Benefits for Green Tea

I try to drink a cup of green tea each day.  The benefits of green tea are amazing.  I found these benefits from a study in the Life Science Journal October 2006. 

has properties that help prevent development of cancer

has properties that can help control diabetes

has benefits in preventing heart problems

helps prevent acne

easy weight loss due to its stimulant properties

slows aging because of its antioxidant properties.

soothes digestion and helps with bowel problems

has properties to help reduce cholesterol

has properties that help promote alertness and mental agility

may promote good humor

 All these benefits are due to the presence of polyphenols called EGCG, which are potent anti-oxidants that the body uses to combat the negative effects of many compounds that enter our body.
 

Turkey Spinach Quinoa Casserole

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 lbs. turkey, ground
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Black Pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 cup spinach
1 cup jar tomato sauce or homemade sauce
1.5 cup cheese, mozzarella
1 cup quinoa, cooked


Preheat oven to 375°F. Brown ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sauté minced garlic in the skillet until fragrant. Tear spinach and add to the skillet. Sauté until wilted. Add spinach to the bowl with the turkey. Add cooked quinoa, tomato sauce, and 1 cup of shredded cheese to the bowl. Stir to combine. Move the mixture to an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Tomato Basil Chicken Stew

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves
1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes (with the juices)
1/2 can of water
1 (14oz) can cannellini beans
4 - 4 oz. chicken breast, skinless, cooked, shredded
2 cups baby spinach
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic, and sauté until fragrant, just a minute or two.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Use the 28oz can of whole tomatoes and fill it half way with water add that to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt Homemade Kind Bars

Ingredients~

FOR NUT MIXTURE:

2 cups whole roasted* unsalted almonds

3/4 cup whole roasted* unsalted peanuts

3/4 cup roasted* walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup puffed millet

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

FOR SYRUP:

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

FOR CHOCOLATE DRIZZLES:

1 cup dark chocolate cacao chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions ~
Grease/spray large bowl, 9x13 baking sheet/pan, rubber spatula. Set aside.
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*IF NUTS AREN'T ALREADY ROASTED:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on large baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until lightly toasted.
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Add toasted nuts to large bowl. Add puffed millet and flaxseed meal. Stir to combine; set aside. In 1-1/2 or 2 quart saucepan, combine honey, rice syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 260 degrees (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer about 6-8 minutes. Immediately, pour mixture over nut mixture, stir until evenly coated. Quickly transfer to greased/sprayed 9x13 pan, use spatula to spread mixture evenly in pan; press the mixture to close in holes and distribute evenly all over the pan. Using spatula to compact mixture in pan. Sprinkle top with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Let cool 20 minutes. While still slightly warm, invert pan on cutting board and tap until mixture falls out in one piece. Cut into 20 bars. (If they cool too much and become too hard or brittle to cut easily, put in warm oven for 1-2 minutes to soften; proceed with cutting.) Allow bars to cool completely before proceeding with chocolate drizzles.

FOR CHOCOLATE DRIZZLES: Add chocolate cacao chips and oil to microwave safe bowl. Cook on high power in 20 second intervals, stirring each time, just until last chips melt into mixture (approx. 60 seconds total). Use fork or squeeze bottle to drizzle chocolate over nut bars. Let cool until chocolate hardens.

STORAGE TIP: Store in airtight container with parchment paper between layers. For take-along convenience, use parchment paper pieces to wrap individual bars burrito-style. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week. May refrigerate to extend storage or if firmer, less sticky bars are preferred. May be frozen, too.

Tips for using Your Time Wisely

Fitness should be a part of your everyday life, like eating and sleeping. All you need is 30 minutes of exercise 5-6 each week. But when you're busy, it can be hard fit it in each day. Here are some tips for using your time wisely.

Did you know you're already exercising!!

Are you walking from the car to your office?

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator?

Gardening/mowing or snow shoveling/snow blowing?

Playing with your kids?

Good news — you're working out. Doing everyday activities and chores can improve your health, and burn calories all without going to the gym.

Now that you know, look for other opportunities to work out while you're doing other things:

• While you're on the phone, do simple stretches or walk in place.
• Do brief neck and shoulder exercises at your office or while you're watching TV.
• Do squats or jumping jacks during commercial breaks.
• Try a "squeeze ball" to tone your arms, flex your hands, and relieve stress.  
• Park your car farther out.
• Walk to deliver a message, rather than calling.
• Pace up and down in your office as you read reports or memos.
• Walk with your kids to the park, their play dates, or school.

Adding these simple activities when you are tight on time or even making them part of your daily routine permanently will all add up to better health. You're off to a great start. Keep going!

 

What is Healthy Eating to Me?

My nutrition plan includes whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. When you eat something with chemicals, your body says what's this? How do I digest this? How will it helps my body function? What nutrients can be used? Unfortunately your body has to give up after a while and try to guess. Because there is no nutritional value and your body has no use for them. How will your body turn that into fat!!!

Chemicals make your fat cells larger, when entered into your body, your system protects itself by storing the foreign junk as fat cells away from your vital organs. It's a survival mechanism naturally occurring inside your body. When you are eating a banana, your body is able to easily identify it. Your body digests it easily and distributes nutrients while improving the body’s function and increases metabolism.

Do you eat processed foods?

When I do eat processed foods, I have always followed six rules:

• No High Fructose Corn Syrup - commonly used in place of sugar in processed foods.
 

• No Trans Fats – Trans Fat is considered by many doctors to be the worst type of fat you can eat. It raises your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lowers your HDL ("good") cholesterol.

 

• No Partially Hydrogenated Oils - Hydrogenation, complete or partial, is a chemical process in which hydrogen is added to liquid oils to turn them into a solid form. Partially hydrogenated fat molecules have trans fats, which is considered the worst type of fat you can consume.

 

• Stay away from Enriched White Flour - many of the good things that were originally in it have been stripped out through refinement. The components added back to the flour are actually toxic.

 

• No Bleached Flour - when white flour is bleached, it can actually be FAR worse for you than white flour. It’s generally understood that refining food destroys nutrients. With the most nutritious part of the grain removed, white flour essentially becomes a form of sugar.

 

• Sugar content in foods are to be 4 grams or less - The harmful effects of sugar go way beyond empty calories. Watch for a post on the harmful effects of sugar later this week.