Lately I’ve been getting requests for healthy and quick summer time recipes. As the weather really starts to warm up our bodies naturally crave lighter foods.

It’s easier to grab a piece of fruit or some raw veggies when it’s hot out… be careful though because lighter foods can also contain more sugar and fats in dressings and marinades.

3 Things To Remember When Choosing Summertime Foods:

1.     Eat your fruit with 10-15 nuts or 1 ounce of cheese (if tolerated) or a small amount of protein like an egg.

2.     Make a choice between adding avocado, cheese or an oil based dressing to your salad. All are fats. Even though you might be choosing heart healthy fats like avocado and olive oil they can still contribute to weight gain when you have too much.

3.     Aim for two portions of fruit per day. An average fruit portion size is about 1 cup or the size of your closed fist.

Enjoy these three summertime recipes. Feel free to forward this email onto friends and family that would also enjoy these recipes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake Makes 1 Serving

Ingredients

2 scoops protein powder
1 cup unsweetened almond chocolate milk
1.5 tsp natural creamy peanut butter
¾ cup blueberries
1 tbsp of chia seeds (whole or ground)

Directions

Combine in blender and blend until smooth.

Cauliflower Hummus Makes 2 Cups

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 1/2" florets
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp sea salt (optional)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tahini (may be found in many middle eastern markets or at Whole Foods)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced into a paste
Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Toss cauliflower, olive oil, cumin, sea salt and black pepper together in a large bowl.

Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine tahini, garlic, lemon juice and roasted cauliflower in a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste forms (add additional olive oil if desired).

Season with sea salt (if desired) and sprinkle paprika on top.

Serve warm or cold with assorted vegetables.

Kale Coleslaw  

Ingredients

1 14-16 oz. package classic coleslaw mix
3 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar 
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
2 tsp raw honey
1 tsp salt and pepper

Directions

In a large bowl toss coleslaw mix, kale, red pepper, carrot and green onion.

In a small bowl slowly whisk apple cider vinegar into grapeseed oil, mixing to emulsify. Add garlic, honey, and salt and pepper mix well. Pour dressing over coleslaw mixture and toss well to combine.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature.

When it comes to monitoring your body for fitness there are pinchers that test body fat, a bathroom scale that measures your water content and good old-fashioned calorie counting. Then there is a very simple way to find out your disease risk based on a simple calculation – the waist to hip ratio. You’ll need a tape measure, and these simple instructions:

• Measure the circumference of your waist
• Measure the circumference of your hips
• Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement
• This is your waist to hip ratio!

Now what is the whole waist to hip ratio supposed to imply?

For a woman a ratio of 0.8 or above and for a man a ratio of 1.0 or above is a major sign that you are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis (gout). A study done on 47,382 women suggested that a greater waist circumference increases risk of breast cancer, especially among postmenopausal women.

The waist numbers that take you out of the disease risk categories and back into the healthy categories are:

Females: 35 inches around or less
Males: 40 inches around or less

If you don't fall into this category, don’t worry, all is not lost, there are ways to focus on your waist for superior health.

1. Cut down on sugar consumption: The old adage “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” is quite wise. The glucose derived from excessive sugar intake cannot be completely processed in your body and actually goes into storage for later use.

The preferred storage is fat cells! Going sugar-free all in one go can be extremely difficult, but by taking small steps you will start to notice a difference. Start by not adding sugar to your coffee and tea. Next replace a soda with a glass of water with lemon. Then change your sweetener to raw honey instead of white sugar.

Top natural sugar recommendation is RAW HONEY.

2. Turn off the TV/computer: TV watching is linked to the onset of obesity, mostly because the more TV you watch the less activity you are doing. With the beautiful summer weather, it should be easier to convince yourself to get out for an after dinner walk.

Start out slow – 10 minutes a day, then gradually work your way up to a goal of 30-60 minutes. It will also increase your overall energy and improve sleep. A 5 or 10 minute walk is better then no walk at all.

3. Improve your digestion: Fiber does wonders in improving your digestion naturally. The best way to increase your fiber intake is eating more fruits and vegetables.

Again the summer is a great time to start up this new regime with all that fresh produce around. Clinical evidence shows that dietary fiber promotes weight loss, improves blood sugar control and decreases the amount of calories absorbed by the body.

Try adding 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of chia seeds to your breakfast or ½ cup of well-rinsed beans or lentils to your lunch.

Eat some fresh corn (organic) for dinner instead of a side of rice, go for a walk and if you get hot don’t reach for a can of soda but go for a cool glass of water. By starting slow and keeping hydrated, you will start to see signs that your waist to hip ratio is going down and with that your risk for disease also goes down. 


In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, CPCC, Personal Trainer

Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers, or father figures, and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society.

It's an unofficial holiday that is celebrated in as many various ways as there are fathers.  Whether it's taking him our for a round of golf, letting him sleep in a little, or doing the BBQing for him, just this once.  

As our children are very active in sports, we will be celebrating with a family brunch and then off to a basketball tournament.  After all, he wouldn't be a father without his kids.

However you celebrate, have an amazing day.  And here's a recipe that you might be inspired to try…I got it from www.myvega.com, they have delicious, plant based recipes that you wouldn't even know are plant based.  I dare you to try them.

Black Bean Burgers

• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• ¼ cup red pepper, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 cup kale, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• 1 ½ cups black beans, drained and mashed
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, minced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Brown rice flour, as needed

1. Over medium heat sauté onion, garlic, jalapeno and red pepper in oil until softened. Add kale and cook until softened.
2. Combine all ingredients together to form dough. Add brown rice flour as a binder, if needed.
3. Shape dough into 6 burger patties and lightly dust with brown rice flour.
4. Fry in a small amount of oil until golden on each side or bake for 20 minutes at 400 F.
5. Optional: finish burgers on the grill and serve in gluten-free bun.

