Spicy Avo Deviled Eggs

Whether you are celebrating Passover or Easter, it's egg season.  Eggs are everywhere you turn!  Our fridge has 3 dozen eggs in it as we speak.  (Nearly EVERY matzah dish requires them).

A favorite springtime recipe of mine is Deviled Eggs.  They remind me of warm weather, picnics and spending time with family and friends.  Think about it, how often do you whip up deviled eggs just for yourself?  Never!  They are the ultimate bring to a picnic to share food. And if you are sharing this dish made with love with your friends, why not keep their health in mind?  I feel there's nothing worse than going to a gathering and being horrified by all the unhealthy food.  (The granola health coach in me takes it personally...Ahhhh! Don't you want me to be healthy?!)  I love this version of the recipe because it uses avocado and greek yogurt instead of that awful ingredient, mayo.  (DIY: Commercially made mayonnaise may contain sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, thickeners, emulsifiers, EDTA, flavor enhancers, and water.) 
  

 Spicy Avo Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 12 eggs- hard-boiled
• 1 avocado
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• Juice from 1 lime (I never have limes and substituted a lemon...which seemed to work out fine)
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne (I also accidentally used 1/2 tsp cayenne...I'm a disaster in the kitchen.  They still turned out fine.)
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• Paprika to make them fancy

Directions


1. Slice each hard-boiled egg in half lengthwise and very carefully scoop out the yolk.
2. Place the yolks in a bowl, and then peel and chop the avocado. Add it to the bowl with the yolks, then add the rest of the ingredients except for the garnish.
3. Use a fork to mix everything together until it is well combined and has a thick consistency.
4. If you are fancy, use a piping bag to fill each egg with the filling.  I am not fancy and used a spoon. 
5. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.


*This recipe is adapted from Wellness Today.


I'd love to hear your favorite healthy version of a deviled egg recipe!  Leave it in the comment love below.  Don't forget to swing by the Motivated Nutrition webpage for more recipes and inspiration! 


In eggcellent health,

Joanie

www.motivatednutrition.net
joanie@motivatednutrition.net

Homemade Granola Sundae

I love granola.  We're talking about an I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack on it all day kind of love.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with my adoration of junky breakfast cereal.  I know it's terrible and packed full of unhealthy, over processed ingredients, but if it's in front of me, I can't help myself!  Cereal is my ultimate comfort food.  Instead of moping around feeling all deprived, I've discovered granola is cereal's healthy big brother.  And homemade granola is the bomb as far as nutrition goes.  I get to choose what goodies go in and can control the amount of sugar.  My homemade granola wins over my husband's sugar coated mini wheat's any day!  That's huge progress for me.

I cooked up a new batch yesterday and wanted to share the recipe.  This is shell of a a very forgiving recipe.  It's different every time I make it depending on how stocked my bulk items are so feel free to mix, match and make your own magic.  I like to call it a granola sundae!  It's takes about an hour in the oven and waiting for it is honestly the hardest part.  I may have burned my mouth trying to eat it right off the pan because I was so impatient.   

Homemade Granola Sundae

Homemade Granola Sundae

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup of nuts of your choice (I used almonds, pistachios, cashews and Brazil nuts)
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (sometimes I like to use coconut oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup of natural maple syrup 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit(s) of your choice 

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.   
3. Combine all ingredients except the egg white and dried fruit in a large bowl, mixing well.
4. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until frothy, then stir evenly into the granola mixture.
5. Spread and flatten the granola across the baking sheet and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. After 25 min, use a spatula to carefully flip over large sections, trying to keep large chunks of it together.  Place back into the oven for an additional 25 min. Oven times vary
7. Remove when you see the granola is evenly browned and feels dry to the touch. Transfer onto a cooling rack (or in my case, my counter-top)  to cool.  Don't be tempted to eat it yet!  It's really hot! 
8. Once it's cool, break it up and mix in your dried fruit(s).

*This recipe is adapted from one of my favorites, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  The author, Deb Perelman is my small kitchen cooking hero.  http://smittenkitchen.com/


I'd love to hear what your favorite granola additions are!  Leave them in the comment love below.  And check out the Motivated Nutrition webpage for more recipes and inspiration! 


In crunchy granola health,

Joanie

www.motivatednutrition.net
joanie@motivatednutrition.net

Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

#HealthUpYourHome

Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

August Pin-Up: Bulk Food

 

I can spend hours on my Pinterest page pinning kitchen organization "porn".  I'm not going to lie, the inside of my cabinets have labels on them  (Micah made me hide them off to the side because he was embarrassed.)  and I go crazy for little containers and drawer separators.  Not exactly the "porn" you had in mind?  

I recently scored these lovely glass containers and have been excitedly filling them with bulk item goodies like brown rice, quinoa, barley, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and steel cut oats.  It's one way to ensure that I always have a staple on hand for dinner.  And they are pretty enough to leave out so they aren't taking up all my precious NYC cabinet space.  

