The Kitchen Vixen | Elizabeth Brown

Superfoods Diet for a Super You!!!

2012-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

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A 3-Day “Superfoods” Diet for a Super You!

Someone was handing out a 3-Day Diet that contained such “non-super” foods as saltine crackers, hot dogs and vanilla ice cream. I was appalled that so many women were clamoring to receive their copy of the “diet,” that I looked at it in disgust stating, “That is not a diet. That is horrible. There is no nutrition there. Let me put together a nutritious 3-Day Diet to help you lose weight sensibly.” So I did. As it turns out, this diet is so chock full of superfoods and good habits, that I’ve decided to use it to coincide with a radio broadcast I’m doing tonight on the subject of “Superfoods.” The show should be at the top of this post. Simply click on the volume button and wait a few minutes for the show to begin. (In case you have trouble finding the radio broadcast, the questions and answers from the show can be found at the end of this post)

As I was preparing for the show hosted by Tanna Corona, I listened to one of her past guests, an organizer expert named Danielle Lescure who has a website: http://www.straightenupandfileright.com/

I love organizing, not that I would do it for a living and not that I’m perfect at it, but as someone who has moved nearly every year for the past ten years, I find that organizing helps me settle into my new environment each time I relocate. Hmm, sounds like I’m in the witness protection program, but I’m not.

Danielle was a very eloquent speaker on Tanna’s show. I only hope I come across as well. She actually gave many organizational tips which I find quite applicable to helping someone on the road to better eating habits. This one in particular is the perfect jumping off point…

“Start where you are”: when it comes to making a change, whether getting more organized or improving your diet, it’s best to just look at what is right in front of you and move forward from there.

If you eat cereal for breakfast, begin by adding blueberries to your cereal. Blueberries are a “superfood” for sure. Their blue color indicates that they are rich in a powerful antioxidant called anthocyanin, which offers much protection and great taste to any meal or snack.
If you eat a sandwich for lunch, add Romaine lettuce or spinach to your sandwich. Leafy greens are rich in vitamin C and carotenoids (the plant version of vitamin A), both of which offer protective benefits, filling fiber, water and even protein, all from a little green plant. Although leafy greens are low in fat overall, the fat they do contain is mainly that coveted omega-3 type.
If you eat chicken for dinner, switch to wild caught fish 2 times per week. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that wild caught sea food is rich in omega-3’s particularly EPA & DHA which are associated with reducing inflammation and with optimizing brain health. Canned fish is fine too but choose Wild Planet brand since they use a canning process that preserves the omega-3’s while also eliminating harmful BPA’s found in other canning methods. BPA’s have been associated with increasing the risk of hormone related cancers such as breast and ovarian cancer. Fish canned in BPA lined cans is not so “super” after all, unless it comes from Wild Planet!!!

In general, choose whole, colorful foods that make you feel GOOD!!! I love to snack on frozen blueberries because they are cold like ice cream, slightly sweet and they turn my tongue blue which makes me laugh!

Here is a very general list of “Superfoods” and some ways to incorporate them using the 3-Day “Superfoods” Diet below.

1. Salmon, wild caught

2. Flax seeds

3. Berries

4. Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, All leafy greens!!

5. Beans

6. Nuts

7. Eggs from pasture raised chickens

8. Sweet potatoes

9. Quinoa

10. Greek yogurt

11. Tea (green or black)

But before you learn to incorporate the list, first incorporate these useful tips!

1) Drink 8 ounces of water upon waking & every 2 hours after.

2) Eat within one hour of waking.

3) Eat every 3 hours.

4) Eat something green at every meal.

5) Eat some protein at every meal.

6) Eat unprocessed complex carbs from whole food sources.

7) Eat good fats from nuts, olives, avocados or flax seeds & flax oil at every meal.

8) Exercise or move your body at least 30 minutes a day.

9) Sleep 6-8 hours a night.

10) Do something that makes you happy every day!

*Note the nutrient density of these meals. No supplements required!!!

DAY 1:

Upon rising: 8 ounces of water plus the juice of one whole lemon

(By adding lemon to water, you instantly get 94% of your Daily Value for Vitamin C)

Meal 1:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1/3 cup oatmeal, dry (2/3 cup cooked)

4 egg whites plus 1 whole egg, scrambled

2 cups fresh spinach, steamed

Meal 2:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup white beans

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/4 avocado, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients

Meal 3:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

3 oz fresh or canned salmon (1/2 can)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa (1/2 coffee cup)

2 cups steamed collard greens (1/2 of a bunch)

Steam sauté some onions with the collard greens for extra flavor

Meal 4:

8 oz water

1/2 cup white beans (1/2 coffee cup)

1 Tbsp vanilla whey protein powder

1 cup mixed salad greens (a good handful)

1 cup berries (any type)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp flax oil

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes (Optional: a significant source of B12)

Combine water, beans, greens, berries, cinnamon & nutritional yeast flakes in a blender.

Add 6-8 ice cubes to reach desired consistency.

Take this drink to work in a stainless steel water bottle, thermos or even a large mason jar.

Meal 5:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

4 oz pan grilled chicken (size of the palm of your hand) (make 4 oz extra for lunch tomorrow)

2 cups broccoli (size of 2 light bulbs)

Juice of 1/2 lemon, drizzle on broccoli

3 oz sweet potato (size of your fist)

1 tsp flax oil, drizzle on sweet potato (Do Not heat flax oil. Add AFTER heating food.)

Cost for the entire Day: $8.62

Nutrients for the entire Day: Calories: 1,557, Protein: 122g, Carbs: 184g, Fiber: 42g,

Fat: 37g, Sugar: 61g, Sodium: 1,053mg, Omega-3 fats: 6,900mg, Omega-6 fats: 5,280mg,

Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: 0.7:1 (Goal < 4:1),

% Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin A: 424% • Vitamin C: 789% (473mg)

Thiamine-B1: 391% • Riboflavin-B2: 395%

Niacin: 250% • Vitamin B6: 348%

Vitamin B12: 87% • Vitamin D: 58%

Vitamin E: 79% • Folate: 202%

Pantothenic Acid: 107%

Calcium: 81% • Magnesium: 108%

Iron: 97% • Selenium: 191%

Copper: 80% • Zinc: 56% (8.35mg) (Goal: 12mg Women, 15mg Men)

Manganese: 271% • Potassium: 133%

Phosphorus: 123%

DAY 2:

Upon rising: 8 ounces of water plus the juice of one whole lemon

(By adding lemon to water, you instantly get 94% of your Daily Value for Vitamin C)

Meal 1:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1 slice 100% whole wheat or sprouted bread or 1/2 cup quinoa or brown rice

2 poached eggs

2 cups collard greens, steamed (the other half of the bunch, add onion if desired)

Meal 2:

8 oz water

1/3 cup oatmeal, dry

1 cup berries

1 cup mixed salad greens

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds or 1 tsp flax oil

1 Tbsp vanilla whey protein powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Blend everything in a blender. Add ice to reach desired consistency.

Meal 3:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

4 oz pan grilled chicken

3 oz sweet potato

4 cups mixed salad greens

1 tsp flax oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Make a big salad out of these foods

Meal 4:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1 hard boiled egg

1 carrot, cut into sticks

1 stalk celery, cut into sticks

Meal 5:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

4 oz steamed fish such as cod, haddock or salmon

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables such as peas, carrots & green beans

2 cups Romain lettuce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp flax oil, to drizzle on salad

DAY 3:

Upon rising: 8 ounces of water plus the juice of one whole lemon

(By adding lemon to water, you instantly get 94% of your Daily Value for Vitamin C)

Meal 1:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup black beans

4 egg whites plus 1 whole egg, scrambled

2 Tbsp salsa

1/4 avocado

2 cups fresh spinach, steamed

Meal 2:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup brown rice

1/4 avocado, diced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

Toss everything together

Meal 3:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

3 oz canned salmon

1 cup mixed vegetables

2 cups broccoli (size of 2 light bulbs)

4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp flax oil

Toss everything together to make a salad

Meal 4:

8 oz water

1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup berries

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds or 1 tsp flax oil

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes (optional)

Blend everything in a blender with 6-8 ice cubes to reach desired consistency

Meal 5:

8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon

4 oz extra lean beef (90-95% lean), pan grilled

2 cups kale, steamed

3 oz sweet potato, baked

1 tsp flax oil for sweet potato

Juice of 1/2 lemon for kale

What makes certain foods superfoods? Superfoods, like Super Heros, can save your life. They are foods that fulfill more than one purpose in your diet by providing more than one type of disease fighting nutrient, nutrients such as antioxidants & fiber and nutrients that may even change how some of your genes express themselves or not. For example, a newly classified superfood is rice which contains a type of RNA that has been shown to change the expression of your genes that make cholesterol. But Superfoods are only effective if you eat them. So they must be accessible, affordable, tasty and simple to include in everyday meals. They should be filling without being excessively high in calories. What good is a superfood if you can’t find it or it’s difficult to prepare or if you simply don’t enjoy it?

How do they accelerate your health? I like the idea that superfoods, or any food, for that matter can “accelerate health.” But what most superfoods are “known” for, is that they prevent disease. Some lower cholesterol, while others prevent cancer, some have antibacterial properties, blood thinning properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and protect against osteoporosis; but the idea of accelerating health is a much more positive aspect. If you find superfoods that you enjoy and you eat them in place of non-superfoods, then you are likely to enjoy more energy, optimal digestion, improved sleep and an overall good mood all day long. Those residual effects of superfoods will definitely accelerate your health and well being.

How can we use them to bring even more power to them? [juicing, maybe?] Here again it depends on one’s access to a juicer, whether or not they even like juices, and the overall cost. Remember that superfoods should be filling without providing excess calories. Sometimes juicing, particularly when you juice fruits, will result in an abundance of calories, especially when you buy bottled juices that are often enhanced with fruit purees. When you juice you do incorporate more nutrients but this will make the end result more costly. If you buy a bunch of kale, spinach and an apple, for example, your juice will cost around $6. If you eat an organic apple it might cost you $1 and you also get that filling fiber that was left out by juicing. With that in mind, I love juicing, but sometimes it’s just not enough. It’s rarely filling and you completely lose the textural pleasures of eating.

To bring “more power” to your superfoods, try to incorporate a “variety” of them in every meal and snack. Every time it’s time to eat, look at your food choices and ask yourself, “Am I about to eat any superfoods? Or are all of my choices non-super?”

You should eat 5-6 small meals per day. Eat something, or drink a juice, within one hour of rising and then every 3 hours thereafter. That’s a lot of opportunity to ingest superfoods. To help everyone do this, I’ve put together a 3-Day Superfoods Diet and all of my recipes on my website include superfoods throughout.

What if you don’t like the taste of these foods? That’s the beauty of food, there are many, many choices. And every superfood has a counterpart, so to speak. For example, if you don’t like kale, try another big leafy green vegetable such as Swiss chard, collard greens or bok choi. Although Kale is really off the charts for Vitamin C, and for vitamin A precursors (aka carotenoids), they are not the ONLY food in our dietary choices which provide these nutrients. Also, try a superfood in more than one way. When you cook kale, it gives off a relatively strong odor but when you eat it raw with a little lemon juice and flax oil, the flavor is much more mild, AND by adding the lemon juice and flax oil, you’ve just enhanced the overall “superness” of this “superfood.” You can include kale in a fresh juice along with an apple and some celery which will also provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, while helping to mask the stronger flavor of the kale.

We know that overcooking, the canning process, etc., can compromise the nutrients in foods that are otherwise good for you. Is there any way we should look out for that would do this to superfoods? First, a caveat on canning. Canned beans are convenient and beans are definitely a superfood since they are protein and carbohydrate rich, although not a complete protein. They are extremely high in fiber, simply THE highest fiber food you can eat. They are also very rich in minerals and much more versatile than most people realize. But the time it takes to cook them is a turn off for most people. However, canned beans are about five times more costly than dried beans, although we’re really only talking $1.29 vs $0.29 for the same volume. But if someone is willing to incorporate beans, I will advise them to buy beans that come in BPA free cans. So far, the only companies which I know for sure use BPA free canning processes are Eden organics and Amy’s organics.

Tomatoes are often canned and the canning process actually enhances the bioavailability of Lycopene, one of their very unique antioxidants which has been shown to reduce the incidence of cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness amongst older Americans. However, some people can’t eat a lot of tomatoes or other nightshade vegetables for that matter because of a component called solanine. When you do some research you will find that most people classify solanine as a toxin produced by green potatoes but solanine is actually a naturally occurring antioxidant found in many plants including tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, all of the nightshade family, as well as blueberries, apples, cherries, beets, huckleberries, okra and artichokes. Upon further research, I found that solanine is an antioxidant that has anticancer benefits. But for some people, it also causes an inflammatory response in the joints. Solanine, for the plant, acts as a feeding deterrent against predetorial insects. It interferes with digestion and nutrient absorption and causes production of potentially dangerous oxygen radicals or pro-oxidants. But pro-oxidants, the opposite of anti-oxidants do have a purpose in the body. They help kill off invading viruses and bacteria. Keep in mind that these solanine rich plant foods have a growing season and for that reason, it might be best to eat these foods during their peak season and NOT all year round. They have a season for a reason.

