Mango Avacado Salsa

Looking for a fun refreshing salsa to bring to a party or for your family? I've made this many time and each time it's a smashing success!

Ingredients:
2 or 3 firm but ripe Hass avacados
1/2 red Bermuda onion
1/2 English cucumber
2 firm but ripe mangos
Fresh cilantro
Aged balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Chop the cucumber, mango, and onion and place into a bowl. Do the same for the avacado (we do this last because it browns fast) and give it all a gentle toss without mashing any of the ingredients. Add a little fresh cilantro and drizzle with really good aged balsamic before you serve it up. A little sea salt and course pepper doesn't hurt either!

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Tip:
Do not refrigerate! Serve immediately after preparing.

Roasted Chicken & Black Bean Tostadas

I recently made these for dinner the other night with ingredients I just happened to have without following a recipe. They came out so good that I had to share them with you!

Ingredients:

- Corn tortillas
- Fresh guacamole
- Roasted chicken or chicken breast
- Organic black beans
- 1/2 white onion
- Goat cheese
- Fresh cilantro

Directions:

Either buy a hot roasted chicken or cook an organic chicken breast in a skillet using olive oil spray. Heat up a cast iron skillet and brown your corn tortillas using a bit of olive oil spray. At the same time in the pan you cooked your chicken, saute your onions in olive oil until they get soft and brown. Heat up your black beans in a small sauce pan and get some fresh cilantro and goat cheese from the fridge.

Once your tortillas are browned and hot, lay them out on either a cookie sheet or individual plates and begin building. Start with a dollop of fresh guacamole, then some crumbled goat cheese, followed by slices of hot chicken breast, a small scoop of black beans, a bit of caramelized onions, and completed by cilantro garnish. These will be a sure hit at any party or Mexican family dinner! Serve with a cucumber salad and a margarita or mojito! Yum!

12 Hours of Great Glen

So I headed up to Maine over the weekend for dinner in Portland with my gf and her parents and then made the drive to North Conway which led me to Glen, NH - the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. I made it there by 9:30, 30 minutes prior to the registration cutoff time! The sun was long gone and I had to set up my camp site in the dark when I realized I forgot my tent poles at home. Somehow I packed my entire basement into my car except for the one thing I need to sleep in my tent.


I decided to put up my 10'x10' canopy tent instead and sleep under that hoping no bears would come lick my face during the night. It was 43 degrees that night but I was really warm in my sleeping bag. The next morning brought clear skies and warm sun for the start of the race. I was feeling pretty good and my parents showed up shortly after 9am to help me set up and get my things settled before the race ... you know the usual race prep and laboratory station of drinks and electrolytes!

The rain they got on Friday made the course a bit slick but I did not preride it having been here the past 6 years, and luckily the wind and sun helped dry the course making it pretty fast! Waiting at the start line for the cannon to fire I see a fellow racer Thom Parsons pull up to the line who was racing with a 4-man pro team and thought to myself I am surely not getting the fastest lap now!


The dreaded run around the pond is rediculous in carbon soled bike shoes that are about as stiff as strapping planks to your feet and trying to run on pavement. I somehow always manage and then hopped on my bike for the lap, coming in at 41 minutes. It appears the fast team riders did a 38 or 39 minute lap which wasn't too much faster than mine and I managed to pull off sub 45 min laps the first 6 laps of the race, pulling ahead of my competition and putting myself 6th overall out of EVERYONE.

Half way through the race I find out that the second place rider was nearly 30 minutes behind me and stayed there for the remainder of the race, forcing me out on more laps until I ended with 14 right at the midnight mark. You cannot cross the line until midnight, so I had to do a slower last lap and wait until 12 rolled around. My second 1st place 12 hour finish of the year!

Results:
http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/gg_index.php

My parents were a great help, especially with the timing, food prep, and pumpkin choc chip cookies! We all slept in our cars that night and left early the next day where I headed to Reid State Park on the coast of Maine to meet back up wirth my gf and her parents. Dinner on the rocks 10 feet from the ocean is pretty nice after a long day on the bike!

Unfermented soy is bad!

Soy milk has gained an image as a healthy alternative to regular milk, but this image is one of a wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing.

Any soy that is unfermented -- soy milk, tofu, soybean oil, soy burgers, and all the other processed soy products out there all belong to this category -- is not a health food and in fact is not a food I would advise eating at all. This is true whether it is “organic” or not.

Unfermented soy products have been linked to everything from reproductive disorders and infertility to cancer and heart disease.

Further, unfermented soy contains isoflavones that are clearly associated with reduced thyroid function. Eating unfermented soy products is likely the single largest cause of hypothyroidism in women.

Another major problem with unfermented soy is that it contains natural toxins known as “antinutrients.” This includes a large quantity of inhibitors that deter your enzymes needed for protein digestion.

While a small amount of these antinutrients would likely not be a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating (and drinking in the form of soy milk) is quite significant.

The result of consuming too many of soy’s antinutrients is extensive gastric distress and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake, which can result in pancreatic impairment and cancer.

Unfermented soy is also loaded with phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein. These compounds mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen, and have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues.

