Dear Mend-A-Guru:

I was at the Rejuvenation Conference this past weekend and it was mentioned that you should accompany any “cheat” with fiber.  It was also mentioned that processed fiber like Benefiber could be used.  Please share your thoughts on this as I am interested in knowing if this means we can eliminate having the traditional fiber from fruits/vegetables if we start sprinkling or mixing this into our foods?

Mend-A-Guru:

Great question!  Lots of our foods that we carry in our grocery line contain high amounts of fiber as well.  It is important to note that you are getting WAY more than just fiber from the whole foods like an apple or broccoli source.  You are getting a great and varied amount of nutrients from mixing up sources frequently.  We encourage folks living healthy to not be too much of creatures of habit with what they pattern for purposes of rounding off nutrition sources and also keeping food fun and interesting.  Weight loss experts do know that some of the most common reasons folks go back to eating poorly is from boredom and/or “shortcuts” to nutrition that abandon the sound main principles of healthy eating.  We would simply state that the Benefiber and other similar products plus processed foods (like certain cereals) can be considered bonus fiber but the recommendation is to anchor any meals, including “cheats” with a real mother nature fiber source

Ingredients:

1 Package of Joseph’s Lavash Bread

1 1/2 cans of Lucky Leaf Apple Pie Filling

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/2 Cup of Splenda Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of Walden Farms Maple Syrup

6 eggs ( or egg substitute)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 cup of Carbquik

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups of Mimic crème

1 package of cream cheese

Directions:

Heat up a large griddle to 350

Beat eggs, Carbquik, Mimic crème, salt, and cinnamon together until mixed well.

Dip in a sheet of  lavash and place on the griddle. Once golden brown, flip.

Place in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Mix softened cream cheese, apples and nuts.

Place a layer over the lavash bread. Repeat until ending with a lavash sheet.

Melt butter and brown sugar. Mix well. Spread over the top of the lavash bread and bake until golden.

*Serve with Syrup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter
2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped ( 1 cup)
1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 cup of Carbquik
2 eggs
¾ salt
¼ teaspoon spepper
1 cup of Bella Vita Pasta Sauce, warmed ( Any Flavor)

Directions:

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the veggies 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Add spinach; cook and stir 1-2 minutes until wilted. Cool Slightly. In a medium size bowl, stir Carbquik and eggs. Add vegetables, salt and pepper; stir well. In a greased pan on medium-high heat, pour ¼ of the batter; flatten slightly with spatula. Cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Serve with pasta sauce.

Remember that “raspberry treat” you taste tested at the Thanksgiving Feast? Help me name the treat! Leave your “name” idea below and get entered to win all the products from the Mendabody.com website to support this recipe with FREE shipping! WOW over a $20 Value!

*We must have 10 participants or more to give away the package! Winner will be chosen by 11/16/2011

Ingredients:

1 bag of Murray’s Sugar-Free Vanilla Wafer’s (crushed)

1 Jar of Sugar free/low Sugar Raspberry Jam

1 stick of I Can’t Believe it’s NOT Butter (melted)

1/4 and tablespoon of Brown Sugar Splenda (divided)

¼ Cup of Splenda (optional)

1 Sheet of Joseph’s Lavash Bread

Land O Lakes Cinnamon Butter Tub (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400*

Combine crushed vanilla wafers, sugar, and brown sugar (1/4 cup), mix well.

Slowly poor in the butter to the cookie mix while stirring, place aside.

Put an ¼ inch layer of the raspberry jelly over the lavash bread.

Poor the cookie mixture into a cookie sheet and spread evenly.

Place the Lavash bread over the mixture facedown.

Spread a thin layer of the cinnamon butter over the entire lavash bread.

Take the remaining brown sugar and spread it over the butter.

Bake till the brown sugar is melted and bubbling.

Let cool for 5 minutes then cut with a pizza cutter to size!

Ingredients:

1 Boneless Chicken Breast – cut or cubbed

3 tablespoons of Walden Farms Apricot Spread

1 cup of Walden Farms Russian Dressing

1/2 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Directions:

1. Cut up the chicken and set aside.

2. Put reminaing ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

3. Add chicken, mix well until the chicken is fully coated.

4. On medium-high heat fry the chicken in a pain and enjoy.

I have a question –  my coach indicated that beans and hummus are not allowed during the first two phases.  Since beans are a key part of the gene smart diet according to their literature, and since those of us who do not eat a lot of meat or chicken rely on them for protein, why are they not allowed on the mendabody plan?

Megan’s Mexican Omelet

What you will need

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 4 pc of turkey pepperoni
• 1/4 cup egg beaters or whites
• 1/2 tbsp. of Walden Farms Chipotle dressing
• 1 slice of low fat American cheese or 1 thin layer of Sante Fe style cream cheese

Directions

1. Sauté 1/2 cup of onions in fry pan until soft
2. Add diced turkey pepperoni  and sauté for just a few more seconds
3. Add the 1/4 cup of egg beaters and let cook most of the way though and then flip and turn the burner off
4. While still in the pan add your dressing then your cheese to the top  then fold one side of the egg over to make it an omelet
5. Put the cover on the pan and remove from heat for one minute and voila!

Put on your sombrero and enjoy!

4 cups fresh blueberries

2/3 Splenda brown sugar

1/2 cup Carbquik

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup margarine or butter

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange blueberries in an ungreased square baking dish, 8×8x2. Mix Splenda brown sugar, Carbquik, oats, margarine, cinnamon, and sprinkle over top of blueberries. Bake until topping is lightly brown and blueberries are hot, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with sugar free cool whip or only 8 ice cream. Optional recipe in fall, use 4 cups of sliced tart apples ( about 4 medium) to make Apple Crisp

Q: I would like to try the sugarfree cake mixes that you can buy over the counter now.  I am going to use egg beaters or egg whites in substitution of the eggs as the box recommends.  Do you have any recommendations for a vegetable oil substitution?  I have heard you can use applesauce?  Any ideas would be appreciated….

Thanks!

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A: The tricky part of applesauce is that it can be high in sugar.  Look for natural, unsweetened which is fine for cakes but not so good for cookies as they will not form correctly.  Oils like Extra Virgin Olive Oil or nut oils are heart and baking friendly.  One of our favorites for baking is the Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil available on our website.