You Can't Beet This Cake

Sorry about the title of this post. I had to do it.

So: beets. I don't know of many grocery stores that are struggling to keep these puppies on the shelves. And aside from the pickled or canned variety, I don't know many people that have tried fresh beets before. My first experience with beets came when I was making baby food for my daughter. I read that beets are chock full of folic acid, potassium, calcium, and antioxidants. So I roasted a pureed a few, and she really liked them, which I was happy about...until she sneezed while eating them one day and sprayed bright red beet bits all over the wall and floor.

Anyway, last week I promised to update you about a chocolate cake I was going to make that has beet puree as one of its ingredients. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld.

I wouldn't say this cake is healthy per se, but it does substitute white sugar for brown, canola oil for butter, and egg whites instead of whole eggs (or rather, one whole egg and two egg whites).

For those of you who have never seen beet puree, here's how it looks:

Such a nice deep red color! Sesame Street keeps reminding us to "Eat Your Colors!", so I know this has got to be good.

The rest of the cake ingredients were pretty standard. Semisweet chocolate squares, buttermilk, vanilla, flour, etc. The final batter was a burgundy color, although this picture gives it a pinkish hue:

The batter tasted delicious, and the final cake turned out to be nice and dense (which makes it easy to work with when it comes to icing).

One way this cake cuts calories is that it makes only one nine-inch cake instead of two. It suggests that you cut the cake layer in half and spread frosting between the layers and on the top. It was during my imperfect dissection of the cake that I was able to sample a small piece, and it was very good. It was not an overpowering chocolate flavor, and the beets were imperceptible.

The frosting uses reduced-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Here is the final product:

As with most of the cakes I bake, I sent it off with Zach this morning to be (hopefully) devoured by the teachers and staff. But I didn't forget to print out a note that said, "Chocolate Cake, fortified with beets. Have your cake, and eat your vegetables. See you at the Wednesday Workout at 4:30 tomorrow."

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

This week's tip is less of a tip and more of a challenge. When you go to the grocery store this week, pick up a vegetable you've never tried before and bring it home. Eat it raw, or hit the Internet to find an appealing way to cook it. (No frying allowed!)

There are so many things I buy regularly now that I never, in a million years, thought I would eat. Here are the top five culinary shockers that now frequent my refrigerator.

1. Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti Squash

When I first cooked an acorn squash, I was flabbergasted. Where had these things been all my life? They are sweet, juicy, easier to fix than a baked potato, and loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and a bunch of other good stuff. It is my favorite vegetable. I can sit down and eat a whole one...if no one else in my family is fighting me for it (and they usually are).

My positive experience with the acorn squash led me to try the butternut and spaghetti varieties, both of which are also fantastic. Spaghetti squash really does look like noodles after it's cooked!

2. Asparagus

When I was growing up my Mom had a prolific asparagus garden that yielded plenty of fantastic, fresh asparagus every summer. Did I eat my fill every night? No. Wouldn't touch the stuff. What was wrong with me?

As an adult I really like asparagus. My favorite way to fix it is to coat the spears in olive oil, sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper and roast it in the oven for about 12 minutes. Yum.

3. Edamame

That's ed-ah-mah-may for the uninitiated. Edamame is green soy beans in a shell, and they are my favorite food to eat mindlessly. You know, the way you usually eat chips.

Edamame is low in calories, low in fat, and has plenty of protein and calcium. And oh yeah, they also taste good. You can find them in your freezer section in a steamer bag, although I usually prepare them by boiling them for about four minutes in salty water. Squeezing the pods so the soy beans pop out is pretty fun. Then just toss the shell!

4. Collard Greens

Eat your greens! Eat your greens! I kept reading over and over again. But...but... greens? Really? That sounds so gross. I resisted for quite awhile, but then decided to jump in. I'm glad I did!

I started with this recipe from Whole Foods Market that calls for collard greens, carrots, red onions, brown rice, and feta cheese. Oh, man, that recipe is so good. I was fixing it every week for awhile. And it makes great leftovers, too!

5. Spinach

Up until about two months ago, I was really scared of spinach. I'd bought the frozen variety once or twice for a mushroom spinach manicotti that I make, but I'm embarrassed to admit I'd never bought it fresh.

So a few weeks back I took the plunge, and I'm pleased to admit that spinach is not scary! To me, it's pretty much like any other lettuce, but better for you! It's full of iron, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid. And versatile, too. I put it in omelets, on my turkey sandwich, and in a plain old salad at dinner.

So try something new this week! Maybe you'll find something that will become a regular in the veggie rotation.

Why I Work Out at 5 a.m.

Back when Zach and I were in negotiations regarding the logistics of starting a 90-day fitness regimen, I reluctantly agreed that we would work out together at 5 in the morning.