In good health,
Cheryl

It's an all too familiar sound: the obnoxious tinkling of the ice cream truck passing by the house or park at the most inopportune time. The treats from the truck range from sticky to sweet and you know they are loaded with tons of sugar. But it is tempting to go for a little cool sweetness - I mean, it is darn hot out there. So, how about having your own sweet treats - only this time they are conventional sugar-free! My favorite sweeteners are maple syrup, unpasteurized honey and coconut sugar.
 
We're talking homemade popsicles, gelato and ice cream here. It is surprisingly easy and the flavor is remarkably similar (or superior, depending on who you ask). All you need is a blender, fruity ingredients, some BPA free popsicle molds and a freezer.
 
1. Greek Yogurt Strawberry Popsicles: 1 cup yogurt, ½ cup milk (cow or almond) 1 cup strawberries (3/4 cup for puree, plus1/4 cup minced), 1 tbsp maple syrup. Add all ingredients (except reserved strawberry bits) into blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to bowl, add bits, and then fill up 6 popsicle molds. Freeze overnight.
 
2. Mango Gelato: 2 cups frozen mango, juice of half a lime, 2 tbsp coconut cream (the solid part of the coconut milk in the can, when the can has not been shaken), 1 tbsp maple syrup. Puree everything in a blender, serve right away or transfer to container and leave in freezer.
 
3. Chocolate Chia Ice Cream: 1/2 cup soaked almonds, 2 tbsp of chia seeds soaked in 1/3 cup water, 50 grams of melted 99% chocolate, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of honey. Add all the ingredients to the blender with an additional 3/4 cup of water, blend until uniformly smooth. Transfer to used ice cream tub and freeze for about 5 hours before serving (any longer will produce an unworkable product).
 
I'd love to hear about your favorite real food summertime treats… post them in the comments below.
 
Happy popsicle making,
 
Cheryl

Have you written your cravings off as normal because you’ve been experiencing them for so long? It’s possible that you’ve created quick fix solutions to satisfy those cravings just so they don’t drive you crazy.

There is no shortage of “health” products that make BIG claims to help you lose fat, get rid of cravings or balance your hormones. You’ve probably already bought or tried many of these products in an effort to slim down.

Even with all of the free information available now it’s seems harder then ever to get a straight and reliable answer from a trusted source on how to balance your hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels and lose weight without depriving yourself, feeling depressed or angry.

Here’s the harsh reality…

There is no one single food, pill, powder or tea that will give you the results you are looking for.

While that might be hard to hear, it’s true.

When you have cravings it’s a result of multiple of physiological triggers that come together to signal you to eat, usually a sugary or salty food. In fact, the signal to eat something sugary or salty can sometimes be so strong that no amount of willpower can overcome it.

So how do you overcome your cravings in a realistic way that is maintainable long-term? 

Tip # 1 Ditch The Idea Of The Magic Pill Solution

No matter what your friends, colleague’s, Doctor’s, health food store or Dr. Oz says there is NO one magic pill to get rid of cravings or help you to lose weight.

Yes, there are certain supplements that support blood sugar stabilization but if you first don’t remove the food triggers no amount of supplements will help you.

Common Food Triggers:

• Coffee
  
• Diet Coke or diet beverages
  
• Dried fruit
  
• Flavored oatmeal 
  
• Wheat
  
• Alcohol 
  

When you are constantly looking for a quick fix magic pill to end your cravings and solve your weight problems you deny your personal responsibility involved in your behavior (food) choices.

You can start by accepting that it will take work and effort to balance your hormones and lose weight. After all, you didn’t put the weight on in 14 days… it’s not going to come off in 14 days.

Tip # 2 Start Your Day With P & F

Do you know why oatmeal is considered to be a good breakfast choice?

Why are eggs a popular breakfast food?

What you choose for your first meal of the day is probably the most important food choice you can make when you are trying to calm cravings and lose weight. This is because your break-fast sets your hormonal tone for the day.

So when you choose foods that spike blood sugar, even if they are “healthy” you are not setting yourself up for an energetic, craving-free day. Just because something is touted as healthy doesn’t mean that it’s the right food choice for you.

Start your day with PROTEIN & FIBER to stabilize blood sugar and help you to feel full and energetic all day long.

Good P & F Choices:

• 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt + 2 tbsp of chia seeds 
  
• 2 whole eggs with 1 cup of blackberries (or mixed berries) 
  
• Shake with 1 scoop of protein powder with 2 tbsp of chia seeds 
  
• Chia seed pudding made with 1 scoop of protein powder 
  

Tip # 3 Know The Foods That Cut Cravings

Even when you make the best food choices, have the right breakfast, plan and prepare your meals you still might have sugar or salt cravings. We live in the real world where there is NO SUCH THING AS PERFECTION.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to know which foods satisfy you without setting you up for more cravings later on in the day. Since we all have different food likes and dislikes you will want to test out these foods to see which ones work best for you.

Foods That Curb Cravings:

• 1 tbsp of raw almond butter 
  
• ¼ - ½ cup of guacamole with 12 Mary’s crackers
  
• 1 ounce of full fat cheese 
  
• ¼ cup of homemade trail mix 
  
• 1-2 squares of 75% or higher dark chocolate 
  
• ¼ cup salted cashews 
  
• ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce with 1 tbsp of chia seeds 

Start using these 3 tips to calm your cravings this week and see how you feel.


If you have a favourite food that you feel helps squash your craving, post in the comments below.

In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, CPCC, Personal Trainer