Do You Ever MOJO?

Are you a fan of snack bars? I have a love/hate relationship with them, but the Mixed Nut Clif MOJO bar is one of my favorites! Here are some of my thoughts on this delicious and cheap snack bar.

A Few Additional Comments

- Glycemic index, which I indicated "has to do with the fiber and protein" also has to do with the carbohydrate content of the food. It was designed for diabetics, but for some odd reason it has now become a huge marketing tool, making people believe that it's incredibly important for anyone to look for low glycemic index foods. There is some research that says the glycemic index isn't very helpful for blood sugar management, but some research says the opposite. Either way, I don't like it. Sure, it's good to know that a food won't cause a huge spike in blood sugar, but I would rather focus on having people look at labels for low sugar and higher fiber content, rather than focusing on glycemic index.

- The vitamin E from this bar isn't just from the almonds. They also added vitamin E. I don't always appreciate this, but I believe this was mainly for preservation purposes.


- You'll also find another source of sugar in this bar, called oat syrup. Just because it's from oats, doesn't mean it's any better for you. But again, the total sugar is only 8 grams so I'm still satisfied with this snack.

- For those of you following the low FODMAPs diet, I will just say that this bar may give you stomach troubles. Lately I have been paying attention to how I feel after eating these bars and sometimes I do get bloated and gassy. It could be all the different types of syrups, or the pretzels (with wheat), or the nuts, I'm not sure. I have found that eating only one half at a time doesn't bother me.

Question: Have you tried a MOJO?!

Polenta Stuffing; A Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Treat!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! Mine was nice and relaxing. I ate lots of delicious food and got to spend some quality time with family and friends.

My aunt and cousin are both on gluten-free diets so they are always coming up with great recipes to share with me over the holidays and throughout the year. Obviously most stuffing (if not all) contains gluten, so this year my aunt created polenta stuffing! She actually came up with this on her own, but I found a similar recipe online, which you can view here.


It did contain onion, which I typically do not eat because they contain FODMAPs, but I still ate this and tried to eat around the onion. It was delicious! It honestly tasted like stuffing, but better.


I highly suggest this recipe if you are on a gluten-free or wheat-free diet. I think if I ever make this myself I will omit the onion and add squash or pepper instead.

QUESTION: What was your favorite dish this Thanksgiving? For me, other than the stuffing, I really enjoyed my aunt's pecan pie. I just love pecan pie!

Diabetes-Friendly, Wheat-Free Pumpkin Bars for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'll soon be on my way up north to visit my family and enjoy a delicious feast. All week I was planning on making Evan's pumpkin quinoa stuffing, but our fridge is only getting down to 46 degrees, which is way too warm for a dish like that to stay safe (anything above 41 degrees can grow bacteria)! Instead of the stuffing I made some wonderful pumpkin bars, which were able to stay in our freezer until today.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth, Diabetes-Friendly Pumpkin Bars
(Source: Diabetic Living, Issue September 21 2010)
(Found on dietitian Anthony's blog)

**The original recipe is in black. My crazy modifications are indicated in red, when applicable **

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil spread, softened (I used 1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce, which probably isn't the best substitute for margarine....)

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar ( I used Splenda brown sugar, although the recipe strongly advised against this! I probably should have listened...)

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (I added a bit extra)

- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin

- 1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed or 1 egg (I used 1 egg)

- 1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole grain brown rice flour, but would probably only use half whole grain flour if I made these again)

- 1/2 of an 8 oz package reduced-fat cream cheese (I used fat-free)

- 1 cup frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed

- ( I added sliced almonds on top of my bars)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a 9x9x2 baking pan (I used a quick bread loaf pan, which was about 23 cm by 13 cm, because I didn't have enough batter to fit into a larger pan, so I thought....). Set aside.

- In a large bowl, combine vegetable oil spread, brown sugar, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well-mixed. Beat in pumpkin and egg. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour.

- Spread dough into prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (It took my bars about 17 minutes to cook all the way through because they were THICK!). Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

- Meanwhile, for frosting: In a bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Beat in half of the dessert topping. Fold in remaining dessert topping. Spread over cooled pumpkin layer. If desired, sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg. Cut into bars. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Don't they look prettier with the almonds on top?!

