Healthy Drink!

Sparkling Essence combines the subtle flavor of organic lemons, cooling mint, whole blueberries, and fresh cucumbers with the tingling sensation of sparkling spring water. They use real organic ingredients. It is a light and refreshing flavor, but without any calories, added sugar, or artificial ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: CARBONATED SPRING WATER, ORGANIC BREWED BLUEBERRY EXTRACT, ORGANIC NATURAL BLUEBERRY FLAVOR, ORGANIC LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, CITRIC ACID.

Protein Deep Dish Pizza

"Acne is one of the Easiest Problems to Treat Naturally. Just like other chronic diseases running rampant in Western society (like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity), acne is primarily a disease of the Western world."Dr. Mercola. "Acne is much less of a problem in non-Westernized societies, where refined carbohydrates and sugar are consumed in much lower amounts. Solid evidence exists that diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates are the primary CAUSE of acne."

If you or your children are frustrated with acne, a grain-free diet will very likely clear up your skin. If you have been on a low-fat or "fad" diet, you may be also dealing with some vitamin/mineral deficiencies so concentrated doses of supplements like vitamin A and zinc may be a necessity too. Antibiotics are unnecessary AND unsafe because correcting your diet creates an internal environment that does not allow bacterial overgrowth to occur. Taking antibiotics is SO detrimental for your gut flora...it kills all of your good bacteria which can lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies (Fun Fact: You can decrease your baby's/children's chance of a food allergy by 70% if you give them bifido bacteria in the first year of their life: it is naturally found in breastmilk if the mother is eating fermented veggies).

STEP 1: We all know that "simple carbohydrates" are just empty junk calories. These would include white bread, white rice, all sugars, soda, candy, cookies. Eliminating these would be step one in clearing up your skin. TOTALLY getting rid of high fructose corn syrup is a mantra we all should follow and teach our kids how to read labels to never eat this. I found it in pickles this past weekend! Fruit also contains a high amount of fructose, so it should be consumed in very limited amounts and NEVER in the form of juice.

STEP 2: Complex carbohydrates are just glucose molecules linked together in long chains, our body breaks them down into glucose (AKA Sugar) in the blood. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as beans, nuts, whole grains, and starchy vegetables. These sound healthy right, BUT if acne is a problem for you, limiting these will decrease the inflammation of the skin caused by the rise in insulin. Our bodies prefer the complex carbs found in non-starchy vegetables instead of the complex carbs found in whole grains, because your body handles their digestion differently. Veggies, such as cauliflower, are slow to break down into simple sugars, with minimal insulin impact, whereas digestion of grain-carbs, such as brown rice, raises your insulin.

High insulin levels increases male hormones, which cause your pores to secrete more sebum, a greasy substance that traps acne-promoting bacteria. Insulin also causes skin cells to multiply, a process associated with acne. This rise in male hormones can also cause fertility issues, so a low carb diet would greatly help women with PCOS.

STEP 3: If step 1 and 2 don't work, then I suspect a food sensitivity to gluten. Gluten in wheat and other grains may be contributing to your acne symptoms if you have a gluten intolerance, which many people do. This is a separate issue from the insulin effects already discussed. Gluten is a prime suspect if you have rosacea. A person who is sensitive to gluten cannot digest gluten, so the body will not recognize it when it is eaten and therefore treats it as a foreign body when trying to digest it. The gluten can push the toxins through the skin and cause acne. 

BUT, you must be careful when choosing "gluten free" products, such as the wraps in the photo, they are very high in carbs which won't help acne. It may seem impossible in our society to eat 'gluten free' and low carb, but we do it and we still enjoy pizza, donuts, risotto...just in my "healthified" modified ways!

STEP 4: Get rid of hormones in your food. Get rid of milk, or only buy whole-organic-hormone free milk. Purchase hormone free meat, chicken, and eggs. To read more, go to: The Sea Of Estrogens!

STEP 5: Add in helpful supplements such as Cod Liver Oil. Vitamin A and EPA/DHA are extremely helpful in clearing acne. Zinc and other minerals can also help.



