Food is Fuel

Recently I had the opportunity to talk nutrition with elementary students, the key message was food is fuel! It seems that children can get mixed messages about calories, which are ultimately energy for their body. Calories are actually very important, necessary, and good for our body. The focus should be on where the calories are coming from and to make sure that MOST calories everyday are coming from foods that deliver important nutrients to help our bodies, from foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, yogurt, beans/legumes, nuts, seeds, etc.

Along those lines, we discussed about how not all calories are created equal for example calories from an orange a nutrient-rich and provide vitamins to help our body while calories from sugary foods and drinks like candy and soda provide empty calories.

Here's the handout with quick facts/tips on thinking about the concept that food is fuel! 

DIY Pizza Dough

If making your own pizza dough seems intimidating, it shouldn't! you can do it and it is SO tasty. Here's the recipe that I've been using... the key: Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. 

DIY Pizza Dough

Yield 2 (14-inch) pizza crusts or 6 single serve pizzas

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*

1 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope instant/rapid dry yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups water at 110 degrees F

2 tablespoons olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray

*A quick note on flour choices: Another option that works really well is white wheat flour, which is a whole grain and has a lighter wheat taste and texture! Also if 100% whole wheat isn't your preference, try a blend for example: half wheat flour and half all-purpose flour.

Directions:

1. Start by combining 4 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl. Then add the sugar, yeast, and salt and mix to combine. Note: use the dough hook attachment for your stand mixer. 

2. Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the water, it needs to 110 degrees F for the yeast to get activated properly. If the temperature isn't correct (too hot or cold), your dough may not rise.

2. When the mixer is running on low, slowly add the 100 degrees F water and continue to beat/mix the mixture until the dough starts to form into a ball. 

Once the water is all added, let the dough beat/mix for 30 seconds - 1 minute and check the texture of the dough. If the dough feels sticky to the touch, add in additional flour one tablespoon at a time and beat/mix the dough between additions. If the dough feels too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time. Note: I usually add an extra 2 - 3 tablespoons of flour, my dough is typically not too dry.

The the dough should be ready to form into a ball.

3. Transfer the dough to a cutting board that is lightly dusted with flour and with your hands, gently knead the dough until it is in a nice firm ball shape (like pictured above).

4. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray, add the dough, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Then let the bowl sit in a warm spot in your kitchen and let the dough sit one hour, it will double in size. 

5. Once the dough is doubled, transfer it onto a floured cutting board/working surface and gently knead it. Then cut the dough into 2 equal parts or six smaller parts if you're making individual pizzas. 

Follow the pizza preparation method of your choice like grilling or baking! See the below tips for grilling pizza.

Grilling Pizza Tips

Grilled pizza is so yummy! It works best for single-serve pizzas. Although, my husband is the one who does the grilling of the pizza, here are some tips for how to grill pizza:

Pre-heat the grill and prepare your pizza toppings of choice (sauce, cheese, etc.).

Using a grill pan/screen, place one piece of the dough onto the grill pan/screen. Allow the dough to grill until it is lightly browned. Then flip the dough and top the grilled side of the dough with sauce and cheese. Allow the cheese to melt and the other side of the dough to grill. Then remove the pizza and place it on a baking sheet.

Repeat!

Serving suggestion: Serve with a large salad topped with plenty of your favorite veggies!

Flourless Fudge-Like Brownies

These flourless brownies are very gooey when they are warm, almost like a brownie pudding! Once they are chilled they are thick like fudge! Enjoy them either way!  

The best news is that instead of flour these brownies use black beans and zucchini for the base of the batter plus tons of cacao (or cocoa) powder. What I love about cacao powder is that it is rich in antioxidants plus it adds fiber, magnesium, and iron to the brownies. You can find cacao powder in the natural food baking section of the grocery store, at health food stores, or at on-line retailers. 

Flourless Fudge-like Brownies

Serves 9

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (14.5 ounces), drained and rinsed

3 teaspoons egg substitute + 4 tablespoons water*

1/2 cup grated zucchini (1/2 small zucchini)

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup raw sugar

3/4 cup cacao powder (cocoa powder)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

*Or use 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 9-inch baking with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In small dish combine the egg substitute and water, whisk to combine.

