there's squash in here ya'll!

This post has been languishing in drafts for a while.

It’s something I think about pretty much daily—yet I wasnt sure it was completely post-worthy until a Twitter chat last week.

The chat focused on healthy living & children (starting NOW please to feel free to substitute spouse/partner/friend for the words CHILD or KID). 

One of the questions asked for our best tips on sneaking healthy food into our kids’ meals.

And, as per this languishing-in-drafts post, I thought:

Im completely, entirely, wholly & utterly anti-sneaking.

And, as per my lack of filter these days, I tweeted precisely that. 

Out of all the chat attendees only one other woman agreed with my perspective.

Allow me to back up a moment.

Remember when Jessica Seinfeld came out with her Deceptively Delicious cookbook and prattled on & on about how she’d created a way to sneak veggies into her kids’ (& Jerry’s) meals?

I rolled my misfit eyes.  Hard.

This concept is nothing new (which she eventually acknowledged).

My own mother–back in the 70s–experimented with black bean brownies.

I remember because she laughed to me about how we werent supposed to be able to taste the beans and invited me to help her concoct them (you cant taste the beans. the brownies rocked).

Ive chosen to parent in this same way.

I love the notion of slipping veggies into unexpected places and all the better if in said places you cant taste them at all tell they’re there!  (ala our fave Shrek Shakes).

Where the other twitterchat attendees and I parted ways was in the sneaking.

Id be lying if I didnt say it can be a struggle to maintain the Tornado’s healthy eating habits (thanks Kinder!), yet I firmly believe if I “sneak” veggies she’s not creating a lifestyle she’ll maintain.

We make a game of sneaking on ourselves.

We slip in things we both dont really like arent tremendous fans of & see if we’ve created a way in which we’ll eat them!

We make a game of sneaking on ourselves.

We use our imaginations in the kitchen to find a tastier vehicle for our veggie consumption.

We make a game of sneaking on ourselves—but she’s always aware the healthy, good-for-you stuffs are in there.

I agree with the men & women who asserted pureeing/sneaking is an easy, painless method for getting our kids (spouse/partner/friends) to eat more veggies.

I just question, still, if it’s a method which will be a disservice to them in the long run?

And you?

• have you successfully sneaked veggies into a loved one’s food & feel firmly it’s the way to go?

• are you a fan, as I am, of the open-sneak and believe we can teach healthy eating that way?

• do you wish this post had remained in drafts where it mightcould really have belonged?

Please to hit us up in the comments below.

When I think of how many mornings I could have had chocolate cake for breakfast…well, it doesn’t help to dwell on the past.

Instead I’ll pass along my version of the Chocolate Protein Cake, only slightly adapted from the one I found on Foods of April , just in case I’m not the only one on the planet who’s late to the protein cake party.

Ingredients:
15 grams protein powder (This is one scoop of GNC unsweetened soy protein isolate; your powder & scoop size may vary.)
1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder (I use dark chocolate–swoon)
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 packets stevia (or sweetener of choice–it does need it if you’re using unsweetened protein powder. Trust me.)
1 tbsp pure pumpkin or applesauce
  3 tbsp. Egg Beaters Whites
dash of cinnamon
drop or two vanilla

Stir it all together in a microwaveable mug or small bowl and zap it for 60-70 seconds, depending on your microwave.

Then carefully, because it’s H-O-T!, remove it from the microwave and loosen the edges with a knife or spoon before upending the cup and plopping the cake onto your plate or, um, your paper towel/aluminum foil if you’re cooking to go.

Don’t worry if it looks a little, ahem, ugly, it’s CAKE.

In addition to its yummiliciousness, what makes this cake such a perfect start to the morning is that it’s packed with protein (almost 20g!) and has only 115 calories with the brands I use.

This means that you can “frost” it with a healthy scoop of Greek yogurt, some chia seed pudding, or a tablespoon (or two) of nut butter without breaking the calorie bank. Cake for breakfast can be healthy. Who knew?!