CRUST:
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup unflavored whey or egg white protein
3 ounces cream cheese or sour cream, warmed
Spices (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the eggs and whip the whites and cream of tartar until very stiff (I use a stand mixer and let it go for 5 minutes). Slowly sift in the whey protein to the whites. Using a spatula, gently fold the cream cheese into the whites. Spray a lasagna pan with coconut oil spray and spoon the mixture into it. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings. *Adapted from Oopsie Rolls on Lighter Side of Low Carb blog. Makes 9 square slices.

After it has baked, Top with your favorite toppings!
Low-Sugar Marinara (Mario Batali = no soybean oil and no sugar)
Bolinski's chicken sausage
Mushrooms
Peppers
Mozzarella Cheese

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per slice):
Pizza Hut Deep Dish = 430 calories, 37 carbs, 2 fiber)
"Healthified" Pizza = 157 calories, trace carbs, 0 fiber

PER PIZZA:
1 Little Caesar's 14" Deep Dish Crust = 2,417 calories, 304 carbs
1 "Healthified" pizza crust = 584 calories, 8 carbs, 1 fiber, 62g protein

ChocoPerfection Bars

Sinful chocolate... without the sin.

Take the finest, gourmet European chocolate and sweeten it with sugar-free natural plant fiber that tastes exactly like sugar, and you get ChocoPerfection. Even better, these silky-smooth, delicious chocolate bars, with less than 2g Net Carbs actually help with weight loss, due to 14g of prebiotic FOS, candida-cleansing, fiber in every bar. Made from 55% to 63% cocoa solids. No Maltitol. Gluten Free. No Trans Fats.

And with a zero ranking on the glycemic index, you've got all the makings of what very well could be the most perfect low carb chocolate bar ever. ChocoPerfection is naturally sweetened from plant fibers. These natural sweeteners are sugar free and have a glycemic index of zero. The main sweetener in ChocoPerfection is derived from the chickory plant and is named oligofructose. Oligofructose is classified as a "prebiotic fiber" meaning that it takes root in the digestive tract to support the growth of beneficial probiotic flora. Ultimately, oligfructose will rid your digestive tract of harmful bacteria, promote the excretion of toxins, stop sugar cravings and strengthen your immune system. The second sweetener in ChocoPerfection is erythritol, which is also derived from plants. Erythritol is similar to xylitol in that it has a glycemic index of zero, but it has fewer calories and is considered beneficial for healthy teeth.

To find these treats and other healthy snacks click HERE.

Happy Eating!

Homemade Croutons

Partially hydrogenated oils don't just damage your cells, causing allergies, arthritis and auto immune diseases, but in they also make you fat!

Essential fatty acids are called 'essential' because your body NEEDS them and you can only get them through food. Your brain and body are very smart, even though your stomach may feel full, your brain never tells you to stop eating, because it still needs the essential fatty acids to sustain life. You will never be full until you do.

Partially hydrogenated oils make you gain weight because they interfere with the body's ability to ingest and utilize the healthy fats that you want to fill your cells with.

Imagine this, your cells are like neat parking lots. When you eat omega 3 fats, they are like little Smart Cars that park nice and neat into the parking spots that feed our body by decreasing inflammation (everything from joint pain to asthma to heart disease). BUT when we eat trans fats they are like huge SUVs that don't fit into these parking spots, but they force their way in anyway...damaging the cars around them so they can't run anymore (or help our body) AND they cause our fat cells to grow! If you eat even more trans-fats, those SUVs get mad because they can't find a parking spot, so they just drive around furiously in your body and bounce into all the cells causing free-radicals. To read more on how to decrease free-radicals, go to Supplement chapter in Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism.

Over time, more and more SUV are filling the parking spots which leaves no room for the Smart Cars. So new parking lots (fat cells) have to be built to make room for them. So now our body gets bigger, we have more inflammation and more health problems like asthma, arthritis, heart disease...not a good outcome!







Protein Buns
5 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3 oz Sour Cream or cream cheese
1/2 cup unflavored whey or egg white protein

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the eggs and add sour cream to the yolks. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Then add the protein powder. Using a spatula, gradually fold the sour cream/cream cheese into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites. Spray a cookie sheet with coconut oil spray and spoon the mixture onto the sheet, making 6 mounds. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes. Keep oven shut, turn off oven and leave the buns in there for another 5 minutes or until cool. We use these for our hamburger buns, but in this recipe we are going to make croutons out of them.

