It's easy to be green...

When it tastes as good as this granola...
I have never had a homemade granola I liked, I always bought store granola because it was just always better.  Well I figured out how to create the same deliciousness at home.  You have to have the right ratio of liquids; 4:1 sugar:oil and use a sweet oil like coconut oil.  Sugar can be; raw honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, molasses, apple sauce (or fruit sauce/cranberry sauce). The point is you only need to stick to the skeleton ratio and you will be golden...or green =)
Note about sugar: I use to be against putting sugar and oil into granola because it just seems unhealthy - but once I started reading the labels of store bought granola I realized that the amount of sugar and oil I am using is nothing in comparison to the g whole foods use.  Also this way I get to control what kind of oil/sugar is used making it more healthy.

I basically just scavenged the kitchen for whatever looked delicious, here is what I used:

Green Granola

• 6 cups rolled gluten free oats
• 3 cups sugar; 1 cup apple sauce, 1/4 c raw honey, 1 3/4 c maple syrup
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup vanilla coconut oil
• 2 tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup mixed dried berries
• 1 scoop spirulina 
• 5 scoops hemp protein powder
• 1/4 c chia seeds
• 1/4 c shredded coconut
• 1/4 c coco nibs

mix all dry ingredients into 2 baking pans - so they cover the pans lightly
mix all wet ingredients (only 1 cup of the maple syrup, save 3/4 c for later) over a double boiler to melt down coconut oil
once melted pour over the dry ingredients and mix completely.
Our oven is not very good so I started baking off at too high a temp and all the berries ballooned out but I would recommend baking at your lowest setting 190-200 degrees for an hour
after the first hour pull the trays out and pour some more maple syrup on the granola, mix around and bake for another hour.
After 2 hours it may be pretty chewy and wet.  If it is still wet you can leave it in the oven (turned off) until it is dehydrated.  If it is starting to crisp up after 2 hours then pull it out - stir it around every hour while it sits out on the stove.  Note- to avoid burning the granola check it every 20-30 min and if it is browning stir the mix, depending on your oven this may or may not happen.

To make your life easier: make this on a non-stick sheet or wax paper, something it will peel off of because I made it in glass baking trays and it stuck like glue and I had to scrape off with a butter knife - so to avoid possibly loosing fingers use something non-stick.  If your mix is not sticking together in clumps add more sugar, if it is too clumpy add more dry ingredients and coconut oil.  This time the granola came out extra chunky and chewy, to make it less chunky/chewy just add more dry ingredients and less wet sugar ingredients.  If you want to make this recipe fat free you can sub out the oil for apple sauce ( you need at least 2 tbsp coconut/olive oil, but over 6 cups it is basically fat free).

Other ingredients that make it delicious:
-crushed cherios
-rice crispies
-soy crisps/whey crisps
-chopped nuts
-any dehydrated fruit
-flax seeds
-soak the chia seeds and mix with the liquids

If you want to turn these into granola bars add 1 cup of almond/peanut butter to the ratio - you can sub out liquid sugar ingredients for nut butters to make it more savory.


Green Coconut Bars

this recipe is amended from an amazing recipe Julie Spero gave me.  I kinda forgot the original but when we made it the first time it was so good, so I just followed my taste buds back to the original deliciousness with a new protein twist.

• 2 cups coconut butter (it has more of the coconut mass then oil - you could use oil, but the butter is ideal)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup (you could sub this out for any liquid sugar) or 1/8 c stevia (if you use stevia inc chia paste by 1/4 c)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds mixed with 3/4 cup lemon juice to make 1 cup of chia paste
• 1/2 c hemp protein powder
• 1 scoop spirullina 

over a double boiler melt the coconut butter, when melted, take the bowl off the boiling water and mix in maple syrup, chia seeds - mix through and then add the dry ingredients.  Pour onto wax paper in a baking tray and place in fridge until hard - then break into whatever size bars you want...P.S - these will melt in warm areas so keep them in ziplock bags and ideally in the fridge until you want to eat - this is also a really good addition to oatmeal if you want to melt in your oats for flavor and to increase nutritional value.

side note - I even got Load to try the granola and he approved and he NEVER eats anything green so I dare you to get your pickiest eaters to try these recipes.

Morning snack attack

Because I like challenges and I like to maximize life I have created a challenge which I believe is going to lead to some serious success in body composition and rowing power.  I am following a 5 meal a day plan and everything I eat should be 2 cups of food or less, with 3 hour intervals between meals.  This is because, as my mom says, your stomach is only so big (as big as your fist) - and if you stretch it out with every meal you over-eat at every meal and visa versa.  What I have realized is if I don't eat enough I don't have any energy and if I eat too much I am sluggish and have no energy.  The only way to find the perfect balance is to listen to your body and eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.  That is a super big challenge however, when you are doing this after eating large meals, because when you shrink to small meals you are hungry all the time.  If you wait it out and just be patient through the hunger - I distract my stomach with liquids, like tea, coffee, water, emergen-c - 0 calorie beverages - your stomach will start to shrink and eating based on what you need will become second nature - the problem, especially in the holidays - one binge, one overeating, can stretch your stomach back out - so to avoid this here are some tips(don't worry I struggle with these too, they are hard to master):

-don't drink liquids when you eat (stretches out your stomach and leads to a dilution of stomach acid) - drink 2 (16oz) 5 min before your meal and sip on water after 30 min of digestion.  If you need supplemental liquids when you eat is can be because: you are use to drinking and eating, this is a habit and not a need and can be stopped - you are eating food that does not carry water (ie fruits and veggies have liquids - meat and starches are dehydrating to digest) remedy this by eating more fruits and veggies - you are dehydrated - remember this and focus on hydrating after you have digested for 30 min and until your next meal.