Overcooking can sometimes leach out some nutrients, particularly Vitamin C and the B vitamins, but some of the other antioxidants are more resilient and will still be there even through the cooking process. In general, it’s never a good idea to overcook anything, but sometimes cooking can enhance flavors, can make foods easier to digest and can even enhance the absorption of certain nutrients. Quinoa, for example, a popular supergrain, has some nutrient blockers that are released during the cooking process. These nutrient blockers are actually “antioxidants” developed by the plant to protect it from predators. Animals that eat these plants will learn that if they overconsume the plant, they may suffer from a nutrient deficiency which may even lead to death. This just goes to show that you CAN eat too much of a good thing. In quinoa, for example, there is an antioxidant called a saponin, which is part of the plant’s immune system, it protects the plant from microbes and fungus. To humans, this saponin causes the grain to have a slightly soapy taste and to inhibit the absorption of some of the minerals which are often hard to come by in plant foods. However, because saponins are an antioxidant for the plant, they also provide us antioxidant protection when we eat quinoa. Although some research shows that saponins, when mixed with red blood cells, cause the cells to lyse, or rupture, which may seem detrimental to humans, this reaction is actually protective. You see, saponins are not absorbed in the human gut, so they don’t have the opportunity to cause harm inside the body, which I doubt they would anyway. But while these saponins are traveling through the gut, they latch on to potentially harmful bacteria, form a complex with the bacteria’s cholesterol which makes up cell structures, and causes the cholesterol, and therefore the cell membrane to rupture in essence, they kill the bacteria. So like in the plant itself, the saponin exerts antibacterial properties in humans too. The other thing to note about quinoa and most superfoods, is where they live, Quinoa thrives in cold, dry climates in high altitudes. It’s tenacity to flourish under such conditions exemplifies the power it can provide in our diets. Flax seeds, blueberries, strawberries and leafy greens such as collards, kale and purslane, for example are other examples of plants which thrive under less than optimal conditions. Purslane is a weed that grows in the sidewalk cracks. You can buy it at some farmer’s markets here in southern California. But it has an odd texture and flavor that may be a bit off-putting to some. However, it’s extremely high in omega-3 fats so I would toss it in a mixed green salad or throw it in a smoothie.

Are there any superfoods you feel are overrated? Goji berries, pomegranates and acai. Pomegranates are so difficult to work with that it’s a deterrent. Although pomegranate juice abounds, to me, a superfood can be bought and easily consumed in the package nature provided. Goji berries are from the other side of the globe and personally, I don’t enjoy their taste. Plus they are always found in the dried form, not necessarily processed but not as they appear in nature. Same for Acai. You can’t consume it in it’s pure and natural state unless you go to Brazil. But if you look around our country, our own backyards provide a plethora of superfood options. As a kid growing up in PA, I would simply go for walk in the country and pick mulberries, aka blackberries, along the way. I used to walk out to my parent’s garage and suck on the honeysuckles that grew on the wall or I’d walk to the backyard garden and grab a fresh tomato in the summer. But in the winter, I simply didn’t eat tomatoes. If you want the BEST superfoods for you, get to know what’s in season in your community. Plants develop their antioxidant defense system as a way to protect themselves and help them grow and thrive according to their environment. If we eat the plants that grow in our environment, then we will get some of the same benefits.

Any help kick cravings? Most cravings result from your body looking for nutrients. At the most basic level, when you don’t eat enough calories, your body may crave carbs or fat, rarely does it crave protein but often times, eating some protein whenever you are hungry, may keep you from overeating. Because protein foods are digested more slowly than carbs and don’t cause an insulin spike as we sometimes experience from a higher carb meal. An insulin spike will cause an influx of blood sugar to enter the cells rapidly which causes the blood sugar levels to drop suddenly, not necessarily to drop to a clinically low level of under 70, but perhaps just a drop from say 140 to 100 in a short period of time. If that happens, you may experience a sudden feeling of lightheadedness, perhaps a feeling of hunger which causes you to eat again even though your body has just been fed. In the end, if you team up your carbs with a fairly equal portion of protein, then you may offset some cravings.

Aside from the cravings we experience from a purely macronutrient sense, your body may tend to “crave” minerals. When we are stressed or very physically active, we tend to burn through more magnesium. It’s a common theory that chocolate cravings stem from your body’s search for a magnesium source. You eat the chocolate and you get “some” magnesium, but you also get sugar and fat and chemicals such as threobromine which increases blood pressure and heart rate, basically acting as a “stimulant,” the way caffeine does. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine which may stimulate the release of endorphin, that feel good hormone. Running can have the same effect for some people. Chocolate, because of its mouthfeel, is one of those foods that most people just love. But if it’s a food that you know you will easily over-consume, then try eliminating it from the diet and focus on more nutrient dense foods which may give you the minerals your body is craving in the first place. Good sources of magnesium include whole grains, leafy greens, beans and nuts; four superfoods that will accelerate your health while helping you kick cravings, especially cravings for chocolate. I also believe that chocolate as a superfood is overrated. And as a result, everyone under the sun is marketing some sort of “pure” cacoa type chocolate. If chocolate is a trigger food for you, as it is for me, then use the old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind.” I don’t crave chocolate until I eat it.

Elizabeth Brown: FOX News Cooking Segments

2011-12-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Beans: the often overlooked “Super-Food”

BEANS are THE highest fiber food in our “whole food” repertoire (natural and not man-made like Fiber one bars). They are high in protein, 16g per cup. They are a very, very slowly digested source of energy yielding carbohydrates; perfect for people with blood sugar issues such as Diabetics. Beans lower cholesterol, naturally, not because man added something to them. They are high in antioxidants that protect the body from cancer. They aid in weight loss on so many levels, from increasing satiety to lowering leptin levels. 1 ¼ cups of cooked beans provides as much protein as 3 ounces chicken for 1/4^th the cost and 2 ½ times more volume. That volume and the super-antioxidant content, plus half of your daily fiber needs, are what makes beans a “Super-Food.” Add to that the fact that beans promote weight loss while allowing you to eat more calories. In a study comparing bean eaters to non-bean eaters, the bean eaters lost 7 pounds more and ate 200 calories more than the non-bean eaters.

The protein in beans is not complete but when you eat whole grains, or other complete proteins throughout the day, your body has what it needs to make complete proteins. In the brownie recipe, we have eggs to make a complete protein. In the shake we have the milk and in the black bean and quinoa mango salad, we have the quinoa to help complete the protein for your body.

When using beans as protein source in the shake, you get the protein you would get from a protein powder but you get so much more, such as Manganese, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Zinc, All of your B vitamins except B12 plus extra Calcium, Potassium and Omega-3 fats. You don’t get any of that from protein powder and you save $0.37 per serving. The protein shake with beans costs only $0.70 for a 15oz serving.

Black Bean Brownies

Makes 20 servings – Ready in 1 hour

2 cans black beans, drained

6 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup cocoa

1 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

9x12 inch baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Oil baking pan.

Puree all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a food processor until you reach a smooth consistency.

Pour batter into baking pan. Disperse the chips evenly over top of the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Best if refrigerated overnight.

Cut into 20 squares

Cost per serving: $0.51

Nutrients per serving (1 piece, 53g): Calories: 141, Total Fats: 5 g, Total Carbohydrates: 19 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Protein: 5 g

% Daily Value

17% manganese

14% copper

12% magnesium

10% phosphorus

9% iron

8% selenium

8% folate

6% riboflavin, niacin & potassium

5% zinc

Mango Bean Smoothie

Makes 1 serving – Ready in 5 minutes

1/2 cup white beans (such as navy or pinto)

1/2 mango, rough chopped

1 cup lowfat milk (any type)
2 Tbsp coconut, shredded, unsweetened

6 mint leaves

4-6 ice cubes, add gradually

Throw everything in a blender and blend. Add ice gradually until your reach a desired consistency.

Cost per serving: $0.70

Nutrients per serving (1 shake/ 2 cups): Calories: 350, Total Fats: 6 g, Omega-3 fats: 110 mg, Sodium: 140 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 55g, Dietary Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 27g, Protein: 19g

% Daily Value (DV)

Manganese: 36%

Calcium: 35%

Potassium: 28%

Vitamin D: 25%

Vitamin A: 20%

Vitamin C: 13%

Copper: 11%

Iron: 18%

Selenium: 4%

Magnesium: 17%

Phosphorus: 17%

Vitamin-E: 2%

Niacin: 10%

B-6: 7%

Riboflavin: 4%

Zinc: 8%

Folate: 31%

Thiamin-B1: 18%

B-12: 0%

Black Bean, Quinoa & Mango Salad

Makes 1 serving – Ready in 10 minutes

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 mango, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp flax oil

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Per serving: 314 calories, 54g carbs, 11g protein, 6g fat, 245% DV vitamin C, 76% vitamin A, 11-45% for all vitamins and minerals except vitamin D, B12 and calcium.

Kicking the Craving Habit

We have all been plagued by food cravings at some point in our lives. We can’t help it, we’re born to crave. It’s part of survival. At birth we crave sweet because mother’s milk is sweet, and high in fat, so when we taste sweet, we associate sweetness with energy, both immediate and stored fuel. But even when we are old enough to make more cognizant choices, often times those inherent tendencies kick in, especially during times of stress. If we are stressed, either because of a deadline, because we skipped a meal or because we exercised and didn’t eat enough, our survival mechanisms will kick in and we reach for quick-fix sugar sources to feed our brain, and high fat foods to provide long-term storage. We also grab for fatty foods because their texture offers a soothing mouthfeel that is learned. High fat foods are high on the hedonic, “pleasure seeking” food scale.

Statics show that 97% of women & 68% of men experience food cravings, 40% of women and 15% of men crave chocolate. Low levels of serotonin, a “feel good” hormone, has been associated with food cravings. Some experts also believe that cravings are your body’s way of trying to take in lacking nutrients, aside from sugar and fat, your body also uses a lot of vitamins and minerals during times of stress or during strenuous activity. Some of the nutrients our body seeks during times of stress include the B vitamins, prevalent in carbohydrate rich foods, but not in highly processed carb sources. Magnesium is another “nutrient” we crave during stress. Many experts speculate that we crave chocolate because it is a good source of magnesium. But spinach, is even higher when you compare ounce for ounce. And one cup of cooked spinach (about 8 cups raw) is only 53 calories whereas one cup of chocolate is 863 calories. If magnesium is what you are truly craving, then you’d better learn to head the signs and load up on spinach or you’ll be buying new clothes every season and not necessarily because you are so fashion conscious.

Other high magnesium foods include all leafy greens, beans, nuts (especially brazil nuts, cashews, almonds and pumpkin seeds) as well as brown rice, barley, quinoa and dates.

To help you overcome your cravings, keep nutrient dense snack options on hands at all times. Fresh fruit, especially crunchy apples and sweet berries can easily offset your desire for less nutritious options, plus they add disease fighting antioxidants and fiber. Cut up veggies such as cucumbers, carrots and celery and creamy dip made with Greek yogurt will please your palate for creamy, fatty foods, while adding calcium, protein and fiber rich, water rich, low calorie crunch that beats the butt of any potato chip; baked, whole grain or whatever marketing tactic comes along. If nature made it, it’s made to eat, if man made it, RETREAT!

If you really have a chocolate craving, some experts recommend small pieces of dark chocolate, but when you’re truly hungry, your body wants volume and one little 1/2 inch square will not suffice. Instead, try my Aphrodisiac salad that incorporates spicy arugula with sweet berries, zinc rich pine nuts, sweet balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and rich, dark chocolate shaved over top. It’s an unusual combination that satisfies so many senses and can even sublimate for “something” missing, which is another reason we often “crave,” as a substitute for “affection.”

As a final offering, I also recommend simple frozen grapes and an ounce of mixed nuts. Use a portion-friendly container for calorie dense snacks such as nuts. A one cup serving of frozen grapes and a one ounce serving of mixed nuts has 150 fewer calories than a cup of ice cream plus at least 10-20% of all of your essential minerals and most of your vitamins. Ice cream has little to offer besides your daily allotment of saturated fat.

Crispy Kale Chips

Makes 1 serving – Ready in 20 minutes

One bunch kale, dinosaur or curly

2 tsp canola or other high heat oil

Dash of sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the kale with paper towels. Use kitchen shears or a knife to remove ribs and cut kale into 2 inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with oil and sea salt. Place on 2 large baking trays lined with parchment paper. Bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

2. Remove the kale chips from the oven. Enjoy!

Nutrients per serving (1 bunch): Calories: 194, Total Fats: 10 g, Total Carbohydrates: 20 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Protein: 6 g

Daily Value: 400% vitamin C, 180% vitamin A, 10-30% for every other vitamin & mineral except B12, vitamin D, Selenium & Zinc

Savory Greek yogurt dip

Makes 1 serving – Ready in 5 minutes

1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain, fat-free

Juice & zest of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill

1/8 tsp (dash) garlic powder

Mix everything together in a small bowl. Serve with your favorite sliced vegetables such as carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers.

