Saturday, September 12, 2009

Banana bread w/ agave nectar


This morning I made three mini loaves of banana bread. The bread is delicious! I looked online to find a recipe with acave in it. The recipe below is what I made:
2 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
*mix these ingredients and set aside
In mixer bowl:
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup Agave nectar
1/2 nuts or raisins
Oven at 350. Mix ingredients in mixer bowl then gradually add the flour mixture. Grease pan and cook for 45 min.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Green monster delight!




This smoothie is so delicious and nutritious. There are various ways to make it. I usually drink these in the morning and they have really made me feel great..I have more energy, and less sugar cravings. I have also added whey protein and flax seed to the mix.
The picture above recipe is:
1 c of frozen fruit
2-1/2 c of spinach
1 dollup of yogurt
1/2 c rice milk
This variation I tried the other day and loved it:
2-1/2 c spinach
4 leaves of kail
1 c of frozen blueberries and blackberries
1/2 banana
a drop of agave nectar
Get create with your green healthy monsters!!! :)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Corn Salsa

**UPDATE: The picture above is the recipe below BUT with Mango instead of avacado, since that was what was available at the grocery store :) p.s I added a little cilantro and no italian dressing.

I got this recipe off of a friend's blog and I can't wait to try it. I will post a picture soon.

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can corn

5 roma tomatoes diced

2 avacados

pinch of garlic powder

Italian dressing to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and mix with your favorite tortilla chips! :)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Easy sweet and sour chicken

I love easy dinners on sunday, especially crock pot dinners. Here is one of the easiest and delicious crockpot recipes I like to make.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
plus...
1 cup of ketchup
1 cup of distilled white vinegar
1 cup of brown sugar

Put chicken in crockpot. Mix 3 ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake on low in crockpot for 6 hours (or in oven @ 350 for 45 min). You can add ingredients if you want. I usually add bell peppers and sometimes onions the last hour in the crockpot.

Serve with rice.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009


This recipe is from therawchef.com. I love his food. It always looks so beautiful. I want to try lots of his recipes. This was the first one I tried and it was yummy. It was super rich though so I could only eat a tiny slice at a time. I guess that's a good thing?


vanilla chocolate torte with
ginger & strawberry cream

For the crust:
11⁄2c pecans
3⁄4c raisins roughly chopped
2T coconut oil/butter
1t vanilla extract
1t cinnamon
Pinch salt
First process all dry ingredients, being sure not to
over-process nuts.
Add coco butter and vanilla extract and process
again.
Press into the bottom of 9" springform pan and
place in fridge whilst working on filling.

For the filling:
2c cashews
1c water
2c cacao powder
11⁄2c grated cacao butter (I couldn't find this so I used raw coconut butter)
2T vanilla extract
1⁄2c agave nectar
1⁄2T lemon juice
Blend the cashews, water, vanilla, agave nectar, and
lemon juice in a vita-mix until smooth.
Add cacao butter and cacao powder, and blend
again.
Pour chocolate mixture onto base and use a
spatula to achieve a level surface.
Place in fridge for 3 hours to set.

For the ginger cream:
1c cashews
2T coconut oil/butter
1⁄4c agave
1T fresh ginger
Pinch ground clove
2t vanilla
Place all ingredients in a processor and blend.

For the strawberry sauce:
1c strawberries
3T agave
2T lemon juice
1⁄2t cinnamon
1⁄4t nutmeg
Place all ingredients in a processor and blend.

First bad habit to go....SUGAR

Anyone with health problems should learn about the harm in refined sugars. As a start to my journey of being healthy I am trying really hard to give up sugar. I say trying really hard because I do cheat when I see a chocolate cake donut. I found agave as a substitute. Agave contains saponins and fructans. According to Dr. Sahelian, saponins, which are found on quinoa and many plant roots, including ginseng, have anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting properties, including antimicrobial capability. In fact, the Aztecs used agave syrup to treat wounds because of its antibacterial properties. Agave also has a glycemic value of only 27 while honey has 83 and sugar has 92. The higher the value the worse it is for you! I use agave anytime a recipe calls for sugar. I put it on toast, in oatmeal, on veges and in smoothies. It is so wonderful. Here are about 146 reason to stop eating sugar.




1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.

3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.

4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).

6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.

7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.

8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.

9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.

10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.

11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.

12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.

14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.

17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.

18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.

19. Sugar can cause premature aging.

20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.

22. Sugar contributes to obesity

23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

25. Sugar can cause arthritis.

26. Sugar can cause asthma.

27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).

28. Sugar can cause gallstones.

29. Sugar can cause heart disease.

30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.

31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.

32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.

33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.

35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.

40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.

42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.

43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)

45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.

46. Sugar causes food allergies.

47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA

52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.

53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.

54. Sugar can cause cataracts.

55. Sugar can cause emphysema.

56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.

57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).

58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.

59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.

60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.

61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.

62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.

63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.

64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.

65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.

66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.

67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.

68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).

69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.

70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.

71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.

72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.

73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..

74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.

75. Sugar can cause depression.

76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.

77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).

78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.

79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.

80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.

81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.

82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.

83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.

85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.

86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.

88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.

89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.

90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.

91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.

92. Sugar feeds cancer.

93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.

94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.

95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.

96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.

97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.

98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.

99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.

100. Sugar is an addictive substance.

101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.

102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.

103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.

104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.

105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.

107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.

109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.

110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.

111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.

112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.

113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.

114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.

115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.

116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.

117. Sugar may induce cell death.

118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.

119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.

120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.

121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.

122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.

123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.

124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia

125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.

126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.

127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.

128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.

129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.

130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.

131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.

132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.

133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.

134. Sugar causes constipation.

135. Sugar causes varicous veins.

136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.

137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.

138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.

139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.

140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.

141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.

142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.

143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.

144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.

145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.

146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.