Bee Pollen Benefits (yes! you can eat the stuff)

Raw honey smathered on a warm & toasty waffle, then sprinkled with bee pollen. Isn’t it beautiful? Darn tasty, too. But should we really be gnawing on bee pollen?

The answer is “no” for a select group of highly sensitive people. Bee pollen could amplify their allergies and cause a massive reaction of volcanic proportions. But for most of us, bee pollen is safe and can actually ward off allergies symptoms. I’ll explain more about that in a sec. But first, let’s gaze into the other magic things about bee pollen…

WHAT IS BEE POLLEN?

It all starts with the pollen from flowers and other pollen-producing plants. Worker bees take this pollen and pack it into balls, which also mixes with honey, nectar and even the saliva of the bee. This what makes it bee pollen. Each granule, or pellet, has it’s own unique “fingerprint”. No two are the same. Granules vary in color, size and shape.

Bee pollen cannot be reproduced in a lab. Synthesized bee pollen appears to be exactly the same as the real deal, but when bees are fed the man-made version, they die. There’s some kind of unknown, unidentifiable mystery ingredient in bee pollen that man cannot replicate.

BEE POLLEN BENEFITS

When I began consuming raw honey, this is when every single episode of seasonal allergy symptoms completely ceased. Raw honey is best, but a good organic raw honey will do you just fine if you can’t snag something local. Bee pollen just makes everything much more awesome. It’s been used for centuries – even during the time of the ancient Pharaohs.

“Beehive foods are superior food sources. Based on its research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated that bee pollen is the most nutritious food we can eat. It contains every nutrient required to sustain and support life in a pure, raw and unaltered form. Bee products can provide support for almost any ailment or desired health enhancement.” ~ via Envirobee

>> Composition of Pure Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is beneficial in treating allergies & asthma, contains anti-inflammatory, detox and immune-boosting properties. There’s also evidence that it may help chemotherapy patients in their recovery, while also aiding infertility & prostate problems.

HOW EAT BEE POLLEN

Take it slow — only a tiny nip at first to rule out the possibility of an allergic reaction. Try a few granules now and then over a period of time, then add more slowly. If you don’t have an adverse reaction, then by all means enjoy your been pollen. You can sprinkle it on your oatmeal, on salad or fruit, in smoothies, or on toast with peanut butter. Get creative! There really is no wrong way if you enjoy it.

>> How to Use Bee Pollen as a Superfood

Bee pollen granules appear hard and rocky, but actually have a soft, chalky texture when you bite into it. The taste is only slightly reminiscent of actual honey — it’s a little bit bitter. When added to hot foods the granules begin to melt, presenting with a tiny yellow smear where the granule has melted into the food.

You oughta be trying the stuff! Have you ever? If not, seek some out or at least give it a gnaw if the opportunity ever presents itself. It’s real magical ‘n stuff.

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New Hair-do and Nutso-Batshit Stuff

I dunno. I guess it’s (sorta) new-looking?

I asked for a trim, but the woman cut my hair much shorter than expected. I’ve had 5 compliments in the last 24-hours. That’s NEVER happened to me before. I didn’t think my hair looked much different than before, but now the hubs is all like, “Heyyy baby. How you doin?”

chicka-bow-wow!

So I think I might keep it this way. I’ll just gonna grow the bangs longer but maintain the short-do.

And this is my serious-face. For when I’m feeling all….serious.

So anyways, I was looking through my YouTube vids when I stumbled upon my old Scale Ninja video. I had a bit more weight on me at the time, but the vid made me realize that no matter my weight or the cut of my hair, I’m still that same nutso, bat-shit woman on the inside… don’t you agree?

If nutso & bat-shit is your cup of tea, go on and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

I expect you take the same stance against your own scale? Let it know who’s boss.

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I Feel All Deprived and Archaic ‘n Stuff

So, yeah. Me and the child-spawns have been denied microwave usage for over 7 years now. Only us. Not the husband.

I feel all deprived and archaic ‘n stuff.

The first microwave caught on fire when Greedy Kid #1 decided to cook Oodles of Noodles with no water in it. That dry, stiff block of noodles. No water at all. WTH?

And the second microwave was shooting sparks from the bottom like those Fourth of July sparklers thingies. I had to pull the plug before fiery flames engulfed the kitchen.

That was it. It was over for us.

