Sugar has many names

Sugar is in everything now days. You can find it in pizza, salad dressing, crackers, bread, Soups etc.  
In 2009, the American Heart Association released a statement on how much sugar to eat (rest assured, a little bit of sugar is OK.)
 Most women should eat, or drink, no more than 100 calories per day from added sugar, about 6 teaspoons. For men the cutoff is 150 calories from added sugars, or about 9 teaspoons. As a point of reference, a 12-ounce can of cola contains approximately 130 calories or about 8 teaspoons of added sugar.  This  only applies to sugars that are added to food by consumers or added during manufacturing (that means the sugar added to your crackers, cereal and other packaged foods counts). The naturally occurring sugar in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and dairy doesn’t count.  

I hope it makes you evaluate your sugar intake as a whole. Men should only be getting around 36 grams and women about 24 grams of sugar total per day.

 Here's a list of different names for sugar:

 1. Anhydrous dextrose
2. Agave
3. Agave nectar
4. Beet sugar
5. Brown sugar (light and dark brown)
6. Cane juice
7. Cane juice solids
8. Cane sugar
9. Cane syrup
10. Carob syrup
11. Caster sugar
12. Coconut sugar
13. Confectioners’ sugar
14. Corn syrup
15. Corn syrup solids
16. Crystalline fructose
17. Date sugar
18. Demerara sugar
19. Dextran
20. Dextrose
21. Dehydrated cane juice
22. Evaporated cane juice
23. Evaporated cane syrup
24. Evaporated sugar cane
25. Fructose
26. Fructose crystals
27. Fruit juice crystals
28. Fruit juice concentrate
29. Glazing sugar
30. Glucose
31. Glucose syrup
32. Golden sugar
33. Golden syrup
34. Granulated sugar
35. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
36. Honey
37. Icing sugar
38. Invert sugar
39. Invert syrup
40. King’s syrup
41. Lactose
42. Maple syrup
43. Maple sugar
44. Maltose
45. Malt sugar
46. Malt syrup
47. Molasses
48. Muscovado
49. Nectar
50. Pancake syrup
51. Panocha
52. Powdered sugar
53. Raw sugar
54. Refiners’ syrup
55. Sorghum
56. Sorghum syrup
57. Sucanat
58. Sucrose
59. Sugar
60. Superfine sugar
61. Table sugar
62. Treacle
63. Turbinado sugar
64. White sugar
65. Yellow sugar

*I got this list from Eatingwell.com

Turkey Meat Loaf

Body Beast  Turkey Meatloaf I got this recipe from the Body Beast Workout Program.  I didn't have high hopes.  It surprised us.  This is our favorite meatloaf recipe now.  With turkey low in saturated fat it's also good for you and cheaper then beef right now.  I wanted to keep eating this and skip all the veggies at dinner.  You won't be disappointed.
Ingredients: 2 pounds of lean ground turkey meat 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used panko) 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped ground black pepper to taste  1 cup of all-natural mild or medium salsa 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon sea salt fresh chopped parsley(optional, garnish)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Combine the ground turkey, salsa, whole wheat bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, sea salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Form into the shape of a loaf and place in a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Bake on the center rake of the oven for 60-70 minutes until no longer pink in the middle. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 8 equal pieces.  This can be cooked in a crock pot for four hours on low.

Easy Homemade Larabars

 Who doesn't like saving $$$$.  It's much more cost effective to make your own.  I buy most of my ingredients from Winco in the bulk section.  There is no magic amounts to this recipe.  Be brave and play around with the ingredients till you find your favorites.


LARABARS
Ingredients:
1 cup Pitted Dates
1 cup Unsalted Almonds
2 tbsp. Almond Butter
1 tbsp. Chia Seeds
2 tbsp. Cocoa
a pinch of salt

CHANGING the flavor- 
- unsweetened coconut
- replace almond butter for peanut butter or cashew butter.
- You can use pecans, cashews, I add 1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 walnuts sometimes
- Cacao Nibs, or dark chocolate
- 1tsp Vanilla,
- Lemon or lime juice
- Spices {Cinnamon}
- Banans
- Dried fruit Blueberries, cherries, apricots, craisins
 {play around with it}

If your Dates are old you can either soak them or add water till the ingredients stick together.  

HOW TO MAKE THEM:
- In a food processor chop up almonds until smooth {but not too much to where it beings to start making actual almond butter}, set aside in a bowl
- In a food processor chop together the dates, cocoa powder, chia seeds, almond butter, and pinch of salt. It will want to clump together in a ball while doing so, so just continue to break it up with a spoon and mix more.
- Add back in the almonds and mix up all is smooth together.
- Line an 8×8 dish with parchment {or wax} paper, and press the mix in until even. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take out and cut in to desired size pieces. I make mine a little smaller than the actual Larabars sold, since I don’t feel like I ever need the whole thing. Wrap in press-n-seal, wax paper, whatever you have on hand.
I refrigerator about half my batch and freeze the other half. They will last about 4 days in the fridge, but much longer if frozen. Simply let then thaw out in the fridge before eating the frozen ones!

{{{{Honest truth---Somedays I have zero energy so I put everything in the food processor and mix it, You will get some big chunks of nuts rather then an even chopped batch of them.  BUT I don't mind}}}}

Here are the official LARA Bar flavors

• Apple Pie
• Banana Bread
• Blueberry Muffin
• Carrot Cake
• Cashew Cookie
• Cherry Pie
• Chocolate Chip Brownie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Chocolate Coconut Chew
• Cinnamon Roll
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Ginger Snap
• Key Lime Pie
• Lemon Bar
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
• Peanut Butter Cookie
• Pecan Pie
• Tropical Fruit Tart

 

Oven Roasted Asparagus

This is the best Oven Roasted Asparagus I have ever had.  Oven roasting the asparagus kills the natural bitterness.  This is also good on fresh green beans.

Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 12-15


1 Bunch of Asparagus
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tabelspoons grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Preheat Oven to 425 Degrees (220 degrees C).
Wash asparagus, place everything in a bowl and mix till asparagus are coated. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet.
Cook 12-15 minutes.
Eat while they are still warm.

Pico de Gillo

Pico de Gallo:
- 6 Roma Tomatoes (buy 12 incase your onion is strong)
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 Bunch of Cilantro
- 2 Limes
- 1.5 Tbsp of Salt  (I have used half this amount and it is still good)
- 1 Jalapeño (optional)

Dice the tomatoes and red onion into small cubes (make sure to cut the red onion small to minimize its spicy characteristics!). Rinse your cilantro then finely mince just the leaves. If you want to heat things up, add a jalapeno. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. Squeeze 2 limes on top and stir in  the salt. Mix well and refrigerate salsa.
Enjoy with chips or atop your favorite taco!

Oat Muffins

If you are looking for a healthy muffin recipe, that actually taste good, then look no further.  These are gluten free, clean eating approved, and fast to make. 

Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins
 165-170 calories per muffin

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup plain low fat greek yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas
1 1/2 blueberries (you can always add chocolate chips or raspberries instead)


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.  Blend all ingredients together except the blueberries in a blender or food processor.
Stir in blueberries by hand.
Bake for 10-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.