Healthy snacking

 Off to a football party and worried about what you can eat without the guilt? Try this tasty alternative to a popular dip.


Asparagus Guacomole

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced (opt)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

 Directions

1. Place the asparagus into a steamer insert and set into a pot over one inch of water; bring the water to a boil. Place a cover on the pot and steam the asparagus for 5 minutes. (or you can just boil it in a pot of water). Transfer the asparagus to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Combine the asparagus puree with the lime juice, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno pepper, garlic, tomato, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce in a large bowl; gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator until completely cooled. 

Yum

My son ate veggies. Lots of them. Uncooked. It was AMAZING. Homemade pitas (THIS recipe but using whole-grain flour). Low fat homemade cucumber hummus (THIS recipe but using all-natural peanut butter because who has tahini?) and diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and lotso spinach. We've also done this using carb balance Mission whole-grain tortillas, but I think Noah liked the pita bread more.

Tried and true

This is how we're doing our veggie "burgers" these days. Like I said before, we don't really worry about buns, and now it's transformed to this lovely item. Black bean veggie burger (recipe found HERE), topped with tomato, salsa, and avocado. Yum! I think next time I will nestle it on a bed of spring greens.

We had this the other night with my improvised cauliflower side that was delish and healthy to boot. Eric said it tasted like chicken nuggets. I can see where he might get that. Here's a picture (that doesn't really do them justice) and the recipe!

1 head fresh cauliflower
3 Tbsp milled flax
9 Tbsp water
1/2 c corn meal
Seasoning salt to taste (I think I did about 1 Tbsp)
OR seasonings of choice

Preheat oven to 375. Mix flax and water in a shallow bowl and allow to sit while you cut up your cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Mix corn meal and seasoning salt in a separate shallow bowl. Dip cauliflower in flax mixture, then dip in cornmeal mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet (mine is non-stick, so I didn't grease it, but you might want to lightly grease the pan). Cook for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Veggie love

 One of our clients who is in maintenance posted this on our Facebook group the other day, and I had to share:

"Driving in the car. Needed something to satisfy. Got a Wendy's garden salad, no dressing. Ate it with my fingers. A.maze.ing. Satisfied the hand-to-mouth need, the crisp, crunch need, and the refreshing moisture need. The cherry tomatoes were little bursts of fun, the carrot matchsticks chewy morsels, and the lettuce was sweet and crunchy. And I breathed that sigh of relief that always used to accompany any indulgence to quiet the food wants screaming in my head. Definitely a do-again. That was fabulous!"

 I just loved her description of how she really enjoyed those veggies. You know what? I actually LOVE the taste of lettuce now. Mushrooms delight me. I dream about summer squash. I eat vegetables for their own sake, now, not just as a side note to the rest of the meal. It's such an exciting feeling!

Tonight we had veggie and chickpea fajitas on low-carb, low-fat tortillas. It's one of my favorite things and so simple. You can sub in just about any vegetables you have on hand. I did:

1 green bell pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
4 oz mushrooms
1/2 c chickpeas
Fajita seasoning
A handful of spinach
Salsa

Chop veggies and sautee in a lightly sprayed pan. Add fajita seasoning and follow instructions (I make my own but you can use the packaged), then toss in the spinach and allow it to wilt. Put on tortilla with salsa, eat and enjoy the veggie goodness.

Tofu was a swear word

Honestly, I NEVER thought I'd be a tofu eater. My main experience with tofu had been in cold soups that different Asian exchange students had made for us (the worst one even had a raw egg in it...blech).

However, now I am trying to develop a healthier taste palate, I have been meaning to give tofu a second chance. I just had to forgive and forget its previous seaweed and raw egg missteps in my life. So when I saw this post from The Pioneer Woman, I decided it was time. And it was a success! I love it, Daddy Badger loves it, Baby Badger loves it, and Baby Badger #2 got to experience it secondhand ;) Tasty and healthy. I highly recommend it.

Tofu, I am glad I gave you a second chance.

Food As Fuel

Cars don't use gasoline because it tastes good, it's a special event, or because they're bored. Gasoline is fuel.

Likewise, food, generally speaking, should be used as fuel. That's what it was created for. And it's almost universally true that if people are gaining weight from eating, it's because they have been using food for the wrong reason, such as:

-Treats for "special" events
-Comfort
-Boredom cure
-Craving satisfaction
-Because they "deserve" it after a hard day, accomplishment, etc.

