Recipe for Health: Eat-Your-Vegetables GF Pizza Crust

I love pizza. The sauce, the cheese, the veggies, the chewy crust.... did I mention the crust? I even eat the heel of my husband's pizza crust because he leaves it. It just looks so sad and lonely.

I recently began seeing a health therapist who advised that I give up gluten, among some other things. I don't completely buy into her advice, seeing as how I do not have a gluten intolerance, but it did open my eyes to a few tweaks I could make in my diet to cut down on the amount of gluten I do eat. Out of curiosity, I began to look at the labels on some packages of GF items and was sad to see that the list of ingredients was very long, and they contained lots of sweeteners and preservatives. I like to eat foods that are minimally processed, so these don't fit into my plan.

The good news is that I came across an interesting concept:  using cauliflower to make pizza crust. It sounds weird, and after reading this, you might still think it's weird, but I dare you to try it!

Eat-Your-Vegetables Gluten Free Pizza Crust 
1 small head cauliflower
1 C low-fat cheese (can be dairy free)
1 egg
1 t minced garlic
Oregano to taste
1, 14oz. can diced tomatoes (organic, no salt added)
Favorite pizza toppings

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place rack on middle shelf. Put small chunks of cauliflower (leaves and stems removed) into a food processor. Pulse until cauliflower is the consistency of rice. Remove and place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Remove and stir in cheese, egg, garlic and oregano.

Place "dough" on pizza stone or cookie sheet. Spread until it is about 1/4 thick. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are brown and center is cooked through. Remove from the oven and top with tomatoes (I use this instead of pizza sauce since it has no added sugar). Add the rest of your toppings (some ideas:  spinach, artichokes, diced chicken, onions, mushrooms, small amount of cheese). Turn oven onto broil and place pizza back in until toppings are cooked (spinah is wilted, cheese is melted, etc.) Slice and enjoy!

Stride and Strength: Bum Burner

Work that incline on the treadmill, and give your backside a boost! Follow it up with some simple strength moves to build lean muscle, and you've got a great workout. On your make, get set..... GO!

Stride

Minutes 0-5:  Incline 1, Speed 3.5-4.0
Minutes 5-9:  Incline 3, Speed 4.0-4.5
Minutes 9-10:  Incline 3, Speed 5.0-5.5
Minutes 10-15:  Incline 1, Speed 5.5-6.0
Minutes 15-19:  Incline 5, Speed 4.5-5.0
Minutes 19-20:  Incline 5, Speed 4.5-5.0
Minutes 20-25:  Incline 7, Speed 3.5-4.0
Minutes 25-30:  Incline 1, Speed 3.5-4.0

I've included the table below for something a little easier on the eyes while you're moving on the treadmill. I will find a new way to format this...

                    

0-5	1	3.5-4.0
5-9	3	4.0-4.5
9-10	3	5.0-5.5
10-15	1	5.5-6.0
15-19	5	3.5-4.0
19-20	5	4.5-5.0
20-25	7	3.5-4.0
25-30	1	3.5-4.0

Strength

Equipment: heavy and light weights, mat

20 walking lunges 

20 push-ups

15 shoulder presses

30 seconds running lunges, right leg

60 seconds jumping jacks

30 seconds running lunges, left leg

15 front shoulder raises (arms straight)

15 bicep curls with optional squat

15 side shoulder raises (arms straight)

15 tricep kickbacks

15 bicycles - abs

Repeat strength 2-3x
Stretch

Recipe for Health: Quiche Sans Crust

The word quiche originates from the German work kuchen, meaning cake. Mmmmmmmm, cake..... I already like where this is going.

Traditional quiche recipes call for lots of unhealthy ingredients like heavy cream and custard. But, prepared with some healthy twists, a quiche can serve as a wonderful meal that packs a protein punch, and allows for the use of your favorite veggies, providing some tummy-filling fiber. Make it even healthier by omitting the crust and cut out hydrogenated oils - not to mention calories. The little bit of flour in this recipe gives the outside of the quiche a crust-like texture, so you won't even miss the crust!

