nearly fat free peanut butter?

i recently made an incredible discovery that i wanted to share with you: PB2. i was searching for a jar of peanut butter the other day in my local health food store, when i stumbled upon this gem. it sounded weird when i read the description on the jar, but i decided to give it a try anyhow ("the 85% less fat" claim is what really sold me). PB2 is made by a company called bell plantation. the process they put peanuts through basically dehydrates them and removes 85% of the fat they contain, leaving them ground into a tasty powder that, when mixed with water, turns into a creamy peanut butter! it tastes just like peanut butter, but with less fat and calories. better yet, it comes in a chocolate flavor. now, tell me, what is better than peanut butter and chocolate?...peanut butter and chocolate with 85% less fat and calories! 


you can buy it on amazon here or on the bell plantation website. 

native foods

the best part about native foods is that it's in the heart of westwood.  not only does it have awesome food, but since it's in a bustling college town full of coffee shops and movie theaters, your non-vegan friends won't even bat an eye when you suggest it for dinner.  my favorite things on the menu are the bowls (try the gandhi bowl or the greek gyro bowl), but there are plenty of "comfort food" classics on the menu, as well, like nachos, a fried chicken burger, and chili cheese fries.  we got the sweet potato fries and they were amazing.

[sweet potato fries with herb salt]

[greek gyro bowl]

everything at native foods is homemade each day using organic ingredients: the tempeh, the cashew cheese, even the tofu! the portions aren't huge, but that just means you always have room for dessert!  i recommend the good luck cupcakes (made using fair trade cocoa) or the cheesecake with granola crust.  oh, and one thing i forgot to mention -they have a kids menu!  definitely not your typical vegan restaurant.

[gandhi bowl]

native foods in westwood is located here.
hours are 11am - 10pm monday through sunday.

yogaworks

i never wash my car. i know i should want to do it, but for some reason, i hate it. until, of course, i'm driving around in a clean car. as soon as i get in and look through the spotless windshield and see the freshly vacuumed carpet underneath my feet, i think "why don't i do this more often?" and then i think "i'm turning over a new leaf. i'm going to wash my car once a week!" two months go by and i am once again rolling around in my dirt-caked bmw with water bottles and cookie crumbs rolling around at my feet. i am the same way about yoga. as soon as i bow my head, say "namaste," and walk out of the warm room, i think "why don't i do this more often?" but then a few days go by and the thought of committing to an hour and a half class sounds like the worst thing in the world....so i wait another couple of months. that was true until i found yogaworks.

yogaworks has gotten me hooked. for the past two months i've been to yoga at least two to three times a week and i've noticed that my flexibility and my strength have increased significantly. i've also noticed a difference in my running. the tight hamstrings and hips that used to ache after long runs now feel more at ease. every class is completely different and each teacher has his/her own style so you never get bored and you're always being challenged.

yogaworks has studios all over, but my favorite is the one on main street in santa monica. it's a block away from urth cafe and across the street from the sunday farmer's market so it's easy to fit a class into your packed agenda.

if you're still not sold, you don't have to commit quite yet. yogaworks offers a two week trial pass for $30 (usually classes are $22 each) and you can attend as many classes as you want during that two week period. if you don't have a mat, you can rent one for $2 and parking is a cinch: there is metered parking right outside on main street and additional parking around the corner on strand.

give it a try. if you're anything like me, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

but it's organic!

the other day at the grocery store i was pushing my cart down the cookie aisle (i think lentils are in the same aisle, which is, of course, why i was there) when i started to notice the word "organic" on almost every box that i passed.  crummy brothers "organic" cookies, newman's own "organic" o's, "organic" fig newtons. at this point i'm wondering, are these the new snackwells of the 21st century? low-fat cookies were all the rage back in the '90s and people would scarf down those little green packages of vanilla creme sandwiches like it was nobody's business. and as their weight started to creep up, they blamed high fat foods like peanut butter, nuts, and avocados instead of the pounds of sugar they were consuming on a daily basis. oh, how ignorant we once were. we'll never fall for another marketing ploy again! or will we? nowadays, "organic" is the new buzz word and marketers are seizing every opportunity to tout their products as "organic" in order to appeal to the health conscious consumer (or the not so health conscious consumer that just wants to feel good about his choice of "organic" fig newtons). we are ignoring saturated fat and added sugar because it doesn't really matter as long as the ingredients are "organic," right? wrong. while i understand the benefit of buying organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and eggs, i'm pretty sure an oreo is an oreo whichever way you stack it...organic or not.

before i go any further, i think it's important to clarify the definition of "organic."  simply put, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. animals that produce meat, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.

the USDA organic program defines "organic" as follows:

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meetUSDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too."

certified organic label: product is at least 95% organic 

by no means am i saying that the "organic" claim on the boxes of cookies should be ignored - just don't let it hide the fact that, albeit organic, the product you are purchasing is high fat and sugar and low nutritional value. the first question you should ask yourself is: will this food, organic or conventional, benefit my health if i eat it? if the answer is no, that doesn't mean you can't eat it. but while you're dunking that little newman's o into a glass of sweetened soy milk, please don't justify your indulgence by saying "but it's organic!"

if you really want to be healthy, eat whole, unprocessed foods as often as possible. anything processed and packaged can and should be avoided, especially if it's something like cookies. the more foods you eat that are exactly how they exist in nature (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts), the better off you'll be. period.

really?

