Our Best Medicine or Slowest Poison

So, I heard this quote a few months ago,"The Food you eat, can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison." Over the last week I cannot stop thinking about this quote, because it is so true. In the last week I have been poked, tested, and retested for stomach problems, and will have my gallbladder removed soon, mostly due to poor food choices in the past. Looking forward I want to make even more of an effort to change, and use my food and calories wisely. Now, if you read my blog you know, I love food. I don't want to give up my love of amazing food, but there has to be a smarter way to go about eating it! So I would challenge any of my readers to think long and hard about this quote, think about yourself, your children, and your loved ones. It is so important that we eat right, it can effect your mental, physical, and overall health. So, which do you want your food to be, medicine or poison?

25 Things that are Keeping you Overweight

I know most of these but this article is a really helpful reason for why you may not be losing weight. You've started working out and eating healthy but you still aren't loosing weight find out why!

25 Things that are Keeping you Overweight

Why I love Apples (and you should too)

Besides from the fact that apples are absolutely delicious, they also have a ton of amazing health and weight loss benefits! Because of how many benefits apples have (and the fact that they are easier/quicker to read any way) I/m just going to use bullets, so here we go:

1. Eating one apples gives you the same hydration as one 8oz. glass of water. For athletes this means no water sloshing around in your belly while you are performing. Everyone else- water is good for you, keeps you energized, aids in digestion, and helps with weight loss!
2. Apples are low in calories 100g of fresh apple slices equals about 50 calories! (www.nutrition-and-you.com)
3. Apples help fight heart disease by lowering blood fats (www.whfoods.com).
4. Apples help curb your appetite, studies show eating an apple 15 minutes before a meal lowers the caloric intake by 15% - people who ate apples also felt more satisfied with their meals - apple juice/applesauce or processed apple products did not show the same results as whole apples (www.whfoods.com). 
5.  Apples help maintain good two forms of good bacteria in the large intestine, this helps with stomach discomfort, regularity, and weight loss! (www.whfoods.com)
6.  Full of anti-oxidants (www.nutrition-and-you.com)
7.  "Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta-carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body." (www.nutrition-and-you.com).
8. Apples are a great source of B-Complex vitamins which help with the immune system, metabolism, and other bodily functions.  (www.nutrition-and-you.com)

 

If you aren't convinced - go buy a yummy Honey Crisp apple take a big bite and you will be! Apples rock - they are a great snack and meal for kids too. Imagine the health benefits an apple a day can give you and your family!  

More than just a "Burger"

50/50 Burger - Muddy Waters Cafe - Wooster, Ohio

The world burger doesn't do the 50/50 burger at Muddy Waters Cafe in Downtown Wooster, Ohio justice. This burger is the burger you will crave for years after you've had it that you will compare all other burgers to. This burger is 50% ground beef and 50% bacon. Then they go ahead and add on some more bacon and cheddar cheese! I added guacamole (which was perfectly tangy and delicious) and mushrooms, it was on perfectly grilled brioche that had an almost crunchy grilled inside layer, it was to die for! I am thinking about getting it tomorrow night again for dinner! Plus the burger is only $7.75!

Muddy Waters Cafe - Wooster, Ohio

Sidetrack Grill - Yipsilanti, MI

 While visiting Michigan this weekend my boyfriend and I stopped at the Sidetrack Grill in Yipsilanti, Mi. Sidetrack is famous for their burgers and has been on Opra (generally good food advice) and several news shows so we had to stop! I got their 1/3 lb burger with, bacon, avacado, queso, and marinated portabella.

I had high expectations, and I was sadly let down. I was amazed to find that I found a far better burger in Wooster, Ohio my home town earlier last week at Muddy Waters grill the 50/50 burger was inspired and beyond amazing read post on that for more. My burger at Sidetrack was just normal ground beef, barely seasoned, cooked perfectly, with decent ingredients. My fries, tasted like I was drinking a pint of strong beer, if you like that the fries were amazing if not, not so much.

Plus note the last line for two of us burger and fries, I had a pop it was $34.00, my delicious 50/50 burger was $23.00 for the two of us!

