Watermelon Slushy

Who's up for  a delicious summer slushy with no added sweeteners? After drinking delicious, fresh watermelon juice on a hot day in Santa Fe, I decided to make some juice myself. Then after accidentally pushing the pitcher of juice to the back of the refrigerator, we ended up with a fantastic slushy!

Ingredient: watermelon

Directions: Cut the water melon as usual. Just be sure to cut it over a pan so you can catch all the liquid. Eat the water melon as usual but save some to put in a blender. Also cut very close to the rind and get every bit of the watermelon. Then squeeze the rind to get every last drop of juice. Blend it all until smooth. Put it in the freezer just until it's slushy. Voila. Yummy and refreshing!

I quickly snapped this picture before my son emptied the glass.

On a related note, if you are committing to a healthier you, this week's mini-pledge may be one of the most difficult yet as you cut refined sweeteners from your diet. As I've said once or twice before, sugar is everywhere. I'm going to jump in this week and participate as well, because my "moderation" has increased a bit. In my mind, this is a great way to get back to basics and eat your fruits and vegetables. By cutting out added sugars, you're going to eat clean, healthy whole foods.

Here's this week's challenge from 100 Days of Real Food. Click the link below for lots of great information from that blog.

Week 9: No refined sweeteners

No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.

 

 

 

Action Item: Keep checking labels. Sugar might be hiding where you least expect it!

 

For Further Reading: From this blog, Fed Up, Sweet Talk and HFCS

INFObite

Good article about the book Thinfluence by two Harvard researchers, Walter Willett MD, Malissa Wood MD, FACC and Dan Childs MA.

Tackling a weight problem is often viewed as a personal responsibility that requires making healthier choices. The latest research, however, shows that external factors—from family and friendships to advertising and the workplace environment—make an equal, if not greater, contribution. Just look at the stats: A person’s chance of becoming obese increases by 57 percent if a close friend is obese, 40 percent if a sibling is obese, and 37 percent if a spouse is obese.

5 Surprising Ways Your Friends Are Influencing Your Weight

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

 

I tested another recipe, with a few changes, and it is delicious. We had a few bananas turning brown on the counter, so choosing this recipe was easy. The chocolate chips helped sway my decision too!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 light brown sugar or raw sugar (I used 1/4 c. honey)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 1/3 c. unsweetened crunchy peanut butter (I used creamy, natural peanut butter)
• 1/4 c. plain fat-free yogurt (I used plain whole yogurt)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbs. canola oil (I used coconut oil)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (choose these carefully - dark chocolate is best)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat standard loaf pan with oil. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. (If you use honey, you'll of course add it to the wet ingredients).

2. Whisk together mashed bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely then slice and serve. (It took less than 40 minutes to cook in my oven... and we of course tasted it before it cooled completely!)

This recipe came from an Optimum Wellness publication that I probably picked up at a grocery store in Colorado. 

Action Item: Try this recipe using my changes or make some of your own suited to your tastes and requirements!

For Further Reading: How to Choose the Healthier Oil: Coconut Oil vs. Olive Oil (good reminder that you need to choose what's best for your lifestyle and keep it varied)

Chickpeas and Avocado. Yum!

I tried this light, easy meal for dinner last night (after mentioning it in this post), and 2/3 of us gave it a thumbs up. My son warmed to it a little at the end too. He tries to pretend he doesn't like avocado, but I think it's partly a show!

I've found two versions of this recipe, one from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com and the one below that I received from the Meatless Monday website, but it came from Jordan's Family of Foodies blog. I really like the taste of smoked paprika in this one.

Chickpeas & Avocado Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 avocado
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2-4 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Baby spinach leaves
• 8 slices toasted bread
• Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans.
2. Add garbanzo beans to hot sauté pan with ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika, tossing to coat beans with spice.
3. Roast beans in pan for 10-15 minutes stirring often, until beans are dry and lightly browned.
4. Prepare avocado. Cut in half, remove pit and with small pairing knife and cut ½ of avocado into thin slices while still in skin.
5. Using spoon remove avocado flesh carefully from first avocado half reserving 4 of the slices to top sandwich.
6. Place all the rest of avocado flesh from both halves on large plate and completely mash with fork.
7. Add 2-3 tbsp of lime juice (this is a loose direction add less or more as needed) to mashed avocado and mix to combine thoroughly.
8. Season with salt and remaining ½ teaspoon smoked paprika.
9. Add diced red onion and chopped cilantro to avocado and stir to combine.
10. Place roasted garbanzo beans over top avocado mixture.
11. Using fork mash some of beans into avocado mixture until mixture is desired texture.
12. Add additional 1 tbsp lime juice depending of how dry the mixture is.
13. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
14. Place ¼ of salad on each slice of bread, followed by desired amount of baby spinach, and avocado slice.
15. Schmear Dijon mustard on top piece of bread and place overtop sandwich.

