Thirsty Thursday: Peach, Mango Green Tea

Green tea is one of the foods we consider a superfood. It has tons of health promoting properties and this is a fun way to drink it. This tea helps reduce inflammation in the body and is protective against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It contains a small amount of local honey to give it some sweetness which is great for seasonal allergies. Peaches are in season right now and are full of fiber, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A. Mango is a great source of potassium and Vitamin A. 

Photo credit to Megan Theriault  

Ingredients:

1 peach

1/2 mango

4 green tea bags (decaf) 

2 tbs local honey

Directions:

1- Steep the green tea in 1 liter of hot water for one hour

2- Remove the tea bags from the water and add the honey

3- Chop up fruit and add it to the tea 

4- Refrigerate until cold and pour over ice to enjoy

Please let us know if you guys are making any of our recipes we would love to hear from you and see pictures. Tag us on Instagram (@2_health_nuts) or share on our Facebook page! Stay tuned this weekend for a blog post on our July favorites. 

                                                                       Yours in Health & Happiness

                                                                     

                                                                       Lisa and Nichole 

Summer Squash Frittata

This is the time year where people have summer squash overflowing their gardens and kitchens. I know I do! Good thing it is a versatile vegetable that can be turned into many tasty dishes, even desserts! Frittatas are one of the simplest dishes to make for any meal of the day, and eggs are one of the most nutritionally perfect foods to eat. When you are choosing eggs to buy, you always want to consider the source.  You want to stick with an organic pasture raised egg, local if possible. These type of eggs are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids. The kind we need more of in our diets. They contain 6 grams of protein each,  choline, selenium, vitamin D, and B12. Do not be afraid of eating the yolks! The egg white has the protein but the yolk holds all the nutrients and healthy fats. 

Summer squash is a great source of vitamin A and C, magnesium, fiber, folate, potassium and B6. 

Serves 8 people 

Paleo, keto, primal, vegetarian, grain free, gluten free, soy free, nut free

Photos by Megan and Michael Theriault 

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1/2 cup onion

2 cups grated mixed zucchini and yellow squash 

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 350

2- Heat olive oil on medium heat in a pan on the stove top

3- Add the onions and squash, cook until soft

4- Crack eggs in medium bowl, beat and add vegetables, salt, pepper, and half the cheese

5- Pour egg mixture into a greased pie dish and cover with remaining cheese

6- Bake until center is cooked around 20-30 minutes 

Check back on Thursday for a Thirsty Thursday drink recipe!

                                                                    Yours in Health & Happiness

                                                                    Lisa and Nichole 

Manic Organic

One of the most common questions we get asked in the nutrition field is what does organic mean and is it really worth the price of buying organic? 

Simply put, originally, all foods were “organic.” We took the time to grow and prepare foods without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, hormones or irradiation. Foods were not refined and they were minimally processed. Unfortunately, to keep up with supply and demand and of course to chase after that good old American dollar, times have changed.  So now we must pay more money to buy foods in their natural state that are labeled “organic.” Sound unfair to you? Well, you are not alone. This is why it is important to learn and understand what you can do to make a change and to keep yourself and your family healthy. And while doing this, understanding where to spend your hard earned dollars as you navigate on a budget. 

The definition of organic is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Choosing to buy organic means that you are reducing your exposure to pesticides and fertilizers. This is in fact very important in sustaining maximum health. Pesticide exposure has been associated with an increase in cancer risk and kidney, liver and blood diseases, and it taxes the immune system. In a nut shell these toxic chemicals accumulate in tissues in the body and microbes in the gut, negatively effecting the immune system, leading to a variety of health problems. We will save all the info on the dangers of pesticides and herbicides for another blog post and focus instead on what simple steps you can start taking today to start avoiding them.

 It is important to know that when you see the USDA Organic or Certified Organic seal on your food then you are indeed getting an organic product. This seal means that the contents of that food should be 95% or more certified organic. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, foods should be free of synthetic additives such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, dyes and cannot be processed using solvents, irradiation or genetic engineering. The other 5% of the food must be found on an approved list. 

The good news.   The Environmental Working group (EWG) publishes an annual rating of conventional foods with the most and least pesticide residues to help fill the void left by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EWG “ the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to inform the public that they have a right to know about the risks of pesticide exposure and how pesticides can be reduced in the everyday diet of Americans.”

