Holy Station

Archive for the ‘Healthy Food’ Category

As a Certified Nutrition Specialist, I like to find ways to prepare delicious foods that most people can’t believe are actually healthy for you. If you have a sweet tooth like me, I’m sure you’ve tried to find ways to still enjoy sweet treats, but also try to make them healthier than typical junk food desserts.

The major problem with most so-called “healthy” desserts is that most companies attempt to make them healthier by reducing the fat content and thereby increasing the sugar content or artificial sweeteners… there’s nothing healthy about either of those!

Below is my famous healthy chocolate-peanut-butter fudge recipe that takes only 5 minutes to make and is really simple. The great thing is that I use no added sugars, no artificial sweeteners, and all healthy fat sources. You’ll see why below.

My healthy chocolate-peanut-butter fudge recipe (peanut butter can be omitted if you prefer plain chocolate):

Extra dark chocolate bar (3-4 oz bar works well — look for at least 70% cocoa content, between 70-85% — this minimizes the sugar content) 4 or 5 Tbsp of your favorite organic nut butter (almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter all work well) 2/3 to 3/4 cup of organic coconut milk (great source of healthy saturated fats from medium chain triglycerides – MCTs) 2 tbsp rice bran (additional healthy fiber source) 2 tbsp oat bran (more healthy fiber including soluble fiber) 1/2 cup raw pecans, almonds, or walnuts (yes, more healthy fats, antioxidants, and tons of vitamins/minerals) 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional based on your tastes) 1 tsp vanilla extract a little stevia to lightly sweeten (stevia is a natural non-caloric sweetener as opposed to harmful artificial sweeteners)

Start with the coconut milk, nut butter, and chocolate bar in a medium saucepan and put it on the lowest heat possible. Continuously stir as the chocolate, coconut milk, and nut butter melts together. Once these melt together add in all of the other ingredients and stir together very well.

Once everything is mixed well together, spread the mixture onto some waxed paper laid out in a baking dish and throw it in the fridge to solidify.

Now you have some of the healthiest chocolate fudge ever known to man!

Keep in mind that you still need to keep your serving portions small because this is still a calorie-dense snack even though it is super-healthy. The good news is that it is lower in sugar and calories than typical fudge and has loads more nutrition than any typical fudge.

Enjoy! Tell your friends that Trainer Mike Geary gave you this recipe.

We all know that eating junk food can hurt us in the battle of the bulge. But now there’s a new reason to control our intake of these highly processed foods: They may cause eye problems. According to a study by Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, fatty snack foods may lead to macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision impairment for Americans over 55.

The key to eliminating junk food from your diet is to replace them with healthier alternatives. The good news is there are plenty of healthy foods that contain vitamins that actually promote eye health. Carrots, beef, chicken, cantaloupe, mangos and sweet potatoes all contain beta-carotene (vitamin A), which has been proven to positively affect both night vision and day-to-day eyesight. It also aids in cataract and macular degeneration prevention. Pork, liver, whole-grain cereals and breads, wheat germ, potatoes and legumes contain thiamine (vitamin B1), which prevents lens deterioration. Vegetable oils, egg yolks, milk fat, green leafy vegetables and nuts contain vitamin E, which also aids in lens deterioration prevention. And tomatoes, citrus fruit, strawberries, cabbage, green leafy vegetables and sweet bell peppers contain vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps prevent glaucoma.

There also are other nutrients that support your eyesight. The National Eye Institute states there may be evidence that lutein — a carotenoid antioxidant available in spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, amaranth, spirulina and red paprika — could reduce eye problems. The Institute states definitively that zinc, found in shellfish, eggs, legumes, herring, liver and milk reduces the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration and associated vision loss. Additionally, fish, such as salmon and sardines, contains omega-3 fatty acids that are known to promote healthy retinas.

It’s easy to incorporate foods that protect your eyesight into your diet. Carrot sticks, citrus fruit, mangoes, and even sweet peppers and tomatoes make great portable snacks. Fresh carrot juice packs a concentrated dose of vitamin A in every glass and is easy to make if you have a juicer. Or you can try the healthy recipe below, which is designed to taste good while giving your eyes a boost:

Visionary Coleslaw

Makes 8 servings

2 6-oz. containers of low- or non-fat pineapple yogurt 2 T. low-fat mayonnaise 3/4 tsp. salt 1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced 4 carrots, shredded * 1 small sweet bell pepper, finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped

1. Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Chop cabbage, sweet bell pepper and onion; shred carrots. Add to the bowl with the yogurt mixture and toss well. If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate.

* It’s best to scrub carrots instead of peeling them. Some of the vitamins and minerals lie near the surface and can be whisked away with the peels.

Here are 5 awesome tips for becoming raw and staying raw! If you are interested in becoming raw you’re going to love these tips!

1. Substitute regular cheese for nut cheese

If you are in the mood for a blue cheese dressing you can make a raw salad dressing out of tahini, miso, lemon juice, and water to make a satisfying cheesy tasting salad dressing. Instead of parmesan cheese, use pine nuts and nutritional yeast processed in the food processor with the S blade on. If you are in the mood for some nacho cheese, you can blend cashews or macadamia nuts with bell peppers and some Mexican seasonings to make a spicy creamy cheese sauce.

2. Invest in some equipment

Healthy appliances can really make a difference in adding variety to the diet. If budget is not an issue I definitely recommend getting a powerful blender such as a Vitamix, a good quality food processor, a food dehydrator, and a juicer. If money is an issue, you can get some affordable small raw food kitchen gadgets like a sprout bag to make to nut milk and a spiral slicer or a mandoline slicer to make zucchini spaghetti. Even just a few extra small tools can really make a big difference.