YUM!

If you check out the original recipe from Diabetic Living Magazine, you will see that it made about 24 bars. Mine only made 10. Clearly mine were thicker than theirs, oops, maybe next time I will cut them in half so they aren't as thick. My nutrition stats were also much different, but at least over half of my carbohydrates were from whole grains!

Nutrition Facts
(1 bar, out of the total 10 bars)

Carbohydrates: ~30 grams (2 carbohydrate exchanges)

Whole grains: ~ 18 (one full serving of whole grains!)

Calories: ~150

TASTE: 8 out of 10, Nick loved these, I thought they were tasty, for a healthy dessert.
I would advise against using Splenda brown sugar, I would also suggest using half brown rice flour and half white flour. Perhaps I could have used two pans instead of one, which would make these bars a lot less thick, and half the calories. Either way, it was fun to experiment with all of these modifications and I think my family will still love them! When Nick loves something, it's a good sign :)


Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! And, don't forget to make half of your plate packed with fruits and veggies. This was my plate from last year (minus my second helping of turkey and sweet potatoes, my small glass of red wine, and my dessert!).


Be safe, and have a great time with family and friends. I'll be back next week!

Bean Burgers and a New Beano

What do you get when you mix these ingredients?

A wonderful bean burger!

What else?


Lots of gas!

But if you take one of these wonderful pills BEFORE you eat that fiber-filled bean burger, you won't get gas! Yep, your eyes aren't fooling you, Gas-X now makes their own version of Beano. Beano costs about two dollars more, so I suggest checking this out. With the Gas-X version you only need to take one pill and you're good to go (take it from me, they work just as well as Beano). Be sure to take the pill before your first bite of problem food.

Gina's Bean Burger Recipe
(Makes ~7 burgers)

1 can black beans (partially drained, keep about 1/4 cup worth of liquid)

1 cup Fiber One cereal

1 cup raw spinach

1 beaten egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)

4 T ground flaxseed

~1 T Red Hot

Garlic, as much or little as you want **I omitted this from mine because I can't eat garlic, boo**



1) Grind the Fiber One into a powder with your food processor or Magic Bullet

2) Smash the "almost fulled drained" beans in a medium sized bowl.

3) In a large bowl, combine the Fiber One, the beans, and the rest of the ingredients and blend well with a clean set of hands.

4) Make into patties and heat in a greased pan for about 3 minutes on each side!

Nutritional Highlights

- ~100 calories

- Lots of cholesterol-lowering fiber

- Phytoestrogens called lignans (may help fight estrogen-sensitive cancers)

- Iron, magnesium, and B vitamins for overall healthy and wellness


QUESTION: Do you like beans? Which beans are your favorite?! I love baked beans, although they are typically loaded with sugar. I also love black beans, obviously. And kidney beans are great in chili!

A Healthier Buckeye Candy!

Who says buckeye candies can't be slightly good for you?? As you all know, I love to modify recipes. One of my favorite desserts during fall football season, and the holidays, are buckeyes (balls of peanut butter and sugar, covered with chocolate, which are meant to mimic the look of a poisonous Ohio buckeye nut). Most buckeyes have loads of sugar, fat, and calories. I'll be honest, mine are still pretty calorie, sugar, and fat packed, but I've definitely made them a little more nutritious....

Ingredients

1.5 cups nut butter

(**I used 1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup Smucker's organic natural peanut butter, and 1/2 cup Better'n Peanut Butter**)



1 cup butter, softened
(**I used Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend sticks**)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar

~1/2 bag melted Dove dark chocolate

Directions

- Mix together the nut butters, vanilla, and softened butter until well blended

- Add the confectioners sugar, a little at a time. Blend the confectioner's sugar, butter, and nut butters until you have a large bowl of a soft delicious "dough"

- Start creating small little balls and put them onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet (the smaller they are, the less calories each buckeye will be!). I made my buckeyes about 1 inch in diameter. My mom (below) made hers massive, at about 2 inches in diameter.

- Insert toothpicks into each ball and put the balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes (hehe, that sounds funny...sorry, I'm such a child!)

