Gluten Free Bread

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

Have you ever tried a gluten free bread purchased from the store?

Have you dared to look at the ingredients list??

Most (if not all) of the gluten free bread purchased at the store is simply not healthy. The list of ingredients is a tad ominous for someone trying to make healthy choices.

This bread is high in protein and will not leave you feeling sluggish or bloated and the ingredients are simple and wholesome. It is lighter and fluffier than most purchased gluten-free breads and the taste is wonderful!

Ingredients

1 1/2 c almond flour
2 tblsp coconut flour
1/4 c flaxmeal
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 c coconut oil
1 tblsp raw honey
1 tblsp apple cider vinegar

In a food processor, pulse together almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda.
Pulse in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar.
Pour batter into a greased 7.5x 3.5 loaf pan.**

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cool and serve.

If you do not have that size of loaf pan, you can use a larger one, but the loaf will be wider and shorter. I have made this recipe with a larger loaf pan and decided to try doubling the recipe to see if I could attain a higher bread size. It worked! I just had to bake it for a few minutes longer (about 5 minutes).

How to Train at Home With a Broken Leg

Injuries can be pretty frustrating but don’t let them derail your fitness gains or goals. When my doctor told me I would not be able to run for at least 3 months, I about died! But with a little creativity and a lot of patience, I found ways to still move forward. The following are things that helped me while recovering.

· Nutrition is key. Clean up your diet as much as possible. I knew I wouldn’t be able to be as active as before so I tried to make sure everything I put in my body would benefit it. This was tricky at times because friends and family brought lots of comfort foods. It can be easy to feel sorry for yourself and drown those sorrows with empty calories. Trust me, it doesn’t make you feel better.

· Focus on the body parts that aren’t injured. Since I have a broken leg, I have been focusing on what I can do. I discovered a hand crank bike at my gym. It’s the only cardio I am able to do right now. I am able to work my upper body while keeping my cardio up at the same time.

· While at home, I set a timer to go off every hour or two to remind me to get up and do a few simple exercises so that I am not sitting for hours at a time. 

 
· I keep a resistance band and some hand weights close by so I can work my upper body. I can do bicep curls, triceps extensions, kick-backs and even dips. Unfortunately, burpees are out for me for a while but lateral and front raises will keep my shoulders looking great. I also love Denise’s killer arm workouts. 

· Planks are difficult with my broken leg but I found several other things to do to keep my core strength. I do single leg glute bridges, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, and dead bug several times each week. 

· Strengthen your non-broken leg. Single leg squats and calf-raises kept my “good leg” strong. 

· I miss yoga as much as I miss running. I found some yoga poses that I was able to do. 3 legged downward facing dog and a shoulder-bridge inversion along with breathing exercises all worked wonders and helped keep me sane.

Stay positive and as active as possible for the healthiest recovery!

Cooler Recipe Ideas

 

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

 

Packing meals on the go doesn't have to mean elaborate or time consuming.

 

With a few basic staples, you can pack your cooler with easy and great tasting meals!

 

Nowadays, you can find clever ways to pack up your meal using Bento boxes.

 

Basic Bento box

Kid-friendly Bento box

Top-of-the-line Bento box

 

Filling these little boxes is fun for the entire family and can elicit some creativity when deciding what to take.

 

Here are 2 recipes to help you get started - both recipes do not require reheating and taste great cold!

 

 

Shrimp & Avocado Salad

serves 4

 

 

Ingredients

1 lb cooked shrimp

2 avocados

4 cups lettuce or baby greens, chopped

Cilantro dressing (recipe below)

 

Mix cilantro dressing with shrimp to coat thoroughly.

Cut avocado into bite-sized pieces.

Dump shrimp mixture and avocado over salad greens and mix.

 

Cilantro Dressing/Marinade

 

3 tblsp lime juice

2 tblsp EVOO

1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped

1/8 tsp fresh cracked pepper

pinch of salt

 

Mix all ingredients together.

 

 

Fritatta Muffins

serves 6

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. mushrooms, diced

8 oz baby spinach, chopped

8 eggs

1/4 c coconut milk (from a can)

1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper to taste

12 cup muffin pan

 

Preheat oven to 375

In a skillet, heat up a bit of olive oil and saute onions until translucent.

