FitSugar

Partner Yoga Pose: Seated Butterfly Lounge

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Keeping your hips flexible helps prevent injury, and here's a great hip stretch you can do with a partner. It's similar to the Seated Straddle Lounge, but for this one, the person on the bottom is in Butterfly pose with her feet together and her knees out wide.

Music: "Shiva Shambho" by Namaste

To see a detailed description of how to do this hip-opening partner pose

5 Surprising Ways to Eat Nut Butter

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:49:49 PST

Nut butters are good for more than just sandwiches. As a source of healthy fats and plant-based protein, nut butters can be a nutritional powerhouse. Whether you prefer classic peanut butter or one of the healthy peanut butter alternatives, here are five unexpected ways to incorporate nut butter into your diet:

Blend it into your smoothie: Make your breakfast sip a bit creamier - and more satisfying - by adding some nut butter to the mix. For a bit of indulgence, try a chocolate strawberry banana smoothie. The healthy fats and dose of protein will help you to stay full and get your day off to an energized start.
Add it to your soups: Boost pureed soups with a spoonful of nut butter. Not only will it create a thicker texture, but it will also add rich, unexpected flavor to standard recipes. Surprise your taste buds by adding almond butter to butternut squash and or blending walnut butter into a beet soup.
Turn it into a dipping sauce: Marinate meats in your favorite nut butter before grilling, or use it as a dipping sauce for fruits and vegetables. Get creative with your combinations: try jicama dipped in cashew butter for a fresh twist on peanut butter apples.
Toss it into Greek yogurt. Get double the protein punch by mixing nut butter into your serving of Greek yogurt. For extra energy and nutrients, add fresh berries and rolled oats to the bowl.
Use it in your salad dressing. Blend nut butter with other oils and spices to create a smooth, rich salad dressing. Not sure where to start? Try a Thai dish, like this kale slaw with peanut dressing recipe.

Source: Flickr User Rusvaplauke

A Reader Recipe: Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Fit Community — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:27:50 PST

If you've got a cookie craving, you're in luck: FitSugar readers Pure2raw recently shared this gluten-free chocolate chip cookie cake with us in our Healthy Recipe group.

Everyone loves cookie cake, right? We have a chocolate chip cookie cake that is not only gluten-free but egg- and dairy-free, too. It is full of flavor with a great soft, cakelike texture. Plus the three-ingredient coconut frosting is too good not to try.

Get the recipe after the break!

Nutty For Nutritional Info on Nut Butters

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:30:00 PST

When I was a child, I loved peanut butter. In college I experimented with almond butter. Cashew butter, which I dabble in every once in a while, is just heavenly. My girls, however, only like peanut butter, which made me curious - are all nut butters created equal? Does it matter which nut butter you choose? Is one more healthy than the other?

To see a side-by-side nutritional comparison of many popular nut butters

read more. This chart compares creamy, organic, all-natural nut butters. Essentially, the ingredients are mostly limited to nuts, just nuts.

2 tbsp.	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Peanut Butter (no salt)	190	16	2	0	7	3	8
Peanut Butter (salted)	190	16	2	80	7	3	8
Almond Butter (no salt)	190	16	1.5	0	6	4	7
Cashew Butter (no salt)	190	15	3	0	10	2	5
Soy Nut Butter (no salt)	200	14	2	0	8	2	10
Soynut Butter (salted)	200	14	2	150	8	2	10
Macadamia Nut Butter (no salt)	230	24	4	0	4	3	2

Soynut butter has the most protein, but almond butter has the most fiber and least amount of saturated fat. They're all pretty similar though, except for macadamia nut butter, which tastes so good but should really only be a splurge. So I guess it's all about personal preference when deciding which is better for smearing. Source, Source, and Source

Cooking Basics: How to Make Caramel Candy

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:03:19 PST

Making caramel may seem like a daunting task, but it is an exhilarating (and delicious) science project that requires a little preparation, patience, and timing. Challenge your candy-making skills by trying out this soft caramel recipe by a chef from the Culinary Institute of America.

As you cook the caramel on the stove top, you will notice the sugar, butter, and evaporated milk will slowly deepen in color and flavor. Caramel expands and bubbles as it cooks, so use a larger pot to avoid a hot, sticky mess from boiling over. As you cook, your flame should be high enough to allow the caramel to bubble yet low enough to allow the caramel to slowly develop its flavors.

When you reach the magic number, work quickly and don't delay! Even a few degrees can completely change the texture, consistency, and flavor of a caramel. But use extreme caution, because caramel burns are dangerous and painful; keep a bowl of ice water nearby just in case.

Allow the caramel to cool completely before you use a chef's knife to cut the slab into strips, then into square pieces. Use your fingers to mold the individual pieces into perfect squares.

