315/365 The 7C's Challege

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Robert Gilbert, Ph.D., is a professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University and is a public speaker, motivational coach, sports coach and author. As an employee of Verizon, my boss Coach Mark encourages us to call the Doc everyday to get pumped for our lives. Every year, he runs the 7C's Challenge from the day after Memorial Day to Labor Day, a 98 Day challenge! The 7C's you cannot partake in are these:
- cookies
- candy
- chocolate
- chips
- cola
- cake
- and complaining about not getting to have the other 6 C's.

This challenge is hard for me because my birthday is in June and Kelby's and my mom's are in July. I like cake! I also like cookies and chocolate, specifically my chocolate chip cookies. Still, I have put them aside and challenge you to join me! Who's in?

Also, here is the number for the Doc if you'd like some motivation before you start your day: (973) 743-4690

In health,

Lauren

276/365 DIY Junk Food: Milano Cookies

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I have been looking forward to this weekend because it's Holy Week and I enjoy celebrating Easter and because there are so many foods I want to make!

Here is the first: homemade Milano Cookies. I do love these Pepperidge Farm treats, so much that I ignored them at the grocery store and decided that yes in fact this is something I can do myself! Thanks to foodgawker.com, I was able to find lots of different recipes for it. I decided to go with this one. I followed the recipe exactly except that clearly I made sandwiches instead of drizzling the chocolate on top. Each cookie sandwich is 130 calories (Pepperidge Farm actually wins here, 3 cookies = 180 calories); I blame it on the ridiculous amount of butter in the dough. I want to try this again with less butter...we'll see. Still, so delicious! Since I worked hard to make it myself, I'd like to think that I'm much more inclined not to scarf them down; that is the method behind the DIY Junk Food madness.

In health,

Lauren

274/365 Strawberry Chocolate Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Did I mention that I also like to bake when I'm feeling sick? Enter Strawberry Chocolate Bread!

As much as I enjoy the comforts of my over-sized chair, fuzzy fleece blanket, cuppa tea, and book, I also love to bake. It keeps me from being totally lethargic and rewards me with a fantastic treat. I decided to make this bread because strawberries are on sale, I love bread, and I love chocolate. This recipe was originally from allrecipes.com. I adapted it just a little and am pleased with the results; I also cut it in half since I didn't have 2 loaf pans and had to use an 8x8 container instead.

Ingredients:
1.5 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1/3 c wheat bran (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c sugar
2 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare loaf pan by spraying with Pam or the like
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat bran, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
4. Place sliced strawberries in another small bowl. Pour sugar on top and toss so that strawberries are coated with sugar. Set aside.
5. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the well and mix gently until a dough forms. Now take your sugared strawberries and chocolate chips and fold them into the dough.
6. Pour dough into prepared pan and bake for 60 min if in loaf pan (my 8x8 took only 35 minutes). Check with a knife every so often if you're unsure; if it comes out clean, it's ready!

According to Livestrong.com, each serving (16 servings in my case) is 155 calories, 2g fiber, 6g sugar, 3g protein.


In health,

Lauren

268/365 Placate Cravings with Flavored Tea

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Clearly my month-long diet and exercise challenge has affected my blog topics...all about food! I don't think this is bad. In fact, I think this is great because it shows y'all that I am no better than anyone else. I too crave delicious food, chocolate, sweets, and everything else under the sun. One tip that I subscribe too and I hope you will too is to stay hydrated. Drinking water before satisfying a craving ensures that you're not dehydrated and makes your belly full, somewhat hindering you from letting more food pass through your lips. Other than water, you can try different kinds of tea.

There are many kinds of tea that you can find in the grocery store. If you have the means, I suggest going somewhere that sells loose leaf tea like Wegmans, Rostov's, or Notting Hall. These establishments usually have people who can tell you lots more about tea than you could ever dream; their passion makes the experience special. Tea is a 0 calorie drink except for the spoonful of sugar, glob of honey, or cream with which you may take your tea. I picked up two teas today from Notting Hall: Raspberry Truffle and Chocomint. I cannot wait to go home and try them; the aroma is intoxicating. I have been jonesing for some chocolate/sweets the last few days and I know these teas will hit the spot. I'll let you know how they go.

In health,

Lauren

PS: There are proper ways to make tea. Here's the break-down:

Black Tea: Water should be at a rolling boil when you steep your tea for 3 minutes. Do NOT leave your tea leaves in the water and do NOT squeeze the bag (if you're using bagged tea) as it will become bitter and the flavor will be diminished.

Green Tea: Water should be almost at a boil, like the bubbles are about to start. Steep only for 1 minute then remove the tea from the water.

Tisanes (Herbal Tea): Water should be almost at a boil but can steep for 5-10 minutes.

For greater detail, check this site out.

