Need a snack?? Try a Kiwi!

Why should you choose this super food??? Well, for starters it has twice the vitamin C of Oranges! Two medium kiwi's have almost 5 g of fiber, decent source of magnesium, low-sodium and are a high-potassium food (great after a run or workout).
Get this, the Journal of Medicinal Food did a study. They found that kiwi had the ability to reduce oxidative stress (damage from free radicals) in human plasma. Another study in Carcinogenesis confirmed kiwi's ability to protect against cellular damage AND repair cellular damage that had already occurred (just from adding kiwi into a normal diet)! Pretty cool!

Plus, they are DELICIOUS!

Oh, and according to The Environmental Working Group, Kiwifruit is considered one of the least contaminated with pesticides. Good to know!




Picture taken from here
Information taken from 150 Healthiest Food on Earth- Jonny Bowden

Need a snack?? Try some Grape-Nuts & Almond Milk!

If you are looking for a quick and easy snack, try some Grape Nuts and Almond Milk!
You can put the Grape-Nuts in a bag, or tupperware container (same with the almond milk), and mix on the go. Or you can have it at home or work. If you don't want to mix it with milk, you can use yogurt instead. You can eat it warm or cold.
You can eat this for breakfast, lunch or a snack.
Really, the possibilities are endless.
The greatest part, not only do you feel full, but it keeps you full for hours. Perfect!

Grape-Nuts have 7g of fiber, 6g protein, 1g fat, 5g sugar, 48g total carbohydrates and 230mg potassium.
Talk about some good stuff!

Enjoy!

Blueberry, Spinach & Protein Shake Smoothie (Don't knock it, until you try it!)

My friend came up with this recipe. I'm not sure what possessed her to do this, but it's pretty dang good! Don't knock it until you try it!
This is a great recovery run protein shake, quick breakfast or lunch... or even a snack!

What you will need:
8 oz of Milk and/or Water (I use half of each)
1/2-3/4 Cup of fresh or frozen Blueberries
1/2 Cup of fresh or frozen spinach (You can buy a bag and throw it in the freezer)
1/4- 1/2 Cup of Ice
1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder

How to make it:
I add the Milk and/or Water, Spinach, Blueberries, Ice and Protein Powder. Today, I added 1/2 a banana (Nanette, just ignore this part) . If you wanted, you could add any other fruit you would like.
Blend (for a good min or two) and serve.

Enjoy!

Need a snack?? Try some nuts!

Did you know, that those who eat the most nuts tend to have some of the lowest body mass indexes (a measure of overweight). Do you know the "coolest" part about Almonds... They did a study that compared two groups of dieters eating the same number of calories; one group ate 520 of their calories from almonds and lost more weight. The research is indicating that almond cell walls may partially limit the amount of dietary fat available for digestion or absorption, so it's possible the a small portion of the calories from almonds are not fully absorbed.** (Awesome, huh?!)
Almonds are a "Super-Food", what's not to love about them.

They lower cholesterol, they are rich in mono saturated fat (that's the good stuff), reduces heart disease, they contain 6g protein in one (yes, that's 1!) ounce, 3g of dietary fiber, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and magnesium.

Almonds are not the only fantastic "nut" out there. You have Brazil Nuts, Walnuts, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Peanuts, Pecans and Pistachio's.

Here is a guide for how many to eat. Pair any of these AWESOME NUTS with some fruit. Because nuts have hardly ANY carbohydrates in them, it's perfect with fruit (a wonderful carbohydrate)!

Type of Nut & Serving Size: **
Almonds 20-24
Brazil Nuts 6-8
Cashews 16-18
Flaxseeds 2TLB
Hazelnuts 18-20
Macadamias 10-12
Peanuts 28
Pecans 18-20
Pine Nuts 150-157
Pistachios 45-47
Pumpkin Seeds 85 seeds, or 1/2 Cup
Sesame Seeds 1/4 Cup
Walnuts 8-11 halves
Source: www.nuthealth.org and www.calorieking.com

So, have a handful of NUTS! and Enjoy!






References:
The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth- By Jonny Bowden
Master Your Metabolism-By Jillian Michaels
**Taken directly from "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", by Jonny Bowden
**Nut information taken directly from Jillian Michaels, Master Your Metabolism

Picture taken from:http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DPictures%2Bof%2Balmonds%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dmoz35%26fr2%3Dtab-web&w=465&h=401&imgurl=www.superfoodinfo.net%2Fimages%2Ffoods%2FAlmond.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.superfoodinfo.net%2FInfo.aspx%3FSuperFood%3DAlmond&size=48KB&name=Almond+Super+Foo...&p=Pictures+of+almonds&oid=1a0ef2073067e8f4b40b1ee7676f824e&fr2=tab-web&no=8&tt=36500&sigr=11ngj7fn4&sigi=11d03m8qm&sigb=1300bqc10&.crumb=EbNyXb93Uza

Tuna Fish Lettuce Wraps

Yesterday, I made Tuna Fish Lettuce Wraps! Yum!
My goal is to eat 1 carbohydrate, 1 protein, 1 fat and as many veggies as I can get 3 x a day, plus 1 snack. I have all my bases covered on this one.
Tuna- Protein
Orange-Carbohydrate
Mayo-Fat
Lettuce-Veggie

Makes 3-4 lettuce wraps.

What you will need:
3-4 Romaine Lettuce Leaves
1 Can Tuna Fish/Albacore (My cans are large, so if you are using grocery store cans, I would use 2)
1-2 Tlb. Light Mayo
3-4 baby dill pickles, diced.
About 1/4 tsp. Salt & Pepper to taste (add more or less, depending on taste for you).
1 Orange or Clement (You could also use any other fruit of interest. I just have a bunch of Clements).

How to make this:
Pull apart some Romaine Lettuce Leaves. Wash and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.
Open can into glass bowl.
Add 1 Tlb. Mayo (I prefer light, you can add more if you like).
I like to add a couple baby dill pickles, chopped up. Little Salt & Pepper, to taste. (I like more pepper, then salt)
Mix all together.
Peel Orange.
Scoop 2-3 Tlb. Onto Lettuce leaf (or as much as you would like).

Enjoy!