TJ's Tex-Mex Chex Mix!

Wow! It seems surreal that I have no academic commitments for an entire week! Not quite sure what to do with myself. Perhaps I'll get to know my doorman better or take up knitting. Actually I think it's a safe bet that neither of those things will be accomplished.

Like most squirrels, I'm a big fan of nuts. I feel sorry for those of you who are allergic---because you are truly missing out on one of mother nature's finest gifts. Anyway, wanted to bring up my love for almonds and share a little story....Most of us grew up with parents who had the big bowl of shelled mixed nuts during the holidays, hence the whole nutcracker vibe. However, some of us had "nut-stingy" parents who would wait until their daughter went to bed and then get to crackin'. But, almost every time their daughter would be woken up by the cracking sound and sidle up to the "cracker" with anticipation for one of the almonds. Now their daughter is old enough to buy her own almonds but because she doesn't buy them in the shell, sadly, some poor migrant worker has probably done the primary labor for her.

Anyway.......Almonds are a super-heart-friendly nut chocked full of vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, iron, protein and fiber. They are a perfect food for all you vegans out there. As well, consumption of ten raw almonds a day, every day, for a month can also help significantly lower your cholesterol by about 10 percent!

In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I might share my own personal favorite healthy/spicy chex mix recipe which contains plenty of almonds. Viva Tejas!!

3 Tablespoons Smart Balance Olive Oil butter
2 Teaspoons Worstershire
2 Teaspoons Jalapeno Tabasco sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cilantro Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder (OPTIONAL--not for the the spicy-intolerant)
2 Cups Whole Wheat Chex
2 Cups Corn Chex
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Peanuts
1 Cup Whole Grain Goldfish Crackers (I prefer the cheddar flavor)
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Annie's Bunny Crackers (I love the fish/rabbit diversity in my chex mix)

Heat oven to 250°F. In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, and crackers; set aside. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Addressing our Wildlife Obesity Issue....

Well, I think it's time to call the WWF. What on earth are our wild critters getting into that they end up looking like this little guy?? Or is it because he's a Hoosier squirrel? He needs to add more tree bark to his diet!

I have a tendency to think these winter months can be relatively boring when it comes to working out. Most of us succumb to the indoors and if you're not doing a torturous spinning class or power yoga, then one can grow bored very easily. But I have an overall-beneficial solution to curing the winter workout blues......First, it's super-duper crucial for us to do both cardio and weight-training because we automatically lose about 15% of our lean body mass between our mid-20's to our mid 70's. This amount can increase more if we routinely sit on our bums! As well, lean body mass loss can also lead to significant arthritic problems and chronic disease. Weight training is a fantastic way to retain lean muscle mass and cardio is a great compliment to keep the vibe going (and prevent love handles). Even more cool is that interval-cardio burns body fat (or in my case, burns off my dark chocolate habit).

As previously mentioned, indoor workouts can be less-than-entertaining but I wanted to pass along my solution. Because we are all at a different fitness level, feel free to adjust your cardio time (from 5 minute intervals to 20 minute intervals). This workout will take from an hour to two hours depending on cardio time and I highly recommend it 3x a week (then mixing spin class, lower-body weight lifting, and yoga on the other days--wink wink) I also find that having your favorite cooking, news, sports or fitness magazine as your cardio machine-friend really helps too! Or blaring Shakira on your iPod--you choose!

* 10 Minute Warm-up on cardio machine of your choice, rotating 1 minute normal pace & 1 minute medium pace

* 2 15-repetition sets of biceps, 2 15-rep sets of triceps, 1 set of abs

* 10 minute cardio machine of your choice, rotating 1 minute medium pace & minute fast pace

* 2 15-rep sets of back/lat, 2 15-rep sets chest, 2 15-rep sets of shoulders, 1 set of abs

* 10 minute cardio machine of your choice, rotating 1 minute medium pace & minute fast pace

* 2 15-repetition sets of biceps, 2 15-rep sets of triceps, 1 set of abs

* 10 minute cardio machine of your choice, rotating 1 minute medium pace & minute fast pace

* 2 15-rep sets of back/lat, 2 15-rep sets chest, 2 15-rep sets of shoulders, 1 set of abs

* 10 Minute Cool-down on cardio machine of your choice, rotating 1 minute normal pace & 1 minute medium pace

Liver Lovin' Holidays

Hope everyone had a grandiose Turkey Day and was able to stick to their diets (Ha!). Many thanks to Susan because she prepared a brilliant feast. Was thinking back to last Thanksgiving in Africa (see photo) and how it was certainly my most unique holiday experience. We all went up on a big hill which overlooked the Senegal/Mali border (at the Senegal river) and had a massive bonfire to cook steaks, potatoes, onions and apples. Instead of Pinot Noir, we had South African 40-ouncers and watched the various brush burnings from the hilltop. I recommend everyone do this at least once in their lifetime.

Anyway, for those of you who indulged last week (just like me), I have some “de-tox” recommendations for you. Other than significant exercise and a de-toxing week-long vegan diet, there are some other solutions out there.......

Green Tea! If you love alcohol like I do, your liver needs some lovin. Try getting in at least three “green tea shots” per day. True green tea (not the lipton sweetened/pre-made junk) is full of EGCG antioxidant properties and your liver’s detoxing enzymes are stimulated by this. The purest/most economical green tea on the market is Stash Green Tea ($2-$3). You can find it at almost any supermarket. It taste somewhat like ass but here’s my solution. Take one tea bag and 2 oz. hot water, let tea steep for at least 3 minutes, then let it cool down a bit and do it like a shot of tequila (sans salt/lime). Works like a charm! If you want a good detox-sippin’ tea, stick with South African Rooibos.

I also must recommend finding your “ inner bunny rabbit” this holiday season. Make up for your naughty eating by having whole-food dinners or lunches. My personal favorite is a half head of steamed broccoli (chopped up), topped with salsa (preferably fresh) and non-fat plain yogurt (it taste just like sour cream), accompanied by whole wheat toast and spinach scrambled eggs (4 whites, two yolks) topped with more salsa (you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the girl!) or the Thai hot sauce, Sriracha. Buen Provecho!