Dairy Free Lasagna

Trying to limit dairy, but don't want to give up your favorite dishes? Make my dairy free lasagna and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients: 

• 8 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (may want to make more in case some get broken) 

• 14 oz. Package Tofu
  
• 16 oz. Package Frozen Spinach
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (found at a health store in the bulk or cooking section, this recipe can be made without this if desired) 
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
• 16 oz.. Organic Ground Meat or Vegetarian Meat Alternative Equivalent 
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil (again)
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic*
• 1 tsp Basil*
• 1 tsp Oregano*
• 3/4 tsp Red Pepper* 

*Add more or less if your taste-buds desire

Recipe:

• Cook noodles as directed on package

• Saute olive oil and garlic
• Add meat or meat alternative and brown
• Add tomato sauce and spices

• In glass dish, layer spinach mixture followed by noodles, topped with sauce 
• If serving right away heat in oven at 350° F for 20 minutes, if not this dish can be stored in the fridge and warmed by piece individually (I even like it cold)!

Is Organic Worth It?

Happy Earth Day Everyone! With Earth Day awareness, much attention has shifted towards organic foods. What is organic anyway? Are these foods really worth the price? Here's a brief rundown...

Organic Foods- Years ago there was no such thing as "non-organic foods," but now with the use of pesticides and added chemicals the vast majority of foods at  the grocery store are non-organic. The standards for organic food labeling, most often from the USDA, are different depending on the type of food. If 95%-100% of the food is organic, through the USDA's standards, the following symbol will appear.

Organic Produce- No pesticides, man-made or sewer fertilizers were used. The produce was also not genetically engineered and irradiated. When choosing what to buy organic, pick those fruits and vegetables that the skin will be eaten.

   Dirty Dozen- Produce with the highest amount of pesticide contamination to the edible part:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

   Clean Fifteen- Produce with little to no pesticide contamination to edible part:

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet corn
• Pineapple
• Mangos
• Sweet peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Sweet potato
• Honeydew melon

Organic Meat(excluding seafood)- Raised with all organic feed and were not given drugs, antibiotics,* or growth hormones. Meat also wasn't irradiated.

Organic Dairy- Animals were fed organically for at least 12 months and were not given antibiotics* or growth hormones.

Organic Eggs- Animals were fed organically and were not given antibiotics.* Cage free is NOT organic (look for more info on eggs in an upcoming blog).

*The antibiotics used in these animal products have been linked to antibiotic resistance in humans, therefore causing sickness.

Nutrition- There are just as many calories in most organic foods opposed to their non-organic counterparts. However, due to the added chemicals in non-organic packaged foods, the nutritional content may be lacking. Recent research have found the antioxidant component of organic produce to be higher in organic fruits and vegetables opposed to non-organic produce. However, ALL fruits and vegetables are healthy and should not be avoided, organic or not!

Take Home Message- If able to, shop organically, not only for the environment, but for your health. Let's face it, you aren't going to buy all organic, but when choosing what to buy get organic animal products first followed by produce in the "dirty dozen." Don't let pesticides scare you in non-organic healthy fruits and vegetables, there is still a lot less chemicals in these foods than the chemicals added to foods in the chip isle!

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating and physical activity will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
- Modified from a quote by Edward Stanley

Think about it!

Sets, Reps....what to do??

Strength Training- Also known as resistance training, is muscular contraction to increase strength.
Reps- Short for repetitions, is one complete movement through an exercise.
Set- Is a group of reps.

A lot of people get all "bent out of shape" over how many sets and reps to do, but don't waste too much time or energy on this, spend that on lifting!  For weight-loss and general health I usually recommend 8-12 reps and sets of 2-3. Giving yourself a range of 8-12 will help determine what is the best weight to use. If you are unable to do at least 8 reps WITH GOOD FORM, the weight is too heavy. If you can do more than 12 reps WITH GOOD FORM, the weight is too light.

This means you may be changing your weights before the next set or depending on how you feel for a particular day. For example, if you have a lot of energy one day, you will be able to lift more and should to get the benefit. If you feel tired/weak one day you will need to lower the weight in order to keep proper form.  Keep in mind the immediate goal of strength training is to fatigue your muscles, NOT do the most reps or sets of an exercise. This means you don't want to "save" yourself to do extra sets. Challenge yourself with the set you are currently doing, if your muscles are okay to do another set after then great, if not then even better, that is the point!

REMEMBER- FORM IS KEY!

