Healthy Chocolate Mug Cake

Like a lot of women I am always trying to lose weight. But now I'm noticing that life is affecting my 9 year old daughter. We definitely don't get enough exercise and seem to lean toward junk or rather processed foods. I have vowed to change that. It can get overwhelming though with all the information out there. So many great recipes and bloggers. AND.....how do I hold myself accountable? I start a blog!

The first thing I tried this weekend was this Healthy Chocolate Mug Cake that I found on Pinterest! It was posted by The Creek Line House Blog and let me tell you....I WAS amazed! I tried this recipe without the applesauce and I also tried it with sweetener instead of honey. I didn't use a mug though. I just used a regular ceramic microwavable bowl. It was still fantastic! This is a quick sweet cake that I don't mind giving my daughter at all and I will be making this from now on.

Get the Recipe Here

4 Ways to Flush Fat Fast From Dr. Oz

Expel Fat With This Fast-Acting Ingredient

Litramine is a groundbreaking new ingredient that helps you poop out unwanted fat. It’s complex is derived mainly from natural plant fibers Opuntia ficus-indica and enriched with additional soluble fibers from the Acacia plant. In a recent study, overweight and obese individuals who took 3 grams of litramine daily for 12 weeks lost at least 5% of their body weight compared with the study subjects who took a placebo. The fiber in litramine keeps fat from being absorbed by the body, so it naturally passes through and is eliminated as waste.

What to do:

Look for the word 100% pure litramine on the label.
Take 3 grams per day, 1 gram after each meal.
Always talk to your doctor before starting a new supplement.

Recharge Your Pancreas

When the pancreas is overwhelmed and blood sugars are high, this organ isn’t able to burn energy efficiently and remove fat. An overworked pancreas can lead to fat storage, particularly stubborn belly fat. To invigorate your pancreas and eliminate fat, drink a cup of garlic green tea each day! Animal studies have shown that garlic can help regulate blood sugar, while other research has shown that green tea can help block fat. While this fat-flushing duo might sound like an odd beverage flavor, it actually tastes like drinking soup broth with a kick!

What to do:

Steep one green tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes.
Add 2 to 3 whole, peeled garlic cloves and let them steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
Spoon the garlic cloves out.
Drink the garlic green tea after breakfast or lunch. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, don’t drink this after 3 p.m. as it may interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night.

Amp Up Vitamin C Intake

Scientists are beginning to discover that many obese people are low in vitamin C. This vitamin deficiency affects about 15% of adults in the U.S. and has been on the rise in recent years. One study showed that adults with vitamin C deficiencies might not be able to burn fat as well. Get at least 75 mg of vitamin C a day to help your body turn fat into energy and burn it off.

What to do:

Get at least 75 mg of vitamin C daily by eating any of these foods:
1 cup of papaya
1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of broccoli
2 kiwis
2 grapefruits
2 oranges

Drink Vinegar After Every Meal

Researchers are finding that vinegar may help prevent body fat accumulation. When you eat sugar and carbs, your body experiences a sugar spike and stores fat. If you drink white vinegar after eating sugar and carbs, the vinegar prevents those spikes in sugar that are associated with fat. Many studies show that vinegar can lower the glycemic index of a meal by more than 25%.

What to do:

Have two tablespoons of white vinegar after every meal, especially if it’s a carb-heavy meal

Courtesy of good ole Dr. Oz. 

5 Metabolism Death Foods

Are you still not seeing the results you want to see? Here are the five metabolism death foods you need to switch out of your diet!

D4: I found this post through Dr. Oz.  I love Dr. Oz but, don't you love it when you read things like this without more information on what is in it?  I mean telling me an option is great, but what the heck is it?  Well, I found some answers below so keep reading. 

Metabolism Death Foods.There are five main foods that can absolutely ruin your weight loss efforts. I call these the metabolism death foods. You will want to remove and replace these foods with healthy alternatives if you want to see quick results.1. Fruit JuiceContrary to popular belief, fat isn't the first thing that will make you fat, it’s consuming too much sugar. Drinking fruit juice and consuming too much sugar will absolutely wreck your metabolism!Fruit juice – including most apple, orange and grape juice – is basically chemically laden sugar water! I know something like apple juice sounds healthy, but some manufacturers turn apples into juice by adding in sugar, food coloring and flavorings. That is the apple juice you buy today.What to do instead: To replace fruit juice I recommend making homemade lemonade mixing real lemon juice, water and stevia. Kombucha is another great option as (nature’s sports drink!) is another great option!5. Granola - This “health food” has had a health halo around it for years but it’s secretly been hiding as a wolf in sheep’s clothing that kills your metabolism.One 8-ounce glass of fruit juice contains 30 grams of sugar where a soda contains 28 grams of sugar!
Also, you should avoid other forms of sugar, which can hide under names like: corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, juice concentrate, maltodextrin, raw sugar and brown sugar.

