Garbanzo Bean Blondie

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I went to a juicery the other day and had this amazing blondie.  I asked them what was in it and the moment they said garbanzo beans and almond butter, I had to try and recreate it.  Beans are something I do not advocate eating if you have not prepared them correctly, which means soaking in an acidic environment first.  Beans are a great source of fiber, and fiber is great for supporting healthy gut bacteria, binding free hormones, and eliminating cholesterol.  So, it can be worth the effort if you decide to prep them!
Garbanzo Bean Blondies
Ingredients:
16oz garbanzo beans
3/4 cup nut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.  Blend all the ingredients together besides the chocolate chips.  Mix in the chocolate after it’s blended.  Spread in the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing.  Store in the fridge.

Free Ways to Assess Your Health Status

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I write articles all the time (and read articles all the time) that talk about how to diagnose your problems, or recognize the root cause of your health issues, etc.  But how do you know if you are healthy?  This can be a fleeting concept for people because we are taught that if you don’t have a model body, perfectly thick hair, flawless skin, a sharp mind, perfect poop, and are happier than a clam everyday that you must have something that is unhealthy about you.  I am not denying that there are clues that one can find in these concepts, but the reality is, NO ONE is “perfect” 100% of the time!  So, how do you assess whether you are healthy or whether you should probably address your issues?

You don’t necessarily need to spend money on bloodwork to asses how healthy you are.  Those numbers can give you interesting insight into a snapshot of what’s happening on the inside, but you get signs every day, multiple times a day that could tell you some really important things! Here are some free ways to asses your health:

  1. Stool- Your poop can tell you a lot about your digestion!  Your gut and digestion is such a huge part of your health, that how things come out the other end can be really indicative as to whether you are functioning optimally.
  2. Urine– Along those same lines, you urine is a good indicator for how your detoxification systems are working and especially your kidneys.  Your urine should be a clear, light yellow with no odor.  If your urine is dark, you may be dehydrated or even have small amounts of blood in the urine.  If you have a terrible odor that isn’t due to eating asparagus, then you may have underlying issues.  If your pee is cloudy, you may have an infection.
  3. Strength– One of the standard tests I would perform on patients to assess where their core strength landed was a plank.  If you can’t hold a plank for 1 minute or side planks for 45 seconds, then you are lacking in core strength.  This is huge because maintaining core strength indicates huge health predictors in terms of quality of life.  Muscle maintenance and strength often dictates if someone ends up in a nursing home.  You are doing great if you can do this.  If not, you are probably not ideal for basic health status from a musculoskeletal standpoint.
  4. Menstrual Cycle– Another great indicator of health coming from down below!  Normal menstruation is indicative of normal hormone levels.  Hormones rule the world and hormonal imbalance is a major part of many issues that women face in the health arena such as PCOS, fertility, thyroid function, cancer, and autoimmune disease.  You should have a predictable cycle, virtually no PMS or cramping, and while it is there, you shouldn’t feel like it being there alters your daily life too much.
  5.  Energy levels– I’m not suggesting you should feel like you’re hyped up on caffeine all day everyday, but you should wake up feeling rested, you should have energy throughout the day and your levels of fatigue should be easily addressed with more sleep, a nap, or food intake.  If they are more relenting to the point where you feel like a zombie daily, never feel rested, or you feel like you could sleep for a week straight and still not be caught up, then we have a problem.  Listen to this.
  6. Sleep– Do you fall asleep easily?  Do you sleep through the night?  Do you wake up rested?  Then you’re good to go!  If not, then you may have some underlying health issues or lifestyle issues that are keeping you from optimal health.
  7. Emergency contacts– Yup.  Having people in your close circle is an indicator of health status.  If you have close relationships with a couple people that you can turn to, then your mental and emotional health AND physiological health will be better than your counterparts.  If you don’t have people close to you, then building some real friendships will instantly enhance your health.

This information isn’t rocket science, but it is extremely insightful!  Hope it helps you healthy folks out there feel better about your status.  If you aren’t in that group, then hopefully it gave you insight as to whether or not there are things you can use to assess how you are improving as you implement changes!

