Super Bowl Sunday is this coming weekend.  Most of us enjoy watching the big game, and much hyped commercials and half-time show, surrounded by food and friends.  Big sporting events, especially football, seem to focus on food, snacks in particular. Did you know Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating occasion of the year, next to Thanksgiving?  There are some healthy snacks, carrots in particular, that actually see a large increase in sales during the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

Of course many of us enjoy the standard “healthy” snacks such as vegetable crudite (try using hummus or black bean dip as a wonderful way to reduce the calories and fat intake of your dips), baked tortilla chips or pretzels with salsa or guacamole and maybe even some roasted nuts.  However, this can be a little boring and conventional for some.  As the super bowl game becomes more exciting (or nail biting) especially since 2 very popular teams are in it this year, we tend to nibble more.

Here are my top 5 Healthy Super Bowl Snacks to Satisfy All (including your waistline):

1) Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks and Twigs
2) Good Health All Natural half naked popcorn with a hint of olive oil
3) Roasted pistachios OR Trader Joe’s Go Raw trail mix
4) Way Better Snacks Black Bean chips OR Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips
5) Mediterranean Snacks Baked Lentil Chips

Why do I love these snack choices?
They all taste delicious, contain a minimum of 3 grams of fiber, are low in sodium, have a moderate amount of protein and are gluten-free.

BONUS HEALTHY TIP: try using Greek or plain yogurt instead of sour cream in your homemade dips.

I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to cooking.  I am what I like to call a “no muss, no fuss, healthy cook”.  In other words, I cook healthy meals which are EASY to prepare as well as clean up afterwards.  That being said, sometimes I run out of ideas.  The other night I was watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network and one of the chefs discussed a sauteed onion, ground beef and egg dish which looked like a DELICIOUS scramble.  I was inspired to make my own healthier twist on it.  Here’s my version of a Dinner Scramble:

1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
3-4 slices sweet onion, diced
3/4 lb. 90-93% lean ground beef
5 eggs (2 whole eggs, 3 egg-whites only)
dash of sea salt and peppeer

Heat oil in a saute pan.  Add onions and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  Add ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Let beef cook through about 95%.  Add eggs. Cook/scarmble everything together until cooked through, about 5 additional minutes.  Can add more salt and pepper if desired (I did not).
In my opinion this dish needs a whole grain to balance out the protein.  I made homemade sweet potato spears – roasted sliced sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt at 425 degrees for about 45-60 minutes.

Have you ever been inspired to cook or bake something you saw on tv or in a magazine?  If so, I would love for you to share  your dish in the comments section.

These easy to make, vegan treats are sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
Canola, sunflower or unrefined coconut oil
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup organic agave nectar (raw preferred)
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup almond or peanut butter (can use crunchy or smooth)
2 generous tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
2 tbsp. brown rice flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips OR chopped 70% vegan dark chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Lightly coat an 8-inch baking pan with oil.
Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a food processor or mixer.
Process until smooth, scrape sides as needed.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Cool to room temperature on counter, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing into 16 squares.

Recipe adapted from Alexandra Jamieson’s Chocolate Chick Blondie Recipe.

Healthy Gluten-Free Snacks for Summer

Warm weather + fun in the sun = summer!   Summer is such a wonderful time of year.  We spend more time outdoors, the days are longer, school is out and we tend to feel more relaxed.  We also indulge in more picnics, snack times and other potential pitfalls to nutritious eating.

There’s no denying that everyone, at one time or another, has had a snack attack. If you are like me, you probably enjoy snacks.  Let me take it one step further and say I enjoy snacks daily.  In my opinion, the key to a healthy lifestyle does include snacks.  As a certified health and wellness coach it is my job to educate clients on exactly what constitutes a healthy snack. The 5 essential things to keep in mind for a healthy snack are:

1) Whole grains

2)   Fiber

3)   Protein

4)   Low amount of added sugar (fruit is a great choice)

5)   Healthy fat

The combination of fiber, protein, healthy fats and whole grains (complex carbohydrates) will fill you up longer and as a bonus add essential nutrients.

