Celebrate the Morning in Good Health!

Mornings: A Perfect Time to Focus on Your Health

by guest writer Leslie Johnson

When I was a little girl, my father used to wake me and my brother up at the crack of dawn every morning. He was a routine-driven man who loved to wake up with the sun. My mother used to say one of the main reasons she fell in love with him was because he seized each and every moment the day had to offer. Sure, that sounds sweet, but can you imagine how little my father’s love for starting the day at 5 a.m. meant to me as a little girl? Like other children, I wanted my mornings to myself so I could sleep late, watch funny cartoons, and eat sugary cereal. My father would have none of that though. He wanted us to start out our mornings healthy, so he would get us up early, make us fruit-infused oatmeal, and require us to get up and move around.

Now that I’m a mother, I can’t help but look back and be grateful to my father. He established a pattern that has completely changed the way I approach my mornings. Unlike many adults out there, I choose not to squander the healthy potential of mornings. Instead of lying in bed for hours on end, I get up, make a healthy breakfast, get in a great workout, and start an exciting day. For those of you who want to make more use of your mornings, here are three tips to help you out.

Get Your Morning Exercise in Right When You Wake Up

I know how difficult it is to get in a morning workout. Even after all these years, it still isn’t easy for me. Knocking my workout out first thing in the morning, however, is one of the best decisions I ever made. For years, I put off working out until the late afternoon or night. As a result, I not only stressed about having to get to the gym at some point, but I also commonly skipped my workouts. Now that I pencil in my workout right after I wake up, I always follow through with my commitment to fitness. Even if my workout is as simple as walking around the neighborhood, I now have time to meet my exercise goals every time.

Eat a Well-Balanced Breakfast

I’m always flabbergasted when I hear people admitting they don’t eat breakfast. Yes, I know that not everyone is dying to eat in the morning, but truth be told, there is simply no excuse for not eating a well-balanced, healthy breakfast each and every morning. By eating a good, healthy breakfast, you’ll feel fuller throughout the day, lessen your snacking, and keep the pounds from packing on. It’s a win-win scenario. Do yourself a favor every morning and fix a nutritious breakfast that will keep you full, healthy, and energized throughout the day. Something as small as a little bowl of oatmeal can make all the difference in the world.

Make it a Family Lifestyle

Believe me, I know not everybody is a morning person. It took me several years to get used to waking up at 5 a.m. every morning with my father. Yet over time, it became a habit that made a significantly positive impact in my life. Not only was I able to incorporate a healthier routine into my life, I was also able to spend more time with my father – and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. A great way to maintain a commitment to getting up earlier each morning is to make it a family routine. By getting your whole family up early, you’ll be making a personal goal become a family goal, and the efforts of many are much stronger than the efforts of one. You could even go so far as to get the family together for breakfast, morning walks, and household chores. Whatever floats your boat!

Not everyone is a morning person, but you’d be surprised the difference a morning can make. If you haven’t already, see how you can make your mornings healthier for you and your whole family.

Leslie Johnson is an avid health and nutrition blogger or mastersinhealthcare.com. As a mother, she is particularly passionate about teaching children about nutrition, health, body image, and exercise. If you have any questions for Leslie, feel free to leave them here.

2 Great Opportunities:

And speaking of family, please consider a “Disaster Kit” to keep you and your family prepared in case of a Natural Disaster, be it a tornado, flood or earthquake. BE PREPARED and get peace of mind you’ll have supplies that you need. Chose the kit that is right for you and your family. Your purchase will benefit Canyon School of Hollywood if you order through me, Lauren O’Connor, a Canyon School parent.

TO ORDER: Please email nutrisavvy@att.net

(Yes, they’re called “Quake Kits” but they are a good package of supplies for ANY Natural Disaster)

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Don’t miss out on an exciting

**Give-Away!**

Where YOU get to create the CHALLENGE! See details here.

A Delicious Figgie Find & **GIVE-AWAY**!

