Author Tosca Reno says sugar is as addicting as cocaine and that you need to completely rid it from your diet to eat clean. A lot people switched to splenda to keep their sweet tooth but do you know what is in splenda (sucralose)? Because your body doesn't know how to process it and you end of with all kinds of dangerous side affects. Ever wonder why it's so hard to break the soda habit?

sugar content in each drink

If you're looking for a healthy meal on the go, here's a great freezer recipe for breakfast. Customize them however you like, there are all kinds of options!















I used Ezekiel Whole Grain Tortillas because they're not made from flour, you can find it in the freezer at Whole Foods. They contain no preservatives, shortenings or refined sugars, just whole grains. It is tricky to fold in the ends so I just left it open.

Egg yolks are very high in fat and cholesterol so I only eat egg whites. Half the protein of an egg comes from the whites. For the past 20 years I've only consumed eggs from chickens that are free to roam around and I don't mind paying extra for that. Not all organic eggs are free range, see article.


Yield: 5 burritos

Ingredients
365 Whole Foods - Organic Egg Whites 
5 Ezekiel - Sprouted Wheat Tortillas
½ of one Field Roast - Mexican Chipolte Vegan Sausage
2 Piquillo Peppers (this was left over from my paella but you can use tomatoes)
2 oz Parmesan Reggiano
1 Carrot
fresh basil leaves chopped
celery seed, black pepper, onion powder
(you can use whatever spices you have on hand, I don't salt my eggs but found that celery seed is a good replacement in eggs to get the same flavor)

Directions
In a large skillet, brown the sausage and carrot. Remove from heat and set aside. Spray cooking spray in skillet and scramble the egg whites with cheese and spices, then add the piquillo peppers. Once done combine with sausage and carrot.

To assemble the burritos and prep to freeze
Warm the tortilla on a skillet until soft and flexible. Fill tortilla with a half cup of the scramble. Fold tortilla snugly and wrap in plastic wrap. Then place in tupperware and freeze.

On serving day
Microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes in plastic wrap, unwrap and enjoy with fruit and 1/4 avocado

just the burrito 282 calories, 22g of protein and 6g of fiber
with a nectarine 352 calories, 23g protein, 8g of fiber
with a quarter of avocado and a nectarine 415 calories, 23g of protein and 9g of fiber

Your body can only absorb 20 grams of protein per meal, so you've maxed out with this meal. This is also half your day's fiber requirement. Fiber is what keeps you feeling full for a long time.

If you're looking for another make ahead breakfast recipe check out my crustless quiche. Gotta say I'm so glad I invested a couple hours  to plan my meals and prep for the week! Don't you love when you can cross things off your to-do list?!

Note: I would advise against using mushrooms because they have a lot of water in them and will make your burrito moist.
 

I learned how to cook in high school by reading Vegetarian Times magazine. Haven't looked at it in years until I bought a groupon deal for it this year. The July/August issue features "Eggplant 5 ways, new ways to cook eggplant". Now I never eat eggplant so I thought this would be a fun challenge. Did you know eggplants are actually a berry and its purple skin is full of antioxidants? It needs to be salted before cooking to bring out its juices that carry the bitter flavors, and it tightens and firms up the flesh, making the eggplant less likely to soak up as much oil. I found this out the hard way when the first batch I made I did on the frying pan and I had to keep adding oil to my pan because it would completely disappear! The next time I made it I looked up eggplant cooking tips and decided to roast it in the oven.

I saw this recipe and was intrigued since I've never had bok choy, surprised to find it's so small in the grocery store, I was expecting some large leafy vegetable. lol You eat both the green leafy part and the white stem. It's incredibly high in  vitamins C, A and K and has all the essential minerals.
I simplified the recipe by just using eggplant, bok choy, edamame, 1.5 TB of 365 peanut sauce over udon noodles (which I measured for serving size). It came out to 324 calories, 15 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber.

On my toes I have on pale purple Zoya Heather. It's a bit sheer though, had to do several coats. I'm wearing the sandals I told you about in this post. Stella McCarthy designed a similar jeweled sandal but much more expensive so I thought this was a real steal!

Peacocks are my favorite bird because they're just so regal and beautiful with their iridescent tails! That's why I use the peacock feather as my copywrite stamp on all my images and in the url bar of my blog.
When I went to Hawaii four years ago I saw beautiful peacocks who walked freely right next to me! When I went to Panama saw white peacocks!

A few years ago I wanted to buy some peacock earrings but I wondered how do they get the feathers? So I researched it and found out that the peacock sheds his feathers yearly in a process called molting. It's the male peacock who has this beautiful train and it gets larger each year! It takes seven months to regrow and he uses it to attract females for mating season by raising and lowering then rustling the fan of feathers. Peacocks are native to South Asia and the Central Africa and come in blue, green, white, light brown or purple coloring.

Here are some interesting facts:

A peacock is male; a female is a peahen. Collectively they are peafowl.

Baby peacocks are called peachicks.

The females are usually brown so they can blend in with the background and lay eggs safely.

The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India and is protected in that country. In the Hindu religion, the peafowl is a sacred bird, because the spots on the peacock’s tail symbolize the eyes of the gods.

In Islam, a peacock stood guard at the gates of Paradise. According to the Bible, King Solomon brought peacocks to Jerusalem.

Peacocks can fly short distances and usually roost in trees from dusk to dawn.

Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs. 

Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains.