Hey there! I know it's been a long time since I wrote my last entry but these last weeks have been extremely busy and exhausting. The good news are that I haven't forget about you! And that's why I want to share with you this two "Top 10" of food you have to eat in order to:
1. Lose weight
2. Gain muscle
I think you might like them and I really hope you find them useful. (Even though I'm vegetarian, I know most of you aren't, therefore, my advices are including "animal"food.)
Top 10 to Lose Weight
1. Fish
2. Chicken Breast
3. Egg Whites
4. Whey Protein
5. Vegetables (a lot) and fruits (not that much)
6. Quinoa
7. Oats
8. Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
9. Brown Rice
10. Sweet Potatoe
You should eat at least 5 to 6 small meals during the day,every 3 hours, in order to keep your body and metabolism working so it can burn fat faster. Ideally include protein in EVERY meal and carbohydrates only in the first 2 or 3.
Top 10 to Gain Muscle
1. Chicken Breast
2. Red Meat (Lean)
3. Fish
4. Whey Protein
5. Vegetables and fruits
6. Rice
7. Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes
8. "Good fatty acids" (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds)
9. Egg whites
10. Oats
This top 10 of food to eat in order to gain muscular mass does not differ too much from the "losing weight" one, it's just you should increase the amount of carbohydrates and protein you eat, plus do less cardiovascular exercise and lift more weight. The goal is to gain lean mass and reduce the fat level.
Last but not least, remember to always drink plenty of water (100 oz / 3 liters per day at least) get good nights of sleep, and: if you are looking to gain muscular mass; you should lift heavy weights and supplement with BCAA's (if desired). If your intention is to lose weight, you should drink green tea, black coffee (not more than 2 cups a day) and do some cardio training.
These are only advices I'm sharing with you because they worked with me and I feel they can be useful for you too!
Hope you all have a great Saturday night. See you soon!
Big Hugs, Flor.-
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Twitter: @florcitagu
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Saturday, October 5, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Protein Shakes - Batidos Proteicos
Since my trainings became "harder", I decided to start also taking some supplements, more precisely protein supplements. You may think that I need it because of my new status as a vegetarian, that I may have some ind of deficit or something like that. But no. Fortunately, I have plenty of knowledge in Nutrition to efficiently satisfy all my protein requirements just by eating vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and so on. So I decided to complement my diet with more amino acids just because I want to increase my muscular mass. Protein Powders are an excellent option for that, and they also help loosing body fat and sometimes they can be used as a meal replacement.
Today I want to talk about "Whey Protein". Whey protein is a natural product with high nutritional quality easily absorbed by the body, low in fat and carbohydrates, and proteins obtained from cow's milk during the process of converting milk into cheese .
Milk has mainly two types of proteins: casein, which is approximately an 80% of the milk protein, and whey protein, which is about a 20%. Whey protein is more soluble than casein and also has a high quality since it is more nutritious protein available.
There's three types of Whey Protein:
1. Concentrated Whey Protein.
2. Isolated Whey Protein.
3. Hydrolyzed Whey Protein.
-Concentrated Whey Protein : It has some fat , cholesterol and lactose. Its components are more bio-active .
-Isolated Whey Protein : This type is processed to remove the fat and lactose and it has a higher amount of protein by weight compared to the concentrate.
-Hydrolyzed Whey Protein: This is the best Whey Protein of all. Even more isolated, we could say this is as "partially digested" protein. It absorbs quickly and contains no fat or cholesterol .