Ever found a great recipe only to discover you are missing one item? Well in my case the item wasn’t an ingredient, but a food scale. Yes that gadget would’ve been very helpful while preparing a delicious Fig & Anise ice cream by Deborah Madison.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of figs. Well, so I thought I could guesstimate – I generally use 5 pound weights (or a 3 and a 2 if the 5′s aren’t available) so I did and the recipe turned out just fine. Not only was it fine, it was the most incredible ice cream I’ve ever had. Being dairy-free (mostly) this certainly was an exceptional treat.

So while I fared well in winging it (with the guesstimated weight in figs), I really could have used a food scale. And lucky for you that food scale could be yours for recipes such as this and more!

….and now onto our GIVE-AWAY!!

Enter my SlimKicker GIVE-AWAY and you may WIN this handy Ozeri Touch Professional Digital (17.6 lb Edition) kitchen scale:

How to Enter:

1. Provide us with a dietary/fitness challenge. Be fun and creative, but realistic. We know you’ve got some great ideas, so let’s have ‘em!! COMMENT HERE with your Challenge idea. (Make it brief: one to two sentences).
2. “Follow” my blog….click subscribe. – Ok, this one’s optional. But I hope you will. 
3. Go and “like” me on my Nutri-Savvy Facebook page if you haven’t already and please share this contest on your Facebook page.
4. Go visit SlimKicker on Facebook page and tell them I sent you  and give ‘em a “like”, too!

Check out SlimKicker to meet your dietary/fitness goals! With SlimKicker  you’ll turn it up a notch or two with a game-reward system that keeps you motivated. By tracking healthy calories and working through simple challenges (ie quitting soda for a week) you can up your points. Upload your personal reward and SlimKicker will remind you to reward yourself once you’ve reached the desired points. Sign up and start leveling up here.

Motivate yourself and give us your CHALLENGE!!

Q: Do you have a fun health & fitness CHALLENGE?

Simply share your “Challenge” by commenting here! (and keep it brief, just one to  two sentences)

AvOmega Avocado Oil: more than just good mild taste! & ** GIVE-AWAY!! **

Heart-healthy, and rich in antioxidants, avocado oil can be the perfect choice for you and your dishes! Chosen Foods explains how and why their specially processed oils are safe, natural and mmmm-mmmm good for you. I spoke with Natalie Morse, Online Marketing Manager for ChosenFoods, Inc. Here’s what she had to say followed by my GIVE-AWAY! 

“We work with our avocado farmers at every stage of the process, ensuring the highest quality fruit, helping them increase their yields and bettering their livelihood. We purchase our avocados directly from these farmers and process, bottle, package and ship the oil ourselves.” – Natalie Morse for Chosen Foods

Q: Can you briefly share some information about your company and your product.

A: Certainly!

We are Chosen Foods and we sell a naturally refined avocado oil with a tested smoke point of 520 degrees. We use 18-20 Hass avocados in each bottle, producing an oil with the ideal fat profile and teeming with antioxidants. Not to mention, avocado oil has been linked with helping to control blood sugar and lowering cholesterol. Our goal is to get every bottle of chemically processed and rancid vegetable/canola oil out of kitchens and replace it with Chosen Foods avocado oil!

Q: Smoke point of 520 degrees! – This means it is ideal for grilling, baking, saute´ing… correct?

A: Yes! Almost any application where you would typically use vegetable oil or olive oil are great places to substitute avocado oil. Grilling is our favorite way to use the oil right now. They reach such high temps in there, but the high smoke point of avocado oil (compared to around 350 degrees for most olive oil) protects the food from free radicals and toxins that can develop when an oil burns. Using it as a replacement for vegetable oils in all applications is a great way to get those high processed and chemically refined cooking oils out of your diet.

Q: When using this oil, does the avocado flavor come through (or is it more subtle)?

A: Our oil is naturally refined, meaning that its gone through a mechanical process to remove any impurities that are left after the expeller process. The impurities in the oil are what give it color and flavor. As a result, our avocado oil has a very mild flavor and color.

