Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes

Kale Chips: Simple Recipe for a Healthy Snack You’ll Love

October 17, 2013 By Joi Sigers

I’m a HUGE fan of kale – in smoothies, salads, pasta dishes, soups.. basically anywhere and everywhere I can sneak it in. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the tasty, inexpensive, and nutritious vegetable is Kale Chips. Even though I love kale madly, when I first heard about the concept of Kale Chips, I can’t say I was overly enthusiastic (or hopeful).

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and have made Kale Chips countless times since.

You’ll love the simplicity of the recipe and… I promise.. the flavor.

What you’ll need for the Kale Chips:

Start with a beautiful bunch of curly kale (like the one pictured above). Wash the leaves and pat them dry.
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 – 2 teaspoons Rachael Ray’s pink Himalayan Salt (or Kosher salt, table salt, sea salt… the pink Himalayan’s simply my own personal favorite)

Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degrees. After the kale has been washed and dried, cut the leaves into pieces. The size is up to you, but I generally aim for “Dorito” size or a little smaller.

VERY IMPORTANT: Cut around the thick spine that runs down the length of the leaves. I’ve yet to find any use for these spines. I throw them out in the yard for rabbits, racoons, and possums. They’re a hit with this crowd.

Put the chips waiting to happen in a large bowl and add the tablespoon of EVOO. When you see the impressive amount of kale and the comparatively small amount of EVOO, you’ll probably think, “She’s nuts, it’s going to take a lot more than this!” – but once you add the oil and (using your hands), coat the leaves, you’ll find that the tablespoon is sufficient.

Lay the pieces of kale on a large baking sheet, in a single layer – make sure no one’s riding piggy back on anyone! Evenly salt each piece.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on them – they’ll burn without a moment’s notice.

These delicious kale chips will amaze you. They’re so good! The crispiness, the hint of saltiness, and the unexpectedness of them will make them popular with everyone, even kids.

Fun Ways to Enjoy Kale Chips:

I like to keep healthy snacks at the end of the kitchen bar – someplace everyone can enjoy a quick and tasty snack. Kale chips are ideal.
When watching tv, we all get the munchies, don’t we?! Kale chips are satisfyingly yummy and fun to eat.
Take them along on car trips to keep french fries from tempting you off the road.
They’re a delicious, healthier option to traditional salad or baked potato toppings.

As with everything you make in the kitchen, be sure to experiment with different flavors and additions. Along with the salt, you could also add white sesame seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper (I love black pepper on kale chips), garlic, or even Parmesan cheese. The possibilities are endless. When getting creative, though, I’d highly recommend just doing a few at a time the first time through.

You can find quite a few Kale Cookbooks on Amazon. This superfood is a lot more versatile than most people think!

Amazon.com Widgets

Linwoods Healthy Super Foods: Superheroes in the Kitchen

August 22, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Linwoods Super Food Products

Being a fan of health foods and healthy food products, I was ecstatic when contacted to do a review for Linwoods Super Food Products.

I was immediately sent a box containing a wonderful sampling of four of their products:

As you can see, my samples were in little bags that are kind of the size of tea bags. However, when you order any of these Linwoods Super Food Products, rest assured, you’ll receive the “grown up” versions!

I could list the number of different health benefits of these different super foods, but I’d much rather point you to the AMAZING information Linwoods has put together. When you visit their Health Benefits of Super Foods page, you’ll find an interactive manakin. Click on any part of his (her?) body and corresponding information will appear to the right. Great stuff!

These super foods are exceptional. Not only are they the highest quality imaginable, they’re downright delicious. Best of all, they’re the simplest way I’ve found to add vital nutrition to your daily diet. Below are just a few favorite ways to “sneak” these valuable nutrients into your diet:

Smoothies. If you drink green smoothies, fruit smoothies, or even Slim-Fast drinks, you’ll LOVE how easy it is to up the healthy ante by simply sprinkling in a little super food into your drink. They blend in beautifully and effortlessly.
Granola Bars. I love to make homemade granola bars and these super foods are, again, effortless to blend in and delicious to enjoy.
Muffins. I throw organic flaxseed into my favorite muffin recipes. I’ve used it with blueberry muffins (below), cornbread muffins, and bran muffins.
Oatmeal. Each are wonderful stirred into oatmeal but my favorites for oatmeal are the Milled Flaxseed & Goji Berries and the Flaxseed, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Walnuts & Q10.
Etc! There are countless healthy recipes on Linwoods’ website.

