Living Lean

Recipe: Coconut Flour Banana Muffins

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:10:31 +0000

I was flipping through The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and noticed a recipe for coconut flour pumpkin muffins. It got me thinking I had a few bananas that were looking like they needed to be used soon. I changed the spices, and the flour amount so I could use up 2 bananas. I also cut back on the sweetener, maple syrup, because over ripe bananas are already sweet. Here’s what I came up with.

Makes 12 muffins

3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
2 well mashed bananas (about 1 cup)
6 organic eggs
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil, I used expeller pressed for less pronounced coconut flavor
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
top each muffin with walnuts or a chocolate chip

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease muffin pans well with coconut oil. Sift coconut flour through salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, put the mashed banana. One by one, crack the eggs into the bowl, mixing well after adding each egg. Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extra and mix well.

Add the flour to the egg mixture and blend well with a wisk. Mixture should resemble a thick pudding. If it doesn’t, consider adding a little more sifted coconut flour. Spoon into muffin pan and top with a chocolate chip or some walnuts.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Even with a well greased muffin pan, I had to run a butter knife around the edges and lift the muffins out carefully with a fork before cooling them on a wire rack.

I loved that these were really moist, gluten free, and have a good amount of protein with 1/2 dozen eggs! Enjoy!

Holiday Wish List 2011

admin — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:07:54 +0000

Now that Thanksgiving is officially over, it’s time to think about the upcoming holidays. For many years now, the adults in my family do a secret santa for Christmas. We draw a name out of a hat and you buy just for that person. The limit is usually $150-200. Since it can be so hard to shop for people, we usually try to come up with a list of items that would fit into that price range just to give ideas. I’d like to share my list with you. This is in no particular order at all and as usual there are a few cookbook titles to inspire me throughout the year. You can click on the photos to find out more information on the products and reviews from Amazon.com. I’ve also given links to sites where possible.

Chocolate Orange Rooibos Tea from The Necessiteas, $12.50. I got a sample of this tea a few years ago and I’ve been meaning to get a canister ever since. I’m a huge fan of chocolate and orange. I highly recommend the root beer float rooibos tea also. Find out more about all their tea blends at http://www.thenecessiteas.com/store/index.php

Merrell Barefoot Women’s Pace Glove Shoe – This is one of the newer shoes on the market in the barefoot revolution. This shoe features a Vibram® Trail Glove Sole. I haven’t given up on my Vibram Five Fingers or Nike Frees, just want to try something different!

Book: Primal Blueprint – Quick and Easy Meals, $18. I’ve really enjoyed the Primal Blueprint Cookbook and I’d love to have this as an addition to my library.

New Grips Weight Gloves, size small about $30. I’ve heard great things about these gloves in the kettlebell community. Do high rep snatches and save your hands? I’m in! Find out more at http://www.newgrip.com/

Book: Paleo Comfort Foods – Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten Free Kitchen, $19. Just looked like a really good book to add to my library. Lots of great reviews on Amazon as well.

Book: The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook, $9. Always looking to do more with almond flour!

Book: Gluten Free Cupcakes – 50 Irresistable Recipes Make with Almond and Coconut Flour, $12 I’ve heard amazing things about the author of this book, Elana Amsterdam. She is also author of the book above. For the price of both these books, an invaluable resource for someone that doesn’t eat gluten but loves to eat.

Lush e-gift card, in any amount! To say I’m obsessed with these bath products would be an understatement. I’ve got a wish list of bath bombs, bubble bars, and bath melts ready to be purchased! Check out their site http://www.lushusa.com/shop

18 Piece Snapware Glass Storage Containers, $55. I’m almost 100% switched over to glass storage containers. I like to avoid BPA in plastics as much as possible.

Teavana – Harmony Glass Tea Tumbler, $20. This is an 11 oz glass tea tumbler with stainless steel tea strainer to brew loose tea. Being a tea junkie, on the go, and always avoiding plastic products, this is perfect for me!

