341/365 Red Skin Potato Fries

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My favorite potatoes are sweet and red skin. Today I made red skin potato fries, sorry no picture! I actually bought these last week when I decided to shop locally. Since my no-A/C apartment was cool from a storm a few days ago, I heated up my oven and got to baking my fries.

Ingredients:
- Red skin potatoes cut into equally sized wedges (however many you want to eat/serve)
- Canola oil
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Salt

Recipe:
1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Toss potato wedges in a bowl with the oil and spices until evenly coated.
3. Spread onto baking pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, flip over the wedges, and bake another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

This is a super easy recipe and produces fantastic results. Red skin potatoes are naturally creamy and taste amazing against the crisp, salty, and spiced exterior.

In health,

Lauren

334/365 WebMD's Dessert Wizard

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Need a quick tool to help you decide if eating your favorite dessert is worth it or not? Enter the Dessert Wizard. If you don't like counting calories, this calculator will translate the desserts you want to eat into the number of minutes you need to exercise doing a variety of activities. It's super quick so give it a try! It quickly puts things in perspective and clears up the question of, did I work out hard enough to earn _____________ dessert? Hint: the answer is usually no.

In health,

Lauren

331/365 Simple Syrup

Friends and Fitness Enthusiats,

Who likes iced coffee? How about iced tea? As a lover of both, I just saved myself money and saved myself from high fructose corn syrup and other foreign sweeteners. I made simple syrup!

I've been wanting to do this for ages. What is it? Liquefied sugar! It makes sweetening your favorite cold beverages a lot easier and pretty much for free if sugar is already in your pantry. The beauty is that you really get to control how much sugar goes into your beverages. Sure you have the option of pumps when you go to Starbucks or what have you but when you're in control, you win.

Here's how to do it:
1. In a saucepan, pour equal parts of sugar and water. I did 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.
2. Bring the concoction to a boil. Take it down to a lively simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and watch the syrup consistency emerge.
3. Pour into a squeeze bottle or jar and enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

PS: Everything in moderation!

329/365 Blueberry Cobbler: a 6C Challenge Approved Dessert

Picture does not do it justice!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Not sure how many of y'all have decided to join me in the 6C challenge but if you are, here is an excellent dessert that does not count as one of the C's even though, yes I know it starts with a C.

Berries are in season folks and the result couldn't be sweeter! This was such an incredibly easy dessert to whip up and oh so good. The only hard part is not eating all of it in one sitting. Seriously, it's one of those where your eyes roll back into your head so you can take it all in. Find the recipe here. I added a couple shakes of cinnamon to the orange juice-blueberry mix and also made sure to put 1/4 tsp. salt because it contrasts the sweetness of the dough...make this now!

In health,

Lauren

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

306/365 Think Twice about Fast Food

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I found this video from diet.com after watching some Pilates videos. I had to know what a 4 year old cheeseburger looked like. I hope this makes you think twice before ever getting fast food again:



I am aware that this video is from 2008 but, come on, fast food is evil and we all know it; I don't believe the business has really changed that much.

In health,

Lauren

286/365 Cheese Addicts Anonymous

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Cheese Whiz. Cheez-its. Cheese Puffs. Cheetos. Extra cheese pizza. Why is it that we can't resist and crave cheese? According to an article written in 2004, cheese has casein, a protein that "convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It's these casomorphines that are addictive," says Lanou. "All mammalian mothers' milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk." Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it's this process that's behind humanity's affection for cheese. (Vartan)"


So this begs the question, is cheese addiction really so bad? Though cheese is a good source of calcium, it is also a good source of saturated fat (non-fat or low fat milk would also provide calcium without the fat). My beloved Sargento Colby Jack Reduced Fat cheese sticks have 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g of which are saturated.While this makes up for only 10% of my daily recommendation, it makes me cautious of the rest of my fat intake and any other cheesy cravings I have.



It's easy to sprinkle on extra Parmesan on your cheese pizza but be aware that a mere 2 tsp has 1.5g of fat; I could bet that we put more than that on our pastas, pizza, etc. I'm not saying you can't eat cheese, just be mindful!