For delicious healthy eating simplified to the max, you’re not going to beat Linwoods Super Food Products. Click through and check them out.

Blueberry Muffins

Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix Review

July 17, 2013 By Joi Sigers

I have a new obsession I’m anxious to tell you about – very anxious, in fact, because it meets several important criteria:

Healthy
Delicious
Simple

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, get healthier, or maintain your weight, Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix is something you’ll want to read up on. This shake mix is so incredibly versatile and delicious, you’ll have a lot of fun discovering new ways to enjoy it.

My favorite ways to enjoy Vi-Shape Mix:

Smoothies: Simply add 2 scoops of Vi-Shape to 8 – 12 oz of nonfat milk, whole milk, 2 % milk, or even Almond Milk. By adding fun extras like fruit juice, chia seeds, flax seeds, frozen fruit, or powdered coffee – you could conceivably come up with a different smoothie every day of the month!
Add Vi-Shape Mix to your favorite green smoothies for a little more flavor and nutritional bang. It even makes the harshest greens more agreeable.
For a flavorful, healthy “pick-me-up,” mix a scoop of Vi-Shape Mix with cold water and stir. Add a little fresh fruit and you have a pretty little mid-day pick-me-up (pictured above).
I’ve even used Vi-Shape Nutritional Mix in baking. I’m minutes from posting a cookie recipe I recently came up with: Muesli Chocolate Banana Cookies.

Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix comes with AMAZING flavor pouches that give you even more variety and possibilities. When trying the different flavors, I kept trying to decide which one was my favorite and I kept coming up with the same answer, “Whichever one I was drinking at the time!” Seriously, they are fantastic.

Oddly enough, though, I think I may prefer the Vi-Shape all by itself. There’s an eerily (and ironic) flavor of vanilla cake that makes my taste buds happy. While my brain calculates the nutritional value and fantastic calorie budgeting, my taste buds are convinced it must be somebody’s birthday.

Nutritional Benefits

Two shakes a day help melt the pounds away
Provides healthy vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber
Supports lean muscle mass

I strongly recommend Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix. Click the link for more nutritional facts, informative videos, and ordering information.

Meatless Meal Idea: Homemade Black Bean Burgers

July 8, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Whether you’re a vegetarian or simply looking for more meatless meal ideas in the name of better health, Black Bean Burgers are a great staple to have at your disposal. I’ve found that they’re so easy and fun to make that I’m kicking myself for all the money I’ve shelled out for frozen patties over the years. I’m even kicking myself harder for all the hamburgers I’ve devoured. Black Bean Burgers honestly do satisfy the burger cravings most of us get from time to time.

The basic recipe below is great, as is, but you can add other ingredients to give it your own signature flavor. Also experiment with your condiments. Salsa, Picante Sauce, Avocados, and Spinach are just a few healthy ways to give your black bean burgers EVEN more personality. Also be sure to experiment with different cheeses. The right cheese can be a real game changer.

Homemade Black Bean Burgers

1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup plain rolled oats
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil

Place half the beans in a food processor along with the oats, garlic, egg, cumin, and pepper. Process until well mixed. Add remaining beans and pulse until they’re combined into the mixture. Form into 6 patties. Alternate Method: You can simply use a fork to mix everything up before forming your patties. Personally, I actually prefer the fork method because I like for my black beans to be seen.
Spray a large skillet with Olive Oil spray (or brush on a little Olive Oil from a bottle). After pre-heating the skillet, cook your black bean patties until firm – usually a few minutes each side.
Optional: Add a little salt to your patties.

Black Bean Burgers are fantastic on lightly toasted buns. Dress them as you would your favorite burger. I’ve found that Stone Ground Mustard, fresh tomatoes, and Romaine Lettuce are extra, extra delicious on black bean burgers. They also get along remarkably well with sliced avocado. HEAVEN.