I created and prepared the following quiche recipe with only 10 minutes of hands-on work. It is sliced, refrigerated, and will make for some great lunches this week! The best part of this recipe is its versatility. Don't like the veggies I had on hand? No worries - use your favorites! As always, go organic when you can.


Quiche Sans Crust
1 T olive oil (I used garlic infused)
1 yellow onion, diced
6-10 oz. washed and trimmed kale
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 large eggs
1/2 C eqq whites
1 1/3 C low-fat milk (can use non-dairy milks too)
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 C feta cheese

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use an olive-oil sprayer to lightly coat a 10-inch pie plate. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion, kale and mushrooms until tender. Set aside to cool a little bit.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, and milk. Once eggs and milk are combined, whisk in the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne.

Add cooked vegetables to the egg mixture and stir until combined. Pour into oiled pie plate and sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until center is set and the outside edges are golden brown. Remove and let set for about 5 minutes. Slice and serve (or store for quick meals)!

Make Your Own: Outside-the-Box Granola Bars

Most of us have probably purchased some type of granola/power/breakfast bar at the store. These prepackaged, pre-portioned rectangles are quick, easy and incredibly transportable. They are also often loaded with preservatives and sugar that our bodies don't want or need. If you have about 20  minutes, or about the same amount of time it would take to drive to the store and BUY granola bars, you can make your own!

Outside-the-Box Granola Bars 
1.5 C natural peanut butter
1.5 T coconut oil
1/4 C agave or honey
1 T cacao powder (optional)
1/3 C protein powder*
2 T chia or sunflower seeds
1 T shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 C oats

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat peanut butter, coconut oil and agave or honey over medium heat until melted and blended together; stir frequently to avoid burning. Stir in protein powder, seeds and coconut. Remove from heat and add oats. Mix until blended. Press into 8x8 square pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool, cut and refrigerate. I even wrap them individually to make for an easy grab-and-go snack.

*A bit of newly-acquired knowledge about protein powder has encouraged me to give up any and all whey and soy protein powder products (say that five times fast). I recently learned how difficult it is for the body to digest these products. An alternative option that I have been exploring (and loving) is something a natural healthcare professional recommended to me:  plant-based protein. There is a ton of variety out there, and I would encourage you to read more about your choices in this area. The product I have been using is:  http://www.sunwarrior.com/product-info/warrior-blend/. I used the vanilla flavor in the above recipe, and it tasted great!

Fight Inflammation

You may have heard mention of inflammation and the impacts it can have on your body, but what does it all mean? What is inflammation and why should you care about it?

Inflammation is part of the body's immune response system, and it is essential to heal from injuries. It is the body's way to protect itself from harmful stimuli and irritants, including damaged cells. Exercise has long-held the reputation of being anti-inflammatory, however, exercise can actually increase inflammation in the body and be harmful in certain contexts. This can be very concerning when you think about the fact that chronic inflammation has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer's and certain types of cancers. Are you confused yet? Let's clear up a few things...

To see any results from your exercise regimen, you must cause some inflammation. If you are increasing strength, stamina and performance, you are causing some amount of trauma to your muscles so that they may break down and then repair themselves to become even stronger to deal with future demands. An effective training session initiates this inflammatory response.

Really tough sweat sessions at the gym are great and highly effective for weight loss, increasing endurance and overall fitness, but should not make up every workout. Doing so will continue to pile more inflammation on your body, and can cause permanent damage. This is why every good workout program must be comprised of a variety of exercises, interspersed with some recovery time to give your workout profile some peaks and valleys of inflammation and rest.

Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into your diet can be another effective way to combat the inflammatory effects that exercise can have on the body. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables can have a huge impact, while limiting sweets, unhealthy fats and alcohol. I love Dr. Andrew Weil's anti-
inflammatory diet pyramid as a resource: http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/pyramid/press-foodpyramid.html

Variety will not only keep you from getting bored with your workouts, but it can also make your time at the gym more effective, and be a bit gentler on your body. Don't get stuck in a rut - try swimming to challenge your muscles in a different way, or shake things up with a Zumba class!