Cammy hopped off the diet-go-round five years ago and never went back. Instead, she focused on making small, sustainable changes over time, found joy (and cupcakes) in small victories, and lost 100 pounds along the way. She blogs at The Tippy Toe Diet and Serentipity.

As passionate as MizFit is about Chia…I am even more so about Hemp Hearts (also known as hemp seeds).

I guess you could say it’s a feverous love affair. Actually, it’s more than a love affair; I simply cannot live without it. There are a lot of foods out there that claim to be super foods, and for good reason. But in my opinion, Hemp Hearts are the greatest super food of them all.

Okay, so you may be asking yourself “what exactly are hemp hearts” or “are hemp hearts something like marijuana?” Well, let me tell you. Hemp hearts are the shelled seeds of the industrial hemp plant, which just happens to be an innocent cousin of the marijuana plant. Related to this “cousin”, but totally legal and oh so much better for you.

I thought I’d try to match MizFit’s Chia Seeds style and incorporate a little facetime into this post just like she did. Here I am giving you the low down on some great ways to use hemp seeds:

And what about the benefits? If I would have done a video on this one, it would have been more like a full length feature film. There’s no end to the goodness it provides for you.

The oh so many benefits of Hemp Hearts:

• More Energy, Exceptional source of protein, and Natural.
• Best source of protein, essential fats, vitamins and enzymes on the Earth.
• Do not contain significant amounts of sugar, starches or saturated fats.
• Contain more amino acids (proteins) than milk, meat or eggs.
• Contain more omega 3 essential fat than any fish.
• Is a complete protein source – much more balanced than & digestible than any soy product.
• Contain about 47% oil, 86% of which is omega 3, 6, 9.
• Contains all the essential omega 3 fats required for human health.
• Hemp Hearts are unmatched in Nature for their balance of all required proteins and all essential fats as well as most vitamins and enzymes.
• Is perfect for those troubled with constipation and for those avoiding carbohydrates.
• Provides more energy than energy bars — without their sugar, milk, nuts, and meat.
• Is suitable for those unable to eat gluten, sugar, milk nuts, or meat.
• The list really does go on and on.

You might not know me as well as you know Mizfitonline, but I really do hope I’ve got you convinced to integrate hemp seeds into your diet. They can be purchased at Whole Foods and many health food stores around the country. I’ve experimented with many brands and places to buy them, and I’d have to recommend Nutiva as the best organic shelled hemp seeds on the market. Here’s the link to purchase directly from them: Nutiva Hemp Hearts.

Have you discovered Hemp Hearts already? Let me hear what you have to say, and if you’re as feverously in love with them as I am.

Darryl runs a cycling lifestyle website called Loving the Bike, and has a passion for Family, Cycling, and Living a Healthy Life. Be sure to contact him if you have any questions about hemp hearts, cycling, or just want to say hi. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or catch up with him on the bike on one of the backroads of Austin.

We’ve loved on the chia seed for ages at Casa MizFit.

For years.

It’s a love affair  which began back when Id never HEARD the word piriformis & the Tornado possessed a first half to her blog-moniker (Toddler).

I was smitten. 

I proselytized.

I yammered to anyone who would listen & *at*many who did not:

Lest you get any sort of impressed here’s pretty much how we consumed the seed:

Sure, I’d usually use a spoon and not my finger or that’s what Ill pretend on a public forum.

Yes, I’d also often sprinkle chia on salads, oatmeal & dump liberally in my shakes, but that was about the extent of it.

Recently, however, we’ve needed more fiber in our lives (you may thank me in the comments for not delving into specifics).

No longer was a finger-full a few times a day enough.  I needed a chia-conveying system which would get both of the other members of the household to consume a larger quantity.

First we tried ChiaJelly (we loved. we loved.):

Next we added it to our protein pancakes *right* before they finished ‘caking:

This was a HUGE hit in our house.  Both Ren Man & the Tornado gave it the thumbs up!

