I’m always interested to see what Jillian Michaels is up to, whether it’s Biggest Loser, her new show Losing It with Jillian Michaels, or a new workout video. One of her latest projects is the follow up cookbook and calorie counter paperback to last year’s Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!
Jillian Michaels The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook (available on her website for $26) builds on the three core principles of Master Your Metabolism:
- Minimize the foods that are bad for you hormonally
- Add the whole foods that will help you
- Take in a healthy balance of protein, fat, carbs and calories
Jillian’s diet philosophy is based on her own experience of adrenal burnout and hormone-induced issues like hypothyroidism, melasma (facial pigmentation caused by estrogen dominance), premature aging and slow metabolism. She reviews the basics from Master Your Metabolism, so it isn’t totally necessary to get her first book unless you want to cover the information in more details.
Balancing your hormones for weight loss
First, she goes into why and how you need to balance 12 key hormones: insulin, thyroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone, leptin and ghrelin. Then Jillian discusses power nutrients like legumes, garlic, berries, lean proteins, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, organic dairy, and whole grains. She’s a big believer in eating local and organic whenever possible.
Finally, Jillian reviews what she wants you to avoid: hydrogenated fats, refined grains, high-fructose corn syrups, artificial sweeteners, artificial colorings and preservatives, glutamates (MSG), nitrates and nitrites. While it’s no surprise that Jillian advises you to cut back on alcohol, I was surprised to she wants you to reduce your consumption processed soy products, which she feels messes with your thyroid. She also recommends cooking all your cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, etc.), cutting back on starchy vegetables, and reduce eating tropical, dried and canned fruit.
She has other “rules” like eat breakfast and don’t skip meals, eat every four hours, don’t eat after 9 pm, and eat 40 percent carbs/30 percent fat/30 percent protein – pretty much common sense. While her “food as medicine,” whole foods approach isn’t different from what others teach, Jillian has a way of explaining things in a direct, personal way that appeals to many people.
Jillian’s Boost Your Metabolism recipes
What I especially like about Jillian’s cookbook is that each recipe (over 125) lists its health benefits. For example, this muffin recipe is good for your heart, boosts immunity, boosts metabolism, and promotes strong bones and healthy skin. However, her cookbook doesn’t list complete nutritional information, just calories, fat, carbs, protein and sodium. It would have been nice to get additional information on fiber, minerals and vitamins.
I'll be featuring Jillian's Master Your Metabolism recipes throughout the week here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.
- Master Your Metabolism with Jillian Michaels’ Spicy Mahi-Mahi and Mango Tacos
- More from Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism Cookbook: Tomato, Avocado, and Cheddar Burrito
Blueberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Make up several batches and freeze what you don’t plan to eat right away. These are great for a before workout snack, breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients;
- Olive oil spray for the tin
- 3/4 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2)
- 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 21/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 generous cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
Directions:
- Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a 12- cup muffin tin with olive oil or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, place the bananas, yogurt, honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir together until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the fl our, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and the nuts, if using.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Place the tin in the oven and reduce the heat to 400°F. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
- For longer storage, let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutritional information
- Calories: 216.0 kcal
- Fat: 6.8 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.1 g
- Sodium: 234.5 mg
This Mama’s tips
- I’m surprised that Jillian recommended honey, when agave nectar has a lower glycemic index. You could also use stevia, but since it’s a powder, you may need to add additional yogurt to the batter to keep the muffins moist.
- Normally I would recommend substituting toasted pine nuts for the walnuts for those with nut allergies. However, Jillian is against pine nuts because, like soy, it has goitrogenic effects, meaning it swells the thyroid gland.
- Substitute no fat Greek yogurt for the plain yogurt for an extra protein boost. However, if the batter seems dry, add a little water to it.
- I like adding flaxseed to baked goods for the extra fiber and ALA Omega-3. Jillian believes you should consume flaxseed only in moderation.
___________
Disclosure: I received review copies of Jillian Michaels The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook and her calorie counter paperback. I purchased Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!
Recipes from the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook: banana pancakes
Two more recipes from the Fix-It and Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook
Healthy summer slow cooker recipes from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook
Healthy eating with the Mayo Clinic’s Morning Glory Muffins
{ 9 trackbacks }
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
You might want to do a little more reading on the subject of agave nectar. There’s a whole lot more to consider than glycemic index, and agave offers few, if any, of the many health benefits of raw honey. Here’s a start: http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-7/agave-nectar.php
I know this is an old post, but what is white whole wheat flour? Do you have any recipes that use whole-wheat flour or any tips of how to make desserts without using refined wheat?
M, what I’ve been doing is using half whole wheat and half white. I find that if you use 100% whole wheat, your muffins, cookies, etc. end up dry and hard. A cookbook you may be interested in is No Flour, No Sugar. You can see a sample recipe at http://www.thismamacooks.com/2007/02/no_flour_no_sug.html.
Hello, I actually tried this recipe today from my Jillian Cookbook. The results were less than glamorous. Not only was the batter very dry (attributed to my using only whole wheat flour) but the muffins were burnt within 15 minutes of being in the oven. I covered them with foil to try and save the few that weren’t scorched, but when I finally took them out around the 30 minute mark the bottoms, sides, and tops were pretty much black! Any suggestions? I followed the ingredients (aside from using solely whole wheat flour) , baking time and temps (425 then 400) to the T… Epic fail!!!
Lacy, whole wheat flour needs a lot more moisture than white flour, so you need to add more moisture (water, yogurt or banana) You also may want to check the temperature of your oven to make sure if it’s accurate (assuming the recipe is correct). If it’s fine, then lower the temperature to 350 or 375 and see what happens. I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you and hope these suggestions help.
I loved the blueberry/banana muffins so much that I decided to try them with other fruits…I made apple muffins by substituting the banana for sugar free, organic apple sauce and chopped organic apple instead of the blueberries. I also added about 1 tsp. of cinnamon. YUM!
Great ideas Kelly. Thanks for sharing!
I just purchased this book over the weekend and just finished one of those muffins. I was so impressed with the recipe I got online to let people know-and here I am. I too thought the overall mix before I baked was a bit on the thick side, but assumed it was from all of the fresh bulky ingredients (blueberries and bananas). The temp was right on and my dumpy small electric oven is not exactly know for its amazing convection properties….I also didn’t user that ripe of bananas- just you’re normal just beginning to brown ones, and I thought it still came out great!
In fact, to really drive it home, my fast food slugging boyfriend loved them too!
I am so happy I bought this book!!! To those who failed the first-try try again! The results are definitely worth it!
Jessica, thanks for your feedback on Jillian Michaels’ cookbook!
Awesome Recipe! I just baked the bluberry banana muffins with a few changes. I used grapeseed oil instead of olive oil, added 1/2 cup organic nutty granola, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp almond extract, substituted with agave nectar, 1/2 cup flour for almond meal and omitted the walnuts. I love baking and certainly appreciate eating good food, these muffins are really good and I feel better knowing that I can control the quantity and quality of ingredients. Thanks again for a healthy recipe.
Brandi, I LOVE your substitutions! Glad to see that Jillian’s recipe sparked such creativity.