until I read Laura Turner's book, Spiritual Fitness but after I saw that, I thought about the opposite of re-memeber which is dismember.
To dismember something means to "divide into parts, cut up."
I think that some of us, in an attempt to be 'good girls' or 'fit in' or avoid confrontation, have cut ourselves off from our true feelings, beliefs, talents and interests and in some cases, this might be the cause of our overeating.
We actually STUFF a part of ourselves down, the part we've deemed 'wrong' or 'bad' or 'not good enough'...and sometimes it takes a lot of food to keep it down.
For most of my adult life I tried to cut myself off from my femininity, creativity and sexuality. I did this in many ways and for many reasons but I find that in order to have a full, rich life I must embrace all aspects of myself.
This past week I did a 4 minute presentation at open mic night titled That's What Girls Do where I touch on the impact of sexual abuse, sexism and racism on a young girls life.
My goal is to "be the change I want to see in the world." I want to see women and girls feel free to be who they are so I'm doing my best to express that freedom in my own life. If you want to be liberated from limiting beliefs other people have imposed on you, check out this video.
Do you feel 'cut off' from parts of yourself? Do you feel 'disconnected' from your life? If so, it might be time to re-member who you are.
You can begin this process by accepting every part of yourself, including and especially your body and your feelings.
Love Your Body, Love Yourself - Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH
When you can accept and embrace all parts of yourself, you can live fully present in the moment. Being present in the moment makes it easier to chew slowly, easier to stop when you're full and easier to hear the things your body and mind are trying to tell you. This is one way you can begin to stop the struggle with weight and eating, get off diets and attain inner peace and a healthy body.
If you are looking for a fast, delicious and nutritious snack that is fiber-filled and low glycemic, then you'll love my "Raw Apple Pie" snack (or dessert).
Raw Apple Pie
1 Apple (my favorite is Fuji, but do experiment) sliced very thinly
Sprinkle cinnamon on the slices (to taste)
Add several raw walnut pieces (or flax seed)
Enjoy!
(Editor's note: I make this same dish from time to time except I heat the above ingredients until the apples are hot and soft then top it with some cottage cheese and granola for that Dutch Apple Pie ala mode effect.)
I love finding ways to make vegatables delicious. Here's another great recipe!
Provence Gastronomy - Recipes
Recipe (12 servings; makes about 4.5 litres)
1.6 kg tomato [tomate]
700 g eggplant (2) [aubergine]
500 g zucchini (2) [courgette]
700 g bell pepper (2-3) [poivron]
1 kg onion [oignon] 6 cloves garlic [ail]
Herbes de Provence (basilic,thyme, parsley)
olive oil [huile d'olive]
salt, pepper [sel, poivre]
140 g tomato paste
1. Peel and drain the tomatoes (don't mind the seeds): cut out the stem cores; drop the whole tomatoes into boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove into a collander. The skin should split for easy removal; otherwise, make an X cut in the top, then peel off the skin.
2. Chop the onion and garlic. Clean the bell pepper, cut into small strips.
3. In a large cooking pot with thick bottom, put in olive oil, onions and chopped garlic. Add in the bell pepper. Cover to keep in the moisture.
4. Add the peeled tomatoes and herbs de Provence. If you don't have good garden tomatoes with flavor, add a small can of tomato paste. Stir well and cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Cut the eggplant into rondelles. Cut the un-peeled zucchini into rondelles.
6. Add the eggplant and zucchini to the pot. Cook for about 30 minutes.
Donna Schilder, PCC
The Happy Living Coach
www.TheHappyLivingCoach.com
Group 1:
1 fennel bulb (use the whole bulb and discard the top and stem)
4 celery stalks
1 bunch scallions (use green + tender green)
1 medium sweet onion
3 small cloves garlic
3 red bell peppers
Group 2:
2 large tomatoes, diced or one 14½-oz can diced tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbl sea salt
4 cups tomato juice (32 oz) or use a V-8 juice for more tangy taste
fresh juice from 3 lemons (about 1/3 cup)
In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients in Group 1 until minced. Put into large bowl/pot and stir ingredients from Group 2 until combined. Chill in fridge for one hour, but longer is great. The more this soup sits, the tastier it is! Makes 8-12 servings, though it’s so good they won’t last long. =)
Courtesy of Emily Duval at http://emilytrains.wordpress.com/
