So Sweet!!!
SWEET SWEET SWEET!! I’m so happy!! Went for a run today and I did TWO MILES – full miles, no stopping!! OMG so happy!
I don’t have much time because I have to get out- TONS to do today. But- I had an 850 calorie burn, kicked butt running- this time pacing myself so I was like 7-8 mph. I’ll work on speed later, but now I want distance and endurance. I’m so happy and psyched!!
Also I mention in my sweaty vlog below the Jenny Lynn DVD and the sprint and stairs and kick butt training she does at the track. Below in this video you’ll see some of that. And if you haven’t bought Jenny’s DVDs you are missing out. Talk about inspiring and motivating you to kick workout ASS!! Come ON! You can buy them at her site: www.JennyLynnFitness.com.
And here is the sweaty mess that I looked like after my run!! Get a towel!
And also, this IS my new favorite song. Totally. OMG!
Isn’t that Sweet?
2. 2ish Squares (about 1/3 serving per the nutrition label) Endangered Species 75% Cacao dark chocolate with 1 tbsp Low Sodium Better N’ Peanut Butter. Bye-bye sweet tooth demons! As we all know by now, and as we love to hear, dark chocolate packs cholesterol-lowering polyphenols – and the darker, the better. What I love about this particular chocolate, is that there are little crunchy bits of real cocoa nibs, adding texture and even some fiber, not to mention the company trades ethically and supports preservation of endangered species. Right on. The BNPB adds some sweetness to the very dark chocolate and some healthy fat for creaminess without too many calories.
The second Pop treat I love are Edy’s No Sugar Added Fruit Pops – in tangerine, strawberry, and raspberry. These grown-up versions of the Popsicle brand popsicles are made with real fruit and are juicy and yummy. At only 25 calories per pop, you can double up and not spend the next day cursing yourself and your choices of the previous evening.5. Wasabi Wow! Trail Mix from Trader Joe’s is a nice mix of sweet and salty, and is packed with heart-healthy peanuts and cranberries. The pow! comes from Wasabi peas, which used to be a downfall of mine in my chubbier college days. Be sure to pre-portion out the correct servings and divide into smaller baggies to make sure you’re sticking to the 130-calorie portion listed on the nutrition label.
Plenty of other waist-friendly homemade sweet options are readily available via Mr. Internet, like health-ed up muffins and bars, but let it be know that I’m not a fan of SmartOnes packed desserts, 100-calorie packs, or the like. These things pack either a bunch of salt, sodium, additives, or preservatives for very little nutrition, and this can really gunk up your system. And 100 empty calories right before bed can really mess things up. Think of how much more you could get from 100 calories! Check out Livestrong’s fabulous article on other options for 100 calories! Try 2 weeks without any hyper-processed Nabisco-or-whatever 100-cal packs and see how much better you feel. And as always, track your foods. Please! Remember: What do you really want? 100-calories of mini, crumbly, dry Lorna Doone cookies, OR less-jiggly-thighs in that cute jean skirt this summer? Be good to yourself. Explore new healthy foods. And stay sweet.
Japanese Sweet Potato Bread
Thanksgiving Day is the day to express gratitude to family, friends and harvest. This year I have special thanks to you, the many readers of my blog. Since I have started this blog, I received lots of feedback from all over the world, which astonished me a great deal. Someone like you, who does not know me and I do not know you, visited my blog by chance – via either Google or other reference sites. Then, spent sometime glancing on my blog. I thank you very much for visiting my blog.
I started my blog in order to collect useful ideas, tips and facts about healthy and enjoyable cooking from books, websites, food experts and also use my personal experience and that of my many friends and family members. So, I can go back anytime to remind myself of healthy eating and, at the same time, share this knowledge with others who may have similar interests with me. I am grateful to know that many people really enjoy my blog and spend their valuable time with me.
This Thanksgiving Day I made this sweet potato bread. I gave one loaf to my good neighbors, Janet and Bert, and served another one to our guests at the Thanksgiving dinner. So I would like to share this recipe with you.
I used Japanese sweet potato, which we call Satsumaimo. Satsumaimo (Ipomoea batatas in the formal scientific term) is different from yam or regular sweet potatoes one can find in a regular super market. I can found Satsumaimo in any Asian market. They are called Korean sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes or just Asian sweet potatoes. However, these potatoes are native to South America and came to Japan around early the 17th century via China. These sweet potatoes have a thin, reddish brown skin with a golden flesh. The taste is very sweet, almost like chestnuts, and has a crumbly texture. They are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Their vitamin C is hardly destroyed by heat.
Since the potatoes themselves have a sweet flavor, adding a little bit of sugar and butter make this simple cake incredibly delicious. I wish many stores could sell this tasty and inexpensive Satsumaimo in the US. If you are lucky to find this sweet potato, please try this delicious bread!