Many convenient snack foods are highly processed and full of chemicals, additives, unhealthy fats and refined sugars.  Selecting healthy snacks is extremely doable. Think apple with peanut or almond butter for a crunchy treat, trail mix for a sweet treat or even plain yogurt with agave for something creamy.

What about healthy snacks if you are gluten-free? This is actually easier to do than you think. Many of us, myself included, follow a gluten-free lifestyle whether by choice or for health reasons.

So what exactly is gluten?  Gluten is a protein commonly found in wheat (einkorn, durum, faro, graham, kamut, semolina, spelt) rye, barley and triticale.  Once you know what to avoid, finding healthy products and snacks can be really easy.   Some of my favorite snacks are:

• Mary’s Gone Crackers with hummus
• Raw nuts or trail mix
• Food Should Taste Good Multigrain chips
• Good Health Half-Naked popcorn
• Cut-up vegetables (peppers, cucumbers, carrots) with hummus
• Celery with almond or peanut butter and raisins on top (ants on a log)
• Larabars or Kind bars (without yogurt coating)
• Piece of fruit (apples and bananas are very portable)  or frozen grapes
• Edamame

For those of you who are not gluten-free, I should mention that you will probably enjoy the suggested snack choices as well. Having these snacks readily available at the beach or pool will prevent you from seeking “unhealthy alternatives” to satisfy your families hunger.  Snacking is enjoyable and there is a wide variety of healthful goodies for whatever you’re craving, be it sweet, crunchy, salty, creamy or spicy.  Go ahead and be creative.  Here’s to healthy snacking!

Summer is my favorite time of year.  The days are warmer and longer which means I love to spend more time outside. I also thoroughly enjoy a good bbq. In my household my husband is the grill master.  Ordinarily he would probably NEVER cook us dinner however when it comes to barbecuing he is on board.  Believe it or not, grilling is an easy way to cook food without adding a lot of fat or calories.  Here are 5 tips (including a favorite recipe of mine) to help you get your grill on in a healthy way:

1) When selecting red meat choose leaner cuts such as filet, sirloin or porterhouse.  In other words avoid ribeye!  Click HERE for my favorite recipe to marinade and cook steak!

2) Think fish!  Meaty fish like wild salmon or tuna are wonderful alternatives to meat.

3) Make your own marinade using agave or honey instead of sugar and use light soy sauce instead of regular.

4) Marinade vegetables: zucchini, squash, portabella mushrooms or peppers in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a dash of sea salt and pepper.

5) Grilled peaches with a little soft goat cheese, honey and roasted pistachios make a delicious dessert.

One last tip: Less is More…  In other words you can leave things plain and they will still taste good!

As a child I was never a big soda drinker.  It was allowed in my house, but somehow no one really drank it too much.  When I went off to college I discovered diet soda, and was not really enamored with it either.  Many of my friends and peers were BIG diet coke drinkers.  I noticed many people would eat whatever they wanted (you know order the ice cream sundae) but order a diet coke to drink.

Over the years I have met and even worked with many people who are “addicted” to diet coke.  They must have it in the morning and all throughout the day.   There are numerous studies on the harmful effects of the chemicals (phenylalanine – an amino acid in aspartame) in diet coke, including weight gain. It amazes me how many people still drink it on a regular basis.  In fact, diet coke might be the #1 selling soda!

I recently led a wellness retreat and one of the attendees brought her own diet soda because a)she was thirsty and b) she knew I would not have any in my home.   I can’t help but wonder what it is about diet coke in particular that people actually crave? Is it the caffeine? The artificial sweeteners?  I would love to hear your thoughts or comments so please share them here.

