Homemade creamy canned goods!

A ton of recipes I see call for creamed of 'blank' soup and even though they do see 'healthier' versions of those soups, they are still processed foods with a ton of unpronounceable ingredients that really lack the flavor of the full fat versions. So I set out to try and make my own version, with all the same flavor and ingredients I could pronounce! I usually make the recipe in bulk and keep the dry mix stored in a tupperware in our pantry to just pull out and use when needed.

Homemade Cream of 'fill-in-the-blank' Soup:

2 cups powdered nonfat milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken bouillon (I use low sodium but you can use whatever you'd like)

2-3 Tablespoons dried onion flakes (you can use onion powder, but I found that the flakes do make a slight difference and taste more like the original)

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

To make the equivalent of 1 can of cream of soup, whisk together 1/3 cup of the dry mix with 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until thickened. The whole mix above makes about 9-10 cans.

To add the flavor of whatever cream of you desire (i.e. chicken, mushroom, celery, etc), I chop up bits of those and toss in to cook when the mixture is thickening. If it is a hard vegetable such as celery, I usually saute it first in some olive oil to soften if up a bit, but that is not necessary, especially if the soup is going into a casserole or something that is going to bake.

As a baker, another canned product I frequently come across is sweetened condensed milk. Instead of constantly buying them and having them on hand, I decided to make my own, much healthier version. This can be added to anything from coffee and tea to baked goods. One of my favorite coffee shops downtown, La Colombe, makes their own bittersweet chocolate syrup that they add to coffees with a squirt or two of homemade sweetened condensed milk. It is by far the best coffee I have ever had and wanted to do the same at home, which is a big reason I use this recipe frequently!

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk:

1/2 cup hot water

3/4 cup powdered nonfat milk (heaping)

1/2 cup sugar

In a food processor, add the powdered milk and sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. Then with the motor running, slowly add the warm water. Process until well combined, thick and dissolved. This recipe is equal to one can of store-bought condensed milk.

HIIT It!

Sorry for the recent delay in posting, things have been pretty busy and crazy lately! Recently I posted on the benefits of interval training and how efficient and time saving the workouts can be. So I am going to continue with that theme and give two of my favorite HIIT style workouts that I've been doing a lot of recently.

The first uses a treadmill (or piece of cardio equipment of your choice) and body weight exercises. I warm up with a 5 minute light jog, then alternate between sprints and body weight exercises for a total of 12 rounds (3 sets of 4 exercises). I gradually increase the sprint speed but you can keep it consistent or decrease as you go, whatever works best for you. The point of the workout is to change the exercises every time you do the workout to keep your body guessing and work different muscle groups. This morning my 4 exercises of choice were, elevated backwards lunges off the end of the treadmill, elevated plie squats with one leg on the ground and the other on the back of the treadmill, one legged squats off the end of the treadmill and push-up jacks.

After you have your 4 exercises chosen, here is how the workout goes: 5 minute warm-up, then increase speed to a sprint for 1 minute (I start at 9.0, pause treadmill and perform first body weight exercise (elevated backwards lunges, 20 reps each leg). Back on treadmill, sprint 1 minute (I increase to 9.5), pause treadmill, second body weight exercise (plie squat, 20 reps each leg). Sprint 1 minute (increase speed to 10.0), third exercise (one legged squats, 15 reps each leg). Last sprint (10.5 speed for me), last exercise (10 push-ups total with 4 jacks between each push-up). Repeat the sequence 2 more times for a total of 3 rounds then cool down for 5 minutes.

Total workout time, 35 minutes!

The other workout I have been doing frequently involves a jump rope and timer. I choose 6 exercises that will be performed for 1 minute, as many reps as possible. Then follow that with 1 minute of jumping rope. Do the entire circuit 2 times through. Then on to the next exercise, etc. If you do not have a jump rope, you can either simulate jumping rope, do burpees or any other plyometric exercise of choice. The 6 exercises I used last time were:

1. Kettlebell swings with 15 lb, followed by 1 minute of jumping rope.

2. 4 forward walking lunges, 4 quick prisoner jump squats, 4 backwards walking lunges, 4 quick prisoner squats, followed by 1 minute of jumping rope

3. Core Crushers (feet on bosu ball, hands on ground, push-up position, tuck one knee to chest then swing out to side...30 seconds each leg), followed by 1 minute of jumping rope

4. Split-stance lunges with back foot on exercise ball, holding 10 lb. kettlebell, 30 seconds each leg, followed by 1 minute of jumping rope

5. 5 squats, 5 pulses, 5 tuck jumps repeated for 1 minute, followed by 1 minute of jumping rope

6. Monkey push-up with ski hops (push-up position, hop feet in to under chest then back out, then in again with legs spread, perform push-up from elevated position), jump rope 1 minute.

Perform a second round of alternating exercises and jumping rope for a total workout under 30 minutes!

Another variation of this workout is to only do 30-second jump rope intervals but choose 8 exercises and perform them for 1 minute.

Cholesterol?

