Grapefruit Pancakes

I'm constantly on a mission to find nutritious alternatives to the most common foods that we love to eat. I spend hours on Instagram, Facebook, health and food blogs, reading recipe books, and writing/testing my own recipes.

I personally am not a huge fan of pancakes, but I am most definitely a fan of pancakes that are sweet, fluffy, made with unrefined ingredients, AND nourishing. These pancakes are high in protein, gluten-free, filling, and really easy to make. I was completely satisfied with them and I hope you will be too.

Ingredients

Makes 4 small or 2 large pancakes

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 drops stevia (I don't love the taste of stevia, but you can add more if you'd like)

Zest of about 1/4 grapefruit (to taste)

1 Tablespoon greek yogurt

1/4 cup almond milk

3 organic egg whites

1 Tablespoon coconut oil (for cooking)

Procedure

1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients, except coconut oil, in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and incorporate well. Batter should be thick. The thicker the batter, the fluffier your pancakes will be. Taste and adjust flavors to preference if needed.
3. Heat coconut oil in a medium-large size pan. Make sure pan is very hot. Spoon batter onto pan, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes (until bottom is browned, but not burnt). Flip and cook for another minute. You can make pancakes as big as you want. I chose to make 4 small ones.
4. Stack pancakes on plate and top with slices of grapefruit, sauce, and anything else you desire.

Grapefruit sauce:

1 Tablespoon kefir (can also use yogurt)

1 teaspoon grapefruit zest (to taste)

1/2-1 Tablespoon fresh juice from grapefruit (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon grade B maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon chia seeds (optional, for thickness)

pinch of cinnamon

-Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust. Pour over pancake stack.

Other recommended toppings:

• chopped almonds
• chopped walnuts
• more cinnamon
• shredded coconut

Recipe adapted from clarkpharm.blogspot.com

Why Drink Lemon Water?

Lemon water has great powers. Ever since I learned how great it is, I've made it a habit to start my day off with a cup of warm lemon water before I have my breakfast. It's a great way to gently wake up the organs and help their natural detox cycle. It's also great to just drink throughout the day. Simply squeeze a lemon into a cup of water (hot or cold) and enjoy.

Here are some of the amazing benefits of lemon water:

• Helps with weight loss - Lemons speed up metabolism.
• Helps flush out toxins from the body - Detox.
• Cleanses the digestive system.
• Alkalizes the body - When our body is under an acidic state, it develops sickness and disease, so it's important to try to balance it with alkalizing foods.
• Improves immunity - High in Vitamin C.
• Works as a natural diuretic.
• Acts as a liver tonic.
• Improves skin tone and quality - The acidity of lemons helps treat acne.
• Relieves nausea.
• Relieves constipation.

Chai Spiced Quinoa Porridge

Quinoa is a grain that can be used in sweet and savory cooking. I love making breakfast porridges with it. I always play with different flavorings and this one has been one of my favorites so far.

 

Ingredients

 

3/4 cup chai tea, strongly steeped 

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, soaked for at least 1 hour

1 cup coconut milk (I used canned organic coconut milk)

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of ground nutmeg

pinch of sea salt

 

Optional toppings:

Raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds Chopped nuts

Goji berries 

Shredded coconut

Chia seeds

Fresh fruit Coconut milk

 

Procedure

1. Steep chai tea and place in a small pot. Drain and rinse quinoa until water runs clear and place in pot with tea. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is cooked or liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Drain if quinoa cooks before liquid is absorbed.
2. Place cooked quinoa back in pot and add 1 cup coconut milk, spices, and salt to your own taste (You might not need the extra spices if your tea was strong enough, I personally like the extra spice). Let milk warm through and transfer porridge to a bowl.
3. Top with desired toppings and extra coconut milk.

Enjoy!

Tips for Weight Management

There are many factors that contribute to a person being overweight. It can be frustrating to manage weight when we don't know what the issue is. "Calories in and calories out" does play a role in weight management, but there is more to look at. It's mostly the quality of the calories that matters.

Most popular weight management diets just restrict calorie intake and don't consider the quality of the food going into our bodies. If a diet is low in calories and still full of refined sugar and carbohydrates, a person might lose some weight at first, but the sugar cravings, mood imbalances, and old eating habits will still be there. A weight management plan should be a lifestyle change and not temporary restrictions or eliminations that are not realistic to stick with.