-eat slowly; chew every bite until you cannot help but swallow - after you bite food off your spoon/fork put your utensil down and do not think about the next bite until you are done with the one you are chewing on.  I found this not only allows me to feel full when I am full but I feel an immense amount of gratitude for the food I am eating when I eat slowly - hidden flavors come out and I have the time to think about what I am eating and how it is nourishing my body.

-Pre-plan meals; you don't have to be militant about it just have a general skeleton of how your eating for the day is going to go, think about what you are doing that day and how you can really fuel that activity/day.  It can be as general as a small salad for lunch - then when lunch rolls around and you are in a hunger craze you already know that you need salad and you will not be tempted by the carb cravings because of an energy crash - after you eat the salad, if you are still hungry then eat the bread or sweets - but allow yourself to be fed whole food first.   Also if you are going to workout then you earn that sweets/starchy carb and you can feel happy eating it after working your body and because you planned it you have a more positive experience.

I will sometimes post my food log so that you can see what sample days looks like.   Today looks like this:
5am wake up - banana with tbsp almond butter and 10 grapes.
6-7am run 7 mi
9am 20g whey in 12 oz sugar-free almond milk and below fruit salad (1 cup - diced grapefruit, black grapes, pomegranate) + tbsp maple syrup, cinnamon, pinch coconut shreds, pinch coco nibs, pinch chia seeds (tummy rumbling before eating, felt full after whey, waited 10 min and felt hungry again and ate fruit salad)

12 noon - small salad (about 2 cups total) mixed greens, chopped veggies, diced chicken breast.  Was "deliriously hungry" before eating, had been distracting myself with tea  -  but felt satisfied and light after eating - took some digestive enzymes to help with all the raw material.  I had also re-heated 1cup split pea soup but will eat that at 3pm.  

every hour I am doing 5 1 leg squats all day (5 on each leg).

pm will be weights and bike recover with 20 g whey +almond milk.   Dinner at 7:30pm of a veggie omelet with lox =).

Because I am in a recovery/"off season" phase this is the time to get my digestive system on track for excellence in the spring - if I train it now it will be habit by April =)

Brunch

Steam a head of broccoli (5 min) and boil 2 omega 3 eggs (10 min) and cook brown short rice (1/4 c shown)

-Eggs:

boil water and then add eggs once water is boiling - cook for 10 min then pull them out and rinse in cold water, tap the fullest part of the egg(bottom) on counter until cracked and then peel from there - sprinkle with pink salt and pepper.

-Broccoli

-steam until tender but not too soft - about 5 min after water is boiling.  Remove and sprinkle with salt/pepper/ nutritional yeast.

-We used a rice cooker for the rice and I added oregano, sage, salt, and red pepper flakes.

-We put some of Strauss’s yammies on there and some lox.

Enjoy!

Strauss's Yammies

Super delicious spicy yams which we put on top of broccoli and Tofu.  The Yams were made with:

2 diced yams

1 diced onion

2 jalapenos

2 cups of diced baby portobello mushrooms

4 tbsp olive oil

pink salt, pepper, paprika, and habanero powder ( to taste)

Sauted everything together until yams are soft.  This is a great base for any breakfast or brunch. 

Split Pea Soup

-Jar of diced garlic

-3 cups shredded carrots

-4 tbsp olive oil

-pink salt, pepper, oregano - tbsp each

-2 cups split peas

-1 cup lentils

-9 cups veggie broth/water

saute all ingredients besides the broth/water in a soup pot for a couple min and then add the liquid - let cook for a couple hours - about 3 until it is totally cooked through.  Puree in blender.

Enjoy!

Birthday wishes and snowy treats

Hey Everyone!
So my birthday is on December 10th and it is the holiday month - so if you are in the mood of generosity I came up with 4 things that would be great for my birthday (because I am turning 24)

       1. Donate to Cal Women's Crew (in a multiple of $24 - so $24, 48, 72 etc.)

2. Hug 24 people and smile all day on Dec 10th

3. Think about what creates bliss in your life and commit to doing those things more often and realizing that your attitude effects the attitudes of those around you, you can create a better world just by having a great attitude.

4. Donate to my buy Shay a Boat fund (any donations I receive will go directly into a boat fund I am saving for purchasing a training boat (about $10K) Any money I receive over 10K will go into a feed the starving rowers fund which is a small fund I am starting to give back the rowing community - more on that later.)

Now to the treats!!!

Here is a post-workout recovery treat  - adapted from my new fav site www.bodyrock.tv
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp molasses or agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pink salt
1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla whey but you could use whatever you like)
5 spoon chia paste (soak a tbsp of chia seeds in 1/2 cup water until they create a gelatin mass)
1tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp cacao nibs or dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
mix all the ingredients together (except the shredded coconut) and roll into 2 balls then roll those balls into the shredded coconut - enjoy post workout or as a protein infused snack =)
Cheers!!!

