Brown Rice Horchata (horchata de arroz integral)

íHola! How are you guys today? Estoy bien. Pero, no me gusta el clima hoy. Hace frío. Hice Horchata y arroz con leche hoy con arroz integral. Arroz integral es bueno para la salud. 
Translated: Hi! How are you guys today? I'm good. But, I don't like today's weather. It's cold. Today, I made horchata (rice milk) and arroz con leche (rice pudding) with brown rice. Rice is good for the health.
So, the weather is unusually cold for this time of year and I don't know why. It's strange.
Anyway, the reason why I made horchata and arroz on leche is that we have milk that needs to be used up. And, arroz con leche uses a lot of milk. I'll be posting that recipe later. Anyway, horchata is my favorite Mexican drink. I remember drinking it for the first time in May. It was rich, creamy and delicious! However, for the horchata I made, I had to improvise since I did not have cinnamon sticks. Instead, I had ground cinnamon. It still worked out fine. I also made it healthier by using skim milk. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice/ 1 taza arroz integral
• 4 cups water/ 4 tazas agua
• 1 cup milk/ 1 taza leche
• 1/3 cup sugar/ 1/3 taza azucar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract/2 cucharaditas de extracto de vainilla
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon/ 2 cucharaditas de canela en polvo    

 Directions:

1. Combine the cinnamon with the rice. Soak in water for at least 8 hours. 
2. Mix in milk, sugar, and vanilla. Blend for 5 minutes.  
3. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the remaining pulp. 
4. Pour into a pitcher. Refrigerate. 
5.   Now, you can pour into glass cups and enjoy. =)

So, do you guys like horchata or arroz con leche?
Do you like to healthify recipes? 

Random Post and Kashi GoLean Original Cereal Review, Italian Tofurky Review, and asian vegetarian minced meat review

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys today? Well, I haven't been feeling that good lately. It'll past though. I have a terrible headache, but I'm still writing this post.
So, in my nutrition class, we have to do a My Diet Analysis Project (and, we have an exam next week!). We have to record everything we eat for 3 days and record any exercise we do. It's pretty interesting, actually. It also gives us an analysis of our diet, to see if we're consuming all the nutrients we need. Today is day 3, my last day. This project, so far, isn't a burden because I've already been keeping track of my eating and exercising by using livestrong.com. Here are some pictures of what I've eaten the past couple days. Sunday was my first day, and I didn't take any pictures of that though.

Tofurky and Laughing Cow Cheese sandwich, Kashi cereal and apple

Gluten Free Rice Krispie Cereal with skim milk

Protein Rice Krispie Treats

Brown rice with vegetarian minced meat

Chocolate Almond Fudge Clif Bar (my favorite!), Protein Rice Krispies, Tofurky and Laughing Cow Cheese Sandwich with Costco's Multigrain Rounds, and Apples

I also sometimes eat Boca Veggie Burgers with Laughing Cow Cheese instead of Tofurky. The past couple days, I also ate mooncake, a chinese fruit sponge cake, tofu, and a lot of veggies, including green beans, cauliflower and broccoli. I may eat some vanilla nonfat greek yogurt with dark chocolate chips later on today. Oh yea, I also forgot to add diet coke. It's cool to keep track of what I'm eating. All these foods are mainly healthy and they taste delicious too!

Also, today, I ran my fastest mile time. I ran it in 7 min and 30 seconds! I can't believe it. I never thought that I could run a mile in under 8 minutes. I ran 2 miles in 14 min and 50 seconds. I ran 3 miles in 21 min and 40 sec. I ran 4 miles in 29 min and 30 sec. and, I ran 5 miles in 37 minutes.

So, now, here comes the reviews.

Kashi GoLean Original Cereal

So, I bought this at my local health food store. They were having a sale on it, 2 boxes for 5 dollars. I just had to buy it. At the food store, I also bought a Truebar since I've seen many people eat them. I bought the Raspberry Chocolate Almond. I can't wait to try it. Anyway...
As it turns out, this cereal tastes pretty good and it fills you up! It's crunchy and soft (both, because of its different components) and it has just the right amount of sweetness. I also love it's nutrition facts. I mean, it's 140 calories for 1 cup, but it has a lot of protein and fiber! The only downside is that I've heard that it gives people gas. Some can't handle the amount of fiber in the cereal while some people can't consume soy as well. I hope I can digest these just fine. Fingers crossed!
What I don't understand is that people think that GMOs are bad for the health. There is NO evidence whatsoever that GMOs are bad for you. They are the same foods we eat. It's just that they all have the same DNA. How can that be bad for the health? It isn't. I know there has been a controversial issue with GMOs in Kashi products and I want to put that to rest. GMOs are safe to consume.

