I'm Calling Bullsh*t!

I've watched a thousand and one infomercials growing up. Our upstairs t.v. only got 13 channels, one of which was almost always broadcasting a pseudo - celebrity hawking something we didn't need. But that didn't stop me from trying to get my mom to order whatever item said celeb was selling.

She must have given in at some point because we ended up with some very intense Tony Little workout VHS tapes. If you don't know who Tony Little is, please look him up, you won't be disappointed. I don't know what kind of crazy he had pumping through his veins but I couldn't get enough of him.  If you don't know what a VHS is google it, kid.

Really?

Like any exercise program, you only saw results if you put in the work. Which let's be honest, a lot of us don't. If we did there would be a lot less infomercials.

Point being, we know when we are being sold a bill of goods

Instagram has its own version of infomercials in the form of bogus accounts promoting miracle weight loss, bigger booties and my most recent favorite, bigger boobs.

Yes, according to one account, there are specific foods that will grow your breasts.

I am not a medical professional but I know a thing or two about boobs and it is safe to say that there are no foods that will grow your breasts. Not like that above picture is promoting at least.

It's easy to get carried away and fall into the photographic glamour of some of the stuff we see on Instagram. I've bought excessively priced coconut butter from an account I followed because it looked so appealing. It was good, not $50 good and it was impossible to spread. 

I did purchase a necklace from another account I followed. It has a great message that means a lot to me and I wear it almost daily. So like anything, you get the good with the bad.  It's just important to be able to decipher the two. End rant. :)

Workout :: Side Step Up & Squat Combo

A favorite glute move for those troublesome saddlebags that plaque women everwhere! Start slow and on a steady surface. We're using a bench with a soft cushion which requires balance. Once you get the movement down, add weights for an extra burn!

Pesto with a Twist. A healthier twist

I'm half Italian, my paternal grandparents came here form Calabria. I've spent a better part of my life in my grandmother's kitchen, watching her make a horrible mess that I know I'll have to clean, as she makes the BEST Italian food I've ever had.  She makes everything from scratch, yet still really love McDonalds... I know, it's weird.  At two, my favorite food was cappuccino.  My mother was less than thrilled when she'd pick up her wired toddler at the end of a long work day. Sorry mom! 

I almost never go to Italian restaurants, because what's the point?  I use garlic and onions as a base for almost everything I eat and until recently, I only cooked with olive oil.  Like most Italian grandmothers (nonnas) mine has a surplus of basil on her patio. I've tried to grow basil, it was terrible. It needs plenty of sun and just the right amount of water. I failed miserably.

So, I make it a point to steal basil from my grandma's stash whenever I leave now.  She won't miss it, I swear.
 

Nonna watering her plants in her finest slippers

Last night I wanted to make pesto sauce. It's so easy it's stupid. Then I had an idea. Well more of an improvisation. I didn't have pine nuts so I opted to use sunflower seeds. I also didn't have parmesean (or pecorino) cheese. But I did have basil and garlic! I also had oil. Lots of oil. coconut, olive, extra olive, canola and MCT oil.

Since I was already subbing in sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast for the cheese, I decided to really get wild and use the MCT oil.

MCT oil, or Medium Chain Triglycerides, are fats predominantly found in coconut or palm oil.  MCT are rapidly digested and absorbed quicker in your liver.  This means your body can use the fat for energy much quicker than other fats as opposed to being stored for energy use later. Too much stored fat leads us into darker waters and leggings, if you get where I am going with this.

Ingredients for a healthy pesto!

Since MCT oil, the one I specifically used, has no taste I decided to try it in my sauce. I loved the end result. I got the same taste I grew up loving with a little less guilt. Win/win.


Pesto* with a healthier twist ::

• 2 cups packed fresh bail
• 2 gloves of garlic (I used one large glove) 
• 2/3 cups MCT oil
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used salted)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.

If your sunflower seeds are unsalted, you may want to add Himalayan or sea salt.  

I blended the sunflower seeds and yeast first, then added the basil, garlic and oil.
I tend to eyeball everything, taste, then add as needed.  Feel free to add more garlic, less garlic, yeast etc.

That's it!  Stupid easy, right? I think my grandma will be so proud. Mangia!

*Recipe derived from Ina Garten's Pesto recipe.