Me? Im still the odd misfit out around here (does that even make sense?).

I like to add water to mine, let it grow into GOO, & eat with a few berries on top.

(my snack mid-goo process)

Or, more frequently, cram a few spoonfuls into my CHIAhole immediately upon waking.

AND YOU?

Have you discovered the healthy fat’asticness which is the chia seed? Or do you still fear the goo?

How do you eat your chia? (blogged about it? link yourself in the comments!)

Do you spend endless hours flossing as a result of your chia-habit? Or is it only my teeth which tenaciously trap the seeds?

]]> http://mizfitonline.com/2012/01/09/my-torrid-love-affair-with-chia/feed/ 75 http://mizfitonline.com/2011/09/21/wordless-wednesday-the-magic-number-is-49/ http://mizfitonline.com/2011/09/21/wordless-wednesday-the-magic-number-is-49/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:53:00 +0000 MizFit http://mizfitonline.com/?p=11932
(We’re still GAGA over the green nut. Click a bag to remember why.)

Ever since this Ready Set Eat post olives have been a topic of discussion.

Here (tell me again why you dont like olives, mama?)

There (you’re a role model.  for craps goodness sake Carla eat the olive so she’ll keep eating the olives.)

And everywhere ( some Facebook discussions that had me in tears I laughed so hard.)

So I considered.  I pondered.

Could it be time for me to suck it up, taste the small weird smelling, wrinkly food-stuff I associated only with old jars and pimentos?

I listed the pros (I’d be practicing what I preached about trying everything once, I’d get me some FAB health benefits, liking olives  might indicate I liked martinis which would open a whole new world for me).

I listed the cons (I might throw up a little in my mouth, I’d lose that whole “LOOK AT ME! IM 42 & HAVE NEVER TASTED AN OLIVE!” thing I had going on.)

I headed to the grocery.

Judging by how they looked it seemed these were the ones you’d suggested.

oily. wrinkly. precisely what you’d told me to procure.

but I grew distracted by the ones which looked like something I loved already…

grapes! 

It was only later, in the Tornado-filmed snippet of video below (alert google reader peeps!), I realized Ive made a huge mistake.**

What did I do wrong (besides accidentally throwing the procured item on the floor prompting giggles from my 5  year old camera woman)?

Was it the olive? The method of mouth-meeting? Or are olives really more nasty less tasty than people insist?

*PLEASE* to hit me up in the comments below.

Olive you forever if you do.

**I know the grammar is horribly off there—but I love me some GOB too much to mess with his quote.

I’m Katie, of the blog: Chocolate-Covered Katie, where I spend my days giving naughty recipes a healthy makeover.

Healthy recipes, such as the Cake-Batter Milkshake.

Today, I want to share one of my blog’s most-popular recipes: Fudge Babies. They’re completely sugar-free, but you’d never know! True, I’m used to the taste of healthy foods, but hundreds of others who aren’t—vegans, omnivores, and even carnivores—have raved about the babies’ deliciousness.

Fudge Babies

• 1 c walnuts (120 grams)
• 1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (230 grams) (I use SunMaid)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder, depending on how chocolatey you want the balls to be (I used 4T extra dark)
• Optional: chocolate chips

1. Chop/blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc. (No need to blend the dates first; I just blend everything all at once.)
2. Roll into cutey-pie little balls… or even shape into brownies!

Don’t stop with chocolate!

The possibilities are endless. See: Fudge Baby Flavors.

And a nut-free variation: Samoas Fudge Babies.

The healthy answer to girl-scout cookies! On my blog, I try to show that healthy food can taste amazing when it’s prepared the right way. One shouldn’t have to choose between good health and good taste; you can have your cake (preferably chocolate!) and eat it too.

Healthy is the new naughty!

