Asian Style Veggie Pancakes
Asian Style Veggie Pancakes
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup flour I used 1/4 cup almond flour and 3/4 cup lupin flour
- 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of Bragg's aminos
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil for pan frying or nonstick pan
- *Almond Cheese Optional
- Leftover veggies used:
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup white cabbage
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- *large handful arugula Optional
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- *1 jalapeño Optional
Instructions
DIRECTIONS:
-
Combine ingredients and fry in a pan till done. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
"I had some leftover veggies so I decided to make some savory Asian style veggie pancakes for breakfast. I added some Almond cheese too because I love cheese.
Great for leftover veggies and makes a big batch so you can freeze and save for later! Use whatever veggies you like basically. This took like 15-30min to make the batter and pan fry all the pancakes but you could just wrap up the batter in the fridge and cook more later on.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup flour (I used 1/4 cup almond flour and 3/4 cup lupin flour)
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Bragg’s aminos
Salt to taste
1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil for pan frying or nonstick pan
*Almond Cheese (Optional)
Leftover veggies used:
1/2 cup purple cabbage
1/2 cup white cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
*large handful arugula (Optional)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup mushrooms
*1 jalapeño (Optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine ingredients and fry in a pan till done. Enjoy!
4 Healthy Ways To Eat Chocolate
Chocolate is one of life’s guilty pleasures.
But do you really have to feel guilty about eating this delectable treat?
Not always, especially if you eat the right kind and amount of chocolate. Chocolate’s bad reputation comes from the high caloric, sugar, and fat content.
But phytochemicals found in chocolate have also been found to benefit the heart and potentially provide protection from infectious disease and cancer. Metabolic and psychological benefits have also been reported.
Chocolate’s History in Medicine
In 18th century, chocolate was used as a nourishing, therapeutic, and aphrodisiac substance. It was used to help address weight loss, lung and muscle diseases, hypochondria and hemorrhoids.
Chocolate has an interesting history. The earliest known use of cacao was traced through 5,500-year-old ceramic pots in Ecuador. Shamans used the pots containing cacao markers to prepare hallucinogenic concoctions. Then it was used as a currency, a prized drink among the royalty, and as religious offerings.
When Is Chocolate Beneficial For You?
Chocolate’s benefits comes mainly from its cocoa content. The more cocoa it contains, the more beneficial it is for you.
The beneficial effects of cocoa are attributed to its antioxidant properties. Cocoa has more phenolic antioxidants than most foods, with flavonoids dominating the antioxidant activity.
These flavonoids in cocoa can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, cancer, heart disease, and mental disorders. There is more evidence now that flavonoids do help in preventing diseases. High-flavonoid foods, including berries, tea, apples, and onions are linked to less weight gain, although the calories in chocolate may counteract this benefit.
With these benefits, you have good and valid reasons to keep this mood-enhancing comfort food in your life.
4 Healthy Ways to Eat Chocolate
Here are a few healthier ways to eat chocolate so you can keep it in your life:
- Add raw cocoa powder or cocoa nibs in your smoothies or recipes. These don’t have sugar, combined with the natural sweetness of berries, your smoothie will taste amazing.
- If you eat small squares of dark chocolate, start slowly increasing the percentage of cocoa in the bar. The higher the cocoa content, usually the less sugar it will contain. Almost anyone can learn to savor and enjoy 90% dark chocolate bars or even higher with time.
- Just like fine wines, you can develop a taste for the more bitter chocolate in higher percentage bars. Developing this appreciation helps in other parts of your diet, too. Bitter flavors usually have health benefits.
- Don’t chew chocolate! I know it sounds strange, but one small square can slowly melt in your mouth for around 5 minutes or so. Savor the chocolate flavor will also help curb your cravings.
If you don’t like dark chocolate because of its bitter taste, you can try bars like Lily’s Chocolate that is flavored with stevia and erythritol. The problem with this though is I find that most people tend to overeat them (myself included). Others also get some gastric distress from those sweeteners.
