Prep: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli
5 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons barley miso
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions:

*Wash broccoli and separate stems from florets.
*In a pot, bring water to a boil.
*Add broccoli stems, onion and garlic.
*Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
*Remove 2 cups of liquid from pot and dissolve miso paste in the liquid, return to pot.
*Add brown rice.
*Use a  blender to cream the soup.
*When smooth add broccoli florets, cook 10 more minutes.

Take a load off and enjoy!

]]> http://fitarella.com/2011/10/belly-warming-creamy-broccoli-soup/feed/ 0 http://fitarella.com/2011/09/almond-pancakes/ http://fitarella.com/2011/09/almond-pancakes/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:44:10 +0000 Fitarella http://fitarella.com/?p=2319

Prep: 10 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 ½ cups almond, rice or soy milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 ¾ cups oat
½ cup almonds, finely chopped
1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

*Mix egg, milk and oil in a medium-size bowl.
*Mix flour, almonds, baking powder and salt into a small bowl.
*Combine dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
*Mix until dry ingredients are moistened.
*Using a ¼ – ½ cup measuring cup drop pancakes onto a lightly oiled skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides.
*Serve warm with maple syrup or honey.

ENJOY!

Quick, easy, delicious and satisfying!! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups water
½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder or regular chile powder
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8-ounce) jar salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)

Cooking:
-Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.
-Stir in water, chipotle powder, beans, and salsa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute.
-Place 3 cups of black bean mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan.
Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender right in the pan to partially blend the soup.
-Stir in lime juice; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

FitarellaTV interview with  Robb Wolf

RobbWolf.com

(*I’m NOT encouraging a “diet”, this about taking 30 days to see how your body & mind feel, perform & function following the Paleo guidelines)

Kale Chips

Prep: 10min
Cooking: 10 min
Yields:10 servings or more

Ingredients:
1 to 2 bunches kale
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Remove kale from stalk, leaving the greens in large pieces.
3. Place a little olive oil in a bowl, dip your fingers and rub a very light coat of oil over the kale.
4. Place kale on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until it starts to turn a bit brown. Keep an eye on it as it can burn quickly.
5. Turn the kale over and bake with the other side up. Remove and serve.

* Try different kinds of kale or collard greens.
* For added flavor sprinkle with a little salt or spice, such as curry or cumin after rubbing on olive oil.

Parsnip Chips

Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Yields:10 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips
Olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash parsnips well.
3. Slice parsnips very thin, crosswise, creating circular pieces and place in a bowl.
4. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss so each piece is coated.
5. Spread evenly over two baking sheets and place in the oven.
6. Remove after 30 minutes or until desired crispness.

Plantain Chips

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Yields:12 servings

Ingredients:
6 green plantains
Juice of 6 limes
2 tablespoons coconut oil

1. Peel the plantains and slice very think on the diagonal.
2. Soak the slices in lime juice for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Dry thoroughly and heat broiler.
4. Toss plantains with coconut oil in a bowl. Make sure oil covers slices. (You may have to heat the oil just a bit so that it is not in solid form.)
5. Place on a baking sheet and put under broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Flip to the other side and repeat.
7. Store refrigerated in an airtight container once cooled down.
8. They will keep for 1 week.

Enjoy!!!

Changing a habit takes time. Strive to have patience in your journey. When thinking of overeating or indulging in a “not-so-great” choice, ask yourself why are you eating it in the first place?! Is it a particular incident that triggered the binge? Is it because you’re bored? Is it because you’re in a situation where you can’t vocalize your feelings? Is it your treat of the day? Is it because you’re starving? All of those reasons affect why you might be overeating. Once you recognize the reason, it will be easier to manage. The goal (and this is the tricky part) is to constantly ask yourself why- never forgetting to be gentle with yourself and to see it as an opportunity to figure out what your body needs (physically and under the surface).

Here are some simple strategies to help prevent overeating:

• Curb your appetite – drink a glass of water before your first bite, enjoy a bowl of broth-based soup, an apple, some raw veggies or a salad before your main dish. It will help limit your appetite and give you a sense of satiety sooner.

• Keep your blood sugar at a constant level all day long by not going any longer than 3-4 hours without having something to eat.

• Eat a snack comprised of both a carb and protein 1 to 2 hours before your meal. For example: cottage cheese with apple, peanut butter with celery, tuna on flavored rice cakes, or yogurt with granola.

