Summer is not even here and the temperatures are soaring into the 90's. I am not a big fan of doing a lot of cooking during the summer. Hell, why am I lying? I'm not a fan of cooking in the winter, fall, or spring months. So if you are anything like me, you will love this easy breezy, Black Bean Taco, recipe. All of the ingredient's used are organic Trader Joe's brand.
1 (15oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
4 tbsp of shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups of shredded raw spinach
1/2 cup of grated carrots
1/4 cup of salsa (Trader Joe's has so many to choose from. My favorite is the pineapple salsa).
Step 1) Microwave beans for 2 minutes
Step 2) Heat a nonstick pan on medium. Add tortillas one at a time and cook for 1 minute on both sides.
Step 3) Divide beans evenly among tortillas; top each evenly with cheese, spinach, carrot, and salsa.
This recipe makes 2 servings at a fast 254 calories per serving. Now you need little something to compliments the meal. I recommend a glass of Skinnygirl Margarita. ENJOY!!!!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
SUGAR AND SUGAR AND EVERYTHING, NOT SO, SWEET
Hi, Everyone
I would like to start this post off by saying, thank you for the support and love. So many of you have reach out to me via email, text, and even in person, asking about the next post. I'm so thrilled that you are just as excited as I am about spreading the news. I apologize for the delay in post. That thing called, life can get in the way. Therefore, my promise to you is a new post at the beginning of each month. With that being said, lets get down and sweet!!
The sugar industry is one of the biggest money makers in America. The U.S. is the largest supplier of sugar induced food in the world. This includes artificial sweeteners also know as non nutritive sweeteners. Many of these sweeteners are said to be zero calories. But, I am here to tell you that they have calories and a plethora of other shit that could cause major havoc to your health. But, before I talk about artificial sweetener, lets look at how raw sugar is taken from its' natural state to this refined processed shit that you find in the stores. A sugar cane plant, which is all natural, is pressed to extract its' juices. Next, it is spun around to remove the syrup. Then, it is washed and filtered for the removal of non sugar matter and decolorization. (Sugar in its' raw natural state is brown in color, not white.) Finally, the sugar is dried and packaged.
Lets start off with the famous, Splenda. This, highly processed chemical compound, is made by mechanically changing the structure of already, refined sugar. The finished product is called sucralose. It is 600x sweeter that regular sugar. The manufactures named the product Splenda, because it sounded pretty and they knew you would make the purchase. Splenda contains maltodextrin, which is a bulking agent used as a thickener. While the makers of Splenda claim it's a no calorie sweetener, maltodextrin has 12kcal/tblsp. The FDA says that sucralose is 98% pure (pure crap). The other 2% contains a little heavy metal and arsenic. I mean it's only a little bit. Sucralose can cause some major side effect such as, diarrhea, organ and reproductive damage, and decrease in fetal body weight. Now isn't that just SPLENDID!!.
We have all heard of Sweet & Low. This artificial sweetener contains saccharin, which is a petroleum-tar compound. GROSS!! Just an FYI, the human body can not break down saccharin. It's petroleum...duh! It is 300x sweeter than regular sugar. In the 1970's the FDA proposed a ban on Sweet & Low, after lab rats that were fed large amount of the sweetener, contracted bladder cancer. The ban never transcribe into a law and the warning label was dropped in 2000. I guess member of the FDA had something better to do that day in 2000.
And of course, lets not forget the biggest sweetener of them all, Aspartame. This is your NutraSweet and Equal. Aspartame is 200x sweeter than regular sugar. It contains ,large amounts of, an amino acid called phenylalanine. Phenylalanine occurs naturally in our brain. High levels of this amino acid can increase our chances of seizures, depression and schizophrenia. So basically, Aspartame makes you sad and crazy all at the same time. It is found in most of the diet foods on the market...diet sodas, sugar free foods, gums, and yogurts (please read your food labels). The FDA, of course, has set an acceptable daily intake for individuals, at 50mg/kg of body weight. Lets break it down and do the math, so you will have a better understanding. Example: A person weights 120lb. 120lb ÷ 2.2 = 54.5kg (convert pounds to kilograms) 54.5kg x 50mg = 2,725mg ÷ 24hr = 113.5mg a day. That's about two to three 12oz cans of diet soda. WOW, is all I have to say. These guidelines are the same for pregnant and lactating women. Now you and your child have an EQUAL opportunity to become depressed and crazy. Aspartame, when ingested, travels through your body and deposits in your body tissues. (When I use the word deposit, think of a saving account that you can't touch. You deposit money into the account and it just sits there and accumulates...Aspartame). Side effects of Aspartame include, but are not limited to blurred vision, tinnitus, migraine headaches, tremors, insomnia, heart palpitations, diarrhea, weight gain, and sever PMS.
With all of this gut wrenching information that I just vomited out, I will not end this post without giving you better options to choose from. There so many real, natural, organic, healthy sweeteners out there to tantalize your taste buds. All natural sweeteners come from plants or bees. They contain micronutrenits (vitamins and minerals) that regulate and balance electrolytes in our bodies. And most importantly, they are not processed. Sugar in the Raw, is a great natural sweetener weighting in at 15cal/tsp. And it is just that, sugar in its raw form, not processed. Agave nectar is fabulous. It is the nectar of an agave plant. Another great benefit is its' low glycemic index, which is great for diabetics. It is great in tea (hot or cold), on pancakes or waffles (instead of syrup). You can top a nice bowl of fruit off with a touch of nectar. Other natural sugars include organic honey, organic maple syrup, organic beet sugar, organic molasses, organic brown rice sugar, and Stevia. All of the great sweetener can be found at your local Farmers Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
This post was not written to scare you, but to bring awareness to what you are feeding your body. The more you know the more you will grow into your healthier, self. Be healthy, be happy and stay SWEET!!
