My Health (ier) 4th of July!

When people think of the 4th of July they usually think of unhealthy foods and lots of cheat foods. And while there is nothing wrong with that, you should enjoy the day and celebrate the existence of the best country in the world =). But there are sone ways to make your choices a bit healthier like my family and i did yesterday. In Brooklyn, it is kind of hard to have an actual grill and BBQ things unless you are lucky to have your own backyard so we improvised and just made things in the oven. Not as good but you make due with what you have!...These were the foods that were on my menu yesterday; going from the top left to right

• Baked Tempeh with a homemade buffalo sauce marinade. Tempeh is basically cooked and fermented soybeans formed into a patty. Sounds weird, but it is how you make it that makes it taste good!
• Roasted zucchini
• Red potato salad with dill, peppers, red onions and fat free greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream
• Roasted corn on the cob
• Homemade salsa with tomatos onions green peppers and cilantro
• Yonana "ice cream". Yonana is a machine that makes "ice cream" with frozen bananas and fruit. Absolutely genius and delicious and healthy!. This mixture was banana, a couple squares of 90% dark chocolate topped with Peanut Butter & Co. dark chocolate dreams peanut butter. You have no idea how good this was. And yes while it was not my usual red white & blue theme dessert, I couldnt find anything actually clean besides a fruit salad and I'm not about that kind of life. Fruit salad does not equal dessert. Frozen fruit into ice cream however does.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday yesterday!
Peace Love and 'Murrica

Healthy Fried Rice

So I had some leftover rice from the other night and wanted to use it up. So I decided to get a little creative for lunch. So I made a healthy version of fried rice. I will explain some substitutions I made in the recipe.

Brown rice (instead of white) (however much you want, I just used whatever i had leftover)
Cholesterol free egg
Low Sodium veggie broth ( I mentioned in my last recipe i use it instead of oil)
1/4 Bell pepper
Scallions
Liquid Aminos ( It is a healthier version of soy sauce with a lot less sodium)

    First cook the eggs scrambled then add the rice and some broth and "fry it up". Next add the peppers and scallions and the aminos and just cook everything until it is done. So easy! Feel free to add more veggies and other ingredients to make it more creative. I was just a little lazy and hungry to prepare other things but I know I will try different versions of this!

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash

Tonight I decided to get a little creative for dinner for me and my mom. Spaghetti Squash is a type of squash that when you cook it and then shred the inside with a fork it comes out in little strings that resemble pasta. It can be used in all types of recipes to make it low-carb friendly. Today i decided to use some leftovers from the last couple days and made a southwestern stuffed version of the food.

Recipe: (amounts vary I didnt really measure everything)

1 Spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise
1/4 each of green and red bell peppers chopped
1/2 large onion chopped
1 cup corn ( I actually had 2 cooked corn on the cobs that I sliced the kernels off of)
1 cup black beans ( I used leftovers from last nights dinner)
3 cloves of garlic minced
cayenne pepper
other spices to your liking

     First cook the squash cut side up at 400 deg for about 45 minutes. While that is cooking, chop the vegetables. Then heat up some oil (in my house we use no salt added veggie stock, it does the same thing as oil with none of the fat etc) and add the onion. Cook until translucent then add the garlic and peppers. Cook for a few minutes then add the beans, corn and spices. When the squash is cooked take a fork and shred most of it leaving a small layer behind. Add the squash to the veggie mixture and combine. Then add half to each side of the squash and you can bake it in the oven for a few more minutes if you wanted to add cheese to the top. You can also add chicken or something for a non-vegetarian dish.

Back on track!

Hey guys, sorry I've been MIA and not posting for  while here. I've been really busy moving out of my old apartment and traveling back to New York. I got a little off track with my eating habits and didnt work out for a few days. I tried to eat as healthy as possible with the traveling and such but it wasnt what I would usually aim for. But now that i have settled in at home, i am back at it! This morning i had a great workout which consisted of a quick beginners HIIT cardio on my parents new treadmill they just bought. It was a surprise and a great one at that! Then I did the Jillian Michaels Hard Body to top it off. Its great to be home because of all the food we have here! Here are a few meals I've had here already:
Top left: White beans with quinoa and broccoli
Bottom left: Salad with kidney beans, a little quinoa, 1/4 avocado, sprinkle of feta cheese and hot sauce
Bottom right: Brown rice, black beans, sauteed kale and broccoli
So many greens and good fibers! I'm excited to continue eating this good while I'm here and I will keep you updated on some recipes and such

Dont be afraid of fats!

