FUN at the famers market!

This past weekend, I finally went to the farmers market! 

My favorite veggie!

I was so excited, and I bought a lot of goodies!

I bought the most beautiful cucumbers and tomatoes. They actually smelled good! I hate when you try to smell a tomato,and it doesn't smell like anything!

I also stocked up on some free range eggs, beets,organic coffee, pickled ginger, the best smelling organic soap that I have ever tried! I was tempted to eat it...

The veggies were very cheap- cheaper than any supermarket around here! They also tasted better.

The eggs were more expensive, and I didn't taste much of a difference from the regular cage free eggs we buy.

The coffee- I believe also tastes better. I've been using the same cuban espresso beans for a long time, and wanted a little change. (coffee is a big deal, ok?)

I will definitely be going back for round 2, 3 and 4. What a great little Sunday afternoon activity!

Let me know what experiences you've had at the farmers market!

Tropical Fruit

5 Foods You Need to Stop Buying Today- Part 2

Being a dietitian, everyone always asks me how to lose weight and body fat. With that intention in mind- I gave you the 5 foods you needed to stop buying to make your life EASIER and to help you with your goals.

Although it may feel like you're giving up your favorite foods, you're actually doing something good for yourself!

Here are my 5 alternatives to the foods listed in the previous post. 

1) Instead of Reduced Fat Peanut Butter- buy regular, natural peanut butter or almond butter. If the ingredients are more than peanuts and salt, stay away. Why would you need to add more oil to oil? I do prefer almond butter, but it can also get pricey. Another option is just grinding up some almonds at home, and making your own almond butter! 

2) Instead of granola bars, replace that with piece of fruit like an apple and a handful of almonds.This will help keep your bloods sugar steady, and the fat in the almonds will keep you feeling full.

If you have kids and still want to have a healthier granola bar option- here a recipe you can make at home. http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/

3) For a cereal substitute- choose oatmeal, quinoa, or even buckwheat. The more processed carbs we eat, the more we crave them. That's why I avoid cereals. You can add yummy ingredients like blueberries, cinnamon, almonds, or walnuts to make them more your breakfast more exciting. 

4) Instead of lunch meat- slice up the meat you had the night before for dinner, or use rotisserie chicken meat. This way, you know all of the ingredients that is in your lunch!

5) Instead of any whole grain bread- choose Ezekiel Bread.  Some of my clients that have issues with gluten use brown rice bread. The most important thing when purchasing bread, is to look at the ingredients. If the ingredients list is a whole paragraph long and you can't pronounce any of the ingredients….stay away!

5 Foods You Need to Stop Buying Today

This blog may be sad for a few of you. But I promise that my purpose for writing it is to make your life easier, and help you.

The following foods are marketed to us as “healthy” which makes us all believe we are making good food choices.

In reality, we need to stay away from these highly processed foods because they are doing more harm than good. They are all convenient to buy and eat. However, I like to think it’s more convenient to stay as healthy as possible by eating real foods, that worrying about the chemicals I am putting into my body.

Stay tuned as I will provide you with healthy alternatives to these products!

1) Reduced fat Peanut Butter

Nuts naturally have a high fat content. But it’s a good, natural fat. Reduced fat peanut butters have CORN SYRUP SOLIDS as the second ingredient, fully or partially hydrogenated oils, and rapeseed and vegetables oils.  Why take fat out, and then add more fat, and more sugar?

Well, adding these fats and sugars makes the product last longer on the shelf….think Crisco.

2)   Granola Bars

I used to love commercial granola bars in college…but now I don’t go near them.

Granola bars are filled with sugar, and 2 of those bars is like eating 2 pieces of bread with sugar on top. The ingredient list looks like this:

Whole grain oats, sugar, canola oil, yellow corn flour, honey (more sugar) and the list goes on. That means sugar is the second largest ingredient. No thank you.

3)   Cereal

There are some cereals that are better than others. But, for the most part cereals are filled with processed wheat, and more sugar. Lets look at the ingredients for a Special K PROTEIN cereal….

Whole grain wheat, wheat gluten, sugar, rice, soy protein isolate, defatted soy grits...

The more sugar you eat, the more you will crave it. 

4)   Processed Lunch Meat

Processed lunch meat such as turkey or ham contain Sodium Nitrite. The purpose of adding this chemical is to prevent botulism. However, this chemical can be toxic to humans and animals in high amounts. That nice “pink” color your lunch meat has is also a bright pink dye to make it look edible. There has also been a link to processed lunch meat and cancer. Along with the high sodium content, I would much rather cook my own protein at home. Ever notice that doctors will tell pregnant women to stay away from lunch meats?

http://www.cancercenter.com/discussions/blog/the-link-between-sodium-nitrites-and-cancer/

5)  Whole Grain Breads

Growing up in Russia for part of my life, I remember our bread going bad in 3 days. Today, most breads can last up to a month in your refrigerator! Here is a clue why…. Lets look at the ingredient label of whole grain english muffins:

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR , WATER, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, FARINA, SUGAR, SALT, CRACKED WHEAT, PRESERVATIVES (CALCIUM PROPIONATE, SORBIC ACID), GRAIN VINEGAR, CALCIUM SULFATE, SOYBEAN OIL, WHEAT STARCH, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, DATEM, NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, DEXTROSE, WHEAT SOUR, GUAR GUM, LACTIC ACID, MOLASSES, FUMARIC ACID, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEY, SOY FLOUR*, CARAMEL COLOR, ACETIC ACID, SUCRALOSE, NONFAT MILK. *TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF SOY FLOUR

This is not something I would want to be putting into my body on an everyday basis. That really long ingredient Azodicarbonamide is also used for a "blowing agent in sealing caps for food containers such as ketchup bottles" FDA.

What is it doing in our bread?

http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm387497.htm

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will be giving your alternatives to these foods! 

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee (minus the sugar!)

Its officially pumpkin season- pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup and the list goes on. 

I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about, so a few years ago I went ahead and ordered myself a SUGAR FREE pumpkin spice latte at the local Starbucks. I took 2 sips and threw it out. It was disgusting. 

Ever since then, I haven't gone back. I also didn't want the 38 grams of carbs in ONE 12 oz drink! (that's like eating 2 1/2 slices of bread) 

After some recipe searching- I came up with my very own version of the Pumpkin Spice Latte!

Ingredients:

• 1 shot of espresso/ 4 oz very strong coffee
• 1 tablespoon of creamer or 1/4 cup of non dairy milk (vegan version)
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1 packet of stevia 
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin spice.

(if you don't have this, just sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg instead)

Blend all of these ingredients in a mini blender like a magic butter and voila!

Sugar and Spice...

Can you believe it's almost October? I love the weather in Miami, but sometimes I do miss a cold front here and there! 

When I was in college at FSU, I remember freezing as soon as it dropped down to below 70. (So much for being Russian)

I used to LOVE making this recipe, because it literally warmed me up, and it also made the apartment smell amazing! The smells of cinnamon, apples, and nutmeg will now always remind of those 'colder" days back in college. ;)

This is a great dessert you do NOT have to feel guilty about eating! How great is that?

What you need:

2 apples of your choice

1 tablespoon coconut oil

dash of cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

Honey (optional)

Directions:

Take your apples and slice them into thin slices. Then, spray a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Place the apple slices all over the cookie sheet so they are evenly distributed. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and a drizzle of honey over the apples and let them back for 25 minute at 375 degrees. Enjoy!