Rustic Oat Muffins

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Two days ago, I was wearing shorts, and yesterday and today, I’m in autumn and winter gear as the weather has changed drastically here in Austin. When I was living in New England, the change of the seasons from summer to autumn triggered a ravenous appetite in me and so foods that I wasn’t normally eating throughout the summer suddenly appealed to me—like oats.  A warm bowl of oatmeal with nuts, seeds, spices, and fruit would inevitably hit the spot. To prepare the oats, like the few grains that I do eat now, I would soak them overnight in water with a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to make them more digestible, then rinse them and add my favorite milk and toppings.

The recipe below replicates a bowl of oatmeal, in muffin form as there is no added sugar or flour, although I have added eggs to keep them together. Rather than soaking the oats in water, I soak them directly in the milk to save time (similar to making overnight oats that are popular now).   They’re sweetened with mashed banana and a touch of blackstrap molasses and in this version, I’ve added a few chunks of chocolate—just because.   And since it’s pumpkin season, the next batch will have pumpkin in them!!

I love these with sunflower seed butter and one fills me up for the entire morning.  They also make a great snack.  They’re chewy, crunchy, slightly sweet from the chocolate, and tangy from the blackberries, although you can add other berries directly to the batter.

Rustic Oat Muffins

2.5 c rolled oats

1.5 c nut milk

1 c mashed banana

1 T blackstrap molasses

2 eggs

2 t cinnamon

½ t nutmeg

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 T cocoa powder

½ t sea salt

2 t baking powder

½ c ground flax

¼ c sliced almonds

¼ c shredded, unsweetened coconut

½ c fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries

¼ c chocolate chips (optional)

coconut oil for greasing muffin tins

Combine the oats and nut milk in a glass bowl and allow the oats to soak at RT for a couple of hours. Alternatively, soak them in the fridge overnight and remove them about an hour before baking the muffins.

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas, then add the molasses, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking powder.  Stir well until everything is incorporated.

Fold in the soaked oats, flax, almonds, coconut, berries, and chocolate chips (if using).

Completely fill greased 12-cavity muffin tins with the batter and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until baked through.  Cool for 10 minutes in tins before removing and cooling on a rack.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Maintain Your Brain

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The other day, I was working at a café when in walked a group of women who slid a couple of tables together, spread out a table cloth, and proceeded to set up for a game of Canasta. I couldn’t resist approaching them and chatting about the benefits of ‘exercising’ our brains to keep them young and vital, and I mentioned my competitive card-playing parents—whose brains are remarkably youthful for being in their 80s.

Yes, research has shown that regularly making our brains ‘work’ is one strategy for keeping our wits about us.  Anything that stimulates the formation and strengthening of new neuronal pathways, like learning a language, reading, singing (which is also great for stress reduction and getting oxygen to the brain), solving the crossword in the Sunday paper, and even meditating and/or praying (which my parents also do for several hours daily) keep our brain cells healthy and firing.

Of course, there’s more to maintaining a healthy brain than belting out a daily tune—like a healthy diet. And if you had to pick a good reason to get physical exercise, consider preservation and even optimization of brain health.  If the benefits are not immediately obvious to you, here are a few:

  • Better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to brain cells
  • Balancing neurochemicals and neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA for better moods, focus, and concentration
  • More restful sleep
  • Optimal blood sugar management which can help brain cells maintain insulin sensitivity and stave off neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s Disease
  • The production of neural stem cells and the maturation of neurons and oligodendrocytes—the cells that insulate the neuronal axons and enhance signal transduction and that are attacked by the immune system in multiple sclerosis

These are all good reasons to make sure you’re getting regular exercise and many of these same benefits can be applied to the health of your entire body.  You can’t go wrong with exercise—that is, when you do it within your physical limits, you do it in a safe manner, and you don’t overdo it.

BTW, I checked in on the ladies before I left the café and they were still having a ball playing cards.  One in particular had a pretty good hand—as you can see, that she was excited to show me.  Meeting these women reminded me that maintaining your brain doesn’t have to feel like work. It can be fun.

Banana Zucchini Toaster Muffins

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For years I’ve been making low-sugar, grain-free muffins, breads, cookies, granolas—if for no other reason than to satisfy my own sweet tooth without putting me into a diabetic state, which is where I was over 20 years ago when I was subsisting on a high-carb, low-fat diet.  What a miserable nightmare that was.  At first, I felt like I had to completely give up all those “treats” that I love until I began to tinker with recipes to lower the sugar content and found that I could get away with it much of the time.

