Recipe of the Month: Turkey Squash Bake

       It's that time again! Get ready for a delish meal guys, I'm absolutely in love with this one.  I got this recipe from one of my best friends, Christy, and bugged her incessantly for over two months to get it. 
      She graciously let me stay at her house a while back for her engagement party, and my flight didn't land until 11:45pm!  Needless to say, I was runnin' on fumes by that time.  She just so happened to have made this bake the night before, and warmed me up some in the microwave so I didn't have to go to bed starving. Oh. My. Gosh. it was fantastic, even as left overs! 

       An additional bonus for this meal: it's Paleo!  As I've mentioned before, I don't subscribe to any particular "diet", but I do try ("try" being the important word here haha) to limit my grain intake when I can, I've just noticed it makes me feel better.  Problem is, I LOVE carbs/bread/grains.  But as a carb-craver, let me tell you that I don't miss them at all in this meal, it's too yummy!

Alright, enough jabbering, here's the recipe:

What You'll Need (It's not much!)

• 1 lb ground lean turkey
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 2 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tomatoes, slcied
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

What To Do 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the ground turkey, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until turkey is browned (keep an eye on the heat so you don't burn the garlic!)  In large bowl combine the sautéed ingredients, 2 eggs, rosemary, squash, salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, top with sliced tomatoes and the Parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

                                             And there you have it - a big bowl of comfort!

It might not be pretty, but it sure is yummy! Also, my photo skills suck, sooo...yeah.

Side note:  I still don't have a camera (lame, I know), but I just upgraded to an iPhone 5, so hopefully my picture quality will go up a little bit from here on out!

Juicing vs. Smoothies

The other day my friend Danielle and I got in a passionate discussion about the new juicing trend.  It seems to be the "hot" new health trend to promote anything and everything from weight loss to cancer prevention.  Juice bars are beginning to pop up in strip malls across the nation, there are plenty overpriced "quality" juices for purchase at the grocery store and QVC certainly features their fair share of fancy at-home juicers. But is the hype warranted?

Do juices contain lots of good-for-you-goodies? Certainly!  Do they also contain a heaping handful of
sugar? Absolutely! What about calories?  Yep, juices can have plenty of those as well. There is no 

Beware: May contain more sugar than double chocolate cake!

denying that juices have some great
health  benefits, but, in my opinion, they are overshadowed by some serious pitfalls.

First, although juices contain no added sugar, the combined grams of natural sugar from all of the produce being juiced adds up!  For instance, let's say we're making an orange and carrot juice.  There is roughly 15g of sugar per medium sized orange, and a 7-inch carrot contains about 5g of sugar.  According to a quick Bing search for orange carrot juice recipes, to make 1 serving of juice, you would need about 7 carrots and 3 medium oranges (although this varies slightly). That would give you 80g of sugar!!!

Second, the physical act of juicing removes part of the fruit or vegetable that is arguably the healthiest component: the pulp and skins.  The pulp and skins often contain much higher levels of fiber and antioxidants than the juice. For example:

          Citrus fruits - Studies have shown antioxidants obtained from the peel were 20 times more powerful than those from the juice.
          Kiwi - The skin contains three times the anti­oxidants of the pulp; it also fights off bugs such as Staphylococcus and E-coli, which are responsible for food poisoning.
          Pineapple - Aside from the core containing more fiber and vitamin C, it also contains twice as much bromelain than the fruit.  Bromelain is an enzyme which breaks down food and dead human tissues linger in the digestive ­system quickly, ­protecting the stomach.

With that said, let's consider smoothies.  As opposed to juicing, smoothies contain the pulp and skins of the produce going in, rather than straining them out.  Thus, a smoothie made from the same fruits/veggies as a juice would contain more fiber and phytonutrients than it's liquid counterpart. Also, because smoothies utilize the whole fruit/vegetable as well as other ingredients to add bulk and texture (hello creative use for protein powder!), smaller quantities of produce are needed to yield the same volume of finished product as juice. Smaller quantities of produce means less sugar.

What is your preferred fruit and veggie beverage?  Is it a smoothie?  If so, share the recipe in the comments section to spread the love!

Recipe of the Month: Paleo Pancakes

Alright, I know...I dropped the ball for June's recipe of the month.  My bad, no excuse!  But I have a great, not to mention easy, recipe for July!

My pancake making station!