Per serving: 68 calories, 7g carbs, 10g protein, 0g fat, 25% DV for vitamin C, 13% DV for calcium

Aphrodisiac Salad

Makes 1 serving – Ready in 10 minutes

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp flax oil

2 tsp honey

2 cups arugula (arugula’s peppery flavor complements the sweetness of the berries, much like the perfect couple—sweet & spicy)

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1 Tbsp pine nuts

1/4 oz dark chocolate

In a large single serving salad bowl, pour in equal portions of apple cider vinegar, olive oil and honey. Mix with a fork. Add two big handfuls of arugula. Toss with dressing. Add 1/2 cup each of Blackberries and Raspberries. Squeeze some lemon juice onto the salad, just enough to sprinkle with flavor and extra antioxidants. The lemon helps to pull together flavors similar to salt but acts as a diuretic, unlike salt. Sprinkle with pine nuts and shaved dark chocolate. Cut slivers using a sharp knife or a microplane. Apply just enough chocolate to decorate the salad. A little goes a long way to perfectly compliment the flavors of the sweet berries and spicy greens.
Per serving: 290 calories, 16g heart healthy fats, 36g carbs, 9g fiber, 5g protein.

Other winning nutrients include 73% of your Daily Value for Vitamin C- perfect for protecting the immune system of both you and your loved on, 25% of the Daily Value for Vitamin A- obtained from those ever loving, visual protectors known as carotenoids. 15% of the Daily Value for that essential, oxygen transporting nutrient known as Iron (typically found in highest concentrations in animal products). Plus 11 % of the Daily Value for Bone Building Calcium and even more if you add a touch of creamy goat cheese. This salad contains a significant amount of every Vitamin & Mineral (10% or more) except for Vitamin D & B12 – you may want to eat it while standing in the sun for 15 minutes a day to get your D & perhaps accompanied by some poached chicken or fish for some B12 & extra protein. Best of all, this salad contains a variety of tastes, textures and colors all indicating a wide range of disease fighting, antioxidant nutrients.

Although one might think an Aphrodisiac Salad should be savored only in pairs, this salad can be eaten and enjoyed absolutely anytime your heart desires. To protect your heart & increase your energy, you also get 2,660mg of ALA omega-3 fatty acids from the flax oil. Omega-3 fats make every part of your body work better. You and your loved one will thank me forever.

Fiddlehead Ferns...who knew? by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

2011-11-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

Fiddlehead Ferns and the First Snow Fall

During a recent visit to Pennsylvania, I experienced some firsts. My mom and I visited Cabela’s, a huge sporting goods store about an hour west of Allentown, my home town. Cabela’s is like a play ground for hunters and fishermen, but they also have great outdoor wear for active individuals. When you first walk into Cabela’s, you will either be entranced or offended by their endless array of wildlife taxidermies. I loved the huge aquarium that wraps around one entire wall and is filled with big freshwater fish and turtles. And I did buy some outdoor wear which came in handy for the first, and very early, snowfall of the year.

Hunting and fishing isn’t for everyone, but growing up in PA, I was exposed to such sports at an early age. My dad used to hunt deer in his back yard in the country. I couldn’t kill an animal myself, but as a child I loved to shoot target practice with a bow and arrow, and rifles. However, I do understand the necessity to keep the deer population under control, otherwise they may end up dead on the side of the road.

We look to fish or fish oil supplements to get our omega-3 fats which have been shown to help fight inflammation, lower cholesterol, ward off dementia and even combat depression. If we ate wild game as one of our protein sources, we’d actually get some omega-3’s as well. Wild animals live on a diet of grasses and bugs, naturally rich in omega-3’s. We’d also get a desirable ratio of omega-6’s to omega-3’s. The goal is to eat a diet with a ratio of 4g of omega-6 fats or less for each 1g of omega-3’s (4:1 or less). Poultry has a ratio of 16:1 and venison is 3:1. Free-range, grass-fed beef is also 3:1. Plus these “red” meats provide significant sources of iron, B12, selenium and zinc; minerals that are essential for transporting oxygen rich blood to working muscles and for building your body’s own antioxidant defense system. Just some food for thought when making protein choices.

My mom’s boyfriend is an avid fisherman who does what’s called “catch and release.” The fish go back in the water and instead of bringing home fish he brings home stories about the one that got away. During his recent fishing trip to Canada, he also brought back some fiddleheads.

While visiting my mom, she said, “There are some fiddleheads in the freezer if you want to try them.” I said, “What are fiddleheads?” My mom said, “They’re some kind of vegetable Bill gets from Canada. He says the people there love them.” I couldn’t believe there was a vegetable, native to North America that I had never heard of. I quickly pulled out my iPhone and fervently did some research to learn that the Fiddlehead fern is native to Canada, mostly found in the coastal regions of British Columbia as well as Ontario and Quebec. They’re also found in the moist meadows and riverbanks of Vermont and Maine. I thought, "So, they are wild harvested. That's a good sign."

Fiddleheads are the first greens to “spring up” in the spring. They show up after the last snow fall and they must be picked within a month’s time, before they change from a tightly wound looking spiral (or frond), and unfurl into a full fern, at which point they become too bitter to eat. They also must be cooked and cannot be eaten raw, because they tend to hold microflora in their tightly coiled fronds which can cause symptoms of a food borne illness. However, it seems that the microflora, like the microflora in our bodies, may actually be what make fiddleheads so resilient.

Fiddleheads are rich in protein and fiber. They provide 50% of the Daily Value for vitamins A & C plus significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and calcium.

Dr. John DeLong, a researcher from Nova Scotia Canada, claims that fiddleheads also provide those coveted omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the EPA omega-3 fats, which up to this point I thought only came from animal sources. Upon further research, I learned that EPA is found in some plants, primarily microalgae, which could be where fiddleheads get their EPA. However, while digging a little deeper, I also learned that some plants, as a defense against certain types of fungi, particularly “water molds,” will convert the omega-3 Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA), into EPA. Perhaps the young fiddleheads protect themselves against these invading molds by converting ALA to EPA, which, like in humans, is essential for bolstering the immune system. So then I thought, “Hmm, if plants use EPA as a defense against “water molds,” could people do the same?”

After some research on PubMed, I found over 100 articles that say just that. EPA can help alleviate “allergic rhinitis,” such as that which I experience while visiting PA where mold is prevalent because of the damp environment. In fact, I sneeze incessantly the entire time I’m in PA. Perhaps I should eat more fiddleheads next time, and be sure to take my Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Xtra which contains 800mg of EPA & 400mg of DHA per 2 capsules. They are the best on the market so I have to let people know.

If you are ever fortunate enough to try fiddlehead ferns, and it’s really just so you can say you’ve had them, you must follow these instructions to prepare them. They could be just what the doctor ordered to boost your immune system, but if prepared incorrectly, you might be visiting the doctor with symptoms of food borne illness instead.

Food borne illness was reported by people who ate fiddlehead ferns that were sautéed without first being steamed or boiled. So if you decide to eat fiddleheads at a quaint little restaurant while visiting Canada, Maine or Vermont in the spring, be sure to ask precisely how they were prepared. I’d hate to see you ruin your vacation all because of a little fern.

But you wouldn’t be the first.

How to Prepare Fiddlehead Ferns:

Rinse the ferns under cool running water while rubbing off any brown, thin skin, that remains after picking. Cut about 1/2 inch off the end of each fern. (This is time consuming but necessary.) Steam or boil the fiddleheads for 5 minutes to kill off any harmful bacteria. Then, sauté them in butter or olive oil. Add minced shallots, onion or garlic if you like. Serve with brown rice and steamed fish, venison, or grass-fed beef. The fiddleheads taste like a cross between bitter asparagus and spinach. I scrambled mine with eggs mixed with turkey bacon, green peppers, tomatoes, onions and spinach. The combination was delicious and I felt great afterwards. No food borne illness symptoms here. I must have done something right!

Don’t be a food snob...

2011-09-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

If you want to invoke change in others, you shouldn’t be a food snob.

This weekend the Good Food festival is being held in Santa Monica. The festival offers everything you could want to learn about good, healthy food; how to get it and the policies surrounding it.

But even as a health food advocate, I worry that playing the “food police,” and forcing consumer change, can sometimes backfire. However, it seems that the goal of the Good Food festival is not to force change but to bring local farmers into the spotlight of local consumerism.

As I travel through the local farmers markets, I often eaves drop on the conversations of consumers and farmers. One question that often arises, “Is your produce organic?’ Sometime it is and sometimes the answer is, “Well, it’s not organically certified but we don’t use pesticides.” Sometimes the person will still buy the produce and sometimes they walk away, looking for that farmer who bears the expensive organic certification.

When I was completing my holistic culinary training, I learned this hierarchy of produce buying: Fresh, Local, Seasonal and if you can afford it, “Organic.”

I read a recent study showing that low-income people opt for empty-calorie processed foods over fresh foods because they can’t afford organic. They figure, why bother.

Most of our age related diseases are a result of the long term nutrient deficiencies we see in these people who aren’t eating enough produce; diseases such as dementia, heart disease and cancer.

When we first learned about nutrition and began identifying vitamins and minerals, the emphasis was on, “How much do we need to prevent deficiencies?” Ironically, this was around the same time we began to “process” foods. As long as most of the vitamins and minerals were present, food manufacturers figured that we would all be ok and they could make money by providing more convenient options for the increasing pace of the consumer.

Now we know we need more than just the minimal intake of vitamins and minerals, we need antioxidants too. No matter how food manufacturers try to put back all that is stripped away in processing, they will never replace what nature created in such perfect synergy. The only way to live long and thrive, and hopefully ward off long-term diseases, is to eat FRESH food, local if you can get it, seasonal if it’s available, and organic if you can afford it.

Don’t be a food snob. Be a FRESH food advocate and make the world a happier and healthier place for all.

Here’s my contribution. I created these recipes with some food that was given to me. While researching mercury in tuna, I learned that troll caught tuna, like that from Wild Planet foods, is lower in mercury because the fish are smaller and have accumulated less mercury in their bodies. I also learned that selenium, an essential mineral and powerful antioxidant, can bind to mercury making it less “biologically” available in your body. Tuna is one of the highest sources of selenium. Brazil nuts are even higher, with over one thousand percent of the Daily Value for selenium in a one ounce serving, about six nuts. I created this Tuna & Brazil Nut cake recipe as a way to help consumers safely eat tuna, a tasty, convenient and affordable source of protein and omega-3 fats.

The white string beans and red potatoes are courtesy of Alex Weiser, of Weiser Family Farms.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did creating them. It’s food like this that will keep you disease free for life. "The Kitchen Vixen is on a mission to save the world, one recipe at a time."

Tuna & Brazil Nut Cakes

Ready in 30 minutes • Makes 5 servings

2 (5-oz) cans Wild Planet light skipjack or albacore tuna

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup (1 oz-wt) Brazil nuts or mixed nuts with Brazil nuts

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grind nuts in a food processor.
Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine thoroughly.

Shape into five evenly divided palm size portions.

Flatten on a baking tray lined with parchment paper

Bake for 10 minutes on each side

Serve each cake with 1/4 cup dip

Lemony Garlic Yogurt Dip

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp black pepper

Cost per serving (1 Tuna Cake + 1/4 cup dip): $1.18

Nutrients per serving (5oz/ 149g): Calories: 203, Total Fats: 7 g, Omega-3 Fats: 1,220mg
Sodium: 31 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 12 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 23 g
Omega-6: Omega-3 = 1.5:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV) For 1 Tuna Cake + 1/4 cup dip

Selenium: 309% - Niacin: 40% - Manganese: 28% - B-12: 28% - Vitamin D: 23% - Phosphorus: 20% - B6:15% - Copper: 11% - Thiamin: 10% - Iron: 10% - Calcium: 10% - Vitamin C: 10% - Zinc: 8% - Potassium: 7% - Folate: 6% - Vitamin E: 5% - Riboflavin: 4% - Vitamin A: 1%

White String Bean & Red Potato Salad

Ready in 20 minutes • Makes 9 servings

1 lb white string beans or green beans, cut in inch pieces

1 lb red potatoes, small diced

1 small red pepper, cut into 1 inch long, thin slices

1/4 red onion, cut into 1 inch long, thin slices

Dressing

Juice of one lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp black pepper

Place a steamer basket inside a large pot of boiling water.

Add diced potatoes. Place a lid on the pot. Steam until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

Add string beans and steam another 3 minutes.

Remove string beans and potatoes from the pot.

Submerge in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Drain water. Add red onion and red pepper.

Combine with dressing, cover with plastic wrap.

Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Cost per serving (1 cup): $0.93

Nutrients per serving (4.6oz/ 130g): Calories: 134, Total Fats: 6 g, Omega-3 Fats: 60mg
Sodium: 7 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 2 g
Omega-6: Omega-3 = 1.8:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV) For 1 cup string bean & potato salad

Vitamin C: 72% - Manganese: 13% - B6:13% - Vitamin A: 11% - Copper: 10% - Potassium: 10% - Niacin: 9% - Magnesium: 7% - Iron: 7% - Thiamin: 7% - Folate: 7% - Phosphorus: 5% - Vitamin E: 5% - Riboflavin: 4% - Calcium: 3% - Zinc: 2% - Selenium: 1% - B-12: 0% - Vitamin D: 0%

One Tuna Cake w/ 1/4 cup Lemony Garlic Dip & 1 cup White String Bean & Red Potato Salad

Cost per serving: $2.10

Nutrients per serving (10oz/ 279g): Calories: 337, Total Fats: 13 g, Omega-3 Fats: 1,280mg Sodium: 31 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 30 g, Dietary Fiber: 7 g, Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 25 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 1.8:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV) For 1 Tuna Cake + 1/4 cup dip + 1 cup string bean & potato salad Selenium: 311% - Vitamin C: 83% - Niacin: 45% - Manganese: 41% - B-12: 28% - B6:28% - Phosphorus: 25% - Vitamin D: 23% - Copper: 21% - Iron: 18% - Potassium: 18% - Thiamin: 17% - Calcium: 13% - Folate: 13% - Vitamin A: 12% - Vitamin E: 11% - Zinc: 10% - Riboflavin: 9%

Watermelon season is ending What's a girl to do?Share a recipe or 2

2011-08-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

“The constructive use of riches is better than their possession.”
(Be sure to scroll to the end for a bonus, super-nutritious recipe made with beans)

What’s the use of having knowledge and experience and wisdom under your belt if you don’t share it with others? Riches are not only measured in money you know; and with the state of the economy, what is a dollar worth anyway? Can anyone answer that? Seriously, I looked at a chart on the WSJ website: World Value of the Dollar, and I couldn’t make heads or tails except that I’m pretty sure the value is less than $1. I think.

Even when the dollar is up, eventually it will go down. All good things must come to an end or at least cycle in and out like the changing seasons. Alas, watermelon season, my most favorite time of the year, is soon ending. *sigh* Everything in life happens for a reason, relationships end, loved ones and pets pass on, jobs are lost, watermelon season ends…hardships hit everyone at some point in life. And the lesson in life is not how much hardship you can take at one time, but merely, how you handle it.

I’m not the first one to say this, but… “When God closes one door, he opens a window.” Or as my friend Rahel would often say during her times of frustration, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” These are actually the immortal words of Dory, the fish, played by Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo. But they are certainly words to live by.

So now the $24,000 question: “What do you do when watermelon season, or any of your favorite fruit seasons are ending and you can’t bear to go on?”

Answer: “You buy all the watermelons you can get your hands on and you share your creations with loved ones.” At my favorite dollar store, aka the 99 cent store, you can get a 5-8 pound watermelon for only a dollar! It’s truly hit or miss though. So when I get some that are not super sweet or when I have more than I can eat in a reasonable amount of time, I cut them up, puree the pieces, and make watermelon ice cubes. Woo hoo! Now I can enjoy that real watermelon flavor all year long!!

Watermelon ice cubes for breakfast, watermelon ice cubes for snacks, watermelon ice cubes after a long run. However you use ‘em watermelon ice cubes are, first and foremost, a great way to flavor and color your water with super-nutrition. Watermelon ice cubes also go great in shakes such as the tropical protein shake below or my Super-Green shake found here.

To learn more about watermelon and all its wonderful attributes, read my past article where you will also find out why a “watermelon eating dog caused a man to stab himself.” I’m not kidding either.

Oh, wait, the whole point here is that “When God closes a door, he opens a window.” When watermelon season ends, another delicious and nutritious season is there to take its place.

According to the Produce for Better Health website, the fall season brings pears, grapes, cranberries, guava, passionfruit, persimmons and pineapple. Plus we have apples and bananas year round. Oh, boy!! Watermelon season may be ending, but passionfruit sure sounds like an exciting new beginning!

In the meantime, please do yourself a favor and buy a bunch of watermelon and make watermelon ice cubes so you too can make this Tropical Protein Shake. OMG, it really is so delicious!!

BTW, when I was buying my milk, mint & coconut at Whole Foods last night, Christina R., the woman who rung up my purchases said, "It looks like you have the ingredients for a shake.What are you making?" I gave her my card and told her to read my website in the next day or two. So I hope she does. I thought that was very intuitive of her to figure out what I was doing with my ingredients. Also, on the way out of the store, I ran into the Whole Foods employee featured in the end of the Whole Foods Parking Lot video. I said, "Hey, you're that woman in the Whole Foods Parking Lot video." She just laughed and said, "I have been getting phone calls from relatives around the country who have seen me on the news." You never know what will make someone famous.

Enjoy my recipe made with ingredients bought at the dollar store and at Whole Foods. I love the dollar store for some of their deals, but I Love, Love, Love my Whole Foods shopping experiences!! Whole Foods rules!!!

Tropical Protein Shake

Ready in 10 minutes • Makes 1 serving

6 Watermelon Ice Cubes or 1 cup fresh watermelon
1 cup low fat milk or your choice
2 heaping Tablespoons vanilla whey protein powder (or any powder you like)
2 Tablespoons shredded coconut
6 mint leaves
2 chopped mint leaves for garnish

Throw everything in a blender except for the garnish. Blend to a smooth, creamy consistency. Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves. Drink & Enjoy!

Cost per serving: $1.07

Nutrients per serving (1 shake, 14.6oz/415g): Calories: 309, Total Fats: 9 g, Omega-3 fats: 0 mg, Sodium: 139 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 30 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 25g, Protein: 27g

% Daily Value (DV)

Calcium: 30%

Vitamin D: 25%

Vitamin A: 20%

Manganese: 14%

Vitamin C: 13%

Potassium: 13%

Copper: 4%

Iron: 4%

Selenium: 3%

Magnesium: 2%

Phosphorus: 2%

Vitamin-E: 1%

Niacin: 1%

B-6: 1%

Riboflavin: 1%

Zinc: 1%

Inspired by a request to create a drink using beans, I decided to take this same recipe and use beans in place of the whey powder and it is just as good...and way, way more nutritious.Note the exceptionally high fiber, and the significant increase in minerals. Oh, it's less expensive too!! YAY!! I love when we can use good, real, whole foods to make nourishing concoctions!!!

Tropical Protein Shake (made with beans)

Ready in 10 minutes • Makes 1 serving

6 Watermelon Ice Cubes or 1 cup fresh watermelon
1 cup low fat milk or your choice
1/2 cup cooked or canned & rinsed white beans
2 Tablespoons shredded coconut
6 mint leaves
2 chopped mint leaves for garnish

Throw everything in a blender except for the garnish. Blend to a smooth, creamy consistency. Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves. Drink & Enjoy!

Cost per serving: $0.70

Nutrients per serving (1 shake, 17oz/484g): Calories: 369, Total Fats: 9 g, Omega-3 fats: 110 mg, Sodium: 140 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 52g, Dietary Fiber:12g, Sugars: 27g, Protein: 18g

% Daily Value (DV)

Manganese: 36%

Calcium: 35%

Potassium: 28%

Vitamin D: 25%

Vitamin A: 20%

Vitamin C: 13%

Copper: 11%

Iron: 18%

Selenium: 4%

Magnesium: 17%

Phosphorus: 17%

Vitamin-E: 2%

Niacin: 10%

B-6: 7%

Riboflavin: 4%

Zinc: 8%

Folate: 31%

Thiamin-B1: 18%

B-12: 0%

A Diet for LIFE...for less than $10 a day

2011-08-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

All You Can Eat & it costs under $10 for the entire day… (read all the way through to get a day's worth of food for $8.26 plus all the vitamins & minerals you need & the perfect balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats all for around 1,500 calories)

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade,” a famous quote by Dale Carnegie, who, as far as I know, was the first to develop a course in self-improvement and who wrote such popular books as, How to Win Friends and Influence People as well as How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. These books were written in 1936 and 1942 respectively but their advice is timeless. So is that lemonade quote.

But sometimes life hands you limes, or cilantro, or rosemary, or potatoes, carrots, beans or brown rice. At least that’s how I see life, as a palette of colorful, versatile, nourishing foods.

Sure it’s great to make lemonade out of lemons, but with the rise in Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and other obesity related ailments, I don’t think that making sugary drinks is the best option for those lemons. And don’t get me started on artificial sweeteners or even the more “natural” stevia plant. Sweetness has a purpose. Beginning at birth, your body was designed to eat sweet foods as a survival mechanism. Why on earth would you “fake-out” your body like that? It just seems so disrespectful. Check out my dissertation: Survival of the Sweetest.

So, when life hands you lemons, it’s perfectly acceptable to make lemon water. Now that’s a useful, naturally cleansing concoction. Water with lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, that’s NOT an effective elixir. I’ve tried it and it makes me wanna hurl. “It’s just torturous,” I say.

Guacamole one week later. Look Ma' no browning

Instead of making sickening beverages out of nourishing citrus, how about taking some limes, like the bag of 10 limes I bought for a dollar at the dollar store. Squeeze the juice of one lime and mix it with three cloves of minced garlic, also from the dollar store, four bulbs for a dollar. Add that to two mashed avocados, at four for a dollar. And blend everything with half a bunch of chopped cilantro which was three bunches for…you guessed it...one dollah! Add a dash of sea salt and pepper and “voila,” you’ve just whipped up a tasty batch of guacamole for mere pennies per serving. To keep your guac fresh longer, place a lime rind in your guacamole container to keep it from browning. Everyone tells you to place an avocado seed with the guacamole but I have never found this to be an effective method.

At Whole Foods, which is next to the dollar store and featured in this video, I bought two bunches of basil for $3, which I chopped and threw in a blender with ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast flakes and sea salt, to make pesto; again, for just pennies a serving. You can get a 24oz bag of whole flax seeds at the dollar store. That same bag would normally cost you around $10. Because of their hard outer shell, flax seeds have a long shelf life. But once you grind them you must store them in the fridge or freezer.

I bought a red pepper and a bunch of rosemary at Whole Foods as well. I love rosemary in my Super-Green shakes. But I also love rosemary in my harissa, a hot chili paste from North Africa. Harissa is common in Moroccan fair and it is so super easy to make. It’s a great way to use up extra rosemary, mint and that expensive red pepper; $2.23 for a single red pepper weighing in at 1/2 pound. At that price, I just can’t bear to simply slice it into a salad. I want that pepper’s flavor to last. However, once you learn to make harissa, you will find excuses to use it. So it may not last you more than a week. I can handle that.

I learned to make harissa during my holistic culinary training. Holistic in relation to food and nutrition means: making food to optimize health and well-being while considering life circumstances. OK, I just created that definition because I couldn’t find one that I felt satisfied all the components of holistic nutrition and culinary training. But when I create recipes and share them with friends, I try to consider all of these life elements. The only thing I’m not considering is time. Meaning that I am NOT all about the 30 minute meals. Harissa takes only five minutes to prepare, but the brown rice that accompanies my harissa takes 40 minutes.

Guacamole, Harissa & Pesto

Today I’m teaching you quick, easy, and inexpensive ways to flavor your food. Pesto, guacamole and harissa are your crayons which you can use however you like to “color” your food with flavor, nutrition and of course, color.

Below are the ingredients for making your colorful creations. Your job now is to assemble them in as many ways as you see fit. And don’t be afraid to color outside the lines.


Harissa & Brown Rice

I love reheated brown rice and harissa for breakfast, eaten about 90 minutes before a powerful workout. Then I can workout for at least two hours. Now that’s fuel to burn.

Guacamole

Ready in 5 minutes • Makes 9 servings

2 avocados, mashed

Juice of one lime

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped (~1 cup)

Dash sea salt & pepper

Wash cilantro in a sink full of cool water. I like to add a few drops of grapefruit seed extract (GSE) to the soaking water. (GSE is believed to possess antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal properties.) Rinse off the cilantro and set in a colander. Remove the leaves and chop. Combine with mashed avocado, minced garlic, lime juice, sea salt & pepper. Store in a container. Label & date & use within 4 days.

Cost per serving: $0.08

Nutrients per serving (1/4 cup, 1.8oz/51g): Calories: 92, Total Fats: 8 g, Omega-3 fats: 50 mg, Sodium: 43 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 4 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: <1 g, Protein: 1 g

Omega-6: Omega-3 = 17:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin C: 9%

Potassium: 9%

B-6: 7%

Folate: 7%

Niacin: 6%

Copper: 6%

Manganese: 6%

Magnesium: 5%

Iron: 3%

Vitamin-E: 3%

Vitamin A: 3%

Riboflavin: 3%

Thiamin-B1: 3%

Phosphorus: 2%

Zinc: 1%

Calcium: 1%

B-12: 0%

Selenium: 0%

Vitamin D: 0%

For a complete meal, serve 1/4 cup guacamole with 1 free-range scrambled egg, 1/2 cup warmed black beans & 1/2 cup corn.