Not all produce items are considered equal when it comes to pesticide amounts. If you have a limited budget to spend on organic produce your best bet is to buy foods from the “Dirty Dozen” list in the organic form. These foods have the highest pesticide residue. Foods on the “Clean Fifteen” list are foods with the lowest amount of pesticides and the conventional version can be bought. This list is created and updated yearly by the EWG (Thanks EWG!) You can find this list on their website and download the “Dirty Dozen” app to your smart phone to have this list with you on the go (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php ). 

Dirty dozen (Give or take a few)

You can lower your pesticide intake by avoiding these 14 most contaminated fruits and veggies conventionally grown and purchasing them organically:

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Sweet Bell Peppers(Red)
• Celery
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines(imported)
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Hot peppers
• Kale/Collard Greens
• Snap peas

Clean Fifteen:

   These foods are on the safe side to buy conventionally:

• Avocados
• Corn (although try to avoid GMO corn)
• Pineapple
• Cabbage
• Sweet Peas-frozen
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Mangoes
• Papayas
• Kiwi
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Grapefruit
• Eggplant
• Sweet potatoes

Stay tuned for more info on our hot topic of organic foods. Next manic organic food focus: animal products and local food sources.

    Yours in Health & Happiness,

        Lisa & Nichole

Thirsty Thursday: Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie

Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate and cherries?  It is almost up there with peanut butter and chocolate.  This is a super refreshing fruit filled smoothie to satisfy your sweet tooth anytime of the day without any added sugar. Cherries can help promote sleep, lower inflammation in the body and help protect the body against cancer. Both cherries and bananas are great sources of potassium to help lower blood pressure. Unsweetened cocoa powder is a good source of fiber, iron and magnesium. Enjoy this as a mid day snack or as part of your breakfast. The healthy fats in the coconut milk will keep you full. 

Paleo, gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, raw, vegetarian, vegan

Serves two 

Photo credit to Michael and Megan Theriault 

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas

2 cups coconut milk (unsweetened) I prefer the full fat canned coconut milk

1 cup frozen pitted cherries

2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1- Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth 

Semi-Homemade Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

This is gluten free twist on a must have during strawberry season in the summer when strawberries are abundant at the farmers market and available to pick your own. Any berry can be used for this recipe. For the biscuits this recipe uses some help from Bob’s Red Mill GF pastry mix. I have had everyone including people who don’t eat gluten-free love these biscuits made from rice and chickpea flour. This mix also makes a great mini pizza crust. 

Serves 8 
Gluten-free, vegetarian 

Ingredients

1 quart fresh strawberries

3 tbs coconut palm sugar

8 oz pastured raised whipping cream (if dairy free can substitute coconut whipped cream) 

2 1/2 cups gluten free Bob’s Red Mill biscuit and baking mix

1/2 cup organic butter

3/4th cup water or milk (I used water) 

Directions

1- Wash and cut strawberries and combine with coconut sugar and let sit in the fridge. 

2- Preheat oven to 350 

3- Combine biscuit mix, butter and water in bowl and mix together to form dough

4- Form 8 buiscuits and place on greased cookie sheet and flatten. These do not rise.

5- Bake until brown on the bottom and cooked thru around 15 minutes

6- Let cool

7- Whip the whipping cream 

8 - Cut the biscuit in half and put strawberries and whip cream on top 

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Coconut, blueberry, banana popsicles

Raw, no added sugar, paleo , primal, vegan, vegetarian

Traditional popsicles can be full of unnecessary added sugars, artificial flavors and colors. Making your own is an easy option and a way to control all the ingredients. I found my popsicle molds at Homegoods.These popsicles are full of healthy fat from the coconut milk, and a great source of potassium and antioxidants from the fruit. Frozen or fresh blueberries will work for this recipe. 

Ingredients:

1/2 can of full fat coconut milk (make sure you get one with only coconut milk) 

1/2 cup blueberries

1 frozen banana

Directions:

1 - Blend ingredients in blender

2- Pour into 4 popsicle molds

3- Freeze until hard and enjoy on a hot summer day

What recipes made healthy would you like to see on our blog? Please leave a comment under the post or email us at 2healthnutsnutrition@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you! Enjoy your weekend. 