There are many brands and types of protein and is very easy to get confused . Rather than focusing on the brand, it is important to look at the nutritional information. It should say "ISOLATE" since, of course, is the most isolated and it also has less carbohydrates. A good protein (protein powder) should have less than 150 calories, between 20 and 30 grams of protein, less than 4 grams of carbohydrates , ideally less than 2 grams of sugar and less than 140 mg of sodium. It should be low in fat and cholesterol. The one in the picture (the big black one) is called "Hydrolyzed ISO100" and it is one of the best even though it's a little bit more expensive. The small one ("Biochem") was the first I bought and honestly it didn't end up being a very good acquisition. Although it's not bad, it has slightly more sugars and carbohydrates.How often take a protein shake to gain muscle mass? Well, the ideal is to take a measure (one/two scoops, it depends on the brand) in the morning, right after getting up and with an empty stomach; one before and one after training. We should remember that after training , we have a 30 to 60 minute "window" where our body is much more receptive to everything we eat. For this reason, it is a good option to eat foods with a higher protein level, and a complex carbohydrate (such as oats), to fully nourish ourselves.Now, why a protein shake? Why not a piece of chicken instead? Well, the chicken takes about 4 hours to be digested, therefore, when the proteins of the chicken are ready to be dispatched to the muscle, this "window" that had been opened after exercise it's now closed.On the other hand, protein powder proteins are, as explained at the beginning, "partially digested ", most isolated and always ready like a "boy scout" to run into the muscle. They are going to refill the muscle fibers that we just "broke " with exercise, and of course, increasing the size of the muscle. This is why it is important to take a protein shake while this "super absorption " phase is going on .
Last but not least, the other thing I have acquired, as shown in the picture, are BCAA's (Branched -chain Amino Acids). Basically, these are more isolated amino acids used to the same purpose. But I will devote an entire post to this topic. Now I have to continue with my studies because I would like to have my beautiful "Personal Trainer" Certificate before Christmas! Yay!!
See you soon, have a good Wednesday!
Big Hugs,
Flor.-
__________________________________________________________________________________
Desde que empecé a entrenar más “duro” como para llamarlo de alguna forma, decidí empezar a tomar algunas suplementaciones, más precisamente proteínas. Muchos de ustedes pensarán que tal vez lo necesito ya que, con mi nuevo status de vegetariana, tengo déficit proteico o algo por el estilo… Sin embargo, no. Afortunadamente tengo bastantes conocimientos en Nutrición como para poder satisfacer de manera exitosa mis requerimientos proteicos utilizando únicamente vegetales, legumbres, semillas, nueces, etc. Lo que me lleva a querer complementar mi dieta con más aminoácidos es, simplemente tratar de aumentar un poco la masa muscular. Los polvos proteicos son una excelente opción para eso, y además ayudan a reducir la grasa corporal y en algunos casos hasta pueden ser un sustituto de alguna de las comidas del día.
Hoy
quiero hablar de la “Whey Protein”. La
proteína del suero o proteína de Whey es un producto natural de alta calidad
nutritiva de fácil absorción por el cuerpo, baja en grasa y carbohidratos, y
que se obtiene de las proteínas de la leche de vaca durante el proceso de
convertir la leche en queso.
La leche
tiene dos tipos de proteínas principalmente: la caseína que supone
aproximadamente el 80%, y la proteína de whey, aproximadamente el 20%. La
proteína del suero es más soluble que la caseína y también tiene una calidad
superior ya que es la proteína más nutritiva disponible.
Existen
varios tipos de Whey Protein:
1.Whey Protein Concentrada,
2.Whey Protein Isolatada,
3. Whey Protein Hidrolizada.
Su diferencia radica en la rapidez de su absorción
y su pureza. La hidrolizada y la
isolatada son las ideales ya que son las que el cuerpo absorbe más rápidamente.
-Whey
Protein Concentrate: Tiene algo de grasa, colesterol y lactosa. Sus componentes
son más bioactivos.
-Whey
Protein Isolate: A este tipo se la procesó para retirar la grasa y la lactosa,
tiene un rango mayor de proteína por peso comparado con la concentrada.
-Whey
Protein Hydrloyzed: Esta es la mejor de todas. Aún más aislada, podríamos decir
que está como “parcialmente digerida”. Se absorbe muy rápido y no contiene
grasa ni colesterol.
Hay
muchas marcas y tipos de proteínas y es muy fácil confundirse. Más que fijarse
en la marca, es importante fijarse en la información nutricional, que diga
ISOLATE (isolatada) ya que, como dijimos anteriormente, es la más aislada y
tiene menos carbohidratos. Una buena proteína (polvo proteico) debería tener
menos de 150 calorías, entre 20 y 30 gramos de proteína, menos de 4 gramos de
carbohidratos, idealmente menos de 2 gramos de azúcar y menos de 140 mg de
sodio. Que sea baja en grasas y colesterol. La de la foto (el tarro grande), se
llama ISO100 Hydrolyzed y es una de las mejores si bien es un poco más cara que
el resto. La del tarro pequeño (Biochem) fue la primera que me compré y
honestamente no fue una muy buena adquisición. Si bien no es mala, tiene un
poco más de azúcares.
