healthtips

Chocolate Nut Raw Bars

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No sugar. No baking. No cheating.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these gooey healthy, raw bars that are essentially brownies. SO GOOD. My good friend who is vegan passed along this recipe and I am so thankful she did because I take them everywhere I go. As with all healthy treats, why not eat them at any time of day? Sometimes I grab one of these before a workout or breakfast as I’m running out the door, for a snack during the day, or an after dinner indulgence.

I’m not much for measuring, so make these your own like I did and use whatever you have available. You can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:
2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 raw walnuts
3 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp group flax seed (optional)
2 Tbsp hemp seed (optional)
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (to taste)

Directions:
In a food processor or high power blender, blend all nuts and oats until dusty. The nuts may begin to make a butter, and that’s totally normal. Pour in mixing bowl. Add your seeds to mixture, wholely. With your hands (because it’s fun), squish dates until they become a smooth, sticky ball (this should be very easy to do with fresh Medjool dates). Place ball in mixing bowl. Knead the dry ingredients with dates until evenly combined. Press ‘dough’ into an ungreased 8×8 pan. Set in fridge.

In a small pot, heat coconut oil over medium/low heat. Add cocoa powder and stir with a spatula. Add cocoa powder until texture thickens and will make a frosting-type top layer. It will thicken more when it cools. Add honey to taste (unsweetened cocoa powder is not sweet). Let sauce cool slightly, for about 30 seconds, then pour over the bars that were in the refrigerator. Spread evenly. Sprinkle cacao nibs for an extra crunch. Let bars cool in the fridge for at least 30 min before cutting. Store in an airtight refrigerated space.

Tip: Coconut oil will melt at room temp and when touching the bars. Keep cool!

Yields: About 16 barsdsc_0926

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Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Recipes

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Typically, a little bite of sweet is all I need to clench a craving. However, if that sweet is full of sugar, particularly processed, I eat way *way more than I need to and continue down an endless path of sugar cravings. These energy bites give me exactly what I crave and are the perfect on-the-go snack. Caution: may eat the whole batch at once. Notice: not healthy to consume the whole batch in one day 😉

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Very real capture of my kitchen….

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What you’ll need:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp flax seed (optional)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. I use a large spoon to start, then finish by kneading with my hands. You may need to add more peanut butter or honey if it’s too dry, but make sure to fully mix first. Roll 1mix into 1 inch balls, and place in an airtight container.

Tip: Get creative! Coat balls in cinnamon or roll in coconut flakes. Swap cinnamon more pumpkin pie spice. Add nuts, dried fruit! Adding variety will make these tasty things more appetizing for a good, hearty snack. Or dessert 🙂

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Pumpkin Energy Balls

Recipes

Happy Fall! I’m taking this classic energy ball and spicing it up for the season. I use these energy balls for breakfast, pre-workout snack, mid-afternoon snack, late night snack, okay maybe I just eat them constantly throughout the day?! Although these are rather healthy and a great alternative to a sweet treat, definitely best in moderation (so keep them in the fridge and pop a couple each day throughout the week). Enjoy!

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Ingredients:
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup pumpkin puree (I use Trader Joe’s organic canned pumpkin)
1 cup all natural peanut butter
1 cup (about 5) fresh Medjool dates, pitted
4 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

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Directions: 
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the dates. Remove pits from dates if you haven’t already, and mush together with your hands. It may take some TLC depending on the softness of the dates. Once kneaded into a ball of “dough”, knead into the rest of the ingredients. Roll bites into a 1-inch ball (I use my hands for best results). Place in a separate container where you’re going to store them. Refrigerate for up to 10 days. Please let me know if they make it 10 whole days 😉

Yields: About 25

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Why I Stopped Counting Calories

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Do you obsess over calories? Do you not care at all? Either way, calories are very real. But they are also different from one another. 200 calories of broccoli is going to treat you body much better than a 200 calorie candy bar.

I used to count calories on MyFitnessPal. It’s an awesome app filled with recipes, blog posts, and every tool you need to start a healthier lifestyle. It really helped me realize what I was eating and what I thought was a great healthy day, actually had treats and snacks that I had completely forgotten about. Go figure. Writing down what I ate gave me a great sense of my overall health and what I was putting in my body. It helped me pass up a second helping, or second treat if I had already had something “bad” that day. But it also made me completely obsessed with counting calories. On all calorie counting apps and devices, it generalizes what your body needs and how much you burn on a personal level. I was constantly worried about going over my “recommended” amount of daily calories to stay “on track”. What does that even mean? I would reach my recommended number before the end of the day, and still need to eat dinner. This would always consume my thoughts and I would worry about being in the red on my app.

