Strawberry-Banana Soft Serve

Ciao Nutrinutters,

Banana soft serve...

I've seen videos, recipes and pinned just about every version of soft serve ice cream.

Haven’t heard this term before? It is usually done with frozen bananas blended into ice cream consistency and voila! You've got yourself vegan ice cream.

The idea always intrigued me. Although it was pretty clear from the videos that it did look like ice cream, I just always wondered if it just tasted like bananas, because that’s what it is after all! And if I am craving ice cream, will a banana soft serve do it for me?

So of course when I saw some spotted bananas in my kitchen, I chopped it up and didn't think twice to freeze it. When Saturday came along and I craved dessert after lunch, I remembered that not only did I have my one frozen banana but frozen strawberries too!

So this is what I did:

Placed in the food processor 1 medium frozen banana with about 1 cup of frozen strawberries.

I read that adding vodka helps with maintaining the creamy consistency. Not having vodka at home, I found some random white wine in my fridge…maybe not the best idea but I thought “what the heck!” and added 1 tablespoon of this wine. I recommend adding something sweet like moscato…

I confess I struggled to get the creamy consistency without adding any liquids because my food processor is not that potent, so I added 2 tablespoons of almond milk. And for the final touch, to make sure that it didn't only taste like a frozen banana-strawberry smoothie, I added 1 tablespoon on vanilla extract…we wanted dessert after all ;)

And the strawberry on top...

As for the taste, I loved it! Giving it 4.5 stars simply because this is the first recipe I try. If you are looking for a healthy, easy AND tasty way to cool off this summer, I’d give this one a go. Especially with the summer heat here in Miami, this is exactly what I needed!

And just to give this recipe a little more credit, my parents and boyfriend approved too ;)

Bonus good news: it stays just as good the next day too!

Just make sure to take it out of the freezer and wait 5 minutes so it’s easier to scoop out.

Strawberry-Banana Soft Serve Recipe: (serves 2-3)

• 1 medium frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon white wine/vodka
• 2 tablespoons of almond milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Process in food processor until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

DIY: Coco-Lavender Face Cleanser

Ciao Nutrinutters,

For a few years now I've been investing a good chunk of my paycheck on beauty products.

If you are like me, just about anything irritates your skin, whether it is leaving it too dry or making it very oily or just giving you dermatitis (an irritation of the skin). I started a nonstop process of reading articles talking about all the harmful substances and realized that my super expensive, healthy, organic, natural, full of antioxidants, miracle product also have these in their label (usually aaaall the way in the bottom of the list of ingredients…but it is still there!). I just about lost it when I realized that my $30 shampoo (that lasts me less than 2 weeks) also contained way down at the bottom a few of the no no’s…I thought this shampoo only had bananas and essential oils for cryin’ out loud!

So now I am listening to a little Bossa Nova (Brazilian music, very relaxing btw!) and sharing with you how I converted to DIY...

The idea started probably a couple of weeks ago when I thoroughly read the entire list of ingredients in my shampoo and decided I could do better! I guess I am a little late to the DIY party but I like to think that I am fashionably late ;)
I started looking at pinterest (I am also a lot more appreciative of this now) and googling in general DIY beauty products. Now, the beauty about working in a supplement company is that I am a lot more aware of all the possibilities that are out there. I looked up recipes that I could make with the raw ingredients sold in my company and found quite a few! How to decide? So many scrub recipes, shampoo, face cleansers…

I confess that I was so enthused with the idea that I just randomly purchased a bunch of essential oils, coco-lavender face cleanser came to be.
Moroccan clay, Castile soap and shea butter. Since I forgot a few ingredients for the shampoo recipe I wanted to give a go, I decided to try instead the cleanser. I adapted a recipe with a switch of ingredients and that is how

It was Saturday morning and time for the nutrinut to get cookin’.
Here’s what I did:

Recipe:

-          1 cup distilled water

-          2 tbsp castile soap

-          ¼ cup coconut oil

-          2 tbsp raw honey

-          1 tbsp shea buter (melted*)

-          20 drops lavender essential oil

*place container with water half way in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and place other container that only contains the shea butter in the hot water and allow shea butter to melt. (like picture below)

Mix all ingredients and place contents in a container for you to use. I placed mine in a bottle with pump.

Make sure to shake bottle before each use to mix well all ingredients.

I've used this cleanser 3 days already and I’m still in love! I found that it not only cleans the skin, but also hydrates and I haven’t had the need to use my face moisturizer at all! And because of that, my skin is a lot less oily during the day. My skin is combination by the way...

