Easy Local Tomato Salad

Here is an easy salad anyone can make after taking a quick trip to their local farm stand. There is nothing better than fresh tomatoes when they are in season. And for those of us who live in New England, that season is right now!

Ingredients:

- Red tomatoes (heirloom or Burgundy wine)
- Yellow cherry tomatoes
- Fresh cucumber
- Feta cheese
- Fresh oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil - the good stuff!

Preparation:

Quarter the red tomatoes and halve the yellow tomsatoes. Slice your cucumber into 1/4" slices and then align them around an appropriate plate. See my picture for a demonstration. Leave a gap in the center for your feta cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and lastly sprinkle with fresh oregano. You can also add some good balsamic if you like.

Enjoy!

The Forbidden Food You Should Never Stop Eating

Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 01 2011

The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued unabated ever since. Fortunately, the truth is finally starting to come out, as medical scientists have begun to seriously question Keys' findings.

Time to Put Ancel Keys' Theory to Rest

Keys based his theory on a study of six countries, in which higher saturated fat intake equated to higher rates of heart disease. However, he conveniently ignored data from 16 other countries that did not fit his theory. Had he chosen a different set of countries, the data would have shown that increasing the percent of calories from fat reduces the number of deaths from coronary heart disease.

And, as illustrated in the featured article, when you include all 22 countries for which data was available at the time of his study, you find that those who consume the highest percentage of saturated fat have the lowest risk of heart disease.

Furthermore, many have now realized that it's the trans fat found in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that is the true villain, causing far more significant health problems than saturated fat ever could!

Still, despite the scientific evidence, the low-fat dogma remains a favorite among most government health authorities. Case in point: the most recent food chart issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December of last year, recommends reducing your saturated fat intake to a mere seven percent of caloric intake—down from its previously recommended 10 percent…

Newer Studies Debunk Keys' Theory

The USDA's lowered recommendation is illogical when you consider the evidence available today, which supports saturated fat as a necessary part of a heart healthy diet. For example, as discussed in the featured article, a number of indigenous tribes around the world are living proof that a high-saturated fat diet equates to low mortality from heart disease.

These include:

Tribe	Primary Diet	Percentage Saturated Fat
Maasai tribe in Kenya/Tanzania	Meat, milk, cattle blood	66 percent
Inuit Eskimos in the Arctic	Whale meat and blubber	75 percent
Rendille tribe in NE Kenya	Camel milk, meat, blood	63 percent
Tokealu, atoll islands in New Zealand territory	Fish and coconuts	60 percent

And then there's human breast milk, which contains 54 percent saturated fat. Since breast milk is the most perfect diet in existence for developing infants, the presence of high amounts of saturated fat cannot easily be construed as a "mistake."

Furthermore:

• A meta-analysis published last year, which pooled data from 21 studies and included nearly 348,000 adults, found no difference in the risks of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat.
• In a 1992 editorial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. William Castelli, a former director of the Framingham Heart study, stated:
  
  "In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol. The opposite of what… Keys et al would predict…We found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active."
• Another 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a reduction in saturated fat intake must be evaluated in the context of replacement by other macronutrients, such as carbohydrates.
  
  When you replace saturated fat with a higher carbohydrate intake, particularly refined carbohydrate, you exacerbate insulin resistance and obesity, increase triglycerides and small LDL particles, and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol. The authors state that dietary efforts to improve your cardiovascular disease risk should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intake, and weight reduction.

I believe that last point is very important, and is likely a major key for explaining the rampant increase in obesity, heart disease and diabetes. And once you can pinpoint the problem, turning it all around becomes that much easier.

Carbohydrates, Not Fat, is the Root of Obesity and Heart Disease

Heart disease is so common today, it's hard for people to remember that a mere 100 years ago, this disease was really uncommon. As Dr. Donald Miller writes in the featured article:

"There were 500 cardiologists practicing in the U.S. in 1950. There are 30,000 of them now – a 60-fold increase for a population that has only doubled since 1950."

Such an explosion of heart disease indicates that something has changed that is contributing to this epidemic.

What is that "something"?

Our diet!

Most likely, the studies that have linked the so-called "Western diet" to an increased heart disease risk simply confirm that sugar and refined carbohydrates are harmful to your heart health. Because although the Western diet is high in red and processed meats and saturated fats, it's also alarmingly high in sugar and refined carbs like bread and pasta. And, as concluded in the last study listed above, when you reduce saturated fat and increase refined carbohydrates, you end up promoting obesity, heart disease and diabetes...