I stopped tracking what I ate and stopped focusing on calories. With a much clearer head, I now focus on what I’m eating, not how many calories I’m going over my limit. I focus on eating real food, made from real ingredients. You can’t really go wrong with that. By sticking to mostly veggies, proteins and whole grains, I don’t feel the need to rack up the calorie count. I still like to use my app, to continue getting the whole picture of what I consume in a day. I don’t look at calories, but at the foods I log. It helps me stay on track and see patterns in how I feel, what food make me crave others, and what times of day I eat. Which are all helpful things to keep in mind.

If you don’t write down what you eat, try it! Without focusing on the numbers, take a look at everything you eat in a day- maybe even record how you felt that day. Were you tired? Did your stomach ache? Did you feel energized and happy? These can all reflect what you ate.  It’s fun to see the patterns and how food affects you.

Smoothie Queen

Recipes

Smoothie Queen- that’s me. I drink a smoothie almost every day. I dream about the cream and cookie shakes I used to drink when I was at the mall with my mom growing up. But these are different (and taste just as good… okay pretty close). In fact, this smoothie is very healthy and a great way to start the day. The best part is? You can’t mess it up.

This is what I use, mostly because I often have these ingredients at my house.

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¾ cup plain greek yogurt
2 cups spinach (yes, stuff it full!)
5 frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 cup Ice
½ cup water
Dash of cinnamon
Your favorite Vanilla protein powder (optional)

If you don’t have a super duper blender, blend yogurt, spinach and water first, to get the spinach reduced down all the way. Then add additional ingredients. Pour into a mason jar for easy travel or whatever protein bottle you have. This is good to make the night before, but drink within a day or two. Play around with variations of this… frozen blueberries, raspberries, freeze the banana (without the peel), chocolate protein, almond butter, chia seeds, you can’t go wrong!

A serving of protein, veggies and fruit all at the start of your day? Yes, please. I like to prep this at night so I don’t have to get all these ingredients out in the morning. Sometimes I even make a little extra and drink it for a bedtime snack or part of my dinner. I personally like to drink my spinach because, frankly, salads don’t fill me up, and let’s be honest, they taste better when someone else makes it for me. This is a great way to get in a veggie in the blink of an eye. Whichever combination you chose, don’t forget the spinach.

5 Swaps to a Healthier You

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Fortunately, there a million ways to get healthier and stay healthier. Some are harder than others, like putting down that ice cream. But most can be simple swaps that will go a long way in your healthy journey. Here are a few:

 

  1. Drink Water

This may be the most obvious swap of all, but it also makes the biggest difference. I make a point to stick to water and coffee, and an occasional sparkling water when I need some bubbly. Okay and an occasional* glass of wine. Sugar filled juices and teas are the easiest way to add additional calories and junk into your diet, and they come at a hefty unhealthy price. Stick to water only as your primary liquid, it is your friend. And makes a huge difference in your awareness, muscle performance, and overall wellbeing. I drink about 90oz of water per day, that’s about 5 plastic bottles worth. How much water do you drink a day?

 

  1. Get your Chef on

For those of you who say you aren’t good at cooking, or don’t know where to start in the kitchen, try cooking your favorite restaurant meals at home. Is your restaurant go-to chicken fingers and fries? Try panko-crusting chicken and baking it in the oven with sweet potato fries. Maybe you’re like me and can always go for the fish tacos? Think up those ingredients (tortilla, fish, aioli mayo, cabbage) and construct your own masterpiece. Cooking at home not only saves a huge penny in your bank account, but it’s also much healthier- and fun! Obviously (well, hopefully) you won’t have that greasy goodness dripping down your chin from a giant burger, but there’s something satisfying about building your own concoction in your kitchen. What? No time to chat over sangria and artichoke dip?

 

  1. Stove top

How did people live without a microwave? I try to heat all my food on the stove instead of the microwave when I’m home. Not only do I think it tastes better, but it also gets what was crisp, crisp and keeps more nutrients in the food. Overheating/cooking food removes nutrients your body needs.

