Get Back In Your Kitchen!

I see this scenario too often. You’re busy with work, school, household chores, or fill-in-the-blank. The last place you turn your attention to is the kitchen. This is a mistake! Your performance in every other area of your life depends on what happens in your kitchen. Let me explain.

When you delegate food growth, production, and preparation to industries, you will generally find that their greatest interest lay in profit margins. This often results in culture, the environment, and ultimately our health being compromised. Healthy cooking or food preparation of your own foods assists you in taking full control of your life.

If we really knew how most of the food we eat was grown, handled, and treated most of us would think twice before eating it. Preparing your own food is the best way to control what is best for ourselves. Does the guy running the machinery in the factory truly care about your health? Does the cook at the local diner? Does the Mad Man at the advertising agency?

When you start preparing your own food, you will find that you start to reconnect with your body, and when you eat out or occasionally fall back on some processed food you will understand how that affects you. When you take the time to purchase, stock, and prepare the whole, clean foods you and your family consume, you are far more in control of exactly what goes into your body, and you will feel better, think clearer, and see better results from your workouts. Remember, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet! 

When you buy pre-made or processed food you are giving that power and control to others that do not have your best interested in mind.  Don’t give away your power! Be a little bit of a control freak. Of course, we all find ourselves eating out from time to time, and we make the best choices we can when we do. However, we can strive to find a little time for meal planning, and food prep during our week. It takes no more time to create a healthy meal at home than it does to drive to the take-out place, order, and wait for them to do it for you (with who knows what ingredients!) It’s also cheaper!

So, will you let your inner control freak out for a bit this week?

I've started a new habit, and I think it's beneficial. Many sources that I use recommend drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning. There are many benefits to this habit: 

• The lemon triggers bile flow, aiding in digestion. 
• Lemons provide vitamins and antioxidants that help boost the immune system. 
• It helps balance pH in the body while hydrating tissues. 
• It helps dissolve uric acid, which can cause joint pain and inflammation. 
• It provides minerals and helps prevent overgrowth of pathogens. 
• It helps stimulate elimination.
• It generally just helps wake you up .

For the past several weeks, instead of rolling out of bed and reaching for the coffee, I pour boiling water over a squeezed lemon quarter instead. I sip this while I set my intention for the day and make my to-do list. Once I've finished that, I fill my big water bottle and get my workout done before breakfast.
I feel that this new habit has helped me cut down on my coffee consumption, but I still usually have a cup after breakfast. I like waiting to eat until after my workout so my body can focus on the workout and not on digesting. Then my breakfast becomes recovery fuel (usually in the form of a Shakeology) for my muscles. However, if I am unable to workout until later, or if I'm headed out for a bike ride I eat after my lemon water.

Are you willing to give it a try? You don't have to give up coffee...just put it off a bit.  Let me know what happens after two weeks.

BEWARE: SUGAR

Excessive sugar in the diet has been linked to obesity, and a higher risk of chronic diseases. Sugar contains no nutrients, healthy fats, proteins, or enzymes. It is more than empty calories. Sugar pulls minerals from the body as it is digested. It is addictive: It creates a hormone cascade when consumed that starts a positive feedback loop in the body to encourage more consumption. Sugar increases triglycerides and bad cholesterol, can stress the liver, and cause weight gain.

In the United States, most adults consume 22 teaspoons (355 calories) of sugar a day, yet the recommended intake is only six teaspoons (100 calories) for adult women and nine teaspoons (150 calories) for men. Back  in the early 1800s, Americans were consuming just 3.8 teaspoons of sugar per day.

While you are trying to avoid or reduce the sugar in your food beware of artificial sugar replacements! Read labels carefully. Very often, chemically created artificial sweeteners are added to make up for the lack of natural sweetness in a product and these are highly toxic for the body. Artificial sugars should be eliminated completely, which includes high fructose corn syrup, Aspartame, and Splenda.

Know sugar's aliases. Sugar hides under many sneaky names: fructose corn syrup, dried cane syrup, invert sugar, molasses, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, brown rice syrup, honey, and maple syrup. Many processed foods may list more than one of these ingredients, an indication that the food is unhealthy.

Of course, if you don't buy processed foods you'll greatly reduce the amount of sugar you consume. Even most commercial peanut butter has added sugar! Why? Because sugar is addicting. By adding it to packaged foods, aka factory food,  the manufacturers are increasing the chances that you'll buy it again. 