Get as creative with the ingredients you put in your black bean burgers as you are the ingredients you put on your burgers. Below are a few additions that can change the entire flavor of these black bean burgers – you can make them Southwestern, Italian, American… the possibilities are endless… and delicious… and healthy.

cilantro
basil
oregano
sweet onion
red onion
roasted red pepper
green chilies (well drained)
roasted corn
onion powder
jalapeno
red pepper flakes

Black Bean Burgers are also delicious on tortilla wraps or in pita bread pockets with Sloppy Joe sauce. Then again, there’s a lot to be said for eating them with a fork – add a little salsa, picante sauce, or steak sauce and dive in.

Delicious Roasted Winter Vegetables (Any Season’s Veggies will Do!)

June 25, 2013 By Joi Sigers

I’ve always been a huge fan of Special K Products, so when I saw The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking in my grocery store about a month ago, I snatched it up as fast as I grab my drinks at Starbucks as soon as my name’s called.

I have a system in place when it comes to buying cookbooks. I have to keep myself in check because, frankly, I’d spend all my money on adding to my cookbook collection if I were to be left unsupervised. What I’ve started doing is thumbing through the book and seeing if I can find 4 different recipes I really just cannot live without.

The first 4 recipes I saw were:

Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy
Roasted Winter Vegetables
Greek Style Spaghetti Squash
Crispy Baked Crab Cakes with Spicy Re’moulade

They had me at Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy, actually, but I went through the motions of being a tough sell. I sat the book directly into the cart (ironically right on top of a box of Special K Cereal – the kind with bits of chocolate… so, so, so, so very good!).

My grocery store didn’t have any Bok Choy that day – baby or otherwise – so I rounded up some favorite vegetables for the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe (the recipe is at the bottom of this post).

If you see this book in a store, snatch it up – it’s fantastic. You can also order it from Amazon by clicking one of the links in the post or the picture of the book below.

Other recipes include:

Artichokes with Carrot-Cornbread Stuffing (I’m definitely making these for Thanksgiving)
Black Bean and Corn Dip with Oven-Baked Chips
Banana-Stuffed Multigrain French Toast
Spinach-Feta Frittata
Lemon-Chive Ricotta Dip
Enlightened Guacamole
Lemon-Pepper Salmon
Spanish-Style Cod with White Beans
Sauteed Shrimp Tacos
Chicken and Red Chile Enchiladas
Thai-Style Chicken in Lettuce Wraps
Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets
Easy Chicken Potpies
Turkey Meatloaf with Barbecue Sauce
Braised Turkey Thighs with Winter Root Vegetables
Italian-Style Chicken Parmesan
Polenta Gratin
Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit
Dark Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce (you should see the picture!)
Frozen Yogurt with Berries Sundaes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
And A LOT MORE!

In addition to tons of healthy recipes (with suggestions, information, and nutritional facts), The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking serves as a handbook for weight-management and weight-loss goals. You’ll learn about the Special K Challenge and how you can use it EASILY in your day to day life and make it fit your own personal needs. Allow me to point out, though, that whether you read one word about the Special K Challenge or not, this book is more than worth it for the recipes and nutritional information alone!

I’ve made the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe below quite a few times, and have used different vegetables each time. I’ve used sweet potatoes, corn on the cob (with the ears halved… looks better), red potatoes, carrots, garlic. and cauliflower. I’ve also used the same method on roasted tomatoes, but with a shorter baking time. The balsamic vinegar and rosemary are a perfect match for every vegetable you can imagine!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Cooking Spray
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
2 large shallots, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mellow balsamic vinegar blends beautifully with fresh rosemary to flavor this colorful combination of roasted sweet potatoes, fennel, red potatoes, and shallots.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Meanwhile, on 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray, toss together sweet potato, fennel, red potatoes, shallots, oil, vinegar, salt, rosemary, and garlic.
Bake in preheated oven about 40 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

Make it your own: Comb farmer’s markets in the cooler months of the year for a variety of root vegetables to try. Here are suggestions for other varieties to roast using the method above:

Carrots – Peel and trim whole baby carrots, or cut larger peeled and trimmed carrots into 1-inch chunks.
Garlic – Separate a garlic head into cloves and leave peels on. Squeeze garlic from peels after roasting.
Onions – Cut peeled and trimmed medium yellow onions into 1-inch pieces.
Parsnips – Peel and trim parsnips and cut into 1-inch pieces
Turnips – Peel and trim whole baby turnips, or cut larger peeled and trimmed turnips into 1-inch wedges.

