How we got so fat- Little changes we can make

How America Got So Fat20%: How much refrigerators have expanded in size over the last 35 years

75%: Proportion of all trips under 1 mile that Americans make by car

111 cal: Energy we don't burn in a typical day thanks to labor-saving devices (like tractor lawn mowers)

35 tsp: Amount of added sugar that Americans consume per day

63%: Proportion of us who skimp on sleep, in part because we can't unplug at night

158 hrs: Average time Americans spend in front of the TV a month--up 22 minutes from last year

52%: Proportion of Americans who sometimes cook frozen dinners rather than fresh, whole food

How America Can Get Fit and Healthy Again329 cal: Number you won't eat per day if you get a good night's sleep (versus just 4 hours)

3 bites: Number of mouthfuls of a decadent dessert that can satisfy you

4.5 lb: Weight lost in a year by drinking water before meals

50%: The increase in the amount of energy you burn digesting whole foods versus processed

90%: Proportion of people who've lost weight long-term who exercise 1 hour every day

34%: How much more likely dog owners are to get 2.5 hours of exercise a week

Adapted from The South Beach Wake-Up Call: Why America Is Still Getting Fatter and Sicker ...Plus 7 Simple Strategies for Reversing Our Toxic Lifestyle, by Arthur Agatston, MD (Rodale)

Roasted Tomato Soup

To be written up shortly...

OK, ready to share now. Between cooking and blogging, I needed to carve some time out for an insane workout. After all, that's really what drives my passion to eat really good food.

Having a beyond-my-wildest-expectations yield of tomatoes in my debut garden, I wanted to indulge in the act of roasting perfectly succulent and ripe tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of fresh tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red onion, sliced
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
sprinkle of balsamic vinegar
sprinkle of olive oil or grapeseed oil
freshly ground sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:
Place the tomatoes skin-side up on baking pan (I used my stone bar pan, like a jelly roll pan).
Surround with onion and garlic.
Sprinkle the vinegar and oil, pepper and salt.
Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Pour mixture into Blendtec and process until smooth, about 30 seconds on power level 10.

Leftover note:
When it came time to eat the other half, I decided to add cooked cauliflower. I took my immersion hand-held blender and blended the remaining soup with the steamed cauliflower. It added a nice touch or enhanced creaminess. Both version were, nutritious and delicious.

Chocolate Almond Torte (sprouted- I'll explain later)

I was inspired to try this as soon as I got home from school this afternoon. Now, it's chilling in the freezer and I had to post this right away while my tea is brewing. It was so good warm but meant to be frozen...we'll see.
Ingredients:
You should know: this recipe is extremely flexible but I'll explain how I made this one and add the flexible part at the end.
1 cup 'sprouted' raw almonds (not roasted, soaked overnight or several hours and drained)
1/4 c cocoa powder
8 dates, pitted
1/3 c peanut butter and almond butter combined
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 T wheat germ
OPTIONAL toppings: toasted walnuts and ground flax meal

Directions:
Into a powerful food processor (or a Blendtec blender), add everything. Process until smooth, right after a soft ball is formed.
Roll in the palm of your very-clean hands to form small balls, about 1/2 inch in size.
Roll in desired topping, such as coconut, toasted coconut, chopped toasted walnuts, chopped fruit, etc
Place in freezer.

The flexible part includes replacing the dates with any other sweetener such as maple syrup, honey, rice syrup, agave nectar, etc.
Omitting the nut butter, but that gives is a rich texture and "mouth-feel" we so enjoy.
Adding wheat germ is an option, if you'd prefer gluten-free, it can be omitted.
Instead of vanilla extract, you can use rum or almond extract. But do stick to pure extract.
If you like it velvety smooth, process like I described. Stop sooner if you'd like nut bits.

The "sprouted" part comes from the actual "soaking" of the almonds. They won't actually sprout, but they will plump up with the soaking water. They are commonly calls "soaks" instead of sprouts because of this. Once any dry (dormant) seed soaks up water it comes to life and the action of the enzymes makes is a super food.
There is no butter, added fat, or sugar, but lots of sucrose if you opt for the liquid sweeteners instead of dates. All the fat comes from, you guessed it, delicious, nutritious nuts.

Cashew cream

Not sure I like calling this "cream" but it's a sought-after item in my house.

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews that have been soaked overnight
4 large pitted dates
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 T water, to desired consistency

Directions
Drain cashews and discard water.
Add nuts, dates, vanilla and 1 T water to Blendtec, or high-speed blender. Blend until creamy and smooth, adding water as desired.
Chilling it will make it thicker so spread warm or chilled, depending on your preference.
Serve with fruit as a dip or spread on your favorite desserts.
Delicious Nutritious