It may take a couple of weeks for you to lose your sugar cravings, but be strong! Be conscious of what you put into your body. Stick with whole, unprocessed foods (organic when possible and always non-GMO) and soon your cravings will lesson. Your taste buds will adjust. Super-sweet foods like ice cream and candy will start to taste too sweet. When you could have a whole slice of cake before, now a couple bites will be enough. You'll notice the natural sweetness in fruits and vegetables—and yep, they'll taste better, too.

Here are few tips for reducing sugar throughout your day. Gradually move towards less sweet food and your palate will change. 

• Try stirring unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon into your morning oatmeal instead of sugar, or cook your oats with a chopped date or two. 
• Buy plain, unsweetened yogurt and stir in some fresh pomegranate or berries. 
• Try whole grain pasta with sauteed fresh tomatoes and veggies instead of sauce from a jar.
• Try Banana Ice Cream (recipe and tutorial here: http://youtu.be/QIokDfTbQiI) instead of sugary store-bought ice cream. 
• If you're having trouble refusing a sweet treat, remove yourself from the situation. Perhaps take a walk or busy your hands with a craft project. 
• Don't skip meals. When you go without breakfast, lunch, or dinner, your blood sugar levels drop, propelling you toward high-sugar (often convenience, ie processed) foods to quell your cravings.
• Don't go cold turkey. Sugar is highly addictive and trying to cut it all out of your diet at once can leave you feeling deprived, tired, or headachey. Try going half and half for a couple of weeks and gradually weaning off of it. 
• Avoid sodas--even sugar-free ones which are full of toxic chemicals. Stick with water and flavor it with mint or fruit if you like. 
• Bump up the flavor with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or vanilla.  

Shakeology is also a great tool in your arsenal against sugar. the proteins and amino acids help keep blood sugar steady and reduce hunger and cravings. In a study of 3000 people, 81% reported a reduction in junk food cravings. That's what feeding your body with superb nutrition does! 

You can try Shakeology for 5 Days, in conjunction with my personal email coaching with nutrition and exercise tips and a sample meal plan. Email me at crideoutfit@gmail.com for more info!

I'm Reset and Refreshed.

It's Day 21! So here's a post full of hyperlinks! ;-)

Today is my last day of Ultimate Reset. I couldn't stand the anticipation as I pinned oatmeal recipes all week, looking forward to an oaty breakfast Monday morning. I was so freaking excited about oats--I was like a kid at Christmastime. Can't I just open one present on Christmas Eve?

OK! So I ate oats on the last day! I don't regret it! I pored over recipe after recipe on Pinterest before deciding just which one to have---Carrot Cake Steel Cut Oats! I plan on tweaking the recipe a bit and making it my way for my next video.

Who knew a person could get so fired up over oats? LOL

I'll finish the rest of the day according to the plan, but I just couldn't face 3-1/2 cups of fruit for breakfast again. I'm just considering it my weaning back to normal diet a day early. 

I already took my measurements today, too. What can I say? I'm impatient! I'm back to my pre-convention weight and measurements, (scroll down past all the guys in dresses and you'll see me kicking back with my feet up) and according to my Libra scale, I'm down 7% body fat. I'm not quite as light as after my first Reset back in May, but I'm happy with my results. 

My daughter and I are leaving in the morning for a 3-day mini-vacation to the desert. We are looking forward to our annual trek to the Coachella Valley more than usual, since October and November were especially hectic for us.  We will be staying in a beautiful condo at a resort in Cathedral City. I've researched online and found three vegan restaurants that we are excited to try. I'll have to let you know how we like them. I'll also have to be careful the next few days to not flood my body with too many grains and legumes all at once, since i've been on only  fruits, veggies and a little oil for the last week...but just try and stop me from ordering Channa Masala! 

We're also looking forward to visiting The Living Desert. As luck would have it, despite my complaining about too much Christmas before Thanksgiving, their Wild Lights event begins Tuesday and we will attend. We also have a hike planned at Indian Canyons, one of my favorite places. I'll be sure to keep a bird list, and share some of my little-used knowledge of the native ecosystem with the kid. We thought about taking the Tram  but there is no snow yet, I'm trying to be frugal, and our trip is short, so that will be a "maybe." My favorite time to go up there is Springtime anyway.

Please check out my other blog for our travelogues, and general geekiness. 

Over the Reset Hump

I'm on day 12 of the Ultimate Reset, a 21 day nutrition and supplement plan. The objective is to balance body chemistry, remove toxins, reset digestion and restore normal intestinal flora, and break some bad eating habits.

I did the Reset last spring with amazing results. Not only did I lose 10 pounds, but I got my cholesterol in the normal range for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE. I also tried new plant foods and liked them (all except for seaweed--that made me cry).