Con qué
frecuencia tomar un batido proteico para aumentar masa muscular? Bueno, lo
ideal es una medida al levantarse (con el estómago vacío), otra antes de
entrenar y una después. Recordemos que después de entrenar, tenemos una “ventana”
de 30 a 60 minutos donde nuestro cuerpo está mucho más receptivo a todo lo que
ingiramos. Por eso mismo, lo ideal es alimentarse de alimentos altos en
proteínas y algún carbohidrato complejo (como ser avena), para nutrirnos al
100%.
Ahora, Por qué un batido proteico y no una presa de pollo? Bueno, el pollo
tarda aproximadamente 4 horas en ser digerido, por lo tanto, cuando las
proteínas de ese pollo estén listas para ser depachadas al músculo, esa “ventana”
que se había abierto tras el ejercicio ya se cerró.
Por el
contrario, las proteínas del polvo proteico están, como expliqué al principio, “parcialmente
digeridas”, es decir, más aisladas y listas cual boy-scout para rellenar el músculo. Reponiendo las fibras musculares que acabamos de “romper”
con el ejercicio y aumentando así la magnitud de dicho músculo. Es por esto que es importantísimo tomar un
batido proteico mientras transcurre esta fase de "super absorción".
Por
último, pero no menos importante, (podría escribir hojas y hojas pero no quiero
aburrir) otra cosa que adquirí, como puede verse en la foto, son BCAA’s (Branched-chain Amino Acids). Basicamente más
aminoácidos aislados para el mismo propósito. Pero ya le dedicaré un post
entero a este tema. Ahora me voy a seguir estudiando, ya que quisiera tener mi
hermoso titulito de Personal Trainer antes de fin de año!!! Iupiiii
Nos
vemos luego, que tengan un gran Miércoles!
Flor.-
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Energetic + Delicious + Easy to make... "Endurance Crackers"
Alright, these last days have been quite exciting and filled with weird emotions. Being far away from my family/friends it's hard sometimes, especcialy when good and bad things happen and you wishe they could be here with you... at least to give you a hug!
Anyways, for those who do not know, I won a 5K race last Saturday in which the first prize was a FLIGHT TICKET to anywhere I want in Latin America! Yay for me! I honestly couldn't believe it (must say even now it's hard to believe). It is an awesome feeling... I'm training so hard (not to running races, but who cares) that it's good when you see that all the effort you are doing it's worth it. Grrrreat!
So, I want to share with you another recipe. (A friend told me she has already tried my "6-pack-abs routine" reccomendation... Have you been trying my recipes as well?) This time I make something called "Endurance Crackers".. just in case you need a boost of energy before training, studying or simply to go to work. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free to boot!
Ingredients
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup water
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp grated sweet onion
1/4 tsp salt to taste
Spices/herbs
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, and grated onion. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt, to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.
3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.
4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.
Easy, right? Snack ready to go! Give this lovely crackers a chance... :)
I'll be enjoying them right now with some "mate".
See you next time! Big hugs.
Flor.-
Anyways, for those who do not know, I won a 5K race last Saturday in which the first prize was a FLIGHT TICKET to anywhere I want in Latin America! Yay for me! I honestly couldn't believe it (must say even now it's hard to believe). It is an awesome feeling... I'm training so hard (not to running races, but who cares) that it's good when you see that all the effort you are doing it's worth it. Grrrreat!
So, I want to share with you another recipe. (A friend told me she has already tried my "6-pack-abs routine" reccomendation... Have you been trying my recipes as well?) This time I make something called "Endurance Crackers".. just in case you need a boost of energy before training, studying or simply to go to work. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free to boot!
Ingredients1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup water
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp grated sweet onion
1/4 tsp salt to taste
Spices/herbs
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, and grated onion. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt, to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.
3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.
4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.
 | |||||
| Done! Yummy & Energetic! ;) |
Easy, right? Snack ready to go! Give this lovely crackers a chance... :)
I'll be enjoying them right now with some "mate".