If you haven't had your cholesterol checked, you definitely should. It is always good to know your numbers and have them checked every 3-5 years (if they are not considered 'high'). High cholesterol can be a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart attack, so it is nothing to mess with! The trick with cholesterol though is that there are two types; good (HDL) and bad (LDL). Reports say that your total number, when adding LDL, HDL and a portion of total triglyerides together, should be below 200. That is not necessarily true though so don't panic right away if your total number is not below 200. You have to look at both your HDL and LDL numbers separately and judge them alone, I disagree with looking at total number. It is more meaningful to look at both separately. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL levels is more indicative of overall health.

LDL, or bad cholesterol is the number you need to be most concerned about. You want this number, by itself, to be at or below 100. Up to 129 is considered normal still, but closer to 100 is optimal.

HDL, or good cholesterol helps rid your body of bad cholesterol that is building up on artery and vessel walls. You want this number to be 60 or more, the more the better. This number cannot be too high!

Total cholesterol is actually LDL,HDL and 20% of triglycerides added together. The confusion comes in when HDL levels are really high and LDL are still in the normal range, because the total can be close to or above 200 when in reality, the HDL levels are just really high and LDL is within the normal range. That is why your cholesterol ratio is a better predictor of health. To get your ratio, you divide total cholesterol by your HDL level. You want that number to be less than 5, but ideally closer to 3.5.

I hope this article was not too confusing. If you have questions, please feel free to ask them! I believe that everyone should know their levels and be able to interpret them correctly. As I mentioned, high cholesterol, if in fact it truly is high, is dangerous and needs to be controlled. So knowing where you stand and monitoring your levels is a necessity!

Foam Roller Workout

You read that title correctly, a workout using a foam roller. I already talked about the benefits of foam rolling after workouts to keep muscles loose, but this is different. You will actually be using that foam roller as a piece of exercise equipment. Added bonus, you can finish the workout with a great roll out session!

Warm up with a 5-10 minute warm-up on the cardio equipment of your choice. You will perform 3 sets of this workout as a circuit. One exercise followed directly by the next, minimizing resting times to 15 seconds or less.

Lunges with Rotation: Hold the foam roller straight out in front of you, one hand on each end, at shoulder level. Relax shoulders, drawing them back and down. Lunge forward with your right foot, lowering knee almost to floor, keeping knee behind toes. Once lowerd into lunge position, rotate all the way to the right, then left, then right and finally left again. Return to starting position and repeat with left leg, rotating to each side twice before returning to starting position. That is one rep, repeat 10 times (so 10 reps per leg, a total of 20 lunges).

Chest Fly on Roller: Grab 8-12 pound weights. Lye on foam roller with it running along your spine, knees bent, feet flat on floor, arms extended out to sides, a weight in each hand. Contract chest and bring arms to meet directly above chest, until hands almost meet, but don't bang weights together. Lower arms back towards floor. Repeat 8-10 times.

Side Lunge with Row: Hold foam roller straight out in front of you at shoulder level, shoulders relaxed and drawn back and down. Step out to the right, lowering into a side lunge, toes pointing straight ahead. Once in lowered lunge position, pull foam roller towards your body, retracting your shoulder blades and really squeezing them together. Push off of right foot, extend arms straight out again and return to starting position. Repeat with left leg, then return to start. That is one rep, repeat for 10 reps, or a total of 20 lunges.

Push-ups with Lateral Rotation on Roller: Set up for a normal push-up, with arms on roller instead of floor, roller perpendicular to your body. Perform a push-up, then rotate, lifting right arm towards ceiling, rotating body away/perpendicular to floor. Return to start. Perform m another push-up, then rotate lifting left arm towards ceiling. that's one rep, perform 10 reps total.

Wall Sit with Arm Extensions: Position roller on wall, in line with your spine. Perform a wall sit, with spine against roller. As you are in the squat position, alternate reaching one arm at a time above head and tapping the wall. Hold for 30 - 60 seconds, 60 if you are able!

Biceps Curl on Roller: Stand on foam roller, with roller parallel to feet, holding a weight in each hand, resting down, palms facing forward. Contract core for stability and perform biceps curls, for a total of 10-12 reps. If this is too difficult, you can practice just standing on the foam roller and balancing. This will still activate and work your core!

Cool down with 5-10 minutes of cardio. Then stretch! You can use that foam roller you were just working out with to roll out all of those tired muscles!

Interval Training

Interval training or HIIT, as it is commonly referred to (high intensity interval training), is all the rage right now! It is a great way to get in a tough, full body workout in less time. Intervals really boost your metabolism and kick fat-burning into high gear, much moreso than steady-state cardio routines. Interval training involves alternating periods of high intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods. One 20-minute Interval training session is shown to be equivalent to one 60-minute steady-state cardio session. The key to interval training though, to see the full result potential, is to really push yourself to the max (well 90% of your max). You can't just increase the intensity a little, then recover for a bit, you really need to dedicate your full potential to those 20 minutes and push yourself!

Another benefit of Interval Training is that you will still get the same 'after-burn' effect you get with weight and strength training. Your body will continue to burn calories for hours after a session, as opposed to steady state cardio where once you hop off your piece of exercise equipment, your energy expenditure halts.