Meyer Lemon Gummies (2 ingredients)

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There can never be enough opportunity to get more gelatin in your diet!  It’s an amazing soft tissue healer and sometimes bone broth can be inconvenient.  I still think bone broth is essential but this is a great addition to the repitoire. If you make these for kids, you may want to add a couple Tbsp of honey to make them a little sweeter.  I happen to like lemon!
Meyer Lemon Gummies
Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice
2 1/2 Tbsp gelatin
Directions:
Place the lemon juice in a sauce pan on low and add the gelatin.  Stir until completely dissolved and pour into containers or molds and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Remove and enjoy!  I keep mine in the fridge.

Meyer Lemon Muffins

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When Meyer lemons are in season, you take full advantage!  I went through an entire bag in 2 days!  They are different from regular lemons in the sense that are sweeter and almost a cross between a lemon and an orange?  So, they tend to be a good option for baking. These muffins have no nuts, so that’s a plus for those that may be allergic or trying to save money.  They are pretty high in protein because of the egg content, but keep in mind these are still a treat!
Meyer Lemon Muffins
Ingredients:
2/3 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk
zest from 2 lemons
1/ cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Place all the ingredients, except the butter, in a bowl and mix until blended.  Once blended, start to slowly add the butter until incorporated.  Place in silicone lined muffin tins and bake for 22 minutes.

Is All the Sacrifice Worth It? A Lesson from a Patient Who Died

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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I saw this quote somewhere a couple weeks ago and thought “that’s pretty profound.” My mind kept coming back to it, because I obviously can’t control my thoughts. I started to ask myself some questions:
How does someone live like they will die tomorrow? They would probably get rid of all responsibility and eat whatever, do whatever, take major risks, spend all their money, etc. But what happens if they don’t die tomorrow? Then they are screwed! So, is it possible to live like you were to die tomorrow and still have life be great tomorrow if you do wake up?

That led me to my story about a patient. I will call him Bob. Bob was a diabetic and came to me because he wanted off of his medication. Bob did amazing in my program, got off his meds, reversed his diabetes (type II), and couldn’t have been happier. In order to do this, Bob had to change some things that had become habitual in his life and maybe partake in certain indulgences a little less often.

The following year I get an update on Bob. He died. Not due to his health, but in a car accident. When considering the quote above, I asked myself “I wonder if he still would have done my program if he had known he would die the next year?” After all, he did give up some convenience, some indulgence, and some comfortable habits to improve his health, but he likely would have still survived past that year without changing a thing. I’ll never know the answer to that question.

This is often an argument I hear in regards to healthy habits. What if I die tomorrow? We will all die of something. I ask “What if you don’t?” Are you willing to sacrifice your ability to live a good quality of life later for the excessive amount of pleasure today?
I could ask this same question about money. If you spend it all this year because you never know about the next, what happens when next year comes and there’s no money?! But what if next year doesn’t come and you saved every dime and didn’t enjoy things as much as you could?!

It’s balance. You want some indulgence, some excitement, some pleasure, but not at the loss of your ability to experience that over a lifetime. You also don’t want to limit pleasure in hopes you will live forever. Because the truth is, you really just don’t know when your last day will be.

When I work with patients, it’s always been about creating an unwritten balance. Not in the way of “if I eat a salad, then I can have this donut” because that’s not the point. It’s about creating balance within a LIFESTYLE that allows you to enjoy today AND tomorrow. When people end up on my doorstep, many times it’s because they have recently realized that tomorrow will and did come, and they didn’t live yesterday in a way that will make a pleasant quality of life in the future. I want people to indulge, to experience pleasure, to create excitement in their senses, but I also want them here doing the same thing tomorrow, next week, next year, and for their lifetime. Unfortunately, there is no known way that one can live like they will die tomorrow and not have a rude awakening in the morning. So, seize your moments and enjoy life as if it is short but remember how much sweeter life will be if you can do these things for a lifetime and not just one day.