The Black Eyed Pea Experience, game for Wii, $35. Who doesn’t love a good dance game? Burn a few extra calories and do something fun with my kids. I’ll take it!

10 Class Card to the Center for Health & Healing Yoga Center, $125. I’ve been wanting to do more yoga, just never seem to have the time. With a 10 class card to a local yoga place, I can certainly incorporate a class a week without missing out on all my other favorite activities.

This concludes my holiday wish list for 2011. Anything fun on your wish list? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.

Have a fabulous holiday season!

Recipe: Asian Style Eggs

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:12:37 +0000

I’ve been eating “Asian” eggs for as long as I can remember, but it was made a little differently. My mom is from Thailand and since both my parents worked growing up, sometimes my mom would need something quick to make for dinner. Eggs are perfect for that. She used to make an omelet with a few eggs and Thai fish sauce. If you’re not familiar with fish sauce, it’s basically anchovies, salt, and water (it resembles soy sauce in appearance) and it’s used in most Thai cuisine and adds great flavor to eggs. My sister and I would eat it with sticky rice and sometimes some homemade hot pepper paste or papaya slaw. Today, I’d like to share with you my version of it. Feel free to try it with fish sauce if you have it in the house. It is really delicious.

Ingredients:

2 organic eggs
3-4 button mushrooms rough chopped
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari (If you use fish sauce use a little less, it’s very salty)
1/4 teaspoon chili flake or one Thai chili finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon expeller pressed coconut oil (I like Tropical Traditions brand)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or a chopped scallion to garnish

Heat oil in a small skillet and add crushed red pepper flake (or Thai chili) and the mushrooms. Meanwhile in a small bowl, beat 2 eggs and the gluten free soy or fish sauce. After the mushrooms saute about 5 minutes, add the eggs. Flip it over after about 4 minutes. Garnish with cilantro or scallion.

Here are my eggs served with beets and a seaweed salad:

The next time you are pressed for time and want to eat something Asian inspired, give this a try!

Musical Motivation

admin — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:52:31 +0000

We’re coming up to the beginning of another week and everyone is getting their workout plans organized and maybe cooking some food to make life during the week easier to stick to a healthy plan. What about revamping your iPod playlists? I do this constantly to stay motivated. Today I’d like to share with you my easy run/workout playlist. Maybe you want to add some new songs to your playlists this week?

Renegade 4:15 Styx
More Than a Feeling 4:45 Boston
Man Down 4:27 Rihanna
Bottoms Up 4:02 Trey Songz (feat. Nicki Minaj)
Pumped Up Kicks 4:00 Foster the People
Ruff Ryders’ Anthem 3:34 DMX
Take Over Control (Radio Edit) 3:41 Afrojack [feat. Eva Simons]
Tom Sawyer 4:33 Rush
We Found Love 3:36 Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)
Stereo Love 4:08 Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
Good Feeling 4:07 Flo Rida
She Ain’t You 4:08 Chris Brown
Big Pimpin’ / Papercut 2:36 Jay-Z & Linkin Park
Ni**as in Paris 3:39 Kanye West & JAY Z
Sex ‘n’ Money (Benny Benassi Radio Edit) 2:41 Oakenfold
Numb / Encore 3:25 Jay-Z & Linkin Park
Beautiful People [Main Version] 3:46 Chris Brown (feat. Benny Benassi)
Bring the Noise Remix (Pump-kin Remix) 6:38 Public Enemy vs. Benny Benassi Bring the Noise
I’m In Miami Bitch 3:48 LMFAO
Money Maker 3:51 Ludacris

This is about 1.3 hours. I like a mix of classic rock, hip hop, pop, and dance tunes for an easy run/workout playlist. What kind of tunes do you like? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Next week I’ll share my sprints/heavy deadlift playlist. Here’s to a kick ass week in the gym or on the trail!

