Get your GREENS!!

 

It is hard to get all the greens your body needs in one day, especially when you are always on the go, but it is so essential to your health. so I have recently started taking Green SuperFood 3 times daily.  Honestly I feel so much better, more energy, full longer and don't really have cravings any more!

The brands I suggest are: Amazing Grass or Garden of Life.

Just throw it in your water and drink:)  If you can't stand the taste add it to your smoothie, almond milk ect..

Just one Recipe: water and coconut milk for the base with one scoop vanilla Isoflex protein powder, 1-2scoopes of Berry Green SuperFood  and a dash of cinnamon with ice. Click HERE FOR MORE RECIPES

or get the pill option. 

What are Green Super Foods:

Super green foods is a term usually used to describe young cereal grasses such as wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa, as well as spirulina, chlorella, kelp and other sea vegetables.

A diet comprised of super green foods enables grass-eating animals to continually maintain their weight, strength, and vibrant health.

Benefits of Green Superfood:

Veggie variety:
Sometimes you just don't want another salad or broccoli floret, not to mention that veggies aren't the natural favorite at breakfast time. Mixing superfood drinks with some favorite add-ins, like fresh fruit, protein powder, almond/coconut milk and cinnamon, makes you feel like you're eating dessert rather than brussel sprouts.
Antioxidants:
Many of the ingredients in green superfood drinks are nutrient rich antioxidants -- green tea extract, spirulina, wheat grass powder, barley grass powder, spinach powder, broccoli powder, to name a few. It's the green pigment /phyto-chemicals and chlorophyll that give them their antioxidant powers. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals (loose cannon cells) that get in the way of normal cell functioning and growth and can lead to cancer, heart disease and even premature aging.
Morning carbs: -- brain power and metabolism boosters. Taking your green superfood in the morning is a great way to get your carbs in veggie form without having to eat broccoli for breakfast! Also, some of the superfood ingredients, like spirulina and wheat grass are vegetable proteins. Your body is able to metabolize your meal and provide your body and brain the energy it needs to function properly, helping you think clearly and maintain a lean body.
Reduces appetite:  When you eat healthy, balanced meals, your body is able to absorb carbs steadily and burn them as energy instead of storing them as fat. This keeps your body from going into starvation/ low blood sugar mode. The key to keeping your metaboli
Wards off colds and flus with an immunity boost:  Again, most of the ingredients in green superfoods have immune-boosting properties.
Detox and clean blood: The chlorophyll in most of the power-packed green superfood ingredients alkalizes and cleans the blood. Having "clean blood" means that you have plenty of red blood cells to carry oxygen in (essential for brain and cell functioning) and metabolic waste out.
Skip the coffee and still get an energy boost: -- Forget those quick-fix energy drinks like Red Bull and even coffee! Green superfood gives you the same energy boost without all the sugar, caffeine and other unhealthy stimulants. That means, no sugar or caffeine crash.
Keeps your body in ideal alkaline PH state: The chlorophyll in most of the awesome superfood drink ingredients helps keep a healthy alkaline PH in your body. If your body gets too acidic, it's easier for inflammatory diseases to come in the picture, like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and respiratory problems. Many foods that we regularly eat are highly acidic, like meats and milk products. We need to offset this with alkaline foods, like leafy greens, grapefruit, and some nuts and seeds. Green superfood drinks are completely alkaline and are great at restoring the PH.
 Click Here for more about body alkalinity:


So Go out and get so Green SuperFood!!


information:http://www.energyfirst.com/Green-Drink-Powder

Grocery List

How many times have you walked into the store and had no idea what to get, so you default to your usual (and that starts to get boring)

I emailed this list to Carrie earlier today and thought I would share it with all of you!

Grocery List:
Carbs:
More Veggies and fruits (fruit is good but should not be your main carb source)

•  Try 2 different ones each week
• Bell peppers (all colors), spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, shallots
  
• blueberries, raspberries, grapefruit, strawberries, oranges

Fats:

• avocados, Coconut milk,  oils: coconut (great and yummy to cook with), grapeseed, olive, sunflower Nuts: walnut, macadamia, Butters: almond, walnut, coconut

Proteins: (local is best)

• Beef-grass-fed
• Chicken- from the farm, farmer-markets: Richardson farm chicken  Wed 3-7 @ the triangle
• Fish- wild
• Eggs- brown, cage free, organic
  
• Deli meat (easy for snacks) make sure you get it from the case, Nitrate Free- boarshead is a good brand 

Variety is Great!  It is what keeps your good from being boring and repetitive:)

There are so many more good foods out there, if you have any questions about something, contact me ( you can even call me from the grocery store)

No-Oatmeal for you Oatmeal lovers:-)

No-Oatmeal

1 small handful of walnuts

1 small handful of pecans

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch of ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground ginger

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 banana, mashed

3 eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if you prefer it a little runny)

2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds

1 handful of goji berries or fresh berries

Directions:

Add walnuts, pecans, flax seed and spices to a food processor and pulse it down to a course grain, making sure to stop before it’s totally ground into a powder. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and almond milk until the consistency thickens a little bit into a loose custard. Thoroughly blend together the mashed banana and almond butter and add it to the custard, mixing well.

Stir in the nut mixture. Microwave or gently warm on the stove until the “no-oatmeal” reaches your desired consistency; this should take only a few minutes. In both cases, stir the mixture frequently as it cooks.

Sprinkle pumpkin seeds and berries on top. Add more almond milk if you want. Enjoy!

Watching what I eat....

I have failed at dieting. I had wanted to start eating the paleo diet about 80/20. But it really hasn't worked out. Some days I am so tired and am feeling nauseous. I just have to eat whatever I can stomach. And sometimes I am starving to death. I swear I eat everything and anything is sight.

I have learned that it only takes one meal/snack to get back on track. Making smarter choices with every meal. For me it is alittle overwhelming looking at the whole week, but rather meal by meal. I also have learned to be prepared. Have snacks in your car, desk, and purse. Right now I have a kashi bar and apple in my purse in case of an emergency. If I let myself get too hungry than watch out. I might just even eat you up. Just kidding.

As far as working out, I haven't yet been cleared by my doctor. But you can find me doing overhead squats all the time. It is actually kinda funny. I do them while waiting for the water to warm up before I shower, at work in the comfort of my bathroom, while my food is heating up, and when I am brushing my teeth. So getting in alittle each time starts to add up.

My goal this week is to eat smarter meal by meal. And if I slack off, who cares just jump right back into it. I am also going to try to do more exercises at home and my goal is to swim 3 times this week.

Some concrete ideas for clean eating

Hi, team -- Here are a few suggestions from my friend, Emily West, who is 5-6 weeks into the "I am CrossFit" challenge. I'm trying to finetune my diet a little at a time, so taking some new steps this week. Hopefully this will help you too. Here's what she's eating:

- seafood and veggies - started out with lots of grilled fish using citrus or coconut oil for marinades
- steak salads with assorted veggies . . . vinaigrette good, but made an avocado-based dressing that's even better
- pork grilled with thyme, rosemary & assorted veggies and applesauce (there's a brand at Whole Foods that is just organic apples, no preservatives or anything else, or it's easy to make your own)
- veggie & meat kabobs with marinades from citrus (lime, orange, lemon), herbs and healthy oils
- roasted chicken - basic, but turns out great every time (just use salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs and throw in the oven)
- you can make your own mayo with eggs, lemon juice, olive oil and mustard powder to use with leftover roasted chicken or with tuna and make chicken salad or tuna salad
- fajitas with no beans, cheese or tortillas, but with avocado and homemade or fresh salsa at WF
- for breakfast, we do lots of zucchini and egg scrambles or Canadian Bacon and fruit

Paleo "lasagna"

Here's a yummy-sounding paleo lasagna recipe from one of the blogs I watch:

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/02/11/paleo-lasagna/

protein powder

the best protein powder to use for shakes is WHEY PROTEIN powder.

From marksdailyapple.com

What is Whey:

Whey is a byproduct of cheese production. It’s that pseudo-clear liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained that used to be tossed aside as waste material. Today, we know that it houses an impressive array of proteins: beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and serum albumin. These are complete proteins, comprised of the essential amino acids central to protein synthesis and increased muscular hypertrophy. Our bodies can produce non-essential amino acids from lesser amino acids, but we cannot produce the essentials ourselves; we must eat quality protein sources. Whey is a naturally occurring, essential protein that satisfies the body’s protein requirements – hence its popularity.

Can Dairy-Sensitive People Use Whey Protein?

Whey contains trace elements of lactose, so the extremely intolerant may have problems digesting it properly. Because whey is, by definition, the stuff that separates from the caseinwhen it curdles, it has even less casein (save for trace amounts), rarely enough to be noticeable to anyone but the most casein-intolerant. But that’s pure whey; whey protein powder has even less of both. Lactose may pose a problem, but casein almost certainly will not

Isolate vs. Concentrate vs. Hydrolysate

As for whey protein powder, you’ve got a couple options. Whey protein concentrate contains some fat and lactose, while whey protein isolate is pretty much pure protein with very little of the other dairy elements remaining. Concentrate is less processed and more whole, but has less protein. Isolate is about 90-94% protein, but it’s subjected to a more rigorous refinement process. Bodybuilders are drawn to the “purity” of whey isolate, lured by the moderately higher protein counts. Isolate is also considerably more expensive than concentrate, and the purported boost in beneficial effects on protein synthesis are overstated; drinking any kind of whey protein shake will have a beneficial effect on your muscle recovery and protein synthesis. Whey protein is whey protein, and concentrate allows you to get more for your money. Go with concentrate unless you’re terribly sensitive to dairy (in which case it might be a better idea to just eat a steak instead).