Reacquainting Myself With An Old Friend

As Summer has now blown in with a gentle breeze and my children have flown off in different directions like the seeds of a dandelion delicately drifting towards their destinations I have found myself wanting to rekindle lost friendships and reacquaint myself with me. I want to find myself again now that my permanent job as keeper of dreams, nurse of scraped knees, doctor of tummy aches, cook, storyteller, money tree, & chauffeur to all places big and small has taken a back seat. I sometimes feel like I spent my whole life so wrapped up in being a mother that suddenly being laid off from some of those jobs has left me wondering...now what? My children will always need me, this much I know, but now is a time for reinvention. I recently called a good friend of mine who I had lost touch with. It was like no time had gone by. We were talking at a bubbling speed trying to catch up on all of the years. We talked abut so many things, but one thing that stood out was the fact that over the years we all have put on a few pounds or noticed significant changes in our bodies that we are not fond of.

I have always been interested in fitness, and worked out regularly for the past 20 years. I have been knwon to be a yo-yo but I have never given up trying to be the best I can be and being the healthiest I can be. A few years ago I stumbled upon a great on line program that really helped me get a grasp on what I was doing with my fitness program. I had great results and suddenly it dawned on me. "I could be dong this for other people". I could be a living testament to the health and fitness we need as we get older. It was my "ah ha" moment. Do you remember when your love for fitness and eating healthy hit you? When you felt you just had to make a positive change in your life?

What was your "ah ha" moment? Please leave your comments.

Big Hugs, Gina

Pesto Salmon With Basil Zucchini

My local market had some fresh, wild caught, sockeye salmon. It looked really good, so tonight, I created a delicious, healthy, gluten-free dinner that is easy to prepare. You can either make your pesto fresh or just buy some at your local market. I like to know exactly what is in my food, so I chose to make my own. My daughter is a very fussy eater and when she smelled this cooking, she came running to the kitchen asking what I was making for dinner. She said it smelled amazing! Woo, hoo! Salmon is rich in protein but is also high in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Sockeye Salmon is very red in color and remains that way even after it is cooked. If you are using Sockeye salmon be sure not to over cook it. The pesto recipe below is intended to make just a small amount that will be enough to cover the top of each fillet. INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Salmon Fillets (Fresh is better)
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves (plus 5 extra leaves chopped for zucchini mixture)
• 1 Tbs Pine Nuts
• Olive Oil (about 1/8th cup, plus 2 extra Tbs to saute the zucchini squash)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 3 zucchini squash
• 1 Tsp dried Oregano
• Brown Rice (prepared as directed on package)

INSTRUCTIONS: Fish

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil)
• Lay Salmon Fillets on Parchment and sprinkle lightly with salt
• In a food processor, add basil leaves and pulse until chopped.
• Use a garlic press to mince garlic and squeeze directly into the food processor.
• Add Pine Nuts and run food processor until they all is blended.
• Add salt & pepper to taste (this is just a topping for the fish, it doesn't have to be perfect. Give it a taste and see if it is to your liking.)

INSTRUCTIONS: Zucchini

• Wash & slice zucchini squash and slice it into thin slices.
• Preheat olive oil in a large skillet
• Add the squash and stir to coat evenly
• Season with salt and pepper and add in the dried oregano
• Saute until the squash softens and becomes tender'
• Use a garlic press to mince the garlic and add it to the pan.
• Continue to cook for a couple of more minutes and remove from heat
• Add in the chopped basil you set aside and stir to incorporate

My daughter really liked this, Success!

Eat Right 4 Your Type - Is it Hype?

Can it be possible that your blood type can determine which foods will aid in weight loss and which foods will actually cause you to gain weight? That is the claim in the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type", by Dr. Peter j. D'Adamo. The book was written in 1996 and I just recently happened across it when I was asked to do a report on the diet for a nutrition class. I had never heard of this diet or even this concept. I am not in any way trying to sell you on this book or diet, just let you know my experiences with the diet. Some of the information really is very interesting and certainly worth looking into. The idea is that depending on your blood type certain foods can actually be harmful to your system causing all sorts of problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, etc., while other foods can be very beneficial to your health and promote weight loss and reverse the signs or beginnings of some of the above mentioned health issues. I happen to have type A+ blood. I was shocked to learn that many of the foods I love and enjoy on a daily basis were actually on the foods to avoid list. I was also informed that I should be a Vegetarian, can you believe it? I am only listing a few of the recommendations. You will have to buy the book if you feel you want to follow this diet. I just found it interesting to see some of the food listed. Here is the run down of how blood type A's should eat.:   Type A's:

