Rule 52:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

You know, all those things our grandmas used to tell us were right! There is a reason why their generation didn’t have so many lifestyle diseases and we should give them credit for that.

I love apples! I love eating them with hummus or peanut butter and I love using them in a salad or to bake with them.

Benefits: Decrease your risk of diabetes, Reduce cholesterol, Control your weight, Detoxify your liver, full of fibre, full of antioxidants that promote healthy lungs function, control blood sugar, reduce skin diseases and, like any other kind of whole food, it protects against: cancer, Parkinson and Alzheimer.  

 

Nutrition value: Between 50-80 calories. Zero fat or sodium. Only 15 grams of carbs (4 grams of fibre). 6.5mg of calcium, 12mg of phosphors, 117mg of potassium and 5.5 mg ofmagnesium.

Kinds: Over 30 kinds of apples! They’re all good just; try and see what you like. I found the golden delicious and the Papple (a cross between apple and pear) the best for baking, the granny smith or the red delicious for snacks and when I add them to cooking I use a mix if what’s on sale at the store.

How about some recipes?

For those who don’t follow me on IG you – should! Because I put there recipes daily and there’s a few apple recipes you should try: @danagatfit

Apple-Parsnip Soup:

Ingredients

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         1 cup chopped onion 

·         2 1/2 cups chopped peeled Pink Lady apple

·         1 tbsp curry powder

·         1 1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

·         1 tsp ground cardamom

·         1 garlic clove, chopped

·         3 1/2 cups chopped peeled parsnip (about 1 1/2 pounds)

·         4 cups water 

·         1 cup apple cider

Directions:

·        Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apple, ginger, cardamom and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add parsnip, water, and apple cider; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until parsnip is tender.

·         Place half of parsnip mixture in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat the procedure with remaining parsnip mixture. Make 8 serving.

Fresh Apple Salsa:

Ingredients:

·         2 cups diced peeled your choice of apple (about 3/4 pound)

·         1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 

·         1/3 cup fresh lime juice

·         1/4 cup diced red onion

·         1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

·         1 tbsp honey

·         1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

·         1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

Mix everything.

Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples:

Ingredients

·         1 pound chicken breast, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal

·         3/4 tsp dried thyme

·         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         2 crisp red apples, such as Fuji or Gala, thinly sliced

·         1 large red onion sliced

·         3/4 cup apple cider

·         1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

·         1 tbsp oat flour (make it yourself in the blender)

Directions:

·         Sprinkle both sides of chicken breast with 1/4 teaspoon each thyme and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a clean plate.

·         Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add apples, onion, 2 tablespoons cider and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the apples and onion are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cranberries and sprinkle oat flour over everything in the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the remaining cider. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Apple-Cinnamon Fruit Bars:

Ingredients

CRUST

·         1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts), divided

·         1 ½ cup oat flour

·         ¼  cup stevia

·         4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

·         1 large egg

·         2 tablespoons grape seed oil

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1/4 teaspoon almond extract

FRUIT FILLING

·         6 cups diced peeled apples, divided

·         1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice

·         1/4 cup stevia

·         1/4 cup cornstarch

·         1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction:

·         To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts, oat flour and stevia in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.

·         Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts .Set aside for the topping.

·         Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

·         To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 4 cups apples, cider (or orange juice), stevia and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups apples, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

·         Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling. Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.

And that’s it for now. I’ll post more recipes on my IG account so make sure you check it.

Apple are a basic thing in any household but the recipes I gave you are just to mix thing up, don’t forget that most apples are just as good the way they were created.

 Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014

Rule 51.

I’m not your typical bodybuilder. I care about health more than how ripped I get because I understand the long term influence my lifestyle will have on my body and last week I explained to you why. But this time I want to talk about something else.

Stress.

Remember! Stressed people tend to pack on pounds and hold to the fat, so if you trying to lose fat you need to start by taking a breath and relax. 

But sometimes, just taking a breath doesn’t work so if you’re stressed (and let’s be honest: the holiday’s starting so you’re probably stressed), I suggest you start your day like a granola than transforms into the beast you are and go to sleep like the princess you are.

“Granola”: means that your lifestyle is like that of a hippie. You tend to eat natural, organic foods and are often vegetarian or vegan. You tend to recycle. You wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes.

When I say start your day like a granola I mean something like that:

5:00am- wake up and take a warm shower. Not hot - you don’t want to get you blood pumping.

5:25am – drink warm water with lemon to awaken you organs.

5:30am – 30 min meditation.

6:00am – low impact workout (think yin yoga, Pilates or just stretching)

7:00am- breakfast (recipes will follow) with unsweetened caffeine-free green tea.

You can go back to be a beast (go lift something) and you won’t have any problem sleeping like a princess.

Now for recipes…I’m going to give you recipes for granola lifestyle.

Don’t overeat them! They’ew very high in carbs and sugar so watch it.

