All About Chocolate Cravings

Goodness, I'm such a chatty Cathy lately! Just posted last night and here I am again!

Well, I have a lot to say. I realized I need to update you on week 2 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox. Happily, it went much better than week one. That was *such* a crappy week. But week 2 has gone much better. I'm not even missing sugar.

Of course, then Halloween comes along. I'm looking at the kids' stash last night and really, most of it isn't even looking that good to me. Except the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Normally, I Mommy-tax the living daylights out of those. Darling Son #1 tasted his very first PB cup last night because typically, I eat them before he's even had a chance to try them. (I know. That's bad.)

Even so.... I, ah, might have fallen off the wagon and had one... or... maybe two.

Honestly, they weren't even that good. I don't know why I had the second one in light of this fact, but there you go. The funny thing about stuff like this is the memory of it is better than the actual item. When I was pregnant with Darling Son #2, sweets made me sick the whole 37 weeks 5 days. I'd look at sweets and think, I bet that's tasty. Then I'd eat it and realize it still wasn't. Funny how the mind works.

This brings me to Almond Butter Cups!

This is one of the not-sweet treats in the 21 Day Sugar Detox. You can find the recipe here.

The first time I bit in to one of these bad boys (good boys?) my taste buds freaked a little bit. I *thought* it was going to be sweet, but it wasn't. It was still strangely satisfying, though. I've made this recipe a few times over the past however-many-days (15? maybe?) The fats are mostly good saturated fats from coconut oil and butter from grass-fed cows. The amount of almond butter is fairly small, so  you're not getting a crazy-lot of polyunsaturated fats, which we talked about in week 1.

And yes, I called saturated fat 'good.' I'll write more about saturated fat another time, but for now I really want to talk about the cacao powder.

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We've talked about chocolate before, and all the health benefits contained in good quality, dark chocolate. One I didn't mention is magnesium.

Magnesium is a mineral, and it's very important. Some 300 functions in the body are dependent on magnesium, and it turns out, many of us aren't getting enough of it. Poor mineral content in soil is part of the problem, but the main one is absorption--I read that we absorb only about 40-50% of the magnesium we consume.

According to Dr. Elson Haas, author of the book Staying Healthy with Nutrition, "To function optimally, magnesium must be balanced in the body with calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium chloride." Vitamin D levels also affect magnesium, and since many people supplement with vitamin D and calcium, in particular, this can throw off the balance of these other minerals. This is a big part of the reason I try to get my nutrients from food, rather than isolated supplements.

There are other reasons we don't absorb magnesium--drinking soft water, alcohol, caffeine and general sugar consumption can affect how well we assimilate magnesium. Phosphoric acid found in diet sodas also hinders magnesium absorption. (Diet Coke is a 'sometimes' food!)

The recommended daily allowance for magnesium is between 300-400 milligrams, but many people who know more than I do suggest it should be much higher--closer to 700 milligrams per day. Happily, if you consume more than your body needs, it seems you just pee it out, so there's little worry about overdoing it.

I really became interested in magnesium a couple of weeks ago. I was wicked sore after my barre3 class, so I took an Epsom Salt bath. Epsom Salts are magnesium sulfate, and taking baths is one way to up magnesium intake through your skin. I noticed I slept really well that night, so I tried it again the following night and wow! Another great night. I don't know that a couple of Epsom Salt baths really did that much for my mag. levels, but it turns out insomnia can be related to magnesium deficiency. So I was taking hot Epsom Salt baths every night until my skin kind of revolted, so I'm looking into other things.

Anyhoo, what does this have to do with almond butter cups? Cocoa is rich in magnesium, which is why chocolate cravings might be an indication of magnesium deficiency. Of course, oatmeal is also rich in magnesium and I think I can safely say I've never craved oatmeal. The first time someone told me about the chocolate/magnesium craving thing, I figured she was just trying to make me feel better. "You're not a glutton! You're just need magnesium!" (Maybe it's a bit of both?)

Other good sources of magnesium include Brazil nuts (along with several other nuts and seeds), avocado and bananas. So I made a magnesium smoothie! Here's the recipe:

1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/4 avocado
1 small banana, preferably frozen
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder*

*I've found raw cacao powder for the best price at TJMaxx, of all places. Locals: please don't go clean out the shelves on me, k?

