Goji - Blue Berry Muffins

Heyyyyyyyy,

As promised..........here is one of my breakfast/snack recipes which is only 203.2 calories

Goji- Blue Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Goji Berries (see note below)
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup original almond milk (normally use unsweetened but did not have any)
1/4 cup coconut oil (instead of butter)- (see note below)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder (regular baking powder will do)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2.  Mix the wet ingredients and the sugar together (except for the berries).
3. Mix the dry ingredients together
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches and mix well
5. Fold in the berries
6. Place  in muffin tins (makes about 10 muffins)
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Servings: about 10
Calories per serving: 203.32

Note:
What are Goji- Berries?

 The goji berry is also called the wolfberry. It is a bright orange-red berry that comes from a shrub that's native to China. In Asia, goji berries have been eaten for generations in the hopes of living longer.
 Berries like the goji berry are filled with powerful antioxidants and other compounds that may help prevent cancer and other illnesses, including heart disease. Antioxidants may also boost the immune system and lower cholesterol.
 There may be some possible herb-drug interactions with goji berries. If you take blood thinners, you may want to avoid goji berries. Goji berries may also interact with diabetes and blood pressure drugs.

Benefits of Coconut oil

Te health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing.

he human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

Grade 1 Calf Strain = NO Workout for 2 Weeks!

YES YES!! You read it correctly.....I CANNOT work out for 2 weeks (extremeeeeeeeeely long sign and sad face!!)

This is how it all happened. I was on week 3 of the Jillian Micheal's Ripped in 30 workout and it came time to do the single leg squats with weights. Now, I know that I have problems with my ankles and that pressure would have caused some kind of injury but I thought that I just needed to push myself . I accomplished all the reps and I felt fine!!

Around 1:00pm that day I was feeling like crap.....I had heavy annoying pains in my calf and I could not flex my foot up without sharp pain. I went to the doctor and figured that I may have to take 2-3 days off from working out but when she told me 2 WEEKS my heart sank!!....What am I going to do for two weeks with no exercise (SIGH!)?

WELL, I figured it out. Since pushing myself to workout earlier will cause more harm than good I have decided that the solution to my problem is to be VERY strict on my daily eating and calorie intake (1400 per day max). My calorie intake is one for weight loss at my current weight. I will make a food journal for the two weeks that I am not working out and weight myself twice for the period to ensure that I do not gain any weight. Weight loss and healthy living is about 80% what you eat and 20% exercise and as Jillian herslef said ,"you can eat yourself out of any workout"

Weight Loss Update

Heyyyy,

I know I have not posted in a while but I am here and I am BACK with a weight loss update. I have lost (since starting my journey) a total of 82 pounds and I am 8 pounds away from my Goal Weight and 13 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight.

Here are some before and after pics:

I really hope this inspires you to join me on this health journey.

Keep in mind that there is no magic pill or potion that will make you loose weight and keep it off!. It is about lifestyle change! You have to be willing to work out at lease 35- 60 min 4-5 days out the week ( i normally do 5-6) and eat healthy. My next post will be tips on how to change your eating habits to more healthy ones and break your meals into 5 meals a day.

Seaweed Potatoes

Yes, you read it right................the title does say seaweed potatoes and yes I did eat them together!


I went into one of the organic stores in town and saw this seasoning, and I HAD to try it. Here is a picture of it (excuse the quality of the photo,  I took the photo with my phone.....my camera died.... :( ..)

Organically grown, whole, tan sesame seed roasted and ground with Eden sea salt and three trace mineral rich sea vegetables - Canadian dulse and Japanese grown nori and kombu. A low sodium, almost universal condiment. A convenient cap allows both a shake or pour. The seed oil coats the salt, amplifying it so you experience more flavor eating less salt. A tasty way to take beneficial sesame and sea vegetables.

Ingredients:Organic Whole Sesame Seeds, Sea Salt, and the Sea Vegetables: Organic Dulse, Nori, Kombu 

Click here for a link to the website for purchase.  


I used this seasoning before on my grilled chicken but decided to try it again on my baked fries recipe. 


