Health Bites: Food for Thought

Would you call this Episode 2?

I can't believe the wealth of healthy information is floating around the web. Some of it can really get you thinking!

Like it or not Paleo/Primal eating is, for many, about weight loss. It can be very much about vanity a lot of the time. One thing we have to keep in perspective is the reality of our expectations- or whether our expectations are reasonable. There's a fantastic article over at Fast Paleo about just that, and it was a nice reminder of what's important, and that form follows function.

There's a lot of contention about what constitutes "Chronic Cardio" and I find myself being more aware of it now that I'm back to the gym and running again. I was pleased to find an article by Al Kavadlo about running, and how it's not the devil people make it out to be.

I really liked this article about Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington about how to push past your limits and train harder and reach your goals. You bet I'm keeping it in mind for this summer's Warrior Dash. She's incredibly motivating.

Studies are boring, and I hate reading them, but every once in a while something interesting pops up. This one is worth sharing, and I can attest to it from personal experience. Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain's Response to Hedonic Food Stimuli.

Everybody knows exercise is good for you. Scientists are now beginning to understand WHY it's good for you. So not only does exercise turn white fat brown, but it helps you Recycle too! Even more motivation to get to the gym every day.

And lastly, here's a little motivation to get up out of that chair, or detach yourself from the couch. LifeHacker tells you How Sitting All Day is Damaging Your Body and How You Can Counteract It.


Wow, that's practically a whole meal! Sleep more, get off the couch, run a little, find a goal and strive for it, and don't worry too much about the vanity.

On Strike

In participation with the Strike Against SOPA, there will be no blog post today.

Please visit http://sopastrike.com/strike/ and stop Congress from enacting Internet Censorship.

Healthy Bites: Food for Thought

I've come across a number of interesting posts, articles and tidbits of information over the last couple of days that cover a range of information for Health, Food, Nature & Spirituality. Then it crossed my mind that I should post them up and share them here.

I know a number of blogs do some sort of weekend "link love" thing. I don't want to jump on that sort of bandwagon, but I figure once I have 5 or 6 good articles to share, I'll post them up.

The first article I found was How to I.D. Genetically Modified Food at the Supermarket. According to this post, you can use the PLU code on the sticker to identify if it's conventional, organic, or GMO. I haven't checked this out at Wegmans yet, but I'll be watching next month when I buy some produce.

A fellow blogger at Hunting for Health did an interview with former Biggest Loser contestant, Kai Hibbard. Tons of behind the scenes dirt. I figure if you read my blog, or are in any way part of the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, you're probably smart enough to know that the Biggest Loser is a big waste of time, but it's worth a listen anyhow. If nothing more, you can share it with your television-obsessed friends who think the show is at all worth watching.

Exercise Hormone May Fight Obesity and Diabetes. So says a New York Times health article that discusses how scientists have discovered a new hormone, irisin, that the body produces in response to exercise. Apparently this hormone turns white fat into brown fat- and this is a good thing. As those in the Paleosphere have been saying for some time now, exercise is good for you not because it burns calories, but because of the hormonal changes it induces. I'm good with that.

Check out this article about a small town in Maine that passed a "Food Sovereignty" law to allow the sale of locally produced food without interference of regulators. Perhaps this can be a nugget of inspiration for others to get involved and pass similar laws in their towns throughout the country. There's more than one way to fight big agra and the Federal government!

The New York Post reported that some New York schools are going to begin Spying on Fat Kids. Some Long Island students will begin wearing monitors that track their physical activity throughout the day, in many cases without parents' knowledge or consent. No thank you. If I were a parent, I'd be incredibly upset about this.

And lastly...

We Pagans know the importance of being out in nature for our spirit. Contact with nature is also crucial for health. There may be more to your afternoon hike than meets the eye, and this article does a good job of explaining how and why. I, for one, can't wait for spring and getting back outdoors!

That's enough homework for today. Stay tuned for the next installment of Healthy Bites. :)

Coconut Chai Rice Pudding

I got a craving for rice pudding the other day. Since I happen to be cleaning out the cupboards, I figured now is as good a time as any to make some! I managed to use up not only some rice, but some coconut flakes, AND some raisins.

A really quick shout-out to some of my favorite brands, while I'm doing this. I used GoldenStar brand for the rice and coconut milk, and Tropical Traditions for the coconut flakes. I also used STASH chai tea.

It's an easy recipe, and takes wonderfully little time. Best part... delicious!

Coconut Chai Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup of (basmati) rice
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 cup raisins
3 cups water
2 chai tea bags

1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
Sweetener to taste

Start with combining rice, raisins, coconut flakes, tea bags and water in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer 15-20 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk coconut milk, vanilla, salt, sweetener and spices together. Pour them into the rice mixture and heat on low, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Reduce to desired thickness. Serve warm or cold.

And that's it!

It's gotta be my favorite rice pudding recipe to date, and makes a yummy breakfast. I love all the spices and flavors. You can spice it up a little with some garam masala or black pepper if you like. I added a bit of black pepper as an afterthought and it was amazing! Who knew you could enjoy pepper in a dessert?

Quinoa Quiche

This recipe is by my friend and guest chef, JP.  He actually made this a few weeks back for my Christmas party, and I finally got a few minutes to sit down and type it up. These quiches are absolutely delicious and the quinoa gives it a great texture.

Quinoa Quiche

8 eggs
1 pint half & half
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chopped spinach
2 cups muenster cheese
2 tbsp dried onion
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook quinoa as usual and let cool completely.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and bake in a greased pan for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let quiche cool and cut into squares for serving.


This can also be made into muffins for single serving.

Everyone at the party absolutely loved these. There were barely any left for the hungover hostess to eat for breakfast the next morning.

(Being that I'm doing my Winter Stores Challenge right now, this looks like this might be a creative way to work in some quinoa and still get good protein. I don't know as I have enough eggs to spare to make a whole recipe, but it can be cut in half. Might be convenient breakfast to take to eat between the gym and work. I shall update!)