Farm Fresh Egg Bake

6 eggs
1 lb sheep chorizo
3 c chopped spinach, kale, and rainbow chard
1 heaping tbsp garlic
1/2 yellow onion
1tbsp fresh oregano
1tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt and pepper

pre-heat oven to 365 degrees.  saute onions, garlic, spices in 1 tbsp olive oil until onion is opake.  add in chorizo until lightly browned cover in greens and let steam for about 5 min.  Put mix into a 6X3'' glass baking pan - cover the whole bottom of pan.  Whip up eggs with a fork and pour over mix.  Bake for about 30 min.  when you take out of the over dust with raw, organic, cheddar goat cheese.

delicioso recovery breakfast

Mama's Mambo juice

My mom only has two priorities when we vacation - fruit and a place to put her hammock.  Her fav fruits are mangoes, papaya, and kiwis, so I decided to make her this blend of her fav fruits as a breaky.
Ingredients:
1 mango
1 sm papaya
2 kiwis (peeled)
Slice all and place in blender with mineral water or kombucha.  Fruit is naturally acidic due to it's high ascorbic acid (vitamin C) levels and sugar content.  You can create alkaline water by adding salts (pink), apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp for this recipe) or using a specific purifier, Kombucha is a natural basic drink. Fruit is also very cleansing and detoxifying which is one of many reasons why it should be eaten alone.  Most dominantly it should be eaten alone because of it's high digestible fibers, water, and sugar content which allow it to be digested and assimilated into energy within 30 min.  If you are to eat fruit on top of other more "rich" foods, including protein, complex carbs, and essential fats which all digest slower, you are creating an environment for fruit to ferment and create gas and loose nutritional value.  Therefore it is best to eat fruit 30 min before a workout or a meal so that you can properly use the calories for energy and get the most value out of the nutrients.

Simply Sprouted Sweet and Salty

Triple S Almonds (sprouted, sweet, and salty) 

Thanks Amelia for the inspiration and reminding me of my roots =)

1 cup almonds - let them soak in water for at least 8 hours, remove the skin (this will be easy after soaking they should just slip right out of the peel)

1 tbsp Vanilla Coconut oil (or coconut oil and some fresh vanilla beans)

1 pinch Himalayan pink salt

1 packet stevia (optional)

heat coconut oil over a double boiler and add spices then almonds until almonds are fully coated - dehydrate in the dehydrator over-night or eat warm.

Why eat sprouted?

Ok this one is a bio brief - seeds are essentially the egg of the plant world - they carry all of the essential nutrients to grow plant.  This seed is dry vessel that when in contact with water is stimulated by a hormone chemical pathway that breaks down the essential fats into carbohydrates and proteins for plant growth.  If you sprout a seed you are essentially starting that chemical pathway such that more nutrients are now available for you since you will be eating the seed before it germinates (grows).  After sprouting more vitamins and protein are available from the seed.

you can either just soften the seed through soaking for a few hours or you can allow it to create a small plant (sprout) by allowing it to soak for multiple days.  Both are nutritious but in different ways. 

Sprouted almonds

Sprouting essentials

purchase delicious sprouted blends

Sprout and enjoy!

Family Dinner

It is super rare that we as a family actually get to sit down and eat dinner together. But tonight we were all in the same place so we feasted on delicious local veggies and beef =). The menu included spicy garlic kale (my fav veggie!), Soft Yam Chips, Sage and Oregano Omega packed meat balls, Ginger Coconut Carrots.

This meal was packed with omega 3 fatty acids in that the meatballs were loaded with organic beef which is high in omegas, sprouted flax seed, and omega eggs. It also had tons of Vitamin A, beta Carotene, and Vitamin C in the carrots and yams. The Kale brought it all together with iron, calcium, and vitamin D.

***Note because I can't help but snack while I cook I ate like 10 meatballs while I was cooking this so I only put 2 on my plate for dinner but I would recommend a higher meat ratio on your plate =) ***

Omega Meat Balls:

-1lb Organic Local Lean Ground Beef (98% lean)

-1 omega egg

-1/4 c sprouted ground flax seed

-1/4 cup diced sage and oregano

-1/4 tsp pink himalayan sea salt

-1/4 c diced white onion

-tsp fresh cracked pepper

mix all ingredients together in a bowl - spoon out a tbsp of meat ball mix and roll between hands into a ball - place in a frying pan - add tbsp water and 1/2 tbsp ghee - saute until done (I eat them medium rare)

Ginger Coconut Carrots

-one bunch of small carrots

-1/2 tbsp crushed ginger

-1/2 tbsp coconut oil

take off the green tops off of the carrots and steam until easily punctured by knife

saute in coconut oil and ginger just until evenly coated and thats all - do not need to cook further

Spicy Garlic Kale

-tbsp garlic

-tsp ghee

-2 tbsp water

-1/4 tsp pink salt

-1/2 tsp cracked red pepper

-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

-diced habanero pepper

-1 bunch kale - leaves torn into small sections off of shaft

-saute ghee, ginger and spices until melted and garlic is lightly cooked - add kale and water and cook until leaves are wilted, then saute until coated with seasoning.

YAMS!!!!

-3 medium sized yams

-tbsp garlic olive oil

-tbsp garlic

-pink salt

slice yams into "chips" and bathe in olive oil, garlic, and salt. Bake at 400 deg. F for 45 min or until crisp at edges and soft in center. ( I prepared these first and started baking them and then cooked all other items while these were baking)

Sweet Digestion

This juice will get your belly ready for anything

-2 cups

papaya diced

-1/2 cup fresh pressed apple juice

-1/2 cup spring water

blend together and enjoy 30 min before your next meal

(This is me pressing the apples in a citrus press...well that was all we had - worth a good laugh)

Chicken and Beets

What I love about beets:

-you can use the entire vegetable; the root and leaf - in fact the leaf and the beet are equally nutritious

-Beets are high in folic acid, potassium, calcium and antioxidants; betacyanin, which is what gives beets their rich red color.

-Beet greens are high in Vit K, A; beta carotene and lutein

-they are sweet and therefor can be paired with sweet or savory sauces.