*geeky side note: When teaching physiology, we would always go over a concept of sensory adaptation, and we have all experienced it. You walk into a smelly room and in 5 minutes, you don’t notice is nearly as much, if at all. Or you order a piece of cheesecake for dessert and you take a bite and go to heaven. By the time you reach bite 4 or 5, you are actually not that excited about it and are just eating it because it’s there. The culinary world knows the magic happens on the first couple bites. That’s why they create small plates and dessert shooters. They want you to leave with the pleasure and desire for MORE, but it actually decreases your pleasure when you do have more! Sensory adaptation is the ultimate temptress, the tease, the thing that everybody loves to experience. Biology ultimately tells us that this heightened pleasure is NOT prolonged. However, it can be experienced over and over if there is enough gap in between. In the long run, this creates a lifetime of pleasure instead of continued behavior that never quite reaches the dopamine surge of the first bite. Food for thought.

Strawberry Banana Breakfast Bowl

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We have all probably heard about acai bowls at some point in our life, and they are super tasty!  However, acai is not the most convenient ingredient to get ahold of.  The concept of a smoothie in a bowl topped with goodness is not one that must be reserved for acai.  This is the same concept with more readily gained ingredients.  Drink it through a straw or eat it with a spoon, the power is in your hands.
Strawberry Banana Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients:
1/2 frozen banana
4 frozen organic strawberries (part of the dirty dozen!)
1/2 an avocado
1 heaping Tbsp of gelatin (Great Lakes is the brand I use)
1 tsp maca (for hormone balance)
almond milk
4 walnuts, chopped
Directions:
Place the banana, berries, gelatin, avocado, and maca in the blender and cover the ingredients in almond milk or coconut milk until you can see bits and pieces peaking above the milk level.  Blend until smooth.  Top with chopped nuts and eat like a bowl of cereal!  But way healthier and more homemade.

Matcha Green Tea Almond Cookies

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My favorite color is green, so I love the idea of themed food for St. Patty’s Day.  This is especially true when I think about all the amazing foods that are beautifully green.  However, many green foods don’t fit into the treat category.  One day I was shopping at Trader Joe’s and ran across these matcha powder sticks.  I had never had that before so figured it was worth a try.  The first time, I added one to my green smoothie and couldn’t taste a difference.  So, the second time I decided I would have the matcha tea by itself.  It made me gag.  I eat a lot of earthy things, but this one I couldn’t even finish.
I then decided that it hides itself well in other things and has such an amazing color that it would be perfect to make a green cookie for St. Patrick’s!  I took one of my favorite cookie recipes from the blog and added matcha powder to it.  I personally don’t taste the matcha tea, so if you want to, then I would suggest omitting the almond extract and it may shine through a bit more.  However, if you really just want an awesome cookie that is green, then you could probably add the powder to just about any recipe and turn it green! Nature’s food coloring done right. ;)
Matcha Green Tea Almond Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup grassfed butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2-3 packets of matcha powder which may be a tsp or 2?
love
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300F.  Bake for 5 minute and press down with fork, then bake for another 12-15 minutes.

The Reason you Need Medication?

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No one ever takes stress seriously.  We all have it, we all know it, we all feel like the activities that remove it from our life mean we are self-indulgent slackers.  Heaven forbid someone get a massage once a month.  Heaven forbid someone say “no” to one more commitment.  Call the police if someone needs a nap.  Let’s be mean behind someone’s back because they don’t want to work 80 hours a week.  We are a society of work, work, work….therefore, we are a society of constant stress between work and kids and extracurriculars.  This constant state of fight or flight in addition to lack of sleep, poor food choices, no time for exercise, sitting all day, etc. may be the reason you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, hormone issues, and osteoporosis.  Stress may be causing you to be fat, flabby, sick, and prematurely old!  I was reading one of my books from graduation again and this entire chapter focused on stress and the biochemical effects.  I thought it was important to relay the info….so you have doctor’s permission to eliminate some stress from your life!

Stress Response in the Body:

1. Increased cortisol (more stress hormone)

2. Increased catecholamines (excitement)

3. Increased heart rate (racing heart)

4. Increased vasoconstriction (vessels get smaller)

5. Increased blood pressure (hypertension!)

6. Increased blood glucose levels (diabetes!)

7. Increased blood lipid levels (fat in the blood…)

8. Increased blood cholesterol levels (increased LDL: decreased HDL) (now your doc wants  you on statins)

9. Increased clotting factors (risk of stroke?)

10. Increased protein degradation of muscle and connective tissue (getting flabby)

11. Insulin resistance (getting fat)

12. Increased feelings of stress, fear, anxiety, and depression- decreased short term memory, ability to concentrate, and learn

13. Decreased serotonin levels; increased noradrenaline levels (getting depressed)

14. Increased sensitivity of sensory systems including those for pain and other emotions (something always hurts!)

15. Decreased cellular immunity (catching all the bugs around town)

16. Decreased anabolic hormones like growth hormone and testosterone and luteinizing hormone, etc. (getting old…way too fast!)

