Burrito

I love waking up to these testimonies!

"Maria, thanks to your posts and books I am enjoying a new lifestyle. I am doing a weight loss program and your recipes have been a tremendous help. In less than a year I have lost 86 pounds. I have 14 to go to meet my first goal of loosing 100 pounds. 

So far my diabetes is in remission. No longer using and insulin pump or taking oral hypoglycemic medications. I was so sick and fat and heading for an early grave.  

I look forward to following your page and creating new dishes/ recipes with your help!! 

PS: Your boys are so blessed that you and Craig are their parents. Keep up the great work!!

Sue"

One thing that people often complain to me is that it costs too expensive to eat healthy. One way we save money is by not eating out. In a past life I LOVED Chipotle, but now we make a much healthier version and more affordable version at home.  TIP: Make extras and wrap in foil just like Chipotle does. You have lunches ready for the whole week!

PRICE COMPARISON
Chipotle Burrito = $6 for one serving
"Healthified" Burrito = $2 per one serving


"HEALTHIFIED" BURRITO 
"TORTILLA":
Coconut oil/butter/peanut oil for frying
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup Jay Robb unflavored egg white or whey protein
2 oz cream cheese, softened
FILLING:
2 cups Cauliflower "Rice"
2 cups Organic Lettuce
1 lb Organic Chicken/Beef/Pork Loin
1 jar Marinated Peppers (or sauteed fresh peppers)
1 cup Salsa
1 avocado

"TORTILLA": Separate the eggs (save the yolks for a different recipe), and whip the whites in a clean, dry, cool bowl for a few minutes until VERY stiff). Blend in the whey protein. Slowly stir in the cream cheese (without breaking down the whites). Heat the oil in a fry pan on medium high until a drop of water will sizzle. Once it is hot, place a circle of dough on the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat and place on a plate. Fill with your desired burrito filling and enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per tortilla)
Chipotle Tortilla = 290 calories, 9g fat, 7g protein, 44g carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Tortilla = 126 calories, 8g fat, 11g protein, 1g carb, trace fiber

To make Cauliflower Rice: Cut the cauliflower into pieces and pulse in a food processor until small pieces of "rice." TIP: You can also use the heart of the cauliflower for rice, or use for making "French Fries."  Stir Fry the cauliflower rice in a saute pan for 3-5 minutes or until tender.  Set aside "rice." (TIP: pulse the cauliflower into "rice" ...leave raw...  2 days ahead of time and store in fridge for easy lunch/dinner options). If you want a visual, click HERE to see a video of me making Cauliflower Risotto on KARE 11 TV.


Chicken or Beef Filling: Place chicken breasts, beef roast, or pork tenderloin in a crockpot on low (I also dumped a jar of organic salsa in the crockpot). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until you can pull the meat apart with a fork. When you get home you have awesome shredded meat to fill the tortillas with. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per burrito)
Chiptole Burrito (with rice, chicken, corn salsa, cheese, sour cream and guac) = 1975 calories, 104g fat, 56g protein, 179g carbs, 20g fiber
"Healthified" Burrito = 310 calories, 18g fat, 15g protein, 8g carbs, 3g fiber (5 effective carbs)

A law firm sued Taco Bell for claiming they use TACO "MEAT"...but they "meat" is only 35% beef! Most of it is fillers like maltodexterin (which is higher on the glycemic index than sugar!).

I don't know which is worse, Taco Bell for making this junk OR the fact that if they boost the "meat" to 40% the FDA approves it at... "meat!" I don't know which is worse, Taco Bell for making this junk OR the fact that if they boost the "meat" to 40% the FDA approves it at... "meat!"

Spaghetti Carbonara

Yes, I am strict with clients, BUT it really works when you follow my instructions. Here is a wonderful testimony from a woman who came into my office at the end of April.

"Dear Maria,

I had to write to tell you just how much you have changed my life.  When i came to you for a consultation I was at the heaviest I had ever been in my life.  I was depressed, and scared for my health.  Seeing my Mom go through a stroke at age 57 , I guess you can say "scared me straight."  I had been checking out your blog on and off for quite a while before I finally decided that I HAD to make a change, and I felt compelled to seek out your help.  I was nervous, scared, and excited.  I had tried so many different methods of weight loss over the years that I wasn't sure if this was going to work or not.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my life would be transformed the way it has been because of all you have taught me.  When I first met with you, we found numerous health concerns, besides being obese, I also had a high estrogen level, sinus issues, severe eczema, asthma, intense cramps during my period, episodes of severe heartburn, and gas and bloating.  Through all the changes you suggested, and all of your amazing support I am so thrilled to say all of these things have disappeard, and on top of that I have lost 47 pounds, and I am still losing!  I feel incredible, and I couldn't have done it, and keep doing it without you.  Even after our month has been done you have continued to be my number one supporter.  Whenever people ask how I am doing it, I sing your praises.  You not only know what you are doing, you know what people need as far as caring and support.  A million thank yous,

Leah"

"HEALTHIFIED" CARBONARA
4 packages Miracle Noodles (or 2 medium zucchini)
8 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh peas (optional...peas are a starch)
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

Open Miracle Noodles, rinse with water (a lot!) and drain. Pat dry and set aside. If you are using zucchini, cut the zucchini into "pasta." If you are using zucchini "pasta" my suggestion is to only serve the sauce on the noodles you will eat that night. The leftover noodles and sauce get a little soggy, so reserve both separate. To find the awesome noodle maker click HERE.