Italian Deli Tofurky

I also bought Italian Deli Tofurky at the health store. I decided to try it because I've heard a lot of vegetarians talk about this. This was actually delicious! It's better than my favorite turkey pastrami meat. It's my new  favorite deli "meat". It tastes great with the Laughing Cow Cheese.

Vegetarian Minced Meat with Pickled Cucumber

I bought this at the Asian store a while ago and I finally decided to eat this. I ate it with brown rice. It tastes pretty good. It's a bit spicy and it does have sodium, but it tastes pretty good.

So, what's your mile time?
Do you keep track of what you eat?

Fats Fats Fats

Fats have a bad reputation in the media.

"Fats are bad."
"Fats clog arteries. They lead to heart attacks."
"Don't eat fats when you're trying to lose weight." 

Well, guess what? Fats are essential in your body. You need to consume fats. And, guess what. Low fat diets don't help you at all. Fat is one of the macro nutrients and they are essential to life.
Here is some of the roles of fat:

1. They are energy dense (9 calories per gram)
2. unlimited energy storage
3. They are a main fuel source during rest. 
4. They transport fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. 
5. They are important in cell membrane structure and important with nerve cell transmission.
6. They protect internal organs and insulate. 
7. They add flavor and texture to food. 
8. and, they help with the feeling of being full.

One of the things we need to know is about triglycerides. They are the most common form of fat in food and our body. It is stored in the body and circulates in our blood.

Now, let's talk about the types of fat. Here's a brief overview:

Saturated fatty acids have hydrogen atoms surrounding every carbon in the chain. No double bonds.

• meat products (hamburgers, steak, french fries)
• dairy products
• coconut

Monounsaturated fatty acids lack hydrogen atoms in one region. One double bond.

• olive oil
• canola oil
• nuts

  Polyunsaturated fatty acids lack hydrogen atoms in multiple locations. Two or more double bonds.

• salmon
• flaxseed
• seeds/nuts
• soy
• avocado 

Some of these foods overlap with  the types of fat  they have.

Trans fatty acids occur with hydrogenation, the addition of hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fatty acids. Hydrogen atoms are at the opposite sides of the fatty acid chain. Hydrogenation:

• Converts liquid fats (oils) into a semi-solid (spreadable) or solid form
• Is used to create margarine from plant oil
• Advantages: increased shelf-life/stability; texture; spreadable product; flavor 

As it turns out, both trans fat and saturated fat are equally bad for the health. Limit the consumption of these two fats as much as possible. These two stimulate the production of cholesterol in the liver. 

Cholesterol is an essential part of the cell membrane, especially the brain and nerve cells. It is also a precursor to many hormones made in the body. As you know, you've heard of the "good" and "bad" cholesterol. 

The "bad" cholesterol is known as the LDL, low- density lipoprotein. This transports cholesterol to the cells of the body. The "good" cholesterol is known as the HDL, high-density lipoprotein. This transports excess cholesterol back to the liver and tells the liver to stop making cholesterol when it's not needed. However, if there is too much saturated fat and trans fat in the diet, it can increase the levels of LDL and lower the levels of HDL. This causes excess blood lipids (LDL) in the body, which can get stuck in the arterial walls. After that, it gets oxidized and start forming plaque. It decreases the artery's elasticity and continuous progression and obstruct blood flow, causing higher blood pressure. If it progresses, it can eventually block that whole artery and cause a stroke or heart attack. Saturated fat and trans fat are really bad for the health since it reduces the HDL, which removes excess cholesterol, preventing it from oxidizing. Now, when doctors look at blood cholesterol, they mainly look at the LDL to HDL ratio. They don't look at the total cholesterol as much. The LDL to HDL ratio should be two to one.

As it turns out, all foods have a mixture of fatty acids.

•  Animal fat – 40-60% saturated fatty acids (SFA)
• Plants – 80-90% mono- (MUFA) and poly-(PUFA) unsaturated fat. 
• Most oils are a mixture of fatty acid type. Animal-based diets are higher in saturated fat, generally in meat and dairy

 The body needs its:

Essential fatty acid (EFA) is a fatty acid that cannot be synthesized in the body in amounts sufficient to meet physiological need.

• There are 2 in humans – both are polyunsaturated fatty acids:
• Linoleic (lin-oh-LAY-ic) acid, omega- 6
• involved in blood clotting and blood pressure and is important in cell walls.
  