Here is how I made the baked fries:

1. Wash and then cut up one medium baking potato however you like and add it to a bowl.
2. Add olive oil, Italian seasoning, and the seaweed seasoning (I do not measure).
3. Mix all of the ingredients together and put on a baking sheet/pan (i used parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet) 
4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees

and..............here  it is

Try the recipe and let me know how it goes,

Another Smoothie Recipe

Heyyy  Loves,


I have another smoothie recipe for you! 


Here are the ingredients:

 Ingredients are:

1 cup Almond Milk

1 Banana

1 mango

Juice of 1 orange

Kale

1 T wheat germ

Here is everything in the blender:

Here is the finished Green Smoothie

I am thinking about purchasing chocolate whey protein to make healthy "chocolate" smoothies. 

Happy Blending,

Weight Loss Update

Heyyyy Beauty lovers,

I know that I have not shared any update pictures in a while so here it goes:

This is the most recent picture of myself (the image is a blurry)

This is a picture of me at my highest weight compared to now

This is a picture of  me 20lbs down in my journey to now

Weight Loss Tips

1. STOP OBSESSING OVER THE SCALE

For a while, I was obsessing over the scale but realistically speaking weight fluctuates daily depending upon water retention and hormonal changes in women. To be honest, I have not been on the scale in about 3 weeks and do not intend to until I have finished the Shaun T's Rockin' Body Workout.

As a way to measure your progress, you can take your measurements (bust, waist, hips) and compare them every 3 weeks or so. You can also find a pair of jeans or a dress that you currently have and measure your progress by the way you fit into the clothing during your weight loss journey. Also, you can buy a pair of "goal jeans" or a "goal dress" and once you have fit into that article of clothing you have reached your goal.

2.      MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE NOT A TEMPORARY DIET PLAN

This is where the problems come! Many people just want a quick fix or to use diet pills to loose weight but to be honest, you did not gain ALL the weight overnight therefore you should not expect to loose it overnight. Try to make  healthier choices, in regards to eating habits such as eating more fruits and vegetables, limiting portions, and using more whole wheat and whole grain.

The first thing you would need to do is figure out how much calories your body needs daily. When you have calculated this figure subtract 500 calories (I subtract 700-1000 calories) from this and this would be the amount of calories that you need to eat per day coupled with 4-6 workout days per week , in order to loose weight. You also need to eat 5 times a day.....YES 5 TIMES PER DAY! The meals are Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, and Dinner.Remember to keep control of your portions and watch your calories. 

Honestly, after a while you will be able to eat without actually "counting your calories" and still keep your calorie intake under control. You also need to get" in tune" with your body and be able to know what it wants (sounds creepy.....I know!..lol) but some days you will go under your calorie intake and some days you may go a bit over because your body needs more fuel.

NEVER STARVE YOURSELF!!! .

The key thing is that if you think of this as just a diet when your are done and go back to eating the way you were eating you will gain ALL the weight back and maybe even more!

3.       DON'T TALK ABOUT IT BE ABOUT IT!

Countless times I have heard people say they will start working out and eating right next week. Unfortunately that next week becomes another next week and then next month. Never put off what you can do today for tomorrow!! 

Make a commitment to yourself! If you want to loose weight change your eating habits and workout lifestyle right now!!

Remember this is the only body that you have so keep it healthy.....life is too short to be sick!

4.       BE CONFIDENT

Please ladies, be confident in the skin that you are in and NEVER go into a weight loss journey thinking that it will make you feel better because it WILL NOT!!!

Loosing weight makes you look better and quite honesty it does make feel a bit better about yourself but if you did not love yourself before your insecurities will still be there and your body will NEVER be good enough in your eyes. 

So before you embark on your weight loss journey learn how to love yourself and be confident in yourself because you are special and beautiful!!

I hope that this post helps everyone who is thinking about having a more healthy lifestyle or loosing weight. I will do another post about stuff that I generally eat and workout programs that I did.

Happy Sunday,

Sweet Potato Hash

Heyyy Readers,


My Meatless Month is going great so far (11 days in) and to be honest I really don't miss meat that much. I have been coming up with some great alternatives and recipes, one of them I will share with you today.


This recipe was inspired by Chef Ahki on Facebook. Click here for a look at her own, mine is a bit different.


