Special Delivery!

I came home today and found a special green box "hidden behind my bare shrubbery."

A lot more will come tomorrow on what this is all about, but I just wanted to quickly share what I had for dessert tonight:

... because it came in my special delivery. 

it was delicious. 

Catch you guys tomorrow!

Stay Healthy,

Heart Healthy Start

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Happy Valentine's Day!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Valentine's Day has a reputation for sweets, chocolate and more sweets. 

And while I'm all for receiving boxes of chocolates (hint, hint) here is an awesome way to start off your V-Day with a heart healthy bang... and yes, chocolate is involved. 

Valentine's Day Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

In the Mix...

• 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 banana, chopped
• 4 strawberries, chopped
• cinnamon to taste 

On Top...

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• sprinkle of kashi cereal (just for some added crunch)
• Valentine's Day special toppings

I throw my oatmeal, liquids and chopped banana in the saucepan all at once and let it all cook together. This gives the oatmeal a natural sweet taste from the banana without having to add any extra sugar, and also gives it it a creamy texture. 

Okay, now that I have you all wishing you had this for breakfast, here are the heart healthy benefits of this lovely little Valentine's Day treat I enjoyed this morning:

• Oatmeal. Full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. 
• Strawberries. Full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. 
• Soy. May lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it's still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet. 
• Almonds. Help lower cholesterol. They pack more fiber and calcium than any other nut, are lower-cal than most other varieties, and are an excellent source of vitamin E.
• **Dark Chocolate. The cocoa ingredient may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while preventing diabetes and improving the health of blood vessels.
• Cinnamon. Cinnamon may help stabilize blood sugar by helping insulin work better. 

Oh! And what would breakfast be without an ***appropriate amount of coffee!

I have to give thanks to my mom for my 2011 Valentine's Day mug. Hi Mom!

The caffeine in coffee can speed up metabolism and fat-burning, which helps lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. And black coffee is one of the lowest-calorie drink choices around.

I'll cheers to that!

Hope everyone has a good, healthy and fun Valentine's Day!

Stay Healthy,

• **Dark Chocolate. As much as I would LOVE to say eat as much dark chocolate as you want to, I can't. Chocolate should be consumed in moderation and infrequently. The little Dove heart seen in my oatmeal above is plenty for the day. Proceed with caution....

• ***Coffee. Limit your intake to 2 cups a day. People with high blood pressure, who are sensitive to caffeine or have high anxiety might want to consider skipping the morning cup of joe. 

blog content taken from health.com

The Anything and Everything Smoothie

I typically do my grocery shopping on Sundays, and although I curse my habit every time I walk in to the overcrowded store, I like knowing that I have everything I need for the work week ahead. So while this habit allows me to be prepared for the weekdays, it usually leaves me scrounging around for anything that still resembles food on Saturdays. 

This is where I found myself yesterday morning. 

I had just gotten back from a bitter cold 9 mile run and really wanted some warm oatmeal, only, just my luck, I had none...figures, right? 

Anyway, after taking some quick action I discovered a yogurt, some really old kale, half a banana and some leftover frozen blubes from my cleansing days. Perfect ingredients for a smoothie. Along with some SP Complete from the Standard Process line, I had the second best thing after oatmeal:

The Anything and Everything Smoothie:

I'd like to think everyone gets the idea of this smoothie, but for those who might have just gotten up and have yet to get their morning coffee... here are the directions:

*Find what you have in your kitchen, throw in your blender and blend! 

Stay Healthy,

Splurges.

Confession #1: I love chocolate. 

Confession #2: I love chocolate and peanut butter even more. 

Confession #3: I had frozen yogurt last night. 

Confession #4: I don't feel bad about it. 

I debated skipping over this post, but I wanted to show readers that it is okay to every now and then, opt for the chocolate and ice cream in lieu of the frozen fruit for that little after dinner sweet treat. 

I'm going to repeat that above paragraph... just so I know you guys are getting the correct message:

I debated skipping over this post, but I wanted to show readers that it is okay to every now and then, opt for the chocolate and ice cream in lieu of the frozen fruit for that little after dinner sweet treat.

Are we on the same page? 

Good. 

I'd hate to hear rumors tomorrow that I'm telling everyone frozen yogurt every night is acceptable, because it's not. 

Once a month - sure. 

Once a day - no way.

As with any splurge, it's important to realize that even though it is a special treat, it should still be an acceptable portion. A lot of people have the mentality that if they are going to "splurge" they are going to "go all out." This not only sends your blood sugar levels through the roof, but it sets yourself up for continued bad behaviors down the road.

Self-serve frozen yogurts are all the rage these days - probably for the variety of flavors and endless toppings. Read this article before your next visit (to save calories and dollars):

Cooking Light: 8 Healthy Frozen Yogurt Toppings

Moderation is the key.

Stay Healthy,

Veggie Burgers

As a single, somewhat lazy, 25-year old, I've relied heavily on the ease of having veggie burgers for dinner. Its something that I know I like and all I have to do is warm it up and it's ready to be consumed either on a salad or in between a bun. 

