Pumpkin spice cookies!

It's almost Turkey Day!! This year I'm bring these moist little pumpkin spice cookies to our family's dinners. They're delicious, EASY, and healthier than anything else on the dessert table.

The recipe is pretty involved, are you ready for it??

1. Boxed Spice Cake mix (Use whatever you find in the store, or this.)
2. Canned Pumpkin.

BOOM! Cookies. Mix the two together, put spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed lightly with olive oil) and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until they rise and aren't squishy in the middle. *Cooking time depends on how big your cookies are, so just watch them! Use a toothpick to check the consistency of the inside.

You can get a little more creative with this if you want. I removed a little over a quarter of a cup of cake mix and subbed in whole wheat pastry flour instead. (Less bleached flour, less sugar). I added a little extra pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and liquid stevia because I love everything wayy too sweet. You could sprinkle powdered sugar on top, ice them, or serve them with frozen yogurt. The cookies come out like moist little chunks of pumpkin bread, and I've been eating mine with a little Earth Balance butter on top!

I don't think I'll tell our families that these are "health cookies" -- they'll never know anyway!

Healthy Pasta Recipe!

I'm sure you're not surprised by yet another one of my healthy pasta recipes. I'm always trying something new when it comes to pasta, keeping it as fresh and healthy as possible. This time I tried incorporating more veggies to the pasta; usually if I'm eating pasta it's for dinner, and I don't like eating carb-heavy grains at dinner, so the more veggies the better.

 First thing's first, sauté a splash of extra virgin olive oil and two packages of washed grape tomatoes covered, on low heat until they're tender enough that they burst when you smoosh them with a wooden spoon (usually around 10-15 minutes.

Once you've smooshed them into a grape tomato saucy mess, add a can of organic tomato sauce, a small handful of dried basil and dried oregano, one bay leaf, a dash of onion powder and some chopped up fresh garlic. Cover and keep it on low heat for 15 minutes.

Then, add a bag (or some of a bag) of frozen green beans. Cover, keep cooking on low. I like a ton of green beans, but B kind of eats around them.

Then, some parm cheese. I use real freshly grated parmesan. The fat free stuff is full of chemicals, basically, so don't ruin your pasta with it. Plus, all you need is a little bit. Don't be afraid of real cheese!

Stir it all up, cook for another few minutes and viola! Chunky pasta sauce. The tomatoes are still somewhat chunky, so it's like a thick marinara sauce. Put this over some whole grain or brown rice pasta. Since you've got the tomato chunks and green beans, you'll be eating less pasta and more veggies, but your brain will think you're eating pasta. Trickery.

If you like it spicy (like B does) you can put some crushed red pepper flakes in it. He loooooves the sauce. If you're not sold on the idea of green beans in pasta, you can leave them out, but it kind of defeats the purpose. :)

Let me know if you guys like this!! Do you have a healthy pasta recipe?

Guilt-free Maple Syrup

A few weeks ago I posted this super easy protein french toast recipe, and since then its pretty safe to say I've been on the french toast diet. Ha, no really, I've eaten it every day for breakfast since then.

I usually use agave nectar or a tiny bit of real maple syrup, but sugar-- no matter where it comes from-- is still sugar, and if I planned on being on the french toast diet for a while, I needed to find a better syrup option.

 When I found Walden Farms Pancake syrup on Vitacost.com I was super skeptical. Supposedly calorie free, fat free, sugar free. User reviews gave this a 4.9 out of 5 stars, and it was only $3.20 for 12 ounces. Intriguing, right? So naturally, I bought it, but out of total skepticism. 

Turns out, it tastes like maple syrup. It's a little bit more on the thin side, but not so much watery. The taste isn't chemical or fake. It's literally the best substitution I've found for real maple syrup.

Which unfortunately, doesn't make it completely perfect. Here are the ingredients:

Other Ingredients: Triple filtered purified water, maple flavor, natural flavors, sea salt, cellulose gum, sucralose, lactic acid, sodum benzoate (to preserve freshness).

Sucralose is fake sugar, and sodium benzoate is a preservative that arguably in large doses can become carcinogenic (cancer causing.) The FDA regulates sodium benzoate to a level that "doesn't pose a risk" since they're so low. (This being the last ingredient on the package, it's probably even lower than that.) Sodium benzoate is in most things that are pre-packaged; everything from soda to salsa to makeup and more. You can read more about this preservative in this LA Times article.

For me, I don't usually eat anything containing preservatives, nor do I use fake sugar (with the exception of my occasional Advocare Slam!) I am, however, a sugar addict, so the benefits outweigh the risks for me. When I make my protein french toast, I use a little Walden Farms calorie-free syrup and a little agave nectar. The amount of the bad stuff you're getting is so, so very minimal, as is the amount of sugar (limit yourself to no more than 25g a day!) but you're still getting it, so use your own judgement.

Why is soy bad for you?

While soy does carry with it some health benefits, if you read the research on soy and soy products you'll see that the risks outweigh any benefits it could offer. Even if you generally avoid soy products (you don't eat soybeans or drink soy milk) you are still most likely exposing yourself to a lot more soy than you think. Soybean oil is used in most processed foods and soy meal is fed to livestock (if it's not organic).  Why should you care? Prepare to become a soy expert!

