SNACKS!!

Hey guys! So just to inform you of what's happening in my life really quick: I am graduating in less than 1 week!! I can't believe that my undergrad career is coming to an end, seems like a year ago I was first moving into my dorm and meeting my roommate for the first time. Just wanted to share that with you guys :)

Anyways, back to the food! This post isn't going to be an original but I was browsing one of my favorite websites: BuzzFeed.com and found these awesome snack ideas. This post was meant for students studying for finals, but they can also be used for anyone who needs a little something to snack on.

CLICK HERE to look over the list! I have made a few of these snacks and can say that the ideas are pretty brilliant and also nutritious.

Snacking doesn't always have to be portrayed as negative such as potato chips, candy, or almost anything that comes from a vending machine. Personally, I snack about 2-3 times per day between meals. Some of my favorites are:

• Hummus with veggies
• Hard-boiled eggs and nuts
• Apple slices and peanut butter
• Flavored almonds
• Small cheese plate with grapes
• Edamame lightly salted with sea salt
• 1 cup of air-popped popcorn

These are just a few fun and different ideas to ponder! 

ENJOY!!

Spicy Foods and Metabolism

Who doesn’t want to speed up their metabolism? You can eat more food and your body can burn calories faster!! Unfortunately, we don’t have total control over this.

Metabolism is the amount of energy or calories needed by your body to maintain itself throughout the day. Everyone’s metabolism is different and affects their body composition. People with more muscles for example, have higher metabolisms while those who have less musculature have lower metabolisms. Having higher metabolism allows people to eat more calories daily than another person who is the same weight and high.

Spicy foods, such as hot peppers, have natural chemicals that can rev your metabolism into higher gear. Peppers have the chemical capsaicin in them, which where the peppers get their heat. This chemical can be found in jalapeños, habaneros, cayenne and chili peppers as a colorless compound. Along with slimming effects, capsaicin can also work as a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots.

Studies have shown that a spicy meal can raise your metabolism about 8% higher than their normal rate. This increase is considered pretty negligible in the scheme of things, but this temporary boost can help to suppress your desire to eat by raising your GLP-1 hormone.

Other studies have shown that eating spicy foods makes you feel fuller and tricks you into consuming less food.  The topic is still a little dicey and unclear, but the fact is that spicy foods can suppress your appetite, boost your metabolism as well as add some kick-ass flavor to your meals!

Some simple ways to do this is to introduce hot pepper flakes into your meals, jalapeños are a great way to add some simple spice to a dish, normally Mexican or even Indian.

Just something to think about on a daily basis!!

ENJOY!!

Grapefruit for Breakfast

I have always been a fan of grapefruit, there's something about the tart, tangy taste that I just love. Recently, I have re-introduced grapefruit into my daily routine and I couldn't be happier. Studies have shown that eating a half a grapefruit before each meal may help you slim down faster due to the fruit's fat-burning properties and it's effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. I don't know about you, but I'm all about anything that can help me naturally slim down.

Ingredients

• 1/2  Grapefruit

• 1 tsp Sugar/Honey 

Step 1: Turn your grapefruit on its side so that the ends of the grapefruit with the small circles are across from each other on either side. Use a larger knife to cut through the fruit. 

Step 2: Most of us probably don't have a grapefruit knife or a curved knife serrated on both sides, so I just used a regular knife to cut around the segmented parts to make the pieces loose. 

Step 3: When all my segments are cut and ready, I like to top my grapefruit with a little sprinkle of sugar to compliment some of the tartness of the grapefruit.

Grapefruit is a hydrating, filling and packed with immunity-boosting antioxidants. Half a grapefruit has about 52 calories with less than 1 gram of fat and about 166 mg of potassium and 38 mg of Vitamin C. Pink and red grapefruits are good sources of disease-fighting beta-carotene. Pink grapefruit (like the one pictured above) contains a carotenoid called lycopene, which is most known for being in ketchup and it helps protect cell membranes and may suppress tumor growth. 

I am usually unsure about what grapefruit to pick because I don't know how to "read" fruit so I did some research and found out that majority of grapefruits aren't picked unless they are fully ripe, which makes selection simple. The heavier the fruit, the juicer it is, but like most fruit, you should avoid ones that are squishy or oblong rather than round. The difference between the three types of grapefruit, pink, white and red, is pretty minimal, they are mostly equal in sweetness and tartness. 

To recap, grapefruits can benefit in weight loss, they are low in calories and high in potassium and fat-burning enzymes. Store in refrigerator, for longer lasting results. 

ENJOY!!

Fooducate

Hey guys! Hope you're all enjoying the weather! My mom is always looking out for me and texting and emailing me things about nutrition and foods, so today was no different. She informed me of this app for Androids and iPhones, it's called Fooducate. The app itself is free (SWEET), but in order to use some of the features, you have to pay. Fooducate is a personal grocery advisor that helps you make healthier and more educated decisions for you and your family. Behind the scenes is a team of parents, dietitians and techies that publish daily tips and tricks; that include nutrition fact labels, 'health claims' and other marketing tricks to watch out for at supermarkets.