Like clockwork, every Sunday during my weekly grocery trip, you could always find a box of these MorningStar veggie patties in my cart:

.... along with an extra $5 bucks added to my final total at the checkout.

So in effort to save some money and expand my culinary resume... I went big last night and made my OWN veggie burgers. 

I based my creation off of the Black Bean Burgers recipe from one of my favorite Healthy Living Blogs -  KERF.

Easy and Cheap Black Bean Burgers

• 1/3 cup black beans (canned are fine)
• 1 TBSP flour
• Handful of corn
• The following spices added to taste
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Cumin 

Place all ingredients in small bowl and smash with a fork or spoon until you are able to form a patty with your hands.  (I added some of the water from my can of black beans but ended up having to add additional flour to make it more sticky).

Once patty is formed, plop it on a fry pan, try to be patient and then flip it until the burger is cooked all the way through... or in my fashion, stick it on the George Foreman and let George do all the work for you.

Top burger with desired toppings and enjoy. 

 

I was apparently going for a color theme last night:

My sides included sweet potato medallions and some baby carrots.

Enjoy Guys!

Stay Healthy,

A Happy Nutritionist

This is one of my patient's grocery carts from last week:

: )

Stay Healthy,

 

Endorphins

As of lately, there has been lots and lots of hype surrounding the idea of cleanses and detox programs. Now, while I fully believe in, and support the reasons behind doing a purification cleanse, I'm afraid people are forgetting that when it comes to losing weight and keeping that weight off, the only full proof solution is simply a good diet and adequate exercise. 

I love food and I love the science behind food, but I want to take a quick break from all the antioxidant and vitamin talk and focus on exercise - well endorphins. 

side note: prior to "Everyday Eating" I, admittedly, had another blog. I bring this up because the following text is taken directly from a post I did about a year ago. No since in perfecting perfection, right? Ha - I wish!

Anyway.... enjoy!

endorphin en·dor·phin (ěn-dôr'fĭn)  n. Any of a group of peptide hormones that bind to opiate receptors and are found mainly in the brain. Endorphins reduce the sensation of pain and affect emotions. 

I'm sure many, if not all of you, have either heard of, or know what an endorphin is - whether it was in your mandatory college health class, your new years resolution issue of Glamour or from your personal trainer at the gym... because we all have one of those, right? Suuuure!

But anyway, I bring up the topic of endorphins, because after some serious *daydreaming this morning at work, I realized that this might be the best hormone ever invented secreted. Sure it may take some serious will power and motivation to get those peptide hormones into binding action, but once binded - MAN is the feeling it creates awesome.... allow me to explain...

Yesterday, after a day of constant himming and hawwing on whether or not to attend a spinning class after work, I walked into my apartment with not only a bad attitude, but also with the mindset of sitting on my butt for the rest of the evening, mindlessly eating my freezer stash of dark chocolate kisses.... that is until I walked straight into a fitness circus that was my living room: My roommate was on the floor in midst of the last exercise from Jillian Michael's 30-shred program, music was thumping and her boyfriend Nick was in a knee bent stance, fist pumping Gill (my roommate) through the last of it....

Okay, I'll be honest, that was a TOTAL exaggeration, but I'm going for a theatrical explanation, so please, bear with me... I'm almost done. 

Soon after discovering the madness in front of me, my roommate finished up the last bicycle ab move and  popped her sweaty little head off the floor and, with a total unnecessary and chipper voice, mind you, shouted "Hey Gill!!!" 

....I'm not going to lie, I was annoyed. Here I was all ready to be a total bum the rest of the night, complain about my job, eat chocolate and watch the Biggest Loser - but for some reason I felt like I didn't necessarily need to exercise, but that I should exercise..... ughhhh the pang of guilt! Gets me everytime!

And it did. 15 minutes later I somehow found myself in the spinning room of Urban Active and in the middle of the warm-up to a 45 minute class. How I got the motivation to get there I cannot tell you - but I will tell you that those 45 minutes of intense cycling and loud techno music not only reiterated my hate for Sandstorm, but really got my chemical brain action rockin'. I walked out of that spinning room refreshed, tired and happy - ready for a perfect evening of Biggest Loser and responsible chocolate decisions. Endorphins, you saved my evening. 

So, next time you feel overwhelmed with work or frustrated with stubborn weight gain, please, stop, think and go exercise. Think about endorphins and what they can do for your mood. Run up the stairs a few times, do some jumping jacks, go to a fitness class - anything to get those endorphins flowing and your mood elevated. 

I apologize for the silliness of this post, but I think its paints the perfect picture of just how awesome exercise can make us feel. It doesn't have to be a 10 mile run, or an intense spinning class... it can be as simple as a half hour walk or 20 minute workout video. The goal is to get our bodies moving. 

Stay Healthy,

* this is referring to my old job, haha... just to be clear!