No-Fry Fries

I had heard about Gwyneth's fries and I saw this post through the SELF website. So I thought I would try them out. No-Fry Fries!

They were delicious! But I am afraid I used white potatoes so they didn't come out as crispy. I love the crispy ones, it's probably also a result of the fact that I can't cut all the fries small and evenly so they all cook properly. Nevertheless, the family LOVES them!

No-Fry Fries 
adapted from (http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2011/05/no-fry-fries)

Recipe courtesy of My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness by Gwyneth Paltrow

INGREDIENTS

2 large russet potatoes (2/3 lb each), peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt 

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 450°. Cut potatoes in half horizontally; cut each half into 1/3-inch-thick fries and place in a bowl of cold water.

 Remove from water and dry thoroughly. Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt. 

Place fries on a cookie sheet. Roast until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 minutes.

Nutrition Info (serves 4) 175 calories per serving, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 27 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

More fun facts on how to supercharge fat loss... more Dr. Oz facts

Okay, so you can tell from last week's post, I have become a super fan of Dr. Oz's advice on how to work the mind, body and food combinations to achieve the greatest fat loss.

So, I thought I would share another great bit of advice that I picked up from his show that aired last week. I love all this new found knowledge. I am so 'thirsty' for it, I just can't get enough, I feel like I am a student, taking notes and sharing the 'gospel' with everyone I come across. I just love this stuff!

His guest was Dr. Natasha Turner, a renowned Doctor in the field of nutrition and health whose focus is all about the fact that the reason we can't lose fat is that many of us suffer from a hormone imbalance.

Want to find out how this gorgeous red pomegranate can melt your fat off??? Read on!

So here are the tips on how to restore hormone balance to super charge fat loss. Again, these are my 'paraphrased' notes. Here's the link to the actual episode. http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/melt-your-fat-fast

Secrets to Melt your Fat Fast:

- You need to detox your digestive tract. So mix 1/2 lemon's juice, grate a 1 inch of fresh ginger, a pinch of cayenne in 4 cups of water. Drink this many times a day.

-  Where your fat is mostly stored on your body actually points to what type of hormone imbalance you have. So if you carry your fat mostly:

--On your stomach: You have too much cortisol. To balance that hormone, you should take a supplement called Holy Basil. Take 2 gel caps per day.

--On your butt and hips (that would be me): You have too much toxic estrogen. To balance that hormone, you should take Indole 3-Carbinol, 200mg twice a day with fibre. Here's a great link that describes the benefits of this vegetable based supplement including fighting all types of cancers. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1027-INDOLE-3-CARBINOL.aspx?activeIngredientId=1027&activeIngredientName=INDOLE-3-CARBINOL

--On your back (back fat): You have too much insulin. Take a supplement called CLA, 1500mg twice a day.

Here are some details on the ways in which to combine your food for maximum hormone balancing/fat burning effeciency:
-Eat twice as much protein and fat than carbs during meals and snacks
-Never eat carbs alone. Always eat protein as well.

Here are some Hot Hormone Foods:
-Whey Protein Isolate Powder- it's the most bio-available form of protein. So add to smoothies to add 30 g of protein for breakfast. She repeated that it's very important that your breakfast be full of protein.

-Pomegranate- it lowers estrogen levels, it's anti-inflammatory and lowers risks of all types of cancers

-Buckwheat- it's the richest source of protein from a starchy carb. A good way to include this in your diet it so buy buckwheat pasta.

-Drink red wine. A cabernet sauvignon is a good type. 3 glasses a week, reason is they contain flavenoids and if you have it after your meal, it helps with digestion.

-Soy nuts. It combats age-related weight gain. Have a serving a day, it helps to increase metabolism. I bought some and added them to my salad. It adds a great crunch in place of croutons.

Finally, some great tips to manage blood sugar and insulin levels;
-Add 1-2 tsp of cinnamon to your morning meal - oatmeal-cereal-yogurt.
-Drink 1 tsp of white vinegar before a high carb meal (pasta). It slows down body's desire to use sugar.
-Soluble Fibre such as Metamucil (Psyllium Fibre). The Phyllium fibre gels and traps carbs and sugars in the digestive track. Mix 1 serving of Metamucil with 8oz of water and drink before meals.

