Vegan Tacos with Coconut-Lime Yogurt
Posted on February 27, 2018 Leave a Comment
Mexican food typically doesn’t have a lot of fiber or vegetables; it’s usually beans, corn, flour, cheese, salsa and little bit of shredded lettuce. These tacos have lots of veggies, are low calorie, super tasty and 100% vegan. The best part is that they’re delicious!
Ingredients:
- Corn tortillas, warmed in the oven (two per person)
- Guacamole
- Chunky salsa (mild or hot, your choice)
- 5.3 oz plain coconut yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoons water or vegetable stock
- Green or red hot sauce
Taco filling ingredients:
- Green bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
- Yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped
- 1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen white corn
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Sauté onion, bell pepper and zucchini in water or vegetable stock in a large fry pan until onion is translucent and bell pepper is softened. Add herbs and spices, black beans, and corn until warmed through. Place two warmed tortillas on a plate. Then, in the following order, add guacamole, taco filling, your favorite hot sauce (only if you like it spicy), salsa, and lime yogurt.
To re-heat, warm tortillas in the oven, and heat taco filling in the microwave for 60 seconds.
P.S. You can also follow me on Instagram @FitGirlUSA and check out my two cookbooks: Slimming Dairy-Free Desserts & Smoothies and The High-Five Diet.
Why your stomach can’t get flat-what no one wants to hear
Posted on February 22, 2018 Leave a Comment
It seems like no matter what people do, they cannot get rid of belly fat. Exercise burns only so many calories, which is why exercise doesn’t always work to eliminate unwanted belly fat. The real reason why belly fat is so hard to get rid of is that a low bodyfat percentage, usually in the low teens or, from some people, the single digits, is what it takes to get that stomach really flat.
Not all of us have the same body types, which is why some people hold fat only in their mid-section, and people like Kim Kardashian, hold fat in their buttocks and thighs. For example, a man who has a large stomach and thin legs isn’t a thin man with an extended belly; he’s an overweight man that doesn’t use his legs much. He needs to go to the gym, squat with weights to build muscle in those quads, eat better, and eat fewer calories.
The truth that no one likes to hear is that, for a super flat stomach, calories need to be reduced. The human body just doesn’t need many calories for survival. I’ve found that tracking what I’m eating, and what time I’m eating, really gives me a clear picture of what I’m doing right and wrong.
You can order my tracking worksheets, which are $9.95 for a 3 month supply, (click here for info: https://www.thehighfivediet.com/products.html) or you can use a free on-line tracker like My Fitness Pal, just make sure NOT to log in your activities in that app, because it will deduct food calories, which gives a skewed picture of calories eaten, burned, and how much is left so people end up eating more than they should.
Photo: Me
Why athletes like Bob Harper have heart attacks
Posted on February 20, 2018 1 Comment
When I saw a recent TV commercial with celebrity fitness trainer Bob Harper explaining that he’s now on medication because he had a heart attack; I was shocked. How can someone who’s so fit, only 52, who exercises all the time, and eats a clean diet, have a heart attack at 51? While, his mother died from a heart attack at 70 (1), and likely passed on a hereditary heart condition, because a high number of lipoproteins (A) were found in his blood (2), was that the definitive cause, or was it caused by his so-called clean Paleo diet (4)?
That makes me feel like no one is safe no matter what precautions they take, but a “clean diet” is not necessarily a healthy diet. A clean diet is typically one in which lean meats, whey protein shakes, mostly low-carbohydrate vegetables, sweet potatoes or yams, grains (typically rice-except this is not allowed on a paleo diet), some fruit, a little bit of oil, and a few nuts and seeds are consumed regularly. Not only is this diet limiting, but it’s really high in animal protein. In 2015, Bob Harper…”told Rachel Ray that he eats two to three eggs for breakfast each morning because he “wants the protein and the fat.” Even when you don’t eat fatty animal protein, “…there’s reason to believe that diets that are too high in protein lead to the formation of arterial plaque…” which increases the risk of plaque buildup (1). Bob Harper told NBC: “I was a big carnivore before. I worked with my cardiologist and what we came up with for me was to be more plant-based, leaning towards a Mediterranean lifestyle. I am really aware of the fats that I consume, even the good fats. Since my heart attack I haven’t had any red meat at all” (3).