The company was started by Hemi Weingarten, a father of three from the San Francisco Bay area. He, like most parents, wanted to feed his children the 'right' and 'healthy' foods and the supermarkets tend to make this simple task nearly impossible with all their health claims, multiple products and misleading labels. He became to educate himself via reading books and web articles about modern food systems, nutrition and food preparation all the while feeling the need to share the information with other people---ta-da, Fooducate was born.

The app is super useful and has resources that:

• Scan barcodes
• Allow you to see product highlights (good & bad)
• Compare products
• Select better alternatives
• Educate you on food and nutrition

I downloaded it today as well as browsed their website and I'm pretty impressed. I myself get overwhelmed with all the different products and health claims, so I will definitely be using this app next time I go to the supermarket. It's like having your own dietitian with you at the supermarket!!

Click here to visit their website and check it out for yourself!!

ENJOY!!

Chicken with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Quinoa

Simple. Simple. Simple. It's all a college student can ask for from a meal and that is exactly what this meal is. I just took a bunch of stuff I had in my fridge and put it all together, voilá instant meal!

Ingredients

• Two 4 oz. chicken breasts

• 1 Egg

• Bread crumbs (I used Panko)

• Bundle of Brussel sprouts

• Salt & pepper (To taste)

• Cherry tomatoes

• Cooked quinoa 

• Mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 Avocado

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F. Rinse your brussel sprouts and chop off ends. Peel off dirty layers and cut in half or in quarters. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place all brussel sprouts on the sheet. Drizzle or spray olive oil over top and sprinkle on salt & pepper. Cook in oven for about 20 minutes. 

Step 2: If you don't have cooked quinoa on-hand, follow the instructions on the bag. Clean up chicken breasts and then coat in egg then breadcrumb mixture and into a pan with olive oil. Cook until browned then sprinkle some cheese over top and put a lid over the pan to melt the cheese. 

Step 3: Plate your chicken, quinoa and brussel sprouts on plate. I chose to have add my 1/2 of avocado because it was on its way out and cherry tomatoes for more color on the plate.

This meal filled me right up and all the tastes and textures were delish! You all should know by now that I need my cheese fix so the little drizzle of cheese atop my chicken was perfecto!! My brussel sprouts were so good too, for those of you who are skeptical about them or any veggie really, you should really try roasting. I do it to broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots and a lot of other veggies as well. That crunchy outside with some sprinkled spices...amazing! Just some ideas for dinner or even a lunch option!

ENJOY!!

Other Sources of Protein

Majority of people believe that the only source of protein is red meat or animal protein...but you and I, we aren't the majority and we know better. There are tons of other non-animal product sources that people can get their protein from. Vegetarians and vegans have been thriving for hundreds of years without consuming a single serving of animal products--so how are they getting their protein?

First off, why do we need protein? What does it do? Protein can be found throughout the body--in your muscles, bones, skin, hair and tissues. It makes up enzymes that fuel many of the chemical reactions in your body as well as the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. 

As I'm sure you've come to know, everyone's daily dietary requirements are different but adult men need about 56 grams a day and adult women require about 46 grams per day. Everything we eat today is super sized and super-processed which makes it super not food for us. For example, increased amounts of animal protein increases one's risk for diabetes, heart disease and of course, obesity. 

Protein can also be found in fish and chicken as well as steak and pork. As for our non-protein sources I have a whole list for ya!!

1. Lentils: these little guys pack about 18 grams of protein per cup

2. Quinoa: this fun germ provides about 8 grams per cup as well

3. Chickpeas: one cup of these gives you about 12 grams of protein per cup

4. Beans: there are TONS of different types of beans out there but luckily most pack about 10-18 grams of protein per cup!

5. Greek Yogurt: 1 container of Greek yogurt can give you about 17 grams of protein

6. Nut Butter: two tablespoons of peanut, almond and cashew butter gives you about 8 grams of protein

7. Hemp Powder: one cup of these super seeds gives you about 10 grams of protein

8. Green Veggies: one cup of cooked spinach has about 7 grams, two cups of cooked kale gives you about 5 grams and boiled peas packs about 9 grams of protein

9. Almond Milk: 1 cup of soy or almond milk can pack about 7-9 grams of protein

10. Tofu: 4 oz. can get you about 9 grams of protein, for relatively cheap!

These are just a few great substitutions for animal sources of protein. I just want to clarify that I'm not saying that you should stop eating meat, but the amount of animal protein we consume is starting to have adverse effects on our health. I am a carnivore like my Prehistoric ancestors, but everything in moderation is key!

ENJOY!!

Cinco de Mayo Fun!!

Hope you guys got a chance to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!! I probably should have posted this before the actual holiday, but better late than never! Although I pigged out food-wise for this holiday, I tried to keep it low-cal on the drinking end. I decided to slim down some classic recipes. A normal margarita can run to be upwards of 400-500 calories and that's only for one--and let's face it, no one has JUST one!

To be fair, it's just one day out of the year, why not go a little LOCO!!