I'm working on adding chalk board paint labels to all of them to help lesson the confusion for non-Joanie chef's in the kitchen.  :) 

Do you shop the bulk bins at your grocery store?  What's your favorite item?  What do you always have on hand? Leave your comment below, tweet  (#HealthUpYourHome), or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In bulky health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

Daydream Vacation: Life's a Peach

#StyleMeJuly challenge Day 17 

Daydream Vacation: Life's a Peach

Healthy Tip: When was the last time you took a mid-workday "vacation" to re-energize your brain?   I had 15 minutes between teaching classes today and rushed to the nearest NYC green spot I could find to kick off my shoes and munch on the juicy peach I'd been dreaming about in my bag all morning.  Did you know that taking a "brain break" will increase your productivity?  Next time you think you are too busy to kick off your shoes, eat lunch in the park, take a walk or do jumping jacks in your office, remember that you will get much more done once your brain waves kick back into action.  You'll return to your work with much more focus, clarity and motivation.  Tell your boss I said so.  :)  And eat peach while you're at it.  It's good for you.  

Fashionista Wannabe: Do bare feet count as fashion?  They do today.  Life's a peach.  Kick off your shoes, scrunch your toes in the grass and take a 15 min "vacation".  

In daydreaming health,

Joanie

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

New Yorkers Fight against General Junk and his army of Sugar Soldiers

Last Friday, I held a workshop at PS261 in Brooklyn leading the 1st graders into battle against General Junk and his evil army of Sugar Soldiers.  (Yes, my job IS awesome!)  We learned all about the detrimental effects of sugar on our bodies and how much healthier, stronger and more energetic we are without it.  After 45 min, they were able to tell me that they wanted to drink more water, less soda and wanted their bodies to be healthy and strong.  Ok, so there may have been a little bit of prompting on my part, but they are 7 and able to grasp the basic fundamentals of healthy nutrition. 

My question is, why can't adults do the same?  There has a lot of controversy in the media over Bloomberg's proposed sugar war this week in NYC.  (Read about it here.)  Intelligent adults are in an uproar that he is trying to ban sugary drinks over 16oz.  Do you realize how much sugar is in a 16oz Coke?  7 teaspoons.  Just in case you can't put that into perspective, I measured out 7 tsp for you in the glass above.  The new AHA guidelines recommend a daily maximum of 5 tsp for women, 9 tsp for men, and 3tsp for children.  Maybe the new sugary drink ban should be lowered to 8oz instead of 16. 

Bloomberg is asking New Yorkers to take into consideration the amount of sugar we are putting into our bodies...something we have trouble comprehending on our own.  He also banned smoking in NYC restaurants and put calorie counts on our menus.  Are you going to tell me those were bad ideas?  

When did you last think to yourself upon ordering a "biggie" sized anything, "Oh my!  That's a lot of sugar!"  You didn't.  You won't.  And the ban isn't proposing a limit on how many 16oz sugar loaded drinks you can order.  Most places will probably still give you as many refills as your chemically overloaded body desires.  It just means you have to get up from the table and exercise while walking to the refill station.  Guess what?  When you order a water, they hand you an 8oz cup.  You don't get the option to upgrade.  Ironically the healthier water drinkers take MANY walks back and forth to the refill station while watching all the sugar guzzlers happily gulp away in their zombie-like state.

I'm ranting now.

When a 7yr old can make healthier choices after 45 minutes of battling General Junk's Sugar Soldiers than an adult can make after YEARS of being educated, it tells me we can no longer use the excuse we don't know any better.  The media warns us everyday about the effects of sugar, fat, high calories, etc.  Granted, they are enticing us with high fructose corn syrup dripping from an over sized bacon burger during the commercial break, but it doesn't give us the right to play the victim.  Our society just doesn't want someone else telling us our lifestyle choices are wrong.  

You can be angry and spout sugar comma induced comments, but I'm fighting for your well-being! Instead of complaining against Bloomberg's new ban because it's an "infringement" of human rights, remember that you can still drink as many 16oz bottles of sugary soda as you please.  There's no harm in bringing an awareness to the public. 

Now stop being angry and go drink a glass of water!  

Healthy hugs,

Joanie

Joanie Johnson, CHC

www.motivatednutrition.net

joanie@motivatednutrition.net

New Years Resolution: Magic Hands

For those of you that don't know, I've been traveling through Asia for the last 4 months.   I left NYC in Sept and have traveled through China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.  All that and I've still got 3 more months to go!

As glamourous as it all sounds, being on the go all the time isn't easy.  It's actually pretty stressful and exhausting.  I decided to give myself a "break" that is going to benefit to all of you when I return.  Starting next week, I will begin a 5- week Thai Massage certification in Chang Mai, Thailand.  I can't pass up the opportunity to settle down in one place for awhile AND advance my holistic knowledge with a certification directly from the source. 

I’ll be taking levels 1-5 at the Thai Massage School of Chang Mai. It includes 90 hours of comprehensive study and a 60-hour internship working with special needs children and the senior community.

I’m preselling massages that I’ll give upon my return in mid- late April. Buy ‘em up while I’m selling at Thai prices. As soon as we get back to NYC, I’ll have to switch back into competitive business survival mode!

Buy a few for yourself and while you’re at it, buy a few as gifts! I’ll travel to any of the boroughs in NYC. (Sorry Staten Island and NJ-you don’t count). I’ll be in Meyersdale sometime in April to see family, so PA isn’t left out either. And, (for all you massage newbies out there) Thai massage is done in comfortable clothes, you don’t even have to go through the unsettling experience of getting naked. I’ll meet you at the park, or sit behind you at the movies, or stroll into your office on your lunch hour. You name the place. (Ok. Maybe not the movies, but you catch my drift.)

I’ll offer these prices until April 1. You can pay through the PayPal link (below) and then I’ll reach out to you via email. Help me love you up…Thailand style!

$30 for 30min
$50 for 1hr
$75 for 1.5hrs

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Joanie