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It’s finally summer and time for barbecues and  grill-outs. If it’s too hot outside or you don’t have access to a grill, this barbecue chicken is perfect baked in an oven. It’s very simple to make and the multiple bastings result in a very tender and juicy chicken breast.

Using skinless and boneless breasts require no prep-work and are a lean meat option.The homemade BBQ sauce recipe also saves you from the sickeningly-sweet store-bought versions. Did you know a typical store-bought BBQ sauce has about 4 grams of sugar per Tablespoon (about a teaspoon of sugar), and one of the first ingredients listed are usually sugar or high fructose corn syrup? Nobody eats just 1 Tablespoon of sauce either. Skip all that sugar and  try this recipe instead!

My must-haves for summer grilling include a cast iron grill and a cute apron! See more.

Need a refreshing summer drink for all ages? Everyone will love this lively take on the classic lemonade. This would be great to sip on pool-side or as a refreshing compliment for a picnic.

Health Benefits:

• Strawberries: Great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1, iodine, olic acid, biotin, and vitamin B6. They are also very high in antioxidants which are shown to help prevent chronic diseases. Strawberries contain Ellagic acid which can increase anti-cancer activity and help prevent Alzheimer’s. Strawberry extracts have also been shown to inhibit COX enzymes in vitro, which inhibits the inflammatory process.
• Lemons: Great source of vitamin C and potassium. It can help lower blood pressure, strengthen immune system, and help relieve indigestion and constipation. Because of its diuretic properties, it can help cleanse the blood and flush out toxins.

I recently had the best grilled artichokes at a restaurant called Bricktops in Nashville, TN. It’s halved, sprinkled with spices, and served with an aioli sauce. It was a great appetizer, but I would have eaten it as a meal it was so good.

When I returned home the next day, those artichokes played with my mine. I wanted more, and I wanted them now. However, I didn’t have fresh artichokes readily available to me, nor did I have a grill to complete the task. I did have a couple of canned artichoke hearts, though, and threw them on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and spices that went straight into the oven. While they roasted I whipped up a quick horseradish sauce.

The crispy leaves and the soft hearts served as a delicious appetizer that even my little brother and sister enjoyed.

Health Benefits:

• Artichokes: Artichokes are very low in calories and contain a good amount of fiber. They are packed with antioxidants. In fact, artichokes are #7 on the USDA’s top 20 antioxidant-rich foods list.
• Olive Oil: A good source of Omega-3 oil, which can help lower bad cholesterol. It also helps promote clear and healthy skin, nails, and hair.

This new, hot summer weather has me craving salads all the time. Colorful salads bursting with flavor from fresh produce play with my mind.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to love eating lettuce and vegetables raw with no extra flavor or dressing. This salad has fat-filled bacon and avocado to give it a little richness, and some hard-boiled eggs for protein. I drizzle it with a bit of homemade greek dressing which is simply oil, vinegar, and spices.

The salad’s really easy to make, and the chopped leaves and vegetables makes the bites easy to swallow. I like to call this a BLT chopped salad because of the tribute to a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. I add avocado, corn, and hard boiled eggs to round out this Cobb salad.

Panera has a really yummy Cobb salad that uses greek dressing. It may sound a bit odd, but I love the combination and used it as inspiration for the dressing on this salad. Using a blender really does the trick here in making it extra smooth and creamy.

Health Benefits:

• Romaine: Romaine contains over 1800% your daily value of vitamin A (beta-carotene) in one head, as well as 7.7 grams of protein with 8 essential amino acids. It has a very high water content, but it is very close to the nutrient density of dark leafy greens.
• Spinach: A nutritional powerhouse that contains very high levels of vitamin A and K. This phytonutrients in spinach have certain anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In a study, spinach extracts were shown to slow cell division in stomach cancer. Another study showed increased spinach consumption to lower the rate of breast cancer in women.
• Avocado: Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats that help the skin stay clear and protect your brain. It is also a good source of the carotenoid lutein. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two disabling age-related eye diseases. Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies.
• Eggs: Great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fat. They are great for your eyes because of the carotenoid content. Also great for your nervous and cardiovascular system because of the choline content. Contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol, and it is one of the only foods with naturally-occurring vitamin D.
• Tomatoes: Best known for its high lycopene content. Lycopene is a carotenoid that may reduce incidences of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. Tomatoes are especially high in vitamin C and A as well.
• Olive Oil: A good source of Omega-3 oil, which can help lower bad cholesterol. It also helps promote clear and healthy skin, nails, and hair.