The first recipe I ever tried to make “lower-sugar” was for Peanut Blossoms, peanut butter cookies with the big Hershey kiss pressed into the top.  I needed to bring something into my daughter’s class one day and thought, “let’s see how well these go over.”  They actually came out looking “normal” and the kids didn’t seem to notice the difference–maybe because the giant drop of chocolate on the top masked the lower sweetness in the cookie.  From then on, I decided if I could get away with it, I would make lower sugar versions of our treats.   And now, after baking that way for so long, I prefer foods that are not so sweet.

There is nothing I love more than a cup of coffee and a muffin in the morning and it took years—actually decades, to arrive at the recipes I’m using now since over time, I’ve experimented with different sugars and flours as I slowly reduced the amount of grains I eat.

One thing that I had all but given up when I eliminated wheat from my diet (I do allow it occasionally) is English muffins.  As a kid, I used to slather them with butter and grape jelly, or peanut butter and bananas and I could easily eat that everyday.  Yup, I’m a creature of habit for sure and when I find something I like, I tend to stick with it.   At the moment, that means that I don’t need to go far when I want to enjoy a muffin in the morning.

Because of my slight obsession with English muffins growing up, I’m constantly looking at English muffin recipes online and they often contain ingredients that I don’t want to use in my baking and I haven’t given the process of coming up with a recipe of my own due diligence—someday.

A couple of years ago, I discovered my new favorite baking pan that is similar to a muffin pan, except it has only six, wider, shallow wells.  I’ve used the pan for making everything from salmon burgers, grain-free rolls, mini cakes and brownies, mini frittatas, and now toaster muffins.  The recipe below is one that I’ve been using for years to make muffins and mini breads, and now using the 6-well baking pan, I bake the batter into shallow muffins that are the perfect size for slicing in half and toasting.   Although not the same as a traditional “bready” English muffin, I feel like I’m having the same experience with one of these warm, toasty muffins with my favorite toppings.

Banana Zucchini Toaster Muffins

Whisk together the following “wet” ingredients: 

3 cups shredded zucchini

1 banana, mashed

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

¼ cup turbinado sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tbsp avocado or olive oil

¼ cup dried cranberries, minced

 

Whisk together the following dry ingredients:

2.5 cups almond flour

1 cup protein powder (whey or diary free)

4 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven at 350 °C.  Add the whisked dry ingredients to the whisked wet ingredients and gently fold them together.

Spoon ~1/3 cup of the batter into each well of the pans* and bake for ~20 minutes or until the center pops back when gently pressed.  Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes before using a silicon spatula to loosen and remove them from the pan.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or wrap and freeze—they freeze really well.

Eat “as is,” or slice horizontally and pop in the toaster and top with whatever your heart desires—butter, nut butter, fruit spreads, hemp seeds, etc.

*Note:  The batter will also be enough for about 14 regular sized muffins or 5 mini bread loaves. Both take about 25 – 30 minutes to bake.

Feeling Blue? Get Outdoors and Soak in Some Sun

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20180714_112340 By now, we all know about the dangers of getting too much sun as it applies to accelerated aging of the skin and the increased risk of skin cancers like melanoma.  As a result, many of us have done a complete 180 and resorted to avoiding sun altogether, whenever possible—which means staying indoors, always wearing a strong sunscreen, and always covering up when exposed to the sun.  While on the surface, this may do a good job of delaying skin aging and lowering the risk of skin cancer, it prevents us from taking advantage of the health benefits of sunshine.

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For example, our skin is considered a neuroendocrine gland and sun exposure stimulates skin production of most neurotransmitters.  One in particular is serotonin, a neurochemical involved in such things as feeding behavior (when it gets low at night, we reach for carbs!), mood, pain, and sleep—since serotonin gets converted to melatonin—also produced in the skin.

Moreover, the brain’s production of serotonin is influenced by sunlight and sun exposure also increases the binding of serotonin and dopamine to their transporters.   If you live in a climate where the winters are long with dark, cold days, then you may experience the impact of very little sunlight exposure through seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Vitamin D is another important hormone produced in the skin upon sun exposure that regulates thousands of genes and is important for a healthy immune system.   Too little sunlight has also been linked to autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis.