Q: The extraction of impurities is important for keeping the oil fresh and free of rancidity. I would guess in order to preserve the antioxidants, it would have to be done without the use of extreme heat. Is that correct?

A: Absolutely. One of the biggest health detriments of other refined high smoke point oils (canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed) is that they are processed using extremely high heat, over 500 degrees usually. Any nutrients that may have been in the oil are destroyed in temperatures that high. Our avocado oil is process at temps below 350 degrees, well below what is considered safe for nutrient preservation. Using low-heat methods also protects the fatty acid profile of the oil, preventing oxidation and rancidity. Light, heat, air and impurities in the oil all contribute to how quickly the oil spoils and turns rancid.

Q: What makes this oil special? Olive oil can also be  a heart-healthy choice.

A: We think what makes this oil special is its combination of health properties, high smoke point and versatility. Vegetable oils are not healthy. Between the chemicals and solvents used to extract the oil and the high heat processing, what you wind up cooking with is doing nothing for your health – in most cases its acting as a detriment. Olive oil is a healthy alternative, but it doesn’t have anywhere near the smoke point that people are looking for when searing, stir-frying or grilling at high temps. It’s also not always suitable for baking or in dressings and marinades because of its strong flavor.

Our naturally refined avocado oil is the solution. With its high smoke point – its perfect for high heat, without the junk in other high heat oils or the risk of developing trans-fats from burnt oil. Its mild flavor is subtle enough for use in baked goods, dressings and sauces. You get the same mono-unsaturated, heart healthy benefits as olive oil, tons of antioxidants, alpha and beta-carotene and beta-sitosterol, phytochemicals important for lowering LDL cholesterol.

Q: What are some of your recommendations for using this specialty oil?

A: We like to use it for homemade mayo, as a marinade base for anything going on the grill and with a little lemon juice and garlic for a light salad dressing.

Q: Is it best stored in a cool dark place?

A:  Yes. As I mentioned above, the stability of the fatty acids in the oil is affected by light, heat and air. Store it in a cool, dark place – the fridge even – and always secure the lid tightly after using.

Q: Other specialty oils can be quite expensive. How are you able to keep your product so reasonably priced?

A: Chosen Foods is committed to bringing healthy, functional foods to people at reasonable prices. Part of why we are able to do this, is our commitment to our farmers and the exclusion of a middle-man. We purchase our avocados directly from these farmers and process, bottle, package and ship the oil ourselves. There is never a point where the product is out of our control. Because of this, we are able to offer a product at significantly lower prices than our competitors.

Q: Any thing you want to add?

At Chosen Foods, we’ve done substantial testing on our products to verify nutritional density, purity and smoke point. Because avocado oil is a fairly new product to the culinary scene, there seems to be some misinformation out there about it. A number of places will list the smoke point of any avocado oil as being above 500 degrees. This is not true. Avocado oil can absolutely have the highest smoke point of any natural oil, but it has to be refined. Virgin avocado oils do not have 500 degree smoke points, even though they may be advertised as such. We have done independent testing on a number other avocado oil’s available and average smoke point of virgin, unrefined avocado oils are between 340-385 degrees. These oils, while containing great nutritional value, should not be used for high heat cooking.

 Thank you Natalie for this great info.!

….and now onto our GIVE-AWAY!!

Have you tried AvOmega™ Avocado Oil?  HERE IS YOUR CHANCE! 

Please follow all of these steps to enter:

1. “Follow” my blog….click subscribe. – Ok, this one’s optional. But I hope you will. : )
2. Comment here on this blog post.
3. Go and “like” me on my Nutri-Savvy Facebook page if you haven’t already and please share this contest on your Facebook page.
4. Go visit Chosen Foods Facebook page and tell them I sent you  and give ‘em a “like”, too!

