Five Things Friday

I thought I might try something a little new here on Clean Eating Teen.

I love reading the Five Things Fridays on "Fitting it All In" and wanted to give it a shot! I think it is a fun and unique way to give a little versatility to my blog, and to give you guys some insight on my life and thinking.

I won't be doing the exact same format as Clare, but instead just post five things that I find worth sharing! :)

Five New Things I am Trying


LOL NOT MY CAR. 

Driving 

I get my license in June, and right now have a learners permit. Watch out Texas... this girl will soon be road-bound!

Macro Counting 

I talked about this in a recent post. So far things have been going alright, with a few bumps... for instance, I miscalculated something yesterday and my numbers were a bit off.

Today marks the beginning of my THIRD week counting macros. Lets hope I master the skill soon.


Foam Rolling 

No need to explain here! I started a month or so ago to help loosen my muscles, aid in recovery, and overall let me have a farther range of motion to squat and such. So far I am really liking it!

Not Weighing Myself

Okay, so maybe this has not taken full effect yet...

It's a work in progress.

I really am trying to focus more on how I am FEELING versus how much I weigh. It plays with my head too much. I don't know if I have gained muscle (which is ideal) or not, and I can easily get upset. I want to give up the scale for good!

Traveling

I am SUPER excited to be visiting my best friend Abby from Yes to Yummy in June. I will be traveling for the first time ever and couldn't be more thrilled. I am counting down the days until I get to see Abby and have the best time of my life cooking, learning, and having fun with her!!

Five of my Favorite Foods


Nut butters.
Like, is this even a question? I think I have made it very clear of my nut butter obsession...

Indian food.
I have made own versions before, but they don't really stand against the stuff I get at the Indian or Middle Eastern restaurants. I don't know though, everything Indian over at Everyday Maven seems even better than going out...

Fruit.
Oh geez. I WISH I could just be fruititarian, but I don't think that would do my body any justice. My favorites are bananas, red apples, and most berries. But in all honesty I couldn't care less what kind of fruit it is, I'd eat it! 
Sweet potato/winter squash.

Again, many a recipe has been posted here on Clean Eating Teen with acorn squash!! Oh jeez. I TOTALLY fell in love with Kabocha squash... I took that fad and ran with it.


Super unhealthy, artificially sweetened frosting from the Target bakery. 
Okay... so I have a secret. Well, I guess not a secret anymore.
But I use to have an addiction. To thick, neon colored, artificially flavored frosting. I remember when I was young, and I would walk into Target and ask for some free frosting that they had leftover from making cakes or whatever.
Of course, I don't eat this NOW! I can totally make my own frosting, which tastes just as great. But the fake stuff will always have a special place in my heart.

Five Songs I've Been Loving

Living Room- Tegan and Sara

If you don't know Tegan and Sara, climb out from under your rock and FIND THEM. The most naturally talented duo I have ever seen... than you Taylor for loving them, and making me love them!

ANYTHING John Meyer 

I guess I am late on joining this bandwagon but uh, I get it now!

Talk Dirty- Jason Derulo  

I usually hate anything "pop" music related. But for some reason, this song is my jam. Great for leg day!

Dark Horse- 10 Second Song Version 

I just found this video via my personal Facebook page and ITS AMAZING!

Cruise- Florida Georgia Line 

This song is older than I thought? It came out in 2012 apparently. But in any case, I love the band and think they have a great sound. I am a fan of country in general and this is a nice modern twist on it.


How are you enjoying this Friday?

Natalie

Is Stevia Healthy? NuNaturals Review and GIVEAWAY!

When I asked NuNaturals if they would let me sample some of their products a while back, I was pleasantly surprised!

I was given to opportunity to review some of their newest products, which are gluten free and of course, sugar free.

These products are a really innovative way to enjoy treats without added calories, or fake/artificial sweeteners. The main idea that I LOVE about NuNaturals is that they never use fake or artificial sugars in their products.

Before now, I had never tried Stevia. I was a bit wary at first, but I added a few drops to my almond milk and was SHOCKED by the results! I added some of their Vanilla Stevia to almond milk. Only a few drops sweetened an entire glass.