So, bananas are quickly becoming one of my favorite fruits. Why? They are SO versatile!  A few weeks ago, in the post "Healthy Treats to Beat the Heat", I posted the recipe for banana "ice cream", which wasn't ice cream at all, but puréed frozen bananas!  When I made it, I was floored how similar the texture was to soft serve ice cream.  Now, I have yet another bananas-only recipe, but this time we're making pancakes! See what I mean when I say bananas are probably the most versatile fruit ever?

Now I'm not following a Paleo diet, but I do try to limit my grain intake and I've found that most Paleo recipes are just bursting with all sorts of yummy nutritional value.  If you've never tried a Paleo or vegan, or even a vegetarian recipe, I challenge you to give one a try, and this pancake recipe is a great place to start.

Yummy!

Ingredients (Makes ~ 3 to 4 cakes)
2 small (6" to 6-7/8" long) ripe bananas
2  large eggs
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon
non-stick oil of your choice, I used coconut oil
Optional: nuts, chocolate chips, blueberries, raisins, peanut butter, whatever kind of pancakes you feel like!

Directions
Mash the bananas in a small/medium bowl.  Add the eggs, and mix together until well blended. There will still be chunks of banana, that's OK.  Mix in the salt and cinnamon.  BAM! Your batter is done.  How easy-peasy is that?!

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and coat pan with your non-stick oil.  Once hot, spoon a few spoonfuls of batter onto your skillet, keeping the pancakes to 4" - 5" in diameter. Now is the time to add any of your mix-ins to the top of the pancake while it's cooking.  If you add it to the batter, they tend to sink to the bottom since the batter is so thin.

 

Now THAT'S what I call breakfast!

 I found these pancakes took a little bit longer to    cook than traditional pancakes, so just keep checking if they are ready to flip.  Once they seem sturdy enough to flip, flip away!  The second side never takes as long to cook, so keep an eye on them. Once they're done, plate and dig in!

Nutrition Facts (Batter only):                                

  Calories 322                                  

  Fat  10g                                                         

     Saturated  4g                                       

     Trans 0g                                                   

Cholesterol  422mg                                      

Sodium  142mg                                            

Total Carbs  46g                                          

     Fiber  6g                                             

     Sugar  24g                                          

Protein  14g                                                 

Healthy Treats to Beat the Heat

Hi All!  I know I have been pretty dormant lately but I totally have a good excuse!  OK, so maybe I don't, but the important thing is I'm back and excited about getting started writing again.

So since my last post, I have made the move back home to good ol' Las Vegas...and boy is it hot! To keep cool, I've have been posted by the pool with a jug of water by my side at all times (hydration, hydration, hydration!) I've also noticed that since I've been back in the desert, the call of ice cream and popsicles from the freezer has turned more into a scream - I now understand the song "We All Scream for Ice Cream".  This got me thinking of some ways to keep cool and fulfill that craving for a frozen treat, all the while sticking to a healthful diet.  Below are some of my favorites:

Frozen Sour Grapes
Alright, it can't get easier than this guys.  Two ingredients: seedless grapes (green OR red...I prefer green)

and sugar-free Jell-O mix (again, flavor of your preference).  The first step is to remove all the grapes from the vine.  Next, rinse them off in a colander, but don't dry them off. Lastly, you're going to coat the damp grapes in the Jell-O mix.  You can either do this by pouring the powder in a large zip-lock bag and utilizing the "shake-n-bake" method, or you can put the powder on a plate and using a fork roll the grapes around in the mix.  Now, put your freshly coated grapes in the freezer for a couple of hour to freeze up, and enjoy!

The variation I've made (and actually remembered to take photos of!) was using green grapes and lime Jell-O. However, I've heard red grapes and cherry Jell-O is also a good combination. 


Banana "Ice Cream"
LOVE this one!  This is truly one of the best  fake-out recipes I've had.  This so-called "ice cream" is (almost) entirely from frozen ripe bananas, yet has the exact texture of soft serve - picky eaters both young and old will never know the difference. Now, the only down-side of this recipe is that it does take a bit of forethought, because

Photo courtesy of theKitchn because I always forget to photograph my food

you have to have the frozen bananas on hand.  So whenever I notice my 'nanners getting a little too ripe, I'll slice them up and pop them in a container I keep in the freezer specifically for this purpose, this way I always have some on hand.  

To make your "soft serve", toss some of your frozen banana slices into a blender or food processor and blend, blend, blend!  I've found the blending goes a little smoother if I let the bananas thaw just slightly.  Now, get creative with your mix-ins!  Walnuts and cinnamon are a good addition, as is peanut butter and chocolate chips, but my favorite is a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder (a little bit goes a long way) and Stevia.  Eat immediately after blending for more of a soft serve ice cream, or store in the freezer for more of an ice cream consistency. 