Giveaway ends August 26th at midnight PST

 

Interview: Ruth’s Hemp Foods and a Super **GIVE-AWAY!**

I’m pleased to introduce the woman (the namesake) behind  Ruth’s Hemp Foods. As you  may recall I’ve been mentioning her products which I absolutely love. And I had a great response to my Ruth’s Chia Goodness Give-Away (and BTW: it is one of my favorite cereals). I also got to try out some new products from her line of foods! You may get a chance to try her Hemp Protein Powder for FREE if you enter the Give-Away below. Here’s the scoop on this amazing woman and her mission:

Q: How long have you been using hemp, chia and maca on your own (before you started your company)?

RUTH: I am one of the people who helped legalize hemp in Canada, in 1998.  I got involved with the nascent hemp lobby in the early 90s, but it was very hard to get any hemp seed before that, so I had very little before we legalized.  I became aware of chia and maca in the course of building my company, so had never had it before I started working with it.  When I read about it, and tried it, I was amazed by the power, so incorporated it into my line.

Q: In your words, why should we be incorporating more of these plant foods into our diets. (I know many good reasons but would love to hear it from you.)

RUTH: The simple reason is because our planet is limited and everyone deserves good food!  I am strongly against factory farming of animals, and feel that if people want to eat meat, it must be from animals that have had a good life and good death.  There is just not enough land in the world (especially as people take up more and more of it) for animals to have the good life in pastures that they deserve at the rate people eat them.  It also helps topsoil development and reduces dependency on chemical fertilizers to raise vegetables in fields that have had animals in them.

So one good reason to eat plant foods is to eat less meat.  Also for diversity, variety and colour and obviously, nutrition:  vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients.

Q: What inspired you to build a company with such products?

RUTH: Hemp is truly a phenomenal crop:  in 1938, Popular Mechanics said there were 25,000 uses for it, and that has only increased!  It needs few agricultural inputs if any, and is prolific and useful for so many things.  I love the diversity that comes with the hemp plant.  The seed is a wonderful source of protein and Omega fatty acids, as well as Vitamin E and magnesium, among other vitamins and minerals.

Getting hemp into peoples’ diets was my first inspiration.  But when I thought about what type of food I wanted to offer, I looked around and saw such a mega amount of junk on the market, and the spectre of GMOs on the horizon (this was in the year 2000).  I wanted people to understand that they can eat really good clean food without refined sugar, artificial anything, and NO GMOs, that was still delicious and would make them feel great.

Since our inception in 2000, we have been values-driven, with the objective of offering delicious real food, that was both clean and competitively priced.

Q: When did you feel the public was ready for such foods? (I know awareness has increased over the past few years). 

RUTH: Certainly not when I started!  I endured year after year of hearing “can you smoke it?” as a response to my hemp food.  Awareness is growing much more rapidly than ever before, but when you look at the amount of food sold in the mass markets that does nothing to contribute to health and well being… I’d say we still have a long way to go.

Q: Who was involved in the creativity of your cereal development? I think Ruth’s Chia Goodness Cereal  is the most interesting product.  (Have never seen it before – whereas there are a variety of brands that sell straight chia, hemp seed and protein powders and whole food based energy bars) I really do love your Chia Goodness Cereals!

RUTH: Thanks, Lauren!  I developed Chia Goodness myself in my kitchen.  A bunch of thinking about ingredients and their qualities and many rounds of trial and error.  I agree that it’s the most interesting product, and I am constantly grateful for the response of so many people, who really love it!

Q: I was excited to see that your protein powders not only contain few ingredients that are all whole-food based, but no additives or those chemically derived isolated proteins. Correct me if I’m wrong but the idea of isolating a good protein from a whole food source seems like a waste of the whole food goodness and must likely be done in a lab.

RUTH: You are 100% right.  In our protein powders, our names are our ingredients:  100% Hemp, Hemp with Sprouted Flax and Maca, and Hemp with Maca and E3Live.  That’s it.  I am amazed by the number of people who think they are eating for their health while ingesting synthetic vitamins.  How to tell if a vitamin is from a lab or food derived?  Easy:  vitamins belong in the Nutrition Facts (or Supplement Facts), NOT in an ingredient list.  If they are in an ingredient list, it means they have been purchased and added as vitamins, not derived from the food ingredients.

