Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

By:  Maria

I love to cook and tweak recipes to make them healthier for my family.  I also love to bake - but what I love most is how they can never tell that the ingredients I use are devoid of gluten, sugars, highly processed and unhealthy industrial seed oils or partially hydrogenated anything! 

(um...I lied...some of my attempts at baked goods have turned out to be dense, brick-like disasters; but my family is generously forgiving!) 

Eating right does not have to mean never having treats or melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that leave your senses happy.  By using the right ingredients, you can have the best of both worlds - baked goodness and a healthy gut!

Ingredients

1/2 c coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp allspice (leave out if you do not like flavor)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch of sea salt

1/2 c organic butter or coconut oil (I will use half ghee, half coconut oil - the flavor is mmm)

6 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c pumpkin puree

2 tblsp maple syrup

2 tblsp raw honey

1/2 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips (gluten, dairy and soy free - check your local grocery store as well)  *optional add-in...but who wouldn't?!*

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a standard muffin tray or use paper liners (paper works best).  Measure dry ingredients and mix.  Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl together until well beaten.  Whisk dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until lumps in batter are gone.  Gently mix in chocolate chips.  Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

3 Reasons Not To Worry About Your Cholesterol Numbers

By:  Maria



It's inevitable.

The mere mention of recommending fats like coconut oil and avocado; quality protein like red meat and whole eggs in a healthy diet, will raise eyebrows and also elicit questions about cholesterol.

Isn't that bad for cholesterol? Aren't those foods putting me at risk for heart disease?

We have been pummeled with decades worth of mainstream indoctrination telling us that eating saturated fat causes heart disease via high cholesterol.

It's time for change.

#1 Eating saturated fat doesn't raise cholesterol levels in the blood

There have been many studies examining the association between saturated fat consumption and cholesterol levels in the blood (serum cholesterol). Only one showed an association, but even that association was feeble. With one exception (whom is mentioned at the bottom), no one does a better job explaining this than Stephan Guyenet here.

#2. Eating cholesterol-containing foods typically does not raise serum cholesterol

Ok, so the word typically must have you saying "ah-ha!". Not so fast cowboy. Although it's true that 30% of the population had an increase in HDL and LDL cholesterol when consuming eggs, it warrants a closer look. Raising levels of HDL is a good thing. Raising levels of a type of LDL from saturated fat, turns out to be a good thing as well! Many people do not realize that LDL comes in two forms: the small, dense LDL (bad) and the large, fluffy LDL (good). The small, dense LDL oxidizes and causes inflammation, whereas the large, fluffy LDL does not. So guess what happens when you eat eggs? The large, fluffy LDL increases (good!) and the small, dense LDL decreases (good!).

Read more here.

#3. High cholesterol isn't a strong risk factor for heart disease

Stop laughing. This is where it gets good. I'm not a scientist, so I will leave this to the real experts. Bottom line, however, is this: mainstream media, your doctors, neighbors, family and friends all seem to think that total and LDL cholesterol numbers are the most important numbers when it comes to determining heart disease risk. The truth is, they have been only weakly associated and even some of those associations have been questionable. If high cholesterol was a strong risk for heart disease, how can we explain the French, Austrians and other European nations where cholesterol numbers are the highest in the world, but heart disease is the lowest? Or perhaps women - on average, they have lower heart disease rates than men, but higher cholesterol numbers.

Another favorite of mine that has done some comprehensive research on the subject of cholesterol is Chris Masterjohn. Read more here.

Note: This article assumes you are eating a diet rich in quality proteins and healthy fat sources, no industrial seed oils and avoiding food toxins. If your numbers are above 300mg/dl, there may be an indicator of inflammation or metabolic derangement that should be addressed. This article is not meant to take the place of medical advice and/or treatment from your physician. 

Cauliflower Clusters

By:  Maria

Cauliflower has many uses.  So many, in fact, that I use this vegetable weekly,  but the way I prepare it is hardly the same from one meal to the next.  Some times, my family has no idea what they're eating - all they know is that it's tasty and they want a second helping.

This is one of those recipes. I had leftover pureed cauliflower from a meal and needed a quick and easy way to use the leftover (um....no....I NEVER waste leftover-anything!).

Try these and get creative with variations - add any ingredient you would like to these baked little clusters (hint: bacon) and you will want to make these over and over again.

P.S. - these are great right out of the oven, but I eat this cold, right out of the fridge and I love 'em!

