Food & Lifestyle Blog: BettyHakes.com » Eating Healthy

Our New World of Drinking Tea …

Betty — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:16:36 +0000

In June of this year my husband and I attended a seminar on staying healthy. The instructor explained how toxins (which includes coffee) wraps around our liver and doesn’t allow our bodies to burn fat. My husband walked away amazed that it took about a month for coffee to get out of our system and declared that we would no longer be coffee drinkers… we are now GREEN TEA DRINKERS!

At first I thought it was just a phase for us, but as I sit here 6 months later looking for some great deals on green tea, it’s much more than a phase, it’s a lifestyle change.

I must admit I am really loving tea more than coffee as my daily morning routine (not that I don’t sneak in some Cuban Coffee once in a while, but don’t tell Ron that.)

I enjoy the Green Tea in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. I also enjoy a Passion Fruit tea or a Chamomile/Tilo mixture before going to bed. For a special treat I’ll brew some Jasmine Green Tea.

Do you have tea story?

Here are a few of my favorite places to search for tea:

As of this writing, Mighty Leaf seems to have the best deals, but teavana offers free shipping on orders over $50.

Full disclosure, I am an affiliate and these are affiliate links (that means I am compensated by the company if you buy at these online stores using these links). I appreciate your support.

My 2PM Kick In The ‘Pants’ – Giving My Body The Healthy Energy It Needs

Betty — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:45:20 +0000

When most people learn of all the projects I’m managing, plus running my household which consists of my 3 guys (husband, teenager & tween), they all ask the same question … “how do you do it all?” I usually laugh and tell them I don’t do it all perfectly (which is really hard for this perfectionist) and my poor family suffers with unclean clothes and a messy house.

The fact is that I wake up about 6AM and feel like the energizer bunny on speed going from one thing to another… until 2:30 PM rolls around when my body and mind starts to slow down and feel like my day should be over. Sound familiar?

Well about 1-2 months ago that’s all changed. I’ve been drinking a Verve healthy energy drink daily from Vemma and WOW do I feel the difference!

I usually drink an 8oz can around 2 or 3 PM and it gives me the oomph I need without making feel jittery or nervous, nor do I feel a crash hours after. It’s like a little bolt of Cuban coffee, but healthier! Personally, I’ve never liked the energy drinks found in the stores because I feel they have too much caffeine, they just taste too sweet to me and give me a little bit of a head rush. I don’t feel any of those effects with Verve!.

Verve! Only has 80 mg natural caffeine and filled with 12 full spectrum vitamins and a juice blend of mangosteen, green tea and aloe (Managosteen is a delicious fruit found in SE Asia and is known for its super-antioxidants properties.) You can read the supplement details of Verve on Vemma’s website.

Vemma has the regular (which is my favorite) and the sugar free version which is perfect for those who are diabetic or just watching their sugar intake.

Take it from me and give your body the OOMPH it deserves with Verve! From Vemma!

By the way, my husband loves the tropical taste and how it helps him feel revitalized and more aware, which is pretty important for a director of emergency management!

Click on this link and order yours today. Vemma has an introductory offer bundle for only $25, plus they have a risk free guarantee.

Enjoy!

disclaimer: these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. I have expressed my personal opinion and facts I’ve found on the Vemma website.

Lentil, Split Pea & Barley Vegetable Stew

Betty — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:28:34 +0000

The package of Bob’s Red Mill for the Vegi Soup Mix caught my eye the other day and thought I would give it a try. This dish is anywhere between a stew and a soup, depending how think or think you like it. We like “thick” around the Hakes house.. If you want it to be more of a soup, just add more vegetable broth or water.

This was delicious!

This is first time I’ve made this so I didn’t really measure, these are estimates.

1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
1 small onion chopped
1 carrots chopped
1 cup Vegi Soup Mix by Bob’s Red Mill
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium high heat and sauté carrots and onions until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Add broth, vegi mix and spices, stir and bring to a boil.

3. Lower the temperature to low, simmer over low heat for 30 – 45 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

4. top with about 1 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Servings: 6

Would love to hear your thoughts on this dish. Please comment below.

Foods That Help Your Immunity

Betty — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:15:20 +0000

Most of you know my kids have been sick, along with the rest of the kids on our street and what seems to be about 15% of the school.

