Browsing Tag

Healthy Eating

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Making Your Own Granola

Homemade Sugar-Free Granola, by Jessica Gioglio

Feel free to call me crunchy, but I love making my own granola.  Making it at home is incredibly easy and allows you to tailor the amount of sweetness, crunch and spice to your preference.  Inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery, I customized their famous sugar-free granola recipe to suit my preferences.  Because let’s face it, when you’re cooking, it’s all about you, my friend!  You’ve gotta like the final product before you can possibly fathom serving it up to another person…

With only seven ingredients, this recipe can be whipped up in a flash and makes four cups of granola.  Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Then, pour two cups of old fashioned oats, one cup of raw sliced almonds, one cup of pepitas and one tablespoon of wheat germ in a medium sized bowl.  Add in two tablespoons of sunflower oil and 1/4 cup of apple juice.  Finish by topping with a hearty amount of spice.  I personally enjoy tons of cinnamon, but combinations of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg are also delicious.

Pour onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes to enhance the amount of toasty, crunchy-ness.  The result is a hearty, aromatic granola that’s the perfect topping for plain Liberte yogurt, berries and a light drizzle of honey.  Buon Appetito!

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

A Little Love From The Washington Post’s Lean & Fit eNewsletter

Liberté Yogurt by Jessica Gioglio

You don’t have to be from Washington, D.C. to enjoy the Washington Post’s weekly Lean & Fit eNewsletter.  In addition to featuring helpful nutrition and fitness tips and recipes, the newsletter allows readers to submit their food-related questions.  I recently sent in a response to a reader’s question about yogurt suggestions that were fat-free AND low in sugar (yet delicious).  A tall order, right?

Well, imagine my delight when my savvy tip made the cut:
I find Greek yogurt a bit too tart, so I prefer plain Liberté yogurt, which isn’t non-fat (2 percent milk), but for 6 ounces it only has 9 grams of sugar and has a rich, luxurious taste. The only ingredients are milk and yogurt cultures. I typically buy it at Whole Foods – hopefully they also have it at their DC stores. – Jessica

Thanks again to Jennifer for including my yogurt obsession in this week’s Lean & Fit eNewsletter.  If you’re interested in subscribing, please click here to do so.  Note that you are required to register for The Washington Post’s website first, which is free.

BOSTON, RECIPES

Sweatin’ in the City: How I’m Trying to Beat the Heat

Christian Science Center Plaza Fountain by Jessica Gioglio

Hot.  Sticky.  Humid.  Oppressive.  Unbearable.  Just a few words that I have been abusing this week.  In between sucking down water and fighting my urge to jump into the Charles River, here’s how I’ve been beating the heat this week:

Sip: Coconut Water. Sweating depletes both sodium and potassium, making this lightly sweet beverage a nice way to refuel.  Offering more potassium than two bananas, sodium and sugar for energy, I’ve been sipping on one per day to replenish.  Though there are many brands available, I’m partial to Vita Coco.

Stay: Air-Conditioned Office Building: I’ve never loved my office so much.  Usually I complain about the overly cold air conditioning, but this week, the temperature feels just right.  I’ve actually found myself staying a bit later than usual to postpone going back to my heat box of an apartment.  Don’t work in an office building?  If I didn’t, I’d be spending my time in public buildings, like the Boston Public Library, Prudential Center, movie theatre and local museums.

Splash: Christian Science Center Plaza Fountain: While there are several great fountains around the city, this one has attracts both locals and tourists equally.  Though a shorted power cable temporarily disabled the fountain yesterday, it’s now back up and running.  It’s not only little kids that can shriek in delight while running through the spiral streams of water!  Who’s dashing through with me!?

Savor: Summer Soups. My friend Gabi has a fantastic food blog with oodles of soups, slaws, salads and salsa recipes perfect for cooling off after a hot day.  I can personally attest to going gaga for her Summer Gazpacho and slurping the wine-infused Chilled Watermelon Soup with delight.

Splurge: Double Shot Affogato. When this Health.com recipe popped into my inbox this week, I was instantly taken back to Italy, where I first tried this yummy espresso and coffee ice cream dessert drink.  Why didn’t I think to try and re-create this at home sooner?   Click here for the recipe.

With scorching temperatures scheduled to run through the weekend, how have you been keeping cool this week?

BOSTON, ENTERTAINING, RECIPES

Easy Entertaining: The Cocktail Club

Bloody Mary Cocktail Club Event

With new roommates come new traditions.  Instead of hosting a typical dinner party each month, my new roommate and her friends take turns hosting “The Cocktail Club.”  Created as a way to taste and learn how to make classic cocktails outside of a bar, the monthly host selects a signature drink and pairs it with a suitable entree.

Last month’s cocktail club was inspired by brunch.  A Bloody Mary bar allowed guests to learn how to mix their own drinks as spicy or mild as they desired.  Only half of the guests had tried a Bloody Mary before, making it a great opportunity to expand their mixologist skill set.

Ellie Krieger's Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake

The dish of the night was Ellie Krieger’s Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake.  Perfect for busy professionals, the recipe must be prepared the night before and can be popped into the oven as guests arrive.  In contrast to the spicy Bloody Mary, the french toast bake was sweet, yet filling.  To round out the meal, serve fresh fruit and a veggie platter for guests to nosh on in advance of the main entree.  To view the recipe from the Food Network’s website, click here.

BOSTON, EVENTS

Saturday, April 10: Get Your Zen on at the Boldfacers Yoga Pop-Up Store

Weekends were made for breathing easy. Embrace your inner yogi this Saturday with Boldfacers as they bring together some of Boston’s best instructors for a day of bonding and stretching. From 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., try a yoga class, sample vegan eats and smoothies, then hit the pop-up store chock full of athletic apparel, candles, jewelry, mats and more.

Held at the Boldfacers studio in South Boston, yoga classes are $20 each or $40 unlimited for the day. In addition to yoga classes, shopping and food, guests can also try a Dosha reading or sway to the live bongo drum music.

The Boldfacers studio is located at 15 Channel Center Street in South Boston.  For more information about Saturday’s event, please click here.