Me and the spawns were unjustly labeled “fire starters” by the husband. He got himself another new microwave and set it up in his man cave instead. If you know anything about man caves, they’re not the kind of place a woman desires to hang out. The fanciest of man-cavers might maintain theirs like a palace, but the man cave over here smells like stale cigars and needs maid service with hazmat gear.

I ain’t going in there. Don’t wanna. Been using the stove instead. For everything.

But here’s the sad part.

Greedy Kid #2 came home all bummed out for some reason. So I said to him, “What’s the problem, boy?”

And he says to me, “I went to my friend’s house today. We were about to eat snacks, but I didn’t know how to work the microwave. It was embarrassing.”

GASP!

My children do not have the First World life skill of microwave operation.

Oh well.

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Greedy Recipe! Parsley Red Potatoes (It’s Tasty ‘n Stuff)

Start right here, with Green Giant red potatoes. I got the 10 pound bag, because the peoples in my house are excessively greedy. My Parsley Red Potatoes are great as part of a family meal, holiday meal (think Easter), or anytime meal on a day when you’ve worked out hardcore and need some extra fuel. I am NOT afraid of the occasional dish of red potatoes. My metabolism embraces it.

So do this:

Whoops! Forgot to add a pic that shows where you boil the potatoes after you cube them, BEFORE you move on to pic #3.

And that’s parsley flakes in pic #3 with some buttah. Go on and be parley-generous, because that’s where the extra flavors will bitch-slap your taste buds into ecstasy. Heat up the butter and parsley flakes until sizzly, then add the boiled potatoes cubes and stir around gently until coated with the parsley. It’s even better to get a little golden brown sear going on those potatoes.

Add some salt, and waalaaa! The final product is fanciness and wonderment. Parsley Red Potatoes is so simple, yet so powerfully delicious. It totally transforms a basic red potato into a supah star! You will be an instant hero to anyone you feed them to.

…and I’m totally giggly at this video from Green Giant. Yes, I’m in it, so watch it! Does this mean I’m famous now?? Oh, never mind then.

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Tree is Down, Points are Up and Other Stuff (Including 2 Fun Announcements!)

I’m in need of a chatty post. One where I just brain dump because I’m feeling all over the place.

The holiday break was totally awesome, but I fear my return to normalcy as I’m not quite sure what normal is. Working from home with baby is getting harder as he gets older and with the New Year comes more work. All fun stuff I want to be doing (the conference, a book idea, etc) but somehow I need to find time to focus and balance everything.

It helps to remind myself how lucky I am to work on things I love. I just need to take a deep breath and do what I can when I can.

Like today!

The baby woke up early again. I think his schedule is slightly shifting. Meaning my early morning workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays may be out. :( So after breakfast while everyone else was sleeping and baby was playing next to me on the floor, I got a post done for Baby’s First Year, updated my FAQs and cleared a few messages from my inbox.

Then when the husband got up we took down the tree.

I know for some of you it may seem early. When I was a kid we’d have it up for weeks after Christmas but honestly, I need it gone. Every day I see it after Christmas it’s a reminder that the holidays are over. It’s back to reality and there’s this big to-do that needs to be checked off and cleaned up. I just can’t seem to get motivated or organized staring at a post-Christmas Christmas tree!

I was happy to see it go, but Little Bean seemed so sad watching us take it down.

With the tree put away the family headed out for one last vacation outing. Little Guy needed a hair cut and the husband wanted lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. WHO, by the way, totally screwed me on a salad for lunch! I ordered the Honey BBQ Chicken Salad thinking it was a good choice with no croutons and grilled chicken. The rest of the salad is some greens, tomatoes and a little cheese. How bad could it be?

Well according to everything I found online, 733 calories and 38g of fat bad!

For a SALAD?!?

Geesh.

I calculated it at 17 points. Excessive for any one meal, especially a salad.

But what am I gonna do? I counted it and moved on. I have one more day to track this week. Click here to see my food journal so far. I almost used all my weekly points, but I’m not tracking Activity so it’s probably a wash.

I will weigh in on Wednesday but I won’t know if I lost this week as I didn’t weigh in last Wednesday. I just didn’t want to see the post-Christmas binge number and get depressed so I forged forward blindly. Best thing I could have done. I’ve been totally motivated. Especially in exercise department! I’ve been kicking butt on moving my butt!