Here is part of my lunch which was ginger, lemon, dill beets on a bed of beet greens

Ingredients and directions:

-1 stock of beets (separate the green tops and the root bulb - wash, peal the leaves into small sections and throw in a pan, cut the base and top off the root and place in a steamer and steam until easily pierced with a fork)

-tsp crushed ginger, tbsp fresh and separated dill (this means you pull apart the dill into smaller pieces), the juice of one lemon (mix together)

-dice 1/4th of an onion and saute in a pinch of himalayan sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, tsp ghee until translucent and then add beet greens - cover until beet greens are wilted.

-When beet roots are steamed and "soft" slice and bathe in ginger sauce and then place on top of greens.

we enjoyed this on the side of rosemary garlic chicken breast

-place 2 chicken breasts in a glass baking pan - drizzle garlic olive oil, a tsp of garlic, tbsp of diced white onion, pinch of himalayan sea salt, pinch of cayenne pepper, and a tbsp of diced fresh rosemary, add a tbsp of water to the glass pan and cover in aluminum foil

-bake at 350 degrees (ours were large and took about 30 min to bake) until cooked all the way through - until you get the feel for this you just need to cut into them to check for pink or poke with a meat thermometer (should read 170 deg f).

Kayla's Power Juice

This is my sister Kayla and me on our walk to the lake

Ingredients:

-1 fresh pomegranate (separate seeds in a bowl of water - break apart the pom in a bowl of water until all the seeds are separated from the white membrane - remove all floating material and save seeds by draining water.)

-2 ripe Persimmons - remove seeds and slice

-1 cup water

blend all ingredients together and enjoy! if you want it more like juice and less like a smoothie because it is thick as is - add more water and strain through cheese cloth to remove all the pomegranate seeds (these add fiber to the drink if you eat them)

Cookies an Cream smoothie

This is a powerhouse recovery smoothie that I recommend at any time of day.

Ingredients

-whey to go - vanilla whey (unsweetened) 2 scoops

-1 scoop sprouted ground flax seed

-1 cup unsweetened almond milk (recipe to be posted soon)

-1/8th cup cocao nibs

-1tbsp coconut oil

-1 cup water or ice (ice if you want it thick, water if you want it thin and chunky)

blend all ingredients together and then slurp

Greens and Eggs

Super simple, delicious, and full of flavor. A twist of green eggs to greens and eggs.

Ingredients:

-small head of broccoli

-3 rainbow chard leaves

-chopped garlic

-7 fresh basil leaves

-fresh chives (tbsp)

-tbsp Ghee

-tsp raw goat cheddar cheese

-2 organic omega 3 eggs

-1/2 tsp himalayan sea salt

- chop broccoli into florets and lightly steam while you dice garlic, chives, basil - saute herbs and salt with Ghee in a frying pan. Chop chard into small slivers and add to pan and saute until wilted - put on plate. Put broccoli on plate and dust with raw cheddar. Fry 2 eggs in remaining ghee and spice left in pan and then place on greens on plate.

Enjoy every bite =)

Some Raw Adaptations

So I woke up this morning only to have my bed taken away - boooooo! Long story....but now that I am bed-less I decided this was a perfect opportunity to make some new changes and be positive about more floor space. I am turning my room into a yoga studio and I am going to sleep on the floor - YEE HAW (photos of new space will be added soon - and an update later to see if new challenge works)

Here is why I think this will help my rowing:

-There are massive amounts of chemicals in beds (to keep them from burning, decomposing, retaining their shape, and bleach) that we breathe in while we sleep causing allergens, mucus, and inflammation

-Beds allow our bodies to sink into positions that cramp our muscles and rotate our bones out of alignment

-Beds retain allergins, dust, dirt, and insect carcases...enough said

Sleeping on the floor supports your bodies natural alignment...although I am going to need to vacuum

Anyway, this idea was inspired by Peter - thanks dooode!

Also I have decided to go raw with coffee because our coffee maker broke this morning. Why buy shit when you can just do without?

Here is an amazing recipe that I am now in love with

Cold-Brewed Ice Coffee
Adapted from The New York Times and smitten kitchen
Yield: Two drinks
1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)
Milk (optional)
1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.
2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add almond milk.

New Kick : Chia Seeds and Broccoli Sprouts

So this weekend is all about experimenting. I baked a lot - more than I have ever baked before (see bagels, cookies, and bars) so that I could freeze some ready-to-go energy. I also got my hands on some Chia seeds - which had always just been my garfield's hair before (chia pet throw back!). Here is what I learned about Chia seeds:

(borrowed from Raw Reform)

What are some other benefits of eating Chia?

Provides energy

Boosts strength

Bolsters endurance

Levels blood sugar

Induces weight loss

Aids intestinal regularity

Sugar Absorption
Chia slows the impact of sugars on the system, if eaten together. Chia gel creates a physical barrierbetween carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, which slows the conversion of carbs into sugar. That means the energy from the food is released steadily, resulting in more endurance. This is clearly of great benefit to diabetics in particular. It also means that I can combine chia with super-sweet tastes like apple juice and not get super-spiked ;)

Absorb and Retain Water
Due to the exceptional water-absorption quality of chia, it can help you prolong hydration and retainelectrolytes, especially during exertion.

Easy to Digest
Whole, water-soaked chia seeds are easily digested and absorbed. Their tiny dinosaur-egg-like shells break down quickly. They feel light in the body, yet energising. Their nutrients can be quickly assimilated into the body.