It might be early to say since usually you need to use a product more than 3 days to know how effective it is, but these simple ingredients have done a lot more for my skin than all of the expensive products I've used in the past…a lot more pocket friendly too ;)

So are you going to give this one a go?? Let me know how it works out for you :)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

The "Weight Loss Scam" - a Nutrinut's point of view

Ciao Nutrinutters :)

Here are my thoughts on the weight loss scam:

I believe most of us have seen the videos on senator McCaskill questioning Dr. Oz’s participation in the weight loss scam. I cannot argue that his show can be informative and he does have a true gift with words and the ability to teach. My issue is not with alternative medicine, for I do believe that nature’s medicine is truly powerful. My issue is with all the weight loss bull and how he chooses to display this info in his show. On the other hand, I also have to strongly disagree with the claim that weight loss is only about dieting and working out.

Only someone struggling with weight loss fully understands that it is a bit more complex than that. There could be hormonal issues involved, psychological factors, and even some sort of addiction. To make things worse, we have people advertising in the media constantly that they have the answer to it all...they promise people something that most have desired for so long, struggled with, and failed—the control of their weight.

So going back to the news, my issue with all this is just giving people the false hope…the miracle they have all been looking for. In my eyes however, Dr. Oz is only the very tip of the iceberg. While the blame is being directed at one person, I am sure that the food industry is just loving the focus for once not being on them. Guess what? This Nutrinut has not forgotten about you. I still think that the big problem lies there. I consider the “weight loss miracle” scams just businesses trying to bandage a broken bone. And people will go for it because they don’t know what else to do…when in reality, the cure lies in healing from inside out.

And this is where the food industry comes into play. In my eyes, they are responsible for offering crappy food filled with sugar, salt, and additives, even though they are fully aware of the health consequences. To get away with this, all they have to do is hire a brilliant marketing team that will add a lovely spin to their product in order to make us feel safe and comfortable in consuming poison. An article published this week addressed just this. It showed how marketing distorts people’s perception of what is a healthy product. The participants were presented with options and they had to pick which one was healthier. The interesting twist is that the difference was not in the product but that one contained health claims such as “contains antioxidants” in a cherry soda while in the other, the claim was removed. The participants got a “false sense of health” and believed that the one with the claim was the better option.

I guess I did go a bit off topic, but for me, the true weight loss scam starts with the food industry. They manufacture harmful products and the cherry on top, market them as healthy.

The good news is that you, yes YOU, can do something about it! Make smarter choices. If it sounds too good to be true (i.e. a soda with antioxidants, organic fruit snacks, heart healthy, sugar filled cereals, etc.) then it probably is. If you want antioxidants, eat fruits! ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

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How passionate are you about what you do?

Ciao Nutrinutters!

Last week I had the opportunity to attend an educational seminar on one of the companies that sells supplements to the one I work for. The experience was eye-opening in more than one way. Not only was I able to learn about different herbs and how nature works in synergy, but I got to see something that is not that easy to find – people that have a true passion for what they do.

The owner of the company was one of the speakers and it was very clear to all of the +150 attendees that this man is in love with what he does even 27 years after creating his business.

This got me thinking about how many people can say the same.

Sure, everyone has their off days where the last thing they want to do is get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off at 6AM…but for the most part, how do you feel about what you do? Does your job put a smile on your face?

I think that what matters most is to find true happiness and passion in one’s life. I confess that I never had a dream job as a kid, other than wanting to be an actress because that way I could be everything I wanted to be depending on the role. Not a very realistic job for me since I am more on the shy side, so that idea quickly changed. But the way I like to see it when it comes to how I became the Nutrinut is that nutrition chose me. Yes, at times I have felt lost and wondered if there was something else out there for me. I also can’t say that I’ve got everything figured out by now because that is far from the truth, but who does anyways, right?

Would I say that I have passion for nutrition?

Heck yeah! When I find myself arguing (not fighting) with others on nutrition topics such as all the different diets (paleo one is still quite popular) and how much protein should one be having, I am reminded that this is my passion! Especially with the simple fact that I get overwhelmed with the amount of things I still want to learn about nutrition, foods, and herbs.

The possibilities are countless! In a way I did get my wish after all. What other profession would allow me to work in the health industry that combines a wide range of different tasks, such as online marketing, scripts for nutrition videos, exploring new recipes (and trying them), and being able to be creative with every silly idea I can possibly come up? All of this combined, while still having the amazing chance to educate people about what I love to do is what makes it even more worth it. I am proud, passionate, and honored to have had this chance—for it comes once in a lifetime.

So what about you, what are you passionate about? 

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

BunnieCakes: Vegan and Gluten-free paradise

Ciao Nutrinutters!

I am very excited to write this post...my very first food review!

