Why carbohydrates and protein? When carbohydrates are taken with protein, there’s a blast of insulin. Insulin kicks the body’s glycogen making machine into high gear.

Protein is one way to keep you on a path of good nutrition and weight management.  This recipe is one of my favorites, and is an adaptation from 101 cookbooks, Super Natural Every Day

One of the changes from the original recipe is that we substituted tofu in place of yogurt which gives us our protein.  There are a couple of others, but I think you’ll enjoy this!!

**The size of the tomatoes will greatly vary the cooking times and how long it will take the quinoa to be fully cooked in the center of the tomatoes. Continue checking the middle of the tomatoes to ensure that the quinoa is cooked.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium-large, ripe red Tomatoes. Each tomato should average about 5 ounces      each.
• 1/2 cup of silky soft Tofu
• 1 tablespoon of Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoons of extra virgin Olive Oil
• about 12 fresh Basil leaves chopped
• 2 shallots minced
• 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Garlic Clove finely minced
• 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat Couscous or Quinoa
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º F and place rack in middle of oven. Butter or oil a medium baking dish or of the size where the tomatoes will fill and just lightly be touching each other in the pan.
2. Carefully, using a serrated knife, cut the tops of each tomato, allowing enough room for you to spoon in the mixture. Work over a large bowl, scoop out the flesh of each tomato. If needed, break up any large chunks of the tomato flesh. Arrange the hollowed out tomato shells in the greased baking dish. Lightly brush the outside of the tomatoes with a bit of olive oil.
3. For the filling, combine 2/3 cup of the tomato flesh & juice, tofu, hot sauce, olive oil, most of the basil, shallots, soy sauce, salt, black pepper and garlic in a bowl. Add the quinoa and stir until all ingredients are combined. Adjust the filling to your acquired taste with salt and pepper. Using a spoon, fill the stuffing in the tomatoes till the tomatoes are almost full.
4. Bake the tomatoes for about 50-60 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. The tomatoes will start to wrinkle and brown. If this happens before the quinoa is fully cooked, then cover the tomatoes with aluminum foil and continue cooking the tomatoes until the filling is full cooked. The top layer of quinoa on the tomatoes will be slightly crunchy.
5. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and remainder of the basil. Serve warm.

My husband who normally would never eat tofu actually loves this recipe too!  I actually didn’t tell him until afterwards , but he couldn’t take back that he said he liked it…

Hope you enjoy this!!

- Jocelyn -

I’ve tried a few over the past couple of weeks, and they didn’t work out great, but this one did!

Today’s recipe of choice is your traditional mashed potatoes.  If you remember, my son is a vegetarian, so I am ALWAYS looking for creative ways to get protein in his diet through the foods I know that he will eat today.

This is so very simple, and he actually likes it better as it gives the potatoes a little more ‘taste’ to them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. skinned potatoes (personal choice on type – we prefer red)
• ¼ cup reduced fat butter (again, personal choice – we usually use a yogurt based butter spread)
• ¼ cup 2% organic or regular milk
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the skinned potatoes in a large pot
2. Cover with water and boil for 15 minutes or however long it takes to be able to easily pierce them with a fork
3. Drain the water and then mash the potatoes
4. Add all the ingredients and mix thoroughly

Optional – top with the shredded cheddar cheese – My son LOVES to add the cheese, and then mix it through the potatoes…

Bon apetite!

- Jocelyn -

Protein is more satisfying than fats or carbohydrates.  Also by eating enough protein, you help preserve muscle mass and encourage fat burning, while keeping you feeling full.  You can include healthy protein sources in your diet with foods like yogurt, cheese, nuts, beans, or lean meats.

However, if you’re like my family, we have a variety of dietary differences.  For example, my son is a vegetarian, I only do fish, and my husband and daughter are hard core meat eaters.

So because protein is one way to keep you on a path of good nutrition and weight management, and I have a vegetarian in the family as well as members in my family that I would rather not eat meat all the time, I’ve learned to be creative on ways to include protein in each of our meals.

In addition to ensuring more protein is in our diets, I also try to ensure a mix of carbohydrates and protein.  Why carbohydrates and protein? When carbohydrates are taken with protein, there’s a blast of insulin. Insulin kicks the body’s glycogen making machine into high gear. Glycogen is considered the principal storage form of glucose and is found mainly in liver and muscle. Glucose supplies the body’s active tissues with energy.