Here were my quick notes right after we ate:
Meat- ok
Bacon- amazing
Fries- beer!
Avacado- fresh slices
Queso- American
Portabella- big good
Bun- good nothing special ok toasted
2 for $34 plus tip

Italian Chicken Lasagna

So this is a dish I just made up, and I think it's pretty good! Note again I make all my original recipes for two, feel free to add, adapt and tweak to your liking, please please, leave comments on how you made recipes better so I can too!!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2- 3/4 can of Spaghetti Sauce (pick a good one. Good ingredients= Good dishes)
• Spinach (I hide a little in a lot of my food, feel free to omit it!)
• Lasagna Noodles
• Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese
• One small container of Plain Greek Yogurt
• Italian Seasoning

First I marinated my chicken over night, in Italian dressing. I pan seared the chicken (threw a few garlic cloves in the olive oil for flavor), and cooked the noodles. Then I simply layered the sauce, noodles, greek yogurt, cheese and seasoning (two or three layers) then added the chicken more sauce, and cheese. I threw these all into a (glass/Pyrex) bread pan, it's the perfect size for two! It was delicious! I cooked it in my Toaster oven (too hot for the real oven!) at 375 for about a half an hour! Enjoy! I just ate mine with a glass of White Wine <3

Peanut Butter Banana Green Monster Smoothie

So I just couldn't wait to post! I wrote last night about the Smoothie I was going to make today well, I just made it, and am currently drinking it. It is AMAZING! So here's what I made. It is amazing you can't even taste the spinach! Feel free to adapt and add whatever you think may be yummy!

My Yummy Peanut Butter Banana Green Monster Smoothie

Important to note: I don't measure when I make my smoothies just guess!

• 1 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
• 1 c. vanilla almond milk (add more if the mixture is too thick for your blender)
• 2 scoops vanilla soy protein
• 1 frozen banana (Peel and cut them before freezing!)
• 2 cups (or more) spinach
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed

Day 4!

Hello!
  I am LOVING this diet right now! Sorry I forgot to post yesterday at the end of the day! But yesterday I weighed myself and I weighed 182!! Yay!! Today I am at 180!! So excited!

So last night i had fresh green beans and watermelon for dinner!

So...

Day 4: Weight 180 lbs.
     Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

    Two days ago I froze some bananas to get ready for today! In another version of this recipe it says yogurt and bananas and I wanted smoothies so I went ahead and added some yogurt to my day! So here's the smoothie I've been drinking:

Delicious Banana Smoothie

• 1 frozen banana (I peeled and cut these before I froze them MUCH easier!)
• About a cup of yogurt 
• About 1.5-2 cups almond milk
• Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• Blend it all up and enjoy!

The first time i made my smoothie this morning I didn't use cinnamon it was a nice addition the second time around! This is all I've been having today, it's so hot out and with the frozen bananas this is a delicious cool treat, I feel like I'm drinking a milkshake!!

Siena, Italy

So another part of my blog I would like to do is add some of the places I have been, some photos and stories of the places that I love. As I travel I will post more as well!

These pictures were taken in 2011 in a little restaurant in Siena, Italy. I have been trying to hunt down the name of this little gem, but have yet to find it. It is on Via Dei Rossi, on your way to visit San Bernadino church. It's a small hole in the wall restaurant dimly lit with candles. It is decorated with flags of the contradas of Siena, both current ones and ones that have died away. My favorite dish is their Ribollita, it is a traditional Italian "harvest" soup with bread, cabbage, cannellini beans, kale, and other seasonal Italian vegetables. It is perfect for a cool January evening (as it was when I last visited). Every time I get cold I crave this soup, and have not been able to reproduce it at home as of yet! The owner of the restaurant took a liking to me (in a mostly non-creepy way) and gave me this delicious baked apple dessert covered in dark chocolate with ice cream, it was amazing. Their house wine with pairs perfectly with the soup and the owner insisted on a glass of dessert wine for dinner. I declined his invitation for a drink after they closed, as I was a solo female traveler and he was a 70 year old man, though, if he has a son that can cook, maybe I should have stayed! If you are ever in Siena, seek this wonderful place out, the decor alone is reason enough to go, and then you taste their amazing food and are in heaven!

Getting ready

Getting ready for day 2! I have fresh green beans and two potatoes in the crock pot! My two potatoes for breakfast with some beans! Then beans for the day! I think I'll make some "miracle soup" tomorrow too I think since it's all veggies you can eat it every day! Yay! I think I'm going to add carrots to the soup! Yummy! Here's how I made my green beans (I'll tell you tomorrow if they taste good:

• 2 lbs. green beans (snapped the ends and snapped in half)
• 1/2 a large onion
• Onion soup package
• Two potatoes
• Some salt

I threw it all into the crock pot on high I'm going to turn it down to low right before bed! Hoping it tastes good, or at least edible!

For the Love of Food

If you couldn't guess by my diet page, or my Pintrest, I LOVE food! I'm a newly reformed picky eater! I love trying new foods! For years I was that girl that "didn't like anything." After my three months spent in Mexico I have been redifining my pallet, I'm even trying different dishes at my favorite restaurants (I've traditionally been very devoted to a favorite dish at local restaurants)! I am so pleasantly surprised by all the new foods I am enjoying! As I make my way around the country (hopefully, I have the travel itch bad!) I will blog about my favorite foods I've found in restaurants, yummy things I've made!