Gluten-Free Nutrition Filled Muffins

1 c. applesauce
½ c. grated zucchini and carrots
½ c. maple syrup or raw agave
1 c. gluten free flour
½ c. of NSP Love and Peas Protein
1 ½ t. baking powder
2 T. ground flax seed
¾ t. soda
1 t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg and ginger
½ t. real sea salt
2 T. Bee Pollen
½ c. raisins and
½ c. chopped nuts

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Mix applesauce, zucchini, carrots and sweetener into a bowl.  Mix dry ingredients into another bowl.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Fill oiled or lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Why I do not eat this so called "healthy snack"

 I really do love this so called  "healthy" snack, but unfortunately I must admit it's actually one of the worst snacks for your waistline.  I'm talking about trail mix, even the organic, "super-healthy" varieties that you find at the health food stores.

Why is it so bad?  Here are just a few reasons:

1. Trail mixes—which almost always include raisins, cranberries, or some other dried fruit—are LOADED with sugar.  Add in chocolate via chocolate-covered almonds, yogurt-covered nuts and raisins, and or just plain ol' M&Ms, and you're in even worse shape.

For instance, its not uncommon for a mere 1/2 cup of trail mix to contain upwards of 30 grams of sugar!  And yes, that includes organic trail mix!  Organic sugar is still sugar, ya know...

2. Trail mix is also very high calorie.  This is partly due to the sugar content, but when you also add in the high fat content from the nuts, that same 1/2 cup of trail mix easily packs in over 300 calories per 1/2 cup.  That's more fat, sugar, and calories than ice cream!

3. Beyond that, trail mix commits the cardinal sin of combining loads of fats and carbs (in this case the worst kind - sugar) with very little protein content. Because carbs give rise to your "storage hormone" insulin, and because ingestion of fat obviously increases the fatty acid content in your bloodstream, combining high-glycemic carbs and high-fat content together is a troublesome recipe for fat storage.  That said, when protein is introduced in substantial quantities the insulin release is combatted to a degree, but unfortunately most trail mixes only contain a few grams of protein if that.

So, if you're looking to get a flat belly fast, and you're relying on high sugar, high fat snacks with little protein (like trail mix), I'm afraid you're only going to be slowing your results dramatically.

Instead, just go with raw nuts for a healthy snack without all that added sugar and sip on something sweet like a stevia-sweetened tea or lemonade...Mmmm :)








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Cherries........Why I love them ;-)

I pick cherries as my #1 fruit for weight loss.

With cherries, you can't just pop 30 in your mouth in two mins like you could, and probably often do, with grapes or blueberries.  Instead, the pits force you to eat them slowly, allowing your satiation sensors to chime in a prevent you from over-indulging.

So that's reason #1 – built in portion control.

Reason #2, and it's a BIG one, is that cherries have the LOWEST glycemic index of all fruits, and one of the lowest glycemic indexes of any carbohydrate source—period.

Scoring at a ridiculously low 22, you can even snack on cherries in the evening without much detriment as their effect on insulin is minimal at best.  Again, it's not late-night eating that's the problem, it's eating the wrong foods (those that cause a substantial rise in fat-loss halting insulin) in evening hours that is.

So next time you're in the mood for a sweet, satisfyng snack, reach for a small bowl of cherries and enjoy the goodness.  My new favorite variety is Rainier cherries….Mmm mmm good :)

If you can't get the fruit in the kids check out the HERO Gummies through http://tracy.mynsp.com


or the Beyond Tangy Tangerine from Youngevity its the best! I drink it everyday just in case I don't get my vitamins in http://my90forlife.com/tracywight



 



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