But, what’s interesting is that he didn’t go back to being a vegan, or even a vegetarian. Maybe that’s because, if we cut meat out of our diet completely, we will be void of vitamin B12. If we don’t eat any animal products and don’t take supplements that fill in the gaps, the chances are likely that iron levels will be low, there will be hair loss, low energy, and illness will ensue.
While we can take vitamin B12 in pill or liquid form, omitting animal meat completely, just doesn’t work for everyone, but we can all benefit from limiting how much animal products we eat, and this is exactly what Harper did. He says, “Not only have I had to change my diet, which is much more balanced and plant based, I have changed the way that I workout, which is more balanced too. I don’t rely on super high intensity workouts any longer” (4).
Too much of anything is hard on the body. I hope that more people take to heart what Bob Harper has gone through; just because a gym rat looks healthy one day, doesn’t mean he’ll be alive the next.
Photo: Chose the vegan cheesecake over that cheat meal. Your heart will thank you.
Sources:
- Ossola, Alexandra. “How Could Someone As Fit As Bob Harper Have a Heart Attack? If the Biggest Loser host can’t hack it, what the hell does that mean for the rest of us?” 27 Feb. 2017. Tonic (blog). https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/jpnea7/how-does-someone-as-fit-as-bob-harper-have-a-heart-attack
- Chen, Joyce. “Bob Harper completes cardiac rehab four months after near-fatal heart attack” 25, June 2017. Today (blog). https://www.today.com/health/bob-harper-completes-rehab-after-near-fatal-heart-attack-t113113
- Steinhilber, Brianna. “What we can all learn from Bob Harper’s shocking heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Here’s how to protect yourself.” 7 Feb. 2018. NBC. Better (blog). https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-every-single-person-needs-know-about-heart-health-ncna844881
- Aol.com Editors “Bob Harper reflects on the year since he suffered a heart attack. 9 Feb. 2018. Aol.com (blog). https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/02/09/bob-harper-reflects-on-the-year-since-he-suffered-a-heart-attack/23357918/
- Ayuda, Tiffany. “What Bob Harper Learned from His Heart Attack (And What You Can, Too)” Daily burn life. Health (blog). 2 Feb. 2018. http://dailyburn.com/life/health/bob-harper-heart-disease/
Why it’s imperative the elderly should lift weights
Posted on February 15, 2018 1 Comment
Lifting weights isn’t just for the strong, the young, or the muscular, everyone should weight-train! When people think of weightlifting, an image of a strongman may come to mind, but you don’t have to lift heavy weights to gain the many benefits of weight training. Those 3-lb and 5-lb weights that people use for warm-ups, are totally acceptable to use for a workout. The trick is to do anywhere from 15-25 repetitions, and do four sets. Give yourself 1-2 minutes rest between each set. Go slowly and really pay attention to what you’re doing.
Make sure to work each and every part of your body, not just the arms! On Mondays, I do lower-body lifting. Wednesdays I strengthen back and biceps. On Fridays, I train chest, triceps, and shoulders.
Still apprehensive? Use the machines; that way you can be seated and you don’t have to worry about losing your balance or dropping the weight.
Benefits of Lifting weights:
- Strengthens muscles & ligaments which maintain balance, which means fewer falls
- Stronger bones means a stronger heart
- Prevent or reverse osteoporosis
- Strong muscles frequently challenged lowers glucose (great for pre-diabetic/diabetics)
- Lifting weights means weight loss, lower HDL, and better blood-flow
- Weight lifting results; toned body, less flab, a more youthful appearance, feeling happy, aches and pains are lessened, or go away completely
From the list above, weight-lifting is really important, but so is daily movement. It’s rare, maybe even weird, to see an adult play hopscotch or tag, jump rope, do wheelies on a bike, run through sprinklers, swing on a swing set, or chase each other around the neighborhood (for fun). Active kids are usually agile and underweight. Older adults are typically weak, stiff and overweight, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
While I don’t jump rope anymore, since it makes me dizzy (and I hate it), I lift weights, practice yoga, stretch, walk, and make sure to move around as much as possible, which makes me feel good and look younger than my actual age (which I’m keeping secret).