- Using a double broiler (or just a bowl) heat one bag of Dove dark chocolate until it's nice and melted

- Retrieve the balls from the freezer and start dipping! You will dip each ball so that chocolate covers a little more than half.


- Put in freezer to let chocolate get dry. Enjoy after about 3-4 hours!

Total calories: ~100 (make them even smaller for less calories)

Other Nutrition Highlights: More vitamin E and magnesium due to the addition of the almond butter, and less fat and calories due to the use of Better'n Peanut Butter instead of all regular full fat nut butter! Also by using dark chocolate you may be getting a bit more phytonutrients, which could play a role in heart health.

Question: Have you ever had a buckeye?

When I was a kid we used to go to a huge party for the OSU/Michigan game each year. At the party there were always loads of buckeyes and black olives (yeah, I know, random). I can remember eating AT LEAST 6 buckeyes and 20 black olives (I put them on my fingers) during that 4 hour period. I can't believe I never got sick!

Foodie Tips On Dodging Holiday Weight Gain

Is this what your plate looks like during the holidays?




Ok, so maybe it's not packed full of pancakes, but is it over-stuffed with pies, stuffing, cookies, and other holiday foods?? Today's post contains some great tips from some of my favorite foodie bloggers on how to get through the holidays without packing on the pounds!

My last post ended with an introduction to my "Healthy Holiday Challenge". In case you missed it, please check out my post! I asked you all to leave a comment telling me some of your best tips for keeping off those extra pounds over the holidays (or if you are like me and are not trying to lose weight, or necessarily even maintain weight, you may have left some tips on how to relax and not over-indulge/binge at parties, which is important for everyone, no matter what their age and size!). Your responses were fantastic. I have added my own comments to some of them. Here they are in no particular order.



Andrea of Andrea's Wellness Notes:

- Eat a healthy snack/mini meal before going to a holiday party so you won't overeat (** This is so important. I would even suggest this on a regular bases when you are planning to go to dinner. This prevents you from getting to that point where you are so hungry that you will eat just about anything in sight!**)

- At holiday parties, engage in conversations away from the food table. That way you are less likely to mindlessly reach for food.

- Don't wear baggy clothes! (** I love this one!! Typically when I go to a holiday party I do the opposite. I wear baggy clothes so I don't feel uncomfortable after eating a ton of food. However, wearing tight clothes would probably impede my ability to continue eating once I'm full. Such great advice! **)

- If you are not sure there will be healthy options, offer to bring a dish. (** I always do this, even if I do know there will be healthy options. I love to show my friends and family that healthy food can taste good too! In fact, this Thanksgiving I plan on bringing this savory pumpkin quinoa stuffing, created by Evan**)



Summer of www.notonadiet.com

- Choose your treats mindfully. Pass on the everyday nuts and chips and indulge in a moderate amount of a holiday favorite! (**Such a good point. Why eat a bunch of the salted peanuts in the dish on the table when you can eat those any day of the week?? Eat foods that are only available during the holidays! And, enjoy every bite!**)

Maryea

- To help me not gain weight over the holidays, I try to focus on portion control. I don't want to deprive myself of trying all of the yummy foods at holiday get-togethers, so I try a little of all the things I think look or smell good!



Christina of Food.Fun.Fabulous

- If I know a day is going to be indulgent (like Thanksgiving) I try to start out with a healthier breakfast like fruit and yogurt and get a workout in asap!



Krista of Krista's Kravings

- My one downfall over the holiday's is chocolate so I ask my family not to buy me any at all. (** I think this is important. On that same not, raise your hand if you get cookie trays for the holidays as a gift. I DO! While I appreciate the hard work that went into the cookie tray, I often will just take that with me to my next party so it's not sitting in our house waiting to be eaten. On that same note, I try to give healthy gifts to my friends and family because giving a cookie tray is such an easy way to sabotage a healthy diet plan! This year I plan on giving out pumpkin butter, which Joanna posted some time in October**)



Kelly of She Wears a Red Sox Cap

- The key for me is to only eat like it's a holiday ON the actual holiday and not in all the days around each one!


Gina of The Candid RD (yep, that's me!)