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

1/4 c coconut milk

2 tblsp ghee

4 egg whites (I've also made these with 2 whole eggs)

sea salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim cauliflower into florets, place in a micro-steamer* and cook until tender.  Place tender cauliflower in food processor with coconut milk, ghee, salt and pepper. Process until the consistency of oatmeal (or, if you prefer, pureed smooth). 

Whip egg whites until stiff; gently fold into cauliflower puree.

Dump into pastry bag (or into a ziploc, with a corner snipped off large enough for puree - see picture below)

Squeeze small clusters onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

*I use the micro-steamer (from pampered chef) ALL THE TIME!  It requires no water when you are steaming and the food comes out perfectly steamed/cooked.  You can micro-cook anything from veggies to fish to poultry.

Guiltless Apple Muffins

By:  Maria



For those quick on-the-go breakfasts, a tasty pick-me-up snack, or even a post-workout recovery fuel; you will enjoy the tasty flavor and be happy knowing the ingredients are top notch!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups almond meal*
4 omega-3 enriched eggs
1 organic apple finely chopped
1 very ripe banana
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350. Peel and mash the banana using a fork. Put in large mixing bowl. Using a hand held chopper if you have one, finely chop the apple, and add to the bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix by hand. The batter will not be super thick, but more like a cake batter. Using a bit more coconut oil, grease a muffin tin. Fill the tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes. You will know they are done when you can insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin and it comes out clean.

Enjoy!

*I have also used a mix of coconut flour and almond flour - experiment to see which you like the best!

Testimonial

By:  Maria

From time to time, I get wonderful, inspiring testimonials sent to me from clients or folks I meet and talk to about nutrition.  For some, the need to change their current nutrition is a medical one - they are headed towards disaster or worse.  For others, this need arises from being frustrated with conventional wisdom in regards to weight loss - they've tried other things and although changes do occur, there comes a point where progress stalls or stops. 

Whether to lose some weight, lean out, improve quality of life or even save a life, the testimonials all have a common denominator - success in all aspects of health.

When a person is committed to improving their health, incredible things happen.

Read the following testimonial:

I want to thank you for bringing this nutrition information into my life. Alot of things have changed for me over the past year. And yes, I have put in tons of work to make it happen but the bottom line is this-had you not offered up the information you did and all I continued to do was follow the typical standard American diet, I would still be overweight, unhappy without confidence, with high blood pressure and who knows what else. I found that cutting out grains and dairy is what really made the difference for me. I appreciate that you took the time to offer your expertise and great knowledge to our gym. It's changed alot of peoples lives and I just want to say thanks!!

This all started in October of 2009.  I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I have lost and gained the same 30 or 40 pounds more than once or twice. I weighed in at a whopping 189 pounds. I was working out, running a lot, training 2 times a week and "dieting", or so I thought.  
Before I followed your nutrition recommendations, my typical day looked like this:

Breakfast-

Quaker "lower sugar" instant oatmeal or yogurt with granola and dried fruit- (dairy, grains and sugar)
Lunch- 

Chef Salad (from a Mediterranean deli by my job that came with loads of wonderful cheeses and meats)
Dinner-

Whatever my heart desired. Typically included bread - prepackaged quick frozen meals(disgusting I know!!), some claimed to be "healthy"!
I snacked a lot too. Crackers- trail mix-potato chips- you name it I ate it. Not much moderation.

Then in November 2010-I was introduced to a low-carb diet that had you weigh and measure food - I dabbled with it- I followed many of the meal plans allowed, but they still contained plenty of unfavorable stuff (at the time, I didn't know any better).
So a typical low carb looked like this-

Breakfast-

(These were my favorites) Breakfast quesadilla or pita. These consisted of eggs-onion-black beans cheese-sour cream corn tortilla or pita bread.

Lunch-

Grilled chicken salad or a deli sandwich (what??? Really???)

Dinner-

Usually some kind of lean meat and veggies so I was good there. I weighed and measured everything until I felt super comfortable that I knew what my measurement was- also had 2 snacks a day- usually nuts and seeds and or a piece of fruit-sometimes cottage cheese and other dairy related products.

At this point I wasn't really seeing much in the way of results and I still had not really cut out sugar, this meaning sugar in the form of real sugar, sugar substitutes, and even occasionally alcohol (very little of this but I bring this up because even in moderation it wrecked my diet).