3. Try a new raw recipe every week

Invest in an easy raw recipe book or find some easy raw recipes online. Make it a point to try a new recipe every week. You can even get the family involved by giving the recipe to a family member to make it for you. If you like it, put it in a recipe box or bookmark it so that you can make it again!

4. Visit a raw restaurant at least once a month

Go out to a raw restaurant at least once a month, or if you can’t, host a raw food potluck at your place! If you don’t have any raw friends give your friends and family recipes and have them bring something raw to your get together. You can either give them raw food recipes or tell them to bring a simple salad or a plate of fresh vegetables and you make the raw dip or raw salad dressing.

5. Bring a raw salad and a raw dessert to any social gathering

If invited over to a friends house, offer to bring the salad and the dessert. They won’t even know that they’re raw. Not only will your friends be delighted with what you brought, you won’t likely go hungry at the party!

Hope you enjoyed these tips! For more living food tips and resources please check out the links below.

There are many free recipes available all over the Internet, but the problem with many of them is that they aren’t the healthiest foods around. It is great to have access to all kinds of recipes for top-notch baked goods and desserts, or popular Pot Luck casseroles, but what about healthy diet recipes?

Most people are interested in at least some sort of healthy eating, but most don’t know how to go about making the healthiest foods possible. For example, let’s say you want to make a classic dish such as macaroni and cheese, but you also want it to contain as little sodium and fat as possible. How do you make this? The best solution is to find a website or organization dedicated to healthy cooking and looking through their variations on this standard dish. Surprisingly enough, there are many ways to make this classic without also consuming tons of calories and salt too. Many will even add some meats or vegetables to the recipe to bump up the fiber content or nutritional values as well.

Of course, not everyone is going to have enough time to put together something like a casserole or a meal with several courses. The best websites also make quick diet recipes available for such people as well. These are often recipes that rely on no-cook or low-cook options that help someone to make a meal or a single dish in less than an hour, and usually without tons of preparation. Often these are also recipes that allow someone to really enjoy the flavors and textures of the foods because of the minimal preparation and cooking, not to mention the fact that they are a great resource for keeping the kitchen cool in the warmer weather!

The important thing about using any of the healthier recipes is to be sure that they actually meet your dieting or eating requirements. For example, if you are someone who has high blood pressure you will have to make a point to begin reading the sodium content of any recipe – even one touted as healthy. The same can be said for those with high cholesterol, food allergies or intolerances, and any other food related conditions. There are also some requirements that come when children are asked to eat such dishes too. Many children frown upon loads of veggies or a rapid change in the way they eat. Instead of making it an uphill battle it is probably best to slowly incorporate healthier recipes into family meal times.

Fruit is a popular ingredient to use when making desserts because it is naturally sweet. It is also colorful, nutritious and you can eat it cooked or raw, making it a versatile ingredient.

There are many different ways to use fruit to make dessert recipes. You can serve a simple fruit platter, a fruit and cheese platter, fruit pies, fruit cobblers, fruit jello recipes and much more. You can use fresh fruit, frozen fruit, or canned fruit.

Healthy Recipes with Fruit

Fruit contains natural sugar but is very nutritious and a great source of energy too. If you want low calorie recipes or low fat recipes using fruit, what about making some sugar free jello and adding fruit slices before the jello sets?

If you are using canned fruit, you might want to rinse the sugar syrup off it before using it in a fruit recipe. Frozen berries and other frozen fruit should be defrosted before you use it, unless the recipe says otherwise, because it is covered in ice crystals and will be very watery when it thaws, diluting your dessert perhaps too much.

Unusual Fruit Recipes

Nearly everyone has enjoyed a fruit platter or a fruit jello recipe but have you ever tried deep fried ice cream with blackberry coulis or a fruit pizza recipe? Recipes like these bring the fun factor back into cooking with fruit.

Wrap a cube of vanilla ice cream in a thin pancake and deep fry it, then serve it with a blackberry coulis for a delicious gourmet dessert.

Alternatively, what about topping a pizza crust with chocolate sauce, marshmallows, and slices of your favorite fruit? This delicious dessert combines indulgence with nutrition for a guilt-free dessert experience and you do not even have to bake it.

Easy Baked Pear and Pecan Pie

The following recipe is simple to prepare and serves six to eight people. Pears go wonderfully with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and the pecans add a wonderful crunch. If you have apples to use up instead of pears, use those instead.

You will need:

2 1/2 cups peeled fresh pear slices 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon white sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 lightly beaten egg 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon melted butter
How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie pan with 1 teaspoon of butter and arrange the pear slices in the pan. Dust them with 1 teaspoon of sugar, the cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Mix the rest of the sugar with the rest of the butter in a medium bowl. Add the flour, egg, pecans, and salt and spread this mixture over the pears. Bake for an hour or until the pie is golden brown on top. Serve hot or chilled in slices, with cream or ice cream.

Carrots are a great way to get into juicing…. they are a great staple for any juice recipe. They provide a good base to mix in and experiment with other vegetables. They are not too sweet and not too bitter. Here are a few carrot juice recipes to get you started . When you prepare the ingredients keep the skin on (if using organic produce) and benefit from the nutrients just under the surface of the skin.

Carrot-Ginger-Apple

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 inch piece of ginger

1 apple

4 carrots

Cut the ginger leave the skin on. Core the apples. Slice off the tips of the carrots and put through juice extractor.

_________________________________

Carrot-Apple-Beet

INGREDIENTS:

1 apple

4 to 6 carrots