Breakfast Pizza

By:  Maria



Breakfast pizza is not a new concept for those of us coming up with creative ways to stay in optimal health via nutrition.  This crust, however, is not your typical pizza crust.  Made with cauliflower, rather than refined flour, the crust is incredibly nutritious, full of nutrients and, unlike your refine flour crust, is low carb and causes no issues with gut permeability!

This recipe has very basic breakfast toppings (homemade guacamole, crumbled bacon slice and a sunny-side up egg!), but you can top this crust recipe with any ingredients and for any meal!

Ingredients
Servings:  4

 1/2 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into florets
1 egg
1/2 C almond meal
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp olive oil
(optional:  if you are ok with dairy, you can add 1 cup quality cheese)
any combination of your favorite dried herbs

Preheat oven to 400. Steam cauliflower then pulse in food processor to rice type consistency. Add remaining ingredients and pulse together. Pour "dough" onto oiled pizza stone or greased pizza pan - spread out with wet hands to fit your pan. Top with favorite dried herbs. Bake crust for 25-40 minutes, paying attention to over-browning.

Sugar Toxicity

By:  Maria




Perhaps one of the dangerous and even toxic substance we frequently and routinely put into our bodies, is sugar.

On average, an American adult consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar per day and teens consume 34 teaspoons of  sugar per day.  That's staggering, considering the American Heart Association recommends women get only 6.5 teaspoons of added sugar per day and men get only 9.5 teaspoons per day!

When you think about it, however, you can see how easily one could exceed the daily recommended allowances when you consider the following common foods/beverages consumed each day (keep in mind, most people typically consume more than the servings shown below in one sitting):

• 12 oz. can of soda.............................8-12 teaspoons
• Popular breakfast bars (1 bar)..........3-6 teaspoons
• Yogurt (1/2 cup)...............................3-6 teaspoons
• Flavored Vitamin Water (12 oz).......6-8 teaspoons
• Frozen Yogurt Vanilla (1/2 cup).......8-10 teaspoons
• Snapple Ice Tea (12 oz)....................12-14 teaspoons
• Minute Maid Lemonade (12 oz).......13-17 teaspoons

Virtually all processed foods contain a significant amount of added sugar.  Which means, if you're relying on processed foods for the bulk of your nutrition, you are getting enough added sugar to send your health into a crisis situation at some point in your life.

Why?  Consider the follwing:

When you eat food containing added sugar, the rapid absorption of sugar causes a monumental release of insulin. Insulin causes fat metabolism to cease (i.e., your body's ability to utilize fat for fuel) and fat storage to begin. Insulin increases cholesterol reaction in the liver and raises cholesterol levels, particularly bad cholesterol (LDL Cholesterol). Insulin increases inflammation. The constant presence of insulin in our blood leads to insulin insensitivity and this leads to high blood levels of sugar and a state of diabetes, vascular, kidney disease, heart diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. All of these bad events from ingesting too much sugar!!! If you control sugar intake, you will, without question, improve your health.

Here's a relatively easy experiment:

For 1 day, take notes on every food and beverage you consume and figure out how many servings you are consuming per food/beverage item, the grams of sugar per serving and total all numbers for the day.  The results may surprise you.

If you're still not convinced, take a look at this 60 Minutes video on the topic of Sugar.  It's worth the time to listen, trust me.

Watermelon & Tomato Salad

By:  Maria




This salad, with some unlikely combinations, has a taste that will not disappoint. Sweet and tart, crisp and juicy, the flavors and textures work well together and the result is a refreshing and delicious salad that's a cinch to make. If you grab the ingredients from your garden or farmer's market, you will have optimal flavors.


Ingredients

2 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, in 1-inch cubes or balls (cut over a bowl to catch the juice and reserve it)
1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half (want to use up other tomatoes from your garden? Do it!)
1/2 cup minced scallions
Optional: 1/2 cup of one of the following: crumbled Feta, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Maytag blue cheese (If you are avoiding dairy, this is not a necessary ingredient!)
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or balsamic
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped

Combine the watermelon, tomato, scallions and salt in a bowl (if using cheese, add to bowl as well).
For dressing, whisk or blend together about 2 tablespoons of the watermelon juice, oil, vinegar and cayenne.
To serve, drizzle dressing over the salad, top with parsley and toss lightly until thoroughly mixed.
Do not refrigerate.
Serve within 30 minutes

Caffeine

By:  Maria

Take a close look at the photo above.

Does this look like something that would be favorable to your health or, specifically, your gut?

What if I told you many, many people consume this frequently and in abundance?

This bristly compound (shown above under high power microscope) is caffeine and, if you are a regular consumer, you may be experiencing ill side effects.