Now enter you.  You presented me with information that seemed to go against everything I had heard from conventional "experts" in diet and nutrition.  But I wanted to give it a go.  I did the same thing with your nutrition plan as I did with the weighed/measured low-carb approach - I picked a few things to remove from my diet the first 2 being sugar and grain.  A miraculous thing happened- stomach issues I had been having for so long went away after about 2 weeks.... (I didn't know this was the cause) I then cut out dairy and my body really started to shrink. I think this was about 3-4 weeks. During the first week, I experienced a few headaches and low energy.  After week 2, I began to feel pretty great. At that point I just went NUTS! I embraced this way of eating completely!

Following your suggestions and meal plans, my typical day now looks like this:

Breakfast-
This is my staple and I pretty much eat similar to this everyday-
2 cups of spinach-1 whole egg 2 egg whites- I usually add a little Anaheim pepper and tomato or mushrooms I cook this for breakfast at least 3-4 days a week, some times using a different lean protein choice.

Snack-
Some kind of fruit. I really watch my fruit-I tend to feel bloated if I eat too much fruit.

Lunch-usually leftovers from the night before- this could be bacon wrapped meatloaf-or fish with veggies or ground turkey on a little sweet potato a little avocado with a fried egg-turkey stuffed tomatoes-the list for lunch really goes on and on.

Snack-
If I had fruit as my morning snack I usually have nuts or seeds maybe some veggies- a homemade lara bar (your recipes!), some protein - just depends.

Dinner-
Here again the list is endless.  I have completely EMBRACED cooking this way, using your recipes or recipes I find online that do not use processed ingredients, dairy, sugar or grain. If I have eaten leftovers for lunch, sometimes I just eat a simple salad lots of dark leafy greens with some grilled or baked chicken. I am constantly googling and trying new recipes.
I have also embraced your suggestion:  I sometimes will have dinner for breakfast-breakfast for lunch - lunch for dinner and so on and so forth.
I continue to buy co-op produce- so once I have my basket I usually plan my eating from there.
I have learned to love things like steamed kale, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, brussels sprouts, avocados, BACON....etc!!
I have cut out- all grains, most dairy, most sugars...every now and then I splurge on a yummy coffee as a reward for a great week. I have cut out any soy products-I now use olive oil more sparingly-I cook with coconut oil, use coconut vinegar and coconut amino's, almond meal/flour, fresh herbs, seasoning and spices I had never even tasted before. I take the time to look at my week ahead and I cook in bulk and freeze a lot of food.
I am strict probably 85-90% of the time. I feel amazing- I finally feel like I look amazing and believe it or not-because I am more satisfied with myself- it has changed my relationships with the other people in my life. I am stronger-I can do a killer workout and recover like it was nothing. I even finally had enough confidence to complete the level 1 fitness certification course!  This is something I would have NEVER done a year ago. 

Before/After stats:

Weight:
Then:  189
Now:  140 (I no longer obsess with the numbers, since most of that weight is now muscle!)

Pant/dress size:
Then:  14/16
Now:  A gloriously loose 6!

Blood Pressure:
Then: 138/94 (pre-hypertension)
Now: 104/70

Cholesterol:
Then: 228 (HDL 38)
Now:  168 (HDL right below 100 - yay!)

Blood Glucose:
Then:  158
Now:   100

 If I had to give advice to anyone who might read this who isn't sure they can commit-understand that it IS a commitment -if you aren't willing to make a complete lifestyle change this will never work for you. You can't do it 1 day a week or 2 days a week and if you fail don't wait even 24 hours to get your nutrition back in check.  In a nutshell it's not even a "diet" to me anymore it's simply my way of life. I am not going to say I don't enjoy a little treat or ice cream or maybe even a little slice of bread every now and then because I do but do I enjoy these things daily? Or weekly? Not a chance.  The best part?  I know I will still get stronger, feel better and enjoy an awesome quality of life!

Slaw-licious

By:  Maria

What do you do with leftover cabbage and jicama?  Why, make a slaw!

Jicama (pronounced HIK-ka-ma) is a root vegetable that has a potato like covering and tastes slightly sweet.

The throw-together ingredients produced a sweet and tangy slaw that will be a frequent addition to our meals, especially once bbq season is here!

Ingredients

1 med Jicama, shredded

1/2 red cabbage, sliced into really thin slices

1/2 c chopped walnuts (toasted would be delicious!)

1/2 c pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 orange, diced

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1 avocado, mashed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tblsp apple cider vinegar

1 tblsp lemon juice

salt & vinegar

Mix all ingredients and season with salt & pepper.

(optional:  sprinkle with finely chopped bacon pieces - mmm)

Roasted Sweet Egglicious Stack

By:  Maria

Sweet potatoes don't typically last in this household, they're delicious, nutritious (high in fiber & beta carotene) and, with a muffin pan, a cinch to bake!