Q: My twin girls (toddlers) devoured your energy bars and asked for more. Do you think energy bars are a popular item because of their convenience?

RUTH: Glad to hear your girls like them so much. For sure!  The great thing about our energy bars is that they are the perfect mid-point between the all natural, low protein bars that are very common, and the high protein bars that are often quite un-natural, loaded with sugar and soy protein isolates.  Our bars are all natural, and the hemp boosts the protein to between 5 & 7 grams per bar (depending on flavour).  All natural protein, in a convenient form!  Hemp is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all amino acids, and does not need to be combined with other things for true efficacy as an energy source.

Q: What is your favorite product and why?

RUTH: Chia Goodness, for sure -  I eat it every day!  I rotate flavours, but usually love Cranberry Ginger best, and sometimes have a bowl of Chocolate in the afternoon.   When thickened with hot water, it’s like a hot, nutritious chocolate bar.  In addition to the chia, hemp, buckwheat and Celtic Sea Salt, Chocolate Chia contains organic raw cacao nibs and fair trade organic dark cocoa powder, with dates and almonds and it’s an awesome combination.

Q: Anything you would like to add?

RUTH: I love the community of Nutrition Coaches like yourself who support our products.  We don’t advertise, so the popularity of our products comes from the efforts of knowledgeable professionals spreading the word, and rippling out from there.  Thank you!

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GIVE-AWAY!!

I’m excited to announce that Ruth has offered to Give-Away some great products. First place winner will receive a 16 oz jar of Certified Organic HEMP E3Live™ and Maca Protein Powder:

• 14 g  hemp protein
• 5,000mg maca
• 1000mg E3Live™
• 100% RDI Vitamin D
• 60% RDI Magnesium
• 30% RDI Iron
• Gluten-Free and Raw

Second place winner will receive 8 oz of Hemp Seed.

What makes hemp seed so special? Hemp is another source of protein that isn’t quite mainstream. These nutty granules deliver a nearly complete protein and are also rich in Omega 3′s. They’re easy to incorporate into your snacks and dishes. Mix ‘em into yogurt, sprinkle over salads, substitute hemp seeds for pine nuts in your pesto. At 84 calories per Tablespoon, these seeds provide 5g protein and 40% of antioxidant Vitamin E.

Haven’t tried any of Ruth’s Foods?  HERE IS YOUR CHANCE! 

Please follow all of these steps to enter:

1. “Follow” my blog….click subscribe.
2. Comment here on this blog post.
3. Go and “like” me on my Nutri-Savvy Facebook page if you haven’t already and please share this contest on your Facebook page.
4. Go visit Ruth’s Hemp Foods Facebook page and tell them I sent you  and give her a “like”, too! 

Giveaway ends July 24th at midnight PST

Mix-it-Up Monday welcomes Rachel Marie for a Divalicious Smoothie!

Welcome to Mix-it-Up Monday! I’m honored to welcome Rachel Marie Smith of Divalicious Dishes for one of her amazing smoothie recipes. Rachel offers a classic touch to some easy, at home recipes, including appetizers, dinners & desserts. She possesses the creativity to capture a simplistic elegance in all her dishes. And she has a mixologist‘s fine hand for some incredibly enticing drinks like this one below:

This smoothie is not only simple and elegant, it is also Nutritious!!

Blueberry Acai Pomegranate Smoothie

1 cup of Blueberries
1 Banana, sliced
1/2 cup of low-fat Vanilla or Blueberry Yogurt
1 tablespoon of Organic Acai Powder
4-6 oz of POM juice, or POM LITE
*I added 1 tbls of Chia Seeds and 1/2 cup loosely packed spinach, optional*

Add banana, berries, and yogurt to a sandwich size ziplock bag and freeze overnight. Place frozen smoothie in the microwave for 30 seconds and press on the frozen fruit to break it up , and add to blender. Add Chia Seeds, Acai powder and POM juice, Blend and enjoy!

