Super Foods

While on a quest to lose my baby weight and live a healthy life for my family, I want to focus on two things: exercise and healthy eating.

I've never really been into exercise, but I got into yoga while pregnant. A store about 5 minutes away offers free prenatal and mommy & me yoga classes. I was told that I could exercise again at 4 weeks postpartum, so I returned to yoga this week, and not just once, but twice! This makes me feel relaxed and healthy - both good feelings!

On to healthy-eating...I have been a vegetarian (actually, pescatarian since I eat seafood) for about 3 years now. Instead of just eating meat-free, I also want to focus on eating foods that work well together to provide my body with energy, vitamins, protein, etc. To do this, I think I will try to eat more "super foods." According to WebMD, the following are considered "super foods":

• Beans
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Oats
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• Tea (green or black)
• Tomatoes
• Turkey
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

I was glad to see that there was only one meat on there and one item I don't enjoy (tea). These are basically all foods that I eat regularly, but I want to be more aware of their benefits and ways to incorporate them into my diet more frequently. Last night, I had a salmon burger (I actually taught Jamie how to cook them) and today I had a salad that contained spinach, tomatoes, and walnuts. Some people view food as something to enjoy, some as energy/protein for exercise, some as an addiction...I think I will work toward finding a healthy balance between the pleasure and benefits of food. More recipes to come!

Yummy veggie burgers!

These spices give it a Tex-Mex sorta flavor, but they could easily be altered to do Asian, Italian, etc.

Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons
* 1 1/2 tablespoons diced red onion
* 1 tablespoon diced kalamata olives
* 1 teaspoon diced jalapeno
* 1 clove diced garlic
* 1 tablespoon diced artichoke
* 3 ounces black beans, drained
* 3 ounces chickpeas, drained
* 3 ounces rolled oats
* 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
* 1 tablespoon seasoned bread crumbs
* 1 egg white

Directions:
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add 1-ounce olive oil and all raw vegetables except beans. Saute until translucent. Remove and cool.

Add veggies to beans and mix thoroughly. Add all dry ingredients along with the egg. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and form into 2 patties, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In saute pan add 1-ounce olive oil, and cook patties 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Makes 2 veggie burgers.