Gary Taubes has also done an excellent job of explaining the connection between carbs and obesity and its related health issues in his book Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it.

In a nutshell, eating fat and protein does not make you fat—carbohydrates do.I firmly believe the two primary keys for successful weight management and reducing your risk for diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related health problems are:

1. Severely restricting carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, and grains) in your diet, and
2. Increasing healthy fat consumption

According to last year's Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the top 10 sources of calories in the American diet are:

Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, crisps, cobblers, and granola bars) 139 calories a day	Alcoholic beverages
Yeast breads, 129 calories a day	Pasta and pasta dishes
Chicken and chicken-mixed dishes, 121 calories a day	Mexican mixed dishes
Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, 114 calories a day	Beef and beef-mixed dishes
Pizza, 98 calories a day	Dairy desserts

Looking at this list, it plain to see that CARBS—i.e. sugars (primarily fructose) and grains—are the primary sources of our weight- and health problems, not saturated fats.

(As an update, you've often heard me state that soda is the number one source of calories in the US diet, which it was—based on the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The updated NHANES survey above covers nutritional data from 2005-2006, placing grain-based foods in the top two slots. Still, soda comes in at number four, and I still believe a lot of people, particularly teenagers, probably get a majority of their calories from fructose-rich drinks like soda.)

The Different Types of Fat

Fats can be confusing, but you can generally divide fats into four types:

1. Saturated fats, from animal fat and tropical oils
2. Monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil
3. Polyunsaturated fat, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fats
4. Trans fats, such as margarine

Sources of healthy fats include:

Olives and Olive oil	Coconuts and coconut oil	Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans	Organic pastured egg yolks	Avocados
Grass fed meats	Palm oil	Unheated organic nut oils

Another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. For more information about omega-3's and the best sources of this fat, please review this previous article.

Having the proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats is also very important for optimal health. So in addition to increasing your omega-3 (which most people are sorely deficient in), you also want to decrease your consumption of omega-6, found primarily in:

• Corn oil
• Soy oil
• Canola oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil

The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is 1:1, but the typical American diet is more like 1:20 in favor of omega-6. The overabundance of these oils in processed foods of all kinds explains our excess omega-6 levels.

The other fats you want to avoid are the trans fats. Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil during food processing in order to make it solidify. This process, known as hydrogenation, makes fats less likely to spoil, so foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and also have a less greasy feel. The end result of the hydrogenation process is a completely unnatural fat that causes dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level.

Your Body NEEDS Saturated Fat for Optimal Function

Saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a number of important health benefits. In fact, your body cannot function without saturated fats! Saturated fats are needed for the proper function of your:

Cell membranes	Heart	Bones (to assimilate calcium)
Liver	Lungs	Hormones
Immune system	Satiety (reducing hunger)	Genetic regulation

Healthy Fat Tips to Live By

So please remember, you do need a certain amount of healthy fat, while at the same time you'll want to avoid the unhealthy varieties. The easiest way to accomplish this is to simply eliminate processed foods, which are high in all things detrimental to your health: sugar, carbs, and dangerous types of fats.

After that, these tips can help ensure you're eating the right fats for your health:

• Use organic butter made from raw grass-fed milk instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.
• Use coconut oil for cooking. It is far superior to any other cooking oil and is loaded with health benefits. (Remember that olive oil should be used COLD, drizzled over salad or fish, for example, not to cook with.)
• Following my nutrition plan will automatically reduce your modified fat intake, as it will teach you to focus on healthy whole foods instead of processed junk food.
• To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil, and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.

Spinach, Watermelon, & Feta Salad

An easy to make and super healthy salad for the summer months. I got inspired by a few of my clients who had various takes on this salad and I thought I would make up my own and give it a whirl.








Ingredients:
Watermelon chunks
Fresh feta
Cucumber
Red Onion
Fresh baby spinach
Extra virgin olive oil
Aged balsamic

Preparation:
In a glass bowl combine a few handfuls of watermelon, crumbled fresh feta, sliced cucumber, sliced red onion, and the spinach. Exact amounts are up to you - just eye ball it and you'll be fine. Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic and then enjoy with the rest of your meal.

Mixed Berry Protein Smoothie

Mixed Berry Protein Smoothie

Now that summer is here there will be plenty of access to fresh fruit however I always use the frozen stuff for smoothies because it helps thicken the drink rather than being watered down.

