350/365 Plantz a-Make Her Dance: Tips for Getting More Vegetables into Your Diet

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

We know fruits and vegetables are great for us but are we eating them as often as we should? According to the USDA, we are supposed to consume 3-5 servings of vegetables a day. I know it can be hard to add them into your diet but here are a few techniques I use that may be helpful to you:

- If you eat salad, put all of your chopped romaine, spinach, Bibb/Boston, etc. lettuce in a container at the beginning of the week.I have been reusing the same giant, plastic container I got months ago when I bought Earthbound Organics's Spring Mix. Every weekend I go to the grocery store, chop up all my lettuce for the week, and store it in that container. It makes it so easy for me to put handfuls of salad into my container to take to work in the morning.

egg white omelette with broccoli, celery, onions, and mushrooms

- I've always loved omelettes but, never thought I'd ever have time to make them. Not so! My dad is a genius when it comes to working smarter and not harder. He stores all his chopped veggies in a container so he can just take a handful to fry (in grape seed oil, of course) when he's ready for breakfast. You can be so creative with these. This week I'm enjoying red bell peppers, onions, shitake mushrooms, and Chinese eggplant. Putting in that extra effort to chop everything ahead of time cuts down breakfast making by half. This meal also gets an A+ if you're paleo, more on that later.

- Though it's better to have fresh vegetables over frozen, I understand it's hard to take time to chop your vegetables every week. An easy way to prepare vegetables is to steam them either in the microwave or on the stove. If you're microwaving, pour your veggies in a bowl and fill the bottom with water. Microwave it for 3-4min. They should be vibrant and tender. If they aren't, microwave them a minute more at a time until they are.

- If you've got a little more time and want to be a little more ambitious, try roasting your vegetables. Set the oven to 350F. Get your vegetables together. I recommend broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and potatoes to start. Chop them all about the same size and put them in a bowl. Pour oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the vegetables. Toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the vegetables onto a pan and bake them for about 25-30 minutes. Your veggies should be fragrant and a little brown but, not burnt, toasty on the outside and tender. Who knew vegetables could be so dynamic? Roasted vegetables are amazing. I love them. I could eat them literally every day AND since they shrink down and are so tasty you can scarf a whole mess of them down without even realizing it. Heck, you could easily get all 5 servings from roasted vegetables. Moving on...


Vegetables are not as grab-and-go as granola bars or yogurt cups but they are definitely great for you. If you're not convinced that vegetables are super cool or want more of a challenge, watch this video. Jose Andreas is just the coolest:

In health,
Lauren

346/365 Fruit and Veggie Smoothie...Wonder Drug?

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

In my family, my dad is notorious for health fads, specifically fruit/vegetable smoothies.  Every few years since I was young we have welcomed a new blender into our kitchen and the smoothie craze would begin. We drank everything from carrot juice to green juice to mangosteen and back to carrot juice again, and so on. These phases would last a few months then die out. My father has always had an obsession for juicing. This time I think it's here to stay.

My dad showing off the variety in our daily smoothie

After watching a documentary on food and healthy eating, my father made a list of foods that we should eat on a daily basis. These foods include kale, beans, cauliflower, red wine, mushrooms, beets, and so much more. It's a lot to prep and cook these foods. My father is all about working smarter and not harder; enter smoothie phase 2012. He decided to invest in the Ninja Kitchen System 1100. Here he can stuff all the veggies and fruits possible (pears, beets, radishes, an apple, grapes, acai juice, celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, kiwi, a banana, berries, and flaxseed since variety is key!) and blend them to a pulp. In about 1 minutes and 30 seconds you have a variety of nutrients blended and several servings and fruits and vegetables gulped down into your body.

We certainly don't do it for the taste. We drink this mad concoction because we know it is a great way to prevent disease and infection. Note the dominance of vegetables in this smoothie. Vegetables have less sugar than fruits and are still packed with antioxidants. I think we can all agree that we get plenty of sugar in the rest of our diet and it's harder to eat lots of vegetables compared to lots of fruits. I don't feel particularly healthier just yet but I'm sure the unseen processes in my body are singing. With all the running and swimming (more later) I'm doing, I'm certain my cells are thankful for the antioxidants to battle the stressors and free radicals floating around inside me. I will say this, my dad's hair is darker and thicker than it's been in a long time. "Pope head," as my parents have lovingly called balding, seems to have been staved off at least for now. Cheers!

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

264/365 Quinwhat?...Quinoa with Vegetables!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I am attempting to be vegetarian for the month of April with the exception of one Cheat/Meat day a week. I have been meaning to explore quinoa, a grain that has all the essential amino acids, that is great for vegetarians because of its complete protein value; I now have a really good reason to do so. Having said that, here is a recipe that I made today that goes fantastically with tomorrow's recipe...(oh the mystery!) I am especially pleased because this quinoa did not come out dry, very moist and flavorful.

The tweaks I made are as follows:
- Used 2 cups of chicken stock (made with bouillon cubes) with the 1 cup of quinoa
- Instead of using the sliced green onion at the end, I chopped a medium onion and cooked that until tender before adding the garlic
- Instead of 1 red bell pepper, I used about a half a package of frozen pepper strips (no slicing, just cut the bag and pour!)
- I did not end up using corn because I poured more pepper strips than anticipated and my skillet was getting full
- At the end, I poured my vegetables into the quinoa pot and squeezed the juice of half a lime over the whole thing

This was pretty easy and really delicious. According to thedailyplate.com, which I just found out allows you to add your own recipes and then automatically calculates its nutrition info, one serving (about 3/4c.) is 197 calories!

In health,

Lauren

218/365 Super Spinach

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Popeye loved it and so do I...it's SPINACH!

I did not always find spinach to be so good except in spinach dip and my mom's dish called "soupy rice." Eventually I realized how delicious spinach was with its delicate texture whether it's cooked or fresh and its beautiful color. You can eat it in salads or wilt it in practically any dish to make it healthier.

Spinach is an anti-oxidant high in vitamin K (important for bone health), vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, and iron. It comes from the same famiy as "broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, collards, and kale. (WHF)" All of these show anti-cancer properties; spinach is especially effective against prostate cancer.

It is recommended that you eat 1 cup of dark, leafy greens (fresh) once a day. You'll notice that if you cook them, they wilt and are equivalent to about 1/2 cup. It's easy to do and great for you.

In health,

Lauren

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

179/365 The Muscle of Brussels Sprouts

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I always thought I didn't like Brussels sprouts but I think it came from some movie I watched when I was a kid. One day, my friend Allison made an incredible dish of steamed and sautéed Brussels sprouts with carrots and celery. It was delicious and totally changed my perception of Brussels sprouts.

So, why should we add this into our diet? It's a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli and cauliflower. They are thought to be beneficial in three systems: the body's detox system, its antioxidant system, and its inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system. Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins K, C, A, and folate. They offer cancer protection from their large glucosinolate content, a phytonutrient that is the chemical starting point for a variety of cancer-protective substances.

Fun fact: Brussels sprouts are named after the city in Belgium where they are thought to have originated.

In health,

Lauren