Category Archives: Healthy Inspirations

General Health

The Health Benefits of Pumpkins

28 Friday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 28, 2012

 

Fall is my favorite season and it always means pumpkin season to me. Pumpkins are in the gourd family and they have less starch and less sugar than other squashes. Pumpkin are chocked full of vitamins and minerals and they are low in calorie, low in fat and high in fiber.

Pumpkins bright orange flesh is a dead give away that they are full of beta-carotene. In addition, they are a good source of vitamin C, K and E and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Benefits:

  • Promotes healthy skin with vitamins A, C and E.
  • Boosts immune system with Vitamin C and Zinc.
  • Promotes strong bones with potassium.
  • Reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease with vitamin C and potassium.
  • Reduces bad cholesterol levels with fiber.
  • Promotes healthy digestion and aids in weight loss.
  • Controls blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
  • Promotes vision health with carotenoids and lutein.

Pumpkins are so versatile; they can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Both fresh and canned offer so many health benefits, plus they are delicious and easy to prepare. Of course, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin lattes are tasty and traditional for the season. Also try adding pumpkin to healthy dishes like oatmeal, protein smoothies or just roasted. One of my favorite pumpkin dishes is turkey pumpkin chili. Experiment with pumpkin and you might just find a new favorite.

♥ ♥

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Vegan Carrot Brownies

27 Thursday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on September 26, 2012

This is a recipe I used as a food sample in my vegetarian class.  I re-vamped a zucchini brownie recipe, and I think this version is tastier.  This is an unfrosted version, but you can frost it.  I do like to frost it, but thought you should see what it looks like unfrosted.

Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups finely shredded carrots

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9X13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine carrots, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract.  Let rest for approximately 15 minutes at room temperature so that the carrots become very soft.   Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the carrot mixture.  The mixture will be quite dense, so make sure that all of the ingredients are incorporated.  Press into the baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes.  Set aside to cool and frost with a vegan frosting

 ♥ ♥

Pamela's Heavenly Treats

Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Sumo's Sweet Stuff

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WIAW #24

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 25, 2012


Hello, Foodie Friends. Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I am sharing my meals from last Monday. I hope you enjoy my day. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

 9/5/12 Goals:

My three fall goals are: 1) Return to Sunday marketing and cooking for the week. 2) Continue with my workout plan, trying to improve each week. 3) Stay organized and ahead of the game with all school work.

9/12/12 Goals:

My new fall goals are: 1) Eat two pieces of fruit each day. 2) Study at least 1 hour Monday thur Friday. 3) Track water intake.

Above are the goals I created for the month. So far so good, my goals are helping stay organized through the week. The only goal I am having trouble sticking to is my fruit goal, some days are better than others. 🙂

 This is what I ate:

Breakfast (6:30am)

I started the day with a quick breakfast of coffee and a chocolate protein shake for the road.

 

 AM Snack (9:00am)

String cheese.

Lunch (11:30am)

My favorite salad at Green2Go, the roasted chicken salad.

 PM Snacks (2:00pm)

Walnuts and roasted asparagus.

 

 Dinner (5:30pm)

A seared ahi salad from California Fish Grill. It was tasty but a little to salty for me.

Dessert (7:00pm)

I shared a “Marvelous Milk Chocolate” cupcake with my husband. We stopped by Casey’s Cupcakes in Laguna Beach and we had a hard time choosing because they were all so beautiful. And it was as good as it looks. 🙂

 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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How to Make Iced Tea

21 Friday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on September 21, 2012

Have you ever tried to make iced tea at home that ended up tasting too bitter?  It may be because you steeped the tea too long.  If you steep for too long, high levels of tannin and caffeine end up in your final product, resulting in bitterness.  So, here are some guidelines for making a gallon of iced tea:

  • Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
  • Add 8 tea bags or ½ cup loose tea leaves to the 2 quarts of water
  • Steep 2- 4 minutes, NO LONGER
  • When the tea is cool, add 2 quarts of cold water and/or ice and enjoy

♥ ♥

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WIAW #23

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 19, 2012 


Hello, WIAWers!  Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I can’t believe it is that time again! Last week, a family member had their birthday in the middle of the week and the celebrating continued through the weekend. I am sharing my meals from Saturday. Hope you enjoy my day.

 9/5/12 Goals:

My three fall goals are: 1) Return to Sunday marketing and cooking for the week. 2) Continue with my workout plan, trying to improve each week. 3) Stay organized and ahead of the game with all school work.

9/12/12 Goals:

My new fall goals are: 1) Eat two pieces of fruit each day. 2) Study at least 1 hour Monday thur Friday. 3) Track water intake.

Above are the goals I created for the month.  These goals are helping me to stay more organized. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (6:30am)

Continuing with the extended birthday celebration, I started the day at the Early Bird, with coffee (un-pictured) and a shared orange whip YUM. To eat I had a “Rockwell Omelet” that has sausage, roasted peppers, mushroom and goat cheese that come with extra crispy hash browns and a roasted tomato. My husband had duck hash, that he loved . :-)

Lunch (1:00pm)

A pink lady apple.