[more on organic as it relates to fruits and vegetables later. in the meantime, put down that oreo and grab an apple. please.]

vote for the studio (mdr)!

as you probably know from reading my post here, the studio (mdr) is one of my favorite fitness studios in la, and, apparently, i'm not the only one that thinks so. since january of this year (that's when they opened) they have grown tremendously...to the point that they are in desperate need of an expansion! every month the schedule for the following month is posted and classes sell out in a matter of seconds. there are only 9 machines in the studio, so they are (unfortunately) capped at 9 people per class. enter dell.  dell has developed a program called america's favorite small business where they are giving small businesses the opportunity to win $25,000 in dell products, a $50,000 pre-paid MasterCard, and their own reality show. to be honest, although the $75,000 is enticing, i am more excited about the idea of a kylates reality show! no, but seriously, this is a huge opportunity for the studio (mdr) to get some much needed cash to cover expenses and go through the expansion they need to be successful. it only takes a second to vote, so if you have time, please do so in the "view and vote" section here.  you can (and are encouraged to) vote even if you don't live in la. every little bit helps!

healthier mashed potatoes

if you're anything like me, you'll agree that there's something special about creamy, garlicky, buttery mashed potatoes.  ever since i was a little kid i've been a sucker for spuds. there's nothing wrong with potatoes, but why not try to make this delicious dish a little healthier? that's exactly what i did tonight by substituting cauliflower and parsnips for the starchy alternative. the result: i'm so full i can barely move.

below is the "recipe" i used. i actually just made it up as i went along, but the mashed potatoes turned out great so i'll pretend that it is a tried and true recipe!

ingredients:
1 large head organic cauliflower, washed and chopped
1 large parsnip
1 bunch green onions, chopped
earth balance vegan butter
olive oil
salt
*truffle salt

steam the cauliflower and parsnips until soft.
put the cauliflower and parsnips in a cuisinart and blend with olive oil (roughly 1/3 cup) and earth balance (1/4-1/3 cup). add green onions and salt to taste. voila!

you can really add as much or as little salt, olive oil, and earth balance as you want.  more earth balance = creamier texture.

by no means are potatoes unhealthy, but if you want a lighter, lower carb alternative, try this recipe. you won't be disappointed!

*if you have truffle salt, sprinkle it on top of the finished product. it will blow your mind. if you don't have truffle salt, i'm sorry. go here and buy it now.

macadamia nut oil

move over olive oil - macadamia nut oil is the next big thing! for years i've been using olive oil for almost every single recipe that called for oil. i even once substituted olive oil for canola oil in a batch of pancakes only to find out the hard way that not all oils are created equal. instead of light, fluffy, buttermilk flapjacks, i was left with thick slabs of batter that resembled overcooked latkes. but even though olive oil is touted as being one of, if not THE healthiest oil out there, macadamia nut oil actually has a few pros that, in my opinion, blow olive oil out of the water (and this is not a reference to volatile relationship that already exists between oil and water).

here are a few things you may not know about macadamia nut oil:
1. macadamia nut oil can stand the heat. olive oil can't: many people do not realize that olive oil's composition begins to change when it is exposed to high heat (reaching its "smoke point"). quite quickly, the good fat changes form and we are actually creating a different chemical composition that is completely different from the composition of cold olive oil.  macadamia nut oil, on the other hand, has a very high smoke point.  this means that it can be used at high heats without changing composition or flavor. when cooking eggs or roasting vegetables, i recommend using macadamia nut oil instead of olive oil for the above reason.

2. olive oil has more omega 6 fatty acids than macadamia nut oil: some omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation while omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation. although macadamia nut oil has less omega-6 fatty acids, olive oil has more omega-3 fatty acids.  when making salads, use olive oil. when sauteeing spinach or broiling fish, use macadamia nut oil.

3. macadamia nut oil has a rich, nutty flavor: no one can deny the fact that olive oil has a delicious flavor. few things are as tasty as fresh, warm bread dipped in a really good olive oil. but have you ever tried macadamia nut oil on vegetables (or even just by itself). macadamia nut oil has a wonderful flavor that is a great alternative to the very distinct taste of olive oil.

by no means am i dissing olive oil here. i think olive oil is one of the best things ever created. but just be careful how you use it. if you can, start using macadamia nut oil when cooking at high temperatures and saving the olive oil for warm or cold dishes. you'll probably notice that the flavor is better anyhow. and don't forget that there are other oils out there, too.  experiment with avocado oil, walnut oil, and pistachio oil - see which ones you like best for different dishes!