Perfectly delicious healthy blueberry muffins

These are the best muffins. It's hard to believe they are healthy.

2 mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1/3 cup RAW sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
grease or line 12 cup muffin pan

Mix all the wet ingredients including the bananas in mixer. In separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and add to wet all at once. Mix only until blended. Do not over-mix. Fill prepared pan and bake for 15-20 min.

Super easy and heathy fish tacos

Many of you know that I am not an advocate for pre-made or processed meals however this was made from Gorton's Beer Battered fish fillets.You can make the fillets yourself, of course. However, 1 fillet from Gorton's has only 180 calories. And trust me, Ladies, you only need one on this fish taco. They are very filling. My kids love these too.

Corn tortillas- I just warmed them in the oven.
Gorton's Beer Battered Fish Fillet-cooked it in the oven using directions on bag.

Veggies- make sure you add plenty
tomatoes
baby spinach
chopped cabbage

Sauce- add about 1 tablespoon or so to each fish taco
white sauce
salsa (optional)

White sauce for fish (taste like Rubios)

equal parts- plain organic non-fat yogurt and

light mayonnaise

Add a little lemon or lime juice to taste.

Mix all ingredients and serve over fish tacos.

Chronic Dehydration and Weight Gain

You may not know this but it is estimated that 75% of all Americans are Chronically Dehydrated. Most don’t even know it! This means that most of us are not drinking enough water in a day. Our bodies are 75% water. The brain alone is made up with 80%. We cannot function properly if we are not giving our body this core nutrient it needs to survive. I’m not talking soda or juice or caffeine, I’m talking pure and simple water. Caffeine actually acts as a diuretic and causes the body to lose water.
So are you chronically dehydrated? Some common symptoms are fatigue, constipation, heartburn, bloating, hunger and you guessed it, weight gain. One for sure sign to tell if you’re getting enough water is the color of your urine. Yes people, it should be clear! If it’s not, you are not getting enough water, plain and simple.

You may be asking yourself how water has anything to do with weight loss. Everyone knows someone who has dieted. It is estimated that over 45 million people in the US diet every year, yet most of them struggle and remain overweight or obese. Many of these people are overweight due to many factors relating to weight loss, such as unhealthy eating or lack of exercise, hereditary or stress. What most people don’t realize is how important water consumption is to a person’s overall health and well being.

When your body is chronically dehydrated your body stores water, usually around your middle because it doesn’t know when it will get more. This not only causes bloating but it causes water weight to build up. But that is not all! When you are thirsty (BTW, if you are ever thirsty, you are well past the dehydration stage) your mind often times relays that as hunger, causing you to consume more food. Most people cannot tell the difference between hungry and thirsty. Your body will take water from the foods you eat but it is not enough so you crave more food.

How much water do we need? That is also simple! The old 8 glasses a day idea just doesn’t work for everyone. So here’s an idea that just might. In order for a person to replenish and metabolize fully a person needs to drink half his/her body weight in ounces. This means that if a person weighs 160 lbs he/she need to consume 80 ounces of water each day. Keep in mind that if you are exercising or sweating, in higher temps, or taking medications you will need an increased amount of water.

Consuming this much water may seem like a tedious task especially if you are not used to drinking water regularly. Here are a few tips:

1. Start early. The earlier you start the more likely you are to finish your daily amount.

2. Keep a log. Record how much water you are consuming so you can keep track.

3. Carry a water bottle around. If it’s always there you are more likely to drink it.

4. Drink a full glass of water before meals. This will also keep you from eating too much at dinner.

5. Add a lemon slice.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Good luck! Your body will thank you in so many ways. –Melissa Stengel

BAD BUTTER, BAD!!

We all know that butter is bad for us. Buying a butter substitute may be a good option but with so many choices out there it may be difficult to find one that works well for our family. You can go to the grocery store and buy lots of options to butter. Some better than others. Personally I like to stay away from all butters and margarine. Many of the spreads claim to be healthier than butter but with so many chemicals in them how can they be?

My favorite substitutes are:

#3 Coconut oil

Coconut oil is the healthiest oil you can eat. So its no wonder that it made my top three. You use it in place of butter in equal amounts. For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup then you use 1 cup of coconut oil. It also melts like butter. It turns liquid above 77 degrees and becomes solid below 76 degrees. Great alternative!

#2 Apple sauce

All natural, no sugar added apple sauce is my number two fav. It is easy to find and it is very inexpensive. You may do this in equal amounts to butter also but just be aware that it will make your dough runny so extra flour is needed. You may reduce the sugar to compensate for the sweetness of the apple sauce but if you buy the all natural apple sauce I don't find this necessary. You will need to spray your pans with non stick cooking spray because without the butter in the ingredients they will stick.

#1 Pulp from the juice extractor

This may sound strange but it is an ingenuous idea! I juice for my family every morning and I save the pulp in freezer containers. When making apples make sure you remove the seeds before juicing. I use a plastic grocery bag to catch the apple bits and I get a new bag for the carrots and so on. Because it has no liquid in it the added step of adding more flour is eliminated. What a great way to eliminate the fat while adding healthy fruits and veggies. The best part is that you cant even taste it!