Lazy Girl's Health Guide

Raw Strawberry Banana Treats

Last night I made this treat.

Unfortunately, I had neither enough almond meal nor raw flaked oats, so I had to use gluten-free (but otherwise not special) oats. Fortunately, everything else I used was wonderfully fresh, organic, and raw. I didn’t add any agave or other sugars. 

I made my own almond meal from the raw almonds I bought from my local farmer’s market. The vendors there informed me that you can only get true raw almonds from farmers’ markets (or straight from the farm/your garden) since stores require almonds to be pasteurized. 

Also a huge discrepancy I noticed from the recipe was that I had to dry my concoction for more like 12 hours, not the 2.5 it calls for. I think this is probably because I used too much fruit and not enough of the almonds/oats so there was a lot more water to dehydrate.

Anyway it tasted great, and even my picky coworkers who are NOT into healthy eating liked them. One even came back for thirds! I’ll post a photo in a follow up post.

Decent First Attempt at Kale Chips

Well, my kale chips were okay, which is why I didn’t rush to tumblr to brag about my achievement. They were super oily, too salty, and I’m not sure I like the flavor of apple cider vinegar after all. 

I think next time I’ll try the kale chip recipe shown here.

No salt needed, and I won’t douse each piece in oil like I did last time. A little goes a long way, apparently!

Kale Chips: Stay Tuned

Making my first kale chips tonight using my brand new dehydrator, but I won’t see the results until tomorrow morning. I used a very simple recipe:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste

Massage each kale piece so that it is completely soaked in the mixture, then lay out in the dehydrator. Set to 105 degrees F and leave for 10 - 15 hours.

Smoothie Fail

I know I post a lot about delicious smoothies, so I figured I’d share one of my failed recipes so that you do not attempt it.

Ingredients:

• Fuji apple
• Kale
• Water

Consistency was thickly grassy, yet simultaneously watery. I’m beginning to think spinach is way better in a blender than kale is since I’ve had one too many mishaps with kale smoothies. 

Oddly enough, I’ve touted my raw egg smoothie as being totally delicious (it is!) but it only contains two extra ingredients added to the above — raw egg and flaxseeds. I guess raw egg really is the magic ingredient there.

Anyway, here’s to learning from experimentation!

Chocolate Amazing Grass: Two Thumbs Up

Most health food grocers have a variety of “supergreens” powders in various brands and flavors that promise to give you a boost of vitamins via tons of healthy greens, grasses, and sea grasses. 

My favorite of all these supergreens is the Chocolate Amazing Grass mix. If you don’t have time or ingredients, just add some almond milk to the powder and shake! It tastes good, maybe a little grassy. If you have a bit more time, blend it with almond milk and a banana; you’ll have the healthiest smoothie of your life.

I notice an almost immediate boost in energy, and that “god-like” feeling that lots of greens can inspire. Also, yesterday I was feeling a bit icky, like I was about to get sick. One scoop of this Amazing Grass though, and today I am 100% fine.

Here are the cons: if you drink it regularly, the god-like glow diminishes and… it is pretty expensive. It’s $28 at Whole Foods for an approximately 30 day supply. A bit steep. I prefer to get the on-the-go packs for $1.50 any time I feel like I need a kick of immunity or energy.

Paleo Dessert of the Day

Lazygirl’s Fried Bananas in Coconut Oil

Here’s a dessert recipe for people who want to eat healthy but just don’t have the time.

Ingredients:

• one banana
• tablespoon coconut oil

Split a banana in two and then cut into another two parts, for a total of four banana pieces. In a small frying pan, heat up a tablespoon or so of coconut oil. Fry the banana pieces on medium/low heat for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

No breading needed, the sugar from the banana turns into a lightly crispy caramel around each piece. Enjoy hot!

Squats Form

Squats are undoubtedly one of the best exercises we can do, for both males and females. Of course, the issue here is that the form needs to be perfect to minimize the risk of injury. For myself, I need to pay constant attention to my knees and my back simultaneously, and more than half the time I’m still a bit afraid that I’m not doing them properly.

Keeping my shoulders back and chest lifted on the squat down is by far the hardest part for me. Does anyone have any tips? Below is a pretty good guide on what your form should look like, and what the most common bad-form squats look like.

Source: www.gymfu.com

What Really Makes Us Fat

Gary Taubes reiterating his theory that a calorie is NOT a calorie, here in his succinct article in the Times: What Really Makes Us Fat

Another reason I admire Gary Taubes is that he is always skeptical and thinking with a true scientific mind. He says at the end of the article:

“Dr. Ludwig’s results are by no means ironclad. The diets should be fed for far longer than one month, something he hopes to do in a follow-up study. As in any science, these experiments should be replicated by independent investigators.”

Yes, more thorough research is needed. Thank you, Gary!

Side Planks Are a Miracle

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about side planks yet! They are my #1 most favorite exercise, and I try to do them every other day.

First, why do I love it?

(1) It’s short. Just 30 - 60 seconds on each side amounts to 2 minutes of exercise, tops. Lazy girl approved!

(2) It pulls in the waist. I’ve never had a “shapely” torso with the nice hourglass figure, but this move helps create an hourglass shape. I was shocked by how good my torso looked after a month of this move.

(3) It’s static. Again, lazy girl approved!

Just get in the position you see below and try to hold for as long as possible (up to 90 seconds, but I personally haven’t been able to get past 60 seconds). Switch sides and repeat. Once per side is all you need, every other day.

Photo Credit: http://kabiassi.com/KrystelBlog/?p=130

Terrifying Soda Fact

“In two decades average consumption of soft drinks almost doubled from 350 cans a year to 600”

-The Men Who Made Us Fat, BBC documentary series

And that’s AVERAGE! I’d love to see the median numbers on that, but my bet is that soda is just a ubiquitous part of Americans’ lives to the point where they don’t even notice themselves drinking it.

What do you think your average is? If I’m being generous, mine is probably 30.