Here is a picture of my sweet potato hash

The recipe is as follows (I do not really measure ingredients)

• 4 Sweet Potato (Cubed----I did not have enough so I had to use Russet as well)
• coconut oil
• onion
• sweet pepper
• Italian seasoning
• salt
• black pepper
• tablespoon garlic

I boiled the potatoes until they were tender.

Then i sauted the onion and sweet pepper the onions were translucent.

Add the potatoes and the remaining  ingredients to the skillet and let it cook for about 10min

Hope you enjoy the recipe and if you try it let me know how it comes out.

3 Day Semi- Cleanse and Meatless January

Heyyy Readers,


    I know that I have not actually written a post in a while,  work has me sooooo busy but I have not forgotten about the blog :). For 2012, I am thinking about starting it off with something different.


    For those of you who have been reading my blog know that I have recently lost 50 pounds. I want to loose at least 15 more pounds so I have decided to change things up a bit. Starting on Friday, I will be on a mini cleanse to prepare me for my Meatless Month (January).


    I will keep you updated with some of my recipes and challenges that I face while doing the cleanse and the Meatless Month.

I Drink it From a Glass

What do I drink from a glass you might wonder?

Yes it is what you think it is........WATER. 

Now, I have not bought my fancy glass bottle for me to tote around (I'm running a tight ship this week with my finances) so I used this glass bottle from a drink that I bought that was BPA free (the bottle)

I know that some of you may think that this is a bit anal, but hey.....it's my health and my research and I feel as though this was the best route for me to take.

Why drink water from a glass bottle instead of plastic you ask?

• Plastic bottles are made with plastics that contain a synthetic estrogen mimicking toxin called BPA (Bisphenol A)
• BPA (Bisphenol A) has been linked to breast and prostate cancer.

How does the BPA get into the water that you are drinking out of the bottle?

These chemicals actually leach into your water and enter your system every time you drink from the plastic bottle.

Here is an excerpt from some of my research:

 When it comes to Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it's not whether the container is new or old but the liquid's temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released 

This shows that it is not a question of IF BPA enters your system, but just a question of how much BPA will enter your system. Now I understand why my mother ALWAYS tells me to never drink water out of a plastic bottle after it has been left in the car.


Even though you may say, I buy water out of coolers and never let it get hot. That is just on your end! Imagine how long that bottle has been in HOT warehouses and trailers, and if you live in the Bahamas like I do, HOT cargo areas in boats for shipping


Another excerpt that I will share with you:

"BPA is just one of many estrogen-like chemicals people are exposed to, and scientists are still trying to figure out how these endocrine disruptors--including natural phyto-estrogens from soy which are often considered healthy--collectively impact human health," he says. "But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests it might be at the cost of your health."

Now the decision lies with you, if you want to continue using plastic bottles or not  but I choose to stick with drinking water out of a glass.


N.B. I have done a lot more research than what is shown in this post, feel free to do your own research  


Take care of your body, life is too short to be sick :)

365 calorie Breakfast Parfait

Breakfast Parfait

I got a bit tired of making smoothies or eating cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, so I decided to try something different.




 Here is a picture of what I came up with (I am in no way a food photographer so excuse the mess on the sides of the bowl :) )

Ingredients :
1/2 cup Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt
4 digestive biscuits (light)
1/2 cup raspberries
1/4 cup blueberries

1. I first placed the digestive biscuits in a ziploc bag and smashed it to make crumbs
2. I then layered the bottom of the dish with half the amount of crumbs
3. I then placed a layer of 1/4 cup yogurt
4. After that I placed a layer of 1/4 cup raspberries and 1/8 cup blueberries
5. I then repeated step 3, 1, and 4 in that order

Hope you enjoy,

New Smoothie Recipe (with Irish Moss Paste)

So........I decided to try a new smoothie recipe that included the Irish Moss Paste that I made.

Here is picture of the ingredients to my smoothie:

Can't forget the All Bran Cereal (40% of your daily fiber) 

The detailed list for my smooths is as follows:

8oz almond milk

1/4cup of All Bran Cereal

1/2 cup strawberries

1/4 cup of blueberries

1 banana

2 tablespoons of wheat germ

1 tablespoon of Agave Nectar

In the blender it goes!

