Krystal Bland – Body Beast Day 5 CARDIO
This is an awesome CARDIO workout! Even had to start stripping layers during the middle of my workout haha! www.KrystalBland.com
Krystal Bland – 2013 New Years Resolutions
Stay motivated thru 2013 to reach your weight loss and fitness goals!!!! www.KrystalBland.com turbokrys@gmail.com
Krystal Bland Body Beast Day 3 – Back and Bi’s
www.KrystalBland.com Killer workout today – my favorite group of muscles to work!!!! Even my youngest made a debut 
Krystal Bland Body Beast Day 1 DumbBell Chest Press
www.KrystalBland.com Day 1 of Body Beast! Yes, even a busy mom of 2 daughters manages to bust out a workout.
December Squat-a-Thon Day 4
My daughters decided to join in on the fun!! www.fb.com/krystalbland1224
Vegan, Vegetarian, Raw Citrus Kale Salad
Have you ever been to Whole Foods and eaten their Citrus Kale Salad? OMGOSH if you have, you KNOW it is the BOMB DOT COM! I recently played around in the kitchen and made my OWN version of this Kale salad – me and my kids are in love!
RAW Kale Salad w/ Cranberries, Pine Nuts & Lemony Vinaigrette
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
(7 Item Recipe)
Naturally RAW, Vegan & Vegetarian
Ingredients:
1 Bunch Organic Kale
1/4 Cp. Organic Dried Cranberries
1/4 Cp. Unsalted slivered Almonds
1/4 Cp. Organic (unsalted) Pine Nuts
1/4 Cp. Organic Lemon Juice (I used 3 lemons)
1/4 Cp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
About 10-15 Cherry Tomatoes or 1 large Roma Tomato
Himalayan Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Wash and dry your Kale. Next, I just tear apart my Kale, throwing out the center part or “ribs” – As you can see I had my helpers in the kitchen today! Then just throw it in a big salad bowl.
Next, wash your tomatoes and slice them up and throw them in the salad bowl.
Next top with Cranberries and unsalted Pine Nuts and Almonds. If you do not have these you can also use most other nuts like walnuts, pecans, or raw unsalted sunflower seeds.
Take extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and whisk until well blended. Depending on your taste you may want to add more or less lemon, oil or salt and pepper. Add it to your liking. Dress salad pouring dressing evenly over it. Toss so that dressing evenly distributes and coats kale well.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Toss again and enjoy!
Note:
If you are making this salad for two or one you can simply cut the recipe down into 1/4′s to make a smaller amount with ease. This super salad is packed with rich antioxidants and great nutrition loaded with good stuff for the whole family.
______________________________________________________________________________
Shopping List for Fast & Delicious: Cranberry Kale Salad
w/ Pine Nuts & Lemony Vinaigrette
RAW Organic Lacinato Kale (1 Bunch)
Roma Tomato – Medium Size (1)
Organic Dried (unsulphured) Cranberries (1/4 cp.)
RAW Organic unsalted Pine nuts (1/4 Cp.)
Organic Lemon Juice or (4) Organic Lemons(1/4 Cp.)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/4 Cp.)
Sea Salt & Pepper (To taste)
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Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Crust
Thank You DASHING DISH!!!!
Ingredients
| Cheesecake Filling: | |
| 2 | (8 oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese |
| 1 cup | Low fat cottage cheese |
| 3/4 cup | Egg beaters (or 1 egg and 4 egg whites) |
| 1/2 cup + 2 tbs | Baking stevia OR 1 1/4 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar 1 |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla extract |
| 1 cup | Pumpkin |
| 1/2 tsp | Cinnamon |
| 1/2 tsp | Pumpkin pie spice (more or less to taste) |
| Gingersnap Crust: | |
| 2 cups | Gingersnap cookies (2 cups after grinding) |
| 2 tbs | Baking stevia OR 1/4 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar 2 |
| 2 tbs | Butter |
Here’s the Dish
I have been making a pumpkin cheesecake every Thanksgiving for years…However, this year I wanted to do a ’spin’ on a traditional pumpkin cheesecake, so I decided to make to do a layered cheesecake! Not only does this make for an impressive presentation, but it gives you the ‘best’ of both worlds, a mix between a cheesecake and a pumpkin pie!?! Yes please!
I don’t know about you, but the texture of a cheesecake is just as important to me as the flavor. I can honestly say that this is one of the most creamy and decadent cheesecakes I’ve ever had. It’s so rich in fact, that no one will ever guess that it’s half the calories of an average slice of cheesecake!
Method
THE ESTIMATED TOTAL TIME TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IS 4 HOURS OR OVERNIGHT.
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. To make the crust, place cookies, and sweetener into a food processor, and pulse until cookies are broken down into a very fine crumb. Pour into a large bowl, and mix in melted butter, stirring with hands to combine, (should resemble texture of slightly wet sand). Press crust down into prepared springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.