In health,

Lauren

Vartan, S. (2004, March/April). Just like cheese?. The Environmental Magazine, 15(2),

280/365 Sinful Spinach and Ham Quiche

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

This is the last recipe I made from my cooking weekend and oh is it sinful. The part that makes it to so bad is that each serving has 14g of fat (you can see full nutrition details here); it's also low in fiber but has 12g protein. Sadly, all the nutrition from the spinach in this doesn't really cancel out the bad stuff. Despite all of this, everything in moderation. I can eat a 243 calorie slice of this mostly guilt free so long as I keep track of my other fat intake for the day. Eating it slowly is difficult but it helps me savor it more and lets my hormones tell my brain that yes, this is a good amount of calories and you're full. I made this recipe up based on a lot of ones that I saw online, I am very pleased.

Ingredients:
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, stab the bottom and sides with a fork
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup onions
1 10 oz. frozen spinach package
2 eggs
4 oz. crumbled Feta
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 lbs honey baked ham deli meat, sliced into matchsticks

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven at 350F
2. Saute onions and garlic in EVOO
3. Combine spinach, onion, and herbs. Pour into pie crust.
4. Beat eggs in bowl. Add milk and cheese. Pour mixture over veggies.
5. Bake 55 min

Too good, seriously. I can't wait to eat this right now; this picture doesn't do it justice.

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

266/365 Going Vegetarian: Update and Insight

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

It's been a week and a day since I started my vegetarian diet and it has gone pretty well so far. It's not as bad as I thought it'd be. I don't really miss meat except when I smell it; my co-worker's calzone during lunch today was especially tantalizing. Since becoming vegetarian, nothing has really changed except my skin. I've noticed that its gotten clearer without much effort on my part except giving up meat. I am still meeting (and exceeding) my protein requirements thanks to my post-workout whey, my vegetarian bean curry, and my energy granola bars (you'll find out tomorrow).

I did take a cheat/meat day like I said I would; I decided to make it last Saturday after hiking and went all out. I went to Five Guys and ordered a little cheeseburger and regular fries. This was not a good life choice. My GI system was not happy; my body was totally thrown off by this meal and I suffered. Next time, I'll be kinder and choose something more lean.

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

229/365 Happy Snack Tip 1: Portion Control

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Snacking becomes a challenge when you can't stop. A snack is supposed to be a small meal, <300 calories. Meals are ideally defined moments in our day where we focus on the art of eating, meaning we turn off the TV, step away from our desks, and enjoy our meal. I know this is difficult in the first place, but we should try to do this with our snacks too. That being said, I will impart to you whatever tips I can when it comes to snacking this week.

Tip 1 is to make smaller portions. If you buy big bags of crackers, pretzels, trail mix, etc. to be more economical and eco-friendly, transfer your snack food into a small ziploc or reusable container. If you bring the whole bag with you to work, to your desk, to your couch, etc. you will be more inclined to eat the whole bag. Instead, make your bag smaller. This way, you set yourself up to have a controlled portion of snack food and will make yourself do more work in the future in order to eat more of your snack food.

As a guideline, if you really feel like you have to get seconds of snack, it's probably time for you to eat a real meal.

In health,

Lauren

216/365 Three Alternatives to Potato Chips

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I found a happy snack gem at the grocery store today: Quakes Rice Snacks. These treats come in many flavors and are cooked by heat and pressure, not baked or fried. They have 0g fat and don't use high fructose corn syrup. The flavor is just right and you only need a few to satisfy that craving for something crunchy and sweet, tangy, salty, etc.

A brand that you can also look to is popchips. They are also cooked by heat and pressure so there's no oil used to produce them. There are 4g fat for every serving though no trans or saturated fat. The one downside to popchips would be that they are high in sodium. Drink some water with this one.

The final alternative would be fresh, crunchy vegetables. These always have 0g fat and are naturally low in sodium. Sometimes, you have to satiate that urge to ruminate. Do so wisely and you won't ruin your diet while still getting to crunch away.

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

201/365 Super Bowl Guacamole

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I know that you won't read this until tomorrow but, now that I'm caught up, I can't get behind again. So after you've all had wonderfully healthy Super Bowl food, here is something you can add to your repertoire next year or your next party. I'm a huge fan of avocados; I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 2 vine tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced or smaller
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, torn
- 2 avocado (don't mash them, just scoop them out and slice them; they'll get nice and soft later without getting bruised by the back of your spoon)
- juice of 1/2 fresh lime
- dash of salt
- diced jalapeno (optional)

Recipe:
Add all ingredients in a bowl except for lime. Squeeze the lime onto your guacamole. Mix gently. Serve with your favorite whole wheat tortilla chips.