17. Bone loss, muscle fiber changes, decreased R.E.M. sleep (bags under the eyes and osteoporosis!)

18. Decreased sex hormone binding globulin (hormone issues now?!)

19. Increased excretion of calcium and magnesium

If you think this is you…unfortunately, it probably is!  An adrenal test is simple, easy, and can tell you exactly where you are in terms of stress affecting your body.  Everyone should take one just to be able to take REST seriously!!!! You have no idea how many people refuse to admit their levels of stress until a cortisol panel acts as their lie detector.  Only then, will they decide to cut themselves some slack.  This may be the first window into being able to get you off your pesky medications….

Homemade Larabars and Protein Balls

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Clean eating can often be difficult for people because of the convenience factor.  It is much easier when you have prepared yourself for lunches, snacks, etc.  Being on the run with kids, busy schedules, and work all leave some gaps in the schedule where it would be nice to have a packaged go-to in the car or in your purse.  Larabars are a perfect portable snack because there are only a few ingredients: dried fruit, nuts and spices!  However, Larabars run for $1.79 per bar at Martin’s.  So, there has to be an easy, affordable homemade version.  I often make my own version of larabars in the form of little bite-size balls because they are easier to form than bars.  However, you can mold them into whatever you want!  I am all about using resources; there is no reason to reinvent the wheel.  So, I came up with a couple recipes that I haven’t found elsewhere; however, there are tons of recipes you can find on the web.  I ran across this blog post that goes through flavor recipes for all the store bought versions.  She also does a good job of walking you through the ratios to use to create your own flavor profiles!

http://www.damyhealth.com/2011/03/how-to-make-homemade-lara-bars/

For my “Homemade Month,” I decided to make 2 varieties: Espresso Protein Balls and Gingersnap Bars

Espresso Protein Balls were my creation to balance some of the carbohydrate ratios that are normally present in dried fruit.  Therefore, I used protein powder in them, and this makes them a great snack for a Crossfitter or active athlete that has protein needs for their lifting.

Espresso Protein Balls

10 Medjool dates, pitted

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Down to Earth brand that has 19g of protein per scoop)

2 handfuls of raw cashews

3 tsp coffee grounds

2 tsp water (if your mixture isn’t sticking together well enough)

Put all the ingredients in the food processor until well crumbled.  It is ready to form when you can grab and squeeze the mixture and have it stick together!  That’s it.  This recipe made 10 protein balls and cost me about $5.50.  If I formed bars, it would’ve made about 4 bars, meaning about $1.38 per bar.  Obviously this is less than the store price of $1.79, although not much.  The reason for this is because I used protein powder….the total cost would be almost $1.50 less if that portion was left out.  Not bad.

Gingersnap Bars

8 Medjool dates, pitted

1/2 a little bag of crystallized ginger, finely diced (I used Melissa’s brand…no sulfur dioxide in there!)

1/4tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

2 handfuls of pecans

Put all the ingredients except the crystallized ginger in the food processor and process until it sticks together.  Form into bars by pressing into the bottom of a covered pan.  Press the mixture into the pan and press the finely diced ginger into the top of the larabars. This recipe was inspired by my favorite gluten-free cookie by Liz Lovely…ginger molasses.  However, they are made from rice flour and have some sugar added, as well.  Therefore these make the perfect substitution!

The gingersnap bars made 4 bars, and they cost me about $1.75 per bar.  This is still 4 cents less than the store bought version.  However, once again, I chose a flavor profile that had a unique, expensive ingredient: crystallized ginger.  Just like the protein balls, that increased the overall cost by about $1.50.  I also happened to have most of the spices on hand from fall pumpkin creations.  By all means, use whatever you have sitting around as opposed to spending a fortune on spices that you won’t use otherwise!