Product Review: Lifefactory 22 oz Glass Beverage Bottle

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:26:28 +0000

If you’re trying to stay lean and healthy and you exercise regularly, you either drink lots of bottled water or fill a reusable bottle with water that you carry around with you. I strive to drink one gallon of lemon water daily in addition to my one cup of coffee and many cups of tea. I have a whole house water filter so I drink tap water. I used to love Sigg brand water bottles but I got concerned that I couldn’t really tell that I was getting the container clean enough and the water had a slightly metallic taste. I switched to a 32 ounce Nalgene BPA free bottle. I loved that all I had to do was drink four of them to equal a gallon. I started to get concerned though when the water tasted like lemon even when I didn’t put lemon in it. Plus, it looked like this after about 6 months.

I’ve seen Lifefactory brand glass beverage bottles sold at my local health food store and I was curious. I ordered a 22 ounce bottle from Amazon even though there were mixed reviews. Some said the bottle was much heavier. Others said the top can be difficult to get on. I received mine packed very well. I loved it from the start! Very easy to clean and to see that you got it clean. It has a tight silicone cover to protect the glass and the whole thing is dishwasher safe although I choose to hand wash it just because my dishwasher is really old. Yes, it is heavier than a plastic bottle but I’m willing to deal with that. You do have to screw the top on properly for it to close. It takes a few seconds extra if that. Again, I’m willing to deal to be 100% BPA free. I like that you can mix other drinks in there like green drinks or protein shakes and it won’t corrode a plastic lining. That alone is worth the purchase! I paid under $20 from Amazon for my 22 ounce bottle. Here’s a picture of my bottle with my lemon slices in there! :)

Lifefactory also offers glass baby bottles and toddler beverage containers as well. Check out their website for more information.

Workout of the Week 8/29/11

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:22:11 +0000

As some of you know that follow me on Twitter or friends with me on Facebook, I just survived Hurricane Irene! No damage to property or fallen trees, but no power for 37 hours. This was just mentally challenging for my whole family, but it’s over and I’m SO glad. This week’s workout is one that I did as part of my hurricane prep! :)

1. Deadlifts 4 sets of 6 with 1:30 rest between sets

2. 6 rounds, no rest of: 1 TGU, 20 skips of rope

3. Run around the block as fast as possible

When I was done with this workout, the first drops of rain started at the beginning of this monstrous storm.

I hope you’ll give it a try. Challenge yourself and enjoy! :)

Product Review: Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:36:10 +0000

I am absolutely obsessed with chocolate hazelnut anything. I love Ferrero Rocher and of course Nutella, but the fact is both contain dairy which I avoid AND both have a good amount of added sugar. When I found a healthy alternative at my local health food store, I just HAD to try it. Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter contains: Dry Roasted Hazelnuts, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Natural Vanilla, Sea Salt. It is gluten and dairy free and they use quality organic and sustainably harvested ingredients. I loved that I could purchase a 1.5 oz package at $1.15 just to see if I’d like it. At 190 calories, I thought it would be perfect to spread on an organic apple for a nice snack to share with my husband.

The verdict? We love this nut butter! It wasn’t overly sweet, it was easy to spread and had the delicious combination of chocolate and hazelnut we love so much. I would totally commit to buying a jar but I kind of like the individual serving packets for the sake of portion control.

Justin’s has several other nut butters: Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Peanut, Honey Almond, Honey Peanut, Classic Almond, Classic Peanut, and Maple Almond. In addition, they have dark chocolate and milk chocolate peanut butter cups. A healthy alternative to Reese’s? I can hardly contain my excitement!

To find out more about the products or to find a retailer near you, check out their website at http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/ If you’re on Twitter, follow them at @justinsnutbutta or like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JustinsNutButter

I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment if you’re tried any other flavors and your favorite way to enjoy Justin’s Nut Butters.

Workout of the Week 8/8/11

admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:55:30 +0000

This workout really gets the cardio up. I rely on it when I’m not sure what to do but want to get a little bit of strength and cardio in the same workout.

5 rounds for time:

10 kettlebell snatches per side (or substitute single hand to hand swings)
10 TRX rows
10 burpees
10 barbell squats (could substitute dumbbell or body weight squats)
10 TRX chest presses
50 skips jump rope
Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat 4 more times!