I read on nrp that not only do we need to be careful with the actual flu this year, but if our kids get sick again right on the heal of getting over their original cold/flu. Their defenses are already lowered so they can get worse. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113700568&ft=1&f=1128)

So, I’m thinking I need to make sure I give my family good nutritious food that can help boost their immune system and nurse them back to health. I turned to my friend Rita Heikenfeld from www.abouteating.com for some advice and tips on foods that help boost our immune system:

Cook with lots of garlic and onions: Onions have quercetin which may help prevent viruses from multiplying.
Zinc is huge for immunity – which is in seafood, eggs, mushrooms, nuts, whole grains, and some seeds (Think of granola with whole grains, seeds, nuts, etc. – which is a great snack or breakfast.
Yogurt with the probiotics is for the digestive/immune system.
Vitamin A strengthens the body’s defenses. You can find Vitamin A in fresh veggies such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, the cruciferous veggies, etc.
Apples are good since they help prevent germs from spreading and help fight off free radicals.
Don’t forget about vitamin C which our bodies can’t store – citrus fruits are huge sources and awesome for the immune system.
Rita also suggests drinking lemon water first thing in the morning (to break the fast) and is now adding lemon in her green tea since is helps the body utilize the good stuff in green tea better.
Lemon also helps absorb iron which the kids need.

So, I picked up some fish for us tonight and served that with roasted red onions & tomatoes with brown rice & quinoa for dinner tonight. Dinner was delicious! I seasoned the tilapia with salt, pepper and chili powder and grilled it on the grill pan. For me (because nobody else likes Salmon but me), I season the Salmon with Salt, Pepper and covered it with fresh chopped up parsley. Added a little bit of soy sauce, seared it on both sides and then reduced the temperature and covered to cook through.

What’s on your dinner table?

Good luck fighting the cold/flu/virus this season! Hopefully this advice will help you and your family boost its immunity so you can all stay healthy and happy.

Peace,

Betty

overeating all in your mind? How can we control our portions?

Betty — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Finally reading my October issue of Cooking Light magazine this Saturday morning and ran across an interesting article “10 Little secrets of Portion Control”. The tips they offer to eat healthier and control your portions are similar to what I’ve been talking about during my Eating Healthy Lunch n Learns (some tips listed below). What was really interesting is Cornell University food psychologist, Brian Wansink PhD’s, findings of how we think about portions. He says “The cards are stacked against most Americans. Our bodies think we’re still hunter-gathers threatened by imminent famine at the end of every season.” He also states; “….we’re bombarded by subtle and not-so-subtle cues that trigger instructive as opposed to conscious eating behavior.”

Other interesting findings in the article are:

· We pour 19% more juice into a glass that is short & wide versus a tall and thin glass because because the eye is a poor judge of volume in relation to height and width.

· Subjects who ate while watching television consumed nearly 30% more food

So I wonder, how do we change these behaviors – how do we re-program our brains? I believe we need to continue to reminder ourselves (by writing & reading this article), and by putting key practices in place to help us keep our portions under control. So next time you are starving and want to super-size your meal, refer back to this article:

Here are some suggestions recommended in the article and some recommended by yours truly:

· Use smaller plates: 8” – 10” plate

· Before eating, divide the plate in half, fill the largest half with fruits or vegetables, Leaving the rest for equal parts protein and starch

· At a restaurant that provides bread as soon as you sit down, ask the waiter to remove the bread from the table

· Also at a restaurant, reserve half of your meal to take home for lunch the next day. If you set it aside first, you’ll only eat what’s on your plate.

· Avoid eating while watching TV or working on the computer

· SLOW DOWN – if you eat slowly you’ll notice when your full (something yours truly struggles with all the time!)

· Use tall thin glasses instead of short wide ones – some drinks are only empty calories

To read the entire article, pick up the latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine (10/2009). You can also learn more about Dr. Wansink book at http://mindlesseating.org/index.htm or follow him on twitter – http://twitter.com/mindlesseating.

Happy Eating my friends!

Peace,

Betty

Searching for Gluten-Free Restaurants

Betty — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Celiac’s disease is a growing problem in America today, more and more people are having to change to a gluten-free diet. Unfortunately, I have personal experience on how difficult it is to find gluten-free products and restaurants as my father was diagnosed with this later on his life. I also have a good friend who struggles with this and is always seeking out great restaurants with gluten-free meals.

I came across this great online resource for gluten-free restaurants and celica’s disease:

Celiac Handbook Website
http://www.celiachandbook.com/

Let me know if you’re looking to learn how to cook gluten-free in the Cincinnati area. I can schedule a gluten-free cooking class in your home with my colleague, friend and gluten-free meal expert, Karen Said.

My best,

Betty