Superfood - Quinoa - Versatile, Easy and High Protein

I will have a series of posting on the category for Superfoods. Yes Superfood, stuff thats good for you. 
Some people call it the Supergrain of the Future, Superfood, power grain and so on so forth..


 Quinoa has more protein than any other grain, with an average of 16.2 percent compared with other grains such as rice at 7.2 % or wheat at 14%. There are several varieties of Quinoa and some contain more than 20 percent protein. Wow, now thats amazing. 


Similar to milk , quinoa is an unusual high quality protein which essential amino acid balance very ideal to dairy!! Quinoa has nine essential amino acid and supplements, vegans love eating this stuff. 


Quinoa's protein contains lysine, methionine and cystine which are quite high. Its an awesome superfood to combine with other grains which boost the protein value. 


So its not that boring as it is pronounced. Quinoa is a source of nutrients such as starch, sugar, oils, fiber, minerals and vitamins. And if you are planning to change your diet or are already in the transition this a good item to pick up the next time you are shopping for groceries. I myself have started eating quinoa several months ago and I love it. 


Preparation:
Super easy - Ladies and Guys!
It takes 15 minutes to cook. Voila ! 


To cook quinoa grain 


1. first rinse it under a tap to get rid of the bitter tasting coating. Not all quinoa has this. 
2. Then measure out one part quinoa to two parts of water. 
3. Put this in a pot and bring to the boil. Place the quinoa in the boil water and lower the heat. 
4. Simmer for 10 – 15  minutes. It is then ready to serve.
Optional: You can add chicken, vegetables, asian sauces or spices. Spice it up!!


Nutritional fact: 

1 cup of dry Quinoa is 4 cups cooked. The nutrition for (1/4 cup dry) 1 cup as cooked:

Calories 158.95 kcal

I hope you will at least give it a try before saying " no". You can visit 101cookbooks.com by Heidi, she offers tonnes of amazing recipes for quinoa and other super grains. 

Best,

Rachel

Granola Yogurt Breakfast Mix - Recipe

Granola breakfast mix, its easy! I used to be very blah about food eat the same thing and rarely mix it up. But now I try to do something new or at least try to reinvent the wheel, every morning.

So the Granola Yogurt Breakfast Mix takes exactly 5 minutes. Especially if you have a busy morning with kids, husband or are simple not a morning person.
1 Serving.

1 Cup of plain 1 or 2 % yoghurt
1 Tsp of Honey
1/2 Cup granola
1 Banana or Fruit of you prefer
Optional Almonds

Mix the honey and cup of plain yogurt together before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Voila! That was easy...!

Best,

Rachel

Lose 25 pounds 4 months and 1 week! It's ON!!

 I woke up this morning, and I realized that I have been slacking on my goals, all of my goals. I have not been working out for several weeks due my to shoulder injury and studying for a exam after work. Which I must say is eating up a lot of my time and energy. Less time to work out!!! Plus I have been in a trance of becoming a partial couch potatoe.

So I spoke to my nutritionist and he said I should set some goals why I want to lose the weight.
I will public announce my goals to all y'all.

1. Because I will feel alive and healthier
2. There is nothing better than adding a few more years to your life
3. New lifestyle change and new attitude towards food and living - so I am more adventures/ better nutrition
4. Confidence and self worth
5. Being able to wear anything that looks good on you without a second thought.


My goal is to lose 25 lbs by May 20th and I will advertise my progress with measurements and weight, maybe if even pictures.  Every month. To reach my goal I would have to lose about 1.25lbs every week which equals to 5 lbs a month. Like the Nike slogan says "DO IT".

     

Current Measurement as of January 10, 2010 (inches)
Bust: 36
Waist: 29.5
Hips: 41

Oh, I dont have a scale at home so I have to wait until my weigh in on January 17, 2010

I know I can do it.You can to.  
Note: please do not obsess over it, let that be a guide and a reminder.

Best,


Raqueio

5 ways to start off eating healthy in the New Years 2010 !

 Eating healthy is hard, especially after the holidays. Tell me about it, all the good stuff; cakes, cookies, fatty-foods by mom and grandparents. I have come up with 5 easy ways to start your eat-clean diet for the new years. These steps have helped me along the way!


1. Eat Breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day! 
Examples (Scrabbled eggs without the yoke, Shake, Oatmeal, Cereal or yogurt) Avoid eating fast-food versions of breakfast take-out. It looks healthy but its all in the appearance and not to mention the preparation methods are not always forthcoming.

2. Eliminate sugar and rich dairy products from your diet.
That means soft drinks i.e. Cola, white sugar (can be substituted with honey, brown sugar or fig sugar), no candy, chips and ice cream.
Dairy products: thick cream, 3% milk, yogurt brands with added sweeteners (can be substituted with skim milk, 1 to 2% milk, just keep it light) and read the ingredients. If you don't know what it is don't buy it!


3. Snack, have 3 to 5 meals a day
Have smaller meals more often, having 3 meals a day isn't enough for calorie count. Thats why you might be hungry late at night and have cravings. Please don't misunderstand me you can't just eat whatever you want. Your snacks should be light for example a granola bar, unsalted almonds or mixture of nuts, avocado with chicken (skinless and not fried) or if you are in a rush a power drink (avoid gaterade).

4. Make a Plan 
Plan your meals, figure out what you want to eat. If you don't have a recipe book you are in luck, the internet has many resources for healthy and clean eating.  Here some that I use: 101 Cookbooks by Heidi, Bodyrock.tv by Zuzanna and Frederick and Eating Clean by Zuzanna, they are all free with visual guides.


5. Eat more vegetables 10 to 12 servings a day! 
I know its hard, trust me I speak out of experience. Vegetables, Vegetables its not something you want to eat everyday, but you should. Lunch, Snack and Dinner are the best times of consumption, you can also eat them in the morning with an omelet.

 Don't have time to shop buy frozen vegetables, people say the nutritional value is lost, there have been test that the difference is very minimal.  So go shopping. Not sure which brand to trust read the labels and the ingredienta.  But if you do have time purchase local and or organic products do so.


It feels nice to know what you are buying!

Best,

Rachel

MY WEIGHT JOURNEY

My journey began when my mother told me I should watch what I am eating..okay she told me i was getting obese. Its a scary thought! Instead of hiding in my corner in my room and eat more , I decided to do something about it. Note that other factors encouraged me to start this fitness regime (moving to city-downtown, health reasons, wanting to feel better (mental & physical)). I started to work out in September 2008 I decided to join a Muay Thai gym.

Muay thai is a old martial art from Thailand by using elements such as knees, lebows, kicks, punch, jab...it is great for conditioning 90 minutes in heat 30 degrees (its not as hot as hot yoga but it can, in the summer). Within a 3 months period I lost 15 pounds while working out 3-4 times a week plus running 2km per week. Dedication and frequent work-out.

I started in September 2008 at 175lbs and today I am 145 lbs and I am currently working with a Nutritionist to lose an additional 20 lbs which is going well. I have a weigh in two weeks for January 16, 2009. Eating healthy is not easy I will talk about it in my next post "healthy eating".

If you started working out create a routine and follow through with it. Find a Nutritionist to talk too and get advice, you will lose more weight if you start with a nutrition diet from the beginning. Your health insurance should cover at least 500 dollars, do your research and get references from a personal trainer or athletes. Do not just sign up with anybody.

Raqueio