I used to call the “livestrong” bracelets “livelikelance” bracelets, in honor of lance armstrong. lance armstrong has recently fallen out of grace because of blood doping, apparently, but the website continues to be one of my favorites. they have a bunch of articles on nutrition and recipes, and a whole other section on working out and staying fit (livelikelance!).
it’s dope. pun intended.
click here for all the reasons cayenne pepper is ridiculously good
I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee lately. A LOT of coffee. I like drinking my coffee black, because i figure if i’m going to dump a bunch of acid in my stomach, i might as well do it sugar- and calorie-free. Plus black coffee is about half the price of a mocha or any fancy tasting drink at a coffee shop.
I work in retail, so caffeine is a must. Let me try that again: being peppy and friendly is a must, which for me means caffeine is a must. I was getting ready for work today, brewing half a pot of coffee, and thinking about how I didn’t want to be starving while i was at work, and how bored I was of black coffee, and how i really should drink that chocolate milk in my fridge before it goes bad. Suddenly, an idea was born. I call it “Good Drink,” because it’s a drink. and it’s good.
– 1/2 of whatever container you’re using of coffee (I used a thermos, because of It Keeps Stuff Warm)
– 1/2 of your container’s worth of chocolate milk
– a bunch of cinnamon
– half as much cayenne pepper as cinnamon
1) add the coffee and the chocolate milk to your container.
2) add the cinnamon and the cayenne pepper. some countries use the metric system, others utilize more arbitrary measurements like tablespoons and teaspoons. I prefer the “add ‘n taste” method. this means you add some cinnamon, and pepper, then take a little sip. Keep adding what it seems like it’s missing until you like how it tastes, or it’s so bad that you have to throw it out and start over. the “add ‘n taste” method can be applied to almost any cooking situation. so there, now you all know why i always come to school with sandwiches that have bites missing.
Rating: Triceratops
Why is this good? cost and caffeine are the two biggies. I bought my cinnamon and pepper for $1 each. obviously you can get way fancier with spices, but i still thought it was tasty. Cinnamon is also an under-celebrated superfood, so if kale and goji berries are a little out there for you, start sprinkling cinnamon on everything. The Interwebs say cinnamon probably decreases cholesterol and regulates blood sugar, which means the sugar in whatever you add it to isn’t going to string you out. I add cinnamon to coffee all the time, mostly because it’s an appetite suppressant and if i’m drinking black coffee it usually means i don’t have time to eat.
Cayenne pepper. That’s weird. ya it kind of is. but it’s also CRAZY GOOD FOR YOU! it neutralizes acid (which is convenient, because coffee is acidic) and it’s an anti-inflammatory. my understanding of inflammation, from my one nutrition class, is that everything bad is caused by/worsened by inflammation (or Inflammation: It’s Not Just An Allergies Thing). not having time to eat or sleep means i also don’t have time to get sick, so i think i’m going to start adding cayenne pepper to everything ever. nothing can go wrong!
That’s so great you made this amazing drink! Well, it wasn’t all good. The temperature was awkwardly lukewarm, probably because the milk was in the fridge and the coffee was hot. Next time i’ll microwave the milk or add ice to the whole thing. Did you know you can make leftover coffee into ice cubes that won’t dilute your drink? Science is crazy. Also, the pepper seemed to intensify after my initial taste tests, so PROCEED WITH CAUTION. i love spicy things, but if that’s not your cup of Good Drink then only add a little or leave it out.
My roommate and I are obsessed with avocados right now. I’m at that stage of food-infatuation where I just want to bring half an avocado to school and eat it with a spoon. People look at you weird if you do this, even in Boulder, so this morning for lunch I made a more-socially-acceptable avocado wrap, out of….
– 1/2 an avocado
– whole grain wrap
– other stuff in my fridge/pantry (I used mushrooms, spinach and quinoa. is it weird to put quinoa in a wrap? I accidentally made like 2 pounds of it so i’m putting it in everything)
1) I keep my bread stuffs in the fridge; if this is you, microwave the wrap for like 10 seconds. Or, if you’re sautéing mushrooms, set the wrap on top of the pan for a little bit, then turn it over. That way it doesn’t break when you wrap it up.
2) Cut the avocado in half, then put it in a bowl and squish it up with a fork. I assume there’s a less labor intensive way to do this with some gadget, but i own a fork and a bowl.
3) Spread said squished avocado on half of wrap; add other ingredients, fold in the sides, and wrap it up. You did it!
Rating: Brachiosaurus
Why Is This Good: you can use up whatever random veggies you have in your fridge (or excessive amounts of quinoa). Plus, avocados have lots of the good fat (monounsaturated).
Fat is Good??? Yes. Yes it is. Fat gets bad when you eat a ton of it, or when it’s the chemically altered saturated fat. Sat-fat is popular because it keeps longer than unsat-fat, but our bodies aren’t as adept at processing it. Good for the producer, bad for the consumer. Either way, our bodies need fat for a lot of things, including feeling full. So eat half an avocado now instead of chowing down a bunch of sat-fats later.
The Downside: No protein in avocados. Protein is a vegetarian’s favorite word. If i make it again I’ll throw in a bunch of black beans.
For more info on avocados, check out the link to avocado.org (who knew, avocados have websites!)
Foods That Are Good 