I decided to Reset again in November because I had fallen off track. I was eating vegan, but eating too much, and in the wrong proportions--too many grains and nuts, and sneaking in sugar in the form of maple syrup or coconut sugar. October was busy (an understatement), and I realized I hadn't been treating my body as well as I could have been. I put on about 8 pounds since August and I was feeling puffy and achey.

So I'm just over halfway through the program. It's so much easier this time. Maybe it's because I'm a "seasoned" vegan now, or maybe because I wasn't needing to detox as much this time, since I just did this 6 months ago. Last time I was in the process of weaning myself off of a very low dose HRT and when I started the Reset I just dumped the pills and went cold turkey. I also quit coffee cold turkey last time. I had every symptom of caffeine withdrawal for 4 days and was miserable with headaches, joint pain and insomnia. Even though I was down to 3 hormone pills per week, the combination of quitting them and coffee together may have been the reason for my misery. At any rate, I've felt absolutely fine for 12 days now, and have not experienced any hunger or discomforts of any kind. I also weaned off the coffee in the first few days, just to be sure--1 cup on day one, down to half a cup by day 4. I don't even want coffee in the morning now, but I do enjoy a cup of herbal tea in the evening.

Another reason why this was good time for me to do the Reset is that 2-1/2 weeks ago I broke my big toe. OUCH. So, since strenuous exercise is a no-no on the Reset, and also not recommended for my busted bone, this is a perfect time to chillax. I have been doing some Pilates, & 10 Minute Abs from the 21 Day Fix and some gentle yoga from www.yogadownload.com. Some of that yoga is challenging with a broken big toe, so I've had to modify, but I've enjoyed the shorter beginner sessions.

In the first week I did lose 4 pounds, but week two I'm holding steady. Week 3 is the most restrictive, so perhaps I'll get the rest off then. If not, I'm sure getting back to regular sweaty workouts and dialing in my nutrition will get me back to my goal.

Some things are the same as my first Reset. I feel the need to purge--I've started a cleaning/purging project in my office and went through the clothes closets again. I've also had vivid dreams this week, but I am sleeping well.

If I'm missing anything during the day, it's oats. Breakfasts on most of the days are huge servings of fresh fruit. I want OATS! Guess what I'm having for breakfast on day 22? THIS: http://bit.ly/PomegranateOats

In the meantime, I'm enjoying recipes from the Reset, and I'm going to share one with you now!

SWEET POTATO AND ROASTED RED PEPPER BISQUE

From The Ultimate Reset

1 Serving

1 cup water

1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and cubed

¼ medium bell pepper

1 tsp fresh ginger root

1-1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. Miso paste

1 cup vegetable broth

Bragg Liquid Aminos or Himalayan salt to taste

Bragg Herbal Seasoning Blend to taste

Roast bell pepper on grill or gas stovetop. Turn frequently until skin is evenly charred. Pace in a medium bow and cover with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes. Peel skin under running water. Remove seeds.

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add sweet potato and cook 5-7 minutes. Drain.

Place sweet potato, bell pepper, ginger, oil, miso, broth, aminos and seasonings in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If too thick, add a bit of broth or water. Heat in saucepan if necessary.

Cinchy, right? Also, perfect for a chilly autumn lunch, paired with a big salad!  

Let me know if you have any questions about The Ultimate Reset. I'm loving it!

I'm Grateful for Healthy Eating!

Oh my gosh it really almost the second week in November?! All of the stores are already pushing their holiday stuff, including sugar-filled candy and box mixes. Are you tempted?

I'm not! As a matter of fact, I'm well into my first week of the Ultimate Reset, a 21-day program for  detoxing, improving digestion, and restoring overall health without starvation or harsh "cleansers."  I did the program last spring and shed 10 pounds and 2 inches and felt absolutely fabulous. So far I am loving the food and the regimen. I know exactly what to eat and exactly when to eat it--and the portions are huge! 

For more info on the Ultimate Reset, click here: Ultimate Reset (hot tip: it's $30 off this month!)

This will be our first Vegan Thanksgiving. I've been trying to decide what to make. It will be just my husband, daughter and I, so simple and no-fuss seems the way to go. I may buy a small turkey breast for my husband the carnivore, and maybe try a grain roast for me and kid...unless I go with a lentil dish.

I thought I'd share a couple of side dish recipes that would go nicely on a vegan or traditional table. They are healthy alternatives to the butter and sausage saturated bread and Campbell's soup bean casserole that I grew up eating on Thanksgiving.