Caffeine is present in beans, leaves and the fruit of some plants. Its purpose? To stun, paralyze or kill the insects that try to feed on the plant. Basically, nature's pesticide. Not as potent as the pesticides you have sitting in your garage, but if the insects are smart enough to avoid the plants containing caffeine for their own survival, it gets you thinking (or it should).

Caffeine & Adrenals

Some of the most health conscious people I know - those that eat squeaky clean, get plenty of sleep, don't exercise excessively and avoid anything that contributes to the decline of their health - still have difficulty getting rid of their caffeine habit (you know who you are!). It will often surprise me - they openly admit they need to cut back or eliminate for an extended period of time, they understand the issues they're having and yet they continue to sabotage their abused adrenals.

When you consume caffeine, the adrenals are stimulated to produce adrenalin. Adrenalin then stimulates the pancreas to produce glucagon, which in turn tells the liver to convert fat to glucose. Glucose is there for energy, but when it's not needed (like when you're sitting around drinking a cup a coffee, energy drink or soda), it rises to excess in your blood stream.
What's the problem with excess glucose? It causes your pancreas to produce insulin that makes the glucose go back into fat storage.

Caffeine affects blood sugar and the nervous system, which are both tied into adrenal function. Repeated consumption of caffeine, when the adrenals are already stressed, can and will lead to adrenal burn out.

Can you guess the most common part of a protocol to fix over-stimulated adrenals? Yep, eliminating or seriously reducing caffeine intake.

Whether you're 20, 40 or 60 years old, if you are frequently stimulating your adrenals via caffeine, the adrenals are headed towards fatigue and/or burn out. It's a wreck waiting to happen, especially if you're adding intense workouts on top of that.

Another health concern arising from over stimulated adrenals is the thyroid. Several integrative practitioners and holistic physicians have talked about the direct link between the health of the adrenal gland and thyroid gland. If one is unhealthy, the other one is soon to follow.

If you are reaching out to caffeine for energy, know that what you will get is not actually energy but, in reality, stress. If you feel like you need caffeine and could not function without it on any given day, you should re-evaluate your habit.

You should truly be in control of your health, not the addiction in control of YOU.

If the caffeine is controlling your life, it might be time for a vacation from caffeine - take 30 days to eliminate all sources of caffeine - your adrenals will thank you

Gluten Free Chocolate Waffles

By:  Maria

Delicious.

Easy.

Guilt-free.

What else would you want in a waffle?



 Ingredients

Serves 4

1.5 cup almond meal/flour

1/3 cup canned coconut milk

1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (Purchase: Harmon's, Bountiful Nutrition, Smith's Marketplace)

2 eggs, whisked

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon pure  maple syrup or raw honey 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

sprinkle of cinnamon

pinch of salt

 

Preheat your waffle iron.  

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.

Add your coconut milk and sweetener and whisk together with eggs.

Next add your almond flour and mix.

Then add your cocoa powder baking soda and mix together.

Lastly, add in your chocolate chips, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Mix together thoroughly.

Pour into your waffle iron and cook until done. 

I enjoy these with a berry sauce that's easy to whip up:

In a food processor, mix together your choice of berries (and a squirt of raw honey if desired).

 

Simple Snack

By:  Maria

I love avocado and I always have them in the house.  You can use avocado for just about any meal and it's a great source of a healthy fat (yes, we need those).

This recipe is a super easy snack that you can have in no time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut an avocado in half.  Remove pit. Crack an egg into the hollow.  Sprinkle with your favorite spices. Place on a baking sheet and into the oven.  Bake until egg is done to your liking.

Done.
Eat.
Smile.

Watermelon & Avocado Gazpacho

By:  Maria

On a hot summer day, cold soups, like Gazpacho, are incredibly refreshing. The bonus? This Gazpacho recipe requires no heat and minimal prep - sign me up!

There are many varieties of Gazpacho out there and most are tomato based, which are ok, but they remind me too much of salsa and my mind cannot settle with slurping salsa from a spoon! Besides, when you lived in Spain for 13 years, you become somewhat of a food snob when someone tries to replicate a Spanish dish - my taste buds still remember the delicious food, my expectations are high and the replicates simply don't measure up (yep, food snob).

But I digress...

When I heard about a Watermelon Gazpacho at The Copper Onion in Salt Lake City, I was intrigued enough to want to try it at home. I didn't even need to purchase anything, since I had everything on hand!

This Gazpacho has some tomatoes in it, but the sweetness of watermelon and the addition of avocado balances the often over-powering tomato flavor in traditional Gazpacho.

Using fresh basil from my herb garden was a definite flavor enhancer (even used some lemon basil!).