Cost per serving: $1.23

Nutrients per serving (1 ½ cups, 9.50oz/269g): Calories: 56, Total Fats: 13 g, Omega-3 fats: 190 mg, Sodium: 115 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 45 g, Dietary Fiber: 12 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 18 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 10:1, the goal is <4:1 (NOTE: the rest of the meals of the day will balance out the average to less than 4:1)

% Daily Value (DV)

Folate: 54%

Manganese: 34%

Thiamin-B1: 31%

Phosphorus: 31%

Niacin: 30%

Magnesium: 27%

Selenium: 25%

Riboflavin: 25%

Potassium: 24%

Vitamin C: 20%

Iron: 19%

Copper: 17%

Vitamin A: 16%

B-6: 15%

Zinc: 14%

B-12: 9%

Vitamin D: 7%

Vitamin-E: 6%

Calcium: 6%

Basil & Flax Seed Pesto

Ready in 5 minutes • Makes 10 servings

2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped (2 bunches basil leaves)

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast flakes

2 Tbsp flax or olive oil

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Throw everything in a blender & blend to a smooth consistency. Label & date & use within 1 week or freeze in ice cube trays to use in recipes up to three months later.

Cost per serving: $0.48

Nutrients per serving (1 Tbsp, 0.50oz/14g): Calories: 56, Total Fats: 3 g, Omega-3 fats: 1,800 mg, Sodium: 40 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 1.5 g, Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugars: <1 g, Protein: 1.5 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 0.24:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Thiamin-B1: 62%

Riboflavin: 54%

B-6: 47%

Niacin: 45%

B-12: 12%

Manganese: 9%

Folate: 8%

Selenium: 3%

Magnesium: 3%

Vitamin A: 3%

Copper: 2%

Iron: 2%

Calcium: 2%

Potassium: 2%

Phosphorus: 2%

Vitamin C: 2%

Zinc: 1%

Vitamin-E: 1%

Vitamin D: 0%

For a complete meal, serve with a 6oz potato, diced & steamed (the potato should be the size you can hold in the palm of your hand), plus 2 oz Tuna. Toss warm potatoes & tuna with 2 Tbsp pesto and place mixture on top of 2 cups mixed greens.

Cost per serving: $1.76

Nutrients per serving (2oz Tuna, 1 ½ cups Potatoes, 2 Tbsp Pesto, 2 Cups Mixed Salad Greens, 13oz/365g): Calories: 355, Total Fats: 7.5 g, Omega-3 fats: 3,770 mg, Sodium: 128 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 49 g, Dietary Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 23 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 0.25:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Thiamin-B1: 142%

B-6: 138%

Riboflavin: 120%

Niacin: 109%

Selenium: 73%

Vitamin C: 71%

Manganese: 69%

B-12: 53%

Folate: 54%

Potassium: 39%

Vitamin A: 37%

Copper: 35%

Iron: 31%

Magnesium: 29%

Phosphorus: 26%

Vitamin D: 23%

Calcium: 21%

Zinc: 12%

Vitamin-E: 7%

Harissa

Ready in 5 minutes • Makes 10 servings

1 large (1/2 pound) red pepper, seeded & diced

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

(I didn’t have any mint but if you want to use mint, use 1 Tbsp each of mint & rosemary)

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Throw everything in blender except the olive oil.

Store in a jar then add ~ 1/4 cup olive oil.

Leave oil floating on top to help preserve the harissa.

Use 1 teaspoon at a time when you want to add a spicy, savory flavor to your favorite foods.

Label and date and store for up to 1 month

Cost per serving: $0.30

Nutrients per serving (2 Tbsp, 1oz/28g): Calories: 53, Total Fats: 5 g, Omega-3 fats: 30 mg, Sodium: 28 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 1.6 g, Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g, Sugars: <1 g, Protein: 0.3g

Omega-6: Omega-3 = 8:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin C: 72%

Vitamin A: 13%

Vitamin-E: 4%

B-6: 3%

Manganese: 2%

Thiamin-B1: 1%

Niacin: 1%

Folate: 1%

Copper: 1%

Iron: 1%

Potassium: 1%

Riboflavin: 0%

B-12: 0%

Selenium: 0%

Magnesium: 0%

Phosphorus: 0%

Calcium: 0%

Zinc: 0%

Vitamin D: 0%

For a complete meal, mix 2 Tbsp harissa with 1/2 cup brown rice. Sauté 1clove minced garlic with 1 tsp canola oil, 3 cups spinach, 2 cups (5oz) chopped crimini mushrooms. Serve with 3 oz steamed white fish. (NOTE: I added the white fish to increase the protein although, without the fish the protein was 12g. The fish also provides B12 which can only be obtained from animal sources and nutritional yeast. The omega-3’s were not increased significantly with the addition of the fish. There are plenty of omega-3’s in spinach & canola oil.)

Mushrooms are the riches plant source of vitamin D, a nutrient that is difficult to get in the diet, period. Mushrooms are also rich in selenium & zinc, two minerals that are essential components of your body’s own antioxidant defense system. Plants aren’t the only ones who make antioxidants. We do too, but we need the right nutrients to help your antioxidant defense system work effectively. Zinc is normally highest in animal sources, but mushrooms are a rich plant source.

Cost per serving: $2.60

Nutrients per serving (3oz fish + ½ cup rice + 2 Tbsp Harissa + 1 cup vegetables: 16oz/450g): Calories: 279, Total Fats: 12 g, Omega-3 fats: 780 mg, Sodium: 184 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 48 g, Dietary Fiber: 8 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 28 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 2.2:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin C: 116%

Manganese: 103%

Vitamin D: 98%

Copper: 75%

Vitamin A: 74%

Selenium: 66%

Folate: 53%

Niacin: 37%

Magnesium: 34%

B-6: 32%

Riboflavin: 22%

Vitamin-E: 22%

Potassium: 22%

Iron: 21%

Zinc: 20%

Phosphorus: 18%

Thiamin-B1: 16%

Calcium: 11%

B-12: 0%

MEAL PLAN for the Entire Day:

Breakfast: 1/4 cup Guacamole + 1 egg + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup corn

Snack: Super Green Shake (see recipe from last week’s blog)

Lunch: 6oz potato, diced & steamed + 2 oz Tuna toss with 2 Tbsp pesto and place mixture on top of 2 cups mixed greens.

Snack: Super Green Shake

Dinner: Mix 2 Tbsp harissa with 1/2 cup brown rice. Sauté 1clove minced garlic with 1 tsp canola oil, 3 cups spinach, 2 cups (5oz) chopped crimini mushrooms. Serve with 3 oz steamed white fish.

Snack: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 Tbsp walnuts, chopped, dash cinnamon or nutmeg

Cost for the entire day: $8.26

Nutrients per serving (95oz/2706g): Calories: 1,556, Total Fats: 44 g, Omega-3 fats: 8,020 mg, Sodium: 184 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 202 g, Dietary Fiber: 41 g, Sugars: 54 g, Protein: 88 g Omega-6: Omega-3 = 1:1, the goal is <4:1

% Daily Value (DV)

Manganese: 287%

Vitamin C: 282%

Niacin: 242%

B-6: 220%

Selenium: 217%

Folate: 211%

Thiamin-B1: 205%

Vitamin A: 194%

Riboflavin: 193%

Copper: 162%

Vitamin D: 135%

Magnesium: 134%

Potassium: 121%

Phosphorus: 110%

Iron: 104%

B-12: 82%

Calcium: 61%

Zinc: 59%

Vitamin-E: 58%

Dr. Oz and the Unemployment Rate

2011-07-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

The current unemployment rate is 9.2%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which graphically depicts the unemployment rates dating back to 1950. The highest unemployment rate was 10.8% in 1982 and the lowest was 2.6% in 1953. The rate was as low as 3.9% in December of 2000. So you can see that like the ocean tides, the unemployment rate also ebbs and flows.

What does unemployment have to do with Dr. Oz, you might ask? Well, at this time in our lives, Dr. Oz is the purported health expert. At one time it was Jack LaLanne who, as far as I know, didn’t have a medical degree, just a passion for health. Dr. Oz, on the other hand, is a cardiothoracic surgeon born into a wealthy family, educated at Harvard and Penn. Does Dr. Oz know anything about unemployment, eating healthy on a budget or financial stressors? I doubt it, although he may know about financial stressors because sometimes very wealthy people live so high that even they can get in over their heads.

I wasn’t initially going to include Dr. Oz in my unemployment spiel but as I was researching salmon cake recipes, I came across a recipe from the Dr. Oz Show. Of course it wasn’t Dr. Oz’s recipe.

Sometimes, to really understand a situation, you have to walk a mile in another man’s (or woman’s) shoes. As someone who isn’t always financially savvy, I can relate to those who struggle to eat healthy while living on a shoe string. I am guessing that Dr. Oz cannot.

But, no matter what your financial situation, eating healthy should always be an important part of your life. Afterall, if you don’t have your health, you really don’t have anything.

I find that I create the best recipes when I don’t have a lot of extra cash or when I just want to use up everything I have.

This week I had some oatmeal, some whole wheat bread crumbs, flax seeds, eggs, an onion and two-14oz cans of sockeye salmon which everyone knows, is very rich in omega-3 fats. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must be aware of the importance of omega-3 fats in the diet. I have written about them many times over the past few years. To review, please visit my omega-3 series beginning with “Just the Flax Ma’am,” followed by “The Rest of the Story about Omega-3 Fats,” and ending with “Queen of the Fats.” To sum it all up, many of our maladies can be linked to a major imbalance between our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fats.

On one hand, omega-6 fats promote inflammation and clotting, on the other hand, omega-3’s reduce inflammation and clotting. We often think of inflammation and clotting as “bad” because we think of painful arthritis, and blood clots as they relate to heart attacks and stroke, but every pathway in the body has a purpose. Inflammation is part of the healing process and blood clotting can save your life when you’re bleeding profusely. Inflammation can also kill off invading viruses. But researchers have linked “chronic” inflammation to “chronic” diseases. So supplement manufacturers, and anyone out to make a buck, have been trying to find the answer to all our problems in “one little bottle” of….fish oil, krill oil pills, or flax oil.

When Lucy Ricardo drank Vitameatavegamin and got drunk, she learned that the answer to “all her problems” could not be found in one little bottle. The answer is in fact, in your day-to-day choices. And even when money is tight, you can make choices to help keep your inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways in balance.

Researchers can’t even agree on how much omega-3 fats you need in the diet, it really depends on the condition/disease you’re trying to treat. But researchers can agree that we need to change the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats from the current 17+: 1 to a more balanced 4:1 or less.

The reason the balance is so important, is that the omega-6 fat Linoleic Acid (LA) and the omega-3 fat Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) compete for the exact same enzyme in the body that converts them to their more useable form. In the case of ALA, it eventually gets converted to EPA & DHA which you have probably heard of by now. These are the fats that promote the anti-inflammatory pathways. DHA, in particular, is known for making up a large proportion of brain fat including part of the outer shell (cell membrane) of every cell in the body. Optimal DHA in cell membranes makes those cells work better. DHA can even be found in highest concentrations in the muscles of trained athletes.

However, short term supplementation with omega-3 rich fats does not necessarily show an improvement in performance. It takes time, a regular, vigorous exercise routine and consistently following a more balanced omega-6 to omega-3 diet to see a change in the composition of cell membranes and a subsequent enhancement in performance.

To help you as you strive for enhanced performance, more energy and optimal health, oh, and weight loss too, all while living on a shoe string, I’m offering up some of my budget friendly, perfectly balanced and super nutrient dense recipes. The salmon recipe is obviously high in omega-3 fats but to really help you achieve more balance I’ve paired it with a super-green drink. I love these green drinks, especially in the hot summer months, not that Santa Monica is ever really hot. The average temperature is 70 degrees, pretty much year round.

Instead of just eating a cup of raw or steamed spinach or salad greens, sometimes it’s nice to throw it in a blender with some seasonal fresh fruit, flax seeds, ice and water and really up the nutritional value of your meal or snack while quenching your thirst. Plus the sheer volume of this omega-3 and fiber rich beverage with natural protein to boot, makes it the perfect midday snack to sip while working or working out. I keep mine in my 24 oz. Thermos Hydration bottle and carry them in my Built NY insulated bottle holder.Try it. Your energy will be consistent and you won’t experience those blood sugar ebbs and flows that are caused by most energy drinks or poor snack choices. Energy ebbs and flows are a natural part of your body’s rhythm but we don’t want to encourage them with less than optimal food or beverage choices.

Now that you’ve got some tools to help you achieve more balance. Please give these recipes a try. Brought to you by someone who really knows the trials and tribulations of trying to be healthy when money is tight.