Thirsty Thursday: Watermelon Lime Cooler

Raw, paleo, gluten free, grain free, vegan 

This is a perfect fun summer drink. Watermelon is a great source of the phytonutrient lycopene which gives it its beautiful color. It is also full of water so it is a perfect way to hydrate on these hot summer days. Limes and watermelon can be a great source of vitamin C and help to keep the body alkaline. Both the mint leaves and limes are beneficial for the digestive system. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups cold seedless watermelon

3 mint leaves

1 lime 

Directions:

1- Cube watermelon and juice the lime

2- Put all ingredients in blender, blend and enjoy

  

*For ultimate blending satisfaction we recommend the vitamix or the more budget friendly nutribullet

Meet the Health Nuts

Welcome to our blog! We are 2 health nuts on a mission to bring you the latest information in the health and wellness field and to get you on the road to being the healthiest version of yourself. The two of us met while in graduate school studying Clinical Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport in CT. Our passion for wellness and to make a real change in people's lives lead us to form an instant bond. We knew we would make a great team sharing a nutrition practice, educating people, and blogging about all the latest info in nutrition and healthy living. What we put into our body has a direct effect on our health, and research is proving this more and more every day. In a time of rising obesity, and physical and mental health problems we are seeing the expression "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT" play itself out. Millions of Americans are suffering and are under the impression that short of trying the latest fad diet or medication that we have to live this way. This is simply not true. We will be sharing healthy recipes, nutrition information and many other aspects of healthy living. Do to all the conflicting nutrition advice, we will also be available to answer your questions. We are so excited to be a valuable resource and to share this life changing information with you!

 In Health & Happiness,

Lisa  and Nichole

" Be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Gandhi

         My name is Lisa Hyatt, a 33 year old wellness guru. I became a certified Health Coach 4 years ago which then lead me to pursue my Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition. Drawing from my education in hundreds of dietary theories and nutrition science I work with clients to improve physical and mental health conditions, lose weight, and learn how to make  sustainable lifestyle changes. Personally, I battled with fluctuating weight issues for most of my teenage life and at the age of 17 the onset of anxiety and panic disorder completely changed my world.  When I was 21 I began researching natural health and eating healthy and realized that the answer to permanent weight loss and getting healthy mentally might possibly lie in the same place. Eating the wrong foods were toxic to both my brain and body. It was all connected. Putting healthy foods into my body and getting rid of certain inflammatory foods for my particular biochemistry would improve both my physical and mental health. I began to feel comfortable in my body being a healthy weight and my panic attacks were becoming far less frequent. Since the age of 27, figuring out the final piece of the puzzle lead me to be free of panic disorder.  

      As a mother of 3, I feel beyond blessed to have so much knowledge in the health and nutrition field to help navigate through this difficult world of such conflicting advice. When my son was only 4 years old he was diagnosed with asthma and every time he would catch a cold or the seasons would change his asthma would get so debilitating that he would end up on steroids and a breathing machine. Other mothers who have experienced this know that it is extremely scary and any mother could imagine how terrifying it is when your child can barely breathe. He was five years old when we began eating healthy as a family. I began taking certain foods out of his diet and at the age of 7, I finally discovered what a main trigger for his asthma in his diet was. Once he stopped eating it, his asthma attacks became few and far between. He is now 10 years old and asthma is pretty much a thing of the past.  I think everyone is getting the point. Changing our diets and lifestyles can change not only our lives but the lives of our children. This in a nut shell is why I do what I do. It is my passion and I look forward to cutting through all the overwhelming conflicting health advice out there, and bring you the truth; the simple, educated and effective truth in leading a healthier life.

“To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.”

My name is Nichole Theriault, a 25-year-old health nut.  I struggled with weight through my childhood and teens. Right before high school, I lost and gained the same twenty pounds multiple times on my ride of yo-yo dieting. I thought my diet of diet soda, sugar free candy, fat -free everything and counting calories obsessively was healthy. When I was 20, I became a vegetarian, and discovered the world of nutrition thru books, Whole Foods, health food stores, and farmers markets.  In the past five years, my definition of healthy has evolved and I have found my balance thanks to education and my hunger for nutrition. I am no longer a vegetarian or eat the way I did in high school, but my passion for nutrition has only gotten stronger. As my family would tell you I live, breathe and sleep nutrition. 

In May of 2012 I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and a minor in nutrition. One day after graduation I began classes for my Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition.  I decided to pursue this degree because I need it to accomplish my goal of opening up a practice and counseling clients. Besides blogging and pursuing my nutrition career, I am lucky enough to be teaching cooking and nutrition classes to people of all ages. I also spend a lot of time in the kitchen thinking up new recipes to suit healthy lifestyles. I can’t wait to share them with all of you! I have learned a great deal from my own experiences, and I continue to learn and grow every day from my students. I am very lucky to be able to share my passion. 


Now that you've met us stay tuned for our next blog post!