In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and peas (if using), and cook for an additional 1 minute. Return cooked bacon to skillet; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty). Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Carbonara = 523 calories, 15.5g fat, 28g protein, 66.2g carbs, 0.8g fiber (65.8 effective carbs)
"Healthified" Miracle Noodle Carbonara = 197 calories, 12.9g fat, 15.8g protein, 4g carbs, 0.8g fiber (3.2g fiber
"Healthified" Zuuchini Noodle Carbonara = 212 calories, 13g fat, 17g protein, 7.4g carbs, 1.9g fiber (5.5 effective carbs)

Nut Free Cookies

Happy Birthday to my baby Kai. He turns 1 today and I wish I could be with him.




If you read labels you might see ingredients like oligofructose and inulin starting to show up on food packages. These 2 words are called 'prebiotics' in the nutrition world. Prebiotics are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics keep beneficial bacteria healthy. They are found in small amounts in many plants. Plants with large amounts of oligosaccharides include chicory root. About 90% makes it past digestion in the small intestine and reaches the colon where it performs a different function: that of a prebiotic.

Just Like Sugar contains 96 grams of inulin fiber per cup! The ingredients of Just Like Sugar = Chicory Root, Calcium and Vitamin C.

Prebiotics help increase probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that help keep your digestive system healthy. The majority of my clients have malfunctioning digestive systems for a variety of reasons. Our typical 'Western' eating habits and stress can all negatively impact the ‘good bacteria’ in our gut. Probiotics are helpful micro-organisms that live in our intestinal tract. In a healthy body, good bacteria make up most of the intestines’ micro-flora and protect digestive health. If you have primarily good bacteria, your immune system will function optimally and it will help you extract essential nutrients in the foods you eat. In order to feed our cells, we need to absorb the nutrients from our food, otherwise our brain will keep telling us to eat until the cells are fed.

Here are the most common warning signs of a bacterial imbalance, if you suffer one or more of these problems it is quite likely that eating prebiotics and taking a probiotic supplement could help you get your ‘system’ back on the right track:
1. Allergies and food sensitivities
2. Difficulty losing weight, sugar/carbohydrate craving
3. Frequent fatigue, poor concentration
4. Frequent constipation or diarrhea
5. Faulty digestion, acid reflux and other gut disorders
6. Sleeping poorly, night sweats
7. Painful joint inflammation, stiffness
8. Bad breath, gum disease and dental problems
9. Frequent colds, flu or infections
10. Chronic yeast problems
11. Acne, eczema skin and foot fungus
12. Extreme menstrual or menopausal symptoms

There are many stresses and factors that can kill your 'friendly bacteria' every day. Here is a summary of some of the commonest good-bacteria-KILLERS:
1. Antibiotics
2. Birth control pills
3. Steroidal & hormonal drugs
4. Fluoride (added to toothpaste and sometimes to drinking water!)
5. Chlorine (added to water to kill bacteria...it kills friendly-bacteria too!)
6. Coffee/Tea
7. Carbonated drinks
8. Stress
9. Preservatives
10. Additives (colorings, flavorings and chemicals in processed foods)
11. Pesticides (choose ORGANIC fruit and veggies to avoid this!)
12. Fertilizers (choose ORGANIC fruit and veggies to avoid this!)

Our moods are directly correlated to the intestinal flora of our gut...the nervous system actually come from the gut to the brain; in the past scientists thought the nervous system ran the other way. This is why what we put in our stomach is so essential to our mental health. Having healthy intestinal flora; which you can achieve with probiotics and fermented foods, increase our moods and decrease our cravings. To read more on Probiotics and Cravings, check out my book Secrets to Controlling Your Weight Cravings and Mood.

So BRING on the JUST LIKE SUGAR! Click HERE to find.



"Healthified" Cookies
1 cup SunButter OR Pumpkin Seed Butter
1/2 cup Just Like Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Erythritol (or Just Like Baking Sugar)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 ChocoPerfection Bar, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray a cookie sheet with Coconut Oil cooking spray. Mix the sweeteners and SunButter together until smooth. Add in the egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix until smooth. Chop a ChocoPerfection bar and mix in the pieces.

