Secrets to Controlling Your Weight, Cravings and Mood

NEW BOOK!
Secrets to Controlling Your Weight, Cravings and Mood

Before my passion for nutrition came along, I had a passion for donuts. I was an athlete and thought I could get away with eating what I wanted, as long as I worked out. NOT TRUE. Even though I ate enough calories, I was starving myself, specifically, I was starving my brain. My stomach was filled with “substance” but my brain kept telling me to eat; our bodies are smart, they make us crave certain nutrients we need.

For 90% of dieters, a deficiency in one of four essential brain chemicals can cause weight gain, fatigue, and stress. The solution to losing weight doesn’t lie in deprivation diets; it lies in balancing our neurotransmitters.
1. Serotonin influences appetite.
2. GABA curbs emotional eating
3. Acetylcholine regulates fat storage
4. Dopamine controls metabolism
When these brain chemicals are balanced, our bodies are more able to lose those extra pounds. Not only does this book cover how to find out which brain chemical you may be lacking, but directs you towards which foods will increase them, what supplements would be best for your body AND recipes that taste great and will keep all the brain chemicals happy! (Thanks to Jamie Schultz for designing my beautiful cover)

For delivery before Christmas, go to: http://www.marianutrition.com/

Eggnog

Who doesn't love the taste of eggnog at Christmas time? Here is a way to really cut the calories and sugar!

1 egg nog tea bag
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp Truvia (or a drop of stevia glycerite)

In a saucepan, warm the almond milk, nutmeg and sweetener until hot. Place the tea bag in a tea cup. Slowly add the almond milk into the cup and let steep for 3 minutes. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
Traditional egg nog = 343 calories, 34.4 carbs, 0 fiber
"Heathified eggnog = 42 calories, 2 carbs, 1 fiber

Flour-less Chocolate Torte

My tip is to make this in a pie or cake pan (lined with parchment paper and greased well) and under-bake it just a touch. Let it cool and cut into individual servings to store in the freezer for 'portion control'. When a craving strikes, take your little piece of heaven out and warm in the oven or microwave for about 20 seconds just until 'gooey and melty' top with a dollop of cream cheese frosting!...oh my!



7 oz unsweetened chocolate
14 TBS (1 3/4 sticks) butter or coconut oil
1 ¼ cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 - 2 TBS Stevia Glycerite (adjust to desired sweetness) (omit if using Swerve)
5 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper (greased or mini muffin tins). Grease parchment paper. Brown the butter (if desired…tastes way better!) in a saucepan. Once the butter is brown (not black!), slowly add the chocolate (don't burn the chocolate). Add the sweetener. Let cool in fridge for awhile. Once cool, add one egg at a time. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese frosting
1 stick salted butter
8 oz cream cheese or coconut cream
3 TBS unsweetened Almond Milk
1 TBS Stevia Glycerite (to taste)

Brown the butter in a sauce pan (stir constantly on high heat until light golden brown – it makes such a difference!!!). Once brown add the cream cheese, almond milk, and sweetener to taste. Mix until creamy and allow to cool for at least 2 hours, it will thicken. Spread on top of cake (add almonds if desired) and enjoy.

Nutritional facts (per serving): 261 Calories, 4.8 Grams protein, 4.2 grams carbohydrates, 2.1 GRAMS FIBER, 27.4 g fat. SERVES 16 (1 slice per serving)

Eggnog French Toast

This bread is VERY tasty on it's own. When you are making it, make sure to whip the whites A LOT; most people under whip them. Also make sure to keep the whites high when folding the yolk mixture in. The "dough" should fill the whole bread pan.

EGGNOG BREAD:
4 eggs, separated
1 cup vanilla whey
4 TBS Truvia (or a few drops of stevia glycerite)
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp nutmeg

Separate the eggs. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to stiff peaks. Slowly add the whey. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the Truvia and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add the almond milk and nutmeg and stir to combine. Slowly stir the egg whites into the mixture.

Grease a bread loaf pan. Place the mixture into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool completely and cut into 12 large pieces.

Nutritional Info (per slice) = 43 calories, 0.6 carbs, trace fiber



For FRENCH TOAST:
2 eggs
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1 loaf Eggnog Bread

Place first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Dip the slices of eggnog bread into the egg mixture, fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve with Nature's Hollow Maple Syrup.