• Alpha-Linolenic (lin-oh-LEN-ic) acid, omega -3
• important regulators of inflammation, blood clotting and blood pressure, cardiac function, blood triglycerides       
    So, that's all I have to say about fats today. Did you guys learn anything new about fats?

Protein Rice Krispie Treats

Hey hey everyone. Guess what I made today. I made Rice Krispie Treats. These Rice Krispies are actually healthier since I used healthy ingredients. They're also delicious.
So, what did I use to make these? I used Gluten Free Rice Krispie Cereal, the brown rice kind. I also used protein powder, honey, peanut butter and a little cinnamon. They taste great. I was craving Rice Krispie Treats but I knew that the other kinds are unhealthy. That's why I made these. They're great for a snack during the day or before and after a workout.
I know that it may seem weird that marshmallows aren't used, but trust me. These taste great. Here's the recipe. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Gluten Free Rice Krispies
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey 
• and any other add ins such as chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the cereal, protein powder and cinnamon. 
2. In a pan, heat the peanut butter and honey until the peanut butter melts. 
3. Remove from heat and the mix in the cereal  mixture. 
4. Grease a 9x13 pan or put wax paper on it and then pour in the mixture. You can use a smaller pan if you like thicker Rice Krispies. 
5. Press it down until all the rice mixture fills the pan. Then, let it cool. 
6. Once it's cool, cut it into 20 bars. It'll be around 112 calories each. 
7. Enjoy. 

So, do you guys like rice krispie treats?
Do you guys like healthifying your favorite treats?

Mojo Bar Chocolate Almond Coconut, Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese, Mary's Gone Crackers, Atheenos Pita Chips, Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie Review, Kashi Truley Vanilla Oatmeal, Oiko's Greek Yogurt, Gluten Free Rice Krispies

Hey hey everyone. Here's a huge health food review post. Please bear with me.  Let's get started. I'll post about fats and proteins after I post another recipe. It'll be up soon. Don't worry!

Mojo Bar Chocolate Almond Coconut

I really enjoyed this Mojo bar. It's chewy, and a bit sticky but I love how the flavors blend in together. It kind of tasted like a trail mix bar with pieces of chocolate chunks mixed in there.

Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese

This cheese was absolutely delicious. And, that's coming from someone who is not very fond of cheese. The texture and taste was just perfect. It's indescribable. And, it actually tastes like cheese too.  I eat it with my Boca Veggie Burgers with sandwich things or I eat it with crackers. Delicious.

Mary's Gone Orignal Crackers


These crackers do have a healthy taste to them. But, the taste is healthy in a good way. It's crispy and light. I like eating it with the Laughing Cow Cheese. What's good is that this is made with all healthy ingredients.

Atheeno's Pita Chips

Ummm. Can I say that the Pita Chips are addictive? They are crunchy and salty and taste amazing! I'd eat the whole bag if it weren't for the calories. I eat it with hummus! Delicious.

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie

This bar is one of my new favorite flavors of Clif bars. I still like the Almond Fudge and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut better, but this is still delicious. Chewy and it tastes like a dark chocolate brownie with chocolate chips in it. Yummy!

Kashi Truly Vanilla Oatmeal

Well, what can I say about this oatmeal. The first bite was pretty delicious, when I could actually taste the vanilla. However, after the first bite, it started tasting like cardboard. There wasn't much flavor after a while and the texture was a bit off. I had to add chocolate chips to make up for it.


Oiko's Greek Yogurt



I love Greek Yogurt. So, I decided to buy a huge container of it. Well, let me warn you. Make sure to get the Vanilla flavored one. It's creamy and sweet and it tastes so good with chocolate chips and whatever add ins you want. This plain one is more for baking and cooking. I mainly used this plain one just for that, since I couldn't stand eating it by itself, even with the add ins. So, make sure to get the Vanilla Flavored one!


Gluten Free Rice Krispies

This cereal is delicious by itself and I like how it's basically healthier than the other rice krispies. It's crispy and delicious. I also make protein rice krispie treats with this.


So, tell me what your favorite foods are.

Brown Rice Fried Rice

I've been craving fried rice for such a long time. I mean, my parents do make fried rice, but they always put spam in it and use jasmine white rice. I don't eat pork and I don't usually eat white rice.

Finally, I made myself some fried rice last night. I cooked a batch of brown rice, so I decided to make some fried rice with it. I'm so glad I did because it was delicious. Yea, it's not the same as the ones my parents make, but it's still really good. It's also a lot healthier too. The recipe is only around 330 calories, and it's a lot of rice too. I was going to save half for another meal but I ended eating eating all 330 calories worth of it because it was just too good.
Before I give you the recipe, I have some things to say. I still have to write up posts about fats as well as proteins. My nutrition class went over proteins this week. They will be up eventually. So, be sure to keep an eye out for them. There'll also be product reviews coming up too.  Also, I finally ran my best mile time ever in my life. 7:50 for one mile. I ran 5 miles in 37:20 today.


