#1 Eat Healthy 80 % of the Time

I previously wrote “eat healthy 90% of the time”.  When it comes to food a lot of people really struggle with this. I used to have a hard time with this myself. But after experimenting with my body and food hundreds of times over several years the better I eat, the better I feel, think and perform throughout the day. It’s that simple. Eat better feel better.

Now did it mean that every time I ate something “not healthy” I felt bad? No. It may depend on what I ate and how much of it I ate.

Here’s the bottom line. If you want to get healthier, prevent diseases, lose weight/fat, feel more energetic, sleep better, spend less money/save money, avoid food sensitivities/allergies, prevent food poisoning, avoid doctor visits, avoid prescription or over the counter drugs, increase you life span, have healthier looking skin, hair and nails etc…… EAT HEALTHIER FOODS!

If you can eat healthy 90 % of the time …that’s even better! When I’m craving  something sweet and want to have a dessert instead of ice cream….I’ll pull out a cup of frozen smoothie that was leftover from a couple of mornings ago. I’ll have a smoothie made with Almond Dream (instead of milk), fruit, whey protein powder, yogurt and  blend it until smooth and creamy. What’s leftover I put it into a cup and in a ziplock freezer bag and into freezer.

Check out some of the other recipes I have posted here on this site.  If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share please post it in the comments section.

I love smoothies and this is one of my favorite recipes. Spring is here and this is the time to get back into making smoothies. Some people think it’s difficult to make smoothies but once you get the hang of it… it’s really quick and easy.

I start by using Almond Dream (vanilla flavored) instead of cows’ milk. I was using Rice Dream but since I’m cutting down on calories Almond Dream is 1/3 the calories. Depending if I want to make enough for there to be some left over so that I can put in a plastic glass and freeze it to have as a dessert later will determine how much Almond Dream I use.

Typically,  I’ll use 10 ounces of Almond Dream, 1/2 cup yogurt, 3/4cup frozen banana and 3/4 cup  frozen mango chunks, 4 scoops chocolate whey protein  powder and blend until smooth an creamy.
After it’s nice and blended I’ll put in 1/2 cup of  walnut pieces or raw almonds whichever I happen to have. I’ll blend for small bursts of 2 seconds each maybe 2 -3 times. I don’t want the nuts to be totally crushed. I want to be able to chew nice chunks of nuts while I drink my smoothie.

What’s left over freeze for a delicious frozen dessert!!

Here is one of my favorite breakfast, snack or meal replacement recipes. We can get hung up that certain foods are for breakfast only like eggs. I have had eggs for dinner. So don’t get caught up in that trap that certain foods are to be eaten at certain meals. You can have this delicious healthy dish anytime!

I like to use Stonyfield Organic brand French Vanilla/ Low Fat yogurt. You can use the plain yogurt as well if you are cutting out the sugar since the vanilla has 28gms of sugar. I figure since I don’t drink sodas or sweetened iced tea, I can have a little sugar in my yogurt.

As I have mentioned in an other post WalMart is now carrying more Organic brands of foods to respond to public demand. Some people don’t like WalMart that’s OK. I like getting some things at the Neighborhood Walmart vs the SuperCenter WalMart. I also shop at Albertson’s, Costco, Sam’s, and SunHarvest. Wherever you shop is fine just look for more organic foods and make better food choices.

In a bowl add 3/4 to 1 cup of yogurt and add 1/2 cup thawed or fresh berries. I buy the frozen bags of Triple Berry Blend (Costco or Sam’s). You can use strawberries (sliced) as well.

I also love peanut butter so I add a heaping tablespoon of Organic Peanut Butter. Smuckers recently came out with an Organic Peanut Butter…. 100% organic peanuts, salt……. That’s it… no hydrogenated oils or all the other junk they put in most peanut butters. There are two or three other brands of all natural peanut butters. Read the labels. It should list the ingredients as……… peanuts, salt. Some of the peanut butters will have about 1/2 inch of peanut oil on top. This is natural peanut oil which separates because there are no added chemicals to keep it from separating. All you have to do is get a butter knife and stir it and mix it well one time. It won’t separate again.  It can be a little tricky at first but once you get the hang of it it gets easier.