Action Item: If you're trying to add protein while cutting out meat, look for recipes like this one with chickpeas. Like this Hummus Salad recipe.

For Further Reading: From One Green Planet, Why Chickpeas are a Healthy Eaters Best Friend and The Many Health Benefits of Avocado from Mercola.com.

Those tiny stickers!

Do these tiny stickers from fruits and vegetables drive you crazy too? If yes, please read on and share in my pain. If not, you might want to move on to another post because you might think us sticker-annoyed people are crazy!

Here's how it goes in our house.

• For some reason, it bothers me to walk to the trash bin to drop in one little sticker that usually sticks to my finger and is difficult to get in the trash bin anyway.
• If my husband or son takes a piece of fruit, the lovely little sticker often gets left on the counter for me to peel off later. Or on the kitchen table or who knows where. Probably some I haven't found yet!
• When I'm preparing dinner, same issues.
• If the stickers don't get removed, they go to the compost bin on the peel and after weeks and weeks usually come out of the compost bin intact and I have to pick them all out.
• Get my gist? I may be going a little overboard, but they can be a nuisance.

My solution? Not rocket science, but I hung a clothespin on my kitchen compost bin and voila! Stickers gather in one place. When I carry the compost outside I first toss the stickers into the trash. Happy me :)

Mini-pledges (Week 7 & 8)

I am running behind this summer, so here's a reminder of last week's and this week's goals if you are Committing to a Healthier You. If this is all new to you, read the info on the previous link and see if this can help you on your eating journey. If you are working on these mini-pledges, these two are great steps to healthier eating and a healthier body.

The 100daysofrealfood blog offers excellent advice on the two topics below. "Stop eating when you are full" is a simple, straightforward goal, but often one of the most difficult. Take time this week to really listen to your body. Not only stop eating when you are full, but try not to eat when you are only thirsty or tired or anxious. Tune in closely to read your body's clues.

• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.

Action Item: Take on one of these mini-challenges this week or if you haven't already committed.

For Further Reading: White Bread vs Wheat Bread, The Best Bread: Tips for Buying Bread

Summer Meals

I must admit that since hot temperatures arrived in Albuquerque, the last thing I want to do is cook. (though I still do!) I know I can make salads and sandwiches, fruit salad, but was not being very creative for thinking of meals that wouldn't heat up the kitchen or that sounded very appetizing after a long day in the sun. I did the next best thing. I turned to Google and this is what I found:

• 25 Easy Summer Dinner Ideas from AZcentral.com - One recipe from this article is nachos. I didn't follow their recipe, but made my own nachos with bison*, black beans, corn, avocado, spinach, Greek yogurt, salsa and blue corn chips. Delicious. I didn't think this meal would seem "cooler" but it did. For one because I didn't have to heat taco shells in the oven, and we weren't holding hot food in our hands.
• 5 Keep-Cool Summer Meal Ideas from One Green Planet
  Raw Soups – Raw soups make a great appetizer or light summer meal, and are an excellent way to use a variety of seasonal produce. From avocados to mushrooms to zucchini, there’s something for every palate in this lineup of fresh, tasty raw soups: Raw Green Pea Soup; Raw Marinated Mushroom Soup; Raw Asparagus Soup; Raw Carrot Avocado Soup; Raw Cream of Broccoli Mushroom Soup; Raw Harvest Soup.
• Quick Summer Dinners  from Eating Well - I tried this recipe and we all enjoyed it. Ron said the leftovers were great cold the following day.
  Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying summer meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
• 27 Unexpected Foods to Grill This Summer
  Quesadilla. Skip the pan and take the tortillas outside! Prepare the filing, then light up the grill. Brush the tortilla with olive oil and place on the heat, oiled side down. Top with cheese and fillings (chicken, beans, etc). Once the cheese starts melting and the bottom is browning, fold one side over with a spatula to seal it up. Remove from the heat and enjoy (with guacamole, of course).
•   20 No-Cook Vegetarian Meals for Hot Summer Days
  Tonight I think I'll try Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com.

 

*100% grass fed bison. We are not vegetarians, but in the last couple of years I was probably making vegetarian meals 90% of the time for health and environmental reasons. After a while, Ron asked me to include meat 1-2 times per week. He has weighed the pros and cons, same as me, but this is his decision and what feels right for him. So I try to make very informed decisions when purchasing meat. For a while, our son wouldn't eat any meat. He would choose a veggie burger over buffalo meat. Well, he ate buffalo meat the other night (seasoned for the tacos) and you would not believe how many times he told me "this is heaven." He cracks me up! He goes back and forth depending on the day and the meal, but one day he'll sort out what feels right to him.