Now I'm as much a morning person as the next gal; that is, not at all. But with two young kids, Zach's full-time (and then some) job, and a million other things to do, it quickly became apparent that 5 a.m. was just about the only time no one would be crying, calling, or catching up on paperwork.

Before the 5 a.m. workout habit started, I used to lay in bed with a pillow over my head, trying to ignore the lights and shower as Zach got ready for work. Then my then three-year-old would open his door and come wandering in the room saying, "Mama. Mama. Mama! Mama! MAMA! I want bweckfast." And I would literally moan, groan, and berate my son for his inability to sleep past 6:15. What a way to start the day! Instead of coffee, I was starting my day with a big 'ol cup of negativity.

Then P90X arrived in the mail, and we set the alarm for 5:00. Day in, and day out, I surprised Zach as I actually got up, dressed, and out the door to start working out by 5:10 or so. And a funny thing happened. Even though I was "losing" an hour or more sleep a night, I was happier and more energetic. When my kids woke up, I was able to greet them cheerfully. I had worked out, showered, dressed, and felt like a human being by 6:30 a.m., which was not something I could say pre-P90X.

And even though we aren't necessarily talking, the hour that Zach and I spend working out together in the morning has meant the world to our relationship. His job as a principal means many extra curricular events after school and late and night, and many days that hour is the only time we see each other in the day. This shared goal and experience helps keep me sane when I'm spending long hours alone with the kids.

All the warm fuzzy stuff aside, I will tell you that I hate life from 5:00 until 5:04. I pile my workout clothes next to the bed so that all I have to do is swing my legs out of bed and pull clothes on. And I make no illusions that Zach is the motivator around here. He jokes that in two years of doing this, I've been the one coaxing him out of bed approximately two times. If he says, "let's sleep in," I'm game. Unlucky enough for me, I can't think of any times he's done that.

Early rising did mean we had to adjust our bedtime. I feel pretty geriatric when I refuse to start watching a show that starts at 9 p.m. "because that's just too late to start a show!" But I know that if I don't get 7 to 8 hours of sleep 5 a.m. feels a heckuva lot worse than usual.

So for the foreseeable future, I'll be hitting our "gym" way before the sun rises. I think it was Ben Franklin that said, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I don't know about the wealthy and wise, but at least I've got the healthy part covered.

Inaugural Wednesday Workout

Yesterday Zach and I hosted 21 teachers and staff from his school district for the inaugural "Workout Wednesdays," a new fitness club at his school. When I signed up to be a Team Beachbody Coach, one of the first things I wanted to do in order to reach people was start up a fitness club. Since Zach is a principal and has access to both willing participants and a high school gym, we were quickly in business.

With the help of one of the teachers at his school, we publicized the event and secured high school students as babysitters for anyone with kids (so no one could use kids as an excuse not to come!). I was thrilled with the enthusiasm that the teachers showed about the program. We had thirty people express interest in coming, and even more asking questions about it.

Zach and I had a blast coming up with the workout. We used moves we have learned in P90X and through the One on One with Tony Horton programs that we have delivered every month. When choosing which moves to put in, it was essential that they meet two criteria: 1) it does not require any equipment like weights and 2) it is modifiable for any fitness level. Most of the moves came from the "Cardio Confusion" DVD, but some came from Plyometrics, and one move even came from the Insanity workouts.

The day before our workout, I sent a special treat up to school to advertise one last time: Black Bean Brownies. Now, I won't lie and say these brownies are as good as the real thing, but they were definitely good. Next time I'll either dust some powdered sugar on them, or sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips on them to pump up the chocolate flavor a bit. Anyway, the point was to say that treats don't have to be totally fattening and/or ruin our diet. Next week I'm trying a chocolate cake that uses beet puree. I'll keep you posted  on the results of that one.

Back to the workout.

We met at 4:30 in the gym, and 21 of the 30 who said they were interested came to participate. The cardio workout consisted of 25 one-minute moves, followed by a cool down and 10 minutes of abs. Zach stood at the front with me and demonstrated the high intensity version of the moves, while I showed how to modify for low intensity. Everyone did fantastic! We had people of all ages, some who are currently doing P90X, and some who haven't exercised in years.

Wrapping up our ab workout

After the workout, we had a short talk about nutrition, wherein I challenged the group to go soda-free. I figured it would be an unpopular suggestion, but people took it pretty well! Paula, the teacher I'm working with, has generously offered a prize to the participants who live up to the challenge for the week.

I can't tell you how good it feels to help people get on the road to good health. My hope is that we can inspire people to make exercise and healthy eating a part of their lives for the long term, because I really believe healthy and fit people are happier people, too.

The Shakeology Experiment: Week One Wrap-up

Sunday marked the end of week one in the Hobbs Shakeology Experiment. I sat down and conducted an in-depth interview of Zach to uncover his feelings about the product thus far.