Intestinal Broom
Chia seeds bulk up, then work like an incredible digestive broom, sweeping through your intestinal tract, helping to dislodge and eliminate old accumulated waste in the intestines. Many people find their stools also become more regular once they eat chia.

Inexpensive
Chia is a very reasonably priced, concentrated food. Our 1lb bags cost $8. 1/3 cup of dry chia seeds (2 ounces) makes about 17 ounces of chia gel. This costs about $1. Depending on how much gel you use, those 17oz will likely last, on average, about four days. That is about 25cents a day.

Versatile
Chia can be used in so many kinds of recipes - savoury, sweet - it works with anything. You might want to try them in salad dressings, cookie mixtures, smoothies, crackers, ice creams, juices and so on.

Gluten-Free
Chia seed protein contains no gluten. This makes it ideal for anyone with a gluten sensitivity or simply wanting to find a replacement for gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley, rye and oats.

My new fav drink

'Chia Fresca'
2 tsp chia seeds
10oz pure water
juice of one lemon or lime
agave syrup or raw honey to taste

You can buy chia seeds at any healthy food store (ie. berkeley bowl, whole foods, etc).

On another note I have fallen in LOVE with Broccoli sprouts. I have eaten sprouts my whole life but I just learned about how great broccoli sprouts are for you - not that surprising I guess since broccoli is the most nutritious veggie out there...no wonder it is so delicious and kids love it.

Sprouts are super easy to grow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1V4vtV8Yo, this will work for any seeds to be sprouted - also highly entertaining because they are SOOOO enthusiastic and Australian) - basically they are the baby version of a plant - all you need to do is get a jar or container and punch holes in the top so it can breathe - wet your seeds and put them in the container in one layer and let them sprout for the next week while rinsing them daily - when they are ready you just eat them - YUM!

Benefits:

• Super high in anti-oxidants (one of the highest forms and super cheep) and Vitamin A. They are currently being advertised as one of the best forms of cancer prevention.
• High in Vitamin C and Calcium (way more than the original bean/seed)
• Also high in fiber and protein and low in Calories.

Here is how I like to enjoy sprouts: Like lettuce - on top of salads and sandwiches. Basically I throw them on any dish regardless, they add a yummy crunch and kick.

-spicy sprouts :radish

-sweet sprouts: beans and alfalfa

-hearty sprouts: broccoli

Kindly Killing Those Cravings for Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

(vegan and gluten/soy free of course)

Here is a cookie you can feel great about eating - even for breakfast. They are chocked full of fiber, protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.

To make sure they were not too "crunchy" I made the boys I live with try them and they all said they passed the delicious test.

2 c oats

1 c brown rice flour OR Almond flour

1c coconut flour OR Flax Meal

2 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp celtic sea salt

1tbsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup agave nectar - can sub out for honey and or molasses

1/2 c coconut oil

chocolate chips (1 bag) - I used sun-spire vegan chips

Here is the fun part -

once the above is mixed add in

1/2 c apple sauce

1/2 c almond butter

9 servings protein powder (I used rice protein so I used about 1 c)

1/4 c flax and chia seeds (another reference for chia seeds and how to eat them)

Mix all of the above in a bowl (side note - these can be a little crumbly so you may need to add more "wet ingredients" such as almond butter, honey etc. if they are too we add more oats or flour.

Bake at 400 degrees until brown - about 15 min

Enjoy with Almond milk or water

Bagels

Chia and Sea Salt Bagels (Vegan and Gluten/Soy Free):

- 2 cups of flour: Pick your fav

*Sorghum flour

*Tapioca Flour

*Brown Rice Flour

*Almond Flour

*Oat Flour

-2 tsp honey/agave

-2 tsp molasses

-2 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-1 yeast packet

-2 tsp xanthen gum

(you can also buy a mix like Pamela's products)

Mix all of the above and add 1 1/3 c warm water and 1/4 c olive oil - mix for 3 min and then roll into balls (this recipe made 12 small bagels or 7 reg sized). let rise for 1 hour in a warm place - like on the oven while it is pre-heating. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. after 1 hour put your thumb in the middle of each ball to create a hole. Boil the bagel for 30 sec and then roll in your fav topping like Chia seeds (shown) or celtic sea salt - you can also just sprinkle with your fav toppings - I also "painted" coconut oil on mine to get the seeds/salt to stick better - but the batter is pretty sticky so it should be fine. bake for 30 min

- side note - these are delicious, they passed the taste test by the rowers at my house - they are chewy and if you refrigerate them right after baking them they stay chewy - if you let them sit out and cool they will be more airy.

Super Bars

SUPER BARS : caution will make you row super fast

These bars are basically everything but the kitchen sink: I used a 8 1/2'' x5'' baking sheet and cut up into 9 bars, all with about 200 calories and 15 g of protein (from rice, chia, oats). When I make these I just use estimations - I use a whole thing of agave nectar and almond butter, throw in handfuls of oats, and just pour my protein powder in - I measured this time to give you specifics, but essentially you want the consistency of a cliff bar and if it is too dry you add agave or almond butter, if it is too wet you add protein powder and oats.

for 9 bars:

-1/2 c agave nectar/ or molases/honey (a wet sugar)

-1 1/2 c almond butter

-4 tbsp coconut oil

-9 servings of protein powder

-1/2 c dried fruit (I used "ends and pieces" from TJ's these are the left over pieces from the fiberful fruit and veggie bars - but you can use whatever you want, I also used dehydrated sour cherries)

-1 c oats

1/2 C mix: chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate nibs/chips, coconut shavings

Throw everything into a bowl and mix until all ingredients are completely smooshed together and a "bar" like consistency - smoosh into the glass pan and then cut up into the size you want - store in the fridge or freezer if you are not going to eat right away.

snack attack!

