Orange Juice (Romaine, Carrot, Ginger, Apple)

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The first winter holiday has come and gone, and you might find yourself in serious need of rejuvenation. Between stuffing, pie, and wine, your body gets a little confused about what the heck is going on. After you've 'over-celebrated,' juicing some nutrient-rich veggies can be a quick way to get your body back on track.

This juice might be orange, but there are no oranges in it. Instead, it's filled with some hard-to-beat ingredients that will give you energy and help you fight cancer.

Other benefits it offers...

• ENERGY! Carrots contain a significant amount of B vitamins (B1 and B6 to be exact) which increase your energy levels in a steady, no-2:30-crash kind of way.
  
• ANTIOXIDANTS! Carotenes, the famous ingredient after which carrots take their name, are a powerful antioxidant that combats a laundry list of diseases (acne, anemia, cancer, congestion, constipation, fertility, ulcers, and so on - see the list here). Apples also offer a host of antioxidants.
  
• ANTI-INFLAMMATORY! Ginger is known to reduce inflammation, which is common after the holiday binge cycle (especially if you are unknowingly gluten sensitive).
  
• DETOX! Apples and carrots are both natural diuretics which will help your body rid itself from those nasty toxins brought in by holiday pie and that extra glass of wine.
  
• ANTI-ALLERGY! Romaine lettuce's high folate content helps combat allergies.
  
• FIGHT YOUR COLD! That's right. Everything in this juice is packed with immune support and cold-fighting ninjas.
  
• DIGESTIVE SUPPORT! Ginger is the king of gut support, and thus a natural way to combat stomach and intestinal issues you may be experiencing.

Orange Juice (Romaine, Carrot, Ginger, Apple)
Servings: 1 large glass
Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine
• 2 long carrots
• 1 tbsp ginger or approximately 1 inch of natural ginger
• 2 apples

Directions:

1. Rinse/wash everything. Do not skip this unless you're interested in drinking a glass full of chemicals and pesticides.
2. Throw em all in a juicer and go, baby, go! (NOTE: If you do not have a juicer, you can blend everything very well and then strain using a cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer)

Sources:
Health Benefits of Carrots, Juicing-For-Health.Com
15 Health Benefits of Eating Apples, BestHealthMag.Ca
5 Health Benefits of Romaine, HealWithFood.Com
10 Health Benefits of Ginger, FoodMatters.tv

Protein Stay-Full Meal Cookies (No-Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip)

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What's in these cookies?
Energy + Protein + Feeling Full For Hours!

These cookies are big. Like monster big. Like it's a meal in itself... or a snack at very least. But it's also kind of perfect that way, I think. Just grab one in the morning, put it in a Ziplock bag, and chow into it when that 2:30 feeling hits ya.

Not only will this give you more than enough energy to get you over the 2:30 hump, it will also keep you full all afternoon. Seriously. I ate one at 2:00 this week and, around 7:00, found myself saying... "I guess I could eat a small salad or something..."  because I just wasn't very hungry.

So what's the story? What makes them so special? They're packed with protein, which most of us don't get enough of. Especially if you generally work out later in the day, it's important to already have protein in your body instead of waiting until after your workout to pound a protein shake.

I noticed that it's difficult to get enough protein during the day, especially if you're being healthy. Toast for breakfast and a salad for lunch? Even if you had peanut butter on your toast and chicken on your salad, that's hardly enough protein. That's where this cookie comes in :)

The cookies also have added ground flax seed, which is packed with fiber and lignans, kind of like these Waffles. Fiber means these cookies will help your body... er... digest your food. Lignans curb unwanted cell growth (i.e. cancer cells). What's not to love, right?

And, best of all... they're low carb. Like seriously low carb. No flour. Not even whole wheat flour. Flour  just wasn't invited to this party, folks. We're sick of its attitude (but you didn't hear that from me...).

Have you noticed the cookie getting smaller? That's because I'm eating it. Today, I'm breaking off a piece after breakfast... breaking off a piece after lunch... and, as a result, pretty much staying full all day.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (or 1/2 cup for extra chocolatey goodness)
• 2 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
• 1/4 cup Diced Walnuts
• 2 scoops Protein Powder (I used 100% Whey Gold Double Rich Chocolate, available here)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Scoop onto cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. (Makes 8 large, using an ice cream scoop as a guide. Making 12-14 smaller would also work!)
4. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown (my bake time on this was funky. I first baked for 10, then took it out for a few, then put it back in for 5. I also turned the temp up to 375 for the last few minutes. Just watch for browning).

 Eat when you're in need of energy or want to stay full for hours!

 

*Nutritional information compiled using CalorieCount

Revised Paleolithic Diet

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Check it out! I've re-vamped my Food and Fitness pages to be more intuitive and navigable. You'll find lots of new resources on the Fitness page as well as (finally) a link to my nutritional/diet philosophy and a number of recipes to get you started with that.

I've gotten a few questions about what kind of "diet" I follow. Instead of following the diet fads of the year week, I follow a set of general guidelines, which is essentially a Revised Paleolithic Diet. The guidelines are pretty easy to comprehend and follow, as the "diet" is more of a philosophy than a set of specific foods to purchase and cook with.

Why It Matters:

• Good Eats = Good Workouts. You have to be eating well to reap the benefits of even the most grueling workouts. That means getting lots of protein, healthy fats, and good carbohydrates.
• Good Eats = Good Energy. Really. It makes a huge difference. By being conscious about your diet, you can ensure that your body is getting the nutrients you need. Without those nutrients, your body often feels tired and hungry, even when your stomach is full.

Main Points of the Revised Paleolithic Diet:

• Eat like your ancestors... in a modern world. While the Paleolithic diet may have once been ideal, I believe that we ought to allow ourselves some variation in order to accommodate the world we live in, taking into account...
• Our activity level has changed (read more)
• We have more knowledge/information about the human body (read more)
• Some foods have become more accessible while others have become less accessible (read more)

•  Method: Optimize, Limit, Avoid
• Optimize nomadic foods (read more)
• Limit non-nomadic farm foods (read more)
• Avoid foods that wouldn't have been possible back-in-the-day (read more)

Want to actually READ my diet philosophy and the Revised Paleolithic Diet? I've written all about it on a static page so that I can easily edit it and update you guys with new recipes as time goes on. You can access the Diet Philosophy & Recipes page here or via my Fitness or Food pages!