This is an easy recipe that I constantly make after I workout or for a snack and never really measure.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of frozen wild blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 fresh banana
6oz of yogurt (not the sugary stuff)
1 scoop of high quality protein powder (I use Hammer Nutrition)
water

Preparation:
Add everything to the blender and maybe 3/4 cup of water. Blend until thoroughly smooth and continue to add water for desired consistency.

Great for summer and hot weather, and for a post-workout recovery drink!!

Grilled Multigrain Flatbreat Fiddlehead & Red Onion Pizza with Balsamic

Grilled Multigrain Flatbreat Fiddlehead & Red Onion Pizza with Balsamic

So I walk into Wholefoods hungry and noticed a pile of fiddleheads which you can only find in the spring since they are in fact baby ferns.. yes you know the green plants you see in the forest!
I'm thinking this would make a great pizza for some reason with sliced red onions.

Here is what you need and how to do it:

- Wholefoods multi-grain pizza dough cut into 2 equal balls
- Few handfuls of fresh fiddleheads
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Crushed garlic
- EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- Lemon juice from one lemon
- Shaved pecorino romano cheese

1. Roll out your dough at room temp until thin and somewhat round until you have 2 crusts. Fire up your gill or large cast iron pan and spray the dough with EVOO, grill both sides until toasty brown and then set aside.
2. Mix your fiddleheads in a bowl with red onions, lemon juice, garlic, and EVOO drizzle until coated completely. Sea salt and pepper is fine as well.
3. Layer the shaved pecorino romano on each flat bread and then cover each crust with your fiddlehead mixture.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for another 10 minutes until everything is piping hot.
5. Drizzle high quality balsamic over each pizza and serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

What To Eat For Success!

Afternoon everyone,

Well it's almost close for the day and week, and it's shaping up to be a relatively decent Mother's
Day weekend in terms of weather which means you should get outdoors as much as possible.
I'll be hitting the bike on both days before I get ready for you guys all over again on Tuesday.

Anyway so people always ask me about nutrition and what I personally eat throughout the course
of my day. In my opinion not everyone can follow the same eating plan as everyone else because
we are all on different schedules, however the same general rules apply:

Limit Sugar - especially processed of any kind and fruit juice
Omit Processed Foods COMPLETELY - I know your company kitchens are stocked with junk so please avoid
Eat Balanced Meals - 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch
Organic Whenever Possible - If it's not safe for your pets to play in a garden full of chemicals then I'm pretty sure it's not safe for you.
Spring Water - The best water source are free flowing springs that are free to public and available for your pleasure http://www.findaspring.com/.
However if you cannot get this type of access then clean spring water is better over tap for many reasons too lengthy to list.

With all that in mind here is what my day usually looks like:

5:30am - 2 egg/meat/provolone cheese sandwich on whole wheat english muffins
1 cup of cooked oatmeal with a banana or berries - little real maple syrup for taste.
8:30am - 1 cup of banana/mango or mixed berry Traderspoint Creamery yogurt (non-homogenized whole milk)
2 cranberry/pecan rolls
Noon - 1 large salad with grilled chicken, fish, or other meat (never tofu or processed anything mimicking real food) with olive oil and balsamic

3:00pm - Apple or banana, or some sort of homemade protein/granola bar.. or both!

7:30pm - Chicken, steak, or fish with salad, vegetables (roasted, grilled, or steamed), and sweet potato/potato or rice

9:30pm - Bowl of high protein cereal or whey protein shake with frozen fruit and water.


How many calories is all of that? I honestly have no idea because I do not count calories and personally I think counting
calories leads you to having a harder time losing weight if that's your ultimate goal. Keep in mind that this meal plan
is not for everyone and that I literally exercise intensely for a minimum of 2 hours a day, 1 hour of each day involving functional
training. 10-15 hours of training is reserved for cycling, stairs, jump rope, hiking.. etc.

I'm also have a whey protein drink after each workout, take multi vitamins, high quality fish oil, and get 6-8 hours of sleep per
night with literally maybe only a glass or 2 of wine per week - this week was an exception when I had a few drinks.

All and all you can modify and shift things around to fit your lifestyle and food likes/dislikes. Generally you want to consume a good
amount of protein if you are looking to shed the fat and definitely lay off the sugar, especially the martini's when out on business
dinners!