Please do stop by sometime, at Chocolate-Covered Katie, and say hi. I love meeting new bloggie or reader friends!

(yes the pose was her idea. extra points if you can read what her hat says.)

The facts: We (the royal we. the researched we) consume less of foods which require work on our part to shove into our nut-hole consume.

The numbers: When pistachio-studied we (don yer crowns! again the royal we.) tend to eat FORTY ONE PERCENT fewer of the green nuts when we have to shell versus having them pre-shelled for us.

The snack: We (the entire MizFit household Im not dragging you into this one) love these.  There are 49 in a serving which is both a bountiful snack and a fab opportunity for the Tornado to practice her pre-school counting skillz.

The memories: Lets just say we (OK I) were addicted to these as a child as well. I gave not a shit care they stained my fingers bright red (remember that?!) except for the fact it made it more of a challenge to deny the fact I’d consumed the whole bag/less easy to blame aforementioned consumption on my sisters.

I rediscovered my green nut love at Blissdom:

(that’s my shell-debris & Joyce pretending the stuffed bunny is consuming nuts too. it was funny that day. you’ll have to take my word for it. we were tired.)

And it has been raging ever since.

Ive smuggled em into movies.

Ive toted em with me to playdates at the park.

Ive cooked with them (ok that’s a lie. Got any good pistachio recipes for me?)

Ive dragged Ren Man & the Tornado into my love as well (there’s been a little dissension in the ranks. They *adore* the salt & pepper green nuts.  Im a hardcore PLAIN misfit).

This post today is purely to share my smittennessment & remind you of a snack I’d somehow forgotten.

**This post is in no way shape or form sponsored by the aforementioned nut which is green, the green nut farmers or the distant’ older, much maligned cousin: the dyed red green nut.

Before you skip off to continue your friday I wanna know:

Am I alone in having not consumed these since they were produced wearing their random red coat?

Are you a Green Nut Lovah who has a recipe (for anything. Im easy that way) to bestow upon me as this is our ‘recipe’ thus far created by the Tornado:

(yes that is pb&j with green nut shoved inside)

Are you as excited as I am I discovered these single serving packs last weekend at COSTCO! (Im renown for lacking in nut-moderation):

Please to hit us all up in the comments below.

And then eat them:

• 1/3 cup AllWhites®**
• 6ish ounces (any kind) vanilla yogurt
• whatever fruits are in the domicile
• whatever veggies you can successfully cram in and not taste (spinach?)
• 2 tablespoonish ground flaxseed
• a few ice cubes
• 2 tablespoonsish natural peanut butter
• (if you’re me:) a dash of DaVinci syrup

Plop the above in a blender, blend & enjoy!

**DIZclaimer: The above exercise routine & morning smoothie concoction is in NO WAY sponsored or endorsed by AllWhites There’s a good chance, in fact, they are pretty damn horrified.

If by *I* you mean Cindy …which I do.

(now take a moment & please to check out Cindy’s abs in the link above. We can wait.  holy crapballs. I know. I’m thinking if this recipe gits us her abs of washboard-steel this misfit may actually cook.)

Cindy’s Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

5 c. mashed potatoes
3 c. leftover stuffing
2 c. turkey light meat, skinless, cooked and cubed
10-¾ oz. Low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 ¼ c. water

Preheat oven to 350’. Prepare a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread potatoes into bottom of prepared pan. Top with stuffing. In a mixing bowl, combine turkey, soup, and water. Mix well. Pour over stuffing. Bake, covered for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 336
Fat: 5g

MizFit note: While the turkey is baking perhaps use the time to join me in the National Day of Listening.  Whether you record, take notes, share, or are just PRESENT & really hear it’s a fantastic experience & gift to future generations of family.

Part nutrition, part exercise, Cindy Whitmarsh is a nutrition consultant, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. The star of several leading fitness videos, Cindy teaches and runs her own nutrition consulting business (Ultra-fit Nutrition Systems) in Southern California.