Eating Healthier Meals Has Never Been Easier… Or More Important

June 10, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Roasted Carrots, Red Potatoes, and Sweet Potatoes

I was in a heart care center recently and, even though I wasn’t the patient, I got a real wake up call. In fact, every member of my family got a wake up call. We were at the heart care center for a family member who was having a procedure done (I’m guessing his beautiful blue eyes got a wake up call, too). My daughters and I kept looking around the waiting room. We were blown away by the number of young people (in their 40’s and 50’s) who were patients. I kept seeing people who I automatically assumed were with a parent or even grandparent, only to look down and see a hospital bracelet on their arm.

I have to tell you, it was alarming!

The American diet – fast food, in particular – isn’t just killing us, it’s roughing us up before it finishes us off. It’s robbing people of the quality of life they deserve and desire. Granted, when it comes to most health issues, a lot of things are hereditary. But the best shot we have against diseases (hereditary or not) is good old fashioned common sense. As a whole, we just all have to start eating healthier.

Heart disease and high blood pressure runs in my family as well as in my husband’s (which is why I was all the more relieved for my daughters to experience the wake up call as well). Add the fact that diabetes and a few other undesirables run through our family trees, and you’ll understand why I harp on healthy food so much.

One of the changes I’ve recently made is one that you may or may not feel comfortable doing, yourself. One”meatless” day a week has been a tradition in our home for a long time now. Thanks to a lot of great products out there (Morningstar Farms, Boca…) and a personal passion for vegetables, this one day a week often produced the best meals of the week. Since the one day a week was going so well, I added two more meatless days.

How’s it going? No one but me seems to have noticed!

Yes, it can be done. No, it’s not overly expensive. Yes, it is as filling. No, you won’t miss the meat.

Roasted Asparagus, Cauliflower, and Corn on the Cob

A few other healthy changes I’ve made:

I’ve started using healthier choices for butter on and in most dishes and recipes. If you read the labels, you’ll be pretty shocked.
I roast vegetables instead of frying them. Roasted potatoes (red, gold, or sweet potatoes), corn on the cob, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and tomatoes are SO delicious you’ll find yourself craving them. Something about the roasting process even takes away the need (or desire) for butter. Seriously. I had the butter out, ready to use on roasted corn, but after one bite, I thought, “I’m not going to mess this up with butter!” The amazing, fresh, delicious flavor is really something else.
When I crave a burger, I make it a Boca burger or Morningstar Farms burger. Spray Olive Oil in a skillet, fry the Boca buger, add a little garlic salt and pepper for seasoning – then assemble your burger. It fixes the craving and you don’t miss the meat whatsoever.
I’ve started keeping healthier, smarter snacks on hand. Veggies with hummus, baked chips (sparingly), fruit, yogurt, and nuts are just as delicious and pack an added nutritional punch.
I’ve always been a HUGE fan of cooking magazines and regularly buy Taste of Home, Food Network Magazine, and Rachael Ray’s. I’ve also started grabbing a few “healthy” cooking magazines, such as Cooking Light each month. The recipes, tips, and ideas are priceless.
I browse through the Health Food sections in my favorite stores and grab something new each trip. I’ve found a few wonderful (and I mean wonderful!) foods I’ll be reviewing over the coming days. I’m really excited about the different health foods I’ve fallen in love with and look forward to telling you all about them.

If you look at eating healthier – and feeding your family healthier meals – as a challenge, you’ll rise to the occasion. Get creative and have fun with it. Whether it’s replacing meat with Boca Crumbles in tacos, chili (pictured below), or spaghetti or finding just how many different places you can sneak fruit into meals – it’s more than just doable, it’s deliciously doable.

Chili with Boca Crumbles – delicious and you’ll never miss the meat!

One of the coolest things about eating healthier foods is a really unexpected one: The healthier your diet, the healthier your cravings. Seriously, if you stick with making healthy food choices, you’ll find your cravings switch gears. Whereas I once got the occasional craving for a fast food cheeseburger (intense cravings, at that!) – I find that one of my most frequent cravings these days is for a Veggie Sub from Subway or a Boca Burger (or Morningstar Farms) dressed to the nines with tomatoes, sweet onion, pickles, and mustard.