 

  1. Take a Lap

No, not a nap. Take a lap- around the grocery store. I’m sure you’ve heard that the healthiest food at grocery is around the perimeter- cue the beer drinkers confirming their cooler along the perimeter is healthy. This is not just a coincidence at some stores- it’s really a thing. Try shopping only around the edges, getting fresh produces, fresh meats, dairy and deli products, skipping the very middle where the hostess snacks live.

 

  1. Oil Up

 

Swap butter for olive oil. Olive oil has more health benefits than butter, and is a more versatile ingredient. If butter is your thing, make sure it’s real butter and not margarine. As with both yummy ingredients, use them in moderation. Or if you want to get serious, try not using them at all. They are high in calories, which is okay, but neither are something your body needs. You can avoid them by steaming veggies, cooking meats in their own juices, and eating toast dry.

Processed Sugar

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What a hot topic! Nearly every food we encounter, whether “healthy” or not, has added sugar. And that’s really a shame that the food industry has gone to such extremes to get us hooked on their products… emphasis on products, not food.

When I was in college, I was seeking ways to get lean and toned over the summer before heading into a new season of swimming. I knew that no “diet” was going to cut it for a college athlete heavily in training, so I wanted some simple ways to clean up my nutrition. Man, do I wish I learned what I know now sooner.

One of the simple rules of thumb is to be mindful of sugar and to try to stay under 10g per serving of whatever I was having. Sounds easy, right? EVERYTHING has sugar! And not just some sugar- tons of sugar. Although this is now how I prefer to eat, it was extremely hard to navigate at first. I now feel so much better overall and I don’t get those high-energy/ high-crash spikes anymore. I challenge all of you to try it.

Processed sugar= high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, starch syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, sorbitol, and 56 others names.

To much of my surprise:
Per Serving (which, by the way, who follows that?):
Chobani Flip PB&J- 20g
Chobani Black Cherry- 16g
Honest Green Tea- 19g
Pure Leaf Tea Sweetened- 42g
Nature Valley Oats & Honey Protein Granola- 12g
Nutella- 21g
Gatorade- 21g
Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Smoothie- 26g
QuakerOats Instant Oatmeal Packet Maple Brown Sugar- 12g

~Fun Fact~
4g of sugar = 1 teaspoon

Starbucks lovers read no further….
In a Grande:
Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade (yum!)- 31g
Starbucks Iced Coffee Sweetened- 20g
Starbucks bottled Iced Coffee + Milk- 21g
Starbucks Caramel Macchiato- 32g
Starbucks Flat White- 17g
Starbucks Skinny Mocha- 17g
Starbucks Vanilla Latte- 35g
Starbucks Strawberry Granola Parfait- 20g

Healthier options:
Chobani Plain- 4g
Nature Valley Protein Bar Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate- 6g
Pure Leaf Tea Unsweetened- 0g
Starbucks coffee unsweetened- 0g
LaraBar Cashew Cookie- 18g*
Water- 0g
Fresh fruit
Fresh veggies
(Okay, I know this list is much shortened than the giant list of bad things, but practice checking for yourself and seeking more of these options).

*Larabars, are made from dates and cashews, so this high dose of sugar comes from a naturally sweet fruit, which is different than refined sugar.

Note: Don’t substitute sugar for “sugar-free” foods (spoiler alert: it’s chemicals).

Why shouldn’t you eat sugar?

  1. Sugar intake can affect immunity against infectious diseases.
  2. Sugar is strongly linked to diabetes and obesity.
  3. Sugar causes intense swings in blood sugar and hunger, but also in moods as well, sometimes causing depression.
  4. Sugar is an empty calorie, meaning it has absolutely no nutritional value.

That may be the world’s shortest list of the negative effects of sugar. But the list of benefits in a low-sugar lifestyle is also endless. Check out 10 of them from MyFitnessPal: The Surprising Benefits of Cutting Back on Sugar.

In many ways, sugar is like a drug. It’s easily addicting, gets into your bloodstream quickly, and it is very hard to avoid. The American Heart Association recommends women eat no more than 24g of process sugar per day (what? That’s like one drink at Starbucks). For men it’s 36g.

In today’s world (jk, just America) it’s very hard to avoid sugar completely. But, it only takes about 3 days for your body to lose its “addiction” to sugar. Could you go 3 days with no processed sugar? It’s time to be mindful of what you’re putting in your body.