NOTE the nutrient content of each recipe. Although the salmon cakes are low in Vitamins A & C, the green drink makes up for these lacking nutrients. Now that’s balance! Who needs supplements?

Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cakes

2 (14oz) cans sockeye salmon, drained

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon horseradish

1 egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dash sea salt

1 small yellow or white onion

1 1/2 cups whole oats

1 cup panko, Japanese-style, whole wheat bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine canned salmon, including bones and skin. Add Dijon, horseradish, egg, flax seeds, salt & pepper. Pulse to thoroughly combine ingredients. Pour salmon puree into a large mixing bowl. Add oats and onion. Use clean hands to mix oats and onion with salmon. Spray a baking tray with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Place bread crumbs on a plate. Grab small handfuls of salmon. Rolls salmon in bread crumbs to coat evenly. Place salmon cakes on baking tray and press down with a spatula. Bake 25 minutes.

Enjoy with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 teaspoon horseradish.

Cost per serving: $2.21

Nutrients per serving (2 cakes, 5.8oz/165g): Calories: 318, Total Fats: 11 g, Omega-3 fats: 1,810mg, Sodium: 672 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 25 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 0 g, Protein: 29 g

Omega-6: Omega-3 = 0.6:1, the goal is 4:1 or less

Salmon Cake Ingredients

Canned Salmon with Bones

Pureed Salmon

% Daily Value (DV)

Selenium: 69%

Vitamin D: 64%

Niacin: 60%

Phosphorus: 50%

Manganese: 43%

Calcium: 29%

B-6: 20%

Riboflavin: 20%

Magnesium: 18%

Thiamin-B1: 15%

Potassium: 15%

Zinc: 13%

Iron: 12%

Vitamin-E: 11%

Copper: 10%

Folate: 8%

B-12: 7%

Vitamin A: 7%

Vitamin C: 1%

Green Drink

Super Green Drink

1 cup raw spinach

1 cup watermelon, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried spirulina or mixed super greens powder (optional)

1 heaping Tablespoon ground flax seeds

1/4 cup cilantro or 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 1/2 cups water

6 ice cubes

Throw everything in the blender, except the ice cubes, and blend. Gradually add the ice cubes until you reach a desired consistency. I like my drink slushy. I make two of these in the morning before going to the gym. I pour them in my 24oz Thermos brand hydration bottle. Then I put them in the freezer and drink one when I get home and the other later in the day. Do not leave in the freezer for more than 3 hours.

Cost per serving: $0.62

Nutrients per serving (~24oz/673g): Calories: 106, Total Fats: 2.5 g, Omega-3 fats: 1,220mg, Sodium: 64 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 17 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 12 g, Protein: 4 g

Omega-6: Omega-3 = 0.2:1, the goal is 4:1 or less

Green Drink

% Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin C: 34%

Vitamin A: 32%

Manganese: 28%

Folate: 21%

Magnesium: 14%

Iron: 12%

Copper: 12%

Potassium: 11%

Riboflavin: 8%

Calcium: 7%

B-6: 7%

Vitamin-E: 6%

Niacin: 6%

Phosphorus: 5%

Thiamin-B1: 5%

Zinc: 4%

Selenium: 1%

Vitamin D: 0%

B-12: 0%

Cooking show audition number...? I lost count....Maybe I should do a reality show

2011-06-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

How do all these people get these ridiculous reality shows that show nothing, but......nope, they show nothing. Nothing I'm interested in viewing, but yet, there are millions of people who are interested. So maybe I need to stop doing what I've been doing and jump on the "Reality TV" bandwagon.

Frankly, if it was just me, my reality show would be really boring...Elizabeth wakes up at the ungodly hour of 3AM, eats some fruit (watermelon or cherries right now 'cause they're in season) drinks organic instant coffee (Mount Hagen, which I developed a taste for while working as a private chef for Peter Koral of 7 Jeans) with organic milk and cinnamon, puts her hair in pigtails with multicolored hairbands to keep the hair from getting tangled, (see Rudy's Gluten Free video for example), while listening to 94.7 the Wave and watching either The Golden Girls, 'cause I love Betty White, or I Love Lucy, 'cause, well, I just love Lucy.

I love Lucy because I've been watching her my whole life. I Love Lucy is the only show to never go off the air. What is her secret? I can't even get a show to go "on the air" and yet, like Lucy, I love to shop and I'm always trying to "get on the show." I guess I need to up my antics and find a cohort like Ethel to help me each day.

I also love 94.7 because I love songs like All This Love, by El Debarge and Bobby Caldwell, What you won't do for love. Plus I love the energy of the morning DJ's, Pat & Kim. They work so well together and always tell wonderful news and personal stories. Because of them, I was able to approach Julia Roberts and tell her something about herself that she didn't know; that there is a man in Mexico with 82 tatoos of her face on his body. She couldn't believe it when I told her while standing in line at coffee. When she left she said "Have a good day" and I added "By the way, I'm a big fan. I love all of your movies" to which she replied, "Thank you, but please don't get any tatoos of me." We both laughed and laughed and laughed and... OK, we both just laughed once. But I had just heard that story on 94.7 the morning before I saw Julia and I told myself that I would only talk to her if I had something unique to say. I even told her that I heard it on 94.7 The Wave. I guess I was plugging my favorite radio station.

Around 4:30 or 5, I put on my Camelback hydration system, run to Gold's Gym in Venice and workout for about 45 minutes. Sometimes I see Harvey Levin there, from TMZ fame. Then I run home and sometimes extend my run past the Santa Monica Pier although lately I haven't been running as far 'cause the bathrooms along the path have been locked even after 6:30 AM and it is not fun to run when you have to pee because you drank coffee and about 40 ounces of water from a Camelback while working out.

Harvey Levin...he really does workout

Well, life has changed and life goes on... but here is my recipe...

Greek Chicken Burgers & Greek Slaw

1 lb ground chicken breast meat

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 egg

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

4 whole wheat pitas, cut off 1/3 of each pita and chop into crumbs. Reserve the rest of the pitas for the final product.

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, minced (3/4 cup total mint leaves, see below)

4 cups romaine lettuce

1 large heirloom tomato

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, minced

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Beat egg in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken, feta, sea salt, pepper, pita crumbs and mint. Mix everything thorough with clean hands. Shape into small, about 2/3 cup portions. Place on a heated skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook on each side about 5 minutes until no longer pink inside.

While burgers cook, mix Greek yogurt and mint in a small bowl.

Serve two burgers inside each pita with 2 lettuce leaves, 2-3 slices of tomato & 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt sauce. Eat with 1 cup Greek slaw and enjoy feeling very full and satisfied!!

$3.50 per serving: 2 burger, 1 pita, 2 lettuce leaves, 3 slices tomato, 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt sauce

460 calories, 38g protein, 45g carbs, 7g fiber, 17g fat. 50% Daily Value for Zinc, Selenium, B12, Iron, Vitamin C, Niacin & Riboflavin. At least 30% for every other nutrient.

Greek Slaw

1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 cucumber, quartered and chopped into 1/8 inch slices

1/2 yellow onion, finely sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

8 grape tomatoes, chopped

8 kalamata olives, minced

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Juice of one lime (2 Tbsp)

1/2 tsp ground oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine dressing in a small bowl and slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Toss slaw with dressing and serve with burgers or eat 1 cup servings of slaw as a filling midday snack!

$0.60 per serving, 1 cup: 80 calories, 2g protein, 6g carbs, 2g fiber, 6g fat, 50% DV vitamin C, 20% vitamin A.

Rudi's Gluten-Free Recipe Contest

2011-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

I entered this cooking contest, but very much at the last minute. A video was optional but I thought it would help so I made one. I hope you enjoy it!
Please keep reading for the complete recipe and nutrition analysis.

The contest winners are chosen by votes so please, if you can, take the time to vote.

Please follow this link (Rudi's Gluten-Free Recipe Contest) to vote.

When you reach the page with my recipe for "Rudi's Rockin' Raisin Breaded Chicken," Scroll down the page a bit until you see the green "Vote for this recipe" box located beneath the picture and below the description "Why this recipe is great." In order to vote, they will ask for your info because I'm sure it's marketing for them but they are a reputable organic food company based in Boulder, CO. It's completely your call. Whatever you feel comfortable with. I do appreciate any support but no matter what, I'll just keep trying...

Thanks so much! Please try this recipe yourself. It's wonderful!!!

Rudi’s Rockin’ Raisin Breaded Chicken

and Crazy Crouton Poached Pear Salad

Ready in 60 minutes • Makes 7 servings

(2 pieces chicken, 130g each)

16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch thick strips (have your butcher do this to save time and potential cross contamination with other ingredients)

12 slices Rudi’s Gluten-free Raisin bread (Note: there are 14 slices in a loaf but you’ll want to eat a slice or two while cooking)

2 Tbsp organic butter, melted

1 cup brown rice flour or other Gluten-free flour of your choice

4 eggs + 1/2 cup organic milk, beaten and placed in a shallow bowl

1 cup yogurt mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon (if you use Greek yogurt, thin with 1/4 cup of milk)

Candied Walnuts

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Poached Pears

1 1/2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp honey

1 Chai or black tea bag

1 Asian pear, thinly sliced

1 cup balsamic vinegar

8 cup mixed salad greens

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

ONE: Cut 6 slices of bread into 1/2 inch cubes for bread crumbs.

Cut the other 6 slices into 1/4 inch cubes for croutons.

Toss crouton pieces with the melted butter

Spread all bread pieces out on a baking tray

Keep buttered and un-buttered pieces separate

Bake for 20 minutes. Half way through, turn the pieces to bake evenly.

TWO: In a large mixing bowl, combine maple syrup and cinnamon

Toss walnuts with maple mixture and spread out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper

Place in oven set at 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. Let walnuts set out to cool & harden while you prepare the rest of the meal.

THREE: If you’re multitasking like me and baking the walnuts at the same time, alternate racks so each tray gets equal time exposed to upper and lower heating coils.

Bake until the buttered pieces are golden brown and the un-buttered pieces are crispy.

FOUR: While the bread & walnuts are baking, set up your dredging and coating station.

When the bread crumbs are thoroughly dried, pulse them in a food processor or place them in a baggie and mash with a mallet to the consistency of fine crumbs.

Your chicken strips should be about 1 1/2 inch thick so if they are not, place them between two pieces of parchment or wax paper and pound with a mallet

Line a baking tray with parchment paper where you will place your breaded chicken.

Keep the oven set at 350 degrees

FIVE: Line up your bowls:(1) Egg+ Milk then (2) Flour then (3) Yogurt then (4)Bread Crumbs

To help ingredients adhere, wipe off the chicken so it is dry when you start.

First dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, allow any excess to run off

Next dip your chicken piece in the flour, shake off any excess

Next dip in the yogurt mixture, coat thoroughly.

Finally, roll each piece in the Rudi’s Rockin’ Raisin Bread Crumbs

Coat evenly and set on the baking tray lined with parchment

Once all pieces are coated, bake in an oven set at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

SIX: While the chicken is baking, poach the pears.

In a small to medium sauce pot, combine water, tea bag, cinnamon stick & honey Bring to a boil.

Add the pears and let poach for about 10 minutes or until you can pierce the pears with a fork.

Remove the pears from liquid and set aside in a bowl. Pour the poaching liquid over the pears, but reserve 1/4 cup of liquid in the pot to use in the balsamic reduction.

Discard the cinnamon stick and tea bag or allow to steep with the pears while they cool.

Pour 1 cup balsamic vinegar into the pot with the reserved poaching liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring until all the liquid has reduced by half.

SEVEN: Place 1/4 of the poached pears, 1/4 cup croutons and 2 Tbsp walnuts onto 2 cups of mixed greens. Add 2 chicken pieces. Eat and enjoy!

Chicken Pieces: Nutrients per serving (2 pieces, 130 g): Calories: 228, Total Fats: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 109 mg, Sodium: 161 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 23 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 22 g

Daily Values: Thiamin: 10%, Riboflavin 16%, Niacin 55%, B6: 16%, B12: 6%, Vit D: 6%, Vit E: 3%, Folate: 7%, Pantothenic Acid: 8%, Calcium: 7%, Copper: 5%, Iron: 9%, Magnesium: 9%, Manganese: 30%, Phosphorus: 21%, Potassium: 8%, Selenium: 31%, Zinc: 8%

ENTIRE MEAL Nutrients per serving (375g) (2 Pieces Chicken, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup croutons, 2 cups mixed greens, 1/4 Asian Pear, 2 Tbsp balsamic reduction)

Calories: 460, Total Fats: 13 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 109 mg, Sodium: 320 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 60 g, Dietary Fiber: 7 g, Sugars: 25 g, Protein: 28 g

Daily Values: Thiamin: 23%, Riboflavin 29%, Niacin 70%, B6: 23%, B12: 6%, Vit D: 33%,

Vit E: 10%, Folate: 46%, Pantothenic Acid: 12%, Calcium: 19%, Copper: 21%, Iron: 27%, Magnesium: 22%, Manganese: 98%, Phosphorus: 32%, Potassium: 24%, Selenium: 41%,

Zinc: 16%

How to eat for a dollar a day for the next 100 years

2011-01-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Stretching Your Food Dollar
originally published on pg. 7 of the Santa Monica Daily Press Newspaper

How do you live to be a 103, look like you’re 75 and still have your wits about you? I want to know. So I’ve been asking the only person I know who fits this description. She is a feisty 103 year old woman who happens to reside where I work, in a rehab hospital. She looks to be about 75. She puts on a suit every day. She does her hair and make-up. And she is very boisterous when she wants something.