I experimented farther and used the Vanilla Stevia to sweeten some Acorn Squash brownies that I made. Let it be said that I polished off the pan in 48 hours.

In the brownies, I also used Oat Fiber that they sent me. From the information on their site, the oat fiber is produced from a chemical free process (less chemicals=bonus points in my book.)



Basically, you can use it similarly to how you would use flour in a regular recipe. However, the oat fiber is calorie free. You can also add it to things like oatmeal or shakes when you want to boost the amount of fiber you are eating.

I personally would not use oat flour as the only source of dry ingredients in a recipe. While it gives volume and has health benefits, I still need to remember I am staying away from grains that are not properly prepared. I doubt these oats were soaked before being turned into the fiber... plus, as "chemical free" and "natural" as they claim to be, it is still a food that had been processed.

Instead, I recommend using the fiber alongside other flours (I used mostly coconut flour in my brownies, but added a TBSP of oat flour too).

This being said, I also am aware of both sides of the Stevia arguement...
Is it healthy?
Or unhealthy? 

I can see relevancy on both sides of the spectrum. For example:

"For diabetics, using stevia may be a good way to manage blood sugar levels while not completely omitting the sweet flavor from your life. Stevia has been used as a sugar substitute since the 1970′s in Japan without any known adverse effects, and it constitutes 40% of their total sweetener consumption.

One study showed that not only is stevia a good sugar substitute, but it may actually help to treat insulin resistance. (source)

In another small study, 60 hypertension patients experienced significant reduction in blood pressure after being give the active ingredient of stevia. (source)."

From Holistic Squid

This suggests that Stevia has positive health benefits. 

VS

"Stevia Taxes the Adrenals: 

"Stevia is “sweet” on the palate, so the body assumes it is receiving sugar and primes itself to do so. Glucose is cleared from the bloodstream and blood sugars drop, but no real sugar/glucose is provided to the body to compensate. When this happens, adrenaline and cortisol surge to mobilize sugar from other sources (liver and muscle glycogen, or protein, or body tissue) to bring blood glucose back up." (Source)

Stevia Has a Hormonal Structure:

"Steviol glycosides are synthesized in the same pathway and end up being structurally very similar to the plant hormones gibberellin and kaurene.  This means that steviol glycosides have a hormone structure… There is evidence that steviol glycosides have contraceptive effects in both males and females.  In particular, one specific steviol glycoside, called stevioside, has been shown to have potent contraceptive properties in female rats, implying that stevia may have an impact on estrogen, progesterone or both." "

From Empowered Sustenence

This, on the other hand, gives information for rather frightening Stevia effects. 

So... what is the answer? In my opinion, I feel most comfortable using natural sweeteners such as raw honey, molasses, pure maple syrup, and fruit (all of which I KNOW are healthy).

However, in moderation, I still think that Stevia can be used in a perfectly healthy diet with no side effects. What this means for you might be different than what it means for me...i.e. I might bake with Stevia 1/3 of the time, and with other sweeteners the other 2/3. 

 

Now... for the GIVEAWAY!

NuNaturals is giving away

 (1) one bottle of each of the Lemon / Cherry Vanilla / Peppermint Flavored Stevia Liquids,

 PLUS a 50 packet box of our NuStevia White Stevia Powder packets. 

 PLUS A BONUS PRODUCT

to FOUR Clean Eating Teen readers!

THIS IS OPEN WORLDWIDE!

Ending on 3/29/14

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

If you don't win, or still want to purchase something, NuNaturals is also offering a  15%discount to Clean Eating Teen readers.

Enter the discount code: BLG0614

(Expires June 30th, so hurry!)

Tell me... do you use Stevia?

Natalie

 

Food Roundup!

Check out my last Food Roundup here!


Breakfast:


Was inspired by this faux oatmeal by Heather at Soulful Spoon!  It is made with toasted coconut in place of oats, and then mixed with pumpkin.


Paleo flatbread with veggies and avocado.



Found a new obsession! Roasted carrots!


Some wild caught salmon from my moms boss, when he went on an Alaska fishing trip.

Lunch:

Roasted butternut squash and veggies!


Another obsession. Roasted sweet potato! These cook so much quicker than baked. Add some cinnamon... YES!