SYRUP NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (1/4 cup syrup):
Regular Pancake Syrup: 240 calories, 40 carbs, 40 sugar
Nature’s Hollow Syrup: 76 calories, 2 effective carbs
Walden Farms Syrup: 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 sugar

Teddy Grahams

Are you feeding your kids Teddy Grahams? They are filled with trans-fat, maltodexterine, sugar and soy products. Ingredients: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, GRAHAM FLOUR (WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR), SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, DEXTROSE, HONEY, MALTODEXTRIN, CALCIUM CARBONATE (SOURCE OF CALCIUM), SALT, BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN, ZINC OXIDE (SOURCE OF ZINC), REDUCED IRON. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY.

Try this instead:
1/2 cup vanilla whey or egg white protein
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
4 TBS Truvia
1-2 TBS WATER(just enough to hold dough together)
Cinnamon (for dusting)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the whey, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the almond milk and sweetener to form a stiff dough. On parchment paper (lightly sprayed with olive oil spray), roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dust with cinnamon. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 7-9 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Nabisco Grahams = 120 calories, 4g fat, 1g protein, 21 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Grahams = 92 calories, 5.5g fat, 7.5g protein, 2.7 carbs, 1.1g fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE MINI COOKIE CUTTER!

Roasted Pumpkin Farro Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Farro(pronounced FAHR-oh)is one the oldest grains,originally found in Middle East and now grown mainly in Italy.Pearled Farro is incredibly easy to prepare.It is a good source of Protein and Iron.In the following recipe I use left over pumpkin puree from a roasted pumpkin and use it while cooking the farro for added nutrition of pumpkins.Stuffed in mildly spicy Poblanos,this is one remarkably delicious appetizer.

Farro is sold in specialty stores and Health food stores.I got my pack from the local Costco retail store.




Recipe : Roasted pumpkin puree
Halve a medium pie pumpkin with a sharp knife.Remove all strings and seeds. Don't throw away the seeds. Wash and roast in oven ,great for munching or for baking.Place the pumpkin halves cut side down in a roasting pan along with a cup of water.Bake the pumpkin until tender, about 90 minutes.Scoop the flesh out of each pumpkin half.Puree in a food processor or blender. Store in Refrigerator for a week and use in baking or cooking.
Recipe :Roasted Pumpkin Farro Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Serves 3

Ingredients
1 cup Farro grain(I used the Earthly Delights brand)
6 large or medium Poblano peppers,hulled and seeded
1 cup roasted pumpkin puree(as in the recipe above)
1/2 medium onion,finely chopped
1 medium ripe tomato ,chopped
2 cloves garlic,chopped
1 teaspoon spice mix of choice(I used a combination of chili powder ,turmeric and cumin )
2 tablespoon any chopped herbs(cilantro or parsley)

Method
Prepare the Farro stuffing
Heat oil in a medium pan,add the onions ,garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes,add the spices , 2 cups of water.Bring to a boil,mix in the Farro ,cover and allow to cook until tender about 20-25 minutes on medium low heat ,occasionally stir it.
Stuff and Bake
Slightly cool before stuffing in the hallow peppers.Lay in a cast iron or bake proof dish ,bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until peppers are tender and skin is lightly browned.Serve warm as appetizers or as a side dish.


This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging ,hosted this week by Rachel ofThe Crispy Cook

Christmas Cookie Cut Outs

1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1 egg
1/2 cup Truvia (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 cup blanched almond flour
3/4 cup vanilla whey/egg white protein
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl cream the butter, egg and sweetener together until very smooth.
Then add the egg and mix until well combined. Sift the baking soda, cinnamon, salt and whey into the almond flour, then slowly add the almond flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until well combined. Form into a tight ball and cool in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the dough onto a non-stick surface (I used parchment paper), then top it with another piece of non-stick surface (again, I used parchment paper) roll the dough out into about 1/4 inch high. Cut the dough with Christmas cookie cutters, and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, or until light brown. Then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in for an additional 10 minutes, this will create a crispier cookie. Set the cookies out to cool and top with your favorite frosting! Makes 2 dozen cutouts.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (for 2 cookies):
Traditional Cookie Cutouts = 161 calories, 24.4 carbs, 0.6g fiber
"Healthified" Cookie Cutouts = 101 calories, 2.1 carbs, 1g fiber