- Take advantage of the desserts or side dishes with fruit and/or veggies. Cranberries are a special holiday food, so indulge! Even if they are packed with sugar, at least you are getting some health benefits from the berries (the phytonutrients in cranberries may actually keep bacteria from attaching to bladder cells, which may help prevent UTIs).


Anything with pumpkin, sweet potato, or other squash is a good choice. My aunt made a low sugar pumpkin pudding/mousse last year, which I thought tasted delicious.


- Eat slow! I can remember one Thanksgiving when I ate so fast that I was finished before everyone else. It was embarrassing. Of course I felt obligated to go get more food so I wouldn't be sitting there with an empty plate. Awkward. Now I eat much slower, and put my utensils down between each bite.


Question: When you are at a holiday party, or holiday dinner, what is the one food item in which you will allow yourself to indulge? For me it's pecan pie! I will have my one plate of food (sometimes one and a half because I like to have seconds on the white meat turkey) and then I will hit the dessert table. I usually have a tiny piece of pumpkin pie (or pumpkin mousse form my aunt!) and a good-sized piece of the pecan pie with whipped cream. Then later in the day I may have a nice cup of flavored coffee.


**By the way, thanks to all who left me with some suggestions on a better bowl of overnight oats. In my last post I talked about my overnight oat disaster and I think after all of your suggestions I am bound to find a recipe I love! However, I'm still not keen on the cold oats, so I always have to heat them up in the morning :) **

Overnight Oats and a Holiday Challenge!

My first experience with overnight oats was a disaster.

I typically like my oats hot, but on this particular evening I knew I would have no time in the morning to make my beloved oats, so I decided to try overnight oats so they'd be ready in the morning and I wouldn't have to do anything. I used a recipe from The Broccoli Hut <---- All of her overnight oat recipes. The recipe called for oats, water, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, and a few other not-so-important ingredients, which I didn't use. The next morning when I opened the fridge I was sad to see my oats had turned to glue. BLAH! I ate them anyway because I was in a hurry to get out the door to my 7am meeting. I added a bit of almond milk to make the texture more bearable.



As I was eating my oats, I thought to myself, "what went wrong?". I know there had been other "blogger fads" that had not been my favorite (oats in a jar....), but I figured overnight oats would not be one of them. As I thought more about it, I decided I made two fundamental errors.

1) I let them sit overnight for too long. I didn't wait long enough the night before to prepare my oats, therefore they sat for over 11 hours. Gross.


2) I used too much yogurt and not enough liquid. Although I followed the recipe, I think I like more of a runny texture to my oats, compared to most people's preferences.


So I tried again. This time I used; 1/2 cup oats, 3/4 cup soy milk, 2 T whole milk yogurt, 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin, and some vanilla flavoring.





I mixed up all of the ingredients at about 10 pm.


I woke up at 6am, then ate my oats around 7am (~ 9 hours after making them). The consistency was much better!! The addition of more liquid, and less yogurt, prevented the glue-like texture from forming.

I even added some cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavor.

QUESTION: Have you tried overnight oats?!

HOLIDAY CHALLENGE!

As many of you know, I had an eating disorder in high school and part of college. While I have been better for several years, I was still under my desired weight just last year. After cutting out FODMAPs, and starting to absorb more nutrients, I have officially gained about 10 pounds! At this time I am within my ideal body weight and could not feel more amazing about myself and my new body. While I am very proud of myself for gaining my weight back, I have found that I am unable to control myself around food when I'm at parties lately. It's not as bad as it could be, but I'm sensing a small loss of control when I go to weddings or other social gatherings. I know some of it has to do with alcohol, which I tend to drink at these types of events/parties (although in reality I usually only have two drinks at most), but I still would like to work on this before it turns into a habit.

This brings me to my Holiday Challenge. This year I have created a challenge for all of the employees at the store where I work. The challenge is to not put on any weight over the holidays (**I'm actually going to do a modified version of this challenge by challenging myself to not binge on holiday foods and drinks during holiday parties, without the weight maintenance goal in mind, necessarily**). For those of you who read my blog and who are trying to put on weight, lets make this a challenge to put on weight, or you can be like me and make it a challenge to not lose control over holiday sweets and drinks. But if you are noticing an increase in your weight every year, and it's not a good thing, why not join the employees in the "No Weight Gain Challenge?!". For the store employees I have also added an incentive to lose weight over the holidays, so if you fit in the category where you are above the ideal body weight for your height, why don't you try it?!

