Fat-Burning Foods

The following links are meant to inform. The picture is from the first link.
Top 10 Best Fat Burning Foods
Burn the Fat
Blog Dedicated to Fat Burning Foods
New York Daily News Article
Let's Lose Weight

Slow Cooker Recipes

Cooking a chicken in my Rival Crock Pot (on low for 8 hours). I added spices and 1/2 jar of Trader Joe's Salsa Verde. I just read (at one of the links) that I should have skinned the chicken first but I didn't and I am not about to do it now. I will remember for next time. Let you know how it turned out... Update: It was tasty and made great soup too.

Found a recipe online for Oatmeal using steel cut oatmeal.

Before you go to bed,
add 4 cups water,
1 cup steel cut oatmeal
to your Crock Pot
cook overnight on LOW.

It will be ready in the morning. I haven't tried it yet.

LINKS, SLOW COOKER RECIPES:
Crockpot 101
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork...
Eating Well Crock Pot Recipes
Better Homes and Gardens
Apple Crisp
Gluten Free/Refined Sugar Free Version Apple Crisp:
Mix the walnuts in with the apples rather than the topping.
Use xylitol in place of sugar
Add some molasses to the crumb topping to add the richness of brown sugar.
Substitute cinnamon and nutmeg in place of ginger (if you don't like ginger).
Less sweeter: 1/4 cup of xylitol in the apples and 1/3 cup in the crumb topping, with about 1/4 cup of the molasses.
Omit cornstarch (substitute a few Tbsp. gluten-free baking mix.
Earth Balance in place of butter
Better Crocker
allrecipes.com (stews)
Better Homes and Gardens 11-1-11 update

Everything Peppers

Peppers are found in many varieties throughout the world. Contrary to popular belief they are fruit produced by the pepper plant; they are not vegetables. Peppers tend to fall into two categories: sweet and hot.

All About Peppers
thepeppersite.com
The World's Healthiest Foods
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
EveryNutrient.com
Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipes

Spice Up Your Cooking With Peppers
Health is Wealth (great minds)

Bananas--To Eat or Not to Eat

I just ate a banana (my peel is in the picture on the right); haven't had one in a while. Used to eat them all the time until I heard they were fattening. I decided to do some research.

Sweet and creamy (and self-contained)...more fun than a candy bar. Harvested throughout the year. The banana plant (same family as orchids and lilies) grows 10 to 26 feet with clusters of fruit (50 to 150 bananas). Bunches ("hands") have 10 to 25 bananas each). Most important info I gleaned: One of the best sources of potassium (essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function), each banana contains 467 mg of potassium on average, one mg of sodium.

A banana a day may:
1. Help prevent high blood pressure,
2. Protect against atherosclerosis.

Alas, just as I thought, they are fattening, so be aware. More info can be found in at the links that follow.
Kris Health Blog
Chris's Fat-burning Food and Fitness Blog
The World's Healthiest Foods

Heart Healthy Recipes

Betty Crocker Heart-Healthy Recipes
Mayo Clinic
Keep the Beat
Heart- Healthy Online
Food Network
allrecipes.com (yummy recipes, some healthier than others. Search the site for heart-healthy)

Drying Foods 101

I dried some apples and bananas last week. The bananas didn't turn out but the apples were yummy. I will attempt to make bags of dried fruit for a friend in the hospital. He wanted healthy snacks and asked me to try dehydrating fruit and nuts, etc. and make him some, since store-bought is so expensive. This weekend I will attempt making trail mix (if I have time).

LINKS:
Drying herbs
Drying 101

Happy Joints...HA!

Hyaluronic Acid

I started taking Krill oil every morning and my knees are happy again. Decide for yourself.

Foods that contain hyaluronic acid
I will add to this post as I find information.

More 'Flourless' Recipes For Waffles and Bread

A bread recipe that 'waffles'.

1 cup almond butter, smooth
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 packet sweetener (optional)

Bread instructions:

Blend peanut butter and eggs until smooth.
Blend in remaining ingredients.
Pour into a sprayed loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Let cool before slicing.

For waffles:
Steps 1 and 2
Then pour onto hot waffle iron. To be safe, oil it even if the waffle iron is non-stick.
Add a splash of almond mind if mixture is too thick.

Great as a sandwich bread, even in waffle form.

And here's another flourless waffle recipe
And another: Waffles (Almond Flour)

Granola... Without the Grain

Grain-Free Granola
Making your favorite recipes grain-free

Grain-free foods that are often resemble a grain or are used as a flour: Almond,
Amaranth, Arrowroot, Buckwheat (Kasha),Cassava, Chickpeas, Coconut, Cottonseed, Dal,Fava bean, Flaxseed, Gram flour (chickpea), Lentils, Manioc, Potato Starch/Flour, Quinoa, Sago, Sesame, Taro flour, Soy, Tapioca ( and Glucose made from it), Plantain flour (available @ African grocers), Yam (iyan) flour (African grocers), Mesquite flour

Eating Alkaline--Balancing pH

I know that it is important to eat so that your body's ph stays alkaline. Lance Dreher (Dr. Fitness) introduced me to this healthy way of eating.

Links to websites as an introduction to balancing ph.
Alkalize your Body pH to
Restore Good Health
Eat Your Veggies
Acid/Alkaline Forming Foods List
Boosting Immune System Naturally
Acid Alkaline Diet
Balance pH Diet
Essence of LIfe
Natural Health School
The LifeCo
ChiMachine International
Sustainability and Raw Food Blog
energiseforlife.com
Another Viewpoint (Far and Balanced Blogger that I am)

Let's Talk Muffins ...as in Baked Goods :-)

In anticipation of autumn and tasty morsels baking in ovens, I thought of muffins...

The History of Muffins.

Healthy Muffin Recipes:
Oatmeal Muffins (No flour)
Low-fat Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins
Moist Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Light Carrot Muffins
No-Sugar-Added Banana Blueberry Wheat Muffins
More to come...maybe.

Dehydrating Apples and Bananas

I've never dehydrated fruits and vegetables (or anything, for that matter) before.

Apples: Peel, core and slice (3/8"), dip in mild lemon water and place on sheet (don't crowd).
Bananas: Peel and slice (3/8"), place on sheet. Don't crowd.
I am setting the timer for 6 hours and see what's up. I'll be back...

Foods That Lower LDL Cholesterol

Bad LDL?

1. Try eating oatmeal. It contains soluble fiber (which reduces low-density lipoproteins and can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream).

1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber.
Add fruit (such as bananas)for 4 more grams of fiber. For variety, try steel-cut oatmeal or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.

Other foods that contain soluble fiber: kidney beans, barley, apples, pears and prunes. Eat 5 to 10 grams (or more) of soluble fiber a day to decrease your LDL total.

2. Eating fatty fish (with its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids) can reduce blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots. Two servings of fish a week. Mackerel, herring, sardines, lake trout, Alabacore tuna, salmon and halibut have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Bake or grill to avoid adding unhealthy fats.

Don't like fish?

You can get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from ground flaxseed and canola. Or you can take an omega-3 or fish oil supplement but you won't get the other nutrients found in fish (selenium, for one). If you decide to take a supplement, remember to watch your diet and eat lean meat or vegetables in place of the fish.

3. Eat nuts, nuts, nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts. They can reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy.

DON'T EAT TOO MANY nuts or you'll gain weight. About a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts may reduce your risk of heart disease. Beware of salted or sugar-coated nuts.