  Top the oven roasted potato stacks with a couple of eggs and you have yourself an incredibly tasty meal that will leave you satisfied for hours!

Sweet Potato Stacks

3 tablespoons organic coconut oil (olive oil is fine)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4")

Salt and pepper

Eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Make the garlic oil: Combine coconut oil, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a small saucepan and gently warm over low heat until fragrant but the garlic is not brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Brush 9 muffin tin with the garlic oil with a pastry brush. Layer a sweet potato slice in the bottom of a muffin tin and brush it with a thin layer of garlic oil. Layer another slice of potato and brush it with the garlic oil. Repeat until it stacks up to the top of the muffin tin.

Season with salt and pepper.  Bake the sweet potato stacks in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are golden brown and cook through. 

Prepare eggs as desired - we do sunny side or over easy...mmmm.

Top sweet potato stacks with eggs.

Easy Slow Cooking Roast

Dependability.  Reliability.  Efficiency. 

These are words to describe by best friend in the kitchen - my Crock Pot!  Seriously, this thing has allowed me more time to spend with my family; to watch my kids sports and school events, it has made cooking meals effortless, it turns my recklessly-thrown-together ingredients into savory, fall-off-the-bone deliciousness that I would never have been able to get away with by using the oven!

Not a week goes by where I don't spend the entire day away from this home, walk into the kitchen after dark, only to be welcomed and rewarded by the wafting aromas of a home cooked meal.  How much effort does it usually take?  Before I head out the door in the morning, it takes me 10-15 minutes to toss all ingredients with reckless abandon into the crock pot (uh....no measuring required), press the button and boom - done! 

Yes, some meals might require a bit more prep work, but most simply do not.

Now, my problem is not whether or not I know how to cook - I LOVE to cook, but some days, I just can't find the time.

For those that have no clue how to function in a kitchen; this thing is

G-E-N-I-U-S!

The following recipe is probably my most favorite recipe when using chuck roast.  The spices used have evolved over time and I believe this is fantastic!  The combination seems odd at first glance, but DO NOT let it scare you - this is incredibly tasty and delicious.  Unfortunately for me, I usually have no leftovers (next time, I double this!).

Ingredients

2 to 2.5lb chuck roast (I used grass fed)

1 large red onion coarsely chopped

¾ cup water

1 tablespoon fat-of-choice (I used coconut oil)

For the rub:

½ teaspoon ground chipotle

1 teaspoon unsweetened organic cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt (I used Alderwood Smoked sea salt - yum!)

2 tablespoons fresh ground coffee beans

½ tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

1 tablespoon cumin

Mix spice rub ingredients together and combine well. Rub the entire spice mixture all over the roast really massaging it into the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add your fat of choice and sear the roast on all sides until it has developed a nice crust. About 2 minutes per side.

Chop up the red onion and place it in the bottom of your slow cooker (I like to saute my onions until they are a golden brown for added flavor, but it's not necessary!), rest the seared chuck roast on top.  Add ¾ cup of water and set to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours.

When finished cooking transfer the roast to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes (or, you can just let it sit in the crock pot after it's turned off). When ready to serve, take two forks and slowly pull apart the roast to shred the meat.

Perfectly Sauteed Cabbage

By:  Maria

While reaching into my fridge to grab some ingredients for dinner yesterday, I came across a head of cabbage that I neglected to use for a recipe I was putting together a few days ago (that's what I forgot to use!).  I didn't want the cabbage to go to waste, so I decided to quickly saute the cabbage to use for a breakfast side dish.  However, the cabbage turned out so tasty, we ended up eating it for dinner!

My only regret is that I won't have leftovers, but on the plus side, I now have a delicious, easy and quick way to prepare cabbage for any meal!

Ingredients

1 head of cabbage (I used green, but next time I will try purple cabbage), thinly sliced

4 slices uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite free range bacon

1 yellow onion, chopped

sea salt (I used an incredibly tasty Alaea Hawaiian sea salt)

Cook bacon in pan over medium heat. Set aside.  Using the bacon grease in the pan, throw in onion and cook until nicely browned - almost caramelized. Once onion is browned, throw in cabbage and salt.  Toss until completely coated and saute for 5-8 minutes. Turn heat down to low, cover pan and cook for another few minutes until cabbage is completely softened.  Finely chop bacon slices and throw into pan.  Mix.  Serve.

Enjoy.