Here's the recipe. You can use just egg whites instead of the whole egg if you want, but the egg yolk has a lot of nutrients to it.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 egg
• 1 stick imitation crab meat
• 1 mini turkey sausage link
• 2 tablespoons frozen peas (optional)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• olive oil cooking spray (to coat the pan)

You can put anything you want in your fried rice.

Directions:

1. Heat up a non-stick pan or wok to medium heat. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. 
2. Cut up the turkey sausage and the crab eat. 
3. Crack the egg into the pan and scramble the eggs. Add in the meats and the vegetables that you wish to put in and cook the.
4. Then, add in the rice. Mix well and stir in the pan. 
5. Mix in the soy sauce and any other seasonings you wish to add. Garlic salt, salt, pepper, sugar, anything you like. I didn't add any to keep things simple and still tasty. 
6. The fried rice is now done. Enjoy with some steamed vegetables if desired. 

 

Do you guys like fried rice?

Do you guys try to make healthier versions of ethnic foods? 

中秋节

中秋节快乐!!! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone. I can't believe it. Today is mooncake day. I love mooncakes. My favorite are the lotus seed ones without the yolk and the red bean ones, without the yolk. I just don't like the yolk, as you guys can tell. 

Anyway, the Chinese moon festival is a really old tradition. Here is the link   to the history of the moon festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, depending on how you want to call it. 

As for my family,  we usually celebrate it by incense and all that traditional stuff. We also eat mooncake, which we buy from the store. We sometimes make it to. Hopefully, there will be sales on the mooncakes tomorrow, since the festival will be over by then. I love mooncakes, so it's the best time to stock up, right after the end of the festival. I just can't get enough of mooncakes, even though they are really high in calories and sugar. But, hey, it's delicious. 

We went to one of my aunt's place to celebrate. My cousins, aunts and uncles all came over to celebrate. We ate dinner, had an incense table and ate mooncake and other delicious treats. It was great. However, I somehow got a small burn on my hand. It didn't hurt at first, but then, after  while, it started hurting. My mom and aunt knew that there's this one plant that helps with burns, and my aunt happened to have one in her garden. They rubbed it on my burn, and it actually started feeling better. Anyway, it was a fun and interesting night tonight. 

So, yesterday, I watched a movie with some friends. We watched Looper. It was such an amazing movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is awesome. He's an amazing actor and he isn't that bad looking after. Things really do go in a circle. I wonder if time traveling will ever be invented. The story line was good, but I didn't like watching all the blood and the shootings and killings that happened. 

 Anyway, before watching the movie, we went shopping for a bit at a nearby mall and I bought a cardigan for sale for only 4 dollars! It's pink and it's so cute. Then, we had to walk for 15 minutes to the movie theater and then walk back again after to go back to the mall. It was quite an adventure. We ate at Johnny Rockets and the food was delicious. I split the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich with sweet potato fries because I didn't want to consume so many calories. The Philly Cheese Steak was amazing, especially with Swiss cheese. It still tasted good with the onions. The only reason why I got it was that it was sirloin steak, so, it's a leaner cut. It's been such a long time since I consumed red meat. It was my first time eating it in such a long time. Also, I love sweet potato fries. 

I also finally found some clip on earrings. I don't have pierced ears and I don't plan on getting the pierced. I was so happy to find some, so I bought a few. Here's a picture of one of them.Sorry, but I had to blur out some parts of my room.

 

Anyway, that was my day yesterday, basically. We stayed at the mall for most of the day. 

Today, my family also went to Costco. We bought Fiber One bars, which are delicious. I've already reviewed them on my blog, so I won't review them again. I do have to say though, the chocolate Fiber One bars are one of my favorites, besides the Clif Company bars (Clif, Mojo, Luna). I won't post a picture of the Fiber One Bars. 

We also bought the Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese. I can't wait to try these. I might try eating it with my Boca burgers with the Costco Multigrain Rounds, which are really healthy. I was also thinking about eating this with crackers. I was thinking of eating these with the original Mary's Gone Crackers, but I'll see what I can eat this with. We also bought the nonfat frozen yogurt from the food court 

 I wanted to talk about nutrition. Last week, our class learned about Fats. However I'm still writing about that post. We're going to be learning about Protein tomorrow. It's going to be fun.

Do you like cheese?

Do you like mooncake?