The summer is the best time to find an abundance of fresh fruit & vegetables. We hear so much about the importance of eating organic and local.  Many of us seek out organic produce at our local farmer’s markets or specialty stores.  One of the biggest things I have educated clients about is the “dirty dozen” list which is the 12 fruits & vegetables with have the highest amount of pesticides.  I also talk about the clean fifteen.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently updated their “dirty dozen” list and it now includes…. blueberries and kale!

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Strawberries

4

Peaches

5

Spinach

6

Nectarines
– imported

7

Grapes – imported

8

Sweet bell peppers

9

Potatoes

10

Blueberries
– domestic

11

Lettuce

12

Kale/collard greens

Click here for additional information and to learn about the clean fifteen.

According to Dr. John Douillard, Ayurveda practitioner, LifeSpa, there are two main UV rays that are potentially harmful to the skin. They are UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are more harmful than the UVB rays. Though UVB rays are essential for good health in short doses, they are responsible for sunburns because they tend to stay on the skin’s surface. As a result, UVB rays were blamed for causing skin cancers. The SPF (skin protection factor) rating system measures the ability for a sunscreen to block UVB rays -not the more harmful UVA rays. In other words, a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 will block out all UVB rays but may not block any UVA rays.

Commercially, 3 out of 5 sunscreens do not adequately protect us against skin cancer-causing UVA rays. While sunscreen use has increased, so has the incidence of skin cancers. Skin cancer rates have soared to over a million cases per year in the United States. 2009 is the first year we are seeing sunscreens claiming protection against both UVA and UVB rays. But remember, the SPF on the label only guarantees protection from UVB, which are the “good rays”.

Most importantly, the UVB rays make Vitamin D, which protects the skin from the sun as well as the bones from osteoporosis. Low Vitamin D levels have also been linked to about 16 different cancers. Sunscreens, because they block UVB, have been reported to reduce Vitamin D levels in the blood by 97-99%, putting us all at great risk.

There are only a few active sunscreen ingredients that effectively block both UVA and UVB rays. The only ones that are both safe and effective for UVA and UVB protection are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which do not penetrate the skin. They block or reflect the sun.

Avoid sunscreens with Oxtinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone or Homosalate. These chemicals are toxic and they act as either irritants, allergens, hormone disruptors or carcinogens.

How to Find the Best Sunscreens: The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released their extensive

2011 Sunscreen Guide that includes vital information such as sun safety tips and ranking of the best sunscreens.

It can be really tough to bake when you are gluten-free, dairy-free and want to avoid a lot of sugar.  Most recipes do not take all three of these concerns into account, therefore I tend to experiment.  Here is my adaptation of a vegan chocolate cookie from Living Without .

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tsp. agave nectar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. vanilla
3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp. xantham gum or guar gum
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet.  In a bowl, combine coconut oil, agave nectar, applesauce, cocoa powder and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, flax meal, gum, baking soda, cloves and salt.  Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  By heaping tablespoons, place batter on a prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, gently pressing down on each with the palm of your hand.  Place cookies in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate cookie sheet 180 degrees and bake again an additional 5 minutes.  Cookies may seem too moist when you remove them from the oven but they will firm up upon cooling.

Makes 10-12 cookies

I was walking around Venice Beach, Ca. several months ago and discovered this amazing dish I call brown rice kale salad.  It takes a lot to wow the foodie in me and let me tell you I was WOWED!  I decided to ask exactly how they made it and recreate my own version (nixing the macadamia nuts).    Here is my Brown Rice Kale Salad:

1 bunch of kale
2-3 tbsp. light tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 whole organic carrots
3-4 slices sweet onion
1 ripe avocado
1 cup cooked brown rice
sesame seeds (or gamasio)

Wash kale and break off leaves from stems.  Wash and peel carrots. Place kale and carrots in a bowl. Add tamari, toasted sesame oil, sliced avocado (cubed pieces), brown rice, onion* and sesame seeds.

*If onion is too sharp raw, try soaking in cold water for about 10 minutes.

Mix everything together and let stand for about 15-20 minutes before serving (softens kale and carrots).