More Paleo bread, with egg and veggies and a side of almond milk.


A lunch at one of the few places I like to eat at, Jasons Deli. I usually get a plain baked potato and load it up with goodies. It looks gross but tasted great... trust me.


Using sprouted lentils and quinoa to make a variantion of my lentil quinoa squash stew. 

Dinner:

A glob of mustard, veggies, and chicken. I need to learn to take prettier pictures...




Grilled Ahi Tuna


Turkey stew with avocado and uh. Mustard.


Grilled turkey leg.


YES! More roasted sweet potato, with tuna and veggies. And homemade mayo!

Snack/Dessert:
I fear I have been eating more of these lately. At least they're healthy! 


I tried out a gluten free dessert from Pure Market Express. It was not bad. The ingredients list is also pretty good, except the agave nectar could be taken out and replaced with honey.


Frozen banana with honey and melted 100% chocolate

Frozen banana with some Acorn Squash brownie!


LOOK AT THESE AVOCADOS!! They are the size of my head. My grandpa from Florda shipped them to me. Florida doesn't mess around with produce!!

What have you been eating lately?

Natalie

Acorn Squash Brownies

This post is part of Tasty Tuesday Linkup on Lean Lena!

Recently, I was sent some products from NuNaturals Stevia to test out. These brownies were the first thing that I made with the samples!

I have made brownies before without Stevia. I usually do not use the stuff, as I will discuss in a later post. But I feel that in moderation it is fine. Plus, it was fun to test out in a recipe!

 

So you might be wondering how the acorn squash plays in with these brownies.

 

It is no secret that I love the stuff, but sometimes I will bake them and they just don't taste right.

 

It is a bummer because I spend that entire hour of the squash in the oven with my mind and tastebuds dreaming about that sweet, delicious flesh of the wonderful winter squash.

 

Too bad this squash didn't taste sweet! They were more bland than anything. So instead of wasting the squash, I figured it would make a nice base for some other recipe, just as bananas or pumpkins do.

 

 

Acorn Squash Brownies

Yields one small pan

 

1/2 medium acorn squash flesh, seeds removed

1/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2 TBSP coconut flour

1 TBSP oat flour (I used NuNaturals brand)

1 TBSP ground flaxseed

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup walnuts (or nuts of choice)

1-2 pieces dark chocolate, crumbled in the mix

1 egg

dash of almond milk

1 dropper full of Vanilla Stevia

TBSP cinnamon

dash of sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 350.

 

Warning... the brownie mix looks like a giant turd pile!!

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth, then transfer over to a small brownie pan.

 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top has darkened and is firm (but not hard).

 

Drizzle with more honey if desired!!

 

 

Have you used Stevia?

What is your favorite brownie recipe?

 

Natalie  

Food Roundup!

What has this Clean Eater been eating lately? Check out some of my latest meals below!

Don't forget to follow my other sites to see my pictures the day I take them!
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Breakfast:

Paleo Rosemary Flatbread with eggs,hot sauce, tomatoes, probably some mustard in there too.


Lettuce wraps with avocado, egg, sprouted quinoa

Apple with homemade Almond Walnut Butter! And almond milk.

Eggs with mustard, chopped celery, onion, topped with the nooch! Kinda like an egg salad.
Lunch:

Sauteed veggies.

Uh... more sauteed veggies! some Tomato paste added at the end, and some browned turkey meat too.
Dinner:

Crockpot lentil quinoa stew, made with SPROUTED lentils and quinoa.

Grilled chicken with sauteed veggies and a small acorn squash. 

A baked sweet potato, with leftover turkey meat and veggies.

Turkey Crockpot Stew with mustard and nooch!

Sprouted black eyed peas!

Yum... Lentil and Sweet Potato Shepards Pie!
Snack:

A former greek yogurt addict, I have discovered I am intolorant to dairy. I have cut it out completely for nearly a year, but have started incooperating greek yogurt no more than 1x a week.

The way I figure it... it is better to eat the REAL thing (I am not feeling any bad side effects yet) than to eat the fake stuff with lots of added ingredients.

Dessert:

A frozen banana with some tahini, dipped in 100% cocoa melted chocolate!