Therefore, insulin will speed up the movement of glucose and amino acids into cells which are what you definitely want and secondly, it activates a special enzyme which is essential for glycogen synthesis.  This process is the preferred energy source for exercise, necessary for fueling muscles, supplying glucose to the brain as well as being required for burning fat.

I’ll be doing a series on simple recipes using protein powder that will help support more protein in your diet, as well as combining carbohydrates and protein to support energy for your body.

I’ll start with Peaches and Cream….

This is a very simple and easy recipe.  My daughter does not like to eat breakfast, yet breakfast is SOOO important.  This recipe is light enough that she will eat it, and I feel great that she ate and got a balance of carbohydrates and protein.  My son loves breakfast but is the vegetarian; this recipe helps me ensure protein to the start of his day.  This can be whipped up very easily and in no time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup peaches (fresh or jarred organic w/o all the additives)
• ¼ cup fat free or organic cream cheese (this is a personal preference – I use organic)
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 500 F.  Slice up the peaches.  It is very hard (at least where I am from) to find good or organic peaches, so I use the jarred organic peaches from Trader Joe’s.  Trader Joe’s is great; you can find good foods without all the additives in them.

Lay the peaches in a baking dish and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, cinnamon, protein powder and vanilla extract.  I usually make a larger batch of this, and then just leave the extra in the fridge.  You can use this spread on bagels, or whatever else you like cream cheese with (it’s delicious by itself).

Place the peaches in a serving dish, with a small scoop of the cream cheese mix.  You can also put the scoop under the hot peaches if you want it more melted (more your preference).  The mix will melt somewhat over your peaches.

Eat and enjoy!

- Jocelyn -

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped basil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (if you like a thinner soup, add more broth)
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 3 large potatoes peeled and diced (optional)

Preparation:

I love cauliflower, and the added potato makes this a meal for me; and then a side of toasted wheat bread…

Hope you enjoy

- Jocelyn -

The goal over this 10-week period was to weekly introduce a resistance training exercise you can easily do at home, in front of the TV, whenever you have a few minutes.  It’s an easy way to introduce exercise in to your daily routine.  This is how I started and now I can’t imagine not having the exercise in my life – I feel so much better after each workout!

What is resistance training?  Resistance training is a fantastic form of exercise. In resistance training, you work your muscles against a force in order to build strength. And you’ll get a lot more than increased strength from it. Other benefits include:

• endurance
• increased bone density
• reduced body fat
• weight loss
• reduced rate of injury
• improved balance and coordination

As mentioned in a previous article, you need to give the muscles a day of rest, so when working the SAME muscles, you should do every other day.  The in between days, I usually focus on cardio training as an example.

As with any exercise program, you should consult with your doctor on what’s best for you.

The goal is to add a new exercise each week to your program.  As this is resistance training, this just means that you move quickly from one exercise to the next, stopping only long enough to get setup for the next exercise.

Some tips:

1. Your movements should be slow and controlled, and you should hold in each position for one-second, where the ‘lift’ to the hold positions takes two seconds.
2. Try to increase your weights as you continue through your program.
3. Many people make the mistake of holding their breath.  Your muscles need oxygen, remind yourself to breathe.
4. As with any exercise program, warm up before, including stretching.

This week’s focus is the Bicycle

1. Lie on your back with your hands behind your lifted head and your knees in toward your chest
2. Then extend your right leg out and up on an angle
3. Inhale and slowly twist your upper body until your right elbow touches your left knee
4. Look back toward your left elbow and hold the position as you exhale
5. Now switch to the other side, bringing your left elbo to your right kneed, as you extend your left leg (see diagram)
6. Repeat all steps

The abdominal muscles are worked with this resistance training.

This is one easy way to introduce exercise in to your life, to help get us all moving…  That’s the last of the 10!.  Hope you give them a try

- Jocelyn -

What is resistance training?  Resistance training is a fantastic form of exercise. In resistance training, you work your muscles against a force in order to build strength. And you’ll get a lot more than increased strength from it. Other benefits include:

• endurance
• increased bone density
• reduced body fat
• weight loss
• reduced rate of injury
• improved balance and coordination

As mentioned in a previous article, you need to give the muscles a day of rest, so when working the SAME muscles, you should do every other day.  The in between days, I usually focus on cardio training as an example.