See you next time! Big hugs.
Flor.-
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Healthy Burrito: Magnificent Deliciousness!
One thing I like about summer, besides the sunny days and the outdoors activities (which I am in love with), is the food. Yes. I love the fact that you can go to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning and come back home with a bunch of fruits and vegetables ready either to wash them and eat them or maybe to do some experiment in the kitchen.
Eating is so much easier during summertime! You just have to put some veggies together, spread a little bit of olive oil, some seeds and Boom! there you have a salad. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like cooking. No. I love cooking! But I like the summer recipes better than the winter ones.
And talking about summer recipes, I was surfing the internet the other night and this YouTube channel came up to my "Recommended for you" list: "Fully Raw Kristina". Basically she, (Kristina, of course) only eats raw food (pretty obvious as well, huh?) this means, just vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and everything...... without cooking it! So forget about soups, pasta, bread, sandwiches... and so on. I found this pretty weird at the beginning, but as long as I continued watching her videos, and even though I'm not planning on having her eating habits, it started to make more sense to me. I truly respect her as well as I respect people who eat meat.
Anyways, after watching all her videos (or so) I decided I had to try one of her recipes, and the one I chose was: "The Fully Raw Burrito" (can you believe she used a huge leaf to play the part of the tortilla?? Applause to Kristina!) But since I didn't have too many ingredients at that time, I had been forced to modify the original recipe (you know I love doing that) ....And I must say that I kinda cheated and added some cooked quinoa... just because I love it!!!
So here we go: Flor's version of "The Fully Raw Burrito"
For the dressing/sauce
Ingredients
-Bunch of cilantro
-3 green onions
-1 bell pepper
-2 to 3 lemons
-1/4 cup sesame seeds
-1/2 zucchini
-pinch of cumin
Directions
1. Cut up the zucchini, the bell pepper and the green onions.
2. Put them in a blender.
3. Add the lemon juice.
4. Throw in the sesame seeds and the cumin
5. Blend until it's ready! (It's going to look like a paste, a little bit less thicker than a "guacamole" dip.
For the Burrito
Ingredients
-1 HUGE lettuce leaf (or any colored-leaf you want)
-1/4 avocado
-1 red onion, chopped
-1 bell pepper, sliced
-1 carrot, sliced
-1 cucumber,diced in big chunks
-4 or 5 cherry tomatoes
-1 cup red quinoa, cooked (oops! not raw...)
-Walnuts to give more texture (as much as you want!)
Directions
1. Spread the sauce on top of the leaf.
2. Place the sliced bell peppers on the bottom part of the burrito.
3. Add a the red onion, the cucumber, carrots, tomato and avocado.
4. Place the quinoa on top.
5. Sprinkle with some walnuts.
6. Roll it up... and voilà!
Super easy and extremely tasty! I had this for lunch yesterday and it was amazingly delicious! You definitely should try it. Hurry up before summer is over! ;)
Good Thursday to everyone! (Weekend is near, yeah!)
Big hugs,
Flor.-
Eating is so much easier during summertime! You just have to put some veggies together, spread a little bit of olive oil, some seeds and Boom! there you have a salad. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like cooking. No. I love cooking! But I like the summer recipes better than the winter ones.
And talking about summer recipes, I was surfing the internet the other night and this YouTube channel came up to my "Recommended for you" list: "Fully Raw Kristina". Basically she, (Kristina, of course) only eats raw food (pretty obvious as well, huh?) this means, just vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and everything...... without cooking it! So forget about soups, pasta, bread, sandwiches... and so on. I found this pretty weird at the beginning, but as long as I continued watching her videos, and even though I'm not planning on having her eating habits, it started to make more sense to me. I truly respect her as well as I respect people who eat meat.
Anyways, after watching all her videos (or so) I decided I had to try one of her recipes, and the one I chose was: "The Fully Raw Burrito" (can you believe she used a huge leaf to play the part of the tortilla?? Applause to Kristina!) But since I didn't have too many ingredients at that time, I had been forced to modify the original recipe (you know I love doing that) ....And I must say that I kinda cheated and added some cooked quinoa... just because I love it!!!