Wow! I just did a discussion on peanut butter. Oh well that’s good so you know not to feed yourself or your kids most of those other brands. If more people stopped buying all that snack and convenience foods with all those chemicals, preservatives and artificial sweeteners the food companies would get the message and give us what we want, need and deserve……. healthier foods!

I like to sprinkle some grape nuts cereal and if I remember and if I have some ….I’ll add  sliced almonds, pecans or walnuts.

If you use the plain yogurt you can use a little honey, brown sugar or raw sugar if your taste buds like the sweetened version.  There it is…. savor every spoonful!

I hope this recipe and discussion on peanut butter has given you some good ideas. If you have any tasty healthy recipes you would like to share… I would love to hear from you!

This is my version of Chicken Caesar Salad. I purchase Wild Alaskan Salmon Burgers at Sam’s or Costco. They come in a package of 12 for $12.99. That comes out to $1.08 per burger. What a bargain.  They are ocean caught and made from whole fillets.

You can buy other types of Wild Ocean Salmon Fillets and use that instead. I’ve done that in the past, but I like that the burgers don’t have such a fishy flavor.

Make your salad the way you would normally make it. I like using; Romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, red onion, bean sprouts, tomatoes, celery, broccoli, carrots and avocado. I may not have all those veggies every time so I use what I have on hand.

In a skillet, use a small amount of coconut oil or olive oil (not Popeye’s girlfriend! Corny… yes, but I couldn’t resist… I’m in a great mood).

I like seasoning the burgers with my spicy salt which is a blend of cayenne, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes (full of amino acids!) and Redmond Real Salt (all natural sea salt… www.realsalt.com).

I season both sides and then put in the skillet on low-med heat and cover.  Let cook for 4-5 minutes and turn over. Reduce the heat and let cook for another 2-3 minutes. If you like you can top with a slice of your favorite cheese. Also while the burgers are cooking you can sauté some red onions and long green chiles too.

Once the burgers are cooked, put the burger on top of your salad.  I love using Balsamic Vinegar as my salad dressing. Try it….you’ll love it!!

There’s no right or wrong way to making this salad. Be creative…let your imagination go wild … like the salmon!

BONUS: Here’s my secret formula blend for my “ Spicy Salt Blend”

1 cup 90,000 btu Cayenne Powder, 1/3 cup garlic powder, 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes, 1/2 cup Redmond Real Salt. Mix in a bowl careful not to inhale the rising dust unless you like sneezing for about a minute and want to clear your sinuses and tear ducts. This makes a very spicy blend! You can use less Cayenne or use the 10,000 btu Cayenne. Once it’s mixed I put in a recycled 11 oz. Garlic plastic bottle/container. I also cut out some larger holes in the top to allow the Nutritional Yeast Flakes to pass through.

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. I like to mix half whole wheat and half buttermilk pancake mix. You can add all the ingredients I use or substitute for another one of your favorite ingredients or omit it all together.

Other ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, organic all natural peanut butter, triple berry blend, Agave syrup ( you can substitute honey, raw, local  or whichever you have in your pantry ), sliced almonds.

Prepare the berries and syrup. I usually buy the large bags of triple berry blend at Costco or Sam’s. I like a lot of berries on my pancake and I usually make 2 large pancakes (2 servings) so I use about 2 cups of frozen berries. Put in a microwavable bowl with a little water (1/4 cup)  and about 1/2 cup of Agave syrup. I have also used pomegranate or grenadine syrup. Heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on your mw oven. Sometimes I like to leave the berries still slightly frozen but not hard.

Mix the batter like usual. Pour a handful of chocolate chips in the batter. Stir then pour into your pan (low-medium heat).

Once the pancakes are ready… top with peanut butter, pour berries on top and cover with sliced almonds. For extra syrup there is usually enough in the berry bowl to spoon out on your pancakes. Yummm!! Better than any pancakes I have ever had at any house of pancakes or restaurant.

Enjoy with a large glass of Almond Beverage or Rice Dream. Both are excellent milk substitutes and especially good for you if you are lactose intolerant. Almond beverage has 50 calories per serving and Rice Dream has 150 cps.

Don’t worry about how many calories the pancakes have. It will depend on how much peanut butter and syrup you use. Who cares. It’s breakfast and you have all day to burn it off. Enjoy!!!