Category: Nutrition Basics

Basic Nutrition Tips, Tools, etc.

Kale Chips- Unbelievably Yummy!

I’m not sure I would have ever believed that Kale chips would be a good replacement for potato chips but these things are awesome.  The trick is to use a dehydrator to get the crispy texture.  I made these as samples at our Total Food Makeover last Saturday and I had so many comments about how good they were.  Here you see my kids “massaging” the kale to get it prepared for the dehydrator.

Dehydrated Kale Chips

2-3 bunches of fresh kale (lacinato/tuscan or curly)

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea Salt to taste

Any other spices you would like:  garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper, etc.

#1 – Prepare the kale – I prefer to leave most of the stems in but if you are preparing for kids or skeptics, you may want to cut out the hard stems.  Chop into bite sized pieces and put in a big bowl.

#2 – Add the rest of the ingredients and here’s the trick:  massage the kale to incorporate all of the flavors and to soften the texture.  It should be about 1/2 the size of where you started.

#3 – Spread on the sheets of a dehydrator.  (I use an Excalibur that I bought refurbished for about $150- it has 9 dehydrating shelves).  Set dehydrator for 115 degrees – this keeps all of the enzymes in tact meaning it is still considered a raw food.  The dehydration process takes about 8 hours.  I usually put it in before bed and it is ready to go first thing in the morning.

ALTERNATE METHOD:  You can bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes but you lose the raw status and they are definitely not as crispy.

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Another week of Advanced Plan meals

We are over the halfway mark with our Lighten Up Weight Loss Challenge group.  I am LOVING hearing about all of the weight loss and how people are spending more and more time in their kitchen, experimenting with recipes, and realizing that healthy food can actually taste great!  After this post, I will be posting some recipes that accompany some of the meals.  So be on the lookout and give them a try.  Some of them have come from Lighten Up participants! 

  Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack
Monday K- Greens Smoothie K- Salmon salad K- Cabbage sauteed with chopped turkey bacon , pickles and dijon mustard K- Chocolate Bark
  F- Mixed Berry Smoothie & Almond Power Bar F- Bison burger, asparagus, 1/2 avocado F- leftovers F- pistachios, coconut flakes
         
Tuesday K-Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie K- Maggiano’s salad with olive oil and vinegar K- Chicken Artichoke Crock Pot (see recipe!) K- almonds and walnuts
  F- same F- Maggianos roasted half chicken and green beans F- Rotisserie Chicken and broccoli F- celery with peanut butter
         
Wednesday K- scrambled eggs with fresh strawberries K- Bison burger, asparagus, avocado K- Leftover chicken artichoke dish K- Chocolate Cupcake (see recipe!)
  F- same F- same F – same F- same
         
Thursday K – smoothie with flax and greens powder K- Salad and minestrone soup (without pasta) K- spinach meatballs (see recipe) & broccoli/squash K- red peppers with guacamole
  F- scrambled eggs and fresh strawberries F – Spinach Salad & bowl of chicken soup F- same  
         
Friday K- Chocolate- Mint smoothie K- Stir fried veggies with salsa and guacamole K- Carribean Chicken and broccoli K- chocolate cupcake
  F- Spinach Omlette F- Mexican chicken salad F- same F- pistachios
At a wrestling tournament for 2 days straight- had to pack EVERYTHING!
Saturday K- berry smoothie K- Grilled chicken salad w/ avocado  K- veggie fajitas w/ guacamole K- nutty trail mix (see recipe!)
  F- same F- same F – Chicken salad and bowl of chicken soup F- same
         
Sunday K- chocolate cupcake & fresh raspberries K – trail mix & granny smith apple K- bison burger, asparagus, 1/2 avocado K- almond power bar
  F- same F- Same F- same F- almond power bar

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Another week of Advanced Plan Meals

Here are our meals for the week.  We have received a lot of feedback that they are very helpful for people new to the Maximized Living Advanced Nutrition Plan.  These are not just ideas…this is EXACTLY what we ate all week.  You should notice that the meals are easy to pull off- no exotic ingredients or difficult recipes.  Anyone can do this!

You will also notice that we were out of town on Thursday through Sunday of this week.  Many people think that this nutrition plan is not possible when travelling but you will see that it can be done.  I did whip up a couple of snack items to take with us but other than that, everything else was purchased at restaurants.   Alas, it can be done! 

