March 02, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC There are some fitness classes that leave you drenched in sweat and feeling totally depleted—and ravenous. Spinning, bootcamp, or a long run all require careful attention to pre- and post- workout fuel. Barre, however, is a little different. Is it hard? Hell yeah. The 45 minutes classes force you to work muscles that are usually overlooked (and perhaps that you didn’t know you had) until they’re quaking. But because it doesn’t create the same type of intensity as some other workouts, figuring out what to eat before and after barre can be tricky. If anyone has it figured out, it’s Pure Barre instructor and franchise owner Griffin McKenzie Hill, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As interested in nutrition just as much as she is fitness (she studied nutrition in graduate school), Hill typically teaches about five or six classes a week. She recently had a baby and is taking some time off from teaching, which she says has also changed how she eats. “I’ve experimented with about every type of eating plan under the sun, but there isn’t one specific diet I follow religiously,” Hill says. “I had a baby a month ago and find that my body has different needs now. My caloric intake has stayed the same, but I’m eating more complex carbohydrates, which wasn’t something I ate a lot of before, outside of vegetables. But I feel like it’s something my body needs more of now because I’m breastfeeding a lot
Category: Vegetarians
These easy, gut-healthy, plant-based meatballs come together in just 15 minutes
March 01, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJIyAiLh4IU] Confession: If it’s a weeknight and a recipe says it takes longer than 30 minutes, I swipe left on that faster than I would on a guy who says he’s sapiosexual on his Bumble profile. (Softboy alert!) This rule is generally a good idea, but it also means that some of my favorite foods are just off-limits if I’m cooking at home because of my self-imposed time constraints. Lasagna, dumplings, meatballs…I miss you all so much. Well, we have the fix for at least one of those foods. In the latest episode of Well+Good’s new video series Cook With Us, holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque created a plant-based Italian soup with vegan lentil meatballs (!). And reader, she made the entire meal in under 30 minutes. “My mom always used to make spaghetti and meatballs, and I was looking for a healthier alternative,” she says. But no alt-meat products here; as mentioned, LeVeque instead uses lentils as the protein base for her “meat”balls. It’s a pretty clever tweak, IMO. One cup of cooked lentils contains a whopping 18 grams of protein. These legumes are also full of fiber, which makes them great for digestive health, as well as disease-fighting polyphenols (aka plant compounds with antioxidant properties). Thanks to the combo of protein and fiber, they’re not going to leave you hungry an hour after you eat. “It’s gonna fill you up,” LeVeque says. She notes that you can buy dried lentils and
7 healthy foods under $3 that stay good for an entire year
February 29, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC There’s a misconception that lives in many people’s heads (and, okay, on Instagram) that living a healthy life requires an abundance of time and money. Time because surely being a wellness goddess requires frequent trips to the farmers’ market to buy fresh ingredients and the ability to devote hours to making healthy, home-cooked meals. And money because, well, it’s expensive to buy foods healthy food bloggers often write about, such as almond flour and avocado oil. Is it easier to live a healthy life if you’re rich in both time and money? Sure, virtually everything is easier. But according to registered dietitian Melissa Rifkin, RD it’s absolutely not necessary. Some of her favorite foods are super cheap (we’re talking less than $3 cheap) and have a long shelf life. Here, she shares her seven favorite cheap healthy foods she loves adding to her cart. One note before you start shopping for the cheapest healthy foods: If you buy online, some retailers (Amazon, we’re looking at you) may make you buy in bulk. This is one case where it may be cheaper to do your grocery shopping IRL. The cheapest healthy foods one dietitian loves 1. BARILLA WHOLE WhEAT PASTA, $1.28 One super easy, dietitian-approved meal: A cup of whole wheat pasta (which has fiber, magnesium, iron, and B vitamins) tossed with a cup of cooked frozen veggies. With just two ingredients (and about 60 seconds of actual active cooking work) you’ll master the
7 savory pancake recipes that work for any meal of the day
