U Tubes!

I had the opportunity to try out some U Tubes from my friend Nate Brown at RevHoney. I love them! I was initially worried about how it would taste....boy was I surprised! They come in three flavors: strawberry, raspberry and blackberry. Now, it does feel a little weird squishing a gel-like substance in your mouth, the fact that they taste good makes it all worth it!

Darcy took some to work and ate them in the afternoon when he typically gets "shaky" from whacked out blood sugar. They worked like a charm and it was much healthier than grabbing a snickers.

U tubes are designed as a fuel for athletes before and after workouts to ensure the liver is properly fueled. By doing this, it ensures the body will not be breaking down muscle to fuel the brain.

Just because they were designed with athletes in mind does not mean they are exclusive for athletes. Anyone who needs a shot of energy in their day can use these.

U tubes have 3 ingredients: freeze dried fruit, honey and citric acid. How simple is that? It scares me when I can't pronounce half of the ingredients in a product I eat, nevermind actually knowing what they are. Not a problem with U Tubes!!

So, click on the link above to learn how to order these for yourself. Also check out the links on their site to become a fan on facebook and to follow on twitter.

Chicken Salad with Red Grapes and Toasted Pecans

I got this recipe from The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook by Jillian Michaels. I love chicken salad, but hate the calories that come from the mayo. This is a tasty alternative and its good for you!

Chicken Salad with Red Grapes and Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, poached and cooled
1 cup halved red grapes
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

For 1 sandwich
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 butterhead lettuce leaf

Use your fingers to shred the chicken into a large bowl. Add the grapes and pecans and toss gently to mix the ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, celery, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss to coat. Store the salad in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving

To make sandwich, toast the bread if desired. Place 1/2 cup chicken salad on one slice. Top with the lettuce leaf and the other slice of bread. Slice in half and serve

Makes about 4 cups salad

Per 1/2 cup of salad: 118.6 calories, 5.1 g fat, 12.9 g protien, 5.6 g carbs, 93.8 mg sodium

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Of course I made some changes! I baked my chicken and cubed it instead of poaching and shredding with fingers. Also, I didn't have any leaf lettuce to put on the sandwich.

This was super yummy! Give it a try!

Book Review: The Honey Revolution

What is the Honey Revolution? It's a growing awareness of the amazing benefits of daily consumption of honey. In The Honey Revolution, authors Ron Fessenden, MD, MPH and Mike McInnes, MRPS, present a multitude of research that supports the claim that eating Honey everyday will lead to better sleep, balanced blood sugar and a reduction in metabolic stress.

The first point the authors make is that honey is the ideal fuel for the liver:
The near one-to-one ratio of fructose to glucose found in honey - nature's perfect ratio - actually facilitates glucose intake into the liver. Fructose optimizes the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver by prompting the release of glucokinase from the liver nuclei. Glucokinase converts glucose to glycogen, which is then stored in the liver. Thus a large glucose load is prevented from entering the circulation and causing a sharp elevation in blood sugar. Consuming natural energy-packed honey with it's ideal ratio of fructose and glucose is an ideal way to replenish liver glycogen and at the same time control blood glucose levels.(from The Honey Revolution, pg 29)

Glycogen is what fuels the brain and it is stored in the liver. If the liver is not stocked up with glycogen, the brain sends out signals for muscle proteins to be broken down and sent to the liver to be converted into glycogen. If you are like me, I would like to keep my muscle! Fueling the liver with honey can prevent that muscle break down.

One of the times our brain is most at risk of low fuel is during the night fast. Sleep is when our body recovers and restores itself--fueled by body-fat. If our liver is not stocked, the brain triggers the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline. This puts that repair process on hold and the opposite is done--muscle is broken down to fuel the brain.

The other critical time for the brain is during exercise where the same scenario plays out. If the liver is not stocked, muscle is broken down to fuel the brain. This is definitely not the desired effect people want from exercise.

Now obviously, we can't survive on honey alone. A balanced diet that draws for fresh ingredients is key to a healthy lifestyle. A rule I try to go by come from Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels: "If it comes from the ground or has a mother, you can eat it." Fake foods (highly processed and modified) reek havoc on our metabolism. No amount of honey is going to be beneficial if all you eat is junk!

If you would like to check out this book you can order it here. Another work of note is The Hibernation Diet which gives some recipes as well as an excercise program to optimize the effects of the honey-filled diet.

**I was provided with a copy of both The Honey Revolution and The Hibernation Diet by my friend Nate Brown at RevHoney for review on my blog. The opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated in any other way for this review.**

Next Review---U-Tubes!! Stay tuned!!

Granola bars

I tried my hand at some granola bars yesterday. Darcy and I love them, the kids refuse to try them. They have a phobia of nuts it seems. I got the recipe here. I did not have chopped nuts, so I substituted pepitas (shelled pumkin seeds). Also, I only had regular sized chocolate chips, so I chopped them up as best I could.

Success!

Emma had her last swimming lesson yesterday and finally we had some success!

In a front float (with me holding her up) she kicked her legs and stroked with her arms! That is a big improvement from screaming and clinging to my arm for dear life! Then she put her whole face in the water...and again...and again!

The final success was going down the big water slide with her teacher at the bottom to catch her. She had a flotation belt on and after watching the other smaller kids make it okay, she was ready to go! Well, she must have leaned back and made no attempt to stop herself. She flew out of the end of the slide right past her teacher! The teacher had to swim about 5 feet to get to her. Needless to say, she went under! I was very proud of her but she definitely didn't want to try that again!

Next up, Sam! I am tempted to register for an evening class so Darcy can have a shot at it.