A Healthy Cookbook You’re Going to Love: My Crazy Sexy Kitchen Review

April 3, 2013 By Joi Sigers

A while back my husband ordered me a few cookbooks off of Amazon – just because he’s cool like that. One of these cookbooks was the one you see pictured above, Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution.

As I’ve mentioned (as in over and over and over..) on the food blog, I’m a firm believer that we should all try to feed our families, and ourselves, the healthiest meals possible. Author Kris Carr has a great quote on page 28 of Crazy Sexy Kitchen, “… some foods have the power to heal, while others have the power to harm.” I love that so much, I’m trying to think of an artsy way to put these very words in our kitchen. Near the refrigerator. But, you know, something short of red markers on a poster board.

I do have a little class, after all.

There are a great number of “Raw Food,” “Vegan,” “Green Smoothie,” “Cruelty-Free Eating,” etc cookbooks on the market. I’ve even reviewed a few excellent ones right here. It’s a great sign that there’s a proliferation of these cookbooks – it shows that all of us finally GET that we have to break the chain of unhealthy eating. As diabetes and obesity rates soar, we realize that if we’re going to protect ourselves and the ones we love, we have to wage our battle in the kitchen.

Crazy Sexy Kitchen is one of the best Plans of Attack I’ve come across. Not only are the recipes outstanding (what would you expect when chefs are in charge of recipes?), the sound advice and wonderfully written health information could stand on their own even if there weren’t 150 recipes tagging along.

Book Description

The woman who made prevention hot is now making it delicious! Crazy Sexy Kitchen, the follow-up to Kris Carr’s New York Times bestseller Crazy Sexy Diet, is a

Veggie Manifesto for plant-empowered gourmands and novices alike, and it’s filled with inspiration, education, cooking tips, and over 150 nourishing, nosh-worthy recipes. Infused with her signature humor, style, and personal stories, Crazy Sexy Kitchen redefines the kitchen as headquarters for America’s wellness revolution. The goodness born in the Crazy Sexy Kitchen will reach deep into the rest of your life—enriching your health, your home, your heart, and the planet.

Crazy Sexy Kitchen gives readers all the tools and know-how needed to adopt a joyful and vibrant Crazy Sexy Diet and Lifestyle. What is the Crazy Sexy Diet and Lifestyle, you ask? A nutrient-dense, plant-happy approach to eating and living that harmonizes your beautiful body at the cellular level. It’s a celebratory way of life that’s deeply connected, healthy, awake and engaged. Now that’s SEXY!

Like a long, luxurious meal, Crazy Sexy Kitchen is laid out in courses. You’ll start with a detailed review of the Crazy Sexy Diet. Next you’ll learn how to stock your culinary arsenal. Kris will show you how to find the best kitchen tools and equipment, and prep you with basic culinary skills and lingo. Handy symbols like, gluten-free, soy-free, kid-friendly—and for the time pressed—Crazy Sexy Quickies, help you to easily identify the recipes that are perfect for your dietary needs. Not sure how to put a whole meal together? No problem. Crazy Sexy Kitchen covers that, too—with a hearty dose of menu plans and recipes to inspire and delight.

Joined by Whole Foods chef, Chad Sarno, Crazy Sexy Kitchen offers over 150 delicious, nutrient-dense recipes designed to nourish the mind, body, and soul. From juicing to planning a three-course meal, Crazy Sexy Kitchen has all the essentials to fill your kitchen (and life!) with health, happiness, family, friends, and good times.

While I love the information (including fascinating FAQs with a dietician) and am as excited by the recipes as any foodie would be – a few of my favorite things about this book are the beautiful photographs and the personal history Kris Carr shares with her readers. Pictures of her lovely grandmother and her stories of growing up in her grandmother’s restaurant are extra special. I could have read an entire book about the author’s grandmother!

Why Should You Listen to Kris Carr When it Comes to Healthy and Healing Foods?

