The Most Important Body Measurement (and it’s probably NOT what you think!)
Apple, pear, hourglass, tube…Whatever body shape you have, it’s really just a matter of living with what you’ve been blessed with, right?It’s true, each of us are more predisposed to one particular body shape than another.But, simply accepting your lot may not be the very best solution for improving longevity.No, there is much more to this than mere aesthetics — the shape of your body could be putting your health at risk, even if your BMI reads ‘normal.’Let me explain…Heart Failure and Waist Size: The LinkResearch suggests waist size is a much more accurate way of predicting your chance of dying from a heart attack than using weight alone.What you may not realize …
Vanilla Beauty Products
The aromatic bean is in more butters, gels, scents, and soufflés than ever.
Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche
Keeping things green today in the spirit of St Patrick's Day! Cream of asparagus is one of my favorite Spring soups. The addition of leeks, a relative of onions, scallions and shallots gives this soup a wonderful subtle flavor. But the star here is a touch of creme fraiche added on top, which I like to swirl in to my soup for a creamy delicious finish.My daughter Madison loves helping me in the kitchen, here I let her snap off the tough ends of the asparagus – she's a pro! Creme fraiche is wonderfully creamy, and a bit thinner than sour cream. If that's not available near you can swap …
What You Need to Know About Sugar Addiction
That unstoppable craving driving you to eat something sweet.Perhaps an uncontrollable yearning for ice cream, cake or chocolate.You’ve been there, right?But why do we overeat? And why is it that some are more prone to struggling with this than others?It’s difficult to fathom that a simple cookie can have such power over you at times, when every fiber of your body is telling you not to eat it!Perhaps it’s a willpower issue. Or, maybe there’s more to it than that.Some health professionals claim certain foods are as addictive as heroin or cocaine.Others believe this is ridiculous — it’s merely a matter of …
Simple Apple and Herb Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken
Yield:Serves 10Ingredients 4 lb. whole chicken 1 apple few sprigs each of rosemary, sage, thyme 1orange, zested 1 lemon 3 garlic cloves 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. honey 1/2 yellow onion 6 carrots, peeled and chopped in one-inch segments 6 red potatoes, halved or quartered InstructionsClick Here to see the rest of the instructions
Twice baked ricotta and herb soufflé’s
I’ve been making a lot of ricotta recently, and began looking for new ways to enjoy it, rather than just crumbling it in salads, or using it as a component in other recipes. I wanted to make ricotta the star, and the star it is in these super easy, but impressive looking twice baked ricotta and herb soufflé’s. For this recipe you will need firm ricotta from the store, or homemade ricotta that has been well drained, and your favourite herbs. I went with what I had in my garden, which was parsley, basil, rosemary and thyme, however you can use whatever herbs you prefer, or have access to. I also added a bit of garlic, because I’m a bit of a garlic fiend, …
A day in my pouch
A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts (I try and post them every few days) to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Yesterday’s menu…Breakfast: I had some mushrooms that needed using up so I sauteed them and they went on top of a scrambled egg with a sprinkle of cheese.Lunch: I made a batch of one of …
I’d Rather Make Out With Sherlock than a Chihuahua
Breakfast to BedThere truly aren’t enough pictures of dogs in wigs on the internet. Granted, there are entire tumblrs dedicated to the coiffeured canines, (I know if you add “ed” to a French word it’s not the past tense. I’m making shit up.) but still. Back to my point. I also need more babies in wigs pictures. I have no idea why I find them so outrageously hysterical, but I do. I mean, it’s not Elaine Stritch dropping the F bomb on morning television while dressed as a very fancy…
double dipper
Good morning <3 I’ll be fully human when I finish this: Today is going to be fun because I’m double dipping = teaching two Zumba classes. The goal is to teach both without repeating the same song. It’s aways a little interesting when I go back to older Zumba music (aka that moment when…
Green Velvet Angel Food Cake
Happy St. Paddy’s Day, Y’All! While I am not huge on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, I do love all things GREEN and amazingly festive recipes. This season, I’ve already made my version of a Shamrock Shake… And, I made a last minute decision to make one more green treat before the holiday passed. I spent this past weekend in the mountains with a fabulous group of ladies. Each of us were tasked with bringing a healthy(ish) snack to share. Not knowing where to begin… I went to Pinterest to see what dishes…
Raw Macaroon Fudge Bars
Yield:Serves 9IngredientsMacaroon Cookie Crust: ½ cup cashews ½ cup almonds (blanched) 1 cup unsweetened coconut – macaroon grade ½ cup dates (pits removed) ¼ cup Skinny Coconut Oil ½ teaspoon high quality sea salt Fudge Filling 1 cup raw cashew butter 1/3 cup Skinny Coconut Oil (melted) 1/3 cup raw cocoa powder 1/3 cup raw honey, agave nectar, or coconut syrup ¼ tsp. high quality sea salt - 2 Tbsp. lucuma powder* 1 tsp.
