Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1/8 tsp Stevia
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup all natural vanilla greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3/4 frozen/unthawed blueberries

Directions:

1. Combine the oat bran, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl, and mix well.

2. Combine the yogurt, orange juice, egg and oil in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Add the yogurt mixture.  Mix well. Fold in the blueberries.

3. Coat the bottoms only of muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray, and fill 3/4 full with the batter. Bake at 350°F for about 16 minutes or just until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

4. Remove the tin from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before removing the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers not eaten within 24 hours.

Adjusted from this website

Antioxidants

**Selenium is popularly thought to be mostly from animal sources but you can easily get it from plant based sources as well. The best sources for selenium are Brazil nuts, seeds, grains, soy beans and mushrooms. (For my Vegan friends) 🙂

Remember it is difficult to get the optimal levels of each antioxidant each day because our fruit and vegetable consumption can not keep up with the oxidative stress demands that our lifestyles create.  Besides eating loads and load of the above anti-oxidant rich fruits and veggies, I suggest taking the most highly rated multi-vitamin from USANA, and additional Optimizers such as CoQuinone and Proflavanol.

No Excuses!

Healthy Never = Starving

Are you a meal skipper?  Do you think that skipping meals will help you lose weight?  You’re wrong!  Skipping meals, and not eating enough will starve your body of what it really needs and in turn lower your metabolism.  If you don’t know what to eat, or if your busy lifestyle is what is causing you to eat too little, consider healthy meal replacement like USANA’s low glycemic products.  They taste great, are full of the macro and micronutrients your body needs, offer convenience and keep your blood sugars level.

Peppered Herb Cheese Ball

Need a good low-glycemic appetizer?

Peppered Herb Cheese Ball

http://www.bhg.com

Ingredients:
3 TBS snipped fresh chives
3 TBS snipped fresh basil
2 TBS snipped fresh parsley
1 8-ounce package low fat cream cheese, softened
4 ounces goat cheese
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Assorted crackers, celery

Directions:
1. In a shallow dish combine 1 tablespoon of the chives, 1 tablespoon of the basil, and the parsley; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and goat cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons chives, remaining 2 tablespoons basil, the pepper, and garlic. Form into a ball.
3. Roll ball in herb mixture. Wrap and chill cheese ball for 4 to 24 hours.

Servings: 24 TBS.

Varieties:
Dried Beef Cheese Ball: Prepare as above, except omit basil and parsley. Beat 2 ounces chopped dried beef, 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds into cheese mixture. Serve with crisp rye crackers.

Italian Cheese Ball: Prepare as above, except substitute fontina cheese for the goat cheese and beat 2 ounces hard salami and 2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted red sweet pepper into the cheese mixture. Serve with sour dough baguette slices.

Metabolism

Don’t starve yourself.  Your body needs calories to thrive.  Make the calories count by eating a diet rich in nutrients! Food is fuel.  By eating a balanced and healthy diet, you will have more energy, mental clarity, lose weight, and maybe even get off those pesky medication. Make sure you are eating clean 90% of the time, taking a high quality supplement, getting 7-8 hours of sleep and exercising at least 3-4 times per week!

Perspective

Sometimes all we need is perspective.  When we feel like our weight loss isn’t quick enough, we need to remember what a pound really looks like.  Losing a pound is quite an accomplishment!

Quick, yet Effective

Looking for quick, yet effective workouts?  Try these simple exercises.

10 Tips to Slow You Down & Embrace Life More

10 Tips for Slowing Down and Enjoying Life More

Guest Post by Lindsey Hardy

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it. I realize that I am guilty of this and want to do a better job in my own life so I am going to be applying these to my life starting today!

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciate for life and will ultimately improve your health.

Here’s how to do it.
1. Do less. When you are trying to do so many things during the day, It’s hard to slow down. Focus on what’s really important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Give yourself more time between tasks and appointments, so you aren’t rushing from one thing to another.

2. Be present. It’s not enough to just slow down — you need to actually be mindful of whatever you’re doing at the moment. That means, when you find yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that’s already happened, or something that might happen … gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on what’s going on right now. This takes practice but is essential.

3. Disconnect. Don’t always be connected. Being connected to your iphone, laptop or blackberry all the time means we’re subject to interruptions, we’re constantly stressed about information coming in, we are at the mercy of the demands of others. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always checking new messages coming in.
Pick up a good book instead of turning on electronics and enjoy it!

4. Focus on people. Too often we spend time with friends and family and we’re not really there with them. We talk to them but are distracted by devices. We are there, but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen, but we’re really thinking about ourselves and what we want to say. It means we really connect with people rather than just meeting with them.

5. Appreciate nature. Many of us are shut in our homes, offices, and cars most of the time, and rarely do we get the chance to go outside. And often even when we do go outside we are talking on our phones. Instead, take the time to go outside and really observe nature. Listen to the sounds of the birds, take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of water and greenery. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find other outdoor activities to enjoy such as walking, hiking, swimming, etc.

6. Eat slower. Instead of cramming food down our throats as quickly as possible — leading to overeating and a lack of enjoyment of our food — learn to eat slowly. Be mindful of each bite. Appreciate the flavors and textures. Eating slowly has the double benefit of making you fuller on less food and making the food taste better.

7. Drive slower. Make it a habit to slow down when you drive. Appreciate your surroundings. Make it a peaceful time to contemplate your life, and the things you’re passing. Driving will be more enjoyable, and much safer. You’ll use less fuel too.

8. Find pleasure in anything. Even the daily tasks we have to do like washing dishes. Choose to be grateful for clean, running water for example or a washer and dryer that clean your clothes for you. Instead of dreading it, find gratitude in it!

9. Single-task. The opposite of multi-tasking. Focus on one thing at a time. Make a list of things that are important each day so you can prioritize and not waste time on things that can wait. When you feel the urge to switch to other tasks, pause, breathe, and pull yourself back.

10. Breathe. When you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a deep breath. Take a couple more. It’s also nice to take a deep breath or two — do it now and see what I mean. 🙂

Nature’s Medicine

Eat as God intended!  Antioxidants found in fruits combat oxidative stress and help keep our bodies healthy and strong.  Don’t underestimate the power of nature’s medicine!