Recipe: Cauliflower Fried Rice

I love holidays. September has Labor Day, but that is more of a 1 day/ long weekend celebration. So in an effort to find more things to celebrate, I turned to the handy Google Machine. This informed me that September has TWO other fun month long observances:

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Fruits & Veggies--More Matters Month

These two observances go hand in hand if you ask me. Eating more fruits and veggies instead of processed foods and grains will give your body more nutrients and fill you up with healthy foods! One way to easily add more veggies to your meal is with cauliflower fried rice! Click here for a printable recipe. 

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Head of cauliflower
1 cup of frozen mixed veggies
Egg
Soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 Tbs oil (I like olive oil or coconut oil) 

Directions

1. Cut off the florets of the cauliflower.  
2. Put the florets in the food processor to cut/rice in to small pieces (see photos below).
   It usually takes me a few rounds of running through the food processor to rice all the florets.
3. Heat 2 Tbs of oil in a frying pain over med-high heat.
4. Add riced cauliflower, mixed vegetables, and a drizzle of soy sauce over the mixture in the frying pan.
5. Cook for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally to make sure all of the vegetables are cooked evenly. 
6. Add the egg over the top of the fried "rice", and stir to mix in to the mix. 
7. Cook for a few more minutes, and serve! 

The quantities in the recipe are flexible! If you like more mixed veggies, go for it! I often eat this with chicken or beef stir fry. Sorry I forgot to take a photo when I dished it up for dinner. 

Questions on how to incorporate this into your diet? Let me know! Happy eating! 

Hello Hydration

As we start to have more slightly cooler days, it is easy to forget to hydrate. Also all the students heading back to school can forget to stay hydrated during hours of sitting in the classroom. Then students often go to practice sports after school when they haven't hydrated all day, and they have problems. Dehydration can lead to loss of strength and stamina. It is also the main cause in heat exhaustion. This week we are going to talk about easy warning signs regarding dehydration and tips to stay hydrated. 

Dehydration Warning Signs

1. Feeling thirsty
   When you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated! 
2. Feeling tired/difficulty concentrating
   If you feel tired and sluggish in the early afternoon, one cause could be dehydration! Remember that all that morning coffee you had acts as a slight diuretic (making you pee more and dehydrating you).
3. Headaches
   Many headaches are caused by dehydration, so if you feel a headache coming on, try water first! 
4. Back pains
   The discs in your back rely on water to help with shock absorption. So as you get dehydrated, the little cushions between your vertebrae aren't quite as cushion-y. They can no longer absorb shock as well, and this can alter their function. Overtime this can lead to back pain. 
5. Dark urine color
   Dark urine color is often a sign of dehydration
6. Constipation
   Your body needs water to help things move! From your joints to your bowels, water helps them move. 

Tips to Stay Hydrated

1. Drink enough water for your size!
   We aren't all the same size, so we don't all need 8 glasses of water a day. Many of us need MORE! We recommend aiming to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. Ex: You weigh 200 lb, drink 100 oz of water. You weigh 150 lb, drink 75 oz of water. 
2. Keep a bottle with you at work/school and in the car
   This one is easy - if you have water on you, you are more likely to drink it.
3. Weigh yourself before and after long workouts
   When you have a long workout, weigh yourself before an after. If you have lost weight in the course of your workout, it is likely due to water loss. Half a pound lost is roughly equal to an 8 oz glass of water. 
4. Add lemon for flavor
   Struggle with drinking bland water? Add a few slices of lemons or limes or any fruit really! Adding lemon to your water can also give you a slight boost in vitamin C and help with digestion.
5. Check your urine color
   Don't go for the gold! When you go to the bathroom, take a peek down at the color of your urine. Ideally it is a pale yellow color. Darker yellow color is usually indicative of dehydration. Note: other things can alter the color of your urine. If you supplement with a lot of B vitamins, you may notice your urine is a more neon yellow. Also if you consume a lot of beets, you may notice a pink tint to your urine. 

When You Need More Water

There are some times when you need more water! That's when this handy graphic from Fitness Jockey comes in to play. To learn more about these criteria, click on the photo to take you to their full article. 

Any other questions regarding hydration? Let us know! 

Summer Kick Off (Nutritious Style)

It's Memorial Day weekend! Some say that's the unofficial start to summer! To me summer always means grilling season. (Although here in Southern California our weather affords grilling year round).  I often forget about the variety vegetables you can cook on the grill. From a nutrition standpoint, I try to fill half of my plate with vegetables every meal. This week I'll go over some vegetable cooking tips and my favorite veggies to throw on the grill.

Grilling Veggies 101

1. Oil them up! Vegetables will dry out on the grill, so the oil helps that a bit. A light brushing of oil or gently tossing the veggies in oil works well. Oil also is helpful with getting any seasonings to stick to the vegetables. (I personally like a gentle sprinkle of salt and garlic powder.) Also - all oils aren't created equally! I usually just use some cold pressed olive oil.
2. Consider cooking times! Not all vegetables take the same amount of time to cook on the grill. If you are grilling bigger denser vegetables, they will take more time! Consider cooking them over a lower heat area of the grill for longer to ensure equal warmth throughout. Smaller thinner vegetables will cook faster, so save them for last. This is also affected by how you may chop up the vegetables.
3. Don't lose the veggies! Some vegetables are small and can fall through the grates. Consider a grill basket (or a fake tin foil basket/packet) or skewers to manage your veggies on the grill. Also when you are cutting up bigger vegetables - cut them into pieces that will skewer well or work well in the grill basket.

Best Grilling Veggies

• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Broccolini
• Eggplant
• Bell peppers
• Tomatoes (can work on a skewer in wedges or wrap in tin foil)
• Zucchini (try seasoning them with olive oil and lemon juice)
• Onions (cut in wedges for a skewer or in thin slices for burgers)
• Potatoes (or sweet potatoes)