Photo: Me at the gym, lifting weights to strengthen my back. Please note that you will not get big muscles from lifting light weights! My muscles only pop like this when I’m doing an exercise that really challenges me, and I tend to lift heavy weights.
Light Asian Coleslaw with Tahini Dressing
Posted on February 13, 2018 1 Comment
This coleslaw, it’s really a salad, is not only healthy and light, it’s also flavorful with very few calories. The cilantro and mint give it a wonderful freshness. I use light vegan mayonnaise (1 T= 35 kcal) instead of oil (1 T = 125 kcal) because the calorie difference is huge. I saved 180 calories in this recipe just with this one swap! I used my mixer with three of the different attachments to shred, grate and mix the dressing, so it was really fast and easy to make.
Salad:
- 1 small green cabbage, shredded
- 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chiffonade
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons tahini, level
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon liquid Truvia (or use honey or more maple syrup)
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons light vegan mayo
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (any type of vinegar should do)
- A few dashes of each: garlic powder, salt, black pepper
Optional toppings for each person:
- 1 tablespoon roasted and salted peanuts, chopped
- ¼ tsp sesame seeds, toasted
- ½ of an apple (peeled, cored, and sliced) or 1 small tangerine, peeled
In a large glass bowl, toss salad ingredients together. In a small bowl, or small mixer, blend dressing ingredients until incorporated. Spoon dressing onto salad. Using your hands (I put on gloves), massage dressing into the salad so that the cabbage, bell peppers and cilantro are coated. Give each person a large helping of the coleslaw, and top with peanuts. Arrange the apple, or tangerine segments around the plate. Lastly, sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Best eaten, same day.
P.S. You can also follow me on Instagram @FitGirlUSA and check out my products and services on my site at: http://www.thehighfivediet.com
Healthy Zucchini Pancakes
Posted on February 8, 2018 1 Comment
pan-fried zucchini pancakes
Zucchini pancakes are similar to Potato Latkes, but instead of grated potatoes, zucchini is used instead. I’ve always considered them a treat because they are so delicious. The grocery store near me stopped carrying them so I’ve been trying to re-make them (for years!) and finally got the recipe down, so I’m excited to share them with you.
These are much healthier than traditional zucchini pancakes that are deep-fried, or fried in a lot of oil. This recipe only uses about ¼ of a teaspoon of coconut oil per pancake. You can bake these at 425 degrees for 7 minutes per side, on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, if you want to omit the oil completely, but they won’t come out as crispy (see below).
baked zucchini pancakes
If you want to make the zucchini pancakes gluten-free, you can use gluten-free panko crumbs, or omit the panko completely. The panko adds more flavor and crispiness so I prefer the pancakes with it. Don’t omit the maple syrup, you can use honey instead if you want though, because it balances out the slight bitterness of the zucchini. You can omit the coconut flour if you don’t have it, but it holds the pancakes better together and gives it a slightly denser texture.
Fit Girl Zucchini Pancakes
- 1 medium-sized zucchini, peeled and shredded
- 1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and shredded
- ¾ cup sushi rice, cooked and cooled (or any sticky rice will do)
- ¼ tsp each of: garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- A few dashes of salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour, level
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tsp coconut oil, divided
In a medium-sized bowl, add the zucchini, carrot, rice, spices, and coconut flour, and mix gently with a fork. Add eggs and maple syrup. Mix with fork. Add bread crumbs, and mix again until the ingredients are combined. Put one teaspoon of coconut oil on a non-stick fry pan. When oil is warm, not hot, use ¼ cup measurer (level) to spoon out one pancake. Add four pancakes to the pan. Cook each side until light brown (about four minutes per side). Place the four cooked pancakes on a large plate. Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil to the skillet, and add the remaining three pancakes in ¼ cup portions. Cook each side until light brown. Let cool to room temperature before eating.
Serves 2-3 pancakes per person.
Three pancakes: 249 calories, 39 grams carbs, .24 grams fat, 6 grams protein
Each pancake is 83 calories, 13 grams carbs, .08 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein
Which carbs will make you fat & which carbs will make you skinny
Posted on February 6, 2018 Leave a Comment
There’s still so much confusion on carbs, so, hopefully this video explains it all.
If you have any questions on carbohydrates after watching this video, please post your questions below and I’ll get back to you.
