Friday, May 28, 2010

Chickpeas , Garbonzos

A friend of mine has a really interesting name for them, it's sure to make you laugh but you'll have to ask me in person. Take a close look at them and see if you can figure it out.

My favorite way to eat them is by the hand full after they have been drained and rinsed. But there are so many ways to eat this wonderful bean.

Bean Salad
1 can green beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can garbonzos
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 close garlic minced
2 TBLS flax seed oil
2TBLS lemon juice
1 TBLS honey
Mix chill and enjoy
Roasted Chickpeas
1 can chickpeas
1 TBLS olive oil
Rinse drain and put on a sprayed baking sheet.
Cook for 10 min at 450 degrees.
Shake pan to roll beans around and cook for another 10 min.
Add beans, oil, our choice of spices to a bowl and mix well.
Put the beans back in the pan and continue to cook for 10-15 min or until brown and crunchy.
Any spices can be added, garlic, paprika, chili pepper anything that sounds good.
I'll add more recipes this week.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Hang in there

A couple of things have been rattling around in my head the last few days.

1.I was just thinking about how hard we are on ourselves at times. We want everything now but change takes time.
It's important sometimes to step back and look at the overall trend of your habits. I'd like to say that I will never eat chips again and have it magically happen. That's not realistic but I can look back over the past months and see improvement in my eating. In fact we were discussing how a bad day of eating now is much better than our good days were a few years ago. Yes, I have days that I decide not to eat well.

BUT look at the overall picture. Is the scale more friendly? Do you feel better? Do people say you are looking healthy? Do your cloths fit better? Do you see your scores going up on your weekly goal sheet? If so that is real progress.


2. heart rate- did you know your body can get so used to an activity that you start losing the benefit? How do you get around this?

Don't get to set in a routine or workout. Switch things up. If you run or walk regularly try adding weight bearing exercise.

Squats, lunges, push ups using body weight are a great way to get a good workout without equipment. You can use the IT method with these very easily by alternating a set of any of these with an equal time of rest or stretching. Each will give you an aerobic workout as well as stretch building. This works really well if you are stuck in a hotel.

You're doing great keep up the good work.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Get up and move

I'm more convinced than ever to get out and walk at lunch.

During the first hour of a 12 hour flight I read an article about how sitting for long periods at a time increase the risk for developing metabolic syndrome. The good news is that it takes less than 20 minutes of exercise to prevent this. The bottom line was try not to sit for more than 4 hours at a time.

Keep moving :-)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Potatoes Au Gratin

Here is our recipe from today. I love this recipe because it's quick and easy.


Potatoes Au Gratin,


6 medium potatoes thinly sliced

2 onions thinly sliced

1 recipe of easy cheese sauce.


Layer in a 9x9 baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 45 min.

Easy Cheese Sauce

1 c raw cashews

2 c water

2TBLS nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 small red pepper


Blend until smooth.


The cheese sauce freezes very well so you can make larger recipes and freeze in 2 cup containers for use later.