Nutritional info (per bun): 80 calories, .9g carbs, 0 fiber, 6.3g protein


CROUTON RECIPE:
1 batch of protein buns, cut into crouton shapes
4 TBS butter
1-2 tsp garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in a saute pan on medium heat until slightly brown, add the garlic and bread pieces to coat. Place buttery croutons on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crispy. Let cool and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 1 cup):
Pepperidge Farm Seasoned Croutons = 186 calories, 25.4 carbs, 2 fiber, 4.3 protein
"Healthified" Croutons = 162 Calories, 0.9g carbs, 0g fiber, 6.3g protein

Bean Sprout Pasta

I read about using bean sprouts as pasta and this was surprisingly good!



2 cups of bean sprouts (optional, tidy them up by removing the roots)
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 link of chicken sausage, sliced
A clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
No-sugar added marinara sauce (Alfredo or pesto)

Bring water in pot to the boil and put the bean sprouts in. I blanch them by putting them in and taking them out of the boiling water immediately. Remove the sprouts and run cold tap water over them. Drain thoroughly. (I stir fried the sprouts this time).
Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic. Brown the garlic and sauté the mushrooms until softened. Cook everything together for about a minute. Top with your favorite sauce and protein.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON:
White Pasta = 246 calories, 43 carbs, 0 fiber
Bean Sprouts = 31 calories, 6 carbs, 2 fiber

Kale Chips

I love this for a crunchy snack

1 head kale, rinsed and dried
Coconut oil spray
Celtic sea salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Using a knife, remove the thick inner stems from the leaves, leaving long strips; cut the strips in half. Arrange the leaves dark side up in a single layer on two baking sheets. Lightly mist each piece with coconut oil spray. Sprinkle with salt OR Parmesan cheese. Bake about 40-60 minutes, until kale is crisp and cheese is golden.

Kale chips in Protein Bread Sandwich

In my former fat days, I LOVED "Wonder Bread" sandwiches with fake Kraft Cheese slices with Miracle Whip and potato chips! YIKES! I found a great variation to calm those cravings: Applegate Farms organic lunch-meat  organic mayo and Kale Chips served on my Protein Bread. YUM! I used THIS panini maker to make Paninis! On sale now for almost 50% off!

Miracle Mineral

A publisher just picked up my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism and has made it into an audio book! What a perfect gift for a friend who commutes to work and doesn't have time to sit and read! To check it out, click HERE. 

Here is a small piece from my book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism:

What mineral is needed by every cell in the body, yet odds are you don't get enough of it? Hint: It's not calcium. Give up? Magnesium. It gets little attention now, but rising evidence implies that magnesium benefits your heart and bones, plus it may help prevent diabetes and migraine headaches.

Deficiencies also cause muscle spasms and pain, insomnia and fatigue. Magnesium assists in maintaining muscle and nerve function, maintains heart beat, helps our immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium is also great for diabetics because it helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Magnesium is also being researched as a natural way to curb food cravings. It is found that as magnesium deficiencies increase so do food cravings. Supplementing with a therapeutic dose of 600milligrams of a magnesium supplement has been shown to significantly calm food cravings.

Early signs of magnesium deficiency include nausea, fatigue, or weakness. As magnesium deficiency gets worse, restless leg syndrome, numbness, muscle cramps, seizures, mood changes, or irregular heartbeats can occur.

I take 600mg of magnesium-glycinate (NOT Magnesium oxide)every night before bed to enhance my health in many ways (including helping me to fall asleep). Magnesium has been proven to;
-Aids in fighting depression
-Reduces food cravings
-Beneficial in the treatment of PMS
-Relieves restless leg syndrome
-Particularly important for maintaining a normal heart rhythm and is often used by physicians to treat irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
-Beneficial for bladder problems in women, especially common disturbances in bladder control and the sense of "urgency."
-Helps in the treatment of high blood pressure
-Beneficial in the treatment of neuromuscular and nervous disorders
-Helps prevent kidney stones and gallstones
-Vital for a healthy immune system
-Keeps teeth healthy
-Magnesium is used by the body to help maintain muscles, nerves, and bones.
-Energy metabolism and protein synthesis
-Helps regulate blood sugar levels
-Adequate intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D coupled with overall proper nutrition and weight-bearing exercise throughout childhood and adulthood are the primary preventive measures for osteoporosis
-Useful in treatment of polio and post-polio syndrome
-Useful in the treatment of prostate problems
-Helps reduce stress


Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however therapeutic doses of magnesium in supplements can promote unfavorable effects such as diarrhea. Choosing the correct form of magnesium will help prevent this undesired effect. Magnesium oxide is found in Milk of Magnesia…so of course that version of magnesium will cause diarrhea. Choose magnesium-citrate or magnesium-glycinate; which are highly absorbable forms and cannot be found in your typical retail store; these are found in health food stores, your local nutritionist or chiropractor. These versions are a little more expensive, but you are ensuring you are absorbing the nutrient; it is money well spent.