So here we go: Flor's version of "The Fully Raw Burrito"
For the dressing/sauce
Ingredients
-Bunch of cilantro
-3 green onions
-1 bell pepper
-2 to 3 lemons
-1/4 cup sesame seeds
-1/2 zucchini
-pinch of cumin
Directions
1. Cut up the zucchini, the bell pepper and the green onions.
2. Put them in a blender.
3. Add the lemon juice.
4. Throw in the sesame seeds and the cumin
5. Blend until it's ready! (It's going to look like a paste, a little bit less thicker than a "guacamole" dip.
For the Burrito
Ingredients
-1 HUGE lettuce leaf (or any colored-leaf you want)
-1/4 avocado
-1 red onion, chopped
-1 bell pepper, sliced
-1 carrot, sliced
-1 cucumber,diced in big chunks
-4 or 5 cherry tomatoes
-1 cup red quinoa, cooked (oops! not raw...)
-Walnuts to give more texture (as much as you want!)
Directions
1. Spread the sauce on top of the leaf.
2. Place the sliced bell peppers on the bottom part of the burrito.
3. Add a the red onion, the cucumber, carrots, tomato and avocado.
4. Place the quinoa on top.
5. Sprinkle with some walnuts.
6. Roll it up... and voilà!
Super easy and extremely tasty! I had this for lunch yesterday and it was amazingly delicious! You definitely should try it. Hurry up before summer is over! ;)
Good Thursday to everyone! (Weekend is near, yeah!)
Big hugs,
Flor.-
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The effective formula to get six-pack abs!
Every single person in the world has a passion. Some of them know it since they are little, but to some others (like me) it takes more time. I realized a couple years ago, that everything related to health, sports, physical activity, nutrition and wellness is my passion. Don't ask me how I know this, because I'm not gonna be able to give you a concrete answer.
I think you just feel it. It's something you really enjoy doing, something you know you are not going to stop doing it, it doesn't matter what it takes you. Am I being clear? For example, I go to the gym every single morning, at 5 AM, and I ENJOY it. I definitely am a morning person but on top of that, I don't have any problem on waking up so early to go training although I know that if I have to wake up at that time to do something different (let's say study, or work) I will probably start complaining. Your passion is that thing that makes you happy, that makes you be who you really are, and every time you are doing it, you give your best.
So, since I have this healthy obsession (let's say it like that) with physical activity, I'm always looking for some new exercises on the internet, some magazines and even in my study books (do not forget I'm studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer, yay!) and I must admit I'm obsessed (not in a healthy way anymore haha) with having six-pack abs. So I've been trying (kinda successfully) a couple of exercises and after trying them all and mixing them up a little bit, I decided to share with you my formula. WARNING! It is extremely painful at the beginning, BUT "Every cloud has a silver lining", so if you want nice abs, you will have to experiment some pain. Try these and let me know if they work for you!
- Stability Ball Knee Crunches (4 series, 25 repetitions)
- Stability Ball Crunches (4 series, 25 repetitions)
Stability Ball Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Jackknife Sit Ups
Plank
I think you just feel it. It's something you really enjoy doing, something you know you are not going to stop doing it, it doesn't matter what it takes you. Am I being clear? For example, I go to the gym every single morning, at 5 AM, and I ENJOY it. I definitely am a morning person but on top of that, I don't have any problem on waking up so early to go training although I know that if I have to wake up at that time to do something different (let's say study, or work) I will probably start complaining. Your passion is that thing that makes you happy, that makes you be who you really are, and every time you are doing it, you give your best.
So, since I have this healthy obsession (let's say it like that) with physical activity, I'm always looking for some new exercises on the internet, some magazines and even in my study books (do not forget I'm studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer, yay!) and I must admit I'm obsessed (not in a healthy way anymore haha) with having six-pack abs. So I've been trying (kinda successfully) a couple of exercises and after trying them all and mixing them up a little bit, I decided to share with you my formula. WARNING! It is extremely painful at the beginning, BUT "Every cloud has a silver lining", so if you want nice abs, you will have to experiment some pain. Try these and let me know if they work for you!