For the first time in 20 years, the FDA is trying to make big changes to food label regulations. One of the bigger and more exciting changes is the addition of an added sugars row that will be placed beneath the sugars row. This will require companies to specify how much of the product’s sugars are natural from fruits, dairy, etc., or if they are added sugars like granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or even honey.

Here’s an example of what the new food label would look like:

Thanks to Karl Tate, who created the above infographic at LiveScience.

Other changes to the food label under this proposal include the following:

• Bolding Calories, Number of Servings, and Added Sugars to make it easier to spot key nutrients.
• Change number of serving sizes on certain products. For example, many soda serving sizes are listed as 2 or more servings per bottle. However, there are very few people who would only drink half the bottle. This would require the bottle to be one serving size with the corresponding calories, etc.
• Take out the “calories from fat” label to emphasis that it is not the amount of fat that matters, but rather the type of fat. Professionals want to steer consumers away from trans and saturated fats and more towards the unsaturated fats.

Changes wouldn’t take effect for another two years. 

The FDA opened a 90-day comment period on March 3rd, 2014, during which experts and members of the public can provide input on the proposed rules. The FDA will then issue a final rule. Officials hope to complete this process within the year, and then give food companies two years to comply with the rule.

If you’d like to submit a comment to the FDA to help push these rules to pass, click HERE. 

This link will take you to the proposal’s homepage where you can read the entire proposal if you wish. Click on the blue button on the top right that says “comment now” to send the FDA your not of approval for the proposal.

(photo credit)

What are added sugars? 

According to the USDA, “Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk and fruits.” (source)

This includes the following:

• anhydrous dextrose
• brown sugar
• confectioner’s powdered sugar
• corn syrup
• corn syrup solids
• dextrose
• fructose
• high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
• honey
• invert sugar
• lactose
• malt syrup
• maltose
• maple syrup
• molasses
• nectars (e.g., peach nectar, pear nectar)
• pancake syrup
• raw sugar
• sucrose
• sugar
• white granulated sugar

These can be found in almost any processed product. Even products labelled “natural” and “organic” can contain these products. With the passage of this new proposal, it will be much easier for the consumer to know how much of a product’s sugars are natural or added.

The World Health Organization recommends that less than 5% of total calories be from added sugar, which works out to be about 6 teaspoons-or 25 grams- per day. 

How does this compare to foods?  

A typical can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of added sugar, or about 40 grams. (photo source). Try some sparkling, homemade kombucha instead! Recipe here. 

Just 1 Tablespoon of ketchup has 1 teaspoon of added sugar, and nobody only eats 1 Tablespoon of ketchup anyway (photo source). Make your own sugar-free ketchup, recipe here.

What are your thoughts on the food label changes?

I’m excited for the new changes to share the dangers of added sugars with the public. Let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Craving a dense, fudgy chocolate cake? I’ve got just the recipe for you. This is made with no flour, sugar, or butter. Instead it is made with ground up whole foods like dates and almonds. A glance at the ingredient list doesn’t scream, “I am a chocolate cake!”, but it definitely is. It might even be one of my favorite recipes on my site right now.

It is very dense, so it doesn’t really need any frosting in my opinion. I love topping it with homemade coconut whipped cream, or chopped fresh fruit. Whatever fruit is in season works, but I really like blueberries and strawberries to top with this time of year. It also tastes great plain and/or chilled. It’s so healthy and delicious that I’ll eat the leftovers for breakfast! (Shhhh….don’t tell anyone!).

Health Benefits:

• Almonds: Almonds are a major superfood, and they are full of monounsaturated, good-for-you fats. It contains many nutrients that benefit the brain, and regulate cholesterol. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Chocolate: Click Here for a post I wrote about the benefits of chocolate.
• Dates: A laxative food with a high-fiber content, so it can help those suffering from constipation. They are digested quite easily and are great for when you need quick energy. Also, regular consumption of dates has been found to help the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
• Coconut Oil: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body is less likely to store the medium-chain as fat. It is also great for healthy skin and hair.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What are you topping your chocolate cake with?

P.S. try this Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, too! It’s made with coconut flour.