Cinnamon, A Metabolism Booster!

Studies have shown that cinnamon can boost your metabolism.  Not saying it will boost it for the whole day or raise your metabolism in the long run, but by using cinnamon your metabolism can boost 8% for about 20 minutes after consumption.  This isn’t a huge boost, but it’s something.  I know when I am on a diet or trying to loose a few I will take any calorie save or calorie burner to help me meet my goals.

Here are some great foods to add cinnamon to:

-- Coffee, sprinkle some in each cup you have.

-- A multi-gran english muffin with a little spray butter.

-- Applesauce

-- Emeralds Roasted Cinnamon Almonds.

-- Oatmeal

-- Cinnamon Burst Cheerios

-- Iced Tea (Click here for Dr. Oz’s recipe)

A lot of these are breakfast foods or snacks, but with fall around the corner this is a perfect time to add the flavor more into your meals as well.  I know every time the season comes around I always see different dinner recipes either in magazines or from family/friends that use this spice.  A big one around the holidays is sweat potatoes.  In my research I have found it is also very common to add cinnamon to meats.

I will be sure to post about a yummy cinnamon spiced dinner recipe I try!  In the mean time if anyone has any to share, feel free! :)

Nutritional Supplements

Protein bars are pretty popular among people nowadays.  I have tried a few kinds before and some of them weren’t very good at all.  It’s hard to find a protein bar that is good for you, but also good for your taste buds.  I found that some are too strong with a protein taste and they taste too healthy that they weren’t enjoyable so it keeps you from eating them.  I don’t eat a lot of meat on a normal basis so I like to look for alternative ways to get the nutrients that my body needs.  While in the check out aisle at Walmart the other day I came across a brand of nutrition bars called Luna.  Luna is a whole line of products specifically for women.  The bar I had was called “Nutz over Chocolate” and it has the “Core 4” vitamins and minerals needed in it, calcium, folic acid, iron and vitamin D.  Along with this bar being 70% organic, it has 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.  The bar is only 180 calories and is a good meal supplement because they definitely fill you up.  I had it for breakfast and it was very tasty!  It’s one of the good protein/nutrition bars out there.

So if you’re looking for a supplement like this, check them out!  For more information on this brand and additional flavor options go to Lunabar.com.

Another protein meal bar I like is made by Kellogg’s.  See picture below.

Baked Falafel

I have never eaten falafel let alone made it before.  I honestly didn’t even know what it was when I heard of it until I looked it up online.  It is a middle-eastern dish.  Foodie Nick recommended falafel at one of his favorites places in NYC in my interview with him.  The version he loves isn’t the healthiest version, it’s more so the cheat day kind, when calories just don’t matter.  Most falafel is deep fried so that is why it’s more of a fatty dish usually, but I researched and found a lot of healthier baked recipes.  I picked out the one the best suited the amount of time I had to cook and the flavors I wanted.  This recipe doesn’t take too long and it was a great dinner.  After seeing the ingredients I was a little skeptical of how it would come out, but not only was it healthy, it also had tons of flavor and was so delicious!  Instead of patties you could make them in to small balls and this would be a nice appetizer dish instead of a meal.  There are so many different ways you could eat this.  A lot of what I saw was in sandwich pitas with lettuce and some sort of dressing.  I used what I had and had it over some arugula and sprinkled a little bit of ranch dressing on it.

Try something new! ENJOY!

The recipe calls for:

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tbls flour

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp olive oil

-- Squeeze the chopped onion in a paper towel to get out the water and put it aside,

-- Add the beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and baking soda in a food processor. (I used a food chopper though.)  Process the ingredients until it is coarsely pureed.

-- Mix the onions and bean mixture together in a bowl.  Stir in the flour and egg to the bowl.  Shape the mixture into four patties and let them sit for 15 minutes.

-- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

-- Add the olive oil to a large pan.  Once the patties sat for 15 minutes add them to the pan and cook them on each side for about 3 minutes.

-- Place the patties on a baking pan (sprayed with a little oil) and transfer them into the oven for about 8 minutes or until they are heated through.

A Tasty Snack Idea

Here's an idea for a healthy, easy and flavorful snack!  In the picture are some garlic water crackers and a Light Laughing Cow cheese triangle.  There are many flavors to choose from.  Some types are blue cheese, swiss, garlic & herb, the one pictured and a few others.  The mozzarella sundried tomato and basil is only 35 calories a triangle.  You can't beat that!  You could also use whole grain pita chips (I recommend Stacy's Pita Chips) or any other cracker type that you like.  It's a great little treat or even a healthier version of cheese and crackers to put out when you have people over.  It would pair great with a nice glass of wine. :)