INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups whole grain pastry flour
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup steeped green tea, cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 cup safflower or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with canola oil cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the egg whites, yogurt, green tea, oil, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until just combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg white mixture. Mix until well combined, then evenly fold in the walnuts.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes on the middle rack in the oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve with 1 teaspoon nut butter.

Makes 8 (1-inch-thick) servings

Why we love this recipe:

You know we are huge green tea fans here at Nutritious Life. In case you are still only sipping your green tea and not eating it, we thought you may be inspired by a favorite O2 Diet recipe, Green Tea Loaf. A few fun things to remember about green tea: It may help burn more belly fat than other caffeinated beverages, may reduce the risk of UV damage from the sun, may help keep your teeth healthy and may prevent different forms of cancer including lung. Green tea is the Oscar winner in this recipe, which can be eaten as a satisfying breakfast when topped with 2 tsp. almond butter or as a “conscious indulgence” instead of an afternoon chocolate chip cookie. We suggest baking, slicing into portions and freezing. Freezing in individual portions makes it much easier to resist nibbling away at more. And, of course, feel free to sip some tea as you dive in.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups whole grain pastry flour
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup steeped green tea, cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 cup safflower or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with canola oil cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the egg whites, yogurt, green tea, oil, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until just combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg white mixture. Mix until well combined, then evenly fold in the walnuts.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes on the middle rack in the oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve with 1 teaspoon nut butter.

Makes 8 (1-inch-thick) servings

Why we love this recipe:

You know we are huge green tea fans here at Nutritious Life. In case you are still only sipping your green tea and not eating it, we thought you may be inspired by a favorite O2 Diet recipe, Green Tea Loaf. A few fun things to remember about green tea: It may help burn more belly fat than other caffeinated beverages, may reduce the risk of UV damage from the sun, may help keep your teeth healthy and may prevent different forms of cancer including lung. Green tea is the Oscar winner in this recipe, which can be eaten as a satisfying breakfast when topped with 2 tsp. almond butter or as a “conscious indulgence” instead of an afternoon chocolate chip cookie. We suggest baking, slicing into portions and freezing. Freezing in individual portions makes it much easier to resist nibbling away at more. And, of course, feel free to sip some tea as you dive in.

Did you already break the New Year’s Resolutions you made last week? The O2 Diet paperback edition can help you start living your best life in 2011 with this 4-day cleanse that maximizes weight loss, inspires confidence, and delivers immediate results!

4-Day O2 Cleanse

Follow this plan exactly for the next 4 days!

BREAKFAST

• Scrambled eggs (1 whole DHA/EPA fortified egg plus 3 egg whites)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup green tea
• 1 cup water with 1 ounce lemon juice

SNACK

• Sliced Granny Smith apple with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

LUNCH

• Spinach (cooked or raw); have fun dressing the spinach with flavored vinegars, such as fig, raspberry, or orange!
• 3 to 4 ounces salmon, mackerel, or halibut (grilled, baked, or broiled) with 1 teaspoon dried spices, such as oregano
• 8 pecans halves
• 1 cup water with 1 ounce lemon juice

SNACK

• Steamed artichoke or 1/2 cup artichoke hearts in water
• 1 cup green tea

DINNER

• Large romaine lettuce salad with carrots, tomatoes, and red bell peppers; dress with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice to taste
• Steamed asparagus
• 3 to 4 ounces any lean protein (grilled, baked, or broiled) with spices such as 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup water with 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 cup blueberries

ORAC: 57,300

Buy The O2 Diet paperback edition from Amazon

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups whole grain pastry flour
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup steeped green tea, cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 cup safflower or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with canola oil cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the egg whites, yogurt, green tea, oil, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until just combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg white mixture. Mix until well combined, then evenly fold in the walnuts.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes on the middle rack in the oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve with 1 teaspoon nut butter.

Makes 8 (1-inch-thick) servings

Why we love this recipe:

Ring in the new year with my antioxidant-rich eating plan that will keep you feeling energized, add a youthful glow to your skin, and help you slim down, all while enjoying delicious foods! Not only is this Green Tea Loaf from The O2 Diet super yummy, but it’s loaded with body-boosting ingredients!

You’ll get major health benefits from green tea, an O2 Diet powerfood, which helps mop up nasty little free radicals that can cause oxidative damage to the body, and has been proven to help melt away abdominal fat when incorporated into an exercise routine. Green tea may also decrease the risk of skin and lung cancer as well as help prevent strokes.

Plus, low-fat yogurt not only lends its naturally tangy taste to this quick bread, but it’s packed with bone-building calcium, satisfying protein, and probiotics to keep digestion efficient.

Finally, walnuts are superstars! These tasty nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid–an essential omega-3 fatty acid–and antioxidant polyphenols that have been shown to be protective against memory loss. In fact, researchers at Tufts University found that walnuts may even reverse some signs of brain aging.

To your health in 2011!