Click here for the caramel recipe.

Sisters of DC Cupcakes Share Valentine's Day Baking Tips and Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:16:28 PST

What's sugar and spice and everything nice? Cupcakes! And no one knows more about our obsession with the lil confections than Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, co-owners of Georgetown Cupcake and stars of TLC's DC Cupcakes. The sisters, who learned their kitchen skills from their grandmother ("We followed her around the kitchen and always begged to help"), have been known to bake up to 10,000 lil cakes a day, much to the delight of the patrons who line the block of their Washington DC store. The duo - who just opened their first outpost in New York City - gave me a few minutes of their time to discuss their tasty desserts.

LilSugar: Cupcakes have moved from kiddie birthday party staple to a favorite of adults and kids alike. But kids aren't always willing to try new flavors. Which are most popular with kids?
Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis: Our Vanilla Birthday (vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream and rainbow bobbles), Chocolate Birthday (chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream and rainbow bobbles), and Milk Chocolate Birthday (vanilla cupcake with milk chocolate buttercream and rainbow bobbles) are the most popular with kids. We think it's the color rainbow bobbles!

LS: Moms are busy; what shortcuts can you recommend to making delicious, beautiful cupcakes without spending the whole day baking and decorating them?
SL and KK: Try to keep a stash of baking staples - butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, all purpose flour, baking soda/powder, salt, and cocoa powder/chocolate on hand in your kitchen at all times and you can make almost any flavor! Our recipes are very simple - we don’t use cake flour or pastry flour - just all purpose - we find that works best. Also, we're big fans of chocolate ganache icing. It's so easy - just two ingredients - chocolate chips and heavy cream. You just melt them down (two cups of chips to one cup of cream), and dip your cupcakes in and you've got a super fast and unbelievably delicious frosting.

LS: Do you ever make "healthy" cupcakes for those who want to skip some of the sugar? If so, what goes into it?
SL and KK: We have a carrot cake cupcake, which has fresh carrots and fresh apples grated in it. We skip the walnuts, to save on calories, and it's a light and delicious cupcake!

The new season of DC Cupcakes begins on Feb. 25, but if you're looking to create their Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes for Valentine's Day,

A Reader Recipe: Homemade Spiced Almond Butter

Fit Community — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:21:17 PDT

Check out this recipe for homemade spiced almond butter from reader Sprint2theTable; she posted it in our Healthy Recipe community group.

See how to make this almond butter for yourself after the break.

Kate Spade Fall 2012

Chi Diem Chau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:16:45 PST

We've yet to visit the famous Cour d'Honneur at the Palais Royal, Deborah Lloyd's inspiration point for her Kate Spade collection, but we can almost feel the excitement translated into her vibrant array of floral dresses, colorblock skirts, electrifying trousers, and irresistible accessories. The designer added a boyish twist - influenced by Garance Doré Parisian chic style - to her signature polish, pairing slouchy sweaters with cheeky printed skirts and casual tees with girlie feathered skirts. The amount of prints could have been overwhelming, but stylist Brad Goreski managed to temper the bright patterns through structured pea coats and separates. Accessories, Kate Spade's bread and butter, did not disappoint; we were enamored with the polka-dot ankle boots, snakeskin envelope clutches, metallic gold loafers, and ladylike satchels. More details from the collection below.

Trends: Graphic colorblock, statement trousers, painterly florals, polka dots.
Colors: Mustard yellow, maraschino red, aqua, forest green, bright orange, red, black, white.
Key Piece: We loved the oversized sweater paired with the girlie full skirts.
Accessories: Oversized envelope clutches, fur satchels, leather gloves, polka-dot pumps and booties.
Who Would Wear It: Ladies who lunch and girls who crave a vibrant, polished touch.

Oyster Lovers: Make These!

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:45:11 PST

Although you can essentially enjoy the briny bivalve all year round, it's widely known that oysters are best eaten in months that have a letter "R." Oysters are delicious on the half shell, but my favorite way to prepare them is casino-style. Bacon and butter make everything taste better! The best thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared in advance. The herb butter will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, and the bacon can be crisped the night before you plan to serve the oysters. Bake them just before eating. Offer the oysters with sparkling wine and you've got the perfect appetizer. Here's the uncomplicated recipe.

A Basic Primer on Chocolate Types

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:15:19 PST

Although chocolate may seem like a basic ingredient, in reality, it's somewhat complex. From milk content to sweetness to cacao percentage, there's a lot that can vary.

The first thing to understand is the ratio of cacao to sugar. A chocolate that's 60 percent cacao contains 40 percent sugar. The more cacao a chocolate contains, the less sugar it has and the darker it is.

To get a breakdown of the different types of chocolate and how much sugar, cacao, and milk they have, keep reading.