3. In a food processor combine the black beans and the egg substitute, pulse to combine.

4. Then to the food processor add the grated zucchini, coconut oil, vanilla, raw sugar, cacao powder, salt, and baking powder. Pulse the mixture to combine, the batter should be thick and smooth.

5. Transfer the brownie mixture to the prepared backing dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Cooking tip: When you remove the brownies from the oven, they will be gooey! You can enjoy them gooey or chill the brownies overnight a very fudge-like brownie. 

A Tasty Product: Dessert Hummus

I am in a continual search for new tasty products! Recently I have discovered a new product that I just had to share...Dessert Hummus. It is as tasty as dessert, yet with garbanzo beans as the first ingredient.

Yes, it's truly hummus that is like dessert, the product is from delighted by hummus! The first flavor I tried was cookie dough and it is yummy. It tastes great with fruit slices, graham crackers, or even pretzel chips. I have also tried the orange-ginger and the brownie batter flavors! I'm not sure if I could pick a favorite because they are all so tasty. 

Plus the ingredient list is great, for example the Chocolate Chip Hummus ingredient list is: Garbanzo Beans, Water, Coconut Milk, Sesame Tahini, Coconut Sugar, Organic Turbinado Sugar, Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (evaporated cane juice, Chocolate Liquor, Non-dairy cocoa butter), Pure Vanilla Extract, and Sea Salt.

Click on the logo below to check out more information about the product. Keep me posted if you try it and like it! 

Note: This is not a paid product endorsement!

Superfood PB Chip Bars

These bars are very easy to mix up and are fun to make with kids. This week I made these bars with our little guy... he gave them a thumbs up! When it comes to granola bars, it doesn't get much better than these! The base is oats and quinoa puffs. Then a mix of dried fruit (dates) and nuts (pistachios) all stirred together with a peanut butter honey sauce and of course, some chocolate chips!

Quinoa puffs are basically puffed quinoa, you can buy them from sites like Nuts.com or you could use rolled oats instead.

Be creative with this recipe and mix up the types of dried fruit and nuts to switch up the flavors. One more quick note, these are gluten-free if you choose gluten-free granola bars!

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Superfood PB Chip Bars

Serves 18

Ingredients:

1 cups rolled oats 

2 cups quinoa puffs

1.5 cups pistachios

1 cup chopped dates

pinch of sea salt

2/3 cup crunchy natural peanut butter

2/3 cup honey (or agave nectar)

1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate pieces

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine the oats, quinoa puffs, pistachios, dates, and sea salt. Stir to combine. 

2. On the stove-top in a small sauce pan combine the peanut butter and honey and stir over medium heat until the mixture is combined and melted. 

3. Stir the peanut butter honey sauce into the oats/nuts mixture. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Prepare a 9" x 13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press the mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the bars and then slice!

Blueberry Probiotic Freeze

This icy and delicious smoothie will delivery antioxidants from the wild blueberries and probiotics from the kefir and yogurt! A perfect immune boost to get you through to spring. 

Wondering about Wild Blueberries? Check out WildBlueberries.com for more information and where to find them in your area.

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen fresh wild blueberries

1/2 cup kefir

1 cup frozen pineapple

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup water

Directions: 

1. Combine all the ingredients in the blender. Blend until the mixture is creamy, icy, and smooth.

2. Divide among glasses and serve! 

Quick & Simple Recipe!

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

This recipe is quick and tasty! Some comments I have seen online is that these can be a replacement for wings, although for meat-eaters... I'm not sure about that? But what I do know is that they are VERY yummy and if you're like me and choose to eat vegetarian, they are definitely a delicious replacement for wings. 

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

1 cup of white wheat flour (or gluten-free variety)

1 cup of water

1/4 cup butter, melted

Hot sauce, to taste

1. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the water and flour until the mixture is combine (will be sticky). 

3. Then take the cauliflower florets and dredge them in the flour mixture until coated and place on baking sheet. Continue until all the cauliflower pieces are dredged and transferred to the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10 minutes and the flip each of the pieces. Continue cooking another 10 - 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the pieces are lightly browned.