- Stability Ball Knee Crunches (4 series, 25 repetitions)
- Stability Ball Crunches (4 series, 25 repetitions)
- Hanging Leg Raises (4 series, 25 repetitions)
-Jackknife sit ups (4 series, 25 repetitions)
-Planks (4 series, 60 seconds)
If you don't have any idea of what I'm talking about, I'm going to paste some pics for reference. You can find this images in the internet, as I did. I promise next time I'll be uploading some pictures of me doing it (if I can find a photographer at the gym at 5 AM hehe)
Stability Ball Knee Crunches
Stability Ball Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Jackknife Sit Ups
Plank
Hope you have a great Tuesday and an excellent workout. ;)
Big hugs!
Flor.-
Monday, September 2, 2013
Who's craving a healthy snack today??
Soooo, here I am again after a busy weekend, trying to recover from a 70 mile biking I successfully did on Saturday. That was I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E! I went from Vienna (where I live) to Mt. Vernon (all the way south) where the house of George Washington is.
Anyways, on Friday afternoon I was planning this whole trip and I thought: "-Wait, I'm gonna have to eat something.-" So I made a list:
-Veggie sandwich
-Nuts
-Fruits (LOTS of it)
-Water (even though there's a lot of water fountains along the way)
I found out that I wanted to bring some other healthy snack. And I also wanted it to be "high-protein" since I was going to be riding my bike for long periods of time...
...After a research on the internet, I finally found the recipe I was looking for: "Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)". They are simply amazing... crunchy outside but soft inside, you can make them sweet, salty or even sweet&savory! I can say it's even a better snack to eat at the movies than popcorn! Oh yeah, baby. Wait until you try them.
I made some changes to the recipe because I have to admit that at some point, I hate following the original recipes, but c'mon! We all know cooking it's funnier this way!
So here we go, hope you enjoy them as much as I DID...
Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Ingredients
2 cups cooked chickpeas (if canned, drain and rinse)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil, or olive oil spray/mist
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon seasonal herbs
Directions
Anyways, on Friday afternoon I was planning this whole trip and I thought: "-Wait, I'm gonna have to eat something.-" So I made a list:
-Veggie sandwich
-Nuts
-Fruits (LOTS of it)
-Water (even though there's a lot of water fountains along the way)
I found out that I wanted to bring some other healthy snack. And I also wanted it to be "high-protein" since I was going to be riding my bike for long periods of time...
...After a research on the internet, I finally found the recipe I was looking for: "Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)". They are simply amazing... crunchy outside but soft inside, you can make them sweet, salty or even sweet&savory! I can say it's even a better snack to eat at the movies than popcorn! Oh yeah, baby. Wait until you try them.
I made some changes to the recipe because I have to admit that at some point, I hate following the original recipes, but c'mon! We all know cooking it's funnier this way!
So here we go, hope you enjoy them as much as I DID...
Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Ingredients
2 cups cooked chickpeas (if canned, drain and rinse)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil, or olive oil spray/mist
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon seasonal herbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place chickpeas on a paper towel and pay completely dry. Remove any loose skins.
3. Place on a baking sheet and mist with olive oil or oil of choice. Roll around to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice and toss well to coat. Make sure chickpeas are in a SINGLE LAYER.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, toss well and flip, then bake for about 15 minute.
5. Let cool and eat! :)
As you can see, I made them salty but you can play with the seasonings and even use some sweet ones like honey, cinnamon.. or whatever you like!!
Hope you have a great Monday and if you are in the US... have a good Labor's day!
See you soon, big hugs!
Flor.-
2. Place chickpeas on a paper towel and pay completely dry. Remove any loose skins.
3. Place on a baking sheet and mist with olive oil or oil of choice. Roll around to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice and toss well to coat. Make sure chickpeas are in a SINGLE LAYER.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, toss well and flip, then bake for about 15 minute.
5. Let cool and eat! :)
As you can see, I made them salty but you can play with the seasonings and even use some sweet ones like honey, cinnamon.. or whatever you like!!
Hope you have a great Monday and if you are in the US... have a good Labor's day!
See you soon, big hugs!