D4: kom•bu•chakômˈbo͞oCHə/noun a beverage produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria."bottled kombucha is available in many natural food stores"Kombucha is an ancient fermented tea-based probiotic beverage.  Kombucha has been revered as a healing tonic for at least 3,000 years.  It is believed to provide healthful micronutrients and bacteria beneficial to digestion, detoxification and immunity.  Worldwide, people make and drink kombucha for the way it make them feel, alive, healed and replenished.
http://www.housekombucha.com/drupal/buy-house-kombuchaIf House Kombucha is not sold in your area you can buy direct here: https://www.goodeggs.com/housekombucha
You can also find different kombucha products by searching online near you.  I'm planning a trip to whole foods for some, I'll let you know how it goes

2. Whole Grains - Whole grains may be the #1 offender when it comes to ruining your metabolism and weight loss efforts. I know it may seem like “whole grains” like wheat bread are healthy but most are far from helping your metabolism. Three of the main compounds in grains hurt your metabolism include gluten, starch and phytic acid. Gluten can cause inflammation, starch turns into sugar quickly and phytic acid binds to minerals so you’re not getting most of the minerals and vitamins from whole grains that could have helped your metabolism. What to do instead: A better option for fat loss is replacing your daily intake of grains with fruits and vegetables or consuming up to one piece daily of a sprouted grain bread or sourdough. Also, the best flour replacement to use instead of wheat flour is coconut flour. Coconut flour is a dieters best friend because it’s high in fiber which supports rapid fat loss and contains fats your body can burn as fuel.
 D4: If you're like me, then you're asking what in the heck is phytic acid or sprouted grain bread? And where do I buy it? Well, I looked it up on the website http://www.phyticacid.org/ or course.  Didn't you know there was such a site. ;)  and did a search on sprouted grain bread  http://bit.ly/SproutedGrainBread. Here's more info on sprouted grain bread: http://yhoo.it/1rov5f8http://nourishedkitchen.com/sprouted-grain/Here's an explanation on phytic acid and a website you can look it up if you want to dig deeper on the subject because from what I read, there are a lot of our foods we would consider healthy that has phytic acid in it.  Do grains have phytic acid (phytates) and should we care?Generally speaking, grains have high levels of phytic acid, a substance that reduces our absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. As an example, compare the milligrams of phytic acid in grains to a random collection of other foods. (This is a small sample of phytic acid levels as listed in a review article by Harland and Oberleas in a 1987 article.) See the list here: phytic acid in grains.3. Canola Oil - Using the wrong type of oil can keep you from losing that last 10 pounds and put a halt to any results you might see. Canola oil contains hydrogenated oils which may cause inflammation throughout the entire body disrupting your hormones and metabolism.What to do instead: Replace all vegetables oils with coconut oil and grass-fed butter to boost your metabolism. I always say, butter is your belly’s best friend. Grass-fed butter supports metabolism because it is high in CLA and coconut oil supports fat loss because it’s high in MCFA’s.

D4: Canola Oil? Crap....I thought that was ok!  Ok, I know I can by Coconut oil in my grocer, but what in the world is grass fed butter?  Grassfed butter....you guessed it, High-fat dairy products from grass-fed cows. Here are a couple a links on the subject.http://bit.ly/GrassfedButterhttp://bit.ly/1w6t4oh