Whole-Fruit Popsicles
This treat follows more of a traditional recipe, but you can always get creative with the types of fruits you use. Before beginning these, I suggest buying a popsicle mold and swiping a handful of tongue depressors from your next doctor's appointment (just kidding...kind of...). 

Photo courtesy of The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

After you have your hardware on hand, begin by pureeing 3 cups of any type of melon you prefer, but watermelon is particularly nice for this, just remember to remove the seeds (3 cups will make roughly 12 pops). Next, fill your popsicle molds with any fresh fruit of your choice; blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, mango, peaches...the world is your oyster.  Now, pour the melon puree over the fruit, and place a tongue depressor stick down the center of each mold.  If your mold does not come with a lid to keep the tongue depressors sticks straight, using tin foil works just as nicely. Freeze 6-8 hours before serving. 

Recipe of the Month: Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownie Bites

     Hi all!  I'm on a roll this week and wanted to try something new, both in the kitchen and here on Kelcie's Cravings.  That said, I want to start trying and reviewing a new clean eating/healthy recipe each month.

     Most recently, I tried my hand at making Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies...yes, black bean brownies.  Now,  I'm not vegan, but I am sensitive to gluten, and I've been trying to decrease my grain consumption, so I thought I'd give these a try (plus, I was really curious about the black beans!)

     I found the recipe where I usually find most of my recipes, Pinterest (duh!) and the original recipe can be found at the blog minimalistbaker.

     The first thing I liked about this recipe is that I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen (yes, I have flaxseed meal and coconut oil on hand, and you should too!) Second, it was pretty easy to whip together.  The only hiccup I encountered was that my food processor was too small to puree all the ingredients together at once, so I had to blend in batches and transfer to a bigger bowl.  I would definitely recommend using a larger/full size food processor for this (mine is already on the Christmas list).

     For toppings, I added dark chocolate chunks and walnuts (not pictured) and made them in a standard size muffin pan.  The second batch I made, I added mini-chocolate chips in the batter and then topped it with peanut butter chips (per my co-workers request).  I also made them in a mini-muffin pan, because I didn't like how the first batch only made 11 brownies.

     Now, let's talk about taste....amazing!  I could NOT believe these were (a) flour free, (b) egg free, (c) milk free and last but not least (d) made with mostly black beans!  The texture was spot on to a more fudgy brownie and they truly would have had me fooled if I did not make them myself*.

     In my book, these get an A+.  They're delicious, nutritious, and did the job of satisfying my (rather large) sweet tooth sans the guilt trip.  My advice, break out the milk (cow's, almond, or soy, whichever you prefer) and make these for dessert tonight!

*To all the Mommies and Daddies out there, these are a great Food Fool for your little ones! They will never know all of great fiber, omega-3s, and other nutrients hiding in there!

Order Up!

      Watching what you eat can be tricky enough, let alone when you throw in a busy schedule (who doesn't have one of those these days?!) And a bustling life tends to mean more eating out. Problem is, not only is restaurant fare hard on the wallet, it also takes a serious toll on your waist line - but it dosen't have to! 

      Now don't get me wrong, a home made meal is almost always going to be better for you, and you should limit the amount of times you eat out, but eating out is a part of life!  Not only can it be (presumably) time effective, but going out and sharing a meal with friends/family is a deep rooted social experience. 
   
      So, with that said, keep in mind some of these tricks and tools to help minimize the damage done to your diet when you do make that occasional trip to your favorite eatery.
       
     1.  Check the menu online before going if possible.  Decide on what you will order beforehand to avoid hasty decisions and being tempted into something you'll regret latter.  This way, you have a game plan already set up before you even step through the door.

     2.  Order off the "Lighter Options" menu if the restaurant offers one.  If you don't see a lighter options section, ask your server if they have one, they may just bring one out on request.

     3.  If a lighter restaurant options aren't available, and you ordered a meal off the regular menu, a good tactic to keeping your portions in check is to ask to have half of your meal boxed-up to go when you place your order.  Doing this will make it easier to eat a smaller portion, since half of your meal doesn't even make it to your plate.  Plus, now you have left-overs!

     4. At restaurants that bring complementary bread or chips to the table, ask them not to when being seated.  This will avoid potentially hundreds of empty "mindless eating" calories.
    