Your SkinniMini :-)
I would like to start this post off by saying, thank you for the support and love. So many of you have reach out to me via email, text, and even in person, asking about the next post. I'm so thrilled that you are just as excited as I am about spreading the news. I apologize for the delay in post. That thing called, life can get in the way. Therefore, my promise to you is a new post at the beginning of each month. With that being said, lets get down and sweet!!
The sugar industry is one of the biggest money makers in America. The U.S. is the largest supplier of sugar induced food in the world. This includes artificial sweeteners also know as non nutritive sweeteners. Many of these sweeteners are said to be zero calories. But, I am here to tell you that they have calories and a plethora of other shit that could cause major havoc to your health. But, before I talk about artificial sweetener, lets look at how raw sugar is taken from its' natural state to this refined processed shit that you find in the stores. A sugar cane plant, which is all natural, is pressed to extract its' juices. Next, it is spun around to remove the syrup. Then, it is washed and filtered for the removal of non sugar matter and decolorization. (Sugar in its' raw natural state is brown in color, not white.) Finally, the sugar is dried and packaged.
Lets start off with the famous, Splenda. This, highly processed chemical compound, is made by mechanically changing the structure of already, refined sugar. The finished product is called sucralose. It is 600x sweeter that regular sugar. The manufactures named the product Splenda, because it sounded pretty and they knew you would make the purchase. Splenda contains maltodextrin, which is a bulking agent used as a thickener. While the makers of Splenda claim it's a no calorie sweetener, maltodextrin has 12kcal/tblsp. The FDA says that sucralose is 98% pure (pure crap). The other 2% contains a little heavy metal and arsenic. I mean it's only a little bit. Sucralose can cause some major side effect such as, diarrhea, organ and reproductive damage, and decrease in fetal body weight. Now isn't that just SPLENDID!!.
We have all heard of Sweet & Low. This artificial sweetener contains saccharin, which is a petroleum-tar compound. GROSS!! Just an FYI, the human body can not break down saccharin. It's petroleum...duh! It is 300x sweeter than regular sugar. In the 1970's the FDA proposed a ban on Sweet & Low, after lab rats that were fed large amount of the sweetener, contracted bladder cancer. The ban never transcribe into a law and the warning label was dropped in 2000. I guess member of the FDA had something better to do that day in 2000.
And of course, lets not forget the biggest sweetener of them all, Aspartame. This is your NutraSweet and Equal. Aspartame is 200x sweeter than regular sugar. It contains ,large amounts of, an amino acid called phenylalanine. Phenylalanine occurs naturally in our brain. High levels of this amino acid can increase our chances of seizures, depression and schizophrenia. So basically, Aspartame makes you sad and crazy all at the same time. It is found in most of the diet foods on the market...diet sodas, sugar free foods, gums, and yogurts (please read your food labels). The FDA, of course, has set an acceptable daily intake for individuals, at 50mg/kg of body weight. Lets break it down and do the math, so you will have a better understanding. Example: A person weights 120lb. 120lb ÷ 2.2 = 54.5kg (convert pounds to kilograms) 54.5kg x 50mg = 2,725mg ÷ 24hr = 113.5mg a day. That's about two to three 12oz cans of diet soda. WOW, is all I have to say. These guidelines are the same for pregnant and lactating women. Now you and your child have an EQUAL opportunity to become depressed and crazy. Aspartame, when ingested, travels through your body and deposits in your body tissues. (When I use the word deposit, think of a saving account that you can't touch. You deposit money into the account and it just sits there and accumulates...Aspartame). Side effects of Aspartame include, but are not limited to blurred vision, tinnitus, migraine headaches, tremors, insomnia, heart palpitations, diarrhea, weight gain, and sever PMS.
With all of this gut wrenching information that I just vomited out, I will not end this post without giving you better options to choose from. There so many real, natural, organic, healthy sweeteners out there to tantalize your taste buds. All natural sweeteners come from plants or bees. They contain micronutrenits (vitamins and minerals) that regulate and balance electrolytes in our bodies. And most importantly, they are not processed. Sugar in the Raw, is a great natural sweetener weighting in at 15cal/tsp. And it is just that, sugar in its raw form, not processed. Agave nectar is fabulous. It is the nectar of an agave plant. Another great benefit is its' low glycemic index, which is great for diabetics. It is great in tea (hot or cold), on pancakes or waffles (instead of syrup). You can top a nice bowl of fruit off with a touch of nectar. Other natural sugars include organic honey, organic maple syrup, organic beet sugar, organic molasses, organic brown rice sugar, and Stevia. All of the great sweetener can be found at your local Farmers Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
This post was not written to scare you, but to bring awareness to what you are feeding your body. The more you know the more you will grow into your healthier, self. Be healthy, be happy and stay SWEET!!
Your SkinniMini :-)
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