Challenge yourself and enjoy!

Workout of the Week 8/1/11

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:33:34 +0000

Here we are the beginning of August, the dog days of summer. The only way for me to get my workout in while I’m feeling good and not overheated is at sunrise. I’d like to share another fun workout using your local track and bleacher stairs.

When you get to the track, walk half way around and jog the other half of the track. Do some squats, walking lunges to warm up, then head over to the stairs.

Run up and down the stairs. Do walking lunges to the next set of stairs, then run up and down those. Repeat 15-20 times OR until your legs are jello.

Complete the workout with jogging another lap around the track and some really good stretching. If you are interested in taking advantage of going to your local high school track at sunrise, check out this site where you can find the exact time of sunrise in your area. http://www.sunrisesunset.com/predefined.asp

I like to go before the projected time if I can so I can catch it. Here’s a picture of today’s sunrise. Just beautiful.

Challenge yourself and enjoy! :)

Living Gluten Free

admin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:37:54 +0000

I often get asked why I don’t eat gluten as if it’s the end of the world. Let me assure you, I don’t do it to torture myself. I do it because I physically feel better. Living with joint pain and swelling became normal to me. It’s easy to blame things on old age. In fact, that’s what most people do. In my early 30′s at the time, I refused to let myself use the “getting older” excuse. It was more important to me to try out a dietary change than to be diagnosed with something and have to take prescription medicines. I feel all too often it leads to the need for more prescriptions and just spirals from there.

Let’s start with what gluten is exactly. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It can trigger an immune response in the small intestine of some people. A gluten intolerance would cause symptoms, whereas a severe immune response would be celiac disease. To look at a list of symptoms of gluten intolerance as well as a complete list of foods containing gluten, check out http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/List_of_Foods_Containing_Gluten

I wanted to investigate things I could do to help relieve the low grade inflammation that seemed to plague me and baffle doctors. First it was lymes disease, then possibly rheumatoid arthritis. I googled “anti-inflammation foods” and quickly learned that gluten can be an issue for many people, especially those battling rheumatoid arthritis (see reference 1). What did I have to lose but the pain? After 6 weeks, I felt amazing and lost nearly 20 pounds I fought for years to lose. I was in shock at the result actually. How could changing what I eat make such a huge difference? My blood work showed I was fine. Nothing wrong with me!

I want to share what I eat in a typical day for those that are thinking about making a change.

Morning – green drink, organic coffee with almond milk

Snack – raw almonds or walnuts or hummus with carrots and bell peppers

Lunch – Usually leftover dinner from the night before, but could be 2 organic free range eggs with roasted asparagus or some other vegetable, and almond meal pancakes with walnuts & a few tablespoons maple syrup

Snack – a chocolate banana superfood shake, or an organic apple with cashew butter

Dinner – typically roasted organic chicken, green beans with organic grass fed butter, sometimes quinoa or other wheat free grain (this will depend on my activity level)

Snack – a piece of dark chocolate and green tea, or chocolate avocado pudding with sliced mango or blueberries

In addition to this food intake, I drink several cups of green tea daily and one gallon of water with lemons slices daily.

Considering a change? Next steps:

Keep a food journal. Write down what you eat and note how you feel after eating. Are you tired? Do your hands swell up? Does your bad knee hurt? These are clues you need to pick up on.

Learn how to cook real food for yourself. No processed food. There are so many resources out there now, especially with the popularity of paleo diets which are gluten free. A few of my favorite cookbooks are Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Everyday Paleo. All the recipes on this site are gluten and dairy free. The link to the recipe category is here. You could certainly be a vegetarian or vegan and gluten free as well. I’ve done it. My favorite book by far would be Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Sports and Life. There are lots of great recipes in this book and all are gluten and soy free.

References:

1. http://www.livingwithrheumatoidarthritis.com/Inflammatory-foods.html

Note: This post is based on my personal experience and is not meant as medical advice. Please consult your doctor and come up with a wellness plan that is right for you.