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 garlic clove
1/2 of a large shallot
2 cups cut seedless watermelon (do get this at a farmer's market - you won't regret it!)
1 1/2 cups worth cut tomatoes
1/2 - 1 peeled cucumber
Juice from 2 lemons
Handful of lemon basil or a few leaves of regular basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Cracked black pepper to taste
*Optional: 1 small jalapeno pepper
1 avocado

Place everything but the avocado in the food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. Now add avocado and blend until incorporated and gazpacho turns a lighter shade of pink.
Let sit in fridge for an hour to chill and so flavors can set. Serve cold with sliced avocado on top!
This was even better the day after and even better than that on day 3!

Calories...To Count Or Not To Count

By:  Maria



I have this conversation from time to time:

Them: "What do you think of counting calories"
Me:     "I never do it."
Them:  "Never?"
Me:      "Never."

Now, I won't sit here and say that calorie counting is not useful in some situations, but for most folks, it's more about the quality of food they need to worry about, than the caloric number.  Change what you're eating (and you know what needs to be changed, right?) and suddenly the calories become inconsequential.

Talk to any one person that is or has counted calories and you'll get the same response - they hate(d) every minute of it!  Eating becomes a source of dread and food becomes an unhealthy obsession.
Numbers should not be placed on real, whole food.  Food is nourishment and fuel - our source of life - and when we attach numbers to it, food becomes a source of anxiety and displeasure.

The most healthy people I know - those that have maintained ideal body weight (even through their 50's and 60's) and manage to live a happy, stress-free, illness-free life, have never counted calories.
What do they all do besides not count calories?
All of them eat real, whole food, their meals are thoroughly enjoyed and never a target of obssession or drudgery.
That says something.

Choose foods that you know are nourishing, like those found in the perimeter of the grocery stores, at your local CSA's or farmer's markets - grassfed meats, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Rid your pantry of the dead food, the stuff that is forcing you to count calories - you know what those foods are.

I never count calories - I don't live by numbers attached to my food, I enjoy and find pleasure in the food I eat. 

What about you?

July 4th Celebration

By:  Maria



If you are searching for some fun and festive recipes that won't leave you running for the antacid, look no further.  I have a compilation of recipes that will help. (pssst - for those of you that are sensitive to gluten, these recipes are all gluten free...but nobody will even guess!)

Veggie Snack w/ Avocado Dip
Serves 4



This snack is easy and tasty.  A great starter for your celebration. Take any combination of vegetables and arrange around a bowl of avocado dip.

Ingredients:
3 medium avocados
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin

Cut the avocados in half, then remove the pits, reserving 1 to a medium bowl
Scoop avocado meat into bowl with pit (pit will lessen browning of avocado)
Gently mash avocados with a spoon
Add lemon juice, salt, chili and cumin
Stir lightly to combine

No-Potato Salad
Serves 6-8



Replacing potato with cauliflower is a tasty and healthier switch.  Any potato recipe can be exchanged by using cauliflower and the health benefits are notable.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower chopped into smal florets (1/2 inch)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt

Steam cauliflower on the stove until fork-tender, not more or a stronger "cauliflower" smell develops
Allow cauliflower to cool then place in a large bowl
Add celery, onion, parsley and egg
Stir in olive oil, mustard and salt

Cucumber Salad
Serves 4


This salad is extra refreshing and incredibly easy, which makes it perfect for summer bbq's.

Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt

Cut the cucumber into ¼ inch slices
Place in a medium bowl
Cover with vinegar and sprinkle with salt

Green Chili Turkey Burgers
Serves 4



Sometimes, being a minimalist with ingredients, produces the best flavors.

Ingredients:
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

In a medium sized bowl mix diced chiles with turkey, cilantro, onion, cumin, chili powder and salt
Form into burgers and grill

Easy Fruit Salad
Serves 6



Do a search on fruit salads and most of them will have sugar as an ingredient!  Fruit should never be accompanied by added sugar, it has enough of it's own naturally occurring sugars!  This salad will delight the taste buds.

Ingredients:

3 bananas, sliced

4 medium peaches or 1 medium pineapple, sliced

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 pint blueberries

Combine all of the fruit in a large bowl

Refrigerate for 1 or 2 hours (not longer or the bananas might brown)

Coconut Macaroons
Serves 6



Yes, you can still satisfy your sweet tooth, without sabotaging your health.  These 4 simple ingredients fit the bill and the result will impress!

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 ½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes (ground up flakes work great also)

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites and honey with a fork

Briefly whisk in salt, then stir in coconut flakes

Place bowl in fridge to chill for ½ hour

Scoop out a heaping full 2 tablespoon of batter (ice cream scoop works great!)

Dump batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, until macaroons are golden brown

Cool for 1 hour and serve

(I have also used melted Enjoy Life brand of chocolate chips - soy, gluten, dairy, peanut free - to drizzle over these little delights!)

Happy 4th of July!!