Fortunately, spring has definitely sprung in Northern California. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and the sun is extending its stay in the sky a little bit longer—this may not yet be true in your neck of the woods, but chances are you’re itching to get outside and come out of hibernation. Plus, with swimsuit season at our fingertips, it’s the perfect time to get off the couch and kick up your health routine on all ends.

So, in the spirit of spring, here are some of my tips to help you start fresh and feel your best:

• Take Your Workout Outdoors! Ahh…isn’t it nice to get a healthy dose of fresh air and change of scenery from those tired old gym walls? Well, ditch the treadmill and hit the road, Jack! My favorite outdoor exercises include surfing and hiking—what are yours?
• Snack on California Dried Plums (Prunes). The taste alone of this sweet little dried fruit is enough reason to snack on them, but as a source of potassium and many other nutrients, they are the whole package and contribute to a healthful diet. Snack on dried plums and apply generous amounts of sunscreen to your entire body, and you’ll thank me later.
• Make Spring Cleaning Your Motto. Sure, you can de-clutter and organize your home and workspace, but taking it one step further and applying this method to your personal life can give you the ultimate peace of mind. Reevaluate your schedule and make more time for #1: you.
• Create a Sensational Salad. Tis’ the season for salads, and there are plenty of ways to make them pretty and tasty! Spruce things up with colorful and delicious ingredients like carrots, dried plums and radishes for an extra boost of nutrition. Looking for recipes? Check out my cooking video for Citrus Bulgur Salad with California Dried Plums here.

All the best,

Natalie

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Of course, us ladies tend to lead a hectic lifestyle, and we can often be at the mercy of the moment. It’s best to always be prepared, and one of my favorite snacks to keep on hand, as you may know from my previous blogs, is California Dried Plums. Hear me out on this! I think some of us may associate dried plums, aka prunes, as grandma’s favorite dried fruit, but I promise they’re so much more than that…

Don’t freak out just yet–dried plums may reverse bone loss and preserve bone structure, reducing the risk of osteoporotic fractures! Plus, they promote heart health, immunity and healthy aging. To sweeten the deal, dried plums taste really good, promote satiety (aka curb appetite) and have only 100 calories per serving (4-5 dried plums). And let’s not forget, as a fruit dried plums are naturally low in fat and sodium and cholesterol-free. Say hello to your friend with nutritional benefits!

No matter how you put it, California Dried Plums are a great snack to help keep you on track. I always recommend them to my friends and coaches, and I hope you join me in spreading the word. Grandma was really onto something, let me tell ya.

Cheers!

Natalie

P.S. Check out my cooking videos here!

The post The Whole Package appeared first on HelloGiggles.

I may be a professional athlete, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a piece of cake and sweets every now and then! So, when I first learned that February was “Heart Health Month,” I knew I could rely on a certain secret weapon to give my heart the nutritious love it deserves, all while enjoying some of the best things life has to offer (cupcakes, brownies, cookies…right?). The secret? California Dried Plums. Yes, I really just said prunes, AND I’m not off my rocker! Let me break it down for you:

• A California Dried Plum Purée can be used as a healthy replacement for butter, margarine, oil or shortening in baking recipes or packaged mixes. The purée makes your favorite baked treats healthier by providing moisture while decreasing the amount of added sugar and fat usually needed in the recipe.
• California Dried Plums support bone health, digestive health and heart health. For starters, they naturally contain no cholesterol. Soluble fiber and other compounds found in dried plums have also been shown to decrease blood cholesterol levels.¹ In addition, other research suggests that consuming dried plums may help slow the development of atherosclerosis.²

Many of you know that I’ve had the opportunity to create amazing recipes as the spokesperson for the California Dried Plum Board, but there’s one in particular that I’m positive will make you a believer: Moist and Fudgy Brownies with California Dried Plums. These are the most delicious, indulgent brownies, and you’d never know that they are only 176 calories per serving–and good for your heart, too! Check out my full recipe and cooking video below.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Serves: 16

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking spray
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup California Dried Plum purée
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 325ºF. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving the paper overhanging on 2 sides; spray paper with cooking spray. In large heatproof bowl, melt chocolate with oil over simmering water. Whisk in sugar and dried plum purée until mixed; whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt just until blended; fold in walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake about 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Cool in pan at least 10 minutes; remove from pan and cut into 2-inch squares.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 brownie): 176 calories; 26 mg cholesterol; 10 g total fat; 3 g sat fat; 1 g mono fat; 4