While this feisty 103 year old was sitting in the hall asking to be put to bed, I was speaking with one of our visiting physician’s and I said, “Can you believe she is 103?” I went on to say that we are always trying to find out this 103 year old’s secret to longevity but she never really tells us what she’s done to live so long. I thought perhaps it was her diet, of course, but she doesn’t seem to have any sort of discerning palate. She eats a little bit of whatever is put in front of her. Then I thought that perhaps it was what she did for a living or with whom she spent her life. But I learned that she worked in a dress shop, hence her need to look good every day. She was married twice, although her first husband was abusive, she adored her second husband, but he died 25 years ago.

The doctor listened as the 103 year old patient loudly exclaimed that she wanted to go to bed even though it was the middle of the day, even though she would have to get up again to eat. She didn’t care. Then the doctor said, “Well, she certainly makes her needs known.” I thought for a second and then said, “You are so right. I think that’s the key; making your needs known.”

With the New Year here, and a new decade as well, this is the perfect time for reflecting on life. Whether it’s your own life or someone else’s, most of us think about what we have done in the past and what we want to accomplish in the future. A new year is a new beginning, for all of us.

Of course many people make the typical New Year’s resolutions to change something: lose weight, get in shape, reduce debt, find a new job or perhaps even find love. Whatever you resolve to do this year, make your needs known. Don’t hold back. Put it out there. Be boisterous and someone will answer your prayers.

My resolution is to get, Eat2Liv with Elizabeth, my fun and educational, health-focused cooking show, on national television. One of the show’s goals, aside from teaching viewers healthy cooking techniques and educating them about nutrition, is to prove that healthy eating can be very cost effective.

Although I love Whole Foods in Venice, I sometimes venture next door to the 99 cent store where they have bagged organic spinach and large boxes of mixed salad greens for only one dollar. You would pay five times as much at other stores. You can also get bags of potatoes, even sweet potatoes for a dollar as well as two pound bags of carrots, bunches of celery, bags of pears, onions and packs of cucumbers all for one dollar each. I also bought some bags of dried garbanzo beans and lentils (always inexpensive nutritious choices) before completing my shopping trip at Whole Foods where I bought natural peanut butter and organic canned tomatoes. For some things, I will pay a little more.

Yet, even with a mix of frugal foods dispersed with some finer foods, I was able to create a hearty meal for under $1.50. My inspiration came from some of my favorite African inspired dishes and the fact that nearly half the people in Africa live on as little as $1.25 per day.

If you’re going to live to be 103 you better learn how to stretch a buck, right?

By the way, I told my coworkers my theory about longevity and they all scoffed at me stating, “Sex is the key to longevity!” But there again, they were simply making their needs known; like food, water, sleep and air, sex is a basic physiological need according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Try these cost-conscious, fat-reducing recipes chock full of nutrients you also need to thrive, and you are sure to get whatever it is you truly want out of your long life.

Elizabeth is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Holistic Chef who wants to help people live long and vital lives without going broke. To learn more, please visit her website: www.TheKitchenVixen.com

African Bean Soup

Makes 12 (1 cup) servings - $0.54 each

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 onion, chopped

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled & diced (2 cups)

2 large carrots, cut into half moons

2 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes

4 cups water

1 ½ cups cooked (1 -15oz. can garbanzo beans)

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp peanut butter

1/3 cup water

2 tsp curry powder

Heat 1/2 cup water and soy sauce in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sweet potatoes. Cook five minutes. Add carrot, celery and pepper. Cover and cook five more minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, four cups water, garbanzo beans and cilantro. Blend peanut butter with 1/3 cup water and curry powder. Add to soup. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Dressing

Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp each) - $0.21

6 Tablespoons peanut butter

Juice of 1 lemon, 2 Tbsp

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Dash sea salt & pepper

1 cup water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Add water gradually to reach pouring consistency.

Ethiopian Lentils

Makes 6 (1 cup) servings - $0.38

1 pound dry lentils

6 cups water

1/2 red pepper

1/2 cup (4 oz) green chilies

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring lentils and water to a boil. Reduce to medium low. Simmer 10 minutes. Add rest of the ingredients, cover and cook another 30 minutes or until liquid has absorbed.

Serve soup & lentils with two cups mixed salad greens topped with Peanut Butter Dressing.

Total Cost: $1.47: 438 calories, 62g carbs, 22g fiber, 25g protein, 10g fat. Rich in vitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, folate, manganese, iron, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, selenium and copper.

A Maserati for Christmas

2010-12-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

All I want for Christmas is a Maserati

(Originally published on pg 6 of the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper)

With Christmas just three weeks away, you may be wondering what to get that special woman in your life. Well, as a woman, I have some ideas of my own: a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer in ice blue for a mere $300.00, or a Maserati Gran Turismo in matt blu mediterraneo for around $130,000.00. If you’re really trying to win her heart, then the Maserati is the way to go.

I know a Maserati seems a bit extreme but it’s pretty much the number one turn-on for women, at least as far as cars go. That’s not just my opinion, and my dream, it’s a reality. Some would say that the other big turn-on’s are chocolate, shoes and money. In fact, it was because of this very discussion that I learned about the “Maserati Study,” as I call it.

While having coffee with friends, a Maserati passed by and my eyes lit up as one gentleman said, “Someone should make cologne that smells like money to attract women.” And then he added, “You know, there is an actual study where they showed that the sound of the Maserati does attract women.” So I did some Googling and found the study that measured men’s and women’s responses to the sound of luxury car engines compared to the sound of an “everyday car.”

Forty participants listened to the recorded sound of a Maserati, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, as well as a Volkswagen. They then had their saliva tested for testosterone levels, a hormone which indicates arousal. The results found that 100 percent of female participants had a significant increase in testosterone secretion after listening to the Maserati, compared to only half for men. More men preferred the sound of the Lamborghini.

The study was conducted by a psychologist commissioned by Hiscox, an insurer of luxury cars. I wonder if the increased testosterone levels of women had a greater impact on their insurance costs, or that of the male Maserati owners? The study’s author added that although the sound of a luxury car caused a “primeval physiological response,” the sound of an average car engine actually led to a decrease in testosterone.

When you’re spending more than 100K on a car, get it in blue because blue is a color that has been shown to suppress appetite. With little money left for luxuries like food, you certainly don’t want to be driving around hungry all the time or else your rumbling stomach will drown out the purr of the Maserati engine.

When it is time to eat, be sure to choose blue foods such as blueberries and blue potatoes. These antioxidant/carb rich foods will keep you fueled all day. You may be walking more since your new Maserati only gets 12 miles to the gallon. And as you go through life eating a diet rich in blue foods, your memory will remain sharp because the anthocyanins that make foods blue have been shown to decrease age associated memory loss. You should never forget where you parked your beautiful blue car because you must always valet a Maserati anyway.

I just remembered, the first car I bought was a blue Volvo and now I drive a blue Nissan Xterra; a blue Maserati is definitely in my future.

For the present, I will share my blue-food recipes which are nutrient-rich but cost effective enough to keep you in the black so you can buy your Maserati and be tickled pink.

Elizabeth Brown is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Holistic Chef who is a frugal foody but enjoys the finer things in life. To try more cost-friendly recipes visit her website: www.TheKitchenVixen.com

Blueberry Brain-Food Muffins

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or any combination of flours

1/2 cup vanilla protein powder

1 cup oats

2/3 cup honey

¾ teaspoon sea salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl:

2 eggs

OR 1 whole egg + 1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water

1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

1/4 cup milk or water (to moisten batter)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine. Add the blueberries and their liquid or additional milk or water to moisten batter if needed. Brush muffin tins with oil. Spoon batter into muffin tins (3/4 full).

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. (Note: muffins will have blue tinge but are very tasty)

Makes approximately 20 servings. Cost: $0.79 each. Per serving (60g): 155 calories, 24g carbs, 2g fiber, 6g protein, 4g fat. Rich in manganese, magnesium, selenium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, zinc and copper.

Blue Potato Salad

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp mayo

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound blue potatoes (about 12 each)

4 carrots, grated

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 (6.5 ounce) cans Blue Crab

Whisk half the green onions and next 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and chill dressing.

Best to make dressing a day ahead to allow flavors to blend.

Cut potatoes into a medium dice (1/2 inch squares). Add to a large saucepan, plus enough water to cover by one inch. Boil on high, reduce to medium heat. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature. Add carrots, celery and crab. Toss with enough dressing to coat evenly. Cover and chill two hours or up to one day.

Makes approximately 8 (1 cup) servings. Cost: $2.50 each. Per serving (194g): 160 calories, 23g carbs, 3g fiber, 13g protein, 3g fat. Rich in vitamins A, C, E & B6 plus calcium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium.

I Want Muscles

2010-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

(Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper pg. 6)
I want muscles. That’s what Diana Ross sang about in her song “Muscles,” written in 1982. But her song was about getting a man with muscles; it wasn’t about her wanting muscles of her own. When I say, “I want muscles.” I want my own muscles.

Muscles are not just for visual pleasure. I agree they look great, but most importantly; muscles are a sign of health and fitness. I have known this since my teenage years when I began lifting weights trying to develop my own muscles.

I have continued to lift weights, run and cycle over the past 25 years, even competing in powerlfiting and bodybuilding in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Now my goal is to grace the pages of my favorite fitness magazine, Oxygen. Not only because their fitness models serve as my inspiration, but also because I have been writing for Oxygen since February.

Unlike writing for SMDP, which allows me complete creative freedom, writing for a magazine is very specific. There are hours and hours and hours of research that go into developing a story and backing it up with scientific data as I did for the November issue on “Leafy Greens,” or in the December issue article “Eat. Train. Heal,” which is full of anti-iflammatory research and recipes.

No matter what research I find for the topic of the month, there must always be recipes that are protein rich. To the weight lifting community, protein equals muscles. As someone who follows a predominantly vegetarian diet, eating enough protein can sometimes be a challenge, but not impossible.

How much protein you need truly depends on your activity levels. Long standing research shows that you need only 0.8g/kg of body weight or the equivalent of 37 percent of your body weight in grams of protein to maintain muscle mass. So a 120 pound person (120/2.2 pounds/kg = 54.55kg x 0.8g/kg = 43.6) needs 44g of protein per day: 120 x 0.37 = 44g. While someone who is starting an exercise program may need 1.2 to 1.4g per kilogram of body weight or 65-76g which is 54 to 63 percent of your body weight.

When you get in to heavy weight lifting to gain muscle mass, your protein needs can be as high as 2g/kg or 109g for that 120 pound person which is 91 percent of their total body weight to be consumed as grams of protein. Some weight lifters claim that protein intake should be 1g per POUND of body weight but I suspect it’s because that math is just so much easier: 120g x 1g/ pound = 120g.

In the end, you need enough calories to get you through your day and through your workouts. You also need the right mix of vitamins and minerals from whole food sources of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, to help your body better convert that food into useable energy. Of course, whatever you eat should also be enjoyable to you, not just tasty but also full of foods that make you feel good after you eat them.

I enjoy chocolate, but if I eat it too often or too much at one time, I feel awful, therefore, I try not to do that. I also love pudding for its creamy texture and mouth feel. It’s a comfort food that generally makes me feel good but traditional boxed versions are loaded with sugar and artificial stuff that, frankly, nobody needs.

So in an effort to help me reach my 109 grams of protein, I have developed a high protein pudding. Portion control is still an issue for me so I suggest doing as I do and dole it out into half cup servings immediately. This pudding makes the perfect post workout snack with its fast absorbing carbs and muscle building protein as an addition to your complete post workout meal.

I developed this recipe to use up some vanilla protein powder but you can certainly substitute with chocolate protein powder and chocolate extract if you’re a chocolate lover. Again, portion control may be an issue so beware. No matter what, have fun developing your MUSCLES!

Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD, CPT, CDE, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Holistic Chef who wants to make the world a healthier place one recipe at a time. You can learn more about Elizabeth, see her videos and read past articles on her website: www.TheKitchenVixen.com

Vanilla Protein Pudding

4 cups lowfat milk of your choice

6 Tablespoons vanilla whey protein powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

6 Tablespoons arrowroot

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Use a blender to blend the protein powder, milk and maple syrup. Add one cup of the mixture to a large mixing bowl and the rest to a large sauce pot. Use a fork or whisk to gradually blend the arrowroot with the milk in the mixing bowl. Heat the rest of the milk mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly. When the milk begins to bubble, add the arrowroot mixture and continue to heat until the mixture thickens. Pour into a bowl to refrigerate and chill, about four hours to completely cool.