I know I could create a spa-like experience in my backyard with this Chia-infused smoothie* in one hand, while I soak in some sun and get some Vitamin D (with sunscreen and a hat, of course). And what’s more, this delicious beverage  offers an array of antioxidants (blueberry, acai, pomegranate) and heart-healthy nutrients, including calcium, fiber and omega 3′s (chia). 

Thanks Rachel for a Blueberrry-Acai-CHIA-liciuous treat. And another great way to share my Chia GIVE-AWAY!

(Enter via Facebook and/or Twitter)

1. Like my Nutri-Savvy Facebook Page
2. Like Ruth’s Hemp Foods Facebook Page
3. Follow @LaurenOConnorRD Twitter
4. Follow @Ruth’s Foods Twitter
5. Please comment to let us know how you entered. : )

Q: How do you enjoy your smoothies? (for breakfast, by the poolside, after dinner…)?

Mix-it-Up Monday: Mo’s “Chi Chi CHIA Pudding” & GIVE-AWAY!

This week’s Mix-it-Up MONDAY proudly features Maura Knowles (Mo) of Mac-n-Mo’s for a healthy update on CHIA and a Morselicious Pudding Recipe. The Creator of Mac-n-Mo’s, Mo wears many hats, incl. her chef’s hat. She’s a healthy foods advocate, an actress, a screenwriter, a singer…and the list can go on. Basically she is an inspiration in living life to its fullest, healthy and happily. AND she’s also my partner in fighting (sugar) crime for our NUTSO-SWEET column on Fridays. 

Chia seeds are an excellent vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids

And a serving of 2 tbsp. contains 6g of fiber, 3 g of protein, no sodium,

No sugar.

It is an ancient SUPERFOOD eaten by the Aztecs. I eat these every day.

One of my favorite ways to get my daily dose is from my chia pudding,

But please beware that there is a lot of fiber and too much chi chi chia

Can leave you feeling fuller than full with what I call a CHIA BELLY.

A little chia goes a long way for nutrition and taste!

I made Mo’s Chi Chi Chia Pudding and served it over fresh berries and Wheatabix. Oh, YUMMMM!!

Mo’s Chi Chi Chia pudding undressed – it’s great alone (without topping), too!! : )

Mo’s Chi Chi Chia Pudding

• 2 cups milk of choice (I prefer coconut/almond-UNSWEETENED)
• 3-4 tbsp chia seeds
• 2-4 tsp cinnamon (depending on your taste preference)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1.5 tsp vanilla

Pour all ingredients in a glass jar and screw lid on tightly. Shake it up.

Refrigerate. It will form into a gelatin consistency within 2 hours.

Enjoy as a pudding, topping or mix into your smoothies for

SUPER FOOD & fiber boost.

Mmmorselisicous!

www.macnmos.com/the-morselist

http://mo-themorselist.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/

Thanks, Mo, for the great information and the morselicious recipe! I’d top my Chia Pudding with some Mac-n-Mo’s Morsels for an extra morselicious treat!! -Or- served over some mixed berries (pictured above) with some Wheatabix crunch! : )

Please feel free to share your variations.

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Chia GIVE-AWAY!

Nutri-Savvy is giving away 4 packages of Ruth’s Chia Goodness Chia Seeds:

• 2 Chia seeds (14 oz)
• 2 Ruth’s Chia Goodness Original Cereal (12 oz)

ENTER Here for a chance to WIN! (via Facebook OR Twitter)

1. Simply comment here on why you’d like a package or how you enjoy your Chia
2. Like my Nutri-Savvy Facebook Page
3. Like Ruth’s Hemp Foods Facebook Page
4. Follow @LaurenOConnorRD Twitter
5. Follow @Ruth’s Foods Twitter

 -or- you can Enter by Subscribing to this blog.

Check out this post to see why I love Ruth’s Chia Goodness cereal!

If it isn’t worth commenting on, let me know…

Did I get your attention? 