2
Meanwhile, to make the filling, place the first five ingredients into a blender, (the cream cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla extract). Blend until the mixture is smooth.
3
Pour a little more than half of the filling over the gingerbread crust. Pour the remaining cheesecake filling into a bowl, and mix in the pumpkin puree and spices. Carefully pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling over the first cheesecake filling layer. (I used a spatula to gently smooth out the filling out once I poured it over the first layer).
4
Bake cheesecake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. (Note: The center will almost be set, but it will appear a bit ‘jiggly’…Don’t worry, it will continue to set up in the fridge!) Allow cheesecake to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Serve with whipped topping if desired! Enjoy!
1 I used NuNaturals More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend. If using packets of stevia, I recommend using about 11-16, or adjust according to taste.
2 I used NuNaturals More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend. If using packets of stevia, I recommend using about 3-4, or adjust according to taste.
3 I measured them out before crushing, so I overfilled the measuring cup a bit to make up for the gaps between the cookies
Tip!
The center will almost be set after the first 45-50 minutes, but it will appear a bit ‘jiggly’…Don’t worry, it will continue to set up in the fridge!Nutrition Breakdown
| 12 | Servings (slices) |
| 185 | Calories Per Serving |
| 9 g | Fat |
| 15 g | Carbohydrate |
| 1 g | Fiber |
| 6 g | Sugar |
| 7 g | Protein |
| 6 | WWP+* |
*Weight Watchers Points per serving
What Sugar Substitutes Should I Use?
Word on the street is that sugar may be killing us… or at least contributing to health risks like obesity and diabetes. But when it comes to choosing an alternative sweetener, the options can get a little sticky.
Sugar Overload — Why It Matters
Americans consume a ton of sugar. Actually, make that 10,000 tons every year — a rate that’s increased steadily over the last decade. And sugar finds its way into everything — sodas, baked goods, and even savory foods like pasta sauce and potato chips. This increasing consumption has been consistently linked to health threats like obesity, diabetes, and even sugar dependency(craving something sweet?). But who wants to completely skip out on those occasional sweet treats? While it’s probably best to cut down on refined white sugar, alternatives can be a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth without going too far overboard in the calorie and health risk categories. Just keep this in mind: As with many things in life, less is more, and smart sweetener use complements the main course — it doesn’t steal the show.
Sweet Somethings — The Answer/Debate
Keep in mind, of course, that the ideal substitute will vary from one situation to the next (I won’t be putting maple syrup in coffee or molasses on my pancakes anytime soon — but to each their own).Here are a few effective options to consider:
- All-Natural Plant-Based Sweeteners: Stevia and agave, both derived from South American plants, are getting a lot of buzz these days — and for good reason. Neither of these natural sweeteners spike the body’s blood sugar to the degree that white sugar does, so there’s much less chance of experiencing drastic mood or energy ups and downs.
- Stevia is usually sold in powder or liquid drop form and can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. That said, it can also pack a punch on the grocery bill, costing up to 5 times more than its artificial counterparts like Sweet-n’-Low. But lucky for us, liquid stevia can last months, since sweetening a drink, sauce, or salad dressing only requires a few drops each.
- Agave is a great substitute too — but because it’s made up of almost all fructose, only use in moderation (dangerfood alert!). The upside? Moderation shouldn’t be a problem, since agave is sweeter than sugar, so it requires less to reach the same sweetness level. Plus, it’s milder in flavor than many other sweeteners (including sugar!). If fructose consumption is a concern, abstaining from agave may be a good idea. Though the body can have difficulty processing fructose, small amounts (like a teaspoon with coffee or the natural fructose in a piece of fruit) are generally harmless. But consuming large doses of fructose (like in heavily sweetened drinks) may have negative effects on liver function and cause weight-gain, and has also been tied to obesity, diabetes, and kidney and heart diseases. The bottom line? While white sugar has negatives, so do some sugar alternatives, and fructose is one of the worst offenders.
- Honey: A classic, tried-and-true option. While it does have slightly more calories than sugar, its strong flavor means a little goes a long way. Honey also boasts numerous health benefits, such as antibacterial properties, especially in its raw form.
- Brown rice syrup and maple syrup: For baking, these make great lower-calorie sweeteners. Brown rice syrup, popular in many natural and “health food” brand granolas and snack foods, is made by cooking brown rice until it turns into syrup. We embrace maple syrup as the time-tested topping for pancakes and waffles, but using a tablespoon or two to sweeten baked goods has become a popular trend (like this basic chocolate cake recipe from 101 Cookbooks, e.g.).
- Fruit and fruit products: For those who want to replace table sugar completely, using ripe fruit or fruit products like apple sauce or jams (just watch out for added sugar!) can add that subtle sweetness to a baked good or plain yogurt snack.
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