Makes 15 Scones

• 3 Cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 Cup maple syrup
• 3 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp salt
• Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tsp lavender
• 1 Cup Soy or Almond Milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375°F Zest lemon, set aside. Reserve lemon flesh for juice.
2. Blend together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest and lavender. Cut in butter until the texture resembles a coarse meal. Squeeze lemon into the soymilk and add to the scone mixture. Pour in maple syrup and combine until dough just comes together. Gently fold in blueberries. Batter will be moist.
3. Spoon scone batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops lightly with some sugar, if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Only 167 calories and 5.5 grams of fat per scone!

Strategies to jump start stalled weight loss efforts

It happens to everyone - at some point along the weight loss journey the scale stops moving downward. It can be a time of great frustration and is often the point where people give up on themselves and return to poor eating habits. Understanding what can cause a plateau and learning strategies to move past it can allow everyone to survive what can be the toughest place to be when losing weight.
Plateaus can occur for a number of reason. Without going into much detail, here are some common causes:

The body is adjusting to a new weight and biological “reorganization” is causing a temporary lapse in progress.

You have been eating too little, and your metabolism has slowed, despite exercise.

First off, if it has only been a couple of weeks, PMS or bodily adaptation may be occurring. Take circumference measurements and if female, wait until your menstrual cycle has completed before coming to any conclusions.
If the scale still will not budge and you have not lost inches, try the following:

• Keep a food and exercise diary. Maybe there are things slipping in that are halting progress, or perhaps you are not working as hard with your activity routine.
• Shake things up a bit! Vary your fitness regime by adding a new activity or increasing the intensity of what you are currently doing.
• Vary your food intake by trying to change the ratio of carbs/fat/protein for a week or two. This can “shock” the system into action, but may not be the right choice for everyone. Attempt this only under supervision of a nutrition professional.
• Avoid extra salt and try increasing your water intake.
• Measure out your food to ensure you are guesstimating correctly.
• Eat every 2-3 hours to boost your metabolic rate and stabilize your blood sugar
• If you have been too restrictive, slowly begin to add calories to your diet to boost your metabolism. Believe it or not, eating more can sometimes cause you to lose weight!
• Get enough sleep! Sleep deprivation is a notorious saboteur.

Also, take a look at your expectations of yourself. Perhaps this time in your life is more stressful and less structured than last month. If this is the case, it may not be reasonable to expect yourself to continue to lose a pound or two a week. If this is the case, congratulate yourself on avoiding weight gain and just work to maintain your weight until life becomes a bit more manageable.
If you have tried these ideas and are still not seeing results, enlisting the help of a professional may be what you need. A nutrition consultant has a trained eye and can find saboteurs that may have gone unnoticed and a personal trainer may be able to up the ante and give you variation, stimulation, and tips to utilize your workout program to the fullest.

A Bill which threatens your ability to make informed decisions with your wallet

Despite significant public opposition, The House passed the National Food Uniformity Labeling Act which, if passed through the Senate, would eliminate over 200 state food labeling laws describing foods and beverages which are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. It will also overpower a state’s right to inform their citizens if a food or beverage contains genetically engineered ingredients such as Monsanto’s recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH).

The “National Uniformity for Food Act,” reduces the quality of our food safety by overturning state food safety laws that are not “identical” to federal law. Hundreds of state laws and regulations are at risk, including those governing the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish.
This bill is being pushed and supported by the big food and biotech industries. These industries have an understanding that an informed consumer, concerned about genetic engineering, irradiation and mercury poisoning will likely reject products and manufacturing practices that are in use if truthful labels are allowed to remain on products. If you are concerned about the quality and safety of our food supply, I urge you to learn more below and send a quick note to your Senator opposing this Act.