Soy production in america...

90% of soybeans are genetically modified, and research is increasingly linking consumption of GMOs to serious health problems.

They are also sprayed with pesticides that act as neurotoxins, which slowly damage the brain and the nervous system.

The soybean itself.

Soybeans contain isoflavones, which are a natural plant hormone that mimics estrogen your body and can throw off your body's hormone balance. And, animal studies show that they cause breast cancer.

The fatty acids in soybeans are the omega 6's (and too many omega 6's cause chronic inflammation, which is at the heart of most major chronic diseases.) source

Soybeans also contain goitrogens, a substance that slows the production/release of thyroid hormones and is dangerous for those with hypothyroidism.  source

How we use our GMO soybeans...

Soybean oil is in almost anything that's processed. Breads, cookies, salad dressings, crackers, cereals, potato chips, frozen meals, lunchmeat, energy bars, canned soups, canned tuna and more.

The process of extracting soybean oil from soybeans involves this chemical called hexane; Hexane is also used as an touch-screen cleaner in China, and in 2010 137 iPhone manufacturers required treatment for hexane poisoning around the same time. Several women (interviewed by ABC) were hospitalized for 6 months. One person died from hexane poisoning. source While hexane's no longer being used as iPhone cleaner, it's still being used to produce soybean oil. 

Soybean meal is everything that's left after the oil is extracted using the hexane. The leftover meal is used to feed livestock, so now your chicken contains soy and about three times as much hexane. source


Soy or soy products can go by all of these names

• hydrolyzed soy protein
• miso
• shoyo sauce
• soy flour
• soy grits
• soy nuts
• soy milk
• soy sprouts
• soy protein concentrate
• soy protein isolate
• tempeh
• textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• tofu

Even sneakier.... 

• flavorings
• vitamin E contains soy bean oil
• hydrolyzed plant protein
• hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• natural flavoring
• vegetable broth
• vegetable gum
• vegetable starch

If you're anything like I used to be, you might read these potential side effects and think, "ehh, it won't happen to me, I'll be fine, I don't eat that much of it".... which is exactly what I was doing about a year ago. I spent months waking up in the middle of the night drenched in a puddle of sweat (seriously, to the point of having to change my clothes) until my doctor ran some test and attributed my excessive night sweats to soy (it messes with your hormones, remember?) So, after cutting out soy completely for a few days, I was back to normal.

So, gone are the days of soy mocha lattes. Sad, I know. If you're lactose intolerant like I am, try almond milk. And pay attention to your ingredients! You shouldn't be eating processed foods anyway, but remembering that sneaky soybean oil can hide in your bread, salad dressings, and more can save you from a whole host of health problems. And keep in mind that even if you aren't having crazy night sweats like I am, the stuff is still getting into your system. Even though you don't have symptoms doesn't mean it's not harming you.

Knowledge is power!! And now you're a soybean know-it-all. :)

Why is bottled salad dressing bad for you?

You probably know that drenching your salad in dressing is a no-no, but do you know exactly why? And did you know that even "light" and "fat free" dressings are bad?

The calories and fat

Not good for your waistline, bottled salad dressings can instantly turn a healthy salad into a meal that's equivalent to a Big Mac in calories and fat. The serving size of salad dressing is usually 2 tablespoons, which, if you've ever measured it out, doesn't amount to much.

 The oil.

 Usually salad dressings contain soybean or canola oil, both of which are genetically engineered and grown with pesticides (unless you buy organic), which often end up in the food. The oil is the source of fat in the dressing, and although your diet should be around 30% fats, soybean and canola oils are not ideal candidates for being "healthy fats." Olive oil is a much better option, and is rarely found in bottled salad dressings.

High fructose corn syrup.

 You've likely heard that HFCS is basically like poison in your body. When used in moderation, it causes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, body-wide inflammation, and more. (Click here to read more about HFCS.)

The additives & preservatives.

-MSG: added to processed foods so manufacturers can save money, MSG is a synthetic amino acid that helps intensify the flavor of foods and is also linked to nerve cell damage in the brain, migraines, fibromyalgia, fatigue, muscle tightness, and ADHD.

-Titanium dioxide: a chemical ingredient in paint to make it brighter which is also often contaminated with lead. Sometimes labels will say "titanium dioxide", and sometimes they fall under the vague "colors added" terms. Titanium dioxide is linked to inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.

-Artificial colors: the most-used ones contain cancer-causing chemicals, can screw with your metabolism, and cause allergic reactions that range from minor to life-threatening.

Of course, not everyone will experience these symptoms; some might not experience any symptoms at all (that we don't know yet). Science has proven links between these dangerous ingredients and our health, but there is still a long way to go in terms of research. We don't yet know the extent of how harmful these things are to us, but what we do know is horrifying. Scientists can't exactly test all of these additives on humans, so we've been playing the "wait and see" game which has proven to be damaging to our health and our waistlines. Your best bet is not to take a chance on any of this stuff and either buy organic, which won't contain any of these dangerous ingredients, or make your own salad dressing!

