For Better Nutrition Be Bold!

Is losing that extra poundage you've gained during the last 2 months of feasting a New Year's 2016 Resolution?

So here we are...it's the first Monday in January 2016 and many of us are deciding to kick up health the "diet" we blew over the holiday season. Do not beat yourself up mentally if you've gained this past holiday season. It's the long term eating of better nutrition that will make the difference for you. Here's some of my ideas on that. Remember variety is good for you mentally and physically.  Good healthy starts in your mindset.

Today is the first day of the rest of your soon to be healthier life....don't think "diet" think health.
If you deny yourself the foods and flavors you love you will binge.   The key to losing and keeping it off is to love what your eating and yes smaller portion size too.   Trust me....I know how it is to lose a LOT of weight.  Without weighing and measuring food I took a new and healthy approach years ago and lost well over 100 pounds on my own.  No surgeries or diet pills.   Weight loss starts in you mind!!!  It's what is eating you that is keeping that weight on you!!

Keep track by first taking measurements
(you'll be glad you did)

Start by shaking up the grocery shopping routine!  Variety is the spice of life.  Are you bored, tired of the same old, same old foods?

Here are some out-of-the-box food ideas to incorporate into your diet, along with some stand-bys with benefits just too good to ignore: 

• WATERMELON – If you need an excuse to load up on this summer favorite, here’s one: watermelon contains lots of nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants like lycopene and vitamin C. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s 92 percent water, meaning it will full you up with minimal calories. 

• JICAMA – While this Mexican turnip may look like a fuzzy brown lump, beneath the surface is a fiber-packed snack that can work wonders for weight loss. With a high fiber-to-sugar ration and plenty of potassium (which the body requires for maintaining its water balance) – not to mention a delicious, light taste and crispy crunch – jicama is a winning snack to work into your diet.  

• NUTS – There are few foods smarter than nuts. Not only are nuts like almonds and pistachios packed with monounsaturated fatty acids, which help you control your appetite while lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes, but they also contain protein that will keep you full AND increase your calorie burning potential for up to three and a half hours. Other nut benefits include increased vitamin E levels along with improved memory and performance. Not all nuts are created equal, so be sure to check out what’s best for your goals.  

• PURPLE CARROTS – If you think regular old carrots are a healthy eat, just wait until you try their purple cousins! In addition to the beneficial phytochemicals contained in the orange variety, purple carrots contain anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants with anti-aging properties. 

• MANGOES – These delicious fruits hold a number of benefits in their juicy orange flesh. Sweet enough to curb sugar cravings, mangos are also high in fiber, iron, magnesium and antioxidants. They also aid in digestion, so make sure you opt for the fruit over just the juice. 

• EGGS – The incredible, edible egg is making a comeback among fitness circles. Several studies have shown that egg protein outperforms other proteins in boosting muscle strength and development, thanks to its high concentration of the amino acid leucine. Egg protein also helps curb hunger over a sustained period of time while providing plenty of energy.  

• MULBERRIES – Change up the summer berry routine with this power-packed fruit. Like most berries, mulberries are low in calories, but these winners also contain plenty of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and the phytonutrient resveratrol, which has been shown to protect the heart. 

•  WHOLE GRAINS – While whole grains aren’t news, this research is: after analyzing the diets of more than 27,000 people across an eight-year span, Harvard University researchers found that those who ate whole grains daily weighed an average of 2.5 lbs less than those who ate only refined-grain foods. Researchers at Penn State University additionally found that those who ate whole grains lost 2.4 times more belly fat than their refined-grain-eating counterparts. This makes sense when considering how whole grains favorably affect blood-glucose levels, keeping your body from blood sugar spikes. Whole grains’ antioxidants help control inflammation and insulin (which the body uses to store belly fat).

The closer to eating food in it's natural state as Mother Nature planned them, the healthier you will be long term and your skin will thank you too!  Remember to hydrate yourself daily!

Here's a fun recipe to help you get started to a healthier you!!  Enjoy!!

Ciao for now!

