Thursday's Trend Alert Dirt Report #74

For me, no morning is complete without my green smoothie!  Like clockwork, at 6:30a after my workout, I put a frozen banana, cashew milk, PB2, cacao powder, kale and spinach into my Nutri-Bullet.  The delicious drink (which might also include a protein powder, pending the nature of my workout) fills me up and readies me for the day to come!

With my morning routine set, I was quite devastated to hear that "a disease known as Panama Disease has spread from Asia to parts of Australia, Africa and the Middle East.  It specifically affects the Cavendish banana, which is the fruit that consumers in the West are accustomed to eating." At this point Western sales of bananas have not been impacted, nor has pricing increased, but there is a chance that in the future the bananas that we have come to love will no longer be available as a morning staple.

Rather than buying all of the bananas stocked at my supermarket, I decided to swap my banana for a different creamy ingredient in my smoothie this morning, an avocado.  The combination, inspired by this recipe, included an avocado, coconut sugar, cacao powder, maple syrup, kale, spinach and cashew milk.  

Let's just say that I may have found my Plan B (Plan "B"anana-less)!

((Photo Source:  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35131751))

Wednesday What Not #74

Hello my name is Kate and I'm an Avocado-aholic!  With such an addiction, it is no surprise that recipes and articles that feature this fantastic fruit control my every email/pinterest move.

Case in point, the "Why to eat avocado pits (and how)" email that was sent to me by Clean Plates on March 28th.  In the body of the email, I learned about the "most nutritious" part of the avocado; the pit.  According to century old studies, 70% of the avocado's antioxidant content can be found in the seed.  Researcher also claim that consuming the seed may lower cholesterol, mitigate hypertension, inflammation and diabetes. 

Such claims made me want to hack into the pit to make it suitable for my morning smoothie, but I first decided to dig a little deeper into this avocado assertion.  To my surprise, I found a recent blog post on foodnetwork.com that noted that it has not yet been determined whether avocado seeds are truly safe for human consumption.

Eek!  I guess I'll be sticking to my avocado's fabulous flesh for now!

((Photo Source:  cleanplates.com))

Tasty Tuesday Treat #74

While at dinner the other night, I had the opportunity to speak with some friends regarding their daily dietary choices.  One individual explained that she is forced to base her meal plans around her food intolerance, but another surprised me by saying that she eats according to her cravings. 

My response did not have to do with the fact that my friend is a mindful eater, but rather that her cravings are typically not for "comfort foods."  Case in point:  Pasta.  My friend explained that a bowl of warm spaghetti does not tickle her fancy, nor does a casserole filled with baked penne noodles.  

Since I recently cut back on my starchy carbohydrate intake, I was happy to share my recipe for Zucchini Lasagna with my "Pasta (NO) amore" friend!

((Photo Source:  http://www.skinnytaste.com/zucchini-lasagna/))

Mindful Monday Inspiration #74

Fitness Friday Fact #74

One of the many perks tied to my Personal Training Certification is the resource pool that I am provided.  With each email and article, I feel as though I learn so much about the current state of fitness and wellness.  

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reading an article written by Alex Hoffman.  Alex is an established Personal Trainer and an instructor at ISSA.  In his article, he dug deep into the issue of concurrent training.  Concurrent training, in layman's term, pertains to "getting on the treadmill and lifting weights" in the same workout session.  With many factors impacting the positive and negative effects of such training, Alex asks fitness enthusiasts to determine their ultimate goals and follow one of his suggested paths.

((Photo Source:  http://www.issaonline.edu/blog/index.cfm/2016/do-cardio-and-strength-training-actually-work-against-each-other?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Aerobic-and-Strength-Training-Together&utm_campaign=March-2016))

Thursday's Trend Alert Dirt Report #73

Did you know that "U.S. consumers, companies and businesses throw away 165 billion dollars worth of entirely edible food each year - or 40% of the food that we produce in this country."  

Such a stat, along with my personal guilt, has led me to be a smarter chef in my kitchen.  I have self taught myself how to utilize every portion of my purchases and have even learned how to revamp recipes with on-hand ingredients.  These strides have not only afforded me less waste, but they have also taught me to be more resourceful and creative when cooking.

On a larger scale, restaurateurs and grocers have also taken it upon themselves to join the "no waste" movement.  Take for instance Doug Rauch, who opened Daily Table in 2015.  Daily Table, located in Dorchester, MA, sells slightly damaged, close to sell-by date foods that would otherwise go to waste.  From raw ingredients to fully cooked meals, this new-age supermarket encourages healthy eating for its customers and less waste for its suppliers.

Although most states have passed laws that allow for the use of food beyond sell-by dates, it is super important to keep these 3 things in mind before "wasting less":

1.  Use-by date:  the date, determined by food product manufacturers, by which the food should be consumed.  Products should be discarded after the use-by date.

2.  Sell-by date:  the date, determined by food manufacturers, by which the food should be sold at  retail.  It is still safe to consume foods after this date.

3.  Best-by date:  date by which the product should be consumed for ideal quality.  It is still safe to consume foods after this date has passed.

((Photo Source:  http://civileats.com/2014/07/28/ex-trader-joes-exec-wants-to-use-expired-food-to-get-people-cooking/))

Wednesday What Not #73

In honor of what I have officially dubbed "It's Good To Be A Murphy Day", I plan on baking a non-traditional soda bread.  It will be non-traditional for two reasons; one being that it will be sweetened with chocolate chips (a request from my sweet toothed husband) and two being that it will include my own DIY buttermilk (the "what not" part of this post).

Buttermilk is the slightly sour liquid left after butter has been churned.  It is commonly used in baking, however, recipes usually only warrant 1 cup and not 1 container.  In keeping with my recently adopted "no waste" mentality, I discovered that buttermilk can be made with simple pantry staples;  milk and lemon juice.  

Considering that both are currently sitting in my refrigerator, my non traditional soda bread, might just become a St. Patrick's Day tradition ;)

((Photo Source:  https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/145078/irish-soda-bread-with-chocolate/))