• We are "Cultivators", the first vegetarians
• We will be naturally thinner and will lose weight rapidly in the beginning on this type of diet if we eliminate meat products.
• We should NOT do strenuous, high intensity exercise, but rather will benefit from Tai Chi & Yoga (seriously? I have been killing myself with my workouts and love it, lol)

Food that will encourage weight gain:

• Meat (they say it will be stored as fat, yikes)
• Dairy foods - no milk, cheese, etc.
• Kidney & Lima Beans (we can have all other beans, oh my, I always eat kidney beans, oh well!)
• Wheat (we can have wheat, just not too much, but this is one thing I don't eat much of anymore so I am okay with this, lol.

Foods that will encourage weight loss (sounds good to me!):

• Soy Foods (another shocker, I have been told to avoid these foods like the plague, but maybe I will give this a shot and it will help with my awful hot flashes)
• Vegetables, (hmmm, no mystery here, anyone who eats their veggies (and not much else is bound to lose weight, right?)
• Vegetable Oils (like olive oil, so this is good, but NO coconut oil? Say it isn't so, I love the stuff, sigh!)
• Pineapple (good for digestion, okay, I will try it, I like pineapple)

Type A's can should eliminate all meats from diet, but we can have some fish and chicken a few times a week.
Fish and seafood to avoid (the list is longer, these are just my favorites):

• Crab
• Halibut
• Lobster
• Scallop
• Shrimp

Dairy & Eggs (Okay to eat):

• Eggs (1 - 3 per week, I eat 1 - 2 per day)
• Feta
• Ricotta
• Goat Cheese
• Yogurt
• Mozzarella

Bad Dairy:

• All Cheeses including cottage cheese, brie, cream cheese
• Ice Cream
• Half & Half
• Milk
• Parmesan
• Whey (seriously??? What about my protein shakes!!!)

Good Oils & Fats:

• Olive Oil
• Walnut Oil
• Flaxseed

Bad Fats & Oils:

• Coconut Oil (boo hoo, I love the stuff)
• Corn Oil
• Peanut Oil

I can go on and on, and I am sure I will be adding to this list. Type A's are also allowed to have some grains, cereals & pastas. This is good news to me but also scares me a bit. It is necessary to eat certain grains like rice when you have legumes (beans), in order to make a complete protein. This is not from the book, but a simple fact of any nutrition book you will read. It is science.

Type A's really only need to avoid these Grains, cereals & pastas:

• Cream of Wheat
• Grape Nuts
• Wheat Germ, wheat bran, shredded wheat
• Whole wheat bread, multigrain bread, high protein bread
• Whole Wheat flour (pasta, too)

Type A's need to avoid these Vegetables:

• Cabbage
• Peppers
• Olives
• Potatoes (all colors/varieties)
• Tomatoes
• Shiitake Mushrooms (all others are okay)
• Eggplant

  Type A's need to avoid these Fruits:

• Bananas
• Coconuts
• Melons
• Papayas
• Oranges/Tangerines
• Mangoes

This makes me a bit sad, I love some of these fruits. I have a banana everyday and also love oranges and tangerines, and mangos, sigh!

Lastly, Type A's must avoid these things:

• Pepper , black, cayenne, red flakes, white (all my favorites)
• Vinegar (I am italian, this could be hard)
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Pickles
• Worchestershire sauce
• Beer & alcohol
• Soda
• Tea (except green is good)

Things Beneficial to Type A's - I LOVE This:

• Coffee
• Red Wine
• Green Tea
• Chocolate (is neutral)

So, I plan to give this a try. I will let you all know how it goes. When I did my report, I concentrated on the type O blood type since most of the people in the nutrition class were type O's. If you have tried this Blood Type Diet, please feel free to leave your comments. I would love to hear how it was for you!

Asparagus & Cheddar Cheese Quiche with Almond & Flax Meal Crust

Asparagus & Cheese Quiche with a Flax & Almond meal crust!  Fabulicious!

Yes, folks, I am obsessing again. I am still enjoying making over some of my favorite recipes into gluten free, grain free delicious meals.