Most people when they hear the word "fat" in their food get worried and try to avoid them when on diets. While it is true that too much fat can make you gain weight; you actually need fat in order for your body to function correctly. But what you do need to be careful is the kind of fat that you eat; there are "good" and "bad" fats. Saturated fats are the ones found in dairy, meats and greasy foods etc and they can raise bad cholesterol levels. Then there are unsaturated fats which actually increase the levels of good cholesterol. Within the category of unsaturated there are poly and mono. (Yes I know, its getting confusing but I'm just explaining the basics, do some more research if really interested=)) . Good fats have many benefits that include: boosting your immune system, promote brain , nerve and heart health. They are also used for energy after the body uses up its carbohydrates.  So what kind of food actually has these fats? I'll list a few below categorized in the kind that they are:

Polyunsaturated:

• nuts
• seeds
• corn oils
• fatty fish

Monounsaturated:

• nuts & seeds
• Avocado
• olive oil
• canola oil
• peanut oil

Now one of my absolute favorite fats from this list is avocado! People are afraid of avocados because they are high in calories and fat. But again this fat is good for you and everything in moderation!

 

All these health benefits with the added bonus of being delicious! I've posted a bunch of recipes using avocado and there are many more ways you can incorporate them into your meal. For example: use as a substitute for another unhealthy spread such as mayo. Replace those bad fats with this great healthy version.

Egg white wrap

 

So I'm moving out of my apartment next week to go to NY for the rest of the summer. My parents live there now so that is where I spend my vacations. My point is that I really didn't want to buy so much food these past couple weeks and really just stocked up on a few essentials. That's part of the reason why you see so many foods repeated in different ways. And the other reason is that I just really like these foods sooo I really don't mind eating them a lot! But hopefully when I get to New York I'll have the help with my also very health nutty mom! But for now another easy go to meal:

Egg white wrap:
1 tortilla ( All the other wrap recipes I've used La tortilla factory; they are low calorie, low carb and high fiber)
6tbsp egg whites
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp. feta cheese
1 tbsp. salsa
       Heat up the tortilla in a toaster oven for a few minutes until warm. Cook the egg whites flat and add spices and feta when it is almost cooked. Then when done, add the eggs to the tortilla and add salsa and chopped avocado. Fold and eat as a wrap!

My favorite breakfast: oats!

So like I've said plenty before: I make food that tastes good but just doesn't look too good. Oh well!

I love love oats and oatmeal. It is so good for you and is so versatile!
Some of the benefits of oatmeal include:

• Low calories
• High fiber
• high protein grain
• stabilizes blood sugar and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
• removes bad cholesterol
• protects against heart disease and cancer
• Very filling

These are only a few of the awesome health benefits that oatmeal provides!

When I say that oatmeal is so versatile, I mean it! You can eat it hot (bottom pic) or even cold! (top) Overnight oats have been quite the sensation lately and they are the easiest and most convenient way to eat oats. Basically you just take an empty jar and add the desired amount of uncooked oats to it, then you add whatever you want: fruits, cinnamon, pb (idk get creative) then add almond, or soy milk (or regular if you must) just enough to cover the ingredients. Add the lid and put it in the fridge overnight and it is ready to eat! No cooking required. Hot oatmeal can be made two ways: microwave or stove top. I usually just use the microwave because it is a lot easier and I use quick cook oats so it only takes 2 minutes and less dishes. Follow the directions on the oats container for cooking but just add whatever you like just like the cold oats.

Sample overnight oat recipe as shown above:
1/2 cup uncooked oats
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
cinnamon
1/3 cup almond milk
    Basically just do as I say above and I made some apple spice overnight oats!

Sample hot oatmeal:
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 banana
drizzle of honey
     Cook the oatmeal how the container says but add the cocoa powder before. After, add the sliced banana and a touch of honey for added sweetness, mix, and enjoy.

These are only example of all the different ways you can make your oats, so be creative and try something new!