5. Combine the butter and hot sauce (I add about 1 - 2 teaspoons). Then toss the sauce with the cauliflower bites and serve. 

Serving suggestion: Serve with blue cheese dip and carrot sticks!

Kefir - What is it & Recipe Idea

What is kefir?

I first learned about kefir from a European hockey player I was working with about 9 years ago! At the time I didn't know much about kefir, since then I have learned a lot about kefir and enjoy it as a regular part of my eating routine. 

Kefir is a probiotic rich, cultured milk beverage. Kefir comes for the Turkish word keyif, which means “good feeling”

I enjoy making my own kefir at home, it's relatively simple to make (see step by step instructions and resources in Drink Your Way to Gut Health) or you can buy store bought kefir that is plain or flavored, like Lifeway Kefir (pictured left).

Each cup of kefir (8 fl oz/240mL) provides 11 grams of protein, vitamin D, and calcium too!

Work kefir into your daily routine by adding to smoothies, using plain kefir to pour over cereal, or just enjoy a glass of flavored kefir. Do use have kefir in your eating routine? Share with me in the comments your favorite ways you enjoy it!

Here is one of my personal favorite kefir recipes: 

Tart Cherry Kefir from Drink Your Way to Gut Health

Tart Cherry Kefir

Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Tart cherries are known for their anti-inflammatory impact on the body. Researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University presented a small study of 20 women with inflammatory arthritis (osteoarthritis); it showed that having 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for 3 weeks led to a reduction in inflammation markers. Similar inflammation reduction has been found among athletes who added tart cherry juice while training for long distance running, and the runners experienced less pain. When shopping for tart cherry juice, opt for 100 percent tart cherry juice to gain the maximum health benefits.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen dark cherries
1/2 cup plain kefir
1/2 cup 100 percent tart cherry juice
4 or 5 ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until icy and smooth.

2. Divide between 2 glasses and serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 110 calories, 1/2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 4 g protein, 4% vitamin A, 8% calcium, 10% vitamin C, 4% iron

#HealthyHolidays Chat Recap

Last night's weekly twitter chat was a festive #HealthyHolidays theme with lots of great tips and ideas for a healthy holiday season. Below is a recap of some of the highlights.

Favorite Holiday Recipes

On the chat everyone shared some of their favorite holiday recipes. My latest favorite holiday-themed recipe is definitely this tomato and mozzarella salad that @DoleTweets shared in last week's #HealthyHolidays chat, click here to get the recipe from Dole. Pictured above. Here are some other tips:

- @greenchef shared toast with mashed avocado with a pinch of salt

- @livliga shared her favorite Apple Cake recipe, click here

Healthy Snacks to Keep Around

One of the questions during last night's chat was what healthy snacks do you like to keep around over the holidays. The group on the chat mentioned: hummus and veggies, spiced Georgia pecans, cashews and dried apples, and pistachios/nuts.

Giving and Getting Fun Food Gifts

Overall it seemed like most everyone loves to give and get fun food gifts - from wine to snacks to homemade treats. Here's a recap of some of the favorites mentioned:

- @LeahMcGrathRD - made cranberry almond pistachio granola this year!

- @livligahome - makes sauces and jams from oranges she picks from her trees!

- @abelis44 - loves looking for cute baskets and fun foods, makes great gifts

- @nella22 - makes homemade vanilla extract

- @DietitianSherry - mentioned spice rubs as a favorite

To wrap up the chat everyone shared some #MondayMotivation tips to get ready for 2016. Here is what @bxtraining shared: possess balance between work, family, finance and fitness. Eat intelligently. Continue praying for family & good health.

For more tips and ideas to help you have the healthiest holiday season yet: Healthy Holiday Tips Round Up (recipe ideas & more), Holiday Tips: Survival & Challenge, Holiday Tips: The Drinks, and Holiday Tips: Portion Control. 

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season! If you're on twitter, join me, next Monday from 9 - 10 p.m. EST to chat #SimplyNutrition to get motivated for 2016. 

#HealthyHolidays Quick & Simple Recipes & Tips