Week ending 2/1/10      
         
  Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack
Monday K- Ground Flax Seeds & Almonds w/ Cinnamon, Mint Flakes, & Stevia w/ Coconut Milk K- Hummus w/ Celery, turkey/cheese roll up, Kombucha K-Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Bibb lettuce, brococli K-Celery w/ almond butter, Chocolate Bark
  F- Spinach w/ Egg Whites F- Chicken & Broccoli F- same F- same
         
Tuesday K-Turkey bacon w/ Fried Egg K-Ted’s –  Bison burger, Asparagus, Side Salad K- Mixed Green Salad  
  F- same F- Ted’s Bison Burger, avocado, egg white, double asparagus  F- Leftover Taco Salad  
         
Wednesday K- Omlette Muffin – recipe to come, green tea K- Salad with hummus & roasted veggies K-Turkey/Cheese roll ups, iced tea K- Apple Flax Muffin (recipe in book)
  F- same F- Chicken w/ broccoli & asparagus F –   
         
We were out of town Thurs – Sunday        
Thursday K- 2 Omelette muffins, Flax seed muffin K- Roasted eggplant salad w/ grilled chicken K- Sea Bass w/ Mushrooms & Asparagus K- pumpkin seeds
  F- sane F – Bowl of soup & salad F – 8oz filet, asparagus, garden salad F – almond power bar, chocolate bark
         
Friday K- Veggie Omelette, tea K- Greek Salad w/ roasted eggplant, olives, roasted peppers, greens, oil/vinegar K- Bison Chili, Smoked Salmon stuffed avocado K- almond power bar, chocolate bark
  F- Spinach Omlette F- Salad & 2 small chicken breasts F- 6 oz filet, asparagus F- pistachios
         
Saturday K- egg whites w/ grilled squash/zucchini K- Grilled chicken salad w/ avocado  K- Greens w/ Roasted Vegetables , Roasted Cauliflower K- pistachios & pumpkin seeds
  F- Egg whites w/ grilled zucchini F- Greek salad F – Chicken salad, chicken wings (not breaded & fried) F – coconut flakes, pistachios
         
Sunday K- Mixed berry smoothie K- Chicken w/ lemon and oregano, steamed veggies, sm. Salad K- Mexican chicken soup, grilled veggies K- chocolate bark
  F- same F- Same F – Mexican grilled chicken salad – salad w/ avocado, black olives, cabbage, salsa F- raw cashews

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Weekly Meals

As part of our Lighten Up Weight Loss challenge, my husband and I promised to post what we eat daily.   Most of the people in the challenge are going with the Advanced Plan so that is what we are following so everything listed is approved fare.  Hopefully this will help people get additional meal ideas and to see how easy it is to apply to a busy life.    (F=Fred and K=Kim)

Wednesday Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge

Breakfast

F- 3 egg whites

K- Onions/spinach w/ fried eggs (I sauté the veggies and crack the eggs right in the pan with them.  I usually break the yolk but you can leave them sunny side up.

Lunch

F- Chicken over spinach salad with olives

K- Salmon with pesto cauliflower (I put it right in my vitamix and it comes out the consistency of risotto then add pesto sauce and salt)

Dinner

F&K- Grilled chicken with asparagus

Snacks

F-AM -Coconut Flakes, PM- Almonds

K-PM- Celery w/ Almond Butter

Thursday

Breakfast

F & K- Chocolate & Blueberry smoothie made with frozen blueberries, cocoa powder, chocolate NaturePro (available at the office soon or order from http://www.maximizedlivingdrroberto.com/), and coconut milk

Lunch

F & K – bowl of coconut soup and plate of stir fried vegetables w/ tamari

Dinner

F&K Grass fed steak with sautéed zucchini and green salad w/ olive & vinegar

Snacks

F- 2 hard boiled eggs

K- handful of almonds & walnuts

Friday

Breakfast

F&K- Blueberry chocolate smoothie

Lunch

F&K – grass fed steak fajitas w/ avocado – grassfed flank steak (purchased from http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/).  Marinated in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, spike seasoning overnight.  Cooked on cast iron grill pan.  Sauteed sliced red bell pepper, onion, and celery in butter in a cast iron pan, added spinach at the last minute.

Dinner

F&K- Grilled Chicken Salad – organic chicken put between parchment and pounded to about ½” thickness.  Seasoned with organic seasoning mix, salt, and black pepper.  Grilled on cast iron grill pan.  Salad- red leaf lettuce, black olives, ½ tomato (tomatoes in moderation), cucumber, celery, onion, hearts of palm, slivered almonds with oil & vinegar.