In health,

Lauren

177/365 Be Wary of Fat Substitutes

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

According to the American Heart Association, fat substitutes are "ingredients that mimic one or more of the roles of fat in a food. " Common ones are these:


http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/images/nwaz_01_img0095.jpg


From what I understand, fat substitutes are meant to mimic the sensory effects of real fat. Production began on these fat substitutes when people became concerned about heart disease and how much fat they were consuming. They demanded something that could taste just as good as fat without the detrimental effects. Some are used because they are stable even when heated. Some are used because they work better for liquids. 


Though I understand that fat intake is a legitimate concern, it is also something not to be afraid of and something that is in your control. We are recommended to have 30% of our diet come from fat, any more and any less has shown to be deleterious; trans and saturated fat are to be avoided. I don't believe in using something fake because you can't control your eating habits; I choose butter over margarine. Also, there has been research indicating that people who eat fat substitutes still crave real fat thereby consuming more calories than they intended to. 


So, don't be afraid of consuming fat. You should definitely be conscious. Don't go crazy with the bacon, leche flan, pork rinds, junk food etc. but you are absolutely allowed to enjoy a sumptuous, creamy sauce on salmon or chocolate gelato. 


In health,


Lauren

157/365 Christmas Cookies

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I heard the following short story on This American Life on NPR. It is called "Christmas Cookies" by comedian and writer Edith Zimmerman.

“Good morning,” I said to my students, “does anyone like,” and here I reached under my desk to produce a heaping tray of homemade treats, “Christmas cookies?”
     “Yes,” they screamed.
“How much?” I asked.
     “A lot,” they screamed.
“Do you love them?” I asked.
     “Yes,” they screamed, “we love them.”
“So, why don't you marry them?” I asked.
     “No,” they screamed.
“Why not?” I asked.
     “You can't marry cookies,” they screamed.
I looked down at my engagement ring and sort of slid my hand behind my back so the children couldn't see.
“Is that like for sure a fact or is it something you just assume?” I asked.

Christmas cookies are darn delicious, I know. There are so many kinds and usually a plateful asking you to eat them. I am a cookie monster so by all means, eat a cookie. But which one? How many? My advice to you is to break off half of the cookie, take a bite, and see if the whole thing is worth eating. These cookies were probably a gift from someone else, right? Well, the giver isn't there and won't know that you didn't finish their mediocre cookie. If the cookie is worth finishing, enjoy it while keeping in mind that each one is worth about 100 calories depending on size. How are you going to balance that out?

When it comes to junk food, you cannot feel bad about "wasting it" or throwing it away. It's junk food and junk is meant to be disposed of.

In health,

Lauren

154/365 Fast Food: New Look, Same Stuff

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Recently, my parents and I were driving late and needed to take a pit stop. We went into a McDonald's and I was bewildered. I kept asking myself, "Where am I? This looks different." If you are like me and have not been into a McDonald's in awhile (high five), you will be surprised at their change in design aesthetic and presentation overall.

McDonald's has taken quite a beating in the last decade from concerned consumers and foodies alike. From the film documentary Super Size Me to books like Fast Food Nation, McDonald's has had to revamp their look in order to stay competitive; they have. Walking in, you don't really feel like you're at a fast food restaurant or at least the one that you are used to. It's charming actually and welcoming.

However, you cannot let the neat exterior fool you. The food at McDonald's is still the same. Their nutrition facts were easy to find and look pretty much the same as they did years ago. Still, kudos for transparency. Remember that a Snack Wrap is at least 260 calories with grilled chicken and at least 330 when crispy. The drinks of McCafe are comparable to those of Starbucks, Saxby's, etc. Avoid any Triple Thick Shake at all cost. Also, when you look at the nutrition facts, pay attention to the calories from fat. Only 30% of your calories should come from fat. Think about it.

I don't mean to only pick on McDonald's. I have a problem with all fast food. In a technological world, we demand everything quickly. In this economy, we want things cheap. When food is fast is cheap, we don't see the forest behind the trees. How is food this cheap? Where does it come from? By not paying a lot for this now, will I pay a lot for it later? The answers are ugly and unequivocally true. Watch Food Inc. and you'll see what I mean.

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