One look at the cover, and you can tell that the author is a beauty. Slender, radiant, and sporting a smile that could light up a room. At the risk of judging a book by its cover (see what I did there?), I’d have taken her foodie advice without knowing a thing about her. However, when I read about the strong woman behind the smile, I was even more committed to hanging on her every word. In 2003 (ten years ago, if we’re keeping count), Kris was handed the news that she had a “rare and incurable stage IV sarcoma.”

The big C.

Her cancer diagnosis was the worst kind possible – the one that came with a warranty. Kris wasn’t given long to live, but apparently that arrangement didn’t set well with her.

I knew in my gut that I needed to fully participate in my well-being. That’s when I went back to my roots – food. I discovered I loved being an artist in the kitchen, just like Grandma. Except I added a revolutionary twist to her culinary foundation: cooking consciously and compassionately for the health and happiness of my body and the world around me.

Since that time I’ve not only been surviving, I’ve been thriving – with cancer. In fact, thanks in part to a healthy and active lifestyle, I actually feel better with the disease than I did without it. If I can feel healthy and happy while living with a life-threatening condition, just imagine how great you can feel! – Kris Carr, Page 15, Crazy Sexy Kitchen

Ten years – way past the “shelf life” her doctors gave her. Now just try and tell me it doesn’t matter what we put into our bodies!

As Kris Carr points out in the book, you don’t have to dive in to the deep end with the changes you make in your diet. You don’t have to swear off all red meat and there’s no need to pinkie swear to drink only green smoothies for breakfast for the rest of your life. Just make healthy steps in the right direction – the more the better. I couldn’t possibly recommend Crazy Sexy Kitchen any more than I do. On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s so past 10 it can’t even see it in its rear view mirror.

Some of the recipes in Crazy Sexy Kitchen:

Juices such as Iron Machine, The Sicilian, and Morning Glorious…
Smoothies that include Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie, Chai Latte, and Vanilla Mystic…
Tofu Country Scramble
French Toast with Amaretto Creme
Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes
Chickpea Crepe with Mushrooms and Artichokes
Mediterranean Wrap with Cashew Cream Cheese
Fruit and Almond Sandwiches
Hummus Pinwheels
Crazy Sexy Veggie Quesadilla
Pita Pizzas
Crazy Sexy Kale
Tomatoes and Herbs
Chile Rellenos with Red and Green Sauces
Garlicky Mushrooms
Sage Polenta with Nana’s Marinara
Dijon Vinaigrette
Tomato Relish
Fiery Pistachios
Sea Salt and Pepper Almonds
Raw Apple Spiced-Rum Shortcake with Maple Vanilla Glaze
Plus MANY, MANY more healthy, creative, and beautiful recipes!

These recipes will allow you to feel really good about the food you’re feeding your family (as well as yourself). They’ll also allow you to show off with great looking and delicious dishes that’ll probably earn you standing ovations.

Seriously, don’t wait another minute. Order Crazy Sexy Kitchen today.

Healthy Super Bowl Snacks: Brown Butter Roasted Pecans and Crab Tacos

January 31, 2013 By Joi Sigers

This post is a perfect follow-up to the last post about the number of calories in popular Super Bowl Snacks. We’ve seen what we definitely DON’T want to do, so now let’s see something we DO want to do. If you’re as crazy about pecans as I am, you’re already drooling.

Instead of celebrating the Super Bowl with the usual fried wings, dips and chips that may have unhealthy saturated or trans fats, try a few fan-friendly snacks made with heart healthy pecans.

Super Bowl snacks don’t need to be unhealthy to be good.

“Whether you’re tailgating, going to a big party or watching the Super Bowl at home this year, try working pecans into your menu,” says Vickie Mabry, National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA) executive director. “Pecans have a hearty, meaty texture that works great in recipes or eaten alone. They will stay with you longer than other high carb snacks and make an ideal snack choice for everyone, including kids.”

Pecans can be a heart healthy benefit to any dish when enjoyed as part of a healthy eating pattern. They play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease because they have an abundance of “good” heart healthy fats. These unsaturated fats can have a protective effect by lowering total blood cholesterol when eaten in moderation. Pecans contain no cholesterol and no trans-fat. Save time and money by purchasing pecans that are already chopped. They have the same nutritional value plus convenience.

So swap your usual football fare for heart healthy recipes made with pecans to overtly (or covertly) present healthier options during the game.