What have you been eating lately? 

Natalie 

Jojo and Paul's Hummus RECIPE + A Late Thanksgiving Recap

A picture of the recipe!! 

Hey there Clean Eaters!!

I know it is already past November (but not to late to participate in the challenge!), but I still feel the need to recap my awesome Turkey Day!!

I also am including an awesome recipe from my cousins, Jojo and Paul!

Thursday:

We woke up that morning, and I did an awesome leg workout to start the day off right. We headed out to my grandmother's house, about an hours drive away, in East Texas. We were going to be staying until Saturday, because there was another family get together that day that we all were going to.

Because the Saturday get together was going to be bigger, we decided to not do much for Thursday. It was going to just be my mom, sister, uncle, grandmother and I on Thanksgiving day, so there really was no need to do anything special food wise when Saturday would make up for it!

Anyways, I made a dish for myself (and the others, if they wanted it!) while everyone else had squash and broccoli casserole, some quick make stuffing, and mashed potatoes. My grandmother ordered half a smoked turkey from a local barbecue shop (SO DELICIOUS!). Dessert was some Mary Calender pie.

Like I wrote about in my "Healthy Thanksgiving" guide, many home made dishes are indeed, not so "home made". All these items had such processed, pre-made, and canned ingredients (trust me, I helped my grandmother make them). I was more than happy to make some separate, whole food items for myself and anyone else who wanted it.

My dinner was half an acorn squash stuffed with a raisin-pecan stuffing, and some turkey! 

Saturday:

That morning, I woke up and did a shoulder and cardio workout before heading out to the get together.

My breakfast was simple, lettuce wraps with some egg and leftover turkey. 

I was SUPER excited to get to see all the family and friends at the party! I knew at least some dishes I could enjoy, because my whole-food enthusiast cousins, Jojo and Paul, always bring healthy stuff.

Seriously... these guys are AMAZING. Paul used to be a chef, for one thing! They also make their own jams and hot sauces, pictured above (from the fruit off their own fruit trees, and the vegetables from their own garden!!).

They are on a new kick, involving sprouts. They brought in a giant sprout salad made of tons of sprout varieties... they even had broccoli sprouts! The dressing was wonderful, a blend of tomatoes and basil with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. They also brought some goat cheese spreads, which I sampled (I don't think my stomach liked it too much after the fact. Darn lactose intolerance!)

Oh, did I mention they pickle their vegetables too?

My plate ended up looking like this: A leg from the turkey (I actually ended up eating both...), some sprout salad, pickled veggies and hummus, and some goat cheese topped with some of my cousin's home made jam!

AWFUL picture. I know.

I also decided to treat myself. Paul made a coconut cake... an incredibly non-healthy one at that. He used sugar, regular butter, and other milk products... things I ALWAYS steer clear away from.

However, I eat 100% clean and healthy 365 days a year. You know my feelings towards the 80/20 rule, and how "moderation" doesn't work for me. So if I ever crave a sweet, I make my own healthy version... but, this cake was not processed. Sure, he used sugar... but it wasn't the fake, harmful kind. Yes it had other ingredients I didn't agree with, but you know what? It was anything BUT something that I could buy from the store, full of chemicals.

So... I had some! Boy, was it yummy. However, my stomach SERIOUSLY didn't agree. I actually woke up the next day vomiting (sorry for TMI, but I speak the truth here on Clean Eating Teen!)

Kinda just goes to show that your body KNOWS what is good for it, and what isn't, huh? ;)

Now, on to the recipe I promised!! This is the recipe for the hummus Jojo and Paul brought.

Jojo and Paul's Hummus

4 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
process first in food processor to chop garlic fine.

2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (good store brand or Progresso) drained but reserve liquid.
1/4 cup tahini (important do not leave out)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lemon

Process with garlic in food processor until smooth adding reserved garbanzo liquid as needed to get desired consistency.

And there you have it folks!! A recap of my awesome Thanksgiving, plus a super yummy recipe that I suggest trying NOW. It is so much cheaper, and tastier, than buying store bought. It is even better than my past hummus recipes! 

How was your Thanksgiving? What did you eat?

Have you ever made your own hummus?

Natalie 

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