Eat it in the morning, only in the morning and not all of them.

Use your brain and if you need advice write to me at: danagatfit@outlook.com

Cherry Pecan Granola:

·           2 cups raw, whole rolled oats

·           ½ cup raw pecans, chopped

·           ½ cup unsweetened dried cherries, chopped

·           ¼ cup raw sliced almond

·           ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

·           2 tbsp maple syrup

·          1 tbsp coconut oil

Mix all together and bake for 30 min on 375F.

Overnight Oats:

·         Mix your desired amount of oat with the same amount of desired fluid (water, juice or milk) 1:1 ratio.

·         Add your desired topping.

·         Store in Mason jar in the fridge overnight.

Flavours to try:

·         Orange & vanilla (fluid – orange)

·         Maple, pecan, banana & peanut butter (fluid – water)

·         strawberries & chia seed (fluid - soy milk)

·         Mango & coconut (fluid – water/soy milk)

·         Ginger & peach (fluid – water/soy milk)

·         Chocolate & banana (fluid – soy milk)

No-bake Chocolate mint bars:

Put ½ cup oat in a blender and make it to flour.

Add: 1 tbsp stevia, 4 tbsp coconut oil, 6 oz dark chocolate chips, 9 mint leaves and ¼ cup almond milk. Blend.

Make it to roll and wrap with wax paper. It shouldn’t be sticky. Freeze for 2 hours.

Take out and cut.

No Bake Peppermint Patty Bars:

Ingredients:

·         2 cups oats make to flour.

·         1/2 cup almonds

·         1/2 cup walnuts

·         4-5 tbsp cocoa powder, to taste

·         2 tbsp almond milk

·         5 tbsp pure maple syrup

·         1/4 cup oats

·         1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

·         1 tsp coconut oil

·         10 mint leaves

·         Line an 8-inch pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Set aside.

·          In a food processor, add almonds and walnuts. Process until a very fine crumble. Add oat flour & cocoa powder (start with 2 tbsp for now). Process until combined.

·          Add in the maple syrup and almond milk. Process until a ball forms. Add another tablespoon of cocoa powder if desired. Process in the ¼ cup rolled oats and ¼ cup chocolate chips until combined.

·         Take mixture and crumble it all over the prepared pan (it will be very sticky but not to worry). Now place parchment paper over top and press down evenly with your fingers. Use a pastry roller to smooth it out. Once smooth, place in freezer while you melt the chocolate topping.

·         Add chocolate, coconut oil & mint into a small pot. Melt on low until most of the chocolate has melted and remove from heat. Stir. Remove pan from freezer and pour melted chocolate on top. Smooth out with spatula. Sprinkle on coconut (opt.) and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until set. Slice into 6 narrow rows and then in half to make 12 bars. Serve chilled.

No-Bake energy balls:

Ingredients:

·         1 cup oatmeal

·         ½ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

·         ⅓ cup honey

·         1 cup coconut flakes

·         ½ cup ground flaxseed

·         ½ cup mini chocolate chips

·         1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated, let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour, once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!

Apricot & Cashew Energy Bars:

Ingredients:

·         1 cup dried Turkish apricots

·         ½ cup raw cashews

·         ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

·         ⅓ cup oats

·         2 tablespoons honey

·         1 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

·         2 tablespoons hemp seeds

Instructions:

·         Line and 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

·         Pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly, place in a separate bowl.

·         Pulse apricots in food processor until finely chopped. Add all other ingredients to the apricot mixture and process until well combined.

·         Add the chopped cashews to the mixture and pulse until combined.

·         Firmly press the apricot mixture into the baking pan, using the flat surface of a measuring cup to create a flat even layer.

·         Place pan in the freezer for one hour, then remove and cut into bars

Pomegranate Date Quinoa Energy Bar:

Ingredients:

·         ¾ cup Medjool dates

·         ½ cup pomegranate seeds (1/4 of a big promegranate)

·         ¼ cup flax seed

·         ½ cup cooked quinoa

·         ¼ cup sunflower seeds

·         ¼ cup hemp seed powder

Instructions:

·         Remove the core from the dates and chop into small chunks. They might be very sticky.

·         Add all the ingredients into the food processor and process until smooth, or to the texture that you desire.

·         Scoop the mixture into the bar-shaped silicon pan or any loaf pan

·         Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

·         Remove the energy bars from the pan and put them into a freezer box or bags, keep them in the freezer and eat directly from the freezer. If it's too cold for you, you can wait until it reaches room temperature, but don't wait for too long, otherwise they turn soft and mushy.

And that’s it!

Remember! You’re supposed to choose only one of these recipes and eat it in the morning on a week when you feel stressed.

And don’t forget to take a deep breath!

For daily motivation check my twitter: @danagatfit

For daily recipes check my instagram: @danagatfit

For related articles check my Facebook page:  eat cake & not get fat

For questions or help please email me: danagatfit@outlook.com

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014