Brown Butter Roasted Nuts

Makes six to eight small portions
2 oz. butter
2 c. pecans (or other nuts)
1/8 c. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground sumac or paprika (optional)
1 lg. sprig rosemary, de-stemmed

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large saute pan over moderate heat, melt butter and begin to brown.

3. Once the butter is browned and smells strong and nutty, add the rest of the ingredients; stir to coat everything evenly.

4. Transfer mixture to oven-proof pan; bake for about 10 minutes or until completely toasted.

5. Drain onto a paper towel and serve once cool.

More Healthy Super Bowl Snacks Starring Pecans!

Turkey Pecan Enchiladas

Emeril Lagasse’s Pecan Crusted Chicken Fingers

Pecan Orange Slaw

Pecan Banana Bread

For more recipes using pecans, visit www.ilovepecans.org or visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter!

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PECANS SHELLERS ASSOCIATION
The National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA), a non-profit trade association, is committed to educating culinary and health professionals, food technologists and the general public about the nutritional benefits, variety of uses and all around great taste of pecans. For more information on the health benefits of pecans and where to find them, visit www.ilovepecans.org.

Mouth-Watering Juice Fasting Recipes

January 29, 2013 By Joi Sigers

If you’re looking to lose weight or are simply wanting to do everything in your power to be the healthiest YOU you can possibly be, it might be time to think a little outside the box. The typical, standard diet routines to lose weight, get healthier and have more energy work for a lot of people. However, there’s a great number who need to kick it up a notch to see real results. For those people – or for those who’d simply like to supplement their healthy eating with juicing – the following fantastic juice fasting recipes, found in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juice Fasting, will prove invaluable. (More about the book below.)

Tropical Paradise Juice

This scrumptious juice will transport you to a stress-free tropical paradise. This juice explodes with bright, sunny flavors, leaving you in total bliss.

Yield: 4 cups
Serving size: about 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 medium ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 (1-in.) piece peeled fresh ginger
1 medium kiwi, peeled
1.2 cup fresh young coconut water

In a juicer, alternate pressing papaya slices, pineapple slices, ginger, and kiwi.
Gently stir coconut water into juice.
Serve immediately.

Juicy Fact: This juice was a chance discovery at a roadside juice stand on the beautiful island of Kauai. Although the juice stand is no longer in business, we are happy to share this recipe and keep this best-selling juice alive. It is simply incredible.

Hollywood Celebrity Juice Blend

This brilliantly colored pink juice blend is famous for its tasty pineapple flavor that perfectly complements earthy beets and bright spearmint.

Yield: 4 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serving size: about 4 cups

1/2 medium-small red beet, sliced
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 medium sprigs spearmint

In a juicer, alternate pressing red beet slices, Granny Smith apple slices, pineapple slices, and spearmint.
Stir and serve immediately.

Juicy Fact: This was the most popular drink served at the renowned Source Restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in the 1970s. The restaurant was one of the first all-organic venues in the world, and many Hollywood celebrities dined there, hence the name of the juice. At the time, though, this drink was named the Hollywood Sunset.

Muscle-Builder Juice Blend

This savory, power-building juice is bursting with flavor. A medley of some of the most nutritious and tasty flavors out there, we recommend you drink it before or after a workout and during your juice fast.

Yield: about 4 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 4 cups

5 medium-small ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 medium celery stalks
3 medium carrots
1 medium lemon, outer rind removed, white pith intact, and sectioned
1 small lime, outer rind removed, white pith intact, and sectioned
Large handful small blueberries
1 TB. cold-pressed flaxseed oil
1/2 cup filtered water

In a juicer, alternate pressing tomatoes, celery, carrots, lemon sections, lime sections, and blueberries.
Gently stir flaxseed oil and filtered water into juice.
Serve immediately.

Juicy Fact: This juice was inspired by the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which details Joe Cross’s personal mission to regain his health. Joe used the power of juice fasting to lose weight. He even was able to throw away his medications after fasting reversed his chronic ailments.

More About The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juice Fasting!

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juice Fasting is one of the latest books from the geniuses behind The Complete Guide To.. series of books. The book is filled with recipes and even more facts, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juice Fasting explains everything you need to know to get more from your body than you ever thought possible – from cleansing and detoxing to helping you lose weight and feel more energetic.