You can read here about my recommendations for protecting your skin from sun damage, including covering up when the sun is at its hottest, wearing a safe sunscreen if you will be spending extended periods in direct sunlight (even under the clouds, for that matter), and eating your veggies, as they provide a wealth of antioxidants that can protect our DNA from UV damage.

Particularly in the summer, it’s best to get your sun early in the day and then later in the afternoon/early evening, when the sun starts to go down.  When I lived in CT, this meant that I would stay out of direct sunlight between 10 am and 2 pm.  However, now that I live in Texas, it’s more like 10 am – 6 pm.

The bottom line is, there are benefits to soaking in sunlight through our skin.  However, like with so many things, to get the benefits of the sun while avoiding the harm it can do, we need to strike a balance between safe sun exposure and overdoing it.

 

Chew on This: Letting Your Hormones Work in Your Favor

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How many times have you heard or read this:  Your grandmother was right, you should chew each bite of food 32 times (or some number close to that).   Back when you first heard it, you were probably thinking she was saying it so that you wouldn’t choke on your food.  Well, that’s always a good reason to thoroughly chew.  In fact, my dad choked on a bite of food when he was young and the experience frightened him enough that he became one of the best chewers I’ve ever met.  To this day, he’s always the last one at the table to finish his meal.

But it turns out that there are lots of not only good, but great reasons to give your teeth a workout every time you eat.  Here are some of them:

  • It starts the digestive process and increases the surface area of the food so that stomach acids and digestive enzymes can better access it. I’ve never known my dad to have digestive problems.  He has a ‘cast iron’ stomach, so to speak…
  • It enables you to absorb more nutrients because the food is better digested
  • It helps lower the risk of autoimmune disorders – poorly digested proteins (i.e., long polypeptides) are more likely to ‘react’ with the immune system andmore likely to resemble a protein present in the body.  If the immune system decides it doesn’t like the looks of the food you just ate, it’s now on alert to attack and destroy anything similar, even if it’s part of your thyroid, or pancreas, or nervous system, etc.

And if you’re trying to lose weight, here is one that you’ll be very interested in.  An eating study published in the Am J Clin Nutr (2011; 94:709-16) with obese and lean Chinese men found that the obese men ingested more food and chewed less than the lean men, although their bite sizes were similar.  No big surprise.

However, they then had both groups of men eat a 2,200 calorie meal on two different occasions.  At one sitting, they had the men chew each bite (10g of food/bite) 15 times and for the second meal, the men were instructed to chew each bite 40 times.

At thirty minute intervals following the meals, the levels of three gut hormones were measured from plasma samples:

  1. Ghrelin, aka, “the hunger hormone,” is a neuropeptide that works on the hypothalamus to increase hunger and prepare the stomach for food when it is empty and it’s secretion stops when the stomach is full.
  2. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) stimulates a decrease in blood glucose and slows rate of absorption of nutrients into blood by reducing gastric emptying.
  3. Cholecystokinin (CCK) is released after a meal into circulation from small intestine and reduces food intake

The results showed that the levels of ghrelin were lower after 40 compared to 15 chews and the levels of GLP-1 and CCK were both higher after 40 versus 15 chews—in both lean and obese men.   In addition, both the lean and obese groups ate about 12% less when they chewed 40 times, compared to 15.

They chewed more, yet ate less.  It also stands to reason, then, that besides consuming less calories, they burned more calories chewing.  If you’re trying to lose weight, this seems like the perfect weight loss tip that doesn’t involve long workouts at the gym or deprivation—burn calories while you eat—giving your hormones a chance to work in your favor with increased satiety. It seems like a win-win to me.  So the next time you sit down to a meal, chew on that!

Beat the Heat with Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho Soup

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This time of year, even though I’m spending a lot of time indoors in air-conditioned buildings, I don’t relish the thought of eating a heavy meal—or turning on the oven to cook.  This cold soup is perfect for lunch or a light dinner, and if you’ve got leftover proteins in the fridge, it’s easy enough to “beef-up” if someone wants a heartier meal.  I find the easiest way to prepare it is in the food processor and it’s best after it’s been chilled for a few hours.   My favorite garnishes at the moment are avocado, hemp seeds, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.   This is one tasty way to beat the heat!

Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho


 20180803_140304_resizedSoup Ingredients:

  • 4 cups diced, seedless watermelon
  • 2 small to medium cucumbers, washed and finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ c fresh basil, stems removed and chopped
  • ¼ c fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 T balsamic or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 t sea salt or to taste

Add all the soup ingredients to a food processor (this can be done in two batches). Process the mixture into finely chopped pieces. Transfer the soup into a glass or ceramic bowl and repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients. Refrigerate until chilled, then serve cold ‘as is’ or with garnishes as suggested below.

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Garnishes:

  • Avocado
  • Olive oil
  • Hemp seeds
  • Olives
  • Pesto
  • Nuts (pine, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
  • Fresh herbs (more parsley, basil, oregano, etc.)
  • Shaved hard cheese (parmesan, pecorino, etc.)
  • Goat cheese
  • Baked or grilled, chopped chicken
  • Baked, flaked fish
  • Hard boiled eggs

Not Your Average Smoothie

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I moved to Austin, TX a year ago last August, and I’ve noticed something interesting.  My tastes and cravings for certain foods have changed.  For example, I spent most of my life in New England and autumn was always my favorite time of year.  I loved the colorful foliage, the crisp weather, the apples, and everything orange:  sweet potatoes, winter squashes, and pumpkin.   Couldn’t get enough of them when fall rolled around.  When I was a baby, I  loved squash so much that my mom fed it to me often.  Then I started to turn orange and the doctor told her to stop feeding it to me.  Still love it to this day.

Yet, living in Austin’s warmer climate has done something to my tastes for baked sweet potatoes, and squash soup, and pumpkin pancakes.  The temperature hasn’t quite dipped low enough for me to drag out the potato peeler.   Although, as I write this, I’m told we’ll be having some icy mornings this week.

ppatch

A few weeks ago, I went back to Connecticut to visit my family and I was reminded of all the autumns I passed through.  This pumpkin patch was near my parents’ house and I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t remember it being there.  Maybe I just didn’t appreciate it enough when I was there.

clay

With this recipe, I decided to share an ingredient that I often add to my smoothies that many people might consider out of the ordinary, but knowing why I’m adding it will make it seem not so strange.  The ingredient is Living Clay Detox Clay Powder.  It’s a bentonite clay that I use for washing my face and as a facial mask.  But many people may not realize that it can also be used as an internal detoxification aid that draw toxins and eliminates them though the digestive tract.  It also helps to clean the digestive tract.  I like to think of it as a mask for the gut and use it during one of my detoxes. : )

Living Clay has no real taste, so I’ll add about a teaspoon to any flavor of smoothie I make.  And since I had pumpkins on my mind recently and ‘tis the season, I thought I would add it to a fall-inspired smoothie – something I would call a Pumpkin Almond Smoothie, but it was suggested I call ‘Moose Juice,’ since it has maple syrup which originates up North, which is also home to the moose population.  : )

mooseingred

The combination of ingredients provide ample protein as well as healthy fats and fiber and a bit of sweetness from the banana and maple syrup.  It looks more like a mocha, tastes like heaven, and feels like home.  This was breakfast yesterday and it kept me full for hours.

moosesmoothie

Moose Juice

  • 1 c unsweetened almond milk or water
  • 1 scoop protein powder (I used a vanilla whey powder)
  • ¼ – ½ pumpkin puree
  • 1 T almond butter
  • ½ frozen banana, chopped
  • 1 t maple syrup
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
  • 1 t Living Clay (optional)

Blend ingredients together in a blender.   Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Insomnia – the new obesity

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Something I’ve always been grateful for is my ability to get a good night’s sleep.  In fact, if you asked me my most important health and beauty secret, I would say sleep because of the following benefits:

For years, I’ve pretty consistently gotten 7-8 hours per night, until recently.  Just before moving to Austin, I began having sleepless nights where I either tossed and turned all night, or I woke at 2:30-3 am and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I figured it was simply because of the whirlwind of emotions and amount of work I needed to accomplish to prepare for the move and that once I got down here and got a bit settled, things would get better.