On Saturday I made an Almond meal crust for a broccoli & cheddar quiche. It was very good but the crust had the texture of a graham cracker crust and flaked apart much too easily. I originally added just butter and olive oil to the crust so it was no surprise that this happened.

On Sunday I decided to re-work the crust.  I used 1/2 ground flax meal & 1/2 almond meal.  I also added 1 egg.  The result was a more traditional crust that holds together.  So good!  Recipe below.

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with an Almond Meal crust - Flaky & Good!

RECIPE- Asparagus & Cheese Quiche with a Flax & Almond meal crust

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:

• 3/4 cup Almond Meal
• 3/4 cup Flax Meal
• 2 Tbs softened Butter (Olive oil can also be used)
• 1 Large Egg
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 bunch of Asparagus, washed & cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced or pressed
• Olive oil to saute the vegetables in
• 1/4 cup half & half (or cream)
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (low fat can be used if desired)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar + extra to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 cup shredded fontina (or any white cheese you have on hand)
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In medium bowl, beat 1 egg with softened butter & salt. Mix almond meal & flax meal into the mixture.
• Knead until well combined and forms a ball.
• Press the mixture into a 9" pie pan.  Start by pressing the dough into the bottom and working it up to the sides of the pan.  It will take some time and work, but you will end up with a nice even crust.  You can make a decorative edge on crust if desired.
• Pre-bake crust in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to firm it up.
• While crust is baking, saute asparagus & diced onion in a small amount of olive oil until softened.  Set aside to cool a bit
• In a medium bowl beat 3 eggs & cream together.
• Add remaining cheeses & ingredients to egg mixture, seasoning to taste with salt an pepper
• Add the sauteed asparagus & onions.
• Pour this mixture evenly into the pre-baked pie crust
• Sprinkle the reserved shredded cheddar on top
• Bake for 30 - 35 minutes (or until firmed up and done)
• Cool for at least 25 minutes before serving.

Yields 6 Servings!

Note:  Based on eating a low carb low sugar meal this quiche is considered a healthy choice.  If you are trying to cut calories or fat then you can substitute lower fat cheese, milk & use an egg substitute to help this fit into your plan.  I love the idea of not using a flour crust which is usually my favorite part of any quiche.

If you wanted to make the broccoli version, just substitute 1 large crown of broccoli chopped in small pieces for the asparagus.  You can add any vegetables you like but be sure to saute them first before adding to the filling.

Banana Ice "No" Cream Treat!

This absolutely amazes me!  My son, Jaymie, makes the most incredible banana ice cream...except it is not ice cream.  This gorgeous dessert is simple and just clean eating at it's best!  Can you believe that the only 2 ingredients in this dessert are 1). Bananas & 2) Nutella? 

Start believing and start enjoying this quick to make and easy to eat dessert!

If you are watching your sugar you can omit the Nutella and eat just 1/2 of this recipe to keep the sugar lower.  The only sugar is coming from the natural sugar in the banana itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Very Ripe Bananas
• 1 Tsp. of Nutella

DIRECTIONS:

• Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4" slices
• Place banana slices on a plate in the freezer and keep there until frozen
• Place banana slices in either a food processor or blender
• Blend bananas until smooth.  This will take some time and patience as they will first crumble and not stay together.  Once they start to blend, they will be a thinner consistency like ice cream that has started to melt.
• Remove from food processor into a plastic container that can be frozen.
• Stir in the Nutella, but don't stir it completely in, I love the marbled look.
• At this point you can add anything you desire, like nuts, etc.
• Place back into the freezer and allow to set up again
• Grab your spoon and dig in, this is definitely FABULICIOUS!

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino Romano

I made this salad to go with my Salmon with White Wine & Shallots.  I was having lunch one day and had this amazing salad.  Whenever I go out to eat I always try to figure out what is in the recipe I am eating.  My friend Michele can attest to that, I have been doing it ever since she has known me.



This salad features the health benefits of Kale, raw sunflower seed kernels, golden raisins, tiny slivers of onion and the nutty rich flavor of Pecorino Romano cut into tiny cubes.  The flavors explode in your mouth and compliment each other nicely.  A wonderful experience awaits your taste buds!  This is sure to become a family or party favorite.