Here is the lowdown: Zach is drinking one shake a day for lunch. He usually adds a banana or natural peanut butter (or both) to his shake, taking it from 140 calories to approximately 300-350 calories. That's not a lot of calories for a meal, but he said he has not felt hungry in the afternoons, nor does he crave sweets or any other foods.

Anyone who knows my husband knows about his love of spreadsheets.

Thinking about buying a car? Put it in a spreadsheet.
Refinancing the house? Put it in a spreadsheet.
Rearranging the pantry? Put it in a spreadsheet.

So here is the manifestation of his spreadsheet addiction as it relates to the Shakeology experiment:

The Shakeology weight loss graph (click for larger view).

During his initial cleanse he lost about 7 pounds. Since then, his weight has varied from as much as 10 pounds lost to a current weight loss of 8 pounds.

My husband is not one who needs to lose a bunch of weight, but these few pounds has made a significant difference in his appearance (i.e., he looks SUPER BUFF. That's a technical term. I looked it up.).

This morning he branched out into another recipe on the provided recipe calendar, adding vanilla extract and a banana.

Super happy to be making the daily Shakeology.

One side effect of committing to the Shakeology program is how it affects the way you think about the other meals that you eat. Zach said that since he knows Shakeology is a good, nutritious meal, it makes him strive to eat healthy for the other meals as well. This weekend was opening weekend for archery season, and he said he felt guilty about eating a hamburger down at the land. But he did mix up some shakes to take with him to eat down there!

I can see that for someone who might eat out for lunch every day, or someone who stops at Starbucks every day, Shakeology would have a big impact. Because as much as it's about eating a healthy meal, it's also about NOT eating an unhealthy meal.

The plan at the beginning of this experiment was to let Zach try it for a month, and then I get to try it. But after one week, I think we've run into a snag. He's not going to want to give it up!

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

This week's food for thought is:

Count ingredients, not calories.


I've never been good at dieting, and I have never counted calories. Maybe it's my math aversion, but sitting down and calculating the amount of food I ate, and converting that to calories is nothing but a complete drag.

But counting ingredients is like playing golf: the lowest score wins! If you're eating things like eggs, apples, bananas, carrots, acorn squash (my personal favorite), it's easy to keep track of what you're eating.

Are you eating these? They are amazing.

Scott Colby of SC Fitness sat down and calculated what all you would eat if you had three popular food items: Smart Start Cereal, Reduced Fat Wheat Thins, and Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce Lean Cuisine. Here's the laundry list:


RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, OAT CLUSTERS (SUGAR, TOASTED OATS [ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, CANOLA OIL WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, MOLASSES, HONEY, BHT FOR FRESHNESS, SOY LECITHIN], WHEAT FLAKES, CRISP RICE [RICE, SUGAR, MALT, SALT], CORN SYRUP, POLYDEXTROSE, HONEY, CINNAMON, BHT [PRESERVATIVE], ARTIFICIAL VANILLA FLAVOR), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SALT, HONEY, MALT FLAVORING, ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, SODIUM ASCORBATE AND ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, YELLOW #5, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), BHT (PRESERVATIVE), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, BETA CAROTENE (A SOURCE OF VITAMIN A), VITAMIN B12 AND VITAMIN D. WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, MALT SYRUP (FROM BARLEY AND CORN), INVERT SUGAR, MONOGLYCERIDES, SALT, VEGETABLE COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC OLEORESIN). CONTAINS: WHEAT. BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS. Blanched macaroni product (water, semolina, wheat gluten), skim milk, cooked chicken breast with rib pesto glazed smoke flavor added (cooked chicken breast meat with rib meat, water, chicken flavor (dehydrated chicken broth, chicken powder, flavor, salt, modified corn starch, salt, spice, glazed with: water, seasoning (sugar, (dehydrated romano cheese and blue cheese {part skim cow's milk, cheese cultures, pasteurized cow's milk, salt, enzymes}, spices, salt, modified food starch, dehydrated garlic dehydrated onion, citric acid, (dehydrated flavorings {(modified food starch, corn syrup solids, flavor, smoke flavor, partially hydrogenated soybean oil), dehydrated flavor (maltodextrin, citric acid, gum arabic, natural flavor}, extractives of garlic, olive oil), water, red peppers, ywllow peppers, 2% or less of cream, parmesan cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), soybean oil, modified cornstarch, bleached wheat flour, basil, asiago cheese (pasteurizred milk, salt, cheese cultu res, salt, enzymes), water, salt, lactic acid, citric acid), extra virgin olive oil, garlic puree, enzyme modified parmesan cheese (cultured milk, water, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, cheese flavor (cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), water, salt, enzymes, cultures, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum), dehydrated onions, potassium chloride. 


Scary, right? So keep it simple to keep it healthy!

Iron Mike's Doing P90X!

Check it out:

http://twitter.com/MikeTyson/statuses/23013090020