Drinking even two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman’s menstrual cycle, and although the FDA regulates estrogen-containing products, no warnings exist on soy or soy milk.

Soy phytoestrogens are also known to disrupt endocrine function, may cause infertility and may promote breast cancer in women.

It’s very important that you make this distinction between unfermented and fermented soy, and ditch any and all unfermented soy products from your diet.

Soy foods only become healthy after a long fermentation process, during which the dangerous phytate and "antinutrient" levels of soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties are made available to your digestive system.

NEW Indoor Fit Camps coming soon!

Good afternoon from Boston - or should we now say London?

It's been a long time since I posted any new stories, however this will change as I have been quite busy organizing my web site and starting up a schedule for a variety of indoor fit camp classes that will be taught at the very beautiful Dance Fever Studio on Wells Ave, Newton, MA.

We just secured a really great deal with tons of studio floor space with a professional sound system to keep you motivated throughout class. My partner, Amy Jean, and I were teaching outdoors before the clouds and rain took over, so we have decided to combine our efforts and move indoors to provide a more structured and effective workout program for various levels.

The final schedule is in the works and will be up very soon, but we are working on having regular Fit Camp for all levels, 50+ or a beginner class, a Mommy & Baby class, and also a Bridal Fit Camp class! Each of these classes will feature circuit-based routines involving cardio & strength exercises to help you drop the pounds and get fit.

Stay tuned for more! In the mean time check out my new web site, www.healthiernation.com.

Spring skiing couldn't be any more perfect!

As you all know this past weekend had some amazing temps, clear bluebird skies, and tons of spring snow! Well that is of course if you were at Sunday River, ME with me Saturday and Sunday. If you live south of the NH/ME border and look out your window, the snow is basically non-existent and leaving you to assume skiing is over. That is great however New England ski season always ends sometime around May 1st at many northern resorts, and if you are a true skier and want some back-country riding, just head to Tuckerman's Ravine on the backside of Mt. Washington which has snow until June or July (you can see Mt Washington into the distance which is covered in snow) .

I ventured up to Sunday River as soon as my last client completed her last repetition and arrived around 1:30 with temps in the upper 40's! The parking lots were completely full but I snagged a spot up at Barker lodge where I put on my gear and took to the hill. The snow was soft at the bottom near the lifts but fast and furious on the upper half of the mountain! There was zero melting going on up there as everything in the woods was frozen solid from the nightly refreeze. Skiing until 7pm (night skiing there this year on a few trails until 9pm however it was light until 7:30 - check out the sunset!), changed in my car and headed to Liam's down the road for some homemade lasagna, a chicken quesadilla, and a Geary's draft beer . Beer you say!? Yeah I don't know, I was alone and taking full advantage of my downtime. I was chatting with the owners a bit and spying on a couple in the dining room as a proposal was in progress. The waitress brought over a gift for the woman with dessert and turns out the ring didn't fit but she said yes.... aww how sweet.

My excitement didn't end there as I headed back to the mountain to see Eve 6, a punk/rock band I used to listed to back in High School (1994) and just reunited to play more music. A few bands opened for them which were really good, but I took to the front row and stayed there standing 3 feet in front of the Eve 6 who rocked about 16 songs! Entertainment ended at midnight and with no scheduled place to stay for the night, I decided to head to the ski dorm lounge to watch some tv until 1am where I actually fell asleep until 2 and then retreated to my car bundled in my cozy down jacket, which I somehow ripped on something and got goose feathers EVRYWHERE in my car!!! I realized this at 3:30am and went into the dorm lounge again only to encounter a security guard wondering why feathers were streaming out of me. I asked him for Duct tape which he didn't have (and must have thought I was completey insane), so I rigged up a white plastic back over my right arm so it now looks like I am a rock star from the UK.

6am quickly came where I ate plenty of breakfast and took to the slopes to get first tracks at 8am. There is something about skiing on corduroy that is so smooth and fast and just makes you smile cruising down the mountain going 60mph! I had 4 runs in by 9am. Noon rolled around and so did the temps, climbing to nearly 52. The main reason I went there was to ski bumps and I was just waiting for patrol to open the bump runs once they were soft enough. 12:30 was the time and they opened Last Tango (glade off Barker) where I stayed until 4pm close! I worked my legs until complete exhaustion and was loving every second of it cruising through the trees at speeds not recommended to most people. :)

The snow is plentiful up in Maine with 95" on the ground up at Sugarloaf, which means bare spots are not happening in the near future.. but if there was you could easily ski around them as they get bigger and bigger going into late April. Spring snow, sun, and fun can't be beat! Bike season can wait another few months for me.

See you on the mountain!

Inspirational Nutrition for your family

This message is intended for any of my clients or anyone living in the Boston area who is looking to improve their eating habits through health counseling such as group seminars and classes. One of my clients, Laurie Brownstein, has been helping families cope with nutritional battles associated with food allergies and the stress of time constraints... and she wants to help you!