February 29, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC There’s something so nostalgically delicious about a pancake. I love eating a little round cake that was made just for me. I’m a huge proponent of breakfast for dinner, and a few good savory pancake recipes might make that experience even better. Like savory crêpes, savory pancakes take a delicious sweet treat to the next level. Whether you add zucchini, corn, or sweet potato, savory pancakes can be eaten for any meal. Maybe you top it with a jalapeño maple syrup, or dip it in avocado sauce. The possibilities are endless. No, this does not mean you should go add a handful of cauliflower to the sugary pancake batter you have in the pantry. We’ve rounded up the most mouth-watering savory pancake recipes for you to make from scratch. Make these delicious savory pancake recipes for breakfast, lunch or dinner 1. VEGAN JALAPEÑO CORNBREAD PANCAKES Photo: Babe Made These pancakes are the perfect combo of fluffy, savory, and sweet. Jalapeños add a touch of spice that complement the sweetness. You can also top them with Babe Made’s jalapeño-infused maple syrup. 2. CAULIFLOWER PANCAKES Photo: Babaganosh These fritters keep it simple with mashed cauliflower, eggs, flour, and seasoning. Top with a garlic and dill aioli for a zesty finish. 3. VEGAN SAVORY CHEDDAR PANCAKES Photo: Vegan Huggs Chives and vegan cheddar for breakfast? Yes please. These pancakes take all the yummy goodness of a baked potato and put them in a pancake. 4. SAVORY
The cheese puff snacks of your childhood are finally getting the healthy upgrade they deserve
February 29, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love cheese puffs. There’s something irresistible about the snack, despite it just being puffed corn covered in a processed cheese powder. The satisfaction of the crunch, the yellow residue the powder leaves on your fingertips, that little curl shape… Traditionally, the snack has never been seen as a health food. It doesn’t offer any vitamins, no fiber, and almost no protein. (Sodium however, it has in spades.) But this is 2020, a time where you can milk oats and eat ice cream made of chickpeas. And now, the humble cheese puff (or doodle, as it’s also known) has undergone its own healthy makeover. Health-conscious food brands including Spudsy, Hippeas, Lesser Evil, and Brass Roots have all reinvented the cheese puff, using ingredients that range from sweet potatoes to legumes. The end result is a puffy snack that hits lots of the same nostalgic taste notes…with some added nutrition hidden in there, too. Who would have thunk it? Here, the brand founders give insider intel to how they are using good-for-you ingredients to reimagine the puff. Cheese puffs 2.0: What they’re made of Well+Good predicted that 2020 would be the year that chickpeas completely take over, and Hippeas has been building that momentum for years with its OG take on the healthy cheese puff. The brand bakes a ground chickpea flour and rice flour blend, then seasons it with salt, cane sugar, onion powder, garlic
I’m a Sephora beauty director and these 5 cleansers are makeup ‘magic erasers’
February 29, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC One of life’s great frustrations is completing 30 seconds of derm-mandated face washing, only to realize that your mascara, foundation, and blush have smeared into a Monet painting on your face. When your skin doesn’t get as clean as you wanted it to, you then have to go for another round of cleanse, rinse, repeat. Ugh. That drama is all about to become a thing of the past now, though, because Sephora Beauty Director Jeffrey English is sharing his five top cleansers that remove makeup like it’s their job. Because, um, it is. Let’s review what separates a stellar face wash from a so-so one, shall we? Apart from ridding your face of the day’s makeup, dirt, and grime, Joshua Zeichner, MD, a dermatologist in New York City, previously told Well+Good that nailing your cleansing routine is really all about feel. “After washing your face, the skin should feel light and soft, but not tight,” he says. “There’s a perception that tight and dry equals clean, but it really represents post-wash dryness, which is harmful to the skin.” Roger that! Now, let’s get to English’s stable of unbeatable washes. 5 cleansers that remove makeup like a charm 1. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, $38 Just about everyone at the Well+Good office loves this cleanser, and English says it deserves all that praise and more. “If you’re looking for a face wash that does it all, then this one is for you. This product combines cleanser, toner,
Alicia Silverstone shares the 1 wellness practice she can’t go a day without
February 27, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY26kwxwwSM] Watch the video to learn Alicia Silverstone’s favorite wellness practices. It goes without saying that Cher Horowitz, the fictional protagonist in the iconic ‘90s hit Clueless, loves a good fashion trend. Between her yellow-plaid suit set and her cherry red mini-dress (“an Alaia!”), it’s clear that Alicia Silverstone’s character was a total style trailblazer. But what about wellness? Would Cher be equally keen on trailblazing in the health and wellness spheres as well? In the latest episode of The Avocado Show, Well+Good’s YouTube series where celebs sit down to chat over avocado dishes, Silverstone shares her take on Cher being vegan. “I think if you get Cher before she starts listening to Josh, she would be vegan because it’s trendy and very hip and very cool. But I think that she would also be vegan post-Josh for the right reasons which—not that those are bad reasons—but for the reason that it’s better for the planet, better for all the people who can’t eat because they’re not distributing food properly,” she says. “Definitely my plant-based diet—it changed my life. My motto is ‘greens, grains, beans,’ and I’m good.” —Alicia Silverstone While we can really only speculate about how Cher would and wouldn’t interact with what’s going on in wellness world of today, Silverstone personally swears by a number of healthy habits in her daily life. But, she was able to pinpoint the single wellness practice she can’t go a day without. “Definitely