Here are some examples of Interval Workouts:

Treadmill (Running)	Treadmill (Walking(	Bike	Elliptical
5-10 minute warm-up Light jog	5-10 minute warm-up Brisk walk, 0% Incline	5 minute warm-up Low intensity	5 minute warm-up Low intensity
30 seconds-1 minute All out sprint, 75% max heart rate	Incline to 10-12%, 30 sec-1 min interval, fast paced walk (3.0 mph and above), 75% max heart rate	30 seconds-1 minute Increase intensity to 75% of max heart rate	30 seconds-1 minute Increase intensity to 75% of max heart rate
1 minute brisk walk recovery (55% max heart rate)	1 minute brisk walk recovery (55% max heart rate)	1 minute recovery Low intensity (55% max heart rate)	1 minute recovery Low intensity (55% max heart rate)
Repeat 10-20 times (10 if 30 sec. intervals 20 if 1 min. intervals)	Repeat 10-20 times (10 if 30 sec. intervals 20 if 1 min. intervals)	Repeat 10-20 times (10 if 30 sec. intervals 20 if 1 min. intervals)	Repeat 10-20 times (10 if 30 sec. intervals 20 if 1 min. intervals)
5 minute cool-down Light jog	5 minute cool-down Brisk Walk, 0% Incline	5 minute cool-down Low intensity	5 minute cool-down Low intensity

 

A fantastic resource for HIIT workouts that kick your butt is BodyRock.Tv! Be warned though, these workouts are for more advanced as they are usually pretty difficult!

Homemade protein bars

My husband and I are obsessed with Rx bars. They are all natural protein bars made from only a few ingredients and no added sugars. The base for all of their bars is a mixture of dates, almonds, protein powder and figs. I decided to make my own version, not that theirs are not healthy, but I just prefer things homemade!

I made two variations, one coconut cashew and another cinnamon almond. Of the Rx bar flavors, the cocoa coconut and coffee cocoa are my favorites! I would have tried to replicate those but I only have vanilla flavored protein powder at the moment and those would require unflavored or chocolate, so I am saving those for next time!

Coconut Cashew:

1 cup dates

1 cup cashews

1 scoop protein powder

1/3-1/2 cup figs (taste preference)

1/3-1/2 cup coconut (also a taste preference)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Put everything in a food processor and process until well blended and moldable. This took a few minutes in my processor. Pour into a loaf pan (or 8'8 pan if you like them thinner) and press down. Refrigerate until set then cut into bars and wrap individually.

Cinnamon Almond:

1 cup dates

1 cup almonds

1 scoop protein powder

1/3-1/2 cup figs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Natural Metabolism Boosters!

Metabolism, the energy burning unit of the body, is responsible for how many calories we burn. The faster and harder it works, the more calories we burn on average. So wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to keep this furnace burning at full capacity and give it boosts every now and then if possible? Well you're in luck, I've got a few ways to stoke that fire and keep your metabolism going full speed!

Green tea contains catechin which has a thermogenic effect on the body, increasing the overall metabolic rate and helping the body to burn fat and not store fat. I recommend getting at least 3 cups in a day if possible, the hotter the better because as it cools, it loses some of it's effect. Coffee has a similar effect and raises your resting metabolic rate, or the amount of calories your body burns at rest. So drink up, just limit your creams and sugars and overall cups to 2-3 a day.

Ice cold water. The colder the better. The colder the water, the harder your body has to work and the more energy it burns trying to warm the water up inside your body. When your body is thirsty or dehydrated, your body may confuse that feeling with hunger and you may end up eating to satiate yourself when really all you needed was some water! Whenever you are feeling hungry and you don't think you should be (i.e. you ate an hour ago, etc), try having a glass or two of water and see if the feeling passes before reaching for a snack.

Eat protein. Protein is harder for your body to digest so it takes longer, making you feel fuller longer, and also burns more energy breaking it down. Just make sure your sources of protein are lean: turkey, chicken, ham, fish, lean ground beef, etc.

Build more muscle. Cardio is an important component of any workout routine, and definitely burns a lot of calories, however it should certainly not be the only component! You want to make sure you are strength training at least 2 days a week for 20-30 minutes at a time to build lean muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat so just having more muscle tone will burn more calories. Also, strength training continues to burn calories for hours after your session, when the body works to repair the damaged muscles.

Skipping meals is a big NO-NO! You read that right, do not skip meals. If you go too long between meals, your body begins to think you are starving it, so it goes into conservation mode in an effort to conserve as much energy as possible, causing your metabolism to hit the brakes and drastically slow down. This is especially important for breakfast since your body has already been in a state of starvation for the 7-9 hours you were sleeping. You want to eat something as soon as you can in the morning, ideally within 30-60 minutes. If you are not a big morning eater, at least have a glass of milk or juice, anything with calories until you are hungry enough for a bigger meal.

Spicy foods contain capsaicin, it is what gives peppers their heat. They create heat in the body and raise the body temperature, causing the same effect on your metabolism.