 

Factors that contribute to a person being overweight:

• Behavioral
  • Eating when not hungry
  • Skipping meals
  • Lack of exercise
• Emotional
  • Overeating due to stress, anxiety, depression, or frustration
• Metabolic
  • Low thyroid
  • Slow metabolism
  • Medical drugs
  • Low muscle mass
  • Lack of exercise
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Toxicity
    • Metals
    • Food colorings, preservative, and flavorings
    • Plastics and pesticides
    • Bacteria or parasitic overgrowth
• Nutritional
  • Eating too many foods that lack nutrients such as processed foods, high sugar foods, and refined carbohydrates
  • Consuming more energy (calories) than expanded 
  • Having an imbalance of essential nutrients (usually it's an excess amount of carbohydrates and not enough protein and healthy fats)

Factors that contribute to a person being underweight:

• Not consuming enough energy (calories)
• Not getting enough nutrients
• Digestive issues
• Anorexia/Bulimia
• Excessive exercise
• Allergies
• Stress
• Crohn's and Celiac Disease (gut issues)
• Mal-absorption of nutrients
• High thyroid
• Medication side effects

Tips to manage weight:

• Detox/Cleanse: A detox is not the same as fasting and should not be a calorie restriction diet
  • Feed your liver: The liver is an organ with many important functions such as making enzymes, making proteins, making bile (helps digest fats), detoxifying chemicals, detoxifying drugs and alcohol, filters about 95% of microbes and toxins from the bloodstream, and regulates blood sugar
    • Increase protein: eggs, meats, yogurt, nuts, seeds, legumes
    • Increase bitter foods: arugula, dandelion greens, chard, raw cacao powder
    • Increase greens: leafy greens, sea vegetables
    • Increase sour foods: sauerkraut, vinegars, lemon juice
    • Increase herbs and spices: parsley, cilantro, licorice root, cinnamon
• Regulate blood sugar: Weight gain around the waist is usually a blood sugar issue
  • Decrease gluten-containing grains and sugar intake (refined carbohydrates)
    • Eat gluten-free grains: amaranth, millet, quinoa, brown rice
    • Avoid tropical fruits (banana, pineapple, mango) because they are very high in sugar, stick to berries and seasonal fruits
  • Increase non-starchy vegetables: greens, greens, and more greens
  • Increase healthy fats: coconut oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters, olive oil
  • Increase protein: protein at every meal is important, especially at breakfast (Ideally within an hour of waking up)
  • Increase fiber: vegetables, legumes (good source of fiber and protein), flax seeds, chia seeds
• Increase metabolism
  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamom
  • Green Tea
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Sea Vegetables
  • Cumin and Curry Powder
  • Hot Peppers (Cayenne)
• Exercise daily
  • Exercising in the morning is best because training hard at night messes up cortisol balance and can cause you to hang on to weight
• Get enough sleep!
  • Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night
  • Lack of sleep leads to cravings and overeating
• Stay hydrated
  • Water
  • Herbal teas

 

Sources

 

Bauman College Workbook, Spring 2012

Breakfast On The Go

We've all heard it before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It really is! This is where you have the chance to get important nutrients in and set the stage for the rest of the day. Do you want to start your day off with a good quality, balanced meal or with a blood sugar spike, followed by a crash? Most American breakfast foods are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, high in caffeine, low in nutrients, and don't provide sufficient energy to sustain us through the morning. A good breakfast should be nutrient-dense and should balance blood sugar. A protein-based breakfast is key in order to sustain energy and stay full longer. Protein sources include: eggs, plain yogurt, cheese, nuts, nut butters, seeds, meats, and protein powders (Without genetically modified ingredients or sugar additives. If it contains soy-lecithin, look for "non-GMO").  Breakfast can be anything you want it to be as long as it has the right ingredients. Try having left overs for breakfast (keeping portion size in mind) if you're not big on "breakfast foods." For example, a green salad with fish or chicken is a great option. My favorite way to start the day is with a high nutrient smoothie. It's the fastest and easiest way for me to get everything I need in the morning. I choose a source of protein and throw in some herbs, vegetables, fruit, and spices to make a delicious meal. Liquids are also easier to digest than solid foods, so it's not a bad idea to give your digestive system a break every now and then.  Below are some smoothie recipes to try. Don't be afraid to play with ingredients and get creative to accommodate your tastebuds.  Strawberry, Spinach, and Chia Smoothie

Ingredients 1/2 cup kefir or yogurt 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk or water 5 ice cubes 1 cup spinach 3/4 cup strawberries 1/2 cup cilantro 1 large hard boiled egg 1 Tablespoon chia seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds pinch sea salt Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Almond Butter, Cacao, and Kale Smoothie Ingredients 1/2 cup yogurt or kefir 1/2 cup almond milk or water (less for a thicker smoothie) 5 ice cubes 1/2 cup berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries) 1 cup kale 2 celery stalks 1 1/2 Tablespoon almond butter 1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch sea salt Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

 Beet, Cucumber, and Avocado Smoothie  (Tastes better than it sounds, I promise)

 

Ingredients

3/4-1 cup almond milk or water

4-5 ice cubes

1/2 cup steamed beets

1 cup leafy greens (kale, spinach, arugula, chard, dandelion) 1/2 cucumber 1 scoop protein powder (protein powder of choice: pea, hemp, brown rice, whey) 1/4 avocado

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, more to taste 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon pinch sea salt Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.