Toss all ingredients in a blender and mix. You may want to thin it a bit or add ice cubes. Mine came out quite thick:

It was almost like ice cream! ('Almost' being the operative word.)

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve, so expect to hear more about magnesium. In the meantime, if you find yourself tempted to dip into the cheap Hershey-type chocolate in your kids' Halloween baskets, try the smoothie or some almond butter cups. Maybe you're deficient in magnesium! I can promise, the cheap chocolate isn't going to help you on that one.

Recipes! Yummy Summer Popstickles

Summer is in full-swing here in God's Country. We love making freezer 'popstickles,' as Darling Son #2 likes to call them. I suppose I can call them 'popstickles' without violating 'popsicles' trademark. I'm sure Popsicles^tm is actually trademarked... right? I mean really trademarked... not like I trademark things.

Anyway, I've tried many, many, many healthy popstickle recipes, but these two are our faves. I've adapted them from an old Clean Eating magazine issue. (And by 'adapted' I mean I made them with more fat and less sugar.) I'd tell you which issue, but I think I recycled it... so here it is from memory.

Cherry Cheescake Popstickles

1 1/2 cups frozen pitted cherries
4 oz. (half a brick) full-fat cream cheese, softened
splash or so of milk (sorry, I'm not really much of a measurer... which is why I'm a better cook than a baker... but basically you can play around with the milk to get a smooth, pourable, but not too runny consistency. I think I use 1/4 cup? Why couldn't I have said that in the first place? I don't know...)
1 tbsp. raw honey, warmed a little (Raw honey is fairly solid. You could use regular honey, too, but raw contains goodies.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract... or more... because it's yummy and smells good. Really, I *never* measure vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, simmer the cherries with a splash of water (here I go again with the splashes) for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a pourable container.

Next blend the cooled cherries until reasonably smooth. Unless you have a Vitamix, which sadly, I do not, it will still have some chunks of cherries.

Pour about an inch or so of cherry puree into your popstickle molds. Then pour about an inch of the cream cheese mixture and alternate cherry and cream cheese until you reach the top of the mold. This part is a pain and results in some spillage, so be forewarned. Leave a little space for expansion, and insert the sticks.

Freeze until set, which in our freezer is at least 3 hours. I've learned this the hard way.


Next up! Lime Avocado Popstickles

1 lime, zested and juiced
1 ripe avocado, mashed
1 egg white (you could use the pasturized kind, but I usually can't be bothered and like to live dangerously)
A big scoop (maybe 1/4 c.?) plain yogurt, Greek or regular, whatever I have on hand
1 tbsp. raw honey
Almond milk as needed, because the mixture is usually very thick. So really just a... wait for it... splash! Too much and it's crystally.

Blend everything up in the blender. Pour or spoon into molds. *Make sure to tap the molds on the counter to settle the mixture. Otherwise, you'll have air pockets in your popstickles. Freeze until set.

The small people aren't as jazzed about this recipe as they are the cherry cheesecake ones, which means all the more for Mommy!

Lord, all the extraneous commentary... And now you know why I'm not a recipe developer, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Wakey Wakey, Eggs (Kale?) and Bakey -- What's the Big Deal About Breakfast?

The very first thing I do when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning is start the coffee pot, which is conveniently located in my closet. Is that sad? Actually, if I had a remote control to start it, that would be even more convenient... and even sadder, maybe? Since I like my coffee light and not-so-sweet (just like me), it fills me up a little and I could go without breakfast for a while...

But I don't. I eat breakfast before I get the small people where they need to be in the morning. I believe in breakfast. I recently had a discussion with a friend who thinks the whole breakfast thing is a lot of hype, that you should just heed your hunger cues and if that means not eating until lunchtime, then so be it.