• Check in with your emotions, are you really hungry for food? – talk to a friend or keep a journal. Practice the exercise: “10 things I am grateful for.” On a piece of paper write down 10 things you feel grateful for. It can be something as simple as being thankful for a good night’s sleep all the way to being grateful for having your friends and/or family at your side. The important part of the exercise is to focus on the positive things in your life. You’ll see- you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

• Exercise! It’s a great way to elevate your mood and get your mind off food. It also relieves stress and improves sleeping patterns.

• Pamper yourself i.e. polish your nails, get a massage, take a hot bath, or read a great book.

• Eliminate temptation. If the food items are not in your house, you can’t eat them.

• Savor your meal. Every meal should take you at least 15 to 20 minutes to eat. Put your fork/spoon down after every bite and chew your food at least 10 times per bite. It takes our bodies a little bit of time before it registers that it is full. Give it the time it needs.

• Drink water throughout the day. If you are craving flavor, try water with a piece of lemon or lime, or be creative and add a piece of fruit like apple, orange, or watermelon (I love cucumber). Revamp your water by adding seltzer, tea, or a splash of your favorite juice.

• Be mindful (not mindless) of what you put in your mouth. Indulging every now and again is fine, but instead of being hard on yourself for eating a piece of chocolate – enjoy it! Become aware of the taste, texture, and aroma. Slow down, listen to your body, and enjoy the process of mindful eating.

• Shift your eating schedule. Eat most of your calories in the earlier part of your day. Breakfast and lunch should comprise the bulk of your calories, and dinner should be the smallest meal eaten preferably before 8pm.

Portion Control Tips:

As the saying goes: “All things in moderation.” Rather than adopting an extreme diet plan, focus on long-lasting lifestyle changes. Research studies have consistently shown that “popular” diet plans are not effective in reducing weight over the long term. Here are a few portion control tips to help you in the process. They are simple, sometimes challenging to accomplish, but very effective. Take it one day at a time.

1. In some cases, half is so much better than whole- instead of getting rid of all the foods you like, just decrease the portion size by half and supplement your meal with veggies, salad or a light soup. For instance, eat half a sandwich for lunch with carrots and some nuts and save the rest for later. Presto! You have an instant dinner.

2. Visually, aim for your plate to look like this: A quarter of the plate should take up the protein of your choice (chicken, tuna, tofu, or beans), another quarter should be starch (brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potato), and the leftover half should be veggies and/or a fresh salad.

3. Slim down that dinner! When dining out, share your entrée with someone or ask your server to bring a “to-go container” the moment he brings your meal. If you package half of your food at the beginning of your meal chances are you won’t open that container and eat the rest of it until later. Other options are to order an appetizer as you main entrée or ask from the children’s menu. (Tip: out of sight, out of mind; so, ask the waiter to avoid bringing the bread basket or other tempting concoctions)

4. If you like snacking like I do, measure out small portions of your snack to avoid carrying the whole bag of goodies. Take control of your portions without having to deprive yourself from the foods you love. Divvy up foods into single serving snack bags to have on hand. Some healthy ideas are: edamame, nuts with dried fruit, or honey wheat pretzels with a cheese stick, cut up carrots or red pepper slices (with hummus!).

5. How much is a single serving of your favorite snack? Evaluate your servings! Check the box and learn what a single portion of your favorite snacks look like by measuring them out the next time you eat them. It’s a great visual exercise and you’d be surprised at how often what we think is a serving is actually 2 or 3.

6. Say NO to Super-Size-Me and Say NO to Buffets! It is incredibly challenging to eat sensible portions while at an “all-you-can-eat” buffet or at fast food places flashing triple size fries. The next time you’re in this situation, try to think about how bloated, full, and uncomfortable you’ll feel after such a huge meal and ask yourself: Is it worth it?  Does my body really need all that food? What’s my pay off?

7. Cook Once, Eat Twice – think ahead and break your leftovers down into individually-sized containers so that when you reach into the fridge, you’ll be retrieving just enough for one helping. This will help you limit your food intake with no additional effort.

8. Wait before reaching for seconds. If you give yourself some time to wait out the urge, you will often find that you don’t need that second helping. Take a deep breath and remember: it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to feel satiated, so try to wait it out.

9. Keep serving sizes in mind when dining out or making your own meals: 3 oz. of meat is the size of a deck of cards; 1 oz. of cheese is the size of a 4-dice put together; 1 cup of grains or pasta looks like a fist.

Remember, this is not about restricting yourself and living by “rules”.
Its about being mindful and trying to listen for what your body really wants & needs.

Do you have any tips that work for you? Share them with us in the comments!
Questions? As away!

Do you subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture program?
Tell us about it in the comments below!

Don’t yet, but want to? Check out LocalHarvest.org for a CSA near you!