As with any exercise program, you should consult with your doctor on what’s best for you.

The goal is to add a new exercise each week to your program.  As this is resistance training, this just means that you move quickly from one exercise to the next, stopping only long enough to get setup for the next exercise.

Some tips:

1. Your movements should be slow and controlled, and you should hold in each position for one-second, where the ‘lift’ to the hold positions takes two seconds.
2. Try to increase your weights as you continue through your program.
3. Many people make the mistake of holding their breath.  Your muscles need oxygen, remind yourself to breathe.
4. As with any exercise program, warm up before, including stretching.

This week’s focus is the Double Leg Stretch

1. Lie on your back, have both knees pulled in toward your chest
2. Lift your head and your neck with your chin tucked
3. Exhale and feel your navel sink toward your spine
4. Then inhale and reach your arms long behind you at an angle; making sure your legs in front are at about 45 degrees
5. When you exhale, bring your knees in to your chest and circle your arms around to meet them
6. Repeat all steps

The abdominal muscles are worked with this resistance training.

This is one easy way to introduce exercise in to your life, to help get us all moving…  I’ll introduce another one next week to combine with this.  Give it a try

Stay tuned for next week’s focus and the last of the 10 resistance exercises, which will be the Bicycle!

- Jocelyn -

What is resistance training?  Resistance training is a fantastic form of exercise. In resistance training, you work your muscles against a force in order to build strength. And you’ll get a lot more than increased strength from it. Other benefits include:

• endurance
• increased bone density
• reduced body fat
• weight loss
• reduced rate of injury
• improved balance and coordination

As mentioned in a previous article, you need to give the muscles a day of rest, so when working the SAME muscles, you should do every other day.  The in between days, I usually focus on cardio training as an example.

As with any exercise program, you should consult with your doctor on what’s best for you.

The goal is to add a new exercise each week to your program.  As this is resistance training, this just means that you move quickly from one exercise to the next, stopping only long enough to get setup for the next exercise.

Some tips:

1. Your movements should be slow and controlled, and you should hold in each position for one-second, where the ‘lift’ to the hold positions takes two seconds.
2. Try to increase your weights as you continue through your program.
3. Many people make the mistake of holding their breath.  Your muscles need oxygen, remind yourself to breathe.
4. As with any exercise program, warm up before, including stretching.

This week’s focus is Standing Heel Raises

1. With your feet about hip width apart, stand on a stair
2. Move your feet to the edge of the stair so that everything from the balls of your feet up to your toes is supported but your heels are unsupported
3. Hold on to the rail or something to keep your balance, but do not use the rail to do the work for you
4. Slowly push up on your toes, and pause at the top and contract your calf muscles
5. Slowly lower your heels down until your feel a comfortable stretch in the back of your calves and ankles
6. Repeat all steps

The calf muscles are worked with this resistance training.

This is one easy way to introduce exercise in to your life, to help get us all moving…  I’ll introduce another one next week to combine with this.  Give it a try

Stay tuned for next week’s focus which will be the Double Leg Stretch!

- Jocelyn -

Let me explain…  Unfortunately the food label laws give license to manufacturer’s products’ packaging that would lead consumers to believe they are getting something they really are not.  The manufacturers know you want to eat healthy, so they make it appear as if your choice is healthy with how they label the packaging.  I’ll demonstrate this by giving you a few examples of how misleading products’ packaging and food labels can be, and the best way to interpret the reality of what you are buying.

Here is an example of a cooking spray which claims that it contains zero grams of fat per serving, yet the product is 100 percent fat!  How do they get away with this?  Very good question…  The government allows food manufacturers to adjust the serving size on their labels and then round down the number of fat grams.  So for this example, the serving size is only 1/3 of a second, so it allows the manufacturer based on the guidelines to state there is no fat per serving.  This is so incredibly misleading.  Do you know how quick a 1/3 of a second is when trying to spray and cover a pan?  Ridiculous!!

Manufacturers will also try to lead consumers to believe that the foods they are looking to buy are free of trans fat.  Hydrogenated oil is directly tied to trans fat.  With food labeling laws, manufacturers can say a food is free of trans fat (on a per-servings basis) if the amount of trans fats is 0.5 grams or less.  So again, by reducing the serving size, and rounding down, you get the claim of no trans fat as with the example below.