This mentality is a thing--it's called intuitive eating, and on one level, I can really dig it. We have God-given hunger and satiety cues that should be given a voice, surely. However, my body is imperfect and I live in an imperfect world, thus I find my hunger and satiety cues are not always 100% reliable. I get distracted, I think I'm hungry, but I'm really not, etc. So, I eat a little something for breakfast. Here are a few reasons why:

• If I don't eat something by 8am at the latest, I find myself ravenously hungry by 10. As in, I-could-eat-my-hand kind of hungry. Usually then I'm out somewhere and grab something less beneficial for my health and well-being (read: sugary, refined carbs.) I would have been much better off just having eaten a little something at home.
• I find a good breakfast gets me off on the right foot. I'm much more likely to make wise food choices throughout the day if I've had a decent breakfast.
• It turns out I'm not alone--78% of National Weight Control Registry members (individuals who have lost at least 30lbs. and kept it off for at least a year) report having breakfast everyday, among other healthy habits.
• Breakfast can be a great way to get in some fruits and veg--yes, veg for breakfast! Read on.

Following are two recipes from The Physique 57 Solution. I love this book for the breakfast ideas alone. Both these recipes use quinoa, the ancient grain of the Incas. Quinoa is considered a 'super food' by many--a gluten-free grain that is rich in protein (for a grain, anyway.) One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, compared to 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber in brown rice. I usually make up a pot of quinoa and use it throughout the week. 

Carrot Grain Omelet 

What you need:

1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/4 tsp. onion powder (I use dried minced onions... cuz... it's what's in the cupboard)
Pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/4 c. cooked quinoa
1 tsp. butter

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan and add carrots, onion, salt and pepper.

Cook until carrots are soft, about 4 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, quinoa and cooked carrots.

In the same pan, melt the butter over low heat. Pour in the egg mixture, turn heat to low, cover pan with a lid and cook on low for about 2 minutes.

Then flip it over (carefully) and continue to cook until it is firm and cooked through, about 2 minutes more, though I let it go longer because I like my eggs well-done.

Voila!

The second recipe is super easy if you've prepped the ingredients ahead. It's just mix, heat and eat:

Breakfast Egg Salad

What you need:

1 hard-boiled egg
1/4 c. cooked quinoa
1/2 c. steamed kale (I've made it with spinach, arugula, you name it. Any cooking green will work.)
1 tsp. olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

I boil the eggs ahead of time, and toss the ingredients (including raw greens) all together and heat it up. The greens wilt on their own. If I have a ripe avocado on hand, I'll put that in, too. Super yummy.

I was not always a breakfast eater. I really wasn't hungry in the morning, because I had back-loaded my calories the day before. Since I ate so few early in the day, I made up for it with a bigger dinner and snacking in the evening... exactly when I really didn't need a lot of calories. If you find yourself really not hungry in the morning, try eating less the night before. You might even wake up wanting KALE! You never know...

Our Yummy Dinner

Oh my, we had such a yummy dinner tonight. I had to share:

Doesn't that look delicious? Let me tell you, it WAS. Yum! The best part is that the recipes are all from barre people. See how they look out for us? Love that.

The main dish was Bacon-wrapped Salmon with Balsamic Glaze from Leah Sarago. You can find the recipe on Leah's site here. Honestly, the recipe is pretty easy, but it looks really fancy. So make it next time you're having people over because they'll think you're Julia Child. The Darling Son #1 doesn't even like fish all that much, but he likes this. Quoth he: "I only like fish when it has this yummy sauce." Leah's site has some other great recipes, including a turkey chili that is the Darling Husband's all time fave.

Oven-roasted Broccoli: yes, the broccoli was roasted. That's brilliant. Really, I roast vegetables all the time, but somehow it never occurred to me to roast broccoli. This one is from the Pure Barre website. You can find the recipe here. The DH even went back for seconds... on BROCCOLI. That's a first when there's been bacon involved. 

Lastly, the baked sweet potato is from the Physique 57 book. It's your basic baked sweet potato, but they have you rub the outside with olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt, which makes the skin nice and crispy. And really, the skin is where a lot of the good stuff is, so if you can incentivize sweet-potato-skin-eating, you're performing a public service. 

By the way, the Physique 57 book is awesome. There are many great recipes and the paperback edition includes a 30 minute DVD with segments compiled from the Volume 2 DVDs. It's a great way to try my favorite workout of all time, otherwise known as The Workout Holy Grail^tm.

Normally I wouldn't make such a special dinner on a Wednesday, but the DH is finally home from a long trip so I thought I'd keep the Trader Joe's frozen lasagne on ice for another night. 

Highly recommend all these great recipes! Bon appetit!