Any questions feel free to ask and I'll be happy to help out.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!


Chris

Grilled pork chop with sauteed veggies and porcini mushroom ravioli

Grilled pork chop with sauteed veggies and porcini mushroom ravioli:

I just made this tonight with a bunch of veggies I bought at Russo's this afternoon.
Here is what you need and how to do it!

Ingredients:

• bone in or boneless pork chops
  
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 1/2 White onion
• 1 cup chopped baby bok choy
• 1 cup rainbow swiss chard chopped
  
• 1/4 cup red pepper chopped
• fresh porcini mushroom ravioli
• 1/4 cup snap peas
  
• olive oil

Preparation:

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and season your pork to taste with sea salt/pepper or whatever else you like. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan and sear the pork on both sides until brown and then lower the heat a bit and cook for additional 5 to 6 minutes until medium/well.

Set aside and add onion, peppers, and eggplant to pan with a bi more olive oil. Cook until eggplant is soft and then add your remaining veggies, cover, and let wilt. While these are cooking you should add your ravioli to boiling water and cook until they float. Combine the ravioli to the veggie mixture just to coat with the flavors and plate it up.

Very tasty and easy. 30 minutes tops! Chicken or steak can be used as a substitute.

Warning to those who eat soy

by The Weston A. Price Foundation -

The Weston A. Price Foundation provides accurate information about nutrition and is dedicated to putting nutrient-dense foods back on American tables.

Members receive a lively and informative quarterly journal and email updates on current issues and website events. Visit their at www.westonaprice.org

Are you confused about soy?

The Weston A. Price Foundation has compiled a list of soy dangers and myths to get the truth out once and for all.

Soy Dangers Summarized

• High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking, but only with long fermentation. High-phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals, soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
• Soy foods increase the body's requirement for Vitamin D. Toxic synthetic Vitamin D2 is added to soy milk.
• Fragile proteins are over-denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods to mask soy's unpleasant taste.
• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

Myths and Truths About Soy

Here we dispel the myths of the "Diet Dictocrats" and reveal the scientific validity behind our wise ancestors' nutrient-dense diets.

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.

Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soybeans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.

Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.

Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.

Truth: Like all legumes, soybeans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.

Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body: in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.

Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth.

Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc, which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system.

Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.

Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.

Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.

Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol with soy protein improves one's risk of having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.

Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.

Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.

Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.

Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.

Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels.

Myth: Soybeans are good for the environment.

Truth: Most soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soybeans are good for developing nations.

Truth: In third-world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

Soy Infant Formula: Birth Control Pills for Babies

Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least four birth control pills per day.

Male infants undergo a testosterone surge during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculinity traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.

In animals, studies indicate that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters. Soy infant feeding -- which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that inhibit testosterone -- cannot be ignored as a possible cause of disrupted development patterns in boys, including learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.

Male children exposed to DES, a synthetic estrogen, had testes smaller than normal on maturation and infant marmoset monkeys fed soy isoflavones had a reduction in testosterone levels up to 70 percent compared to milk-fed controls.

Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-Americans girls show signs of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE.

Intake of phytoestrogens even at moderate levels during pregnancy can have adverse affects on the developing fetus and the timing of puberty later in life.

For those seeking scientific references please see my earlier artticle

Red, White, & Blue Healthy Pankcakes

Here is a great 4th of July breakfast recipe! For those of you who do enjoy pancakes every now and then, I encourage you to try this version which I make for myself quite regularly when I do make pancakes. I have found a really great Multigrain pancake mix that Trader Joes sells and then add my own ingredients to make it a bit more delicious, healthy, and full of protein.

Ingredients:
- Multigrain pankcake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 scoop of high quality vanilla protein powder (I use Hammer Nutrition)
- Milk
- 1 ripe banana (1/2 of it mashed)
- 1 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Preparation:
I rarely follow recipes or measure for that matter, however you can use the measurements on your box mix if you like, or make the basic mix from scratch. Preheat one or two cast iron or non stick pans on low to medium heat. While the pans are heating up, grab two glass bowls (or any bowls large enough to mix) and combine all of the dry ingredients into one bowl including 1/2 mashed banana. Separate the egg whites in your second bowl and add one of the yolks to the dry mix bowl.

Begin adding the milk to the dry bowl and stir from the middle until the mixture is combined and the batter is thick but pourable. Don't add too much milk because then you'll have skimpy pancakes and no one will be impressed with that. Now here comes the fun part. Grab a large metal wisk and beat the egg whites until thick and peaks begin to form... much like making meringue. You could use a mixer if you were lazy but it literally takes no more than a minute by hand provided you have a glass or steel bowl.