Add mushrooms until all moisture evaporates. 

Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste.

Add onion mixture and mix thoroughly.

Lightly grease each muffin cup.

Spoon in egg mixture evenly over 12 cups.

Top with slices of tomatoes.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Salad in a Jar

Denise’s Salad Jar Recipes


Layer, in this order

Poppyseed Salad:

-poppyseed dressing
-carrot shreds
-green peas
-pineapple
-blueberries
-raspberries
-lettuce

Asian Salad:

-light asian ginger dressing
-peapods
-carrot shreds
-cabbage shreds
-water chestnuts
-green peas
-bean sprouts
-quinoa
-toasted sesame seeds
-lettuce


Seafood Salad

I make a light dressing with olive oil and balsamic
-dressing
-cabbage shreds
-cherry tomatoes (halved)
-black olives
-celery
-drained canned crab / drained canned salad shrimp
-lettuce


Caesar:

-light Caesar dressing
-carrot shreds
-diced grilled chicken
-celery
-cukes
-lettuce
-parmesan

Pineapple Salsa - with a litle KICK!

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

Who says you can't have fruity with spicy?
This delicious condiment contains an array of flavors - sweet, sour and spicy!

Not everyone likes ultra spicy, however, so this recipe includes ways to customize the amount of kick you want in your salsa.

For the purists....use a fresh pineapple.

For those requiring speedy convenience; canned pineapple works just fine.

Use this salsa to top your favorite protein or eat all by its hot self!

Ingredients: makes 2 cups or 4 servings

1.5 c diced pineapple

1 cucumber - peeled, seeds removed, diced

1-2 jalapenos (depending on desired kick - see below*)

1/4 c red onion, diced

1/4 c cilantro, minced

2 tblsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

juice from 1 lime

1 avocado, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

salt and pepper to taste




Here comes to tough part:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Done!

Deciphering amount of kick:

4 Alarm Extra HOT: 2 jalapenos WITH seeds

HOT: 1 jalapeno WITH seeds + 1 jalapeno WITHOUT seeds or white membrane

MEDIUM: 2 jalapenos WITHOUT seeds or white membrane

MILD: 1 jalapeno WITHOUT seeds or white membrane

5 Principles for Lasting Happiness

If there is one thing that every single human being has in common, it is that we are all trying to figure out how to be happy and STAY happy.

Here are 5 timeless principles for lasting happiness:

1. Attend to negative emotions/thoughts. Don’t repress them or they will come back in the future. You are what you think.

2. Don’t get stuck in a fixed viewpoint. There are a million ways to see the same thing, so take a step back and look at something from the perspective you are most used to.

3. See the positive vs. negative side of things. Or focus on the negative, how is that working out for you?

4. Let go of expectations. Expectations lead to disappointment. Focus on intentions instead. Move forward.

5. Don’t think “What if” instead think “Right now”. Don’t live in fear or in the past. Be present, be available; see and think clearly.

Garlic Dressing

By:  Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

I love a good salad.

The kind of salad that includes lots of protein, piles of roasted sweet bell peppers, chopped up olives, a variety of veggies, globs of guacamole and for texture, chopped and roasted nuts or seeds.

But even with all those good ingredients, if you don't have a good dressing, the salad can be quite tasteless and rather flat.

Most of the salad dressings I consume are homemade.  Why?  Have you read the ingredients on most purchased salad dressings??  Sugar is almost always a part of the ingredients (pass on that), unhealthy industrial seed oils are ALWAYS included (no thank you) and many of them contain high fructose corn syrup (still?!).

Although I'm content enough with a basic balsamic and olive oil dressing (with some key herbs and spices of course), sometimes a salad deserves something creamy and with a bit more flavor.

This garlic dressing is magnificent.

Increase or decrease the amount of garlic to suit your taste buds, but you won't be disappointed with the flavor.

Ingredients

4-6 cloves of garlic
1/2 c Braggs Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c Olive oil
1/3 c water
1.5 tblsp raw, local honey
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor.
Blend until creamy.