At Nutritious Life, we’re getting hungry for the launch of The O2 Diet paperback book, due out this Winter. Try one of our newest satisfying and delicious recipes worth more than 15,000 ORAC points. (That’s half a day’s worth of antioxidants at just one meal!) Learn more about The O2 Diet here.

Green Goddess Edamame Salad & Dressing

3/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame

1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

¼ cup thinly sliced radishes

Dressing:

2 Tbsp fat-free plain yogurt

1 Tbsp finely chopped, shelled, raw pistachios

1 Tbsp steeped green tea, cooled to room temperature

1 Tbsp thinly sliced green onion

1 tsp finely chopped parsley

1 tsp red wine vinegar

½ tsp minced garlic

1.     Defrost edamame in microwave according to package directions. Let cool to room temperature.

2.     Combine dressing ingredients in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3.     Toss edamame, celery, artichoke hearts, and radishes together with dressing and serve.

Makes 1 serving.

ORAC Value: 15,423

Here is a pic of superstar NL Certified Dietitian Jolene Harrison and a few comments on her latest NL adventure…

I love what first lady Michelle Obama is doing with her nationwide campaign to fight childhood obesity, called Let’s Move! This amazing new initiative aims to help parents and children make healthier food choices and to get active. In her first ever online interview, Michelle will be holding a live chat tomorrow morning at 10 am on her website letsmove.gov and AOL Health, where she will be answering viewer’s questions. Healthy snacking is an important part of a well balanced diet to ensure that kids meet their nutritional needs and have enough energy for their growing bodies. Check out this article I wrote for thatsfit.com, that talks about the importance of healthy snacking for kids and gives some tasty ideas that even picky eaters will love. http://bit.ly/dATV0p

Check out some of the dishes I tried at ABC kitchen, Jean-Georges newest restaurant with chef, Dan Kluger.

Chef Dan Kluger uses the freshest organic and local ingredients. As the eco-chic cardboard menu states, all ingredients are “consciously sourced.” Love that! Love even more that everything tasted as delicious as it was earth friendly.

For those of you in the NYC area, I definitely recommend giving ABC Kitchen a try! www.abckitchennyc.com

Crudités, Anchovy Dip

Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad, Crunchy Seeds and Citrus

Wood Oven Roasted Maine Lobster with oregano and lemon vinaigrette

Vodka Thyme Lemonade- skyy citrus, thyme infused lemon syrup

Met Erik Trinidad, creator of Fancyfastfood.com yesterday when we taped the show Masterclash for Asylum on AOL.  See pic below of the Masterclash team and Erik and I. Check out the show which airs in three parts this Fri, the following Fri and the following… I’ll put up a link! The hosts discussed their most favorite fast food restaurants and their favorite thing to order (the passion for these dishes was what scared me the most!).  Erik has a different love of fast food. He is not necessarily as passionate about eating it as he is about making it into something “fancier”, as his site’s name points out.  Either way, I of course, had to get my two cents in about the dangers of fast food.

Did you know?

• The University of Minnesota Project EAT study of seventh through 12th graders, found those who ate fast food three or more times per week got about 25 percent less produce and about 21 percent less milk than those who didn’t eat any fast food.

• In a Children’s Hospital Boston study of 6,212 kids ages 4 to 19, consumption of produce, fiber and milk decreased significantly on days when the kids had fast food.

• American kids now get more than 30 percent of their daily calories from foods consumed away from home.

How much of this fast food? Unfortunately, most school cafeterias are not much (if any!) better.  Another reason to make our schools serve healthier foods!

On a positive note, if fast food is the only option, most restaurant chains do offer at least one or two healthier options. Check back over the next three Friday’s as I add to what we discussed on Masterclash!

Today Rex’s class is turning into a restaurant – WORLD’S BEST CAFE – complete with two seatings, wait staff in uniform, bartender (Rex’s job!!), menu’s and so on… The Glassman family contribution to the menu was a healthy Summer salad developed and made by Rex (I did help a tiny bit in slicing the peaches). The ingredients? Spinach, peaches, crumbled goat cheese, dried cherries with a raspberry vinaigrette on the side.Rex enjoyed making the salad and is more excited about being a bartender today but I think he liked watching The Presidents of the United States of America on Youtube singing “Peaches” last night the most..

I am a Boston girl at heart and Winter will always be my favorite season – but one of the things I do LOVE about Summer is the abundance of colorful, delicious fruit. Summertime fruits, especially peaches, are my favorite. As much as it’s nice to be carefree in the Summer, unfortunately, we can’t be that way when it comes to our fruit and veggies. The Environmental Working Group’s list of the “Dirty Dozen” (fruits and veggies highest in pesticides) includes seven summertime fruits. Peaches, strawberries, apples, U.S.-grown blueberries, nectarines, cherries, and imported grapes are all included. While these reports do seem disappointing, don’t let it put a halt to your enjoying Summertime fruit. Instead, use it to your advantage and make better choices by prioritizing where to spend extra money on organic produce. The EWG estimates that consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure 80 percent just by buying organic versions of the “Dirty Dozen”. I talked about this last night on LXTV with Sara Gore and Jane Hanson.