Healthy, real salad dressing recipes.

There are TONS out there, but I've made quite a few off this list and have never been disappointed. Get creative! Pinterest is also a great resource for salad dressing recipes. 

Sources: BruceBradley.com, Nutritionfacts.org, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, NaturalNews.com

fitness motivation.

Only compete with yourself. Eat cleaner, workout harder, be more disciplined. You are the only thing standing in your way. 

Why crossfit sucks.

Ok, I'm about to get real on you guys for a sec. Excuse the excessive 'tude, this Crossfit talk really gets me going!!

The other day I had another student in class who was rehabbing (painfully attempting light-weight controlled lifts) a Crossfit injury.  I've been asked more than a handful of times recently about why I don't do Crossfit. If you're part of the Crossfit cult  community you should probably stop reading.

Let's start here: If you're a crossfitter, this is a pull-up:

Before I rip into this pull-up, lets give Crossfit a chance to explain who they are.

From Crossfit.com

CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness. The aim of CrossFit is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness. We have sought to build a program that will best prepare trainees for any physical contingency — not only for the unknown, but for the unknowable. After looking at all sport and physical tasks collectively, we asked what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves to performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports demands would quite logically lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is not specializing

Training for all movements, functional and specified, so your body is in all-around good shape. It's constantly varied, high intensity functional movement, I dig it.  Cross training can help prevent plateau, its not mundane, and it's challenging. Crossfit didn't invent cross-training, but their claim to fame is taking cross-training a step further by including "any physical contingency", "the unknown" and "the unknowable." I like your style, Crossfit, I do.

CrossFit itself is defined as that which optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity). CrossFit is also the community that spontaneously arises when people do these workouts together. In fact, the communal aspect of CrossFit is a key component of why it’s so effective. 

Oh yeah, and it's a cult community.

If you're not a trainer or you're not educated in proper biomechanics then you get a free pass on this whole crossfit thing. On the outside, Crossfit looks badass. You feel strong as hell doing 200lb deadlifts, and any time a tire is involved it feels like the army. So I get it. Doing badass things with badass people is fun, but a lot of these crossfit exercises are either incredibly intricate and complicated, or they're just being taught and performed totally wrong and dangerously by people who's bodies aren't able to perform them correctly.

So, alright, the pull-up.

If you have the previously established functional strength to be able to carry out this complicated movement perfectly, then awesome, but Crossfit coaches push you to perform these movements as fast as you can, at maximum effort, and then do several different exercises of equal complexity right after that, so if you're not an expert at the proper mechanics of each one (and strong enough to do them right) then good luck.

"Proper form" is all over their website, but take a Crossfit class and you're lucky if proper form is mentioned let alone practiced by the majority.

functional strength

Web definitions

1. The ability of the neuromusculoskeletal system to efficiently and effectively produce force, reduce force, and dynamically stabilize the entire human movement system during human movement.

Stabilize. Efficiently. Effectively.Crossfit is pretty much none of these things.

Any kind of training without attention to proper biomechanics is dangerous. Especially training with random, sporadic, fast, repetitive, complicated, heavy-weight lifts in preparation for the unknown. 

lol.

Taken from postgradproblems.com (A NY Times Bestseller)

Any trainer will tell you that working out with improper form is incredibly unsafe. For this reason, proper form is stressed to no end in a CrossFit gym. This is because you’re doing an absurd amount of different lifts and motions on a totally sporadic basis.

The problem is, nobody actually uses proper f*cking form. People were dropping like flies in there. Once a week, which was exactly how many times I actually showed up, someone would stroll into the gym with a heating pad wrapped around a part of their body, and sit in the corner with a massive rubber band, rehabbing their injured muscle.

Most of these people will have zero cartilage left in their body by the age of fifty.

Read more at http://postgradproblems.com/stopcrossfit/#tLfyMuiZIAMFT7w9.99

It gets worse.

Have you heard of the Crossfit disease? No really. The Huffington post put out an article last month called Crossfit's Dirty Little Secret that explains the disease called Rhabdomyolysis, which shuts down and destroys your muscles, and the protein and tissue (which are toxic to the kidneys) are released into the blood stream and then to the kidneys. This can ruin your body and even kill you. Rhabdomyolysis occurs in people who were in an earthquake or a bombing. And some who do Crossfit.

Crossfit acknowledges that "Rhabdo" is a common occurrence among Crossfitters. (here's their cartoon newsletter "warning you" about your risk. 

I'm not saying crossfit won't make you ripped, it will. It will also undoubtedly injure you at some point, to some unknowable degree. My bottom line with Crossfit is that in an effort to be extreme, these workouts are poorly executed, and the elitist attitude of the Crossfit community rubs me the wrong way.

And, I don't want my muscles to shut down, disintegrate, or kill me.

Do some cardio, hire a personal trainer even for just a few sessions to establish proper form and discuss your goals and the best way to reach them. If it's the community you're looking for, join a fitness studio.

Disclaimer: Please don't respond with reasons why Crossfit doesn't suck. I don't care.

:)
xoxo