Flor.-
Friday, August 30, 2013
Flor's Amazing Lentil Hamburgers
The thing I hate the most when I tell people that now I’m
vegetarian, is this obvious yet inevitable question: “What’s going to happen
with your protein intake?”. I’ve got a simple answer: NOTHING. Nothing’s gonna
happen. First of all, I’m vegetarian, not vegan (if you want to know the
difference, check my last post or just Google it!) therefore, I’m going to eat
protein with my eggs, cheese, milk... BUT, since I’m planning on going vegan
(and I have to admit that I’m starting to avoid some of those dairy products
already) I can also tell you that there are A LOT of protein sources that you
probably don’t know, and I’m not talking about supplements, I’m just talking
about vegetables. Amazing, right? All the greens, beans, some seeds...
Basically everything has protein in it. It’s just this “animal protein” you
find in meat, it’s well-known as a “complete protein”, because it has all the
essential amino acids your body needs to perform all vital functions. But the
good news is that you don’t need to eat those products to have access to all
the amino acids your body needs, you just have to know what and how to mix your
greens, legumes and seeds to obtain this “majestic-amino-acid-power”. Hell
yeah!
Let’s take a look to some of the good sources of non-meat
protein:
Quinoa and Other Whole Grains
Whole grains are an important source of protein. The best
is quinoa which is originally from South America. It contains all
nine essential amino acids. Hence it is considered a -complete protein-
just like meat. Although quinoa is technically a seed, it is usually regarded
as a grain and can be found next to other grains in your local grocery store.
Other good whole grains are brown rice, barley, buckwheat and whole wheat. These grains lack the amino acid lysine and are best
eaten with nuts or legumes. (E.g: beans, lentils, peanuts, peas)
Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, and peanuts (which
are classified as a legume) are all good protein sources for vegetarians, as
are sesame and sunflower seeds.
Unfortunately, they are also high in fat, so they should
not be the main source of protein. Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty
acids.
Legumes
Kidney, garbanzo/chickpeas, white, black, pinto, edamame
(green soybeans), and lentils are just a few of various beans available. These
beans are easily digested and have twice as much protein as wheat and three
times more than rice. But they are missing the amino acid methionine and are
best eaten with a whole grain.
Tofu, Tempeh and Other Soy Products
Tofu, tempeh (fermented soybeans) and other organic soy
products are excellent low-fat sources of protein. Although tempeh has a mild
nutty flavor, tofu is relatively flavorless.
--------------------------
I know maybe it’s not important to you right now, but at
least you can use this information either to try new recipes or to avoid bothering
your vegan friends with the same question everybody does! ;)
Last but not least, I want to share with you my AMAZING
LENTIL HAMBURGERS which I’ll be having for lunch today. Yummy! There we go...
Flor’s Amazing Lentil Hamburgers
Ingredients
-Lentils 16 Oz. (1 bag), cooked.
-1 Big Onion
-1 (to 2) Carrots
-1 cup of Bread Crumbs
-Spices! (it’s up to you!)
Recipe
1. Place the lentils in a pot and cover them with water.
Let them soak for about an hour.
2. Bring water to boil and cook them for about 40
minutes.
3. Slip and mash the lentils a little bit. Let them cool
down.
4. Sauté finely chopped onion with the shredded carrots.
5. Add the chopped onions, shredded carrots and also the
spices you like to the “lentils paste” (I personally like salt, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, pepper,
paprika, black pepper, thyme, bay leaf. But it’s up to you.)
6. Add the bread crumbs. At this point, you should have a
very moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick
patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the
dough if need be.
7. Bring the hamburgers to the oven until they look brown
on both sides.
8. ENJOY!
Simple, huh? I learned this recipe when studying
Nutrition back in Argentina and since then, I couldn’t stop cooking these
delicious-meat-less treats!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy them as much as I will do.
See you next time! Big hugs.
Flor.-
Thursday, August 29, 2013
My first day as a vegetarian.
I've been thinking for a while, and finally decided to change my eating habits and become a Vegetarian. For those who do not know what a Vegetarian is, (don't look at me that way, I've known people who think that vegetarians don't eat red meat but they can eat fish and chicken, so...) I will give you the basic explanation: "A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, (any kind of it) for moral, religious, or health reasons."
So basically, I decided to stop eating meat. From now on, I will be eating vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, beans, milk, eggs, cheese... WAIT. I want to open a parenthesis here and say that my goal is to become a Vegan someday. And now I'm gonna give you the definition of Veganism: "Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, as well as following an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals. A follower of veganism is known as a vegan."