If I were to make simpler flavor profiles like “Cinnamon Buns” which have nothing more than dates, pecans, and cinnamon, the cost effectiveness goes way up!  On average, you are probably looking at about $1 a bar with the simpler flavors that you can find at the above link.  Depending on the nuts you use, you can manipulate the cost; buy the nuts that are on sale!

Now for the whole rating system: 5 stars being the best

Taste: 5 stars (you are driving this train, so make your favorites!)

Cost effectiveness: 5 stars (you can save quite a bit or make exotic flavors for about the same as store bought prices)

Worth the effort: 2 stars (I don’t eat many larabars…they may be something I grab when going on a road trip, so I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to make them at home since it’s not something I consume regularly.  If you have kids though, this could absolutely be a way to have them make their own creations that they can have as treats in their lunch box!)

Ease: 5 stars (doesn’t get easier than throwing everything in a food processor and forming it into balls)

The Day I Woke Up Sad

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Today is Saturday, January 28th.  I woke up sad.  I started thinking to myself “Why are you sad?”  You know how you have those conversations in your head?  Since I asked the question, I started to think about all the things that would make me sad:

I miss my dogs
I miss my friends
I am so busy I can barely breathe and I hate that feeling
I don’t have time to exercise anymore, which annoys me A LOT
I left a lot of people I care about back in Indiana

All these thoughts that happen within a 10 second span start making me say “Did I make a mistake coming to Chicago?”

Then Dr. Angela chimes in and reminds me of all the reasons I made the decision in the first place and all the great things that have happened in 3 short months:

I finished my final semester teaching at the college, which was very bittersweet
I started working with a team/company with the same vision on such a huge scale, which is so powerful when you’re used to do doing it “alone”
Me leaving opened a door of opportunity to help someone else fill their dream of wellness and health coaching, and so many amazing things have happened for my new health coach
I was able to come up with an awesome system to keep my practice open and develop even more tools for patients
With the new company, I created an in-office education tool for doctors to use which includes a poster, a trifold, and a digital newsletter helping patients learn about their immune disorders and options for healing (being released soon!)
I met new friends and traveled to Peru with them!
I have proposed some new product formulations and education tools for the company that could make a huge impact in the health industry
I have finished 3 books for the patient library
I have read so much research that I can barely keep up with everything I want to share!
I have been able to be home for all the holidays and had an amazing time with everyone
I am finishing up the first online class of 2017 over anxiety and depression (stay tuned for more classes to come!)
I am leaving for Austin shortly to attend the Institute for Functional Medicine Immune Module, which is a conference that I’m super excited about

 

I’m still working to find balance and a new gym family, but that takes a little time. Then I ask myself “Would you give up all those things to go back?”  and the answer is “Not a chance.”

I have just skimmed the surface of the exciting things that I want to accomplish, the people I can touch, and the tools I can provide other doctors. I still love everyone and everything back in IN, too. I think it’s normal after big life decisions to question whether or not you made good choices.  However, when you think about all the opportunities and positive moments that change has provided, there’s a solid reminder of how amazing things are still to come AND how amazing your life has been up to that point.  If it wasn’t amazing, I wouldn’t be sad and miss it at all.  Everything in life goes in cycles of acquiring and letting go.  Letting go isn’t easy, and maybe that’s because we  see it as giving it up.  I choose to look at it a little differently.  I haven’t given it up, I have allowed myself and those parts of my life to evolve.  They look different now, and now they are in the company of additional amazing things. I still have all my family, friends, and a successful practice. Now I have an amazing position in a company that supports my vision, more friends, and exciting travel memories, too.

I’m still sad today. But I would call it a good sad.  I’ll allow myself to miss some of the great parts of my life that I experience less often since the change.  It’s not because I gave up on them; it’s because I let them evolve.  Tomorrow I will wake up excited for Austin, excited for my next trip back to Elkhart (which is so soon!), and excited for all the things I get to work on in the year to come.  For all those people that are part of my Elkhart story that may be reading this, I was missin’ you guys like crazy today!

For those of you that were part of my gym family, you may recognize the quote from the girl’s bathroom.  I read that quote every time I was at the gym, and it never left me. ;)