The bottom line is that it's pointless to start your New Years resolution on January first. Weight loss and weight maintenance is not achieved by quick fixes, it's achieved by a change in lifestyle and a change in habits. What better time to practice eating well at parties and holiday functions than during the 2 month span of the holiday season?!

If you want to join me/us with this challenge, great! No need to tell me, but at the end I'd love to hear success stories! And meanwhile, leave some of your favorite tips for dodging holiday weight gain, or for simply staying healthy over the holidays, and I will post them along with some other tips on my next post!

The Inside Scoop On Nutri-Grain Superfruit Fusion Bars

Michael Pollan explained in his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, that "The more anxious we are about eating, the more vulnerable we are to the seduction of the marketer and the expert's advice".

Basically, as more and more information comes out about food, health, and nutrition, and more conflicting evidence is thrown around on the television, the internet, magazines, etc., we have become overwhelmed and anxious about food. This has caused us to lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves, thus we feel it's easier to assume what we read must be true, and we are willing to spend the money if a company says something is "healthy".

Here is a great example:

Bottom Line

- Nutri-Grain bars are a healthier snack, compared to many snacks available.

- Nutri-Grain bars do provide 8 grams of whole grains per serving, which likely adds some antioxidant power to the bars.

- The pomegranate and cherries in this bar are simply for flavoring, not for health, despite what the marketers want us to believe.

- Any bar with more than five separate sources of added sugar is probably not the best bar to count on for antioxidants.

- Eat a pomegranate soon. They are available in a grocery store near you! And, they are a true superfood/superfruit. Check out this video about how pomegranates (REAL ONES!) may help prevent breast cancer.



- The best way to get antioxidants is from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, not a snack bar that has had them added (although, as I said in my video, Nutri-Grain bars do have some whole grains) Scientists haven't even figured out all of the phytonutrients in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which may be working with the different antioxidants to help them provide their vast array of benefits in our bodies. Therefore, their benefits simply can't be mimicked in a fortified food or supplement.


QUESTION: Have you tried these Nutri-Grain bars? What's your favorite way to get your antioxidants?

Better Than Peanut Butter?!

Apparently November is National Peanut Butter Month. A few of you have mentioned this to me and I finally looked it up to confirm that it's true. It's ironic too because I sort of gave up peanut butter this month...



I say "sort of" because I still eat it in my granola and sometimes in other foods. I guess I'm just more into almond butter these days (after eliminating it for a week during my elimination diet it was easy for me to not go back to eating it again). Of course that doesn't mean I don't still love blogging about it! Earlier this month I posted about Peanut Butter and Co's Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter. Today I'm posting about a peanut butter of a different kind. It's one that claims to be BETTER than peanut butter.....



Yep, that's right, Better'n Peanut Butter! Have you heard of it? When I was a senior in college I used Better'n Peanut Butter for my food science research experiment. My goal was to see if I could use this product as a replacement for real peanut butter in a banana and peanut butter muffin recipe. Before I tell you how my experiment turned out, let's look at the differences between real peanut butter, and Better'n Peanut Butter.

First, the calories and fat are significantly decreased in Better'n Peanut Butter. Specifically, this product contains 85% less fat and 40% less calories (per 2 T) compared to regular peanut butter.

While the reduction in fat may sound like a good thing, you must keep in mind that most nut butters are a good source of healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, so this product is not a good source of these fats.

They also have a low sodium version, which contains 95 mg sodium in 2 T.



The original version is fairly low in sodium too, with 190 mg per serving.



The majority of the natural nut butters will contain anywhere from 0-150 mg sodium. In my opinion, this isn't bad at all. Heck, even JIF peanut butter only has 150 mg sodium per serving. The reduced fat JIF has 250 mg, because they have to replace the fat with something.



So what the heck does Better'n Peanut Butter have in it that replaces its fat? Here are the ingredients;

Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour, peanut butter and natural peanut oils), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerine, soy flour, tapioca starch, natural food flavors, paprika and annato, salt, calcium carbonate, lecithin, tocopherol (vitamin E), sodium ascorbate (vitamin C).