Ingredients for Traditional Blended Margarita (MAKES 2 SERVINGS)

• 1/4 cup Tequila (I used my favorite, Jose Cuervo)

• 1 1/2 tbsp Triple Sec or Cointreau (orange-flavored liquor)

• 1/2 cup Lime juice

• 2-3 tbsp Sugar (Use for taste)

• 8-12 Ice cubes (Depending on how thick you like your margarita)

• Salt for lining the glasses' rims

• Lime wedges

Step 1: Run a lime wedge around the edge of each glass. Dip the rims onto a saucer filled with salt.

Step 2: Put the remaining ingredients into a blender; blend until ice cubes are chipped and the mixture becomes frothy. To make thicker, add some more ice. Pour the mixture into the prepare glasses--garnish with a lime. 

This margarita will run you only 179 calories/ serving!! 

Ingredients for Skinny Frozen mango Margarita (MAKES 2 SERVINGS)

• 4 shots Tequila

• 2 shots Triple Sec or Cointreau (Orange-Flavored liquor)

• 3/4-1 bag Frozen Mangoes

• Juice of 6 large limes (about 1/2 cup)

• Juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup)

• 3 tbsp Agave nectar

• 1/2 cup Water

• 8-10 Ice cubes (Depending on how thick you like your margarita)

• Salt to line the rim of your glass

Step 1: Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse on high until smooth and frothy. 

Step 2: Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and then line the glass with salt.

Step 3: Pour the blended mix into a glass and garnish with a lime wheel. 

This mango margarita was pretty tasty and only cost me about 200 calories--still a little high but a lot less than a traditional sugar-packed margarita. This margarita was a little chunky so I could have blended it a little more, but it was still pretty delicious! There are definitely ways to enjoy your favorite frozen cocktail without sacrificing taste!

P.S. Just to make your mouth water..Here is what I treated myself too on Cinco de Mayo!

I went to this awesome Mexican place in Hampden, MD called Holy Frijoles! I got three different soft tacos (beef, chorizo and chicken) served with their delicious homemade refried beans and seasoned rice. By the time I was done, my plate was practically licked clean. Needless to say, I really enjoyed myself!

ENJOY!!

Easy Healthy Breakfast

Eggs are one of the easiest ways to get protein in the morning, or really at any time of day. This breakfast isn't anything fancy, but it's super nutritious and I thought I would share with you guys!

Ingredients

• 2-3 Eggs, cooked any style (I chose over-easy)

• 2 cups of Spinach

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 4-5 Strips of bacon (I chose to use turkey bacon)

Step 1: My turkey bacon is microwaveable so I loaded up a plate with some bacon strips and microwaved for about 4 minutes, I like my bacon crispy.

Step 2: Pour some olive oil into a pan and then add spinach. Cook until leaves are wilted and dark green.

Step 3: Put a tablespoon of butter into another pan and drop in your eggs, flip and cook until cooked all the way through. Plate your bacon, spinach and eggs then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Eggs have a lot of healthy benefits such as containing ALL the B vitamins your body needs to function properly, lowers your risk of certain cancers and heart disease as well as providing you with Vitamin D. Although eggs have gotten a bad rep for containing cholesterol and fat, the fat that they contain is a good fat and the cholesterol is good in moderation. This meal has a good balance of protein and fat, which will keep you fuller longer and it's simple and quick to make. Just another idea for breakfast!

ENJOY!!

Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad

The only time I really ever use kale is in a smoothie or to make my delicious Kale Chips. Since I have so much of it, I decided to branch out and make a spring/summery salad. I am a HUGE fan of grapefruit, but not really the biggest fan of salads, so I wanted to try something a little out of my comfort zone.

Ingredients

• 1 Pink grapefruit

• 2 tbsp Olive oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 8 cups Kale (sliced and de-stemmed)

• 1 Avocado (pitted and cut into wedges)

Step 1: Using a sharp knife, cut the skin and white from grapefruit; discard. Over a small bowl, cut between the membranes so the grapefruit wedges drop into bowl. Squeeze juice from membranes into another bowl. Whisk the oil and excess juice as well as the salt & pepper.

Step 2: Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle 1/2 your dressing over the top. Toss and combine then let stand for 10 minutes while kale wilts a bit. Toss some more and then add your grapefruit and avocado slices. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over top.

This recipe makes about 4 servings, so it's perfect for a small gathering, or if you're really feeling hungry...dinner for one. I also decided to add some balsamic vinegar to the recipe just to give it some more taste. My picture doesn't do it justice because I mixed everything together and the grapefruit and avocado went to the bottom. The salad itself is pretty low-cal at about 230 calories per serving and only 15g of fat, coming from the avocado.

Just for your knowledge, some fun facts about kale and grapefruit:

• Kale is low in calories but high in fiber with ZERO fat. One cup of kale has about 36 calories!
• It aids in digestion and elimination as well as being filled with so many nutrients and vitamins.
• It's high in iron--per calorie, kale has more iron than beef (CRAZY!!)
• Grapefruit actually curbs your hunger via the citrus acid in the fruit which alkalizes the body and helps in reducing cravings.
• It also is high in antioxidants and can lower the bad cholesterol and triglycerides.

Some things to think about!

ENJOY!!