Blog 2.0

Spring is in the air, the evenings are brighter longer, and the air is fresh and crisp. Dust off that winter-stored BBQ and get grillin'! BBQin is a great way to infuse meat and veggies with deliciousness and to allow fat to drip off the meat.

My new favorite protein source is the buffalo burger. Buffalo is very lean and high in protein! 4oz of buffalo weighs in at 126 calories, 19 calories from fat and 24.5 grams of protein!! Buffalo meat is also a great source of B12, B6, potassium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium. I get my grass fed and hormone free buffalo at Whole Foods; $10 for 16 oz, that's 4 burgers!

Here's my recipe for these yummy treats-

Serves: 4

Time: 15-20mins

Ingredients:

• 1 package of grass fed hormone free ground buffalo (16 oz)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Heat up the grill or if your grill-less like me a fry      pan on the hot plate to medium high (if using the pan coat with a bit of      olive oil).
2. In a mixing bowl combine the meat, bell pepper, red      onion, and garlic.
3. Cook the burgers completely (about 5 mins per side).      You don't want any rare burgers...ground beef is different than a steak,      burger meat comes into contact with metal...metal that can carry bacteria!
4. Serve the burger on a healthy bed of mixed greens, top      with tomato avocado and ketchup...or if you need the man burger place      between two slices of whole grain bread, a bun, or gluten free options.

Anthony and I decided to make this into a romantic evening. I mean why not it looks and tastes like fine dining! I served our burgers with a fresh beet walnut salad, Trader Joe's sweet potato fries and a nice bottle of wine. A really nice evening created in less than an hour and much more affordable than a night on the town!

Vitamins now come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. We all know how important vitamins are for us because realistically sometimes our diet just doesn’t cut it. But truthfully how do we make the right choice? Other than the fancy logo, catchy slogan, or colorful packaging what makes one vitamin different from the next?

In 2008, multivitamins brought in $4.7 billion. There are no direct standards on vitamins so how do we know what we are paying for isn’t just some sugar pill?

First things first, get personal! Talk to a nutrition specialist or doctor about your medical history, your diet, and your current medications to see what you really need. He/she may even suggest a blood test to see where you are lacking.

How can you do your own brand research? Check out the following and see if your desired supplement measures up:

• Check out the vitamin at consumerslab.com
• Read the labels- the ingredients should be as organic as possible
• Has it been tested- make sure that the dietary substance has been tested for toxic substances
• Is it old?- check the expiration date…how long has that bottle been in the back of the cupboard or on that drug store shelf
• Do you have food allergies?- vitamins often contain wheat, dairy and other allergies…just because it’s not in its standard form doesn’t mean you won’t have an allergic reaction
• Is what’s on the label really what’s in the bottle?- dietary supplements are not regulated so the amount claimed on the label might be different than what is really in the pill. Contact the lab that makes the pill. Can’t seem to get a human being? Toss that brand and try another!
• You get what you pay for- invest in a good vitamin or just skip taking vitamins altogether
• Does the vitamin dissolve adequately?- place the multivitamin in a glass of warm water, if it doesn’t dissolve in an hour you basically just have really pricey urine. When a vitamin does not breakdown in the stomach before passing through the intestine, it is not absorbed through the intestinal walls.

I use and recommend Usana. Their product is friendly even on my sensitive tummy and has greatly improved my energy and immune system. For more info send me an email!

If you would like to do some more vitamin research check out about.com and alignlife.com.