Make your own peanut butter

There is A LOT of peanut butter out there, but it is difficult to find one without added salt and sugar. Try making your own by purchasing some unsalted peanuts (I wait until they are "buy one-get one"). Grind them in a food processor and add them to an old jar of peanut butter. YUM!

-Just be mindful since calories from peanut butter can add up fast.
TIP: Do this with any other nut you choose....almonds, cashews, etc...

I read a great quote on the internet the other day that I just had to share!

"People are fed by the food industry which pays no attention to health, and treated by the health industry which pays no attention to food" -Wendell Berry

This short quote clearly shows the major issue with many our nation's health problems!

3 to 1 Ratio

Lately I have been suggesting a "3:1 ratio" to my clients to encourage them to eat more veggies! All this means is for every pound of pasta, mix it with 3 pounds of vegetables. 

Whole grain pasta is very healthy and provides fiber, protein and many vitamins/ minerals. That being said, the calories in pasta can add up fast, usually around 210 per cup. Also, since pasta is usually somewhat dry and limited in flavor alone, butter, cheese and sauce are added which can double the amount of calories.  

Adding veggies to your meal will not only help you reach your daily amount and decrease the amount of calories per serving, but it provides more flavor! Add your favorite spices and BAM, you have dinner for the week!

Pasta, broccoli steamed down, natural peanut butter, curry powder, garlic powder and crushed red pepper.

• Mix and match different veggies and spices.
• Experiment with different consistencies (keep veggies whole or steam them down with extra water to create a "sauce").
• Separate in containers and put in freezer for tasty and healthy microwave meals.

Quick Snack Ideas

Small meals throughout the day are a great way to “boost your metabolism.” However sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a small meal and a regular sized meal and this can lead to overeating. If regular meals mixed with snacks throughout the day makes more sense to you, below are some examples. Remember snack does not equal junk food! If you wouldn’t eat it for breakfast or feed it to your kids for dinner, then don’t eat it for a snack!

Many of these snacks can be prepared beforehand and stored in your fridge, freezer or pantry for easy snacking!

Savory-

• Vegetable crudites
• Baked potato with salsa, marina sauce, sautéed onions, broth or fat free sour cream
• 2 Salt free/ low sodium rice cake topped with avocado and salsa
• 100% whole grain pita dipped in hummus
• Toasted “Food for Life Bread “(in freezer section) with some natural peanut butter
• 7 “Hint of Salt Triscuits” topped with tomato slices and heated in microwave
• Quesadillas with low-fat cheese and salsa on an “Ezekiel Tortilla”
• 100% whole grain English muffins with pizza sauce and sautéed onions
• Small palmful of no-added-salt nuts
• Plain popcorn topped with nutritional yeast or some “Mrs. Dash”
• Fresh vegetable slices dipped in low fat/ fat free cottage cheese, plain yogurt or hummus
• Celery with fat free/ low fat cream cheese
•  Baby carrots dipped in 2 tbsp pb
•  Low-fat string cheese with an apple or pear
• Omelet with 1 tsp oil, 2 eggs and diced vegetables
• 2 boiled eggs
• Salad (forget the dressing and croutons and top with salsa, vinegar and/or moist veggies)
• Veggie/ turkey  burger topped with tomato sliced and mustard
•  Last night’s leftovers!!!

·      

Sweet-

• A piece or pieces of fruit
• Granola/ energy bars (Look for one with few ingredients)
• A “Larabar”
• Trail mix with 1 box of raisins and small palmful of no-added-salt nuts
• Boiled apples with cinnamon and vanilla
• 2 rice cakes topped with mango and strawberry slices
•  Plain yogurt topped with berries
• Smoothie- frozen fruit blended with skim or soy milk
• Soycream- tofu blended with frozen fruit
• Oatmeal supreme- plain oatmeal topped with cinnamon, fruit and 4-5 chopped pecans
• Pb cup oatmeal-  plain oatmeal with 1 tbsp pb, 1 tsp coco powder and ½ cup soymilk
• Autumn oatmeal- plain oatmeal mixed with canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice
• 1 banana with 1 tbsp pb
• PBJ Rollup- natural peanut butter and grapes sliced in half on half of an “Ezekiel Tortilla”
• Baked sweet potato with cinnamon

PEPPERS, ONIONS and sausage

Make it a non-effort to eat plenty of veggies. Next time you are making sausage, first saute 4 onions and 8 peppers with 1 tsp of olive oil (yes that is all you need). Add in 4 of your favorite sausage links and enjoy. This spread into 6 HEAPING portions will provided 2-3 servings of vegetables each. My favorite "sausage" to use is Tofurky Sweet Italian with Tomato and Basil, if you prefer meat try Applewood's Organic Chicken and Turkey Italian Sausage. Make sure not to drain the excess liquid released from the vegetables; this is where many nutrients are. Bonus- use this moist dish instead of dressing to top over salad for even more veggies!

Creamy Green Smoothie

Want a new texture and taste to your everyday smoothie? Try this one...

Blend a mango, 2 kiwis and a hass avocado together to make a smoothie for 2!

Want a smoothie for one? Use a honey mango, 1 kiwi and half of a hass avocado. YUM!!

Each serving is about 250 calories of healthy nutrients.

My favorite bread!

In my opinion, Food for Life makes one of the best breads around; this is the brand that makes the popular Ezekiel Bread. It is not the "sprouted grains" the company boasts that I am most interested in. Instead it is the limited amount of ingredients and low amount of sodium (about half than most breads) in their great tasting products. These breads do have a "grainier" taste and texture than most breads with additives and dough conditioners. If you are new to this bread, I suggest start by toasting it first. The bread is located in the freezer section of your grocery store and usually only about $3.50 per loaf. Since the bread is more hardy than most commerical breads with a lot of air, you eat less of it!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, let me know!