The answer? They have replaced the fat with a bunch of fillers and processed thickeners. But this is an all-natural product (says the label). Ummm, ok, I guess. I mean the ingredients are all processed from natural ingredients, sure, but is this truly natural? Not in my opinion.


How is the taste? Not bad. In my peanut butter and banana bread I made for my research project it didn't mimic real peanut butter very well, but when I used half Better'n Peanut Butter and half real peanut butter, my results (both subjective and objective) were fantastic!

Why Would You Use This Product?

- Trying to cut down on calories and lose weight

- Trying to eat less fat

- You want something to eat when you have an appetite, but you really aren't hungry (especially at night). At least this product is lower in calories and won't add up too fast!

How Can This Product Be Used?

- In recipes that call for peanut butter! But I suggest replacing only half.

- Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (significantly reduces the calories and fat, but also the taste. So again, it may be best to still use some real peanut butter)

- Smoothies (may add a nice nutty flavor and thicker consistency)

- Morning oats!

- Check out their own recipes on their website


Question: Have you tried Better'n Peanut Butter? What did you think?

My Thoughts on Protein Powders

Before starting today's post I thought I'd give a little update on my "elimination diet". I had a few people ask me how I would know which foods were giving me troubles if I was just going to go ahead and give up a bunch of foods. For starters, I'm not doing the elimination diet 100%, by any means. The week after my elimination diet I only added two things each day. I noticed the increase in dairy at night, and my addition of popcorn at night, both gave me some troubles in the morning. This is why I have cut out popcorn and reduced my late night dairy intake (mainly ice cream....). Who knows, maybe I'll actually have to go back on the diet 100% and slowly add foods back in the right way in order to find out the real problem foods. If it comes down to that I will do it, but I'm already feeling better so I think I'm on the right track.


Ok, so now onto today's post!

Protein powders are a topic of interest for many of my readers and many customers with whom I talk at work. This article really shed some light on the problem with protein powders and pretty much summed up many of the reasons why I do not use them. Like many dietary supplements there is an industry need for protein powders, but not everyone should be using them.

Who May Benefit From a Protein Powder?

- Vegans may benefit from protein powders. Powders made from soy, hemp, quinoa, and pea proteins are just some of the options for vegans, since they do not contain animal products. To view some words which may signify dairy in a protein supplement, check out this website.


- Vegetarians or people who just don't eat a lot of meat, poultry, and/or fish may benefit from protein powders because it's an easy way to add high-quality protein to their diet.


- People trying to increase muscle mass? This depends. I often recommend consuming whey protein after a workout for muscle growth, but milk is a better source of whey protein, in my opinion. Paying for a protein supplement is just a waste of money when you can have a glass of milk for half the price. Not only that, but you know what's in the milk. The same is not true with all protein powders. There is also evidence out there that suggests too much protein can actually cause your muscles to atrophy. If you want to put on muscle mass, eat more calories and increase your workout intensity. If you don't have enough time to eat all of those calories, a protein powder may actually be beneficial.






If you're stuck on protein powders for their "convenience" and you truly believe they are making a difference in the way you look and/or feel, please be sure to do the following;

- Drink plenty of fluid throughout the day. Consuming too much protein can cause dehydration.

- Make sure your kidneys are healthy before beginning a protein powder regimen, as too much protein can cause kidney damage. This is especially important if you are diabetic.

- Be sure to choose a protein supplement that you trust, and that has been third party tested (look for GMP or USP labels).

- Watch out for "proprietary blends" on ingredient lists. This is just another way of saying "we have created a special mix of ingredients that we do not want to disclose!"


Question: What are your thoughts on protein powders?

The Elimination Diet, Again?!

I can't tell whether it's PMS, or the fact that I have added foods back into my diet after eliminating them for a week, but I feel like CRAP lately!