I took the advice of one of my readers, and prepared this smoothie the night before and drank it in the morning. This technique works well for my busy mornings.

Irish Moss (Sea Moss) Goodness

After seeing a lot of raw food dieters use Irish Moss I was eager to find out "what the hype was all about". After doing a big of research, I found that Irish Moss has numerous health benefits and I HAD to try it.


Before I get into the details of how to prepare Irish Moss for consumption,I will share with you two brief paragraphs on the health benefits of Irish Moss.

Health Benefits

The healing benefits of Irish Moss appear abundant. As a soothing aid to all mucous membranes, Irish Moss is said to ease ailments such as gastritis, nausea, indigestion, constipation, as well as ulcers. Irish Moss also has antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral and anticoagulant activities. Used topically, it may help soothe skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and burns. However it is mostly known for its ability to abate the symptoms of colds and flu, dissolve catharrs and chesty coughs, as well as soothe bronchitis and pneumonia thanks to its anti-coughing properties.

To add to this long list of benefits, Irish Moss has a strongly alkaline nature which may relieve the symptoms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, by replacing much of the ion content that is leached from the body as a consequence of dehydration. Studies are even being conducted on the potential healing effect of this seaweed on conditions such as STD’s, mucus inflammation, various viruses and infections, as well as AIDS !

Source:  http://blog.simplyraw.ch/?p=1039


Here is a picture of the Irish Moss that I used:

I know that your next question is probably, "what do i do with this?" Click here for a link that will show you how to prepare the Irish Moss and also here for how to make the paste.


Here is a picture of the Irish Moss Paste that I made. I store this in the fridge.

Please look out for the new smoothie recipe that includes the Irish Moss Paste. 


Thanks for taking the time to read my blog,

Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually have a smoothie for breakfast and I usually switch up the recipe but I will share with you a recipe that I have been doing a lot lately


4oz vanilla almond milk
4oz water
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup All Bran Cereal
1/4 cup frozen strawberries
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon Flax-seed Meal


Here are some pictures:

Everything in the blender

Blending done..... Smoothie Ready

I usually switch it up, so here are a list of other items that I may use from time to time

• Oatmeal
• Any frozen fruit i like (raspberries, blueberries, pineapples, mango etc.)
• Banana

I want to try almond butter in my smoothie. When I try it I will let you know how I feel about the taste.

Enjoy, 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

Yes, you read it correctly. It's WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CAKE!


During my weight loss journey, I have made the decision to make this a lifestyle change rather than a diet so that I can stay healthy and the weight loss can be permanent. I DO still limit myself but I indulge when I need to with healthier alternatives.

Here is a picture of the lovely, healthy and delicious whole wheat chocolate cake

So, I know you probably want to know the recipe of this dish................here it goes:

• 1.5 cup of whole wheat flour
• 0.5 cup of all purpose white flour
• 0.5 cup + a 0.5 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup of raw cane sugar (demerara) 
• a pinch of salt
• 1.5 cups of almond milk (I do not drink cow's milk)
• 0.5 cup of water
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup olive oil (for a coconut flavored chocolate cake try using coconut oil . Coconut oil is also very good for burning fat!)
• 1.5 tablespoons of vanilla

I heated the oven at 325 degrees and I let the cake bake until a toothpick was inserted and came out clean (about 35-45 minutes). This time will vary depending on your oven and if you alter the ingredients. 

DO NOT FORGET TO GREASE YOUR BAKING PANS!!!! 

Happy Baking,

Guess Who's Back!!!

I am officially back from my hiatus!

I know it has been months, but I was busy with projects and presentations to complete my degree and other things that was going on at the time. 

As for updates, I have completed my Master's degree and the best news of all, I was successful in my mid-point weight loss goal of 40 pounds (30 more to go)

Here are few pictures of my weight loss accomplishments thus far:

30 lb weight loss:

 40 pound weight loss:

The new me:

What can you expect from Aver Beauty?

• More Natural hair updates, styles, and advice
• Weight loss tips and healthy recipes
• Product Reviews 
• Fashion Finds and Style Tips
• Anything that I find interesting and worth sharing :)