Let's clarify this. During my whole life (24 almost 25 years) I've been eating every kind of food. I have a great mom who taught me that eating a colorful meal (including meat, of course) is a good thing to do, and since then I've been eating that way. I'm not picky at all. Well, I have to admit that I hate celery... (ewww I can only juice it!) But besides that, I can define myself as an "omnivorous". But now that I'm a grown up (or so), therefore I can choose what to eat or not to, and after an exhaustive research, I decided that I want to go vegan. But of course, it's not a simple thing to do since as I told you before, I've been eating meat and dairy products for a long time.
So I think you will agree with me when I say that the most intelligent thing to do is start becoming a vegetarian to slowly switch into a vegan. And here's the main question: Why do I want to be vegan? That's a good one. First of all let me say that a couple years ago I used to think that vegetarianism and veganism were two stupid ways to ruin your life by not eating the most tastiest things in the world! (yeah, exaggerated is my middle name.. lol) But after a while I learned to be respectful and I also learned that there are a lot of reasons why people would choose these eating habits: religion, health, personal beliefs, and so on.
Now, I can say that I want to be vegan because of two reasons: First and most importantly because I'm personally against animal cruelty. Call me "fundamentalist"if you want to, but not without taking a look to the videos I'm going to show you down below! And second because I find it very healthy. As simple as that.
With this I'm not trying to convince you to become a vegan not even a vegetarian. I'm only exposing the reasons why I decided to make such a big change in my life. It's going to take time and I know it, mostly because right now I'm living with a family since a year ago and I feel that I can't switch my eating habits out of a sudden. And also because going vegan is not as simple as it sounds. So, long story short, I'm starting with Vegetarianism. "Baby steps". That's the key to succeed.
It would be a pleasure to me if you want to join me into this life-changing challenge. Giving me support and maybe even experiencing it as well!
See you next time! Big hugs.
Flor.-
So basically, I decided to stop eating meat. From now on, I will be eating vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, beans, milk, eggs, cheese... WAIT. I want to open a parenthesis here and say that my goal is to become a Vegan someday. And now I'm gonna give you the definition of Veganism: "Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, as well as following an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals. A follower of veganism is known as a vegan."
Let's clarify this. During my whole life (24 almost 25 years) I've been eating every kind of food. I have a great mom who taught me that eating a colorful meal (including meat, of course) is a good thing to do, and since then I've been eating that way. I'm not picky at all. Well, I have to admit that I hate celery... (ewww I can only juice it!) But besides that, I can define myself as an "omnivorous". But now that I'm a grown up (or so), therefore I can choose what to eat or not to, and after an exhaustive research, I decided that I want to go vegan. But of course, it's not a simple thing to do since as I told you before, I've been eating meat and dairy products for a long time.
So I think you will agree with me when I say that the most intelligent thing to do is start becoming a vegetarian to slowly switch into a vegan. And here's the main question: Why do I want to be vegan? That's a good one. First of all let me say that a couple years ago I used to think that vegetarianism and veganism were two stupid ways to ruin your life by not eating the most tastiest things in the world! (yeah, exaggerated is my middle name.. lol) But after a while I learned to be respectful and I also learned that there are a lot of reasons why people would choose these eating habits: religion, health, personal beliefs, and so on.
Now, I can say that I want to be vegan because of two reasons: First and most importantly because I'm personally against animal cruelty. Call me "fundamentalist"if you want to, but not without taking a look to the videos I'm going to show you down below! And second because I find it very healthy. As simple as that.
With this I'm not trying to convince you to become a vegan not even a vegetarian. I'm only exposing the reasons why I decided to make such a big change in my life. It's going to take time and I know it, mostly because right now I'm living with a family since a year ago and I feel that I can't switch my eating habits out of a sudden. And also because going vegan is not as simple as it sounds. So, long story short, I'm starting with Vegetarianism. "Baby steps". That's the key to succeed.
It would be a pleasure to me if you want to join me into this life-changing challenge. Giving me support and maybe even experiencing it as well!
See you next time! Big hugs.
Flor.-
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