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OK, so I’m here and I’m about as settled as I’m going to get for the time being, and still, I’m having too many restless nights for my own comfort.   According to the CDC, insomnia is a public health epidemic.   It’s causing traffic accidents, lost productivity at work, illness and disease, depression, and is now being called the new obesity.   Not surprising given all the benefits we know of from getting consistently good sleep:

  1. Hormone balance – this includes insulin and glucagon involved in sugar storage and usage.  Cortisol that goes up in response to lack of sleep and contributes to belly fat.  And ghrelin and leptin involved in hunger and satiety, respectively.  The end result is healthier food choices and a lighter, leaner body.
  2. Lower risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, depression, and other chronic diseases.  Besides the regulation of hormones, our bodies use sleep time for repair, house-keeping, and regeneration.
  3.  More efficient detoxification.  Your liver’s strongest detox period is between 10 pm and 2 am, and even better if you go to bed on an empty stomach.
  4. Healthier skin as a result of repair, regeneration, detox, and hormone balance.
  5. Stronger immune system that’s better able to fight off sickness and disease.
  6. Better short-term memory; better able to learn and carry out difficult tasks.  Your brain consolidates learned ideas or skills while you sleep, allowing you to recall or perform them better.
  7. Better moods – Sleep helps to dissipate stress and calm anxiety, improving your mood.

If you find you’re having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, here are some tips for setting yourself up for an effective bedtime routine:

  • Try to go to bed around the same time each night ~ usually 10 pm.
  • Eat your last meal of the day at least three hours before going to bed.
  • Avoid caffeine late in the day and alcohol – yes, alcohol can interfere with REM sleep.
  • Get regular exercise to keep stress down.
  • Keep electronics off or out of the bedroom, including a computer and cell phone.   I usually either turn my phone off or put on airplane mode if I need the alarm.  Or, I’ll frequently leave it in a different room while I sleep.
  • Avoid watching anything stimulating or disturbing before bed, like the news.
  • Have your bedroom completely dark.
  • Sleep on the right mattress; this is a biggie for me!
  • Legs up the wall – A restorative yoga pose that I’ve been using lately and remarkably, it will put me into a deep, relaxed state in 5 minutes!  If only I could sleep in that position, I’d be all set.   But it certainly sets me up for getting to sleep.
  • Passion Flower Tea – After posting a picture of a beautiful passiflora, or Passion Flower, on Facebook, I learned by my friend Bonnie Plaut Rogers, an expert in herbology, that Passion Flower is great for calming the monkey mind, which is something that keeps many of us up at night!

What’s your secret weapon for getting a good night’s sleep?  Please do share it!!

Image courtesy of debspoons

Asian-inspired Spaghetti Squash Salad

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I’m in Little Rock, AR, on my way to Austin, TX and chilling out after being on the road for about twelve hours.  Between today and yesterday, my daughter and I have made good time from Hesston, PA to here.  Something that I wanted to do while on this road trip was to eat healthy (of course!) and so we’ve made sure we had plenty of water and healthy snacks in the car.

And, since yesterday, we’ve stopped at three Whole Foods in Lexington, KY, Nashville, TN, and Little Rock, AR to eat.  It’s sort of become a challenge for us to stop at one in each city along the way (we still have Dallas and Austin left), because we just like to check out the differences between the stores and we know that we can easily grab a great salad, and a macaroon or two, to fill us up without putting us to sleep on the road.  So far it’s worked and we’ve met some cool people along the way.

raystown lakeWhile in Hesston, PA, though, we stayed with a friend of my daughter’s near Raystown Lake and whipped up a storm of colorful dishes for a cookout Saturday night.  One of them was an Asian inspired cold spaghetti squash dish that I wanted to share with you because it was a huge hit.  You can roast the spaghetti squash ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to put it together.

asian spaghetti squash salad

Asian Spaghetti Squash Salad 

1-2 spaghetti squashes, cut lengthwise, seeds removed

fresh savoy cabbage, chopped into fine shreds

1 large carrot, shredded

black sesame seeds (or toasted yellow sesame seeds)

cubed, smoked tofu (optional), mung beans, or sprouts

3 T rice vinegar

1-2 T sesame oil

Place the spaghetti squash cut side down in a baking dish and bake at 350 °F until a knife easily cuts through it; let cool.  Using a fork, gently scrape the strands of squash out from the shell into a large bowl.  Add a couple handfuls of cabbage, the carrots, tofu, sesame seeds, and vinegar and oil.  Gently toss and add more vinegar and/or oil to taste.  Chill in the fridge.