Hungry Local Girl: real foods

Thursday, September 27, 2012

A Healthier Alternative....

I've been trying to eat as clean as possible for the past few months. However, clean does not mean without any snacks! LOL. I love potato chips as much as the next person, however, check out these homemade sweet potato and taro chips! I made them myself. Actually, I make them and sell them, but that's another story. While these chips are still deep fried, I get to control what else is in them. And all I do is slice them up very thinly, deep fry them (I suppose you could bake them but I've never tried it), pat dry the oil, and season them with a little garlic salt!

If we give up too many things all at once on our journey to health and fitness; we'll drive ourselves crazy and probably fail. So if we're going give something, let's give up the preservatives and additives found in foods that we can't pronounce!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Refrigerated Oatmeal

I am not a huge breakfast foods person. In fact, I'd much rather have lunch, lunch, and dinner. However, we know that a healthy lifestyle starts with a healthy breakfast so thank goodness for this quick and easy breakfast meal which I can actually eat cold! (Obviously, not a big fan of hot oatmeal!) I usually make 4 servings of these refrigerated oatmeal breakfasts and have one a day until they are gone. They are super easy to make and the flavor options are up to you! Here are the main ingredients that I use:

Refrigerated Oatmeal

1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp chia seeds

4 oz of greek yogurt (plain or any flavor)

1/4- 1/2 fruit of your choice (blueberries, mango, strawberries, mandarin oranges, kiwi)

tbps of honey

skim milk (soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk)

Combine rolled oats and chia seeds in a 1/2 mason jar. Add yogurt, fruits and honey to the jar. Top with milk of your choice. Cover the jar and shake it up! Refrigerate over night and enjoy the next morning. The rolled oats and the chia seeds will absorb the milk and yogurt and the end result is a delicious thick smoothie like breakfast meal packed with protein, fruits, and complex carbs!

Btw, other possibilities include but are not limited to:

Peanut butter & chocolate oatmeal (use PB2 & cocoa powder)

Coconut & Pineapple oatmeal

Mixed berries oatmeal

Be creative!

By the way, if you've never heard of chia seeds before, go out and get some! Here's the some quick info on their nutritional value. They are a bit pricey because the seeds are so tiny and the bags are so big! But they have a shelf life of 2 years at room temperature. So while a little goes a long way, it will last a while too. Here is some info I got on chia seeds from the website www.getchia.com.

Chia is the richest non-marine whole food source of Omega-3 and dietary fiber currently known to man.
According to the American Heart Association, Omega-3 fatty acids can normalize blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, while helping promote healthy heart and blood vessels.
With six times more calcium than milk, and with greater amounts of high-quality protein than the one found in soy, Chia also helps strengthen muscles and bones.
Chia´s high fiber content and its ability to reduce blood sugar levels after meals inhibits the appetite, thus making it the perfect food for healthy, effective weight loss. Thanks to its neutral flavor and color, Chia integrates seamlessly into any healthy recipe.
Chia can absorb a whopping 12+ times its weight in water – flax seed only absorbs 6-8 times its weight. Chia´s insoluble fiber reduces digestive transit time and removes toxins as it passes through the digestive tract.