Speaking of healthy eating during the holidays, my coaching group has a 21 Day Holiday Survival Success Group on Facebook starting on November 17th. We want to help you with your your holiday-time needs with tips and recipes plus quick workouts to keep your health and mindset from getting too far off track with all the hustle and bustle. Here's a link to the invitation: 

Holiday Survival Group

And now for those recipes:

Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing with Walnuts

from Whole Foods

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups uncooked wild rice or wild rice mix
• 2 cups uncooked basmati rice
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. 

Stir in basmati rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Stir in cranberries, parsley, thyme, and walnuts, cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste. 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Transfer rice mixture to dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Tahini-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

from Whole Foods

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch chunks
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 cup plain unsweetened soymilk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Lower heat, partially cover pan, and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, return potatoes and garlic to pan and add tahini. Mash with a potato masher or large fork until very smooth. Place over low heat and stir in soymilk, lemon juice and salt; add a little more soymilk if potatoes are too thick. Spoon into a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

5 Minute Cranberry Relish

from Forks Over Knives

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
• Zest and fruit of 2 large oranges
• 1 cup pitted dates (or more, to taste)
• 2 tablespoons psyllium husk (optional)

Preparation:

In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, process all ingredients until the desired chunky texture is reached.

Balsamic Green Beans

Ingredients:

• ½ C pine nuts
• 3-4 C water
• 1 lb. Green beans
• 1 large shallot, peeled and minced or ¼ C chopped scallions
• ¼ C balsamic vinegar
• ¼ C. olive oil
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley or basil
• slat and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Toast the pine nuts for about 10 minutes at 350 until golden brown. While the nuts are toasting, bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove the ends of the beans. Boil the beans for about 3-6 minutes, until just tender.

Combine the shallots or scallions, vinegar, oil and herb of your choice in a medium bowl. Drain the beans thoroughly and immediately add them to the bowl, tossing them with the dressing. Stir in the toasted pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or chill for 20 minutes then serve.

Let me know if you try any of these, and what your family thought of them! 

All the best,

Christine Rideout
(760) 855-5571
CRideoutFit@AutomaticCEO.com

http://crideoutfit.AutomaticCEO.com/go1

Get in a Healthy Halloween Spirit!

Is it me, or is October flying by?! Just 9 days until Halloween. Are you dressing up? I will be masquerading as Elastigirl, so eating clean will be key to looking my best in spandex!

Before I share some spooky recipe ideas, I wanted to remind you that Tony Horton's latest program, P90 is now available with discounted pricing through the end of October. Beachbody is also donating $5 from every P90 Challenge Pack sold in October to Wounded Warrior. For more info on P90 click here: P90 Info

Feel free to email me with any questions about the program before ordering. I want you to have the program that fits YOU.

Please check out my Facebook page for recipes, nutrition & health tips every day, too!  www.facebook.com/FitFanGurl

Now, how are you going to get into the "spirit" of Halloween without blowing your nutrition? Here are some fun ideas.

Banana ghosts with mini chocolate chip eyes and chocolate chip mouths (or carob) and peeled mandarins as pumpkins with celery stems. This is a bootiful idea for a snack or potluck tray.

Here's a yummy lentil Shepherds Pie recipe. Mound your mash into ghost shapes and use peas for eyes, and voila! Your baking dish is transformed into a graveyard. http://www.forksoverknives.com/lentil-shepherds-pie-with-rustic-parsnip-crust/












And how about some Cheesy Witch Fingers from One Green Planet? Now these are creepy! Here is the spell...Umm, I mean recipe:

These cheesy fingers may look really scary, but don’t worry, they are also really yummy. They are just cheese crackers with a chilling “handmade” touch. Combine 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. paprika, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. cayenne pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix everything together. Add 1 cup room-temperature vegan butter and 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds and process until everything is well-combined. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface. Remove the mixture from the food processor and shape into a tube. Divide the tube into 2-inch pieces. If you want to make witch toes, make 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a thin tube, pinching the tube slightly in the middle to make it look like a finger. Look at your own fingers for a guide but pretend you are a hundred years old – no smooth skin here. Using a toothpick or a fork tine, draw on knuckle lines. On the end of each tube, add a raw, skinless almond slice, pointy side up so that it looks like a fingernail. Arrange the fingers on a baking sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Be careful when you’re eating these – keep track of whose fingers you’re chewing on.

Whatever you have planned for All Hallows' Eve, make sure you give that trick or treat candy to the Great Pumpkin and stay on track. Holiday parties are just around the corner, and you'll want to look and feel your best in your fancy party clothes! Have a howlin' good time!