Slowly fold in the egg whites into your batter until completely mixed. DO NOT just stir it in. You want the air bubbles to stay in tact and folding the whites in at this point is critical, otherwise there is no point in beating the egg whites.

By now your pans should be hot and now you can begin making pancakes. Any size will do! Once you have the batter on the pan, sprinkle on some blueberries and add sliced strawberries.
While these are cooking you want to heat up a cup of the blueberries in a sauce pan on low heat until juicy and delicious. You DO NOT need to add sugar. If you want it a little sweeter then you can add REAL maple syrup from Vermont or other New England state... lay off the fake stuff.
Okay don't forget to flip the pancakes when browned.

Once your pancakes are cooked (should be moist and fluffy.. do not overcook.) you can stack them up and pour on the blueberry sauce, remaining sliced strawberries, and sliced banana.

Happy 4th of July to you!

Amazing dinner for 2!!

Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
Simple dish put together in a mater of minutes with green lettuce, sliced yellow peppers, thick-sliced tomato, and fresh mozzarella. Topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, cracked pepper, olive oil, and balsamic.


Feta, Avocado, & Tomato Salad
Another dish I put together within minutes, actually at the same time I was making the one above. Combine in a bowl cubed firm avocado, quartered Tasty Tom tomato's, olive oil, white vinegar, fresh cilantro, and then sprinkle with good feta. Give it a gentle toss and then season with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Cast-Iron Seared Lemon Chicken

Let's have a little protein with those salads. The chicken was quickly marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice the pan seared on both sides until cooked. While the chicken was cooking I made both salads above and black beans. Add onions to the same pan as the chicken and saute until browned.



There is no reason to eat out or order pizza because total cook and prep time was under 30 minutes.

Serve everything immediately and enjoy!

Seared Rare Tuna w/ Mango Watercress Salad.

I just taught a super tough Spinning class and was in the mood for something tasty but didn't want to spend a whole lot of time making it. I hit up Wholefoods with my gf with fish in mind and quickly walked out with a pound of really nice tuna, watercress, tomatoes, and Camembert cheese with Iggy's crusty bread for something to munch on.

Preparation is a cinch! Simply coat the tuna in black sesame seeds, start a pot with wild rice, and prep the ingredients for the salad. The side salad was mixed with white vinegar, sea salt, lemon juice, and the tossed with chopped fresh mango, quartered tomato, and red onion. Watercress is sort of spicy on its own - sort of like arugula, so adding the mango for sweetness cuts out the bitterness.

Heat up a skillet or cast iron pan at high heat and sear the tuna on both sides for literally no more than 60 - 90 seconds for rare. Overcooked tuna is very dry and not a whole lot of fun to eat. Make sure the rice is cooked before you start cooking the tuna - basically 10-15 minutes,
and you'll have a complete gourmet meal in under 30 minutes.

Oh I had the Camembert heating in my toaster oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes until the center literally poured out of the center and ate it with baguette and red raspberry jam.... oh my god!!!

One of my favorite and light meals to date!

Enjoy :-)

Fish Tostadas

Looking for a light and healthy meal to start off the new year? Try these fish tostadas packed full of healthy ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 white fish filets (tilapia, cod, etc)
Homemade guacamole
Handmade or natural corn tortillas
Goat cheese
Organic black beans
3 Plum tomatoes diced
1 roasted red pepper
Sea salt for taste


Preparation:
This is a quick and easy meal that can be made in under 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to broil and place your corn tortillas on a cookie sheet and lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray, then set aside.

Cook your fish in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and add in the diced tomato. Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until the fish is flaky. Once cooked, place the tortillas under the broiler until slightly toasted (do not burn them!).

Now you can start assembling - some guac, a piece of fish, some sliced roasted red peppers, a little goat cheese, topped with the hot tomato and a bit of black beans. Garnish with cilatro and serve immediately!

Enjoy!

The Hazards of Sugar

There is a lot of misleading information regarding nutrition and obesity, however this lecture video on fructose explains in detail about sugar affects our lives, specifically children who are surrounded by lower quality and cheaply made foods. This video is broken up into 9 parts, so please be sure to watch all 9 parts in order -- totaling 1 hour in length. Comments welcome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjxyjcvW7RE

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