267/365 Homemade Energy Granola Bar

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I totally love Kashi's GoLean Crunchy! granola bars, I've always wanted to make my own bar. FYI: if a granola bar says "energy" in the title, it usually means its high in carbohydrates and/or fat. If it says "power" then it is most likely high in protein. Moving along, here is my first attempt at this allrecipes.com recipe:

note the incredible texture  :)

It is loaded with carbohydrates and good fat from all the oats, seeds, and peanut butter (I also added sweetened coconut flakes). Sadly, I didn't have enough peanut butter when I made this so it kind of falls apart. Still, it is very good! If you want to try this recipe, cut the salt down to 1/4 tsp because 1 tsp is a little too much especially when you've used roasted and salted sunflower seeds and mix in the chocolate chips. Anyway, I recommend this recipe and I will definitely try this again with all the right ingredients; it makes 24 servings. Each bar has about 200 calories according to livestrong.com's "My Recipes" feature.

In health,

Lauren

256/365 Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I like to try different items in the grocery store when they're on sale. This week, I decided to pick up Silk's Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Milk. Oh my, this is so good! I am sipping on a glass of this yummy goodness. I feel like this drink should be more than 120 calories and 3g of fat (the good kind), it's that delicious. I bet this would taste good warm...

Check it out if you want an alternative to your standard chocolate milk.

In health,

Lauren

255/365 Tasty Wallaby

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

First of all, let me say Wow! 7000 views with 110 posts left to go! Thank you for your support and readership. I hope that this blog has helped you initiate small steps to a healthier you. I mean that y'all.

Onto the subject of this post...I am loving Wallaby Yogurt's Dark Chocolate Down Under. Is it particularly healthy for you? Not really. All yogurts that aren't plain have to have about 20g sugar to cut the sour flavor. However, it's organic which means there aren't any strange sweeteners and because it's yogurt, you've got those great bacteria for your intestines (and it's been on sale so how can I resist?). I have yet to try their other flavors but there is a Berries and Creme cup waiting for me; I'll let you know how it is later.

If you're craving something sweet but not heavy with fat, flavored yogurt could be the answer for you.

In health,

Lauren

241/365 DIY Junk Food: Banana Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,


I never like tossing out over-ripened bananas. Generally I will make cookies with them but, this time I decided to make some banana bread. Sadly, I didn't have a loaf pan so I had to bake it in an 8x8 pan, still came out great.





The original recipe was from allrecipes.com. I made a few adjustments to make it a little healthier.
- 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce instead of butter
- 1/2 c. sugar (1 c. would have been over sweet since my bananas were really ripe = really sweet)
- added 1/2 c. ground flax seed
- omitted milk (read: forgot to add in milk)
- used whole wheat flour instead
- since my pan was not the traditional loaf pan, my baking time was decreased by about 10 minutes.

Voila! A super easy, delicious banana bread. I hope you enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

237/365 DIY Junk Food: Rich Chocolate Pie

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

In honor of Pi day, Kelby and I baked a chocolate pie...and what a pie it was! In fact, I would go so far as to call it Your Royal Pie-ness! It was insanely delicious and rich. The recipe is from allrecipes.com. I accidentally baked it for 30 minutes instead of the recommended 35-40 min but it still tastes fantastically gooey; the contributor said that it was best undercooked anyway. Definitely serve this with whipped cream or a tall glass of milk to wash it down. Enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

225/365 Bread Pudding

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

For my own little Oscar party, I had some Brie cheese and wine served with slices of apple and chunks of a French Baguette, a combination I learned from my dear friend Cole. I couldn't finish the baguette that day (I would be shocked if I or anyone else could single handedly) and was left with a hard loaf two days later. This inspired me to make some bread pudding.

Bread pudding is really easy to make. I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, so I made these changes:
- I only had 3 cups worth of old bread
- 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1
- 2 egg whites, 2tbsp butter, and 2 tbsp applesauce because I didn't have 2 eggs
- I didn't have pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, or raisins so I used 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup craisins
- I also added 1/4 of flaxseed for extra fiber
- I didn't make the custard

Be as creative as you can with this sort of thing. You could add nuts to make it more filling and more nutritious.

In health,

Lauren

214/365 DIY Junk Food: Chocolate Chip-Pistachio-Cranberry Biscotti

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I picked up a book at my local public library called Biscotti and Other Low-Fat Cookies by: Maria Robbins. I took her recipe at tweaked it to make it a little more healthy (and because I didn't have all her ingredients).

Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour (don't worry, there isn't any bitter after taste when they're done)

3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp grated orange zest
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 c shelled pistachios
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 dried cranberry
1/2 c. ground flax seed

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, orange zest, and vanilla extract.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients bowl. Pour the wet mix into the well. Gently stir together making a sticky dough that holds together. Mix in pistachios, chocolate chips, cranberry, and flax seed.
5. Divide dough. Place on lightly floured surface. Shape into 2 logs about 12 inches long and 2 inches thick. Place onto baking sheet. Flatten out so that they are 3 inches wide. Bake for 30 minutes so they are firm to the touch.
6. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack. Reduce temperature to 300F.
7. With a spatula, remove biscotti logs to a cutting board. Slice diagonally into 1/2in slices with a serrated knife. Arrange back on baking sheet, cut side down.
8. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove, flip to other side and bake another 10 minutes.
9. Remove biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing in air tight container. They will keep for 1 month.