I really believe that most people with minimal weight problems can learn to appreciate dark chocolate that has only 1 to 3 grams of sugar per square.
Make sure it is not chocolate processed by alkali. This gets rid of a lot of the beneficial compounds found in chocolate. It will say that on the label.
What creative things have you done to keep that chocolate treat in your diet?
To Your Health!
Lemon Granita with Whipped Cream
Shaved lemon ice is a light, refreshing way to wrap up a summer meal.
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 3 cups lemon juice
- Zest of 3 lemons
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and 2 1/4 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently warm until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool the syrup.
- Once cool, transfer the syrup to a large mixing bowl along with the remaining 2 1/4 cups water and other remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish. Place it in the freezer.
- After 30 minutes, check the mixture. If it has begun to freeze, remove from the freezer and scrape it with a fork to grate it up. Place it back in freezer and repeat until the whole mix is frozen and grated.
- Serve with whipped cream (above) or vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
Jucing vs Blending
I have a dangerous health trend to warn you about.
In fact, three doctors just did an exposé on it in The Washington Post.1
So, I’ll get right to it: The trend is “juicing.”
Juicing has become wildly popular over the past several years as a way to “cleanse” the body and get healthier. Juice bars have sprung up all over the place. And home juicers are selling like hotcakes. People are drinking more juice than ever before…
And it needs to stop.
Juice doesn’t “cleanse” anything. It’s sugar water… and it’s contributing to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes that’s sweeping the country.
Drinking juice dumps a massive dose of sugar into your bloodstream.
Researchers from the University of Southern California found that popular fruit juices have as much sugar as soft drinks (sometimes more).
And if you think juicing vegetables instead of fruit puts you in the clear, think again…Once you remove the fiber… popular juicing vegetables like carrots, beets, kale, and celery are loaded with sugar as well.
And all that sugar isn’t the only problem with juicing.
You see, because juicing removes the all-important fiber from fruits and vegetables…You’re missing out on the stuff that helps your body absorb the nutrients from these foods properly.
And if that wasn’t enough, research also shows drinking fruit juice, as opposed to eating fruit, actually makes you hungrier at mealtime.
So, not only are you spiking your blood sugar and missing out on nutrients… you’re forcing yourself to overeat!
That’s why, from this moment forward, I want you to do the following:
When you want to get the benefits of fruits and vegetables, Eat them whole, or BLEND Them ALL into KracK Juice (see recipe). This way you retain all the nutrients by BLENDING.
Krank Juice Recipe – Download
That way, you’ll ensure you’re getting maximum nutritional value without loading your body with sugar.
And when you’re thirsty, I highly suggest drinking flat water and Green Teas
You’ll feel much better. Plus, you’ll have an easier time melting body fat. 🙂
Break your plateau by exposing hidden sugars
Diets play a huge role in weight-loss and achieving the body shape you want. As you focus on what you eat, it’s easy to see the zero calorie or sugar free options as a quick win. Yet most contain ‘hidden sugars’ that are counterproductive to the hard work you put in to lose weight!
It isn’t just low calorie or sugar free products that contain them. Natural and artificial sugars can be found in common, everyday foods, this has an impact on your ability to lose weight!
Take a look at the different kinds of sweeteners and effects its having on your health and your weight-loss goals.
Lets tackle the sneaky little troublemaker hiding in your cupboards, on grocery store shelves, and in your stomach.
I’m talking about sugars you may not know you are consuming. These sugars can actually create roadblocks to your success in losing weight and even how you feel.
If you’re reading this newsletter, part of you has made a commitment to learning more about healthy eating. For some of you, you may just be trying to make healthier choices, which is an amazing way to start! Congrats!
I want to share with you something I wish I would have known when I began my journey. It’s hidden sugars. It’s still one of the biggest “ah-ha!” moments I have ever had.
What’s So Hidden?