JPKC

Mango cubed

Mango Banana Smoothie

1 cup cubed frozen mango cubes

3/4 cup sliced ripe banana (about 1 medium) 

2/3 cup milk or almond milk

1 teaspoon honey 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Place frozen mango and the remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

Note: If using fresh mangos, peel and cube then arrange the mango cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet; freeze until firm (about 1 hour).

Fresh Ripe Mangoes at the Market

Super Easy Healthy Granola

The first time I made granola, I found myself researching for an easy cooking method and just what ingredients should be included in the granola. Well I searched recipes and took what I liked from the dozens of recipes I read, merged cooking methods and wrote a recipe that I believed would work well. With that recipe I  created my very "first homemade granola".   

Since that first granola, I've made this about once a month and I do experiment with ingredients based on what's on hand at the time.  After I made my first batch of granola I realized that I had greatly over spent for years on boxed granola.  You can't beat the fresher flavor of homemade granola!  You are the boss when it comes to cooking!  Experiment!! I love creating in the kitchen which is playtime for me!  

The best part of making your own is it's exactly to your taste with the fruits and nuts you love best! And did I mention that the house smells amazing too?  Play with this recipe too as far as what you love best in your granola.  If you love more fruit or nuts....add more to taste.

Ciao for now!

JPKC

Rolled Oats

Super Easy Healthy Granola

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Total baking time 60 - 65 minutes

In a large bowl mix together the following:

·      5 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)

·      1 cup shelled Sunflower seeds or shelled pumpkin seeds

·      ½ cup wheat germ

·      ½ cup flax seeds

·      1 cup brown sugar

·      3/4 cup honey or maple syrup

·      ¼ cup coconut oil

·      1 Tablespoon vanilla

·      1 Tablespoon cinnamon

·      1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

Spread on 2 cookie sheets either lightly oil sheets or use parchment paper.

Bake 20 minutes 

Stir in 2 cups of almond slivers.

Bake another 20 minutes.

Stir again.

Raise oven to 300 degrees for the final 20-25 minutes.

In a large bowl mix together:

·      1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

·      1 cup flaked coconut

·     3/4 cup dried mango, apricot, pineapple or papaya into bite sized pieces

After baking oat mixture, scoop the granola off the sheet pans into a large bowl with the dried fruits.  

Mix well and cool thoroughly.  

Store in airtight containers up to 3 weeks.  Serve with milk, over ice cream, with yogurt or however you love to eat your granola.

Finished granola ready to eat and store

Experimental Food Ideas

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment with Food!  All recipes were creative projects at some point in time!

Last week I was looking in the refrigerator not sure what I wanted to eat for breakfast.  So, I decided to be a little creative!

My favorite oatmeal is McCann’s steel cut Irish oatmeal.  It takes a little longer prep time but definitely worth the extra time, about 20-25 minutes.  I make it as per the tin’s instruction, which makes 4 servings, and will have 3 servings left for other days unless I have people here to help eat it. This oatmeal is fine leftover too, so no big problem with that!   I actually had less than one portion left so what to do, what to do?  Get creative!

In a small frying pan, I melted a bit of butter (only use real products), added the cold oatmeal to heat it through.   Once heated through I made a hole or well in the center and let the underside brown a bit.  I then filled that hole with 2 raw organic eggs, covered the pan and cooked to eggs to my preferred doneness.   I had 2 luscious fried eggs surrounded by nicely browned on bottom old-fashioned steel cut oatmeal!  Totally scrumptious and a do again recipe.  

I also tried this technique with some leftover rice and that also worked well.   Be sure to salt and pepper to taste for optimum flavor…experiment, create, and play with your food!

Go forth and play with your food!!   

Ciao for now!

JPKC

Irish Eggs in a Well

1 Serving

3/4 cup McCann’s steel cut Irish oatmeal, prepared (leftover is fine)

2 Fresh eggs

1 T butter

Preheat 7-8" skillet add butter when completely melted add oatmeal to skillet. Spread to even layer, warm completely through. Once warmed let the oatmeal brown on underside. Flip over as it's starting to brown open hole in center and add 2 cracked eggs. Cover pan till eggs are preferred doneness. Serve.

Old Fashioned McCann's Steel Cut Oatmeal

Fried Eggs nestled in McCann's Irish Oatmeal