That's all for now folks, take this information and run with it.You just might see the fat melt away!

A few of my huband's favourite things...

Peanut butter and some football, to start...

I love my husband, and so when I want him to enjoy some healthy alternatives to the usual Sunday NFL snacks, I make him some homemade, heart healthy snacks. Quacamole is one of his favourites, and I thought I would try incorporating Chia seeds -full of Omega-3 and fibre- into some oatmeal peanut butter cookies.  Of course, served warm from the oven with a cup of his favourite tea in his team mug, it was a recipe for success!

... and for me, a little dark chocolate, just a few little chips, makes the whole thing a totally delicious snack. Check his little cute smile in the background!

Here's the recipe:

Chia Seed Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

 (adapted from: http://www.hungryhealthygirl.com/2013/02/26/chia-seed-peanut-butter-oat-cookies/)

Yield: 24 cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie, Calories per serving: 133

Ingredients

    1.5 cups rolled oats

    1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

    1 tsp baking powder

    2 tbsp Chia seeds

    1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature & unmelted (I used butter)

    1/2 cup Stevia baking blend (brown sugar would also work)

    3/4 cup peanut butter or other nutbutter

    2 eggs

    2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine oats, flour, baking powder and Chia seeds in a medium bowl and set aside.  Add coconut oil, Stevia, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat ingredients together using an electric mixer.

Gradually add oat mixture to wet mixture and stir together with the electric mixer. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon about 1.5 tbsp of dough onto baking sheet that has been prepared with parchment paper or natural cooking spray. I like a flatter cookie, so I used my hands to flatten dough and shape it in to a circle. These cookies will not spread, so you can set them on the baking sheet close to another cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes.

...couldn't wait to taste those golden, puffy mounds of chia, peanut butter, oatmeal goodness!

 

Oh, there's one of my husband's favourite things-  Kiss... and me serving him some fresh baked wholesome peanut butter cookies in his old Kiss concert tee, PRICELESS!!!

Cinderella and Dr. Oz and his amazing advice

When I started on this healthy living journey, I read the Dr. Oz book- You on a diet- there, I found amazing advice on health and nutrition. Ideas that would later shift the way I would eat, live and breath... and still do to this day. I would say to friends and family, that I would make such an epic change in my life, loosing over 200 lbs and completely changing the way I would live my life that, one day, Dr. Oz would invite me on his show to share my success story so that his millions of viewers could see how following his amazing advice could change their world, as it has mine, kinda like a modern day Cinderella story. Well, a few weeks ago, I got an email from the Wharton Medical Clinic with details of one of their patients who would actually appear on the Dr. Oz show and share her own story, a story so similar to mine. I felt like I was thrown a major fast forward into my future. I decided to share her story here below.  The best thing is that when I watched the show, I got so much amazing new advice- I actually watched the show 3 times and made notes to share with you. Advice that may just change your life, as it has mine... just see below for details.

The Wharton Medical Clinic  Patient Kerry Rommens was on  The DR. OZ SHOW  for her amazing weight loss journey! Show airs tomorrow November 7th.