This one goes out to the top of the Kinder Class - Thanks for the continual inspiration Lou!

Below are snacks for mid-day and life: They are focused on good fats, high protein, and complex carbs to keep you full longer and nutrient rich.

Snacks between 100-200 calories

Choose one or mix the following snackable fruits and veggies:

- Veggies: Celery/carrots/ bell pepper/ jicama/ cucumber sliced : broccoli/cauliflower floretes

- Apple/pear/grapes

Eat with : 1 tbsp almond butter, 4 tbsp hummus, Meso dip (1/2 tbsp meso, 1/2 tbsp tahini or almond butter, 1 tbsp honey), Beet hummus , creamy vegan "ricotta" dip, Vegan Ranch Dressing, Sesame Dip, Guac or Avocado Dip, or salsa. You can also use your favorite salad dressing or nut butter.

Use between 1/2 a fruit to a whole bell pepper - Obvi the more you use the more calories but to keep it between 100-200 use 1 tbsp nut butters/avocado and 4tbsp hummus's, as much salsa as you want, and 2 tbsp salad dressings. Great tiny Tupperware are awesome for the dips and ziploc sandwich baggies are great for the fruits/veggies (you can get all of this at Target)

-Protein Powder (whey, rice, pea, casin, egg) 100 cal = 18-20 g protein, and unsweetened almond milk (40 cal per 8 oz serving) in a shaker.

-Hard boiled eggs with salt and pepper and sliced apples or with the below mentioned crackers/bread

Snacks between 200-300 calories

-Turkey slices with one of the following:

• Cranberry sauce and lettuce- wrap a slice of turkey in the lettuce with cranberry sauce inside - you can get organic cranberry sauce from berkeley bowl or whole foods made with less to no sugar.
• Avocado and lettuce - again wrap in lettuce

-Canned tuna with 1 tbsp of each - lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar or mustard: add in one of : rellish/pickles/celery/cucumber/ kim chi/ sauerkraut/ capers - spice with Dill, Tumeric, Cayanne pepper, celtic sea salt and pepper. Eat with Celery, vegan-gluten free herb crackers, Cranberry almond loaf (gluten free), rosemary fig crackers (gluten free)

-Almonds or Walnuts and unfiltered-raw Honey ; just dip the nuts into the honey - I usually don't measure but to make it 200-300 cal you will want to use about 14-20 almonds/walnuts and a tbsp of honey.

-dried fruit/nut/seeds:

• Sprouted Seeds from Go Raw (whole foods or berkeley bowl)
• Sprouted Nuts (why sprouted? because it breaks down the cellulose wall to release more protein and nutrients)
• Mixes: GoHunza mixes are the best because they use super foods like gogi berries. Most dried fruit has sulfur and sugar added to preserve color and increase taste - both of these are bad and negate the value of the food - also dried fruit is not filling and lots of calories because they use large chunks which shrink to bite size pieces - it would be better to eat real fruit or limit it to super-fruits (gogi, mullberries, golden raisins, unsweetened cherries/blueberries) - you could also mix freeze-dried fruit with nuts that would be crunchy and good - freeze dried fruit is less calories and without the additives -still tasty

400-500 Calorie Snacks (perfect for meal replacement or post-workout breakfast)

-Gluten free bagel (sans milk - substitute the milk in the recipe for coconut milk or almond milk) with almond butter and honey/jam OR sunny side up egg and turkey breast OR Lox and Soy/Milk free Cashew Cream Cheese.

-1-2 slices Cranberry almond loaf with 1-2 tbsp almond butter, 1 sliced banana and 1 tbsp honey, sprinkle with cinnamon.

POST WORKOUT

-Berry Delicious Green Shake 350 cal:

• 1 frozen banana,
• 1 c frozen berries,
• 8 oz unsweetened almond milk,
• 1 c H2O,
• 1 scoop Protein Powder (your choice: whey, egg, casin, rice, hemp, pea)
• 1 scoop spirullina
• 1 tbsp flax seed oil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey if you want to sweeten it (OPTIONAL)

Granola bars:

makes a whole 9X18'' glass casserole dish - cut up into 2''x1'' for 200 cal (taking all of the below into account) -

• Oats : 2 cups
• Rice crisps (the cereal that you make rice crispies out of) 1 cup
• raisins/dried cherries/or Gogi berries OR chopped nuts of your choice (OPTIONAL)
• Date rolls (these are in the bulk bins at whole foods/berkeley bowl - it is a roll of date covered in coconut shavings with or without a slice of almond on top) about 10 rolls
• Almond butter (whole jar)
• Agave Nectar or RAW honey (1 cup)
• coconut oil (1 cup) OPTIONAL
• Chocolate chips/ coconut shavings/ carob chips etc. OPTIONAL - you can get grain or unsweetened which is best.
• Protein powder (10 servings)
• Hemp seeds/flax seeds 1 cup
• Spirullina (5 servings)

on the stove warm (not boil or over heat) coconut oil, almond butter, agave nectar, date bars.

in a dry large bowl mix : cereal, oats, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, protein powder, seeds, spirullina.

When stove top mix is fluid and warm add to the dry mix and mix completely. If the mix is too dry add more agave/honey/OR Almond butter. If the mix is too wet add more cereal/oats. You want the consistency to be like a bar. Place into the glass dish and put the in the fridge - keep in the fridge and cut into 9 servings which you can put in ziplock bags and take with you - in the fridge it will last about 2-3 weeks - outside the fridge it is good for about 2 days.