When a friend from work one day told me that she knew the owner of a gluten free AND vegan cupcake place, I could hardly contain my excitement with the news!

For those of you, like me, who have tried many times exploring with gluten free flour and were disappointed with the end product can understand why I was lured at the idea of talking to someone who has figured it out!

An that is how I recently had the opportunity to meet one of the most inspiring women. Her name is Mariana Cortez, she is a mother of 3, founder, owner and vegan pastry chef of the charming cupcake paradise called BunnieCakes located in downtown Miami.

Like many, what drove her to go down this path was her kid being gluten sensitive. On his birthday, Mariana went out in search for a gluten-free birthday cake for her boy and was not able to find one. Frustration pushed her to get one of her family recipe cakes and dive into the world of gluten free flours.

The day we met, she told me her story and after trying a mouthwatering guava gluten-free and vegan cupcake and having it taste better than a regular cupcake, I could only help but wonder how long it took her to master this recipe. This is when she tells me that it took her an entire year of experimenting to finally create her gluten-free flour blend for the cupcakes. Amazing right?
After we talked for a while, I knew that I could only get myself to leave the shop with a dozen of her mini cupcakes.

So I wanted to share with you how my little bites to paradise went!

Some of the cupcake flavors that I chose included: guava, chocolate chip, triple chocolate (can you tell that I love chocolate, haha), passion fruit, key lime pie, blueberry, strawberry, carrot cake and a few others.

Never did I imagine that there could be such a decadent gluten free cupcake! I did halfsies with my friend on each of these and here’s what we thought:

Chocolate lovers, these are for you!

One bite and you will feel the chocolate melt in your mouth! And these are vegan! Coming from a chocoholic, my favorite from these were the triple chocolate ;)

If you are more into fruits, the blueberry one was my favorite.

This cupcake has not only blueberries inside, but is topped with a delicious, sweet blueberry - it truly was the cherry on top. Although this one was my favorite, passion fruit and guava were a close second!

And lastly, if you are more into the coffee cake flavors, cinnamon, carrots and coconut will win your heart over!

If you are ever in the Miami area, be sure to stop by and check these cupcakes out! I promise this will be quite a treat ;)

Well, that wraps up my first food review...I hope you enjoyed it and until next time!

xoxo

-The Nutrinut-

The "Sugar Challenge"

Guten Tag! ;)

As some of you might already know, part of my job is being in the loop of all the nutrition trends to see what we can use to create healthy tips, among other reasons too. One thing that drives me insane and keeps popping up is 5, 6, 7 and even sometimes 8 easy “simple” ways to cut sugar.

Really??

Yes, we know that sugar is not good for us and is compared to having similar effects on the brain to cocaine. But would you say that giving up an addiction is as easy as counting to 8? 

We do have to cut down on added sugars, but there is nothing easy about doing this. More than half of the “sugar alternatives” recommended are just as bad for you if not worse than sugar itself! And did you know that "sugar" can have over 50 different names?

I took on the “sugar challenge” myself to keep my daily intake around 25 grams (which is what’s being recommended by the American Heart Association). For the first week, I wrote down all of the foods I ate and how much sugar I was having. The numbers were crazy I tell you…my days averaged around 90 grams per day!

How did we get to such high numbers?

Part of it is that there was a significant increase in the variety of processed foods. The other half of the story is that we don’t have much time to cook anymore (is that what the oven looks like?). But no worries, processed foods are here to save the day! Or that's what they want us to think. 

What I would recommend?

Keep track for 3-4 days everything you eat and the amount of sugar it contains by looking at the food label. This will help you have an idea where you stand and spot where your excesses are. The next step is substituting your highest sources for healthier options.

 
 Recipe to Unsweetened Applesauce

This might be a bit tricky at first, but I’ll use myself as an example. One of my switches was my almond milk, which I substituted my original vanilla for the unsweetened one…this cut down quite a few grams from my day.

We can make wiser choices by reading food labels. Dedicating time to this when doing groceries might not sound very convenient, but if it comes in a package, this is the best way to go!

I also strongly recommend not going "cold turkey" on this and give yourself time to adapt to the changes. The idea is to not make yourself crazy in the process. Plus, the smoother you make this transition, the more likely you’ll be able to maintain these changes.

Something really important to remember is to not give up. I will tell you right now that there will be the day where your coworker will bring every imaginable flavor doughnut to the office and you will be tempted and might have 1 or even 2. Don’t panic, and don’t give up on yourself. It is ok! Tomorrow is another day ;)

Hope you join me in the "sugar challenge" - Let me know how it goes! I would love to hear from you :)

...until next time!

Xoxo

-The Nutrinut-