I’m ready to retire my self-appointed ‘I’m bad at cooking’ label for good
February 27, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC I have some pretty embarrassing stories in the kitchen, like the time my situationship was coming over and I needed to clean my apartment quickly, so I shoved a bunch of things in my oven, forgot about them for a couple days, and then preheated my oven with everything still in there. Or the time I decided to make my high school boyfriend hot chocolate, and it made him violently ill. For pretty much my whole life, I’ve been convinced that I’m just bad at cooking, like I don’t have the gene for following recipes or being competent enough to dice veggies into pieces that are the same size. There are many, many other kitchen incidents I could cite as evidence. I’ve caused the smoke detectors to go off more times than you can count, overcooked chicken to the point that it’s almost jerky, and sliced off part of my thumb while using a cheese grater to make cauliflower rice. I thought I was completely hopeless in the kitchen. So instead of trying to learn, I made it my thing. I’d say, “I’m so bad at cooking” with the same inflection as a woman saying, “I don’t have any girlfriends, I just get along better with boys.” (See: Amber from Love Is Blind.) It certainly didn’t help that my most recent ex-boyfriend was a major backseat chef, often just taking over from me—so I’ve internalized this notion that I need help in the
We asked a registered dietitian to rank the top 5 best frozen cauliflower pizza crusts
February 27, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC It’s hard to remember a time before frozen cauliflower pizza crusts were as ubiquitous in the frozen food aisle as their doughy counterparts. Yet walk into virtually any grocery store and you’ll see not only one cauli-crust option, but likely many. Healthy eaters have voiced their request for a curst made of the veggie and brands have delivered. In fact, there are actually so many options to choose from now that it can be tricky figuring out which one to buy. “Many consumers today looking for alternative crusts, think cauliflower! But not all cauliflower pizza crusts get my stamp of approval,” registered dietitian Melissa Rifkin, RD says. “Some tend to have a great deal of carbohydrates and sodium and lack protein.” Her point: Even a crust that’s primarily made of the cruciferous vegetable can have not-so great ingredients in it. Here, Rifkin ranks five of the most popular, best frozen cauliflower pizza crusts in terms of how healthy they are. (Taste was not part of the ranking.) Keep reading for her thoughts and to see which one she deems healthiest of all. The 5 best frozen cauliflower pizza crusts, ranked by an RD: 1. REAL GOOD FOODS Cauliflower Crust, $6 for 2 Rifkin says Real Good Foods’ product is, nutrition-wise, the best frozen cauliflower pizza crust. Besides cauliflower, it’s made with almond flour, eggs, coconut flour, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, xanthan gum, and salt. “Of all the brands, this one is the highest
Beat cold and flu season with this healthy, warming, Italian-style soup
February 26, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJIyAiLh4IU] Looking for the best soup to ride out cold and flu season? You’ll love this one from Kelly LeVeque. It’s the ultimate cold-and-flu-season paradox: The one meal that’s been scientifically proven to help you feel better fast—a steaming bowl of soup—can also be one of the most time-consuming to cook from scratch. Not sure about you, but when I’m laid up with a stuffy head and chills, the last thing I feel like doing is chopping veggies, prepping protein, and waiting for what feels like hours as the ingredients simmer on the stove. Thankfully, holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque has proven that making the best soup for a cold or flu doesn’t have to eat up your entire sick day. In fact, it can all come together in less time than it takes to watch an episode of Love is Blind. In the latest installment of Cook with Us, Well+Good’s new cooking challenge show, senior food and health editor Jessie Van Amburg tasks LeVeque with preparing a satisfying, warming, vegetarian winter soup in 30 minutes or less. The Body Love Every Day author responds with a quick and easy take on Italian meatball soup, using a few smart swaps to make it plant-based and a bit more nutrient-dense. “Swapping out pasta for zoodles is really popular right now, but it’s a great way to increase your fiber and antioxidants,” says LeVeque. Amping up the fiber content are the plant-based lentil meatballs—all of