My Journey at  The Wharton Medical Clinic and My Appearance on The DR. OZ SHOW!     My name is Kerry Rommens and I have an adventure to share with you.     At 48 years old, I decided that I would not be "fat and fifty".  I had been fat my whole adult life.  185 lbs, when I married, and up from there with each of my two children   After a few months of silly dieting and deprivation, I had lost only 10 lbs. On the verge of giving up, I heard about the Wharton Medical Clinic.   During the assessment appointments, Dr. Wharton stated that I was a "disorganized eater".  Wow, that resounded with me! I really was!  I ate all of my calories, everyday, between 1 pm and 7 pm.   I followed the program religiously.  Eating real food, planning meals and putting thought into every bite for a change.    I travel in from Kitchener and always made appointment day "my day".  Once a month, I got out of my work boots (I manage a horse farm), dressed up, made up and hair done.  Appointments became a reward for working on my self improvement the previous month.   The weight came off!  In 18 months I had lost an additional 75 lbs!   I kept that off for 18 months.  Another little nugget of wisdom Dr. Wharton imparted was that "fat has a memory".  Once you have that fat cell, it waits to be filled again.  That scared me straight.  Maintenance is a serious business.  I found that if I followed the plan 5 days a week, it gave me a little wiggle room on the two remaining days.   I wanted to share my success with everyone and even sent praises of the Wharton Clinic to the Dr. Oz Show!   My 50th Birthday was a joyous occasion.  I felt amazing and wore a lovely form fitting cocktail dress.  The first ever!   This year, I decided to aim for the healthy BMI.  Another 15 lbs.  I started following my original plan and off it came.   I did it!  Last week was my appointment and I weighed in at 150 lbs.  A grand total of 100 lbs lost.  I think I surprised myself, really!   And then came the surprise!  Right out of the blue, The Dr. Oz Show called. They were looking for women who lost weight after 40. After a whirlwind of before and after pics and lot's of emails, they asked me to go to New York for the show.   New York was all I imagined it to be.  Noisy, bustling and exciting.  I made sure to see all the sites as I had never been before.   Arriving at the studio, I met 9 other women who had lost weight and our common histories instantly bonded us.  Not to mention being nervous.  Hair and make up, wow!  I had two brief moments on stage and one sentence but the whole experience was wonderful.  Dr. Oz was warm and genuine.  We all had to wear sports bras and yoga pants.  I never would have imagined, 3 years ago, I would have worn such a thing on national tv!   Who would have believed this would happen to me!   A bit like Cinderella, I am back in my work boots now and feeling pretty proud of myself.   Thanks to Dr. Wharton and all of the wonderful staff of the clinic for guiding me through this transformation. I still come to my appointments every 8 weeks. It keeps me honest and on program and I can still enjoy my "me days".   THE SHOW WILL AIR ON  THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7th (check your local station for details)

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Here's Dr. Oz's advice for Blasting Belly Fat after 40


These are actually my 'paraphrased' notes, The show actually aired on November 7, 2013 and you can watch it on his website doctoroz.com.


TO LOSE BELLY FAT:

-Eat 1 once of cheese at every meal. The reason is the calcium. Swiss cheese has the highest amount of calcium. The reason this works is because the calcium in the cheese blocks the fat from being stored.


-Do not eat 'low fat' foods. They add sugar to those foods and the sugar in those foods turns on the fat cells. What you need to do is eat good fats, if you eat monounsaturated fats instead - the right kind of fat- the fat will disappear. You are fighting fat with fat. So things like olive oil, safflower oil. He suggest eating  1/2 avocado or a 1/2 cup of olives.


-Drink 2 cups of green tea a day. He says that doing situps alone will not get rid of belly fat, you cannot spot reduce belly fat. You actually build a six back, but under the layers of fat on your tummy. So drinking 2 cups of green tea - which contains catechins- a fat fighting component of green tea- actually changes your metabolism to burn fat. Here's a link to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/81/1/122.full which backs up Dr. Oz opinion.... WOW, I am buying green tea like crazy now- but only the fruit flavoured ones- the plain ones taste like grass to me.


TO FIRE UP YOUR METABOLISM TO BURN FAT:


- Eat Sriracha hot sauce. It contains 15 fat fighting proteins.


-Take L-Arginine supplements. It naturally stimulates growth hormone and builds muscle. You should take 2000 mg per day with meals.


-Take Acacia powder. It makes you feel like you are full and makes you eat less. Add 1 tbsp to water or juice in the morning.


-Take morning breaths. Before you get out of bed in the morning. Inhale and exhale sharply through your nose ( 10-15 seconds to start and then work up to a minute)


WHEN YOU HIT A PLATEAU, EAT THIS WAY FOR A WEEK:


- Eat only these fruits and vegetable for your snacks 3 times a day. These are examples of high water content foods. Melons, celery, cucumber, zucchini, grapefruit, strawberries. These fruits and veg are filled with water and therefore contain less sugar.


- Replace carbs with sweet potato. No whole grains, eat a whole sweet potato for lunch and dinner.


-Too many of us take little bites and tastes. What he calls BLT's, bites, licks and tastes. That could amount to 200 calories a  day. So no BLT's for the week.

Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

In an effort to feed my family healthy, wholesome breakfast options. I tried this new recipe for some Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Scones.
 

Here's the closeup....

Here are the bright and tangy ingredients, and now, the recipe!

Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

http://keepyourdietreal.com/food/breadsmuffins/whole-wheat-lemon-poppy-seed-scones/

Ingredients:

2 cups   Whole wheat white flour

1/3 cup Brown sugar, packed

2 tsp      Baking powder

1/8 tsp Salt

1/3 cup Butter

1              Egg

1 tsp      Vanilla extract

1/2 cup 1% Milk

2 Tbsp   Lemon zest

2 Tbsp   Lemon juice

1 Tbsp   Poppy seeds

1              Egg (for egg wash)

1 Tbsp   Milk (for egg wash)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375º.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are a bit smaller than the size of a pea.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds.

 Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just barely combined then place the batter onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together (may need to add 1/2-1 cup of additional flour). The dough should be neither sticky nor dry.

Press the dough into a 1″ thick rectangle. Cut in half vertically, then horizontally, then again vertically. There should be eight triangle shaped scones of equal size.

Next, cut each in half again, diagonally. Now there should be sixteen triangle shaped scones of equal size.

Place the scones onto a greased cookie sheet. Create an egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk. Brush the top of the scones as well as the sides with the egg wash.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown.

Et voila! Now these are good served warm and you can add some nut butter to boost up the protein content for a good breakfast fix.

Healthy Lifestyle Share-out

Well, I am so grateful for the angels in my life! I have my beautiful daughter, with whom I have been going to the gym 6 days a week with- with whom we have lost 6 lbs for me and 9 lbs for her. We have gained muscles and filled with achy body parts we didn't know existed- a good ache! I have my wonderful husband who is our house manager- I write the healthy food lists, he finds the sales, shops and puts it all away, he supports us like no other love could. I have my wonderful coach, Szos, supports my heart, builds my courage and makes me see it all so clearly as the dance of life becomes more and more intertwined. I have the support of the Wharton clinic and the experts who follow my progress, give me advice and share wonderful tips for healthy living and weight loss.  Today, I went to the clinic and had a 3.6 lbs weight loss- for a total of 86.9 lbs. There is so much support around me, personally, professionally and even in the media. I have heard them all speak and there advice just resonates with where I am now (Health experts like Dr. Oz and Jim Karas. I need to know what to eat, when to eat and how to exercise- I need to know the way the body reacts to these foods, when to eat protein, when to eat carbs, how much .... the Universe is so clever. I was driving to work this week and wondering how much we really should be working out and what to eat for breakfast... and I flipped right into an interview with lifestyle and exercise expert -Jim Karas- who basically was reading my mind and answered my questions WOW right?
Before I share with you what I heard, I thought I would share with you some photos. You know... to kinda show me and the Universe... yah, you've come a long way baby! Oh, yah, and move aside... I am a tiger and you're gonna hear me ROAR because I am going to triumph all over this healthy living amazingness!!!

Just starting... full of hope and smiles!

Few months ago... full of hope and smiles.... and 85 lbs less to carry around!

Ok, now back to some juicy bit of knowledge:

Here's what Jim Karas (www.jimkaras.com) was saying on CHUM FM a few days ago...

This is how you lose body fat.... it all has to do with your workout intensity.

It's not how often you go, it’s your Workout intensity. He works out 3 hours a week, splitting the time up, maybe 45 minutes 4 times a week or 30 minutes 6 times a week.
He says there are 2 extremes out there. Those who think  walking will help them love weight. He says he has never seen anyone walking themselves thin. Walking is active resting. It's good to walk, but it won't help you love weight. The other extreme out those that go crazy with triathlons and bootcamps,our bodies weren't designed to work so harshly

In general, he says, cardio, doesn’t help you to lose fat. It’s resistance and weight training that does. To lose fat do weight training, huf and puf rest , do next machine/weights,- he says spurts and bursts, rest and repeat. Change it up, trick your body and metabolism by changing up your routine so your body doesn’t get used to it.

A question was asked, if you exercise first thing in the morning, should you do it on an empty stomach. He believes no. Exercising on an empty stomach will not only burn fat, but muscle too. Eat about 100-150 calories of protein rich food- yogurt is great, and egg or a some good bread and peanut butter.Then have a full breakfast- eggs, turkey bacon etc, after your workout. The bigger the breakfast the better- fill it with protein.Eggs are great they fill you up and leave you satisfied all day

Here's a last little tidbit of information, he mentions that your diet should be filled every day with about half your food coming from fruits and vegetables.