My FAVE bars to purchase

22 days - "it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, by the 22 day you have found the way" vegan, high protein bars (10-15g/bar - hemp/rice/pea protein). Omega fats. 250 calories a bar

Standard Processes - made 40/30/30; whey/egg protein. Coco crisp and coco cherry crisp are the highest protein. 200 calories a bar.

YouBar - design your own bar, cereal, shakes, and cookies - typically 180 cal per bar - can make high protein

NOTES and COMMENTS

• Pre-practice you want to eat mostly carbs 80% carbs, 20% protein and whatever fat just happens to be there - fat and fiber can upset your tummy before a practice because of the longer digestion and its laxative effect on you GI track. Therefore options for PRE practice should be carb rich - fruit with lower fiber - bananas and grapes. Yams are great pre practice food. A carb drink (check out anti-inflammatory page) - like fruit juice). Date rolls or just dates are great pre-practice. Coconut water. Oats/granola.
• Post-Practice you want to eat mostly protein and carbs - BUT you need fat! You need to get your body the nutrients it needs to re-build - for a practice less than 1 hour and a heart rate in steady state you do not need to eat anything - but if you do high intensity work or anything over 1 hour you need to eat protein, carbs, and fat after. All of the above snacks would work. You also need to eat this within 30 Min of getting out of the boat - as soon as you stop training the clock starts and the longer you wait - each min that goes by is a % of nutrient assimilation lost - so the sooner you eat the better. A super easy option is something like Chocolate milk but that is not dairy - like whey with coconut milk is ideal - you get the carbs, fat, protein.
• Snacks are great because you want to eat many small meals to keep your metabolism up and your blood sugar level - incorporate 1-4 of these snacks into your daily routine to help decrease weight and keep your physical well-being high.

in your face

Sometimes food on your face makes you hotter, this is one of those times.

our bodies largest organ is our skin - so why not feed it just as well as the rest of our bodies? Whatever we put on our skin is absorbed into our internal system.

Kakes and Sarah - you will appreciate these - also you should have Val add some of her fab recipes

To clean your face:

Sugar scrub for normal skin:

1/4c sugar

salicylic acid from willow bark (you can soak willow bark in alcohol, order from http://www.bulkactives.com/whitewillowbark.htm, or mash up 1 aspirin)

1/2 lemon - lemon juice

1/2 banana/ 1 tbsp honey/1/2 avocado/1 tbsp olive oil/1 tbsp vitamin E oil/ 1 egg yolk and or 1/2 c cream (base to hold everything together and add hydration.)

Toner:

1/2 c lavender or rose water

1 tsp almond or olive oil

12 drops grapefruit seed extract

Mask:

My fav masks are clay masks and you have to buy or go and find the clay you want to use - I used the Origins clear improvements clay mask.

hydrate!

after cleaning my face I use Zeno, murad, or Valmont to clear up spots

Then I use Vitamin E oil to re-hydrate or the Vitamin C renewal facial cream

Why it works:

Honey: a natural humectant, which means it is great at retaining moisture. Also honey is naturally anti-microbial because of the high concentration of sucrose which basically suffocates anything that tries to grow in it.

Sugar: the glycolic acid in sugar and its crystalline structure make it a great exfoliant

Olive oil/almond oil: full of antioxidants and vitamin E which help repair damage, prevent further damage, and moisturize skin.

Eggs: the protein in eggs make it a great repair for skin and hair.

Avocado: high in both vitamin C and E as well as healthy fats which moisturize your skin.

Resources:

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/animal-product/health-benefits-of-honey-and-cinnamon.html

http://www.healthy-skincare.com/food-for-skin.html

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/beauty/facial-masks.html

Grilled Pizza - Ahoy!

mmmmmm - Grilled food is the best, lightly charred, crispy edged, soft center, full of flavor and juice. There is no cooking experience better than sitting outside and grilling up some delicious cuisine. So why stop at veggies? Why not grill everything?

This weekend we created the classic in the most delicious way - Grilled Pizza

We bought pre-made dough from Trader Joe's ($1 for each ball of dough which makes a 16'' pizza) OR ( make your own dough and gluten free dough)

We used slice serious for grilled pizza tips which include:

-Grill your dough first so that it is sorta cooked on one side, flip it

- Then add your cheese FIRST - because there is no top source of heat if your cheese is the last thing you put on you will end up with not-melted cheese. We used a new non-dairy non-soy cheese alternative we found at Whole foods; daiya.

However, Spencer pre-made his pizza like you would for the oven with the cheese on-top and super thick crust and it turned out melted and cooked through so - it will work both ways. We stayed with the tips from slice serious and ours turned out deliciouso as well.

We grilled all of our toppings (eggplant, zucchini, and purple onion) first and then chopped them up into small slices. We made:

• margarita pizza with just heirloom tomatoes, fake cheese, and basil.
• salsa pizza: salsa and cheese - delicious and spicy - next time will try with guac
• veggie pizza: cheese, sauce, eggplant, zucchini, onion
• Calzone without and with sauce - with sauce, way better - smaller the calzone the better it holds together - cheese, veggies, sauce
• protein pizza - veggies with tempeh

Pizza's I want to try in the future - Almond butter and Jam pizza, s'mores pizza (marsh-mallo and chocolate), pesto and BBQ sauced pizza, Corn crust pizza.