Recipe for Health: Pumpkin Scones

What does crisp fall air, raking leaves, and warm, fuzzy sweaters make you think of? If you answered pumpkin scones, read on. If you answered something else.... read on anyways.

I love scones, especially pumpkin. But, since I also love it when my jeans fit, I can't indulge in the store-bought scones that are loaded with sugar and butter. My recipe below features no butter, little sugar, and real pumpkin that ensures these scones won't crumble into your coffee, but instead fulfill some of your daily vegetable requirement. Need more reasons to love pumpkins? They are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E, potassium, iron, magnesium, fiber, and low in fat and calories. While this vegetable powerhouse keeps your scone moist, the coconut oil and walnuts add some healthy fat to your diet. Bonus? They mix up in about 10 minutes and make your house smell amazing.

A pumpkin scone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other hand will give you warm, fuzzy feelings for the rest of the day, money-back guarantee!

Vegan Pumpkin Scones (don't fear the word "vegan" - it just means no fatty butter and eggs)
3 C whole wheat flour

2 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C coconut oil (melted in microwave-save bowl)
1 C pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling, but REAL pumpkin, preferably organic)
1 1/4 non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/3 C walnuts

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray cookie sheets with olive oil. Mix all dry ingredients together, except walnuts. Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined (can still be lumpy). Fold in walnuts. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until browned on bottom and firm on top. Cool and store in airtight container in fridge. These are also great if you freeze them for future enjoyment.

Put Your Heart Into It

You're panting, sweating, your legs feel like they're going to give out and you're cursing your trainer. You are putting your whole effort into this workout.... Or, are you? How are you measuring your effort level? To get results, you have to be outside of your comfort zone; this is not negotiable. But, how do you know what that zone looks and feels like?

There are a couple of different ways to gauge your efforts. The first way is using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. This is using a scale of 1-10 to give a number to your effort level:
1: very light activity - watching television
2-3:  light activity - leisurely walk
4-6:  moderate activity - could exercise at this level for hours, easy to hold a conversation
7-8:  vigorous activity - working hard, out of breath, can only speak a sentence
9:  very hard activity - unable to maintain for long period of time, short of breath, can barely speak a word
10:  maximum effort - feels impossible to continue activity, almost on the verge of being sick

The key word here that can get you into trouble is "perceived;" what I perceive to be extreme exertion might be different from what you perceive. Someone new to exercise might not know what maximum effort really feels like. That said, the scale can be useful to some of these people. It can help to get you in tune to your body, your breathing, and let you focus on how you're feeling throughout the workout, without having to think about numbers. But, this will only get you so far...

To maximize your gym time once you become a bit more fit and experienced, I highly recommend making an investment in a good heart rate monitor to gauge your efforts. This is a training tool that is worn like a wristwatch. What makes it so useful is that when worn with the corresponding chest strap, you can actually see what your heart rate is. The chest strap wirelessly transmits your heart rate to the watch. No hiding from the truth here! You can very quickly assess whether you can keep going at your current pace, or if you should pick up in the intensity.

When shopping for a heart rate monitor, I recommend investing in a model that allows you to input your personal information, such as your age, height, weight, and gender. Since all of these factors influence the parameters of the difference training zones and your caloric burn, those that capture this specific information can give you the most accurate information.

I have broken up with several heart rate monitors, but have finally found the love of my life! A model that I have been using for almost 2 years now has all of the afore-mentioned features, and also offers a very intuitive, user-friendly interface can be found here: http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT4. A bonus feature of this model is that most of the cardio machines at the gym will pick up the wireless transmitter and display your heart rate on the machine's monitor. You can certainly shop around (don't forget about eBay!), but I encourage you to choose a model that allows you to personalize. This can help you reach your goals even faster!