Using the term “hiding” might seem misleading. But would you usually expect sausages or meats to have sugars added? How about dairy? Broth? What about seasonings? Mustard? Frozen veggies? Depending on the brand, they are there. Why?
Taste:
There are brands that add sugar in just to make things taste better. If it tastes good, you’re probably going to repurchase it. Now, this may come down to only a gram or two per serving, but let’s say you’re using a seasoning containing sugars several times a day. It can add up!
Sugar on a label is easy to see. But, there are other terms to lookout for. For example, sucrose. Sucrose comes from sugar cane or beet sugar. It is table sugar. I want to fill you in on some other names.
Let’s talk artificial sweeteners:
Take a look at what you are eating. Take a look at your goals. Have you plateaued recently? Then I want you to walk into your kitchen, and see if any of the items you are consuming contain the following.
The following are considered High-Intensity Sweeteners:
They are super sweet and concentrated. This list comes from the FDA:
- Saccharin
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
- Sucralose
- Neotame
- Advantame
- Steviol glycosides
- Luo Han Guo fruit extracts
What you may not know:
Some people respond negatively to sugar-free/artificial sweeteners.
Did you also know that there is a recommended daily max allowance for them?
Before you grab that XL diet soda, read this:
“During premarket review, FDA established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) level for each of the five high-intensity sweeteners approved as food additives. An ADI is the amount of a substance that is considered safe to consume each day over the course of a person’s lifetime. For each of these sweeteners, FDA determined that the estimated daily intake even for a high consumer of the substance would not exceed the ADI. Generally, an additive does not present safety concerns if the estimated daily intake is less than the ADI. (Food Additives & Ingredients, 2017)
People with medical conditions need to be careful.
The article from the FDA goes to note that High-Intensity Sweeteners are not advised for those with phenylketonuria (PKU). Why? Those with PKU can have a problem processing aspartame and components of it. In particular, phenylalanine.
What you also need to be aware of.
Let me introduce you to some names of other sweeteners, natural and chemically modified:
- Agave
- Corn sweetener
- Corn syrup
- Corn syrup solids Dextrose
- Crystalline fructose
- Evaporated cane juice Erythritol
- Fructose
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Glucose
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Invert sugar
- Lactose
- Maltose
- Malt syrup
- Monk fruit
- Molasses
- Maltodextrin
- Stevia
- Xylitol
My Revelation. A-Ha!
I was using a lot of products with the above ingredients listed. While some labels state “zero calories” – let’s be honest, there’s a count. If you look real close, some sugar-free syrups, dressings, etc. will say “contains trace calories.”
Here’s what happened to me.
I was experiencing a stall at a time when I was trying to cut weight. I eliminated all sweeteners except natural stevia (with no additives). Guess what happened? I dropped weight. Shocking! I know!
An eye opener.
When we fill ourselves with these alternatives, we change the way our taste buds work. We may find ourselves under-consuming nutrient-dense foods in exchange for options marketed as low-calorie. This can quickly turn into over-consumption from the mentality “I just saved a ton of calories from eating this – there are no carbs/sugars. Now I can eat more of (insert favorite food) tonight.”
So what’s the big deal? Where’s the problem?
The problem with that thought is there may have been a large amount of “trace calories” consumed without intent. Or, for some, blissful ignorance. It’s a trap.
The Two Things You Should Do:
- Get in the habit of reading labels and ingredients. Ask questions. Do research. Use Google when you don’t understand what a word is!
- Take an honest look at your eating habits. If you really want to figure out how your body responds to ingredients, you can abstain for them for awhile and weigh yourself. Then try adding the ingredients/products back in and monitor how your body responds.
Let me be clear. I’m just here to help you navigate the sometimes murky waters of your health journey.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at info@LoseLbsEZ.com.
References
“Food Additives & Ingredients – High-Intensity Sweeteners.” US Food and Drug Administration Home Page, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 19 Dec. 2017, More at FDA.gov