 

Action Item: Is it hot where you live? Pick one of these recipes to try tonight! There are enough here that you should have the ingredients to try one of them.

For Further Reading: There's enough here to keep you reading for a while. But just in case, here's some information I mentioned previously in my Eat Local post.  Eat Wild (let's you search your state for local, grass-fed meat, eggs and dairy) or try Local Harvest, another site to help you find local meat, produce and other local items. Great ways to support your local farmers, and you'll know where your food comes from!

Protect Your Skin

While you're taking steps to prevent skin cancer, be sure to protect your health from hazardous ingredients in sunscreen. One of my favorite sunscreens, Neutrogena Wet Skin Spray Sunscreen, is on the Most Toxic list from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).  I should have known the easy application was too good to be true!

Read the article: The Most Toxic Sunscreen (and safer options)

Safer sunscreen is readily available, and you don't have to do a lot of homework to find it, thanks to Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) 8th annual guide to sunscreens. The report comes at a time when melanoma--the most serious type of skin cancer--rates are on the rise.

Many sunscreens offer inadequate protection from the sun and can contain toxic ingredients, to boot," says Sonya Lunder, senior research analyst at EWG. "This guide offers users much-needed, well-sourced information so they can make the right choices to protect themselves and their families."

You'll find a link in that article to the EWG's Guide to Sunscreens. You can check the sunscreens you have already purchased or plan to purchase.


We've all heard these recommendations below (from WebMD), but we probably all need a reminder:

How Can I Help Prevent Skin Cancer?

Nothing can completely undo sun damage, although the skin can sometimes repair itself. So, it's never too late to begin protecting yourself from the sun. Your skin does change with age -- for example, you sweat less and your skin can take longer to heal, but you can delay these changes by staying out of the sun. Follow these tips to help prevent skin cancer:

• Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or greater 30 minutes before sun exposure and every 2 hours thereafter, more if you are sweating or swimming.
• Select clothing, cosmetic products, and contact lenses that offer UV protection.
• Wear sunglasses with total UV protection and a wide-brimmed hat to shade your face and neck.
• Avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible during peak UV radiation hours (between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.).
• Perform skin self-exams regularly to become familiar with existing growths and to notice any changes or new growths.
• Eighty percent of a person's lifetime sun exposure is acquired before age 18. As a parent, be a good role model and foster skin cancer prevention habits in your child.

Action Item: Are your sunscreens safe or toxic? Check yours today (use the link below).

For Further Reading: EWG's Guide to Sunscreens and 21 Most Affordable Natural Sunscreens.

Oops!

If you read this blog regularly, you probably remember me saying "READ LABELS" many times. Well, please know that bad choices and rushed decisions affect us all. My son and I stopped by a new, locally-owned grocery store after a busy day. I just needed five or six things, but I was also hungry (which is a big no-no while shopping). I bought some mini whole-wheat bagels, because they looked good and we rarely eat bagels. I checked the label to make sure they were in fact made with whole-wheat flour, but I was in a hurry and stopped right there. I knew there were more ingredients than there should have been, but I was rationalizing and telling myself they were ok since I was a hungry shopper (with a tired yet very talkative 7-yr-old) wanting to get home and eat one!

After getting home, I was ready for my snack so popped a bagel into the toaster. As I was putting the bag away my eyes caught the word "fructose." Ugh... I checked and right there was HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS). How did I miss that? Well, because I didn't READ THE entire LABEL!

Now the dilemma. Throw them out? That's my first reaction, but I don't want to waste food. Give them to someone else? No, can't do that. It's like saying "these aren't good enough for me, but ok for you!" :) Unfortunately they'll probably sit in the kitchen until they get stale, then I'll need to find a use for chemical crumbs!

Action Item: Read. Food. Labels.

For Further Reading: My blog post about HFCS

Low-fat, Lite and Nonfat

If you are committing to a healthier you, it's week six!

Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”

I went through a no-fat phase many years ago and am sorry that I did. Can't even imagine the chemicals that I put in my body through non-fat cookies and other lite products. I had some health issues at that time, and I'm pretty sure I now know why! We still eat an organic low-fat yogurt and it has very few ingredients. Still working on what is right for our diet. Once again, read labels and make the best decision you can at the time.

Action Item: Check the labels of any low-fat, fat-free or light products in your home. Are they high in sugar and sodium, and is the ingredient list a mile long? Probably so. Stick with foods with few (and natural) ingredients.

For Further Reading: Low-fat Diet: Why Fat Free Isn't Trouble Free, Why You Need to Avoid Low-fat Milk and Cheese and Why You Should Be Wary of Lowfat and Light Foods