Some Like it HOT!

     Want to boost your metabolism, burn more fat, and lose weight faster?  Just heat up your plate!

     Apparently, adding hot peppers or other spicy ingredients to your food not only boosts your calorie burning abilities, it may help curb your appetite.  There is evidence that capsaicin, the active ingredient in jalapenos, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and hot sauces, may help prevent the "I'm hungry" message from reaching your brain.  It also activates 20 different fat-burning proteins, which enables you to burn calories faster.  In addition, capsaicin may inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells, ease pain, prevent heart attacks, and kill the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.  Sounds like a small miracle to me!

     Add spice to your diet with fresh chiles (jalapeno, poblano, Hatch, habanero), dried red pepper flakes, ground cayenne pepper, hot curry powder, or sauces such as Tabasco or Sriracha.  Feel the burn in a whole new way!

     Do you have a favorite spicy recipe?  Please share it in a comment!

My Cousin's Favorite HEALTHY Thing

And I do mean HEALTHY.  Almost RIDICULOUSLY healthy.  This recipe comes from my cousins Lyndie and Allison in Maryland, and though I haven't had a chance to try it yet, they gave rave reviews. 

RAW COOKIE DOUGH BITES

2/3 cup of raw almonds

2/3 cup of raw walnuts

2/3 cup of rolled oats (or raw oat flakes, if you wish)

1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. of sea salt

1/4 cup of raw agave nectar

2 tsps. vanilla extract

3 tbsps. of dark chocolate chips

In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon, and salt to a fine meal.  Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.  Add the chocolate chips and pulse briefly to combine.  Roll the dough into balls (about 1 tbsp. each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper.  Freeze for about an hour to firm up.  Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

If you try this recipe, be sure to send me your review.  Thanks, Lyndie and Allison!

Got Cravings? Picture This!

     Craving chocolate?  Picture yourself boating on a serene lake.  Got to have that doughnut?  Imagine yourself strolling through a peaceful park on a summer day. 

     A recent study revealed that a food craving can be squelched by daydreaming instead about an activity or setting that makes you happy.  Okay, I'll bite.  I really, REALLY wanted pizza -- pepperoni, onions, the history of cheese, the whole nine yards.  But instead, I pictured myself lounging luxuriously on a pristine white beach in the world's most flattering bikini with the waves lapping rhythmically at the shore and the wind blowing soothingly through my hair.  Okay . . . I'm relaxing.  Ooooo, this is nice.  And isn't my tan looking good.  Ahhhhhhhh.  And then Ernesto, the cabana boy, arrived with my take-out pepperoni pizza and a generous supply of Wet-Wipes.  I thanked Ernesto, shook off my daydream, and picked up the phone to order a pizza, which was absolutely scrumptious, by the way, and while I ate it, I pictured myself on a pristine white beach wearing a handy meal-time cover-up over the world's most flattering bikini.

     So does visualization conquer cravings?  Apparently, not for me!  But try it yourself and let me know what you discover.  (Don't forget to leave a comment!)