Dance On!

Have you ever had “Saturday Night Fever” and wanted to “Do the Hustle”? Or have you not heard LMFAO sing Party Rock it starts “party rock is in the house tonite. Everybody just have a good time”. It’s a great get-up and go dance song that has everybody moving their feet and shuffling!

From wedding’s, to bar and bat mitzvah’s, to birthday celebrations, I am surrounded by good friends and family sharing the joy! The energy at both the ceremonies and celebrations is contagious! Typically, we dance all night (ok, maybe we eat and drink too!).

Recently at a past celebration, I became aware of, and realized how important the art of dancing is to one’s health! Now, anyone who knows me on the dance floor can attest that rhythm is not my strength! I inherited a lot of good qualities from my parents, but I am not heading for dancing with the stars! Oh well…

However, I do have fun when out there on the dance floor (especially as a I note my children’s embarrassment!).

I searched the web and found that my desire for fun is supported by research that says dancing is a great way for people of all ages to get in and stay in shape. Besides being fun, dancing has many positive health benefits.

Some of the benefits are: flexibility, strength, endurance, and an overall sense of well-being.

Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility. Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer's own body weight. Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance. Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing.  Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook.

So, get up and dance and be light in your feet and enjoy yourself and people you are with!

And, after you are all done dancing the nite away, to treat yourself to something sweet, try these amazing cookies (they are healthy and delicious!):

Healthy Pumpkin Spiced Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic raw whole rolled oats*
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) organic mashed pumpkin (from a can is ok)
• 1 small ripe banana, chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 3 tbsp grade B maple syrup
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice**
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray a baking sheet with a natural olive oil or canola oil cooking spray. Combine pumpkin, banana, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix on high with a hand mixer until mostly smooth, about two minutes. Fold in the oats, almonds and flax using a large wooded spoon until the mixture is uniform. Form 6 large cookies and bake for 14-16 minutes until set. They will stay soft but hold together well. Let cool 10 minutes before eating, and store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This recipe also works well if you make 12 small cookies of equal size and bake for 11-13 minutes.

*Oats are gluten-free by nature, but some are processed in plants that also process gluten-containing ingredients. Read the package instructions for more info, and, if necessary, buy oats that are certified to not contain gluten.

** Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & clove. I recommend buying the blend at your local natural grocer (it’s inexpensive and contains proper proportions), or you can make your own if you’d like.

Enjoy!

For more information, contact me at Rachel@livehealthynyc.com

 

Live Healthy NYC: Pumpkin Time!

Live Healthy NYC: Pumpkin Time!: --> I can’t believe it is mid-way thru October! This is a great month to think about fall fruits and veggies and especially...

Pumpkin Time!

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I can’t believe it is mid-way thru October! This is a great month to think about fall fruits and veggies and especially Pumpkins!

Did you know that pumpkin is one of the very low calorie vegetables? 100 g fruit provides just 26 calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. The vegetable is one of the food items recommended by dieticians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs. It is also a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.  In addition, pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are good for heart health. In addition, the seeds are concentrated sources of protein, minerals and health-benefiting vitamins.

So, what do you do with pumpkin besides make pumpkin pie? I have gone thru my files and talked to my friends and here’s what I have come up with!

Pumpkin muffins:
(Courtesy of Melissa Bridgers at OC 61, google her website at www.melisabridgers.com)
1 ¾ cup flour
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin
½ cup soy milk (can use whole milk or almond milk if desired)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp molasses
Preheat oven to 400F
Lightly grease 12 muffin tin
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 fill. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
For some variety, you can add cranberries or walnuts or a mixture of the two.

Banana Pumpkin Loaf:
(I found this recipe as I was searching the internet! Not low-cal, but very tasty for a treat!)

1 2/3 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark rum
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line the bottom of a loaf pan (or three mini loaf pans) with parchment paper. You can also just spray it with baking spray or lightly brush it with butter.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, beat sugar and egg with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add pumpkin puree, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and rum. Mix to combine. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

When the loaf is cool, frost with cream cheese icing.
 

Whole wheat Pumpkin Pizza:
(Courtesy of Jennie Choi)

Whole wheat pizza crust ( Can get it from the local pizza joint or Trader Joes sells it too!)

For the sauce:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:

• 2 – 3 Tablespoons roasted red pepper or garlic hummus
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup ricotta or part-skim mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cup fresh spinach or arugula

Preparation

1.   Preheat oven to 375° and prepare pizza crust (make your own or follow the directions on the packaging).

2.   Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onions and garlic until fragrant and soft. Place cooked onions and garlic in a bowl and stir in pumpkin, basil, oregano, sage salt and pepper.

3.   Sautee the fresh spinach or arugula over high heat in the same skillet used for the onions and garlic. Cook until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has been cooked off.

4.   Turn off the heat and let the veggies cool.

5.   Place pizza on pizza stone or round baking sheet. Spread pumpkin sauce evenly over the dough and sprinkle on ricotta or mozzarella. Take a few paper towels and wrap them around the cooked spinach and mushrooms to squeeze out any liquid still left – this will make sure the pizza isn’t soggy.

6.   Add spinach or arugula to the pizza. Sprinkle on more cheese if desired.

7.   Cook pizza stone or round baking sheet in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes** or until pizza crust is brown on the edges and the crispiness level you desire. Let the pizza cool for a few minutes, slice, and  enjoy! **The cooking time will vary depending on the type of crust and pan you use to cook the pizza. Just be sure to watch it carefully after it’s cooking 15-20 minutes.

Pumpkin Soup:
(again from Melissa, who knew that a colorist could cook too!)

For Soup:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 (12 oz) packages frozen winter squash puree, thawed or 2 cans pumpkin puree
3 cups chicken stock
 For pumpkin seeds:
1 tbsp olive oil
¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¾ cup ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
To finish:
1 tsp finely grated fresh lime zest
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Make Soup:
In a large saucepan over moderately high heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sauté until translucent. Stir in squash and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until soup thickens, about 30 minutes.
While soup simmers, make pumpkin seeds:
In a small skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring constantly until seeds begin to pop. Stir in cumin and cayenne and continue to cook, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and season with generous pinch of coarse sea salt.
Finish and serve:
When soup has thickened, remove from heat and stir in lime zest and juice. Season with fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve!

For more information, contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com