Snacks

F – Almond Power Bar (recipe in boos), Coconut Flakes

K- green tea

Saturday

Breakfast

F&K – Berry smoothie

Lunch

F&K – at a wrestling tournament all day- packed leftover grilled chicken salad and almond power bars

Dinner

You CAN still eat out during your 30 day challenge,  you just have to be very careful what you order- here is what we did…

F- La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant – Monterrey Chicken Salad with no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, salsa for dressing.  Chicken soup with no rice.  Unsweetened iced tea with stevia

K- Monterrey Chicken Salad, no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, added extra avocado, salsa for dressing.  Unsweet tea

Snacks

F- handful almonds & cashews

K- almond power bar

Sunday

Breakfast

F- 3 scrambled eggs

K- Scrambled eggs with onions and mushrooms

Lunch

F- spinach/romaine salad w/ cucumbers, zucchini, black olives, oil&vinegar and 2 cups of chicken soup

K- romaine with cucumbers, zucchini, red onion, black olives, broccoli, celery, oil&vinegar and bowl of vegetable soup.

Dinner

F & K- taco salad- grass fed ground beef (from Publix) + taco seasoning recipe from the book with shredded raw cheddar cheese (from Nature’s Corner Market), whole avocado, black olives, cucumbers, salsa for  dressing.

Snacks

F&K- chocolate bark (recipe in the book), almonds

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Healthy Eating Out Option

Everyone loves to eat out.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find healthy options on the menu.  Whenever I eat out, it is reminiscent of the When Harry Met Sally scene where she is interrogating the waiter as she is ordering.  Although you don’t have to go quite that far, you are a paying customer and should be able to get what you want.  As soon as I sit down, I start scanning the menu for healthy items.  If certain things appear on the menu somewhere, you should be able to substitute them into your order.  For instance, I always try to add avocado to whatever I am ordering.  Also, if they have vegetables on the menu- you can ask if any of them are uncooked and add them raw to your order and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  It is fairly easy to get raw broccoli, carrots, squash, zucchini, etc.

Here is an example of how you can make the best out of eating out.  I has a business lunch this week at Macaroni Grill.  As I scanned the menu, I noticed that they had an appetizer of roasted vegetables.  Then, in looking at the salads, I spotted a Warm Spinach Salad that came with prosciutto and a goat cheese medallion served with olive oil and lemon.  I simply substituted the roasted vegetables for the prosciutto and the salad was delicious!  Although the ingredients were not all organic, it was a great eating out option.  The staff was happy to accomodate me, especially since I was raving about how good it was.  (Chefs love it when the wait staff come back with compliments!)

Though sometimes it is not easy, don’t just take the menu at a restaurant at face value.  Be creative!

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Sugar and Refined Grains

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Sugar & Refined Grains
from Maximized Living Nutrition Plans by Dr. BJ Hardick, Kimberly Roberto and Dr. Ben Lerner
 
 
1.  Sugar is the primary dietary cause of the obesity epidemic.
Fat doesn’t make you fat — but sugar that turns into fat will.

2.  Sugar causes hormonal and metabolic imbalance.
Swinging Insulin and Cortisol levels in the body (to decrease, then increase blood sugar) not only cause your system to “crash,” but set up a cascade of abnormal hormone functions which lead to premature aging and illness.

3.  Sugar is your fast track to diabetes.
On the Standard North American Diet, it is only a matter of time before Insulin receptors burn out, unable to handle the onslaught of sugar.

 
4.  Sugar increases the acidity of the body.
All disease thrives in acidic environments.
 
5.  Sugar causes inflammation.
 Inflammatory enzymes are elevated on higher-sugar diets.  Inflammation is at the heart of 98% of disease.
 
6.  Sugar is the primary reason for high cholesterol.
Your body’s innate healing system, which uses cholesterol, goes into high gear when the body is traumatized at the cellular level by high sugar, insulin, and inflammation.  The solution to high cholesterol is not to forcefully lower it, but remove the interference in the body causing it to rise in the first place.
7.  Sugar leads to heart disease.
 Elevated inflammation in the arteries increases the risk of high blood pressure, hemorrage, stroke, and heart attacks.

8.  Sugar is an anti-nutrient.
Your body’s expenditure to manage sugar is greater than the energy it gains from it.  In fact, in order to process high sugar foods, your body must pull valuable vitamins and minerals from it’s stores.  If you think you are better off eating a chocolate bar (or piece of white bread) than going hungry, think again.

9.  Sugar is a known toxin.
Like all toxins, your body is constantly trying to eliminate it from the bloodstream.  You can assist your body by not giving it more sugar to deal with.
10.  Sugar promotes cancer.
Feeding cancer cells their primary fuel is like pouring gas on a fire.

 

 

Kimberly Roberto1 Comment