Fueling your body with fresh, healthy juice gives your body what it craves. It’ll then reward you with more energy, more strength, better health, better skin, hair, and nails and even better (steadier) moods!

Packed with over 75 delicious juice recipes, plus mouthwatering transitional foods to help you ease into and out of your fast, this tasty guide gives you everything you need to reap the benefits of juice fasting.

About the Authors:

Steven Prussack

Steven Prussack is an author, radio host, and Founder/ Editor-in-Chief of VegWorld Magazine (vegworldmag.com), featured as “What’s Hot” and a top grossing digital download in Apple’s Newsstand and iTunes. Steve also hosts an award-winning radio show “Raw Vegan Radio” (rawveganradio.com) and produces programs with visionary leaders such as Dr. Will Tuttle (worldpeacemastery.com) on how to spread the message of compassion, harmony, and vegan living. Steve founded and co-produced the world’s largest online vegetarian summits, Veganpalooza: 2012 Vegetarian World Summit (veganpalooza.com) and Rawpalooza: 2012 Raw Food World Summit (rawpalooza.com).

Additionally, Steve produced the “Jay Kordich’s School of Juicing” with Jay and Linda Kordich in January, 2012. School of Juicing is an online coaching and mentoring program, teaching the fundamentals and health benefits of juicing (schoolofjuicing.com).

Bo Rinaldi

Bo Rinaldi is an entrepreneur, chef, and co-owner of the acclaimed Blossoming Lotus restaurant in Portland. A proponent of the fantastic benefits of the vegan lifestyle, Bo is the co-owner of VeganFusion.com and CookingHealthyLessons.com. He is the co-author of many Top Selling Books, including Vegan Fusion (with Mark Reinfeld) and four Complete Idiot’s Guides (Juice Fasting, Green Smoothies, Eating Raw, and Low-Fat Vegan Cooking). Bo has been a vegan since 1960 and has managed, partnered, or owned many companies in the organic movement. Bo was one of the founders of the organic food movement in the California Sixties, got involved in the PC Revolution as the VP Marketing for ComputerLand, was the EVP for the largest boutique Software Consulting firm in Silicon Valley. He lives in Lake Oswego, outside of Portland, Oregon. (Read my Review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Smoothies)

Great Gift Idea for Health Enthusiasts: Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor

November 16, 2012 By Joi Sigers

Chances are good that you have health enthusiasts in your life and on your shopping list. With the (long overdue) health food movement in full swing, a lot of us could be considered health enthusiasts ourselves. Fortunately there are a lot of healthy kitchen tools and small appliances that make it easier to eat and live healthier. Juice extractors, for example, are one of the easiest, fastest, and most efficient ways to make sure we’re getting all the fruits and vegetables we need in our diet.

The beauty pictured above is the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor.

Features

Fits whole foods – for less pre-cutting
Easy to assemble and store
Powerful 800 Watt motor
Dishwasher safe parts
Includes recipes, tips and juicing cup
Extra-large pulp bin lets you juice longer – use pulp in recipes or for composting

Product Description

Tired of those expensive, sugary juices filled with preservatives and questionable additives? Ready to retire your old juicer and upgrade to something better? The Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor can take nutrition to the next level and help you kick-start a healthy lifestyle.

Eating healthier and incorporating fruits and veggies into snacks or meals doesn’t have to be boring, expensive or time-consuming. In no time flat, before you can say “over-priced juice bar,” the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor extracts the juice from a whole apple. This kitchen staple and secret weapon proves that there’s a fast, easy way to add more produce into your daily diet. What’s more, there is no need for adding sweeteners or preservatives, making juice the ultimate healthy drink.

Rated a “Best Buy” by a leading consumer advocacy publication, the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor flawlessly performs the task of extracting juice from whole fruits, vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes with efficiency and speed. Equipped with a powerful 1.1 horsepower motor, an extra-wide feed chute and a stainless steel cutter/strainer, it quickly processes whole fruits and vegetables — with no pre-cutting — to produce invigorating, healthy juice. – See Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor for A LOT more information.

Other Great Gift Ideas for the Health Conscious!

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