Makes about eight (1/2 cup) servings. Per serving: Cost $0.66, Calories 133, Carbs 19, 12g sugar, 11g protein, Fat 1g, 19% DV manganese, 15% calcium, 12% vitamin D.

ABC News Appearance

2010-11-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

It seems that no matter where I live, I always end up on the ABC news station. In PA I did syndicated interviews that appeared on ABC beginning in 1998. From there it was weekly cooking demos on ABC in Ocean City, Maryland. Then ABC in San Fran where I moved to do a cooking show. Next it was Vegas and weekly cooking demos on their ABC affiliate.

You can see some of the more than 100 interviews & cooking demos I have done over the years by watching my Demo Reel to the right of your screen.

As for my affinity for ABC, I think it's because growing up, ABC was THE station. I really don't remember watching any other station in the 70's & early 80's. In fact, my favorite show, Three's Company, is the very reason why I live on the beach in Santa Monica, CA. Although, instead of me and two other roommates, it's just me and my cat Dharma in our beach front pad. Hey, I'm not complaining. I love it here.

Jack, Crissy and Janet were definitely on to something. I just wish I had moved here sooner. I also just remembered, as I'm writing, that Suzanne Somers is one of the reasons I went to college to become a Dietitian. As much as I like her on TV, I dislike the fact that she touts herself as an expert yet she has absolutely no formal education in this field. But I still love Three's Company!

While I have your attention, you might also want to pick up the November issue of Oxygen Magazine and read my article about leafy greens. If you miss it. Pick up the December issue and read about how food affects your immune system. It's intriguing stuff, I promise.

Thanks for tuning in!

OXYGEN: Fitness Magazine for Women

2010-08-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

OXYGEN has given me new life!

I apologize for my lack of articles for the past few months.

All of the 90+ articles found on this site were created for the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper.

Thank you to Kevin Herrera, my editor for giving me the opportunity to write for the newspaper for the past two and half years. And thank you also to Krystyn Hall owner of Krizzy Designs, who made my blog into this beautiful website were I can showcase my articles and videos in a user friendly way. Because of these two people, the nutrition editor for Oxygen Magazine, Helen Vong, read my articles, liked my writing style and creative recipes and in January 2010, asked me to write for OXYGEN magazine.

I remember the day I received the email from Helen, January 22, 2010, which read, "Hi from Oxygen!" Helen went on to tell me that she was seeking new writers and had been following my blog and that my sports nutrition expertise fit well with their magazine.

At first I thought, is this some kind of joke or spam or something to get me to visit another site? I honestly didn't take it seriously at first, well, for about a second. And then I thought, "Well, why not me?"

Ironically, while traveling in October 0f 2009, I bought every health and fitness magazine I could find at the airport newsstand with the intention of contacting each and every nutrition editor in the hopes of gaining their interest and then possibly submitting some writing samples to then, hopefully, write for a magazine. That's how it usually works anyway.

Well, I never contacted anyone, as it turns out, someone found me. Perhaps just by buying those magazines and putting out my intentions, the universe found Helen, and OXYGEN for me. I couldn't think of a better fit too. The OXYGEN editors and readers like the same kind of clean and healthy eating I promote. I have been writing for OXYGEN since February. My first article appeared in the July issue of Oxygen and it was on "The Fittest Oils." I was also one of the featured writers for that issue.That same month, the annual "Glutes" issue was released and my article "Seven Days to a beauty booty" came with it. In August my chocolate mint protein shake, from my video, was the "Shake of the Month." For the September issue I developed six high protein bars/snacks and wrote pertinent nutrition information about the ingredients which is what I love to do most! At the end of July, I finished my article on "Leafy Greens" which is due out in November and today, in fact, I am working on the Holiday Issue on immunity boosting foods.

Aside from working 3-4 days per week as a Dietitian in a Physical Therapy Rehab Hospital and fitting in my intense workouts, writing for Oxygen takes up a good chunk of time and therefore, I have not been able to add to my on-line articles in quite some time. I hope to get something out this week though, after I finish this assignment.

In the meantime, I will also be applying for The Next Food Network Star, season 7. I have applied every single year since the contest's inception. I really thought I would have been given an opportunity by now. But not so, not yet anyway. As I always say, if it's not hard, it's not worth doing. Nothing in life worthwhile comes easy. Don't ever give up on your dreams...I won't.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Nutrition for Volleyball

2010-06-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

Beach Volleyball Anyone?

(Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper pg. 6 & in the American Volleyball Coaches Association publication pg. 27)

During a recent visit to PA, my home state, I told a friend that I was living in Santa Monica. Her response was, “Wow! That’s the like the Mecca of beach volleyball.” She lives for volleyball.

I don’t know if Santa Monica actually is the Mecca of beach volleyball, but there certainly are a lot of volleyball nets set up on the beaches. I often glance at the heated games as I jog by on the path. Being only 5’4”, I’ve never felt that volleyball was my game.

Recently, a friend who coaches college volleyball, asked me to write a nutrition article pertaining to eating for performance while on the road. I figured since I live in the Mecca of volleyball, I might as well share this information with those of you who are tall, or athletically adept enough to play beach volleyball.

No matter what sport you choose, optimal nutrition each and every day can make all the difference in your performance. Volleyball is an especially demanding sport that requires both explosive energy and endurance. For quick bursts of energy like jumping and spiking, anaerobic metabolism kicks in and is fueled by stored carbohydrates, aka muscle glycogen. When playing multiple sets, endurance is needed, optimal blood sugar and a combination of circulating fats and amino acids from protein will help to ensure you’re in for the long haul. Proper hydration is also an essential part of the equation.

To ensure all of your energy needs will be met while you’re out playing for the day, eat a good meal 2-3 hours before you plan to play. Your meal should be high in carbohydrates from sources such as whole grains or starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, along with lean protein such as an egg white vegetable omelet or a protein shake each combined with a little healthy olive or flax oil.

When you head out, be sure to pack as many portable energy and hydration sources as you can fit in your cooler or bag. Packable fuel might include energy bars with 10-15 grams of protein and limited added sugars. Sandwiches made with whole grain breads, lean organic meats, fresh vegetables and mustard, make great pre-workout meals. Skip the mayo and other high fat options to ensure your meal is digested in 2-3 hours, prior to play time. When you have an hour or less and need some fast fuel, opt for fresh or dried fruit. Energy bars with less than ten grams of fat will do the trick too. Just be sure to drink 16 ounces of water to help dilute the delivery of carbohydrates into your blood stream. See attached recipe to make your own portable fuel.

Hydration is key any time of the day but especially for active days in the sun. Drink at least 16 ounces of fluid before and after an event and 4-6 ounces for every 15 minutes of activity. Sports drinks work well to rehydrate and refuel when you don’t have time to sit and eat yet still need to replenish blood sugar for continuous play. But commercial sports drinks can be filled with artificial colors and flavorings that no one needs.

Make your own sports drink by combining four ounces of water with four ounces of juice such as grape, cranberry, pomegranate or similar flavor juices plus 1/8 teaspoon sea salt. Mix enough to last for the time you will be playing. If you plan to play for two hours, you might want to mix up to 48 ounces, multiply the recipe by six. Some people don’t like math but it is a universal language. It’s the same in every country. So you should really take this opportunity to learn to love it!

For more math, make the Beach Volleyball Bar recipe and divide into eight equal portions. Then pack up a few servings and enjoy your tasty fuel-on-the-go. It’s so worth the math and the effort for less than half the cost of any comparable store bought bar. And that’s using only the best organic ingredients purchased at the Santa Monica Coop. Now get out there and play, and don’t forget your homemade sports drink and bars!

Beach Volleyball Bar

1 cup raisins or dates (10 each)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

2 Tbsp ground flax seeds

1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (100g protein)

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup Kashi 7 Whole Grain Nuggets Cereal

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Place raisins or dates and water in food processor and process. Add peanut butter and process until smooth. Add protein powder and salt and process to combine thoroughly. Add more water as needed. Add the dried cherries or cranberries and the cereal and pulse just enough to combine. Place a two foot long piece of wax paper in an 8x8 inch dish with half of the wax paper hanging over the edge. Pour mixture into dish. Use the wax paper to press the mixture evenly in the pan. For best results, place in freezer for one hour to help firm. Cut into eight equal pieces. Wrap individually and refrigerate or freeze. Per serving: 230 calories, 6g fat, 29g carbs, 4g fiber, 15g protein.
For more bar recipes visit the Oxygen Magazine website and pick up a past copy of September 2010 issue of Oxygen magazine for an in-depth article on protein bars complete with six customized high-protein snacks

What's in Season?

2010-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

There is a season

Originally published on pg. 6 of the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper
To everything, “turn, turn, turn,” there is a season “turn, turn, turn,” but sometimes we forget since we, in America, can pretty much get anything we want year round.

During a recent trip to the farmers’ market, I was flabbergasted when I cheerfully walked up to my favorite carrot purveyor, Weiser Family Farms, only to be told that “Carrots are out of season.” “Really?” I said. I truly had no idea. I mean I don’t buy carrots every week but I honestly don’t recall there being a lull in my carrot purchasing habit over the past six or so years since I moved to Cali. Perhaps that’s because in the past I had often bought those five pound bags of carrots at the grocery store.

As much as I, as a health educator, try to encourage people to eat seasonally, that’s sometimes easier said than done. If you walk into any grocery store, the first thing you see is the produce section. And most people think, “If it’s there and it’s fresh, it must be in season, right?”

Ah, but don’t be fooled by appearances. You may find bright shiny red apples aplenty at your favorite grocery store but alas, they are there under false pretenses for their season is July through November according to the “What’s in season?” section of the Southland Farmers’ Market Association website (www.sfma.net). SFMA is a collaboration of farmers who sell their goods at local southern California farmers’ markets.

So if you decide to make an apple pie this weekend and plan to get your apples at the farmers’ market, you might want to turn to plan B or even C, and opt for a fresh cherry pie. According to the Market Report with Laura Avery on KCRW’s Good Food show, cherry season is now, and it’s short; May through July and that’s it.

During Laura’s recent interview with Mark Peel, executive chef and owner of Campanille restaurant and The Tar Pit, Chef Mark described how he takes advantage of cherry season by “preserving” his cherries in a heated mixture of alcohol and sugar. Yes, that will certainly “preserve” those dark red, antioxidant rich beauties. But I say, why not simply eat as much as you can while the season is here and freeze any extras to snack on later. Frozen cherries make a wonderful substitute for black cherry ice cream and can even be thrown into your favorite smoothie blended with yogurt, tofu or even cottage cheese for a more physique-friendly sweet fix. While visiting the Wednesday market, I bought a pint of sweet red cherries, ate half in the morning and the other half after work and that’s all she wrote. There will be no sugar, alcohol or frozen treats for me this week. But Saturday is another farmers’ market day, so who knows.

Aside from cherries, Laura Avery also touted the season of the corn. It’s sweet white corn we seek for now. The kind that can be simply shucked and cut right from the cob and tossed into a salad or used to make my favorite corn relish which goes great with steamed fish or atop any leafy greens you choose. Of course there is also creamed corn and corn chowder, but again, when it’s fresh and in season, why not eat it just “as is?”

The list of seasonal produce goes on and on and changes practically daily depending on which market and what farmers you frequent. So to really take advantage of the ever changing seasonal produce, I suggest you visit the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday or check out the Southland Farmers’ Market Association website for markets in your area. www.sfma.net

How to Boil Corn on the Cob
Fill a large pot with water.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil.
Husk the corn and remove any silk threads.
Add corn to boiling water.
Boil for four minutes or until corn appears brighter in color.
Remove corn from the cooking water.
Enjoy with a little flax oil and sea salt or add the corn to one of the following recipes.

Corn Chowder

1 cup sliced leeks or onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 small baking potato, cubed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups milk of your choice
2 cups whole kernel corn, fresh or frozen
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

In medium saucepan, combine leek, carrot and potato with chicken broth. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add one cup of corn. Puree then add milk and the other cup of corn. Heat through but do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and roasted red pepper.
Corn & Pepper Relish

1-2 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled & cut from husk or 1 cup frozen corn, cooked & cooled
(cook corn & place in freezer to cool while you prepare other ingredients)
1/2 each, chopped green & red pepper or pimiento (roasted red pepper)
1/4 red or white onion or 1 shallot, diced
2 Tablespoons brown rice vinegar (or any vinegar you have on hand)
2 teaspoons honey
Fresh ground black pepper Dash sea salt

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all chopped ingredients plus liquids, salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cover & allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours for best flavors.

Corn & Arugula Salad

2 ears corn cooked, cooled & cut from the cob
4 cups arugula or green of your choice
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or whatever vinegar you have on hand
4 sprigs thyme, remove leaves and set aside
Dash of sea salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Adjust flavors as needed.