Posts Tagged ‘ingredients’
Quick tip
I love treating myself at restaurants that use clean, organic ingredients and serve even decedent foods in healthy portion sizes (along with fresh fruit or vegetables). Pictured here is one of my recent breakfast meals: A Belgian Waffle with Berries and Cream at Le Pain Quotidien. (And no, this is not a paid endorsement!)
Bonus round when I can walk to and from the restaurant (in addition to other exercise I’ve already done or will do on the same day). This quick tip is proof that even those of us watching our (or trying to lose some) weight can live life to the fullest even when working toward our best selves!
Photo Source: @GreggMcBride/Instagram
Simple choices
Don’t take this image the wrong way. Muffin tops are beautiful. Heck, muffins themselves are beautiful. Every body is beautiful – exactly as it is right in this moment. You can be sure of that (and anyone who tells you different is full of crap).
But that being said, there are many of us who want to make healthy changes that can help us to not only feel better, but to also put on our clothes without having to hold our breath or offer up a prayer for strength (literally) when zipping up.
This can require making choices a little differently than we have in the past. Like choosing water over cake for example. Not always. But often. Changes like this remind us that cake is a treat (as opposed to an everyday requirement). We can’t say the same for water, which is absolutely necessary for our survival and for our transformation.
So without shaming yourself (which is never productive), ask yourself what you really want next time you’re tempted by something sweet (that might add a few too many calories or artificial ingredients to your daily intake). Maybe a glass of water and vigorous walk is what your body, mind and soul are really craving. If so, give your body that. And if you absolutely must have the cake (and I’ll admit there are times that’s true), then have a reasonable slice – and then have a glass of water and go for a vigorous walk. (See what I did there?)
It’s all about balance, moderation and your overall goals. And you, my amazing, beautiful friend, are worth it!
A drool-worthy chocolate recipe
Nutrition guru Joy Bauer has always been someone who inspires me. And lucky for us Just Stoppers, she’s allowed me to feature one of the delicious recipes from her new best selling book, From Junk Food to Joy Food, here. This Frozen Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cups recipe takes all the guilt out of a decadent treat and is a blast to make. And the best part? We don’t have to “go off” of our diets or healthy eating plans to make and enjoy it. Joy also uses all natural ingredients in the recipe, which is always a big plus.
From Junk Food to Joy Food is loaded with these kinds of recipe makeovers — the kind that take everyday favorites (usually loaded with calories, salt, etc.) and swaps them out for brand new, healthier versions of the recipes (each of which guarantees the same amount of flavor and satisfaction — but without the food hangover). And no, this is not a paid endorsement. Although I’d happily bribe Joy for being gracious enough to let me share this recipe.
For more information on From Junk Food to Joy Food, click here. And for more recipes and tips from Joy herself, you can click to her website. In the meantime, if you try the recipe below, please be sure to invite me over!
JOY BAUER’S FROZEN CHOCOLATE–PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
Junk Food version (before): 290 calories
Joy Food version (after): 165 calories
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
¼ cup creamy nut or seed butter (peanut, almond, sunflower seed, etc.)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dark chocolate chips, or 3-ounce dark chocolate bar
¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the banana, nut butter, and vanilla. Mash everything together well and set aside.
Place 6 liners in a muffin tin and spray the liners liberally with nonstick oil spray. Silicone muffin liners work best, as it’s easier to remove the chocolate when it’s time to eat. Set the muffin tin aside.
In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and almond milk on medium heat, stirring constantly.
Once the chocolate is smooth, add a generous tablespoon of the mixture to the bottom of each muffin liner. Then stick the muffin tin in the freezer to firm up the chocolate (about 10 minutes).
Once the chocolate is firm, distribute the banana filling evenly among the muffin cups and spread the filling out with your fingers. Then split the remaining chocolate among the cups, using your fingers to spread each layer evenly.
Place the tin back in the freezer for at least 4 hours (overnight works best).
When you’re ready to eat, pop each cup out of its liner and serve immediately!
(Makes 6 servings.)
Photo Source: Joy Bauer
Fast food, poor nutrition
Over a decade ago, around the time I’d lost over 250 pounds of excess weight and knew I wanted to keep it off forever, I swore off fast food. Sure, it’s cheap. But there’s a higher price to be paid in regard to our health. And this decision turned out to be one of the most positive and healthiest I’ve ever made.
On the subject of fast food (and focusing in on the McDonald’s fast food chain in particular), New York Times best-selling author Vani Hari (AKA “The Food Babe“) recently posted information for “…Everyone That Still Eats at McDonald’s (Even if they won’t admit it)” which features the chart you see here, detailing some concerning ingredients that fast food giant McDonald’s still uses in much of what they sell (and what so many people still consume).
For more information on each of these ingredients, click over to Food Babe’s post, which details what she calls “the worst 12 ingredients at McDonald’s that no one should be eating” — even noting that 8 of these ingredients aren’t even used at the McDonald’s in the United Kingdom. After reading this list, you might be wondering why you are still eating at McDonald’s (if you are), or perhaps, as Ms. Hari suggests, want to share this information with people you know who still eat there.
You can take it with you
Forget that potentially leaky plastic container when transporting your lunch salad to work (or wherever). These days it’s all about pre-making and then taking your salad with you in a handy Mason-style jar. The trick is to keep wet ingredients on the bottom, then stack dry ingredients on the top. You can check out the tasty recipe for the Salad in a Mason Jar pictured here — featuring greens, walnuts, celery, radish, and apple by clicking to EatWithinYourMeans.com.
Want even more ideas for Healthy Salad in a Mason Jar recipes? Check out 18 additional recipes from BuzzFeed Life that I discovered thanks to Pupltastic by clicking here.
Photo Source: Eat Within Your Means
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