Ingredients:
300g of Satsumaimo (Ipomoea batatas)
½ cup of milk
2 eggs
50 g of butter at room temperature
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons of baking powder
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 320 F degrees.
2. Peel the skins of the sweet potatoes and dice then into small pieces.
3. Heat the milk, sugar and the sweet potato pieces in a pan and stir until the potato pieces become soft. Add the butter and mix them well.
4. Put the eggs in a bowl and beat them well. Add the flour and baking powder and stir them well. Add the potato mixture and mix them gently.
5. Place them in a baking pan. Bake it in the oven for about 40-50 minutes.
6. Take the cake out of the pan and let it cool off. Slice to serve.
How Sweet It Is
If you were around in the 1970s you likely heard of the grapefruit diet, a quick-fix, fad diet that had followers eating a grapefruit with each meal and consuming ridiculously low calories (~ 800/day).
Obviously, I do not promote fad diets but every now and again research rears it’s head and finds something of value in what would seem to absurd.
In the case of the grapefruit diet, it’s not the starvation tactics that are of value but rather a type of flavonoid found in grapefruit and other citrus fruit called naringenin.
A study published in the Journal Diabetes found that naringenin can prompt the liver to burn excess fat rather than store it – at least if you’re a mouse.
The research was based on dividing healthy mice with normal body weight in to 4 groups.
One group was fed a normal, healthy diet. The second group received a high fat, high calorie diet. The third and fourth groups received a high fat, high calorie diet along with naringenin supplementation.
After 4-weeks the mice on the high fat, high calorie diet became obese in addition to insulin and glucose intolerant (markers linked to Metabolic Syndrome).
The two groups who received the naringenin supplementation did not gain weight like their high fat, high calorie counterparts. Nor did they develop markers linked to Metabolic Syndrome.
While it will obviously be interesting to see further research using humans as a control group, consider that a grapefruit a day may help keep the fat away. And if it doesn’t, it’s certainly a better snack than a bag of chips!
Train hard; stay strong.
Peace.
Susan
Spinach with Tofu and Sweet Sesame Sauce
Since I had a lot of meat during the holiday season, I decided to cook and eat vegetarian food as much as possible. This dish is one of these healthy and delicious vegetarian dishes.
As many of you may know, soybeans are one of the most essential food items in Japanese cuisine. Soy sauce and miso, which are made of soybeans, are primary Japanese seasonings. Tofu is made from coagulating soy milk and it is a very popular food item among not only Japanese people but also health conscious people around the world. Tofu is extremely healthy food. It is rich in tryptophan, manganese, iron and protein.
The taste of tofu is very delicate. I love simply boiled or microwaved tofu with a little bit of grind ginger and ponzu. But if it is too plain for you, try this dish. Delicious grind sesame mixture and spinach enhance the tofu flavor.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of spinach
150g of soft tofu
3 tablespoons of roasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mirin (sweet rice wine with a low alcohol content)
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Directions:
1. Steam or boil the spinach until they become tender.
2. Drain the spinach well and cut the spinach into about an inch long.
3. Grind the roasted sesame seeds very well using a Japanese mortar and pestle (or regular mortar and pestle). Add the soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Mix them well.
4. Place the tofu on a plate and microwave briefly until well warmed. Drain the tofu. Smash it and add into the soy sauce mixture. Stir them well.
Roasted Sweet Bell Peppers
After the cold fronts a few weeks ago in Louisiana, all of our lemons and kumquat fruits were miserably ruined. Also many of our plants had seriously damaged. It is sad to see that the garden lost many colors.
A variety of bright colors always give me energy. So everyday I try to have colorful food items as many as possible. Of course, they must be no artificial.
I love the vivid colors of bell peppers. Their various colors, such as red, yellow and orange, make me very happy. Also I enjoy their delicious flavors and healthy benefits. Indeed, they are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.
Our garden looks dead at a glance. But if you take a careful look, there are a lot of small buds, which are almost ready to come out.
These days I often make this dish while dreaming of coming spring.
Ingredients:4 bell peppers
2-3 cloves of garlic
3-4 tablespoons of organic balsamic vinegar
4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Place the red bell peppers on the oven pan and roast them until the peppers become tender and the skins turn blackened.
Or place them on the barbecue grill for 15 to 20 minutes until the peppers become tender and their skins become blackened.
2. Remove the peppers from the oven or grill and transfer to a glass bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let them cool for 20 to 30 minutes (or leave the bowl cover with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or overnight.).
3. Transfer the peppers into a serving plate. Peel the skins and remove the seeds on the pan so that the delicious juice would not be wasted. Cut them into stripes. Place them on the serving plate.
4. Add the sliced garlic, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours to several hours. Serve at room temperature.