I recommend taking magnesium around 30 minutes before going to bed. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that helps our sleep. I recommend 400mg for most people; if someone is suffering from a medical condition or is on medication that depletes magnesium, they may require more, up to 1,000mg per day. In addition to supplements, taking baths with magnesium salts is extremely helpful. Absorbing magnesium through the skin stimulates the production of DHEA, the anti-aging hormone.

Click HERE to find Magnesium Glycinate.

Creamy Rhubarb Pie

1 1/4 cup Swerve (OR erythritol)
2 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using Swerve)
8 oz cream cheese or coconut cream
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
Pie Shell:
2 cups blanched almond flour
4 TBS Swerve (OR erythritol)
1/4 tsp stevia glycerite
4 TBS butter or coconut oil, melted
Topping:
1/3 cup Swerve (OR erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/3 cup blanched almond flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare pie shell, by beating all ingredients together. Pat into a pie pan (using fingers), then place in oven to bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 cup sweetener, cream cheese, eggs in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt. Fold in rhubarb. Pour rhubarb mixture into pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup sweetener, 1/3 cup blanched almond flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Remove pie from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over pie. Return pie to oven and bake until filling is set and crust and topping are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Rhubarb Pie = 259 calories, 15g fat, 5g protein, 52 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified Rhubarb Pie = 250 calories, 24g fat, 8g protein, 6g carbs, 3g fiber

"Faux"tato Salad

2 pounds small white turnips, or larger ones, halved
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 TBS beef broth
6 TBS Spectrum Organic Mayo
2 TBS sour cream
4 tsp Dijon-style mustard
2 dashes ground celery seed
1 hard-cooked egg
2 TBS finely minced onion
2 TBS finely minced celery
4 tsp finely minced green pepper
4 TBS minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Peel the turnips and place in water to cover. Add salt, bring to a boil, lower flame, and cook 20 to 25 minutes until turnips test done with a fork. Remove turnips from the water and dry on paper towels, then cut in small cubes. Toss turnips with broth while still warm.
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and celery seed.
When the turnips have stood in the broth 10 minutes, add sour cream-mayonnaise, and toss lightly. Dice the hard-cooked egg and add along with the onion, celery, green pepper, and parsley. Lightly toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill briefly and serve.
Note: Potato-Like Salad or even real potato salad should never be served icy cold for best flavor. If you are making this in advance, take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before serving time.

Nutritional Info: 58.9 grams of carbohydrate in entire recipe; if serving 8, each serving contains 7.4 grams of carbohydrate.

Per Cup
Potato: 28 carbs, 4 fiber, 116 calories
Turnips: 8 carbs, 2 fiber, 36 calories

Cream Cheese Danish! Yikes

"Acne is one of the Easiest Problems to Treat Naturally. Just like other chronic diseases running rampant in Western society (like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity), acne is primarily a disease of the Western world."Dr. Mercola. "Acne is much less of a problem in non-Westernized societies, where refined carbohydrates and sugar are consumed in much lower amounts. Solid evidence exists that diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates are the primary CAUSE of acne."

If you or your children are frustrated with acne, a grain-free diet will very likely clear up your skin. If you have been on a low-fat or "fad" diet, you may be also dealing with some vitamin/mineral deficiencies so concentrated doses of supplements like vitamin A and zinc may be a necessity too. Antibiotics are unnecessary AND unsafe because correcting your diet creates an internal environment that does not allow bacterial overgrowth to occur. Taking antibiotics is SO detrimental for your gut flora...it kills all of your good bacteria which can lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies (Fun Fact: You can decrease your baby's/children's chance of a food allergy by 70% if you give them bifido bacteria in the first year of their life: it is naturally found in breastmilk if the mother is eating fermented veggies).