Source: iStockPhoto

Ok, I don't feel as bad as the lady in the picture above. My main problems are bloating (with no gas...) and lethargy. What's the deal?! I'm definitely blaming it on PMS, but I am starting to think perhaps I should have done the elimination diet a little longer. I've officially decided to put myself back on it... sort of. Here is what I will do:



- No more peanuts and/or peanut butter. I'm ok without it, believe it or not. I've been eating more almonds, almond butter, and almond milk. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like almond milk more than soy milk, and almond butter more than peanut butter!!

Source: iStockPhoto

- No more Truvia (or at least, less for now). I'm officially a Stevia convert (thanks to Joanna who assured me that I would eventually start loving it!).


- Less dairy! Starting today I will only have ONE serving of dairy. This will most often be my plain Greek yogurt, which I love to eat with a handful of granola and some Stevia on top. Instead of ice cream I will continue eating my frozen blueberry and almond milk creation at night.


- Less beef and more organic chicken and fish. I can't go back to non-organic chicken. I am willing to pay the extra 2-3 dollars.


- No more popcorn. I think this is key. Since adding popcorn back into my diet (just two days ago, believe it or not) I have been waking up with stomach cramps. Again, this could just be a coincidence since my period is right around the corner, but I'm not so sure. Starting today I will go back to my plain rice cakes and nutritional yeast as a snack while watching shows late at night.



- No more chocolate. HA! Yeah right. Chocolate is back and here to stay :)

Source: iStockPhoto

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Today I am putting together my Christmas list. I have already decided some things to buy for my family and Nick's, but I'm still not sure what to buy Nick! I've also decided on a fun recipe to make for family and friends, and to give out as a gift. Can't wait to share this with you!

Today I'm also working on a project for National Nutrition Month. I am the public relations chair for the Columbus Dietetic Association so my job is to come up with a NNM project each year. This year's theme is "Color Your Plate". More details to come.

QUESTION: Have you started planning for the holidays??

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup and a Sweet Wine Reduction

The elimination diet is over. Officially. I still have not added everything back into my diet, but am working on doing so one day at a time. On Sunday night I had beef, half a beer, and a tiny bit of chocolate and ice cream (as in, a couple bites). Yesterday I had a small yogurt, which was my only source of dairy for the day. Tonight I might just have to have a small bowl of the homemade low fat ice cream I made recently.

I made a batch of vanilla low fat ice cream, then added a bunch of leftover Halloween candy.



If you're wondering how I'm doing with my caffeine, I'm happy to report I am still only consuming 200-250 mg/day, which is 100mg less than before my elimination diet. I'm feeling great.

Finally, some new recipes!

Sweet Wine Reduction Sauce

What do you do when you open a bottle of wine and it's just...well....gross!!?? You make a reduction sauce! This wine below was just too sweet for my taste. I rarely ever say that, but if you tasted this I bet you would agree.



So being the "foodie" that I am (I guess), I poured the bottle into a large saucepan and heated it on LOW heat for about 90 minutes. The key to making a reduction sauce (as I read online) is to NOT let it boil. There really isn't any need to stir, but you need to be patient and it will eventually start to reduce and thicken.


Once it's reduced to the point where it's starting to almost bubble, turn off the heat. The next step is really up to you, but I added about 1/4 cup of Smart Balance 50/50 butter sticks, as well as some basil leaves.


Once it was cooled I poured it into this plastic container, just to see how much it really reduced!


I reheated the reduction sauce a couple days after making it, and poured it over some homemade frozen yogurt.

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, but as always I modified the recipe by using Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. It was so simple. The most difficult part was taking the skin off the butternut squash.


After cutting up all the squash, I put it into a blender with all of the other ingredients (low sodium chicken broth, Smart Balance 50/50 butter sticks, and plain 2% Greek yogurt). I blended the ingredients in two batches since my blender couldn't hold it all at once.


After the ingredients were well blended and pureed, I added the soup to a large saucepan to heat it. Then I added some cinnamon and nutmeg.



This soup was so good, even Nick ate it (and I've never seen him eat soup, ever).


I made this soup before my elimination diet, but last week I made it again using EVOO instead of butter, and cultured coconut milk instead of Greek yogurt (it wasn't enough to give me gas, thank goodness). It was just as good this way, and made a great addition to my lunches.

Question: What's your favorite flavor of soup?? I really enjoy tomato basil and any type of squash soup.