A mixed message: “If it isn’t worth commenting on, let me know…”

An ironic phrase isn’t it. Why would you respond if you didn’t feel compelled to say anything? And if you don’t respond, are you sending a message that perhaps the message you’ve received isn’t important or isn’t interesting enough? If you think about it, things we don’t do may have just as much of an impact (or more) as the things we chose to do. Being passive does have an effect, like it or not.

When we don’t bother to change-up a routine that isn’t working, we don’t see results. With “no results” there is disappointment, concern, frustration…you name it. When we don’t change our eating habits (and that muffin top is starting to show), it has the same effect that can impact our motivation and our self-confidence. Ask yourself: “Is making a change, even just a step in a positive direction important enough to me?”

I recently watched a Mad Men episode where the usually thin Betsy is starting to “get fat”. Of course, her mother-in-law offers the quick solution (get diet pills) – of course I disagree with this one. At the end of the episode Betsy (Bets, Bitsey, Birdie….love those nicknames) continues to show a downward spiral by polishing of hers and finishing her daughters ice-cream Sunday. But then again, you don’t need to suffer on a restrictive diet, either. Healthy living can taste exceptionally good.  That’s why I like Dr. Guttersen’s  THE NEW SONOMA DIET. Because she shares a rewarding lifestyle that doesn’t require cardboard crackers and “carrots and celery” – but rather celebrates the beauty of nature and the wholesome natural appeal of plant-based foods.

So my humble opinion says, take an active role in your health. Don’t just sit there passively in shame.

BTW: I won’t be offended if you don’t comment on this post. lol! But your comments let me know which type of posts are most interesting/compelling to you. So let  me just add “every comment counts”, too! : )

Sign up now for my newsletter distribution list by emailing nutrisavvy@att.net

ENTER my Spring GIVE-AWAY

for a superb Spring (or anytime) read

- a healthy-eating lifestyle plan with loads of inspiring,

wholesome wine-country inspired dishes:

click on this link: WIN a copy of THE NEW SONOMA DIET

Simply Pears and GIVE-AWAY!

If you could pick one fruit – what would it be?

Lately, I’ve been enjoying pears – refreshing and sweet. A nice snack that takes me over the 3 o’clock hour. My little girls enjoy pears, too! Unfortunately, unless I have the mini ones (which I prefer), they take a few bites and leave them unfinished. That’s how I discovered a simple, satisfying dessert. I cut the pears in half, discarding the eaten portion and use them for a baked pear delight.

BAKED PEAR DELIGHT

• 4 pears sliced thinly
• 1 TBS Smart Balance (optional)
• Cinnamon to Taste

The recipe is embarrassingly too simple. Place sliced pears in a covered baking dish, dust with cinnamon, cover and bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. You’ll smell the aroma when it is done. Add a little (more) spice: If you want to get a little more decadent, top heated pear over a Ginger Cookie*. Don’t eat sweets?: Start with a couple of tablespoons of cooked oatmeal (I make a big pot of Irish oatmeal in a rice maker with dried cranberries, so I can ready-made oatmeal for a couple of days) and top with baked pears. Either way, pears make this dish a tasty, warm treat!

*And speaking of Ginger Cookies, Dr. Connie Guttersen has a delightful recipe for Spiced Ginger Cookies in her book, The New Sonoma Diet.  Her plan is about simple ways to use flavorful ingredients so you can truly enjoy a heart-healthy lifestyle. Pretty close to my motto: “Savor, Taste, Enjoy…Nutrition”

You can win Dr. Guttersen’s book, by simply ‘stopping by’ – see details below:

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Sign up now for my newsletter distribution list by emailing nutrisavvy@att.net

ENTER my Spring GIVE-AWAY

for a superb Spring (or anytime) read

- a healthy-eating lifestyle plan with loads of inspiring,

wholesome wine-country inspired dishes:

click on this link: WIN a copy of THE NEW SONOMA DIET

Mix it up Monday: A Tasty Surprise

Lemongrass, Ginger, Shallots…oh my! Indeed what delightful influsion of flavor you can get when you mix it up right. That’s just what I got when I tasted this delicious rice dish at the Thai Festival today. Convinced I’d find MSG …