Seriously, these are delicious and a healthier biscotti than most. Since it's got the pistachios and flax seed, it's got good fat that should tide you over for awhile. The cranberries taste wonderful with the chocolate chips. You can hardly tell that you used whole wheat flour and that there's even flax seed in it!

In health,

Lauren

209/365 Happy Valentine's Day

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I hope you've had/are having a wonderful Valentine's Day. Whether you are with a sweetheart or going stag, be kind to your body. Go easy on the sweets and get active!

Speaking of sweets, may I remind you that dark chocolate is a happy treat. Enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

195/365 Think Twice before you Challah at some Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My friend Allison makes some delicious challah that I can't wait to nosh on when she finishes studying abroad. In fact, I am working on a lovely, little chunk of challah as we speak! Sadly challah, King's Hawaiian Bread and other sweet, tasty carbs like this have hardly any nutritional value.

There are some alternatives that aren't as fluffy or sweet but are quite good. Thomas' Whole Wheat Mini Bagels are one of my favorites. Each bagel is 110 calories with 3g of fiber. Top it off with some nutella and I think you've got a winner. Wouldn't adding nutella cancel it out? Not really because the fiber in the bagel is something you won't find in the other breads and the protein from the hazelnut-chocolate spread will tide you over before dinner.

Happy snacking!

In health,

Lauren

144/365 DIY Junk Food: Mocha Muffins

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When I go to Starbucks on campus or other coffee shops, I am always tempted to get a muffin or scone. In my attempt to follow my own rule, I made chocolate chip mocha muffins.

Here is the recipe from allrecipes.com. The recipe has you bake it in a loaf pan so that you end up with bread. This can be a problem if you are trying to control yourself. The first time I made this, my friends and I sliced pieces off then suddenly it was all gone! This means two things to me: 1, this recipe is darn good, and 2, when desserts aren't already pre-sliced or pre-portioned, you are likely to eat more of it. Muffins are a good way to create servings. I feel guilty eating more than one muffin. When I slice off a sliver, I can totally justify eating another sliver, then another, and another, and so on.

So make muffins instead of bread when you can to keep yourself under control. You will also have to decrease baking time to about 12-15 min (just keep an eye on them). Also, I used regular coffee grounds instead of instant. You could also eliminate the coffee grounds if you don't like coffee.

In health,

Lauren

137/365 Junk Food Exception: Fine Chocolate

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

We've discussed junk food before. Only eat it if you made it. It's a tough rule to follow but, I must make an exception: chocolate!

I am talking about fine chocolate bars like those from Dolfin, Chuao Chocolatier, or Scharffen Berger. These are definitely exceptions. They are delicious and made of simple ingredients. You can also find chocolates that are fair trade and/or organic.

I am NOT talking about your standard Halloween fare like Kit Kats, Milky Ways, Butterfinger, etc. These mass produced, highly processed, and mystery ingredient laden candies are really not worth your time. Do you ever notice that after you have one, your craving for chocolate or something sweet isn't satiated? The chocolate isn't of good quality and the treat is over sweet. Here is a pretty good summary of how many calories are in the fun-size/mini bars.

Instead of those grocery store candies, try a finer bar of chocolate, something pure though I encourage you to try ones with nuts, fruits, and other flavors mixed in because they are quite good. Also, remember that dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate because of the antioxidants and cocoa phenols (these are believed to lower blood pressure).

You may have to expand your food run in order to get these specialty chocolates from say Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wegman's, etc. but it will be well worth it. As far as calories go, they are comparable to the fun-size/mini bars; they are also way more satisfying.

In health,

Lauren

24/365 Choc-oat-late A-Sauce Cookie Bar

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Yesterday while I recovered from my wisdom teeth extraction, I was feeling out of it. Due to the narcotic, I couldn't concentrate on any of my assignments that I needed to write or anything. I decided to bake to clear my head and just do something with my hands. I find that when get caught up in an uncreative groove, I need to break from the system and do something creative. Hence, I decided to bake  :)

I wanted something that used applesauce as a substitute for oil/butter/eggs and that had chocolate. I found my savior in Applesauce Oatie Cookies. However, I used:

1. Old-fashioned oats (that's what we had in the house)
2. Whole wheat flour
3. A little less than 1 cup of brown sugar
4. 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup turbinado (raw sugar)
5. No raisins!

Also, I was lazy and didn't bake them as individual cookies. Rather I poured the batter into a 9 x 13. I had a little extra and put it in a smaller baking tin (picture above). I tell you friends, it's delicious! It's gloomy over here. I find that baking yumminess can lift your spiriits.

In health,

Lauren