4. Peanut Butter - Yes, peanut butter is tasty, but it can also ruin your gut health. Peanuts are grown on the soil and stored moist in silos which then cause them to grow a type of fungus called aflatoxins which can effect the health of your gut.Peanuts are one of the most common allergens today and have been linked to food sensitivities, leaky gut and a slow metabolism. Also, peanuts are very high in omega-6 fatty acids which may cause serious inflammation in the body. For these many reasons, peanut butter is a metabolism death food!What to do instead: If you want to start revving up your metabolism then make a switch to almond butter. Almonds are high in an amino acid L-arginine which increases HGH production in your body. This is turn causes your body to build lean muscle which sends your metabolism sky high!Just one tablespoon spoon of almond butter with celery, in a smoothie or with some apples are great snacks to re-ignite your metabolism.D4: Ok, well most know almond better is better but what is aflatoxins?Aflatoxin: A toxin produced by mold that can damage the liver and may lead to liver cancer. Aflatoxins cause cancer in some animals.The fungi that produce aflatoxin grow on crops such as peanuts (especially) and wheat, corn, beans and rice. Aflatoxin is a problem particularly in undeveloped and developing countries.Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mycotoxin produced by two types of mold: Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aspergillus flavus is common and widespread in nature and is most often found when certain grains are grown under stressful conditions such as drought. The mold occurs in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains undergoing microbiological deterioration and invades all types of organic substrates whenever and wherever the conditions are favorable for its growth. Favorable conditions include high moisture content and high temperature. At least 13 different types of aflatoxin are produced in nature with aflatoxin B1 considered as the most toxic. While the presence of Aspergillus flavus does not always indicate harmful levels of aflatoxin it does mean that the potential for aflatoxin production is present.Many agricultural commodities are vulnerable to attack by a group of fungi that are able to produce toxic metabolites called mycotoxins. Among various mycotoxins, aflatoxins have assumed significance due to their deleterious effects on human beings, poultry and livestock. The aflatoxin problem was first recognized in 1960, when there was severe outbreak of a disease referred as "Turkey 'X' Disease" in UK, in which over 100,000 turkey poults were died. The cause of the disease was shown due to toxins in peanut meal infected with Aspergillus flavus and the toxins were named as aflatoxins. Today’s granola has many issues in that it’s made up of whole grains and sugar. Now what’s most surprising about granola is that the processed honey in it is a major cause of weight gain. A study at Texas A&M University tested honey and found 76% of it contained no pollen whatsoever and it had been high temperature pasteurized so it is no better than corn syrup!What to do instead: A great replacement to store bough granola is to make homemade sprouted granola. Simply soak almonds, pecans, cashews and chia seeds in water for eight hours then set them out for a day on a paper towel. Then mix these ingredients with raw local honey, raisins, coconut flakes, cinnamon and sea salt. Place them in a dehydrator or oven and you have a great tasting metabolism boosting snack.

D4: Now this is confusing.  I thought if you soak chia seeds they gel up?  I'll have to try this recipe and see what happens. 

Top Slimming Smoothies

Another Great One From The Dr. Oz Show.

Dr. Oz's Green Drink
Dr. Oz  shares on of his favorite recipes. Jump-start your mornings with this high-fiber, low-calorie breakfast drink.

Energy-Boosting Smoothie

This smoothie is more than just a delicious drink. Take a sip and revitalize your energy level. At under 250 calories, this refreshing blend is the perfect way to start off your day.

Dr. Oz’s Vitamin C Smoothie

During cold and flu season, catching some sort of bug can seem almost unavoidable. At the first sign of feeling under the weather, fill up on this vitamin C smoothie. This delicious blend can help you to boost your immunity and reclaim your health.

Dr. Oz's Vitamin Cocktail Get your daily dose of essential nutrients with this Dr. Oz-approved blend. If you feel like you are not getting enough vitamins from your diet, this safe, foolproof cocktail packs a powerful antioxidant punch and helps you absorb nutrients from your diet.

If you want to start off your day with a big boost of energy, try starting with this smoothie. It’s loaded with healthy fruits and veggies like watermelon, which helps dilate blood vessels to promote blood flow. Also, it has coconut water – one of the most hydrating liquids out there. Another positive aspect of coconut water is that it reduces blood pressure which can make you lethargic. The best part is this recipe yields a big batch, so it you can make it once, freeze it, and drink it all week long. 

Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse One-Sheet

Eliminate harmful toxins and reset your body with this detox cleanse from Dr. Oz. All you need is 3 days, a blender and $16 a day!

Getting a gorgeous, glowing complexion doesn't only mean slathering on sunblock or the latest antioxidant serum. (though that helps, too). It also means paying attention to your diet. By tossing nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and other goodies into your blender, you can ensure that you're eating beautifying foods that will nourish your skin from the inside, out. 

Start your day off by eliminating harmful toxins, restoring your system and resetting your body with this detox breakfast smoothie

>3-Day Detox:<br> Lunch

3-Day Detox:<br> Dinner

Finish your detox day strong with the nutritious dinner shake? It will help you eliminate harmful toxins, restore your system and reset your body in just three days