Place round mounds of dough on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set in the middle of each cookie. Remove from oven and cool.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cookie)
Traditional Sunflower Cookie (using Honey) = 278 calories, 11g fat, 5.1g protein, 30 carbs, 3.1g fiber
"Healthified" Cookie = 149 calories, 11g fat, 5.1g protein, 5.7 carbs, 3.7g fiber

Recipe inspired by Sugar Crafter blog.

Hamburger Helper

Here is another staple to toss from your pantry!

Ingredients = Enriched Pasta (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Onion*, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Ricotta Cheese (Whey, Milkfat, Lactic Acid, Salt)*, Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate, Monoglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Corn Syrup*, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Yeast Extract, Modified Corn Starch, Colored With (Yellows 5 & 6 Lake, Yellows 5 & 6, and Red 4O Lake), Barley Flour, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Dextrin, Vinegar*, Yeast, Spices, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)*, Garlic*, Egg, Soy Flour. * Dried Contains Wheat, Milk, Egg and Soy Ingredients.

This way tastes SOOOO much better anyway!

Here is a healthier version of a classic...

2 medium zucchini OR eggplant (peeled and cut into 'cubes')
1 TBS butter or coconut oil
1 lb. ground beef (grass-fed)
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small squares (goat cheese if dairy sensitive)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp ginger

Prepare "Noodles": With potato peeler, peal off skin. Cut the vegetable into cubes. Place the cubed veggie in pan with butter. Saute over medium-high, stirring to prevent burning. Cook until edges are translucent, for about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, brown ground beef and drain fat. Add onion, garlic, and spices. Stir in the tomato sauce and water and stir. Add cheese. Stir to melt cheese. When cheese is completely melted add "noodles." Stir well and serve. Serves 4.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Hamburger Helper = 656 calories, 22g fat, 48g protein, 53 carbs, 2.4 fiber
"Healthified" Hamburger Helper = 404 calories, 19g fat, 44.7g protein, 10 carbs, 3.5 fiber

Nut Free Granola Bars and Facts on BHT

Quaker Chewy Granola bars are a common staple in many families. There are some scary ingredients in those little plastic packages. One of which is BHT. BHT is produced by an alkylation reaction of p-cresol with isobutylene and is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, and embalming fluid. As a food additive BHT has been banned in Japan, Romania, Sweden, England and Australia and the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends it be avoided whenever possible.

They also contain the caramel coloring, banned in other countries due to the detrimental side effects. AND a whole lot of ingredients that just mean sugar!
Ingredients in Quaker Granola Bar = GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWNSUGAR, CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT],WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED WHEAT, SOYBEAN OIL, DRIED COCONUT, WHOLE WHEATFLOUR, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY LECITHIN, CARAMEL COLOR, NONFAT DRYMILK), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOABUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), CORN SYRUP, BROWN RICE CRISP(WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE, SUGAR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, SALT), INVERTSUGAR, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, GLYCERIN, SOYBEAN OIL. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SORBITOL,CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SOY LECITHIN, MOLASSES, NATURAL ANDARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BHT, CITRIC ACID.


I know a lot of schools are going "nut free," so here is a granola bar you can send to school while keeping the children with allergies safe. This is a quick and easy snack that the kids can make themselves! If your kids prefer, you could use 1/2 cup xylitol for the sweetener instead (some people are "super tasters" and don't care for the erythritol taste), xylitol tastes just like sugar without the health concerns. Click HERE to read more on xylitol.



1 cup creamy sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite (or 1/2 cup xylitol)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup NATURE'S HOLLOW xylitol honey or maple syrup
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup whole flaxseed
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
4 cups whey crisps
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup cocoa powder

In a saucepan over low heat mix together the sunflower butter, and sweetener. Heat until the sun-butter is melted. Stir in the flaxseeds and vanilla, then pour the mixture over whey crisps and mix well. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (or line with parchment paper), then spread the mixture into the pan and press down to form a dense sheet. Let the mixture sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, until firmly set, then cut into bars. Makes about 28 bars.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Granola Bar = 256 calories, 44 carbs, 2.6g fiber
"Healthified" Granola Bars = 190 calories, 7.2 carbs, 4.9g fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE FOOD PROCESSOR I USED TO MAKE THE GRANOLA BARS.

XYLITOL= Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. Manufacturers make it from plants such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation. Some people prefer the taste of xylitol. I only use it when I have to due to it's higher calorie content and increases insulin a little.
CALORIES = 2.4 calories/gram; 1 tsp has 9.6 calories and 1 tsp of sugar has 15 calories (40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbs than table sugar)
SWEETNESS = Same as table sugar. Use cup for cup.
BENEFITS = Has been known to aid in the prevention of ear infections. Tastes more like table sugar. Dissolves in liquids and melts.