Let’s switch to ground turkey.  You see a label for lean ground turkey, and you believe you are making a smart, healthy choice, right?  The packaging also states 15% fat or 85% fat free, but the packaging is referring to fat by weight in grams, not by calories.  A gram of fat equals nine calories, and a gram of protein and carbohydrates equals only four.  So if you read the label below, you will see that four ounces of this turkey has 20 grams of protein and 17 grams of fat!  You will also see that each 4 ounce serving has 220 calories, 150 of which come from fat.  If you do the math it’s 150 / 220 = 0.68 or 68% fat!

The following is an example of a better choice of turkey.  This is only white breast meat, and you’d be eating 0.5 grams of fat per 4 ounce serving, and only 4% of the total calories from fat; 5 / 120 = 0.04 or 4%.  This is a much better choice!

So what this all means is that you shouldn’t believe the manufacturer’s products’ packaging, but instead read the label and know how to decipher it.  It may seem complicated at first, but you will get the hang of it, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll already know which products are good choices for you and your family.  Two of the items on the food label I look at first are ‘calories per serving size’ and ‘calories from fat’, and then I do a straight division.

Foods that I always thought were good for me and my family was actually horrible!  It was very frustrating, and more importantly disappointing that food manufacturers can get away with this.

I’m a strong believer now in reading EVERY label of the foods I am going to buy.  I now have a list of foods that I’ve already evaluated and have become part of my every week grocery list (it does get easier).  Now it’s just when I am looking at something new that I dive in to the label to determine the real value, not the propaganda on the packaging (and I bring my calculator).

Hope this helps with your choices; it’s helped me and my family a lot!  I’ll focus a future write up on the actual ingredients to avoid!  Happy shopping!

- Jocelyn -

It’s very simple…

• a slice of wheat bread toasted (I usually use Country Kitchen Double Fiber 100% Wheat Bread)
• add a spread of almond butter (instead of peanut butter – make sure to read the ingredients! )

• add a spread of Nutella (instead of chocolate)

That’s it!  The wheat bread and almond butter are good for you!  And Nutella spread is mainly hazelnuts (also good for you), but it does have sugar… but it’s a lot better than milk chocolate, and I just limit my sugar elsewhere.  It’s one of my little treats to myself, where 98% of it is good for me.  It satisfies a craving every now and then, and I can enjoy it guilt free! 

Enjoy!!! – Jocelyn -

What is resistance training?  Resistance training is a fantastic form of exercise. In resistance training, you work your muscles against a force in order to build strength. And you’ll get a lot more than increased strength from it. Other benefits include:

• endurance
• increased bone density
• reduced body fat
• weight loss
• reduced rate of injury
• improved balance and coordination

As mentioned in a previous article, you need to give the muscles a day of rest, so when working the SAME muscles, you should do every other day.  The in between days, I usually focus on cardio training as an example.

As with any exercise program, you should consult with your doctor on what’s best for you.

The goal is to add a new exercise each week to your program.  As this is resistance training, this just means that you move quickly from one exercise to the next, stopping only long enough to get setup for the next exercise.

Some tips:

1. Your movements should be slow and controlled, and you should hold in each position for one-second, where the ‘lift’ to the hold positions takes two seconds.
2. Try to increase your weights as you continue through your program.
3. Many people make the mistake of holding their breath.  Your muscles need oxygen, remind yourself to breathe.
4. As with any exercise program, warm up before, including stretching.

This week’s focus is Squats

1. Stand with your feet about hip width apart, and your heels pressed down firmly
2. With a dumbbell in each hand, slowly bend your knees, keeping your back straight until you reach a position where your thighs are parallel to the floor and then return to a standing position
3. Repeat all steps

NOTE:  Be sure that your knees do not extend forward past your toes; you can do this by sitting back into the position as if you were sitting into a chair

The thigh and butt muscles are worked with this resistance training.

This is one easy way to introduce exercise in to your life, to help get us all moving…  I’ll introduce another one next week to combine with this.  Give it a try

Stay tuned for next week’s focus which will be Standing Heel Raises!

-Jocelyn