Dinner  & Dessert (4:00 pm)

An early dinner at one of my favorite places in Los Angeles, Clementine’s. We shared a “Caprese Salad”, easily the best one I have ever had. I ordered a “Sloppy Joe” that was so good I could not even wait to take a photo. 🙂 And my husband had a chicken sandwich called the “Fernando”. For dessert, we shared a piece of their banana cake and it was wonderful!!!!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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Back Up Exercise Plans

17 Monday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on September 17, 2012

In my years of working with patients that struggle to get on a regular exercise routine, the most common excuse I hear is, “I’ll start exercising when it gets……(insert “colder,” or “warmer”). ”  Well, if we all waited for perfect weather to exercise, most of us would not get much in at all.  It would be nice if we all lived somewhere where the weather was good every day, but that’s not in the cards for most of us.  So, I always tell people that if they enjoy exerising outdoors, that’s just fine, but that they should always have a back up plan.  Here are some ideas for exercising indoors when the weather does not cooperate:

  • get on the treadmill or other piece of exercise equipment if you have any
  • see if you can get your hands on a free pass to the gym;  lots of gyms give these out, thinking you’ll commit to a membership
  • pop in your favorite exercise DVD…there are so many fun ones out there!
  • invest in a jump rope
  • buy some warm clothes if the weather is a little too chilly
  • exercise early in the morning or in the later evening if it’s too warm during the day

Any other suggestions from anyone else?…..

♥ ♥

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WIAW #22

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 12, 2012

Hi, Everyone!  Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week because of the WIAW. I love looking at all the posts for the week. In fact, the WIAW has grown so much I usually have to spread reading all the posts over a few days. 🙂 The new theme is “Fall into good habits”, which is about making a few goals for the fall into long-term good habits. I am doing well with the goals I make last week so I thought I would a add few more.

 Last Weeks Goals:

My three fall goals are: 1) Return to Sunday marketing and cooking for the week. 2) Continue with my workout plan, trying to improve each week. 3) Stay organized and ahead of the game with all school work.

This Weeks Goals:

My new fall goals are: 1) Eat two pieces of fruit each day. 2) Study at least 1 hour Monday thur Friday. 3) Track water intake.

Hope you enjoy my day, these are my eats from last Saturday. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (6:30am)

I started the day at the Gypsy Den, with my new favorite drink a cafe francais. To eat I had a spinach scramble with fresh fruit and my husband and I shared the bread platter that comes with greek yogurt, homemade jam, honeycomb, homemade almond butter and banana. I can not eat here without ordering the bread, they bake their own bread. 🙂

Am Snack (11:00am)

A very sweet white peach.

Lunch (1:00pm)

Cashews and a Pink Lady apple.

Dinner (5:00 pm)

At BCD Tofu House, I had mild mushroom soon tofu soup. The soup is accompanied by many condiments and I honestly don’t know what most of them are. There is always a egg, potatoes, white rice, kimchi, peppers and other assorted condiments. . I like the potatoes and rice but I skip most of the others because they are too spicy for me. I really like the soup, it took me a couple of tries before I found a dish I really liked but now I am hooked.

Dessert (9:00pm)

A real treat, I can’t tell you the last time I had 31 Flavors. I love chocolate ice cream, so I ordered a single scoop of World Class Chocolate. YUM!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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The Health Benefits of Apples

10 Monday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer  (the student) on September 10, 2012

 

Fall is almost here, which makes me think of apple season. Most years, I plan a trip to the local apple farms. There is always are large variety of apple to sample, hot cider to drink and apple donuts to be eaten. Fall is my favorite time of year and this is just one of my autumn rituals. One of the best benefits of this ritual is that it reminds me to work apples to into my daily diet.

Not only are apples a sweet and juicy treat, they are packed full of many nutritional benefits. Apples are a good source of fiber, low in calorie and are packed with vitamin like vitamin C and vitamin A.

Benefits:

  • Boosts immune system with the antioxidant vitamin C.
  • Increases bone strength and density with the flavonoid phloridzin.
  • Helps with weight loss because apples are loaded with fiber and water, which helps to keep you feeling full.
  • Reduces tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth.
  • Prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol and improving the function of blood vessels.
  • Prevents gallstones by removing excess cholesterol in the bile.
  • Decreases the development of type 2 diabetes by helping to control blood sugar swings.
  • Controls diarrhea and constipation by regulating water in the colon.
  • Neutralizes irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Prevents hemorrhoids by preventing constipation.

Apple season is just starting, if you have the opportunity to visit a apple farm this season do. And take advantage of all the health benefits apples have to offer.

Apple areas in southern California:

Oak Glen – http://www.oakglen.net/

Julian – http://www.julianca.com/

♥ ♥

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What is Plantation Iced Tea?

08 Saturday Sep 2012

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Picture of the Plantation Iced Tea I had in Wailea, Maui in August

Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on September 8, 2012

Whenever my family goes to Hawaii, we always look forward to having Plantation Iced Tea. It s a perfect blend of pineapple and iced tea.  It is NEVER too sweet, really tasty, and is the most refreshing thirst quencher. For some reason, I only find it served in Hawaii.  But, of course you can make it at home.  I found a good recipe that I will be sharing next week…stay tuned!

 ♥ ♥

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Cheesy Chicken Mexican Bake

06 Thursday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 6, 2012

At my house, we love Mexican food but I always feel like I eat to many carbohydrates whenever we have Mexican. Between the chips, tortillas and rice it is sometimes too much. This recipe is a result of my love of the Mexican flavors and trying to reduce the amount of carbs. This dish is so simple and I think it is very tasty and satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
  • ½ onion, diced (I like the sweet onions)
  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (I often used a rotisserie chicken from the market)
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles
  • ½ cup salsa verde
  • 3 cups of shredded cheese (sharp cheddar or Monterey jack or a combination)
  • salt and pepper
  • spray olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray an 11 x 7 baking pan with spray olive oil and set aside.
  2. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat add olive oil, bell peppers and onion. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine peppers, onion, chicken, chiles, salsa, and 2 cups of cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Usually I don’t add much if any salt because I think the salsa has enough.)
  4. Pour mixture into baking pan and top with the remaining cup of cheese.
  5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and the dish is heated.
  6. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
  7. Enjoy
  • I usually serve with a large dollop of fat-free Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream).

♥ ♥

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