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Guest Post: Young Living Essential Oils

March 05, 2015

Hello, lovelies! I have a super special guest post for you all today from Young Living Essentials. This wonder home remedy contacted me through passionfruit. I thought they had a cool message and product, so I figured I'd share the post with my readers. Only the best for you guys! 

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cholesterol

LIFEFSTYLE: LOVELY LIPIDS #MacroNutrientBreakdown

November 17, 2014

Hello my lovelies, you've officially tuned in to the final installment of  the #MacronutrientBreakdown, in which I blog about how much of those pesky macro nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats) we really need. In a world that tells us to "eat no carbs after 6/ but then don't eat carbs at all/ but only eat carbs once a week/ you need your body weight in protein after a workout/ there's good and bad fats", it can be hard to differentiate the myths and the truth. That's why I'm here to be the myth buster!

Lipids or "fats" are viewed as the most rich, dense, and naughtiest macro nutrient, although carbs are taking a close second. We need to remember that nothing we consume as food is essentially bad for you, it's the amount that you eat of it that can be dangerous. "Fat", "fatty", and "fattening" have become the new F-bombs. However, if something is "fattening", it's only storing unused energy.

The reasons that lipids are given this stigma is scientific: lipids contain the most carbons so therefore make the most energy. Lipids also have the highest energy yield of all three macro nutrients. While protein and carbs create 4 calories per gram, lipids create 9 calories per gram.

Lipids are essential in fueling exercise. We use fat stores to fuel our energy when we are going for a long duration at a moderate pace. Examples of this include a long run, a moderate bike ride, a long walk, or even a pilates class. Those that are less in shape will use fat at 60% of maximum heart rate, athletes will use fat at 70-80% maximum heart rate.


 Like the other two macronutrients, lipids are made up of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens. Lipids include a glycerol molecule with three fatty acids molecules attached to it. Lipids are fats, oils, and waxes. Saturated fats include EVOO, coconut oil, peanut oil, palm oil and more. These are found in butter, margarine, creamer, and whipped toppings. Trans fats are found to harden processed foods such as potato chips, cookies, and some salad dressings.

 Lipids main function is energy storage. They also protect and line major organs. So, like I've said in all of these posts, you need fats, no matter how much of a taboo stigma it has picked up. The rule I learned in class concerning RDA (recommended daily average) was, "no rules, just make better choices." If you eat too much fat than you use, it'll be stored. That's that!

 Keep in mind that cholesterol is a "derived" fat. It's not the best for you because it's derived from an animal source, so its not as good for you. Good cholesterol comes from good fat sources such as avocados, fish, coconut oil, and more. Bad cholesterol comes from red meats, donuts, fried food, etc. Keep the bad cholesterol to a minimum, and keep good the cholesterol levels up. 

dollar store diva

LIFESTYLE: MEDITERRANEAN ORZO PASTA SALAD

September 20, 2014

I love salad and I love pasta... My life is constant love triangle between the two loves. My mind wants me to eats carbs all day every day, but my thighs want me to eat salad forever. However, I think I may have found a compromise to keep both sides happy. For my birthday party, I concocted a pasta salad as neutral as Switzerland.

I skimmed pinterest and found a post something along the lines of "19 pasta salads to try this summer." Some looked deliciously decadent, some were asian-infused, however I always like to stick to my Mediterranean styles. I found one that was a "lemony-orzo" salad with feta and cucumber, and another one with tomatoes and broccoli. I did a mash-up of both!


Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
  1. 1 full box of orzo (1-1/2 cups)
  2. 3 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  3. Juice and zest of one full lemon
  4. Parsley to taste
  5. 1 cup of broccoli
  6. Garlic salt to taste
  7. 1-1 and a 1/2 cups of feta cheese (depends on how Greek you are!)
  8. 1 whole cucumber, sliced
  9. 2 roma tomatoes, diced


Look at how many vitamins and minerals you're getting! These dark veggies are choc-full of 'em and green vegetables mean fiber. This picture above is like food porn to me. Eating pasta doesn't always have to be with a thick, creamy alfredo or garlic-wine sauce; it can be light and filling as well.

The reason I think this salad is a good mix is that it has the attributes of a salad and a pasta dish, but not too much of each. The orzo is a pasta, but it's a small pasta. The sauce is olive oil and lemon juice, it's refreshing. The veggies and cheese give it some hearty texture. It's a square meal!

First, I would cook the Orzo according to directions on the box. Then, I would get a pot of steaming water and steam the broccoli until the color is darker. You can skip that part, but I prefer steamer over raw broccoli. Then, you can chop up your veggies. Make sure your broccoli isn't overcooking.


Whenever your broccoli is soft and your pasta is all cooked, drain them both. You can keep the broccoli with the other chopped veggies, and put the orzo in the refrigerator to let it cool. It's very important to let the orzo cool so that the feta doesn't melt away!

In a bowl, mix the oil and lemon juice. You can use a cheese grater to zest the lemon by grating the skin. Mix that in, too!


When the orzo is cooled, mix in the veggies, feta, and dressing (oil and lemon). 

There you have it! This salad was a huge hit at my party might I add. I had a few people ask me for this recipe. Now, I can just tell them to look on my blog.


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