     5.  Stick to grilled chicken and fish dishes if possible. Stay away from anything "crispy", "creamy" and pastas.  Also, ask for whole-grain breads, buns, crusts, etc.  Most restaurants will accommodate these swaps.
      
     6.  Be careful of salads!  Not all salads are created equal, some can contain more calories and fat than a bacon cheese burger!  Don't get anything with a creamy dressing, or that has crispy chicken, loaded with cheese, bacon, croutons, etc.  If you do order a salad, get balsamic vinegar dressing. Also, ordering the dressing on the side allows you to be in control of how much gets put on your food (this tactic of ordering sauces on the side works well with other dishes too).  To further control the consumption of not-good-for-you dressings, try dipping just your fork in the dressing before each bite.
     
    7.  If your meal comes with a side of fries, substitute them for a house salad (see #6!), fruit or steamed vegetables.

    8.  Stick with water!!  Also, try to drink one full glass before your meal comes out.  This will help you feel more full, and sometimes thirst can be misconstrued as hunger pangs.

Come'on Get Appy!

Just like most Americans, I am practically surgically attached to my smart phone.  I rarely have it out of immediate reach;  it's my alarm clock, entertainment, calendar, camera, GPS, flashlight, iPod and most recently, my fitness sidekick. 

According to a 2011 article in The New York Times, about 1,288 applications for iPhone and Android devices combined are released every day.  Also, as of last summer, there were a total of over 13,000 health related apps available to consumers.  If these numbers tell us anything, it's that health and fitness smart phone applications are not only here to stay but definitely worth taking advantage of!

Personally, I have six health and fitness related apps on my phone: 
       - Nike Training Club
       - MyFitnessPal
       - SELF Workouts
       - Gold's Gym Spotter
       - Workout Trainer
       - Interval Timer

These apps (mostly free, but I can't exactly remember which ones were and weren't...) fall basically into 4 categories: calorie counter, workout guides, goal trackers, and timer.  Here are my favorites...

MyFitnessPal - Calorie Counter/Goal Tracker
                                                            

       MyFitnessPal is seriously one of my favorite tools!  Basically, you input your height, weight, your weight goal (such as loose/maintain/gain ____ lbs per week), your activity level and exercise goals (workouts/week and minutes/workout).  Based on this information, MyFitnessPal will calculate what your daily caloric intake goal should be.  Then, once you have your caloric goal, you simply input your meals and workouts each day.  To do this, you tap the "add" button then type in the food item.  The MyFitnessPal database consists of thousands of different items, brands, servings, ect.  And my absolute favorite feature, you can add foods to your diary using the built-in barcode scanner! Simply scan the barcode of the food product and automatically the item information will pop up! Super easy!   Additionally, for you cooks out there, you can also create and save your favorite recipes.  Just input the ingredients/quantities and servings, and it will calculate the nutritional facts for your creation, as well as save it for later use under "MyRecipes".  The "MyFoods" tool can be used to save foods you frequently eat for quick adding.

Nike Training Club - Workout guide/Goal Tracker

       LOVE this app! It is so easy to use and efficient. You open the app, and it brings you to a screen where you choose what your goal is for the day: get lean, get toned, get strong, or get focused.  Then, you pick your level: beginner, intermediate or advanced.  From there, it gives you a list of various workouts that fits your level and goal.  Once you've selected which workout you want to complete, the workout components will load in a list format.  Click on each component for pictures and videos on how to properly perform the move. Once you've finished the workout, it will save it to your account, so you can keep track your progress.  You also earn points for each workout completed that can be used to unlock exclusive features. You can even set your workout to albums/playlists from your own music library! Super cool guys!

Interval Timer - Just what the name implies...

       This app is pretty straight-forward, but in my opinion, that's a plus.  I hate it when programs that are so full of frills you can't make heads or tails of it!  Anyhow, you can input the name of whatever workout routine you will be doing interval training for that day, for instance, "Sunday Mornings Jog".  The program is pre-set for a 30 minute, 10 set interval routine, including a warm-up.  However, you can adjust the lengths of each interval as well as the number of interval sets.  What I love about this, is you don't have to worry about fumbling with a stop watch while you're sweating it out to keep track of intervals - not fun. An additional feature I like is that you can set the routine to music from your own library, just like in the Nike Training Club app.  This is my most recent addition to my fitness apps, and so I know for a fact this app is free!

Do you use any fitness apps to keep track of your goals and progress?  If so, leave a comment below about which one(s), and why you either like or dislike it.  Also, I encourage you to download any of the above mentioned apps and let me know how you like them!