TUSCAN KALE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Cups of Kale washed and finely chopped
• 4 Tbs sunflower seed kernels
• 4 Tbs golden raisins
• 4 Tbs finely cubed (diced) Pecorino Romano Cheese
• 2 Tbs of thinly slivered (very fine) onion
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice (1/2 small lemon)
• Rice Vinegar (just a few splashes)
• Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large bowl add Kale, sunflower seeds, raisins, onion, & Pecorino Romano cubes
• Squeeze lemon juice into salad and add Olive oil, vingar, salt & pepper
• Use your hands to gently toss the salad.  It is better to use your hands here as it seems to help coat and soften the kale a bit.
• That's it!  So easy and so good!  FABULICIOUS!

DIET is a 4 Letter Word! HELP is on the way!

D.I.E.T. - Good heavens it has the word "die" in it!  Not my idea of fun.  I always cringe inside when people ask me "How's your diet going?"

Let's learn to give this a new spin and call it a Healthy Eating Lifestyle Plan or H.E.L.P.
There...isn't that better?  Help...say it...Help.  We all love help, right?  A simple Healthy Eating Lifestyle Plan! 

Life is beautiful, and so are you.  Life should be enjoyed.  Food should be a beautiful experience not a punishment.  If you don't like green beans, don't eat them!  Simple!

DIET vs. HEALTHY EATING LIFESTYLE
It is so true that weight loss really begins with the "diet" (ugh, there I said it), but I am using this term as the basic definition of: Diet:The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.  I have never been a fan of the word "diet". When the experts make statements that your weight loss begins with your diet, they mean you have to cut out all of the garbage you are eating and clean things up, not starve yourself. I feel that most people set themselves up to fail when they go on a "diet"! You are already telling yourself that this will be a short term adventure. Make a lifelong commitment to be conscious of what you are eating!

CALORIES IN vs. CALORIES OUT
Yes you need to consume less calories than you burn, creating a deficit, but starving yourself is not the answer.  Depriving yourself of food will make you go out of control and binge with a vengeance on all of those things you love so much.   Not to mention what it will do to your metabolism.  Going into starvation mode will only cause your body to hold on to all of those goodies you put in it when you finally binge. Sound familiar?  And how many times have you gone on a binge and then felt physically and mentally beaten when it was over?

If you are eating a healthy, clean balanced "diet" you will most probably automatically be in a calorie deficit because good, clean foods are naturally lower in calories and fat than the processed junk we find ourselves addicted to.  And think about it, if you get up and move a little you will burn even more calories creating an even greater deficit.  But if you continue to get most of your calories from "White stuff" (processed wheat and grains, sugar, etc) you can exercise until you drop and you won't see the results you desire.

FOCUS ON YOUR FOOD/SNACKS
We are all so guilty of mindlessly eating at times. You know what I mean...grabbing for that bag of chips, box of crackers, package of cookies, granola, ice cream, etc and going to town. I do believe it is OK to have these things within reason but it is of utmost importance to serve yourself a true portion and not just "eyeball" it, right?

CRAVINGS
I am not craving anything at this moment, but I do miss eating certain things. Jorge's plan is great at balancing your hormones and getting your insulin levels under control. I will be posting about cravings later and why they happen. It really is so simple once you understand it.

TRY A "CHEAT MEAL"
If you are finding it hard to stick to a rigid healthy eating plan and you are really missing eating certain foods then try giving yourself a cheat meal once every 5 - 7 days.

This means you can go have that nice dinner with your friends, or attend that luncheon or brunch. Don't go crazy, but eat those things you are missing. You don't want to undo all of your hard work by ingesting 7000 calories, right? But having a small piece of that cake you have been craving or a small serving of those Ravioli's from your favorite Italian restaurant won't kill you. But Jorge's original Belly Fat Program really let's you eat pretty much anything. Don't forget that if you take this route then you must also follow your healthy eating plan perfectly for the other 5 - 6 days! No excuses, lol.

GET UP & MOVE
You don't have to go overboard if you are not used to working out, but just get up and move. Take the stairs at your work, you can burn 100 calories by doing that. Park a few extra spaces away, let someone else have that really close spot at the mall. Walk! Break up your workouts into 3, 10 minutes sessions a day instead of 1 long session. Get a walking buddy and walk during your lunch break or go for a brisk walk first thing in the morning.

NEVER GIVE UP!
We all fall from time to time.  Let's really try to find out what is going on that is causing that constant falling back into our bad habits.  You can do this and learn to love it and love yourself.  So many good things to eat.  You just have to find ways to be creative with your meals.

Stick with me and have some great food and fun while we Live, Laugh & Love Life! Cheers!