Today I ran to the gym (it’s just over a mile away) and took yoga and then ran home. It was awesome and I’m going to do my best to take a yoga class once a week. My other goals are 2 BodyPump classes (weights,) 1 Body Combat class (cardio,) and at least one longer run (3+ miles) a week. I know it sounds like a lot, but I love every minute of it. It truly is the only time I have to myself. When I’m home (which is ALL THE TIME) I’m either cooking, cleaning, entertaining a 9 month old or helping a 6 year old with homework. I want to get out for an hour a day. Heck, I NEED to get out for an hour a day!

OK I feel like I’m "talking" your ear off. Let me close with a bullet list. It helps me figure out what I’ve done and where I need to go. Plus I have some fun announcements. Let me start with those…

Ok, I think that’s it. Brain dump complete. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

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Yum Yucky Newsflash: Brand New Feature & Other Awesome Stuff

Since the real buffet is overrun with fat calories and cholesterols, how about your chew on a buffet of Yum Yucky news instead? This newsflash is fat-free and filled with delectable goodness.

Quickie Fitness Videos

I’m a wee bit nervous about this new feature, but my love for fitness cannot be squashed! The show must go on, so I’m launching a series of Quickie Fitness Videos to show you how I do fitness when I’m lazy tight on time. All of the workouts are 15 minutes or less and designed for you to burn fat AND build muscle all in one workout. The workouts are centered around bodyweight exercises and plyometrics. It’s these types of exercises that have been effective in my weight loss journey, so I’m sharing my favorite fitness moves and personal workouts I keep in my arsenal. I’m filming my first workout this weekend! ((insert butterflies in my stomachs right here))

Shape Magazine Awards

See that woman hanging in mid-air? I shall replicate this MizFit move once I purchase some invisible wires and strings for up-in-the-air suspension purposes. For you wonderful peeps who don’t blog, you may not know the MizFit. But you can get to know her now and, if you love her as much as I do, cast your vote for MizFit in Shape Magazine’s “Top Blogs For Fitness Junkies” awards.

Glamour Magazine Photo Shoot!

I’m heading to the big NYC later this month to be photo-shot (is that a word?). It’s for Glamour Magazine’s January 2012 issue! I’ll have to save all the extra details until later, but I had to spill the beans on some kinda a level by at least sharing the good news with you that I got picked. I can’t tell you how great it feels to be selected for this. New York City, here I come!!!

Have a fantastic weekend, everybody. I’ll be celebrating someone’s birthday on Sunday, which means I’ll be chewing on extra large cake slices.

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Cut the white stuff, add some wheat germ

You’ve heard me say it a million times before, and you’ll hear me say it a million times again -- for healthy nutrition, cut out the “white stuff.” That means white flour, sugar, pasta, bread and processed baked goods. They affect your blood sugar and insulin too quickly, and you don’t want an excess of either in your bloodstream. Unlike their browner, whole grain counterparts, these foods lack antioxidants and fiber, which is good for your digestion and can help prevent colorectal cancer. In fact, they don’t offer much of anything, other than calories. The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity, so choose wisely.

One of my favorite things to add to recipes to boost a meal’s anti-aging, health-promoting value is wheat germ, one highly nutritious part of a whole grain wheat kernel. Broken down, a wheat kernel is:
1. Endosperm: 83 percent of the kernel is composed of this part, the main ingredient in regular processed flour. Many nutrients are left behind when only the endosperm is extracted.
2. Bran: 14 percent of the kernel is composed of bran.
3. Germ: Only 3 percent of the kernel is the germ, that part of the kernel that will sprout and grow into a new plant.
The germ is a highly concentrated source of nutrients including B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and folate), vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, iron and zinc. It is also a good source of chromium, which helps your body use sugar properly.

Wheat germ comes in toasted or untoasted versions and can be found at most grocery stores. Wheat germ can be sprinkled over fruit, cereal and oatmeal or added to many casseroles and savory dishes. I like to add wheat germ to many breakfast foods, including my Toasted Oatcakes with Berry Confetti.

Some of you may have heard of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract (WGE). This is very different than toasted or untoasted wheat germ. It is a dietary supplement promoted as a cancer treatment and does not have the same nutritional profile as wheat germ. It should only be taken under supervision from a medical doctor.

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