I know that I am a walking contradiction by eating wheat -

• one of the biggest issues I have had a hard time with is gluten and wheat products. Wheat has been shown to create thyroid problems, IBS, block mineral and vitamin absorption, headaches, tiredness, obesity, bloating, diabetes, asthma, eczema, and tooth decay, among others ***. Since I started being vegan and then especially in the paleo diet - basically starting 5 years ago, I stopped eating wheat and gluten products (oats with gluten, barley, rye). Occasionally they will sneak back onto my plate and sometimes with beneficial and sometimes with adverse reactions. Wheat and gluten like everything else is ok in MODERATION - the problem is that like Soy we eat it in everything and with everything and therefore have created diseases and allergies because of the concentration of exposure. Sadly it has become socially stigmatized in such a way that there is no way to limit it without abstaining from it - it is too engrossed in our palate and our society to just choose to live mostly without it. You either have to have an acceptable reason, like an allergy, to avoid it or accept your fate and eat it with everything. In direct contradiction is my mom, who calls herself a flex-a-terian, she eats only what she feels like eating whenever she feels like it, fortunately she is surrounded by friends who understand her inconsistent picky-ness and love her individuality. I on the other hand have for the past 5 years basically removed gluten, with occasional bouts of gluten consumption - I take the stomach and head aches I get when I eat it as the consequence of years of wheat abuse. I just make a conscious and social effort to avoid it whenever possible. The most important thing we can do with food, especially staples like gluten grains is accept that not everyone wants to eat it all the time. Just because you ate it tonight does not mean that you want to eat it a lot or every day.

Tempeh and Veggie Curry

Curry!

Curry is a generic western noun to describe a variety of indian spices which create a golden, red, and green sauce of varying capsaicin intensities for a stew. The fundamental curry spices are Tumeric and black mustard seed. My favorite combination of curry ingredients are: cardamom, turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, chillies, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, mustard, garlic, fennel, and black pepper

To make this curry I purchased a Curry spice blend from the grocery store which included - tumeric, cumin, fenugreek, cloves, coriander, fennel, and pepper. I then made the rest of the sauce with grated ginger, chopped purple onion (1), chopped jalepeno peppers (2), clove of garlic diced, 2 limes juiced, celtic sea salt, fresh basil, coconut oil (3tbsp) - all of the spice ingredients are shown in the Wok to the left - I sautéed these ingredients until the onions were translucent.

The veggies I used for this curry were; baby red and yellow bell peppers sliced, head of broccoli chopped into florets, green beans, 1 large zucchini sliced, 1 head of purple kale - At the bottom of the veggie pic you will see a block of tempeh cut up. I added all of these materials to the sauce above then added a CAN (12 oz) of lite coconut milk - the reason I used LITE coconut milk is because I used coconut oil to saute the spices and then the amount of coconut and therefore saturated fat at the end of the meal is about the same as if I had used regular coconut milk - so you could use either but I like cooking my sauce before adding my veggies - It creates a flavor that is not watered down by the mass of vegetables. When you add the veggies they are ready to absorb the mature flavor.

I also put brown rice and lentils and 3 tbsp hemp seeds in the rice cooker with some hot sauce and chinese 5 spice and oregano - This is another complete protein to complete the dish.

We ate the curry on the sweet and sour salad and rice/lentils with Mango Chutney and Nutritional Yeast.

Shopping list for curry:

-Spices (either buy a pre-mixed spice jar or get Tumeric and Cumin and Pepper)

-Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Peppers

- Coconut oil and LITE coconut Milk or Coconut Milk

-Whatever veggies you want to cook

-Whatever meat/tempeh you want as protein

create sauce - cook veggies and meat/tempeh in sauce - serve

This meal brings up the topic of SOY:

Our culture has become super dependent on Soy, (more than any asian culture currently or historically) - from obvious edibles; tofu, soy milk, fake dairy and meat made of soy, soy sauce, etc. to functionalities such as ethanol. But we also feed soy to all of our conventional meat sources (which is another whole bag of worms creating cancer and obesity) and use it for numerous additives in all of our food (ie. Soy lecithin).

The problem is that soy is a perpetually unresolved controversy - mostly that's what a controversy is. Soy has become a negative edible because of the amount of processing it takes to produce all of the dietary alternatives and all the GMO soy used - Tofu, soy meat, soy cheese, soy milk - all of this is processed and pumped with chemicals to preserve it's state for a long period of time. Another problem with our soy consumption is the amount. Like with anything - MODERATION is key. But today Soy has infiltrated the market in every form so that you are eating soy in every meal, this concentration of soy extracts cause problems in estrogen levels, brain function, cancer cells, thyroid function and therefore fat storage. As you will see if you begin to open the soy box is that no-one can agree on whether soy is actually positively good or bad for you. There are equally reputable and respectable opinions on both sides of the fence. The best argued report on soy's pro/cons is that by Vegfamily and Sally Fallon/Mary Enig/Mike Fitzpatrick PhD. However, what everyone can agree on is that fermented soy in MODERATION is the best source of soy benefits and protein. Fermented soy includes Tempeh, meso, Natto, and Tamari (fermented soy sauce).

All I know (besides what I have read which scares away any desire I ever had to eat soy) is that my experience with unfermented soy has been bad for me and for my body fat % so I stay away from all unfermented soy products which is why I used Tempeh instead of Tofu in this Curry.

Other names for soy:
• Edamame
• Kinako
• Kouridofu
• Mono-diglyceride
• Natto
• Nimame
• Okara
• Soya, soja, soybean
• Soy protein (isolate/concentrate)
• Tempeh
• Textured soy flour (TSF)
• Textured soy protein (TSP)
• Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Tofu (soybean curds)
• Yuba