Here is a little information on what her business and experience provides:

- Improve your eating habits
- Feel confident in choosing and preparing better food for you and your loved ones.
- Experience a remarkable increase in your energy and vitality.
- Understand your cravings and stop binges.
- Feel better about your body and achieve your ideal weight.
- Experience an increase in overall happiness in your life.

The programs may include 2 sessions per month in-person or via phone with group classes that discuss recipes and a cooking demonstration on how to prepare healthy food for your family. You can also receive a tour of a grocery store to help you determine a correct and healthy choice, have access to personal library collections and CD's relating to nutrition, all while setting goals and making simple lifestyle changes.

Call her today to set up an appointment!
617- 548-9966

Break the Bread Trap

Bread and similar wheat products are ubiquitous throughout much of the world. For many years, the USDA's food pyramid recommended 11 servings of grains and grain products. However, modern wheat is very different from the wheat our ancestors ate.

The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has enormously increased as a result of hybridization. Until the 19th century, wheat was also usually mixed with other grains, beans and nuts; pure wheat flour has been milled into refined white flour only during the last 200 years.

The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of us have eaten since infancy has created health problems in the gut, the bloodstream, the brain, and sometimes also the joints, cardiovascular system and endocrine system.

"Gluten" comes from the Greek word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold bread and cake together. But those same properties interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal. The result is a worthless, glued-together constipating lump in the gut rather than a nutritious meal.

At worst, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and cancer can result from severe celiac disease or extreme gluten sensitivity. But there are many others who suffer from unexplained diarrhea, intestinal gas and bloating, joint pains, infertility or brain fog.

Soy Milk is Unhealthy

Here is the process of how soy beans turns into soy milk:

Soybeans are "milked" to make soy milk, and transmogrified into health-harming products nobody needs.

After presoaking beans in an alkaline solution, the resulting paste is cooked in a pressure cooker, eliminating key nutrients and producing low levels of the toxin lysinoalanine.

After that, the production process becomes a matter of cleaning up the undesirable, beany taste of soy milk, either by presoaking beans beforehand with baking soda or "deodorizing" them using a process similar to refining oil. Sweeteners (raw cane crystals, barley malt or brown rice syrup) and flavorings mask any remaining "beaniness."

Sales of soy milk came to $1 billion in 2005. But soy milk drinkers might be surprised to learn that soy milk was originally considered nothing more than a step in the process of making tofu. Soy milk consumption didn't pick up until the late 1970s, when advertisers began promoting it as an energy drink.

The soy industry has long concentrated on taste rather than health, however. And since soy milk doesn't exist naturally in nature, it is, and always has been, a processed food.

The Skinny on FATS - Saturated fat is good for you!

I recently just came across another article relating to saturated fats and whether or not they are good for you. There is an awful lot of false information out there created by companies that want you to eat their "crap" - pardon my french, and fat consumption is one of them. This country is OBSESSED with the concept that no fat equals weight loss and better health, when in fact we were much healthier when our great grandparents and even parents were having raw milk delivered to the door each week and eating food grown from the garden.

Anyway here is the article in 4 sections:

Weekend Thaw/Freeze

The weather has been fairly cooperative up north with up to 66" of snow at Jay Peak a few weeks ago before the mini thaw happened on Friday with a few showers, and warm temps. The northern slopes are stacked with snow - Sugarloaf reporting a 95" base. I ventured up north to NH after happy hour on Friday night following my spin class - which I gave them a full hour of fun -- where I was happy to have some homemade chocolate cake and chocolate frosting! The occasion? My 31st birthday of course which quickly went as fast as it came.

Driving up to NH in some rain and 50 degree temps were ingredients for disaster knowing that a blast of arctic air was to move in from Canada and take a strong grip on the mountains. Wet snow followed by sub 20 degree high temps usually translates into "stay home because the mountain will be a sheet/block of ice. Having slept on the floor of my friends house in my sleeping bag Friday night -- don't ask, I woke up at 6am and walked outside to see what the snow has done.... sure enough it was frozen. With a changing forecast and no snow expected up north, I whipped up some real french toast using a french baguette, fresh eggs from the farm down the road, and milk that my friend's friend milked himself! I couldn't stop there and whipped up the best fluffy scramble eggs I have ever tasted!! Sorry I didn't have time to take a picture.

I left NH and drove back to MA while the weather was warmer and skies were clear. It was time to grab the mountain bike and head out on the road for 2 or 3 hours out into Concord/Carlisle area before retreating back home. It's time to start getting in shape for the bike season and since I am now 31, I am ALMOST at my prime. The last 2 years were great but the next 10 will be better!

Oh I ventured out of the house and saw Slumdog Millionaire last night after being told by everyone to see it, which was really fantastic. Great film and amazing footage. I highly recommend! This morning I woke up, ate some oatmeal and hit the gym to take a Spinning class and see some old friends that I don't normally see on the weekend. Rode the bike for 2 hours and lifted for about an hour to cap off my morning, and quickly retreated to Russo's for some food!

I hope everyone's weekend was great and eventful. HEAVY snow in the forecast tonight and tomorrow with 15" expected here. Translation: no school but I will be on the road and you can count on me being at your house.

Bye for now!