Mindful Eating

Not only are the types of food eaten important for weight-loss, stress, and overall health, but the way you eat is just as important. Often times we rush through the day barley making time to eat and definitely not making any time to relax and enjoy meals. When food is eaten mindfully, we tend to eat healthier and less throughout the day. Mindful eating is easier said than done and often takes a lot of practice.   Don't get frustrated and try these easy tips to get started.

Easy Mindful Eating Tips:

• Plan meals and snacks ahead of time(this way your are not impulse eating when hungry or in a rush)
• Take a deep breath before serving your food (this way you are in charge of what foods you are picking, versus the foods picking you!)
• Turn on the lights (so you can see what and how much you are eating)
• Turn off the electronics when possible (to make you aware of what you are doing at the moment...eating)
• Take another deep breath before eating (this helps to relax you and put YOU in control)
• Put utensil or finger food down in-between bites until each bite is swallowed
• Listen to your body (this one takes the most practice, try to stop when your body tells you that you are full)
• Food is nourishing, so try to take your time and enjoy your meal, smell the aromas and TASTE the food you are putting into your body!

Little Bites Add Up...

Often times we forget to add up the little extra calories we consume throughout the day. However, these can really add up and prevent weight-loss.

Bite 1-
1/4 cup apple juice remains in the bottle, might as well finish it right? 30 calories

Bite 2-
2 Tablespoons of cereal are left in the box after your normal pour. No sense putting this little away, top off the rest in your bowl. 20 calories

Bite 3-
The coffee at work was extra strong today, add some extra cream. 20 calories

Bite 4-
Your co-worker made pastry and insists you try even though you already ate breakfast, you just try a very small piece. 70 calories

Bite 5-
Didn't plan on getting a bag of chips, but they were only 50 cents with the sandwich. 130 calories

Bite 6-
You forgot to ask for "no cheese" on your sandwich at lunch, oh well. 100 calories

Bite 7-
Wow there was a lot of garlic on that sandwich, eat 2 mints. 15 calories

Bite 8-
Grab a small chocolate from a co-workers desk, you need energy to deal with your next customer. 20 calories

Bite 9-
Small sample of chicken at the grocery store, it's free...you have to try it! 30 calories

Bite 10-
Two tablespoons of sauce while you are making it, it is a new recipe you have to try it out. 30 calories


Bite 11-
There is only 1/4 cup of pasta left, not worth putting it away, it was good so you just finish it. 45 calories


Grand Total: 510 Extra Calories
 
Just think of the weight that could be lost if you avoided just half of these!

Skip the Soda!

So everyone knows soda is not exactly a health food, but how bad is it? 

Well, the average can of soda contains 120-150 calories (ALL FROM SUGAR) which means there are about 10 teaspoons of sugar in every 12 oz. can of soda. So YES, that makes it is LIQUID CANDY! Eliminating only 1 can a day of regular soda from your diet ALONE can lead to a 12-15 pound weight loss over a years time. 

So switch to diet, right? Well not exactly. Diet, just like regular, contains unnecessary food dyes, but also has aspartame. Aspartame is the non-caloric sweetener used in the majority of diet sodas. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and conditions the pallet to crave sweeter foods and drinks throughout the day. The body is not getting the carbohydrates from the sweetness of the diet soda, and this lead to the craving of carbs. Aspartame causes headaches in many people and studies have proven it causes tumors in rats. Recent research has showed those consuming diet soda are 61% more likely of a cardiovascular event than those who don't drink soda. Does that "diet" soda still sound so appetizing?

Try some refreshing alternatives to soda:

• Flavored Water
•  Avoid purchasing flavored water since many of these contain sugar, sweeteners, and other chemicals; instead make your own...add slices of lemon, lime, orange, or cucumber for flavor and freshness!
• Seltzer Water
• Many times people crave carbonation in the soda, not really the soda itself. Seltzer water is completely harmless and is just water with carbon dioxide in it. Make sure to avoid sparkling waters if they have added sugar or sweeteners, always safe with seltzer though!
• Herbal Tea
• There are so many different flavors, many even helping certain ailments. Find a flavor that you like the best and try without adding a sweetener(herbal tea has much more flavor than regular black tea), my favorites are ones with licorice and ginger root. For a cool treat, pour over ice or make and put it into fridge until chilled.

If you do decide to still keep soda a part of your diet, do so wisely:

• Cut back, and try to limit intake to no more than 1 can a day, this may take weeks or even months to get down to this, but cut back slowly and you really can do it.
• Save soda for snack-time instead of with all the flavors of a meal.
• Account for soda calories as part of daily caloric intake.