A New Chapter in the Book of Love
Hey guys! I mentioned it briefly in my Expo West recap, but I want to document it here so that when I’m old and suffering from memory loss, I can come here and troll for glimpses into these special moments This past Sunday, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. It was the Sunday after Expo West, so all I wanted to do was lounge around. He got me a fancy new beach cruiser as a gift and we went to drop off my old bike at my mom’s since she didn’t have one. There were no signs that he was going to propose, except for one little thing: he did not get me a card…
Weekend Mash Up
Without any big projects on tap right now, it was a weekend to do whatever we felt like whenever we felt like it! I started off with a good workout at the gym: Exercise Set/rep/weight Plank 3 sets of holds for 60 seconds each Prone Cobra 3 sets of holds for 60 seconds each Lateral raise with external rotation 3 sets of 10 with 8# DBs Overhead Squat 3 sets of…
Four miles. First sweaty miles of the year. Here comes summer!
Four miles. First sweaty miles of the year. Here comes summer!
Is Our Obesogenic Environment Making It Hard to Lose Weight?
The term obesogenic has been around for a while, but I haven’t seen it being used in mainstream media until recently. What is an obesogenic environment? A publication from the University of Nevada indicates that an obesogenic environment is one that helps or contributes to obesity. In other words, how our neighborhoods are set up, the food in schools, the availability of food, the number of restaurants, the cost of food, our sedentary lifestyle, etc. all contribute to obesity. In thinking about this term, I thought a lot about the cultural environment we live in and pondered how our environment does contribute to the obesity rates in the United States and in other parts of the world. I read…
Mashed Potato Dust
[PSA: “like” my blog’s Facebook page to get tips and updates on my blog posts in your news feed.]Moments ago I was struck with a craving for chocolate. Not so bad that I opened the bag of chocolate chips (that are patiently awaiting my next batch of chocolate chip cookies), but bad enough that I dug into the last unused party favor from Marek’s birthday and ate the Lego shaped chocolate favors. It’s better than eating ice cream, which is what I did last night. That reminds me, I need to unload that ice cream (also leftover from the party).My overall eating remains just ok. As I’ve hinted at a few times, I’m going through some life transition stuff …
whoa there, wine-o!
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I changed up my coffee consumption which has been going well. But now, it has become obvious that isn’t the only beverage consumption I need to change. I’m going to need to switch up my wine consumption. As in, WHOA THERE, WINE-O! Here’s the deal… I enjoy going home and having a glass of wine. A glass of wine is no problem. Going home, pouring a glass of red wine and sipping on that glass of wine while I’m cooking dinner. Zipping around the kitchen, going from chopping to sautéing, from stirring sauces to plating dishes, all while I sip …
Greedy Recipe! Easy Mashed Fake-tatoes
Why should breast implants, hair weaves and Monopoly money have all the fun? In world of imitators, this is a damn good bowl of Fake-tatoes. You’re gonna go wild for the stuff. I promise. click on image to enlarge the tastiness MASHED FAKE-TATOES serves 3-4 hungry stomachs 1 large head cauliflower coconut oil (amount will vary) white cooking wine onion powder garlic powder pepper sea salt DIRECTIONS Cut cauliflower into large florets and boil all until tender. Transfer strained florets to large bowl for mashing. Substitute coconut oil for the same amount of butter you would normally use in a regular mashed potato recipe. Generously sprinkle in onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and sea salt. Splash in a tiny …
Top 10 Trader Joes Healthy Food Picks
Hi, my name is Jacynta and I’m having an affair with TJ! So, I have a love affair with a guy named Joe. Trader Joe to be exact! Shhh, don’t tell my hubby although he’s seen his name quite a few times on the AmEx! You see, all my clients know that I’m constantly saying, “Have your tried this or this from Trader Joes?” I love everything about the place. First, it is easy to shop there because they have no gimmicks! There are no BOGO’s! Thank God! The prices are amazing and you don’t have to cut coupons or be …
Note to Self…
Good work keeping yourself accountable with the food journal. You needed a little structure. Nice job rearranging your schedule to get a trip to the gym in even though your morning routine was disrupted. And finally, it’s time to start running again. You’ve given your leg plenty of time to heal. Sneak in at least a mile
Losing 50 Pounds on the Atkins Diet
Kristine, age 21, is elated that she’s lost about 50 pounds. Two years ago she weighed 174 pounds and was wearing black clothes everyday to look thinner. Her mood was bad and she often felt fatigued.That’s when she decided to try the low-carb Atkins diet. The Atkins diet doesn’t ask you to count calories or watch your portions. It does severely restrict your carbohydrate intake. She was able to eat all the protein she wanted and never felt hungry.The pounds started dropping off and when the weight loss started to plateau, she also added exercise. Now, two years later she weighs 125 pounds and in the best shape of her life. She feels very joyful to be so healthy now. See
Saturated dairy fats don’t cause heart attacks: study
Dairy UK has welcomed a study, published by the University of Cambridge this week, which says there is not enough evidence to support heart health guidelines for a diet low in saturated fat.