STEP 1: We all know that "simple carbohydrates" are just empty junk calories. These would include white bread, white rice, all sugars, soda, candy, cookies. Eliminating these would be step one in clearing up your skin. TOTALLY getting rid of high fructose corn syrup is a mantra we all should follow and teach our kids how to read labels to never eat this. I found it in pickles this past weekend! Fruit also contains a high amount of fructose, so it should be consumed in very limited amounts and NEVER in the form of juice.

STEP 2: Complex carbohydrates are just glucose molecules linked together in long chains, our body breaks them down into glucose (AKA Sugar) in the blood. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as beans, nuts, whole grains, and starchy vegetables. These sound healthy right, BUT if acne is a problem for you, limiting these will decrease the inflammation of the skin caused by the rise in insulin. Our bodies prefer the complex carbs found in non-starchy vegetables instead of the complex carbs found in whole grains, because your body handles their digestion differently. Veggies, such as cauliflower, are slow to break down into simple sugars, with minimal insulin impact, whereas digestion of grain-carbs, such as brown rice, raises your insulin.

High insulin levels increases male hormones, which cause your pores to secrete more sebum, a greasy substance that traps acne-promoting bacteria. Insulin also causes skin cells to multiply, a process associated with acne. This rise in male hormones can also cause fertility issues, so a low carb diet would greatly help women with PCOS.

STEP 3: If step 1 and 2 don't work, then I suspect a food sensitivity to gluten. Gluten in wheat and other grains may be contributing to your acne symptoms if you have a gluten intolerance, which many people do. This is a separate issue from the insulin effects already discussed. Gluten is a prime suspect if you have rosacea. A person who is sensitive to gluten cannot digest gluten, so the body will not recognize it when it is eaten and therefore treats it as a foreign body when trying to digest it. The gluten can push the toxins through the skin and cause acne. 

BUT, you must be careful when choosing "gluten free" products, such as the wraps in the photo, they are very high in carbs which won't help acne. It may seem impossible in our society to eat 'gluten free' and low carb, but we do it and we still enjoy pizza, donuts, risotto...just in my "healthified" modified ways!

STEP 4: Get rid of hormones in your food. Get rid of milk, or only buy whole-organic-hormone free milk. Purchase hormone free meat, chicken, and eggs. To read more, go to: The Sea Of Estrogens!

STEP 5: Add in helpful supplements such as Cod Liver Oil. Vitamin A and EPA/DHA are extremely helpful in clearing acne. Zinc and other minerals can also help.

These were SOOOOO good! Craig was lucky to get one:)

Pastry:
3 eggs, separated (save 1/2 yolk for filling)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup Swerve (or ½ tsp stevia glycerite)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS ricotta cheese or cream cheese, softened
Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 egg yolk (from above)
1/4 cup Confectioners Swerve (or ½ tsp stevia glycerite)
1/4 tsp vanilla
Optional: ¼ tsp lemon, almond, orange, raspberry extract

Pastry: Separate eggs, putting the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a medium bowl. Take 1/2 yolk out and put it in a little dish to reserve for filling. With your electric beater, whip whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. Add cream cheese or ricotta, cinnamon, sweetener to the yolks and beat well until smooth. Gently fold yolk mixture into the whites, using a big spatula, being careful to get it all blended well. Then spray a cookie sheet or muffin top pan (the best way), and plop 4 equal mounds of batter to make 4 Danish. Make an indent on each mound and fill with filling. Bake about 25-35 minutes at 300 until golden brown. Remove, cool and enjoy. Serves 4.

Filling: Soften cream cheese and add the 1/2 egg yolk, sweetener, extract, and flavoring. Fill pastries.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per pastry)
Starbuck's Danish = 440 calories, 61 carbs, 0 fiber
"Healthified" Danish = 158 calories, 3 carbs, 0 fiber ***using FULL FAT, Full-flavor stuff!

Turnip Fries

3 pounds turnips
1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and lightly grease.

Peel the turnips, and cut into French fry-sized sticks, about 1/3 by 4 inches. Place into a large bowl, and toss with the safflower oil to coat. Place the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, paprika, onion powder in a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Place the oiled turnips into the bag, and shake until evenly coated with the spices. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the outside is crispy, and the inside is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Tradidional Fries = 190 calories, 28 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Fries = 78 calories, 11 carbs, 3g fiber