Many people are going to want to argue this point, and say, of course someone deserves a treat when it's their birthday or some other special event. But the problem is that every event has become food worthy, and the exciting, good, bad, blah, boring, whatever day should not be an excuse to eat whatever, whenever. So enjoy the occasional treat, but remember, it should be just that: Occasional. A treat. Something unusual. Your body will thank you :)
To learn more about my program that makes this adjustment easy, visit www.BadgerWeightLoss.com.

Neglect

Having balance is hard, but I know it is possible. Right now, though, balance means focusing on figuring out how to be a mom of two children. I'm not that great at multitasking. We're healthy, happy, and figuring out life together though, and I'm getting back into the swing of things. Soon I will start making more regular posts!

Quinoa

Quinoa is all the rage these days--but for good reason! It's a whole grain that has the most complete protein of any grain and it's low glycemic, which makes it a great option for your grain serving on your dinner plate.

However, I kept feeling like all the quinoa recipes I made were pretty similar...black beans, bell peppers, etc. etc. I continued my search, though, and have found a couple that were pretty original and I really enjoyed. Baby Badger has yet to acquire a taste for this grain, so the most he's eaten of these is a couple bites, but we celebrate every bite :) Daddy Badger doesn't always like quinoa, but he DID enjoy these two dishes.

I will just link to the original sites. I always just try to make the best of what I have in the kitchen, so I've made changes when I've cooked these, noted that below each link. Try them, I think you'll like them!

Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado and Arugula
Notes: Watch your serving size on this. Quinoa is not a low-calorie food: it has lots of naturally-occurring, albeit good for you fats, as do avocados. Also, I have made this without the mint, without the arugula (on a bed of spring greens instead, or spinach, although the strong arugula flavor is a nice touch), and I've never added the Serrano pepper because I am the only one in my home who would be able to handle that! It's fairly flexible, though it wouldn't be the same without the grapefruit, for sure.

Crispy Quinoa Cakes
Notes: I used whole wheat flour, I didn't have wine vinegar so I used cider vinegar, I have an aversion to buying frozen spinach so I used fresh that I chopped up very fine, and I didn't use cheese or chopped nuts. I also did not make the roasted red pepper sauce that is suggested, though it sounds yummy so maybe I'll try to do it next time.

New Year's Resolution

It's nearing the end of January, so I've been reviewing how I've done so far with my resolution. Resolutions stress me out. Of course, I think that's the point. A little bit of stress is ok. It motivates us to action and helps us set goals and achieve them.

I have a tendency, however, to OVER stress.

So to keep the stress levels down, I resolved to only make one resolution this year. I am praying that it will touch many aspects of my life and help me improve as a person and help me in my quest to achieve health: physical, mental (spiritual) and financial. My resolution is to live with more integrity. How will this help me in these areas?

Physical: I am a health coach. I help people make healthy changes in their lives. I read health articles, magazines, blog posts, books, etc. I have scriptural guidance about principles of physical health. I watch documentaries and news stories about health. My husband works in health care. I think it is safe to say that I'm fairly aware of what I need to do to be physically healthy.

Wikipedia defines integrity as "a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes." Knowing what I do, I need to develop that consistency and act in a way that reflects what I know.

So when I walk into the kitchen, keeping integrity in mind, I will make better food choices. When I am not so pregnant, integrity will help encourage me to increase my physical activity. Integrity can help me find my way to bed earlier because I know the benefits of getting enough sleep.

Mental and spiritual: I could go on and on about how integrity will help me in this aspect, but here's a link to an article that does a much better job explaining it than I can.

Financial: Mainly I need to be more wise with my finances. I need to do more to understand my finances, and then use that knowledge to make good choices. I leave too much up to Eric; I don't even know how much is in my account half the time. I have really good intentions, but I know I don't stick to my budget the way I should and I need to be CONSISTENT and not let whims dictate my spending.

Also, as a health coach, I can use the knowledge available to me through my amazing program to grow my business and bless my family financially by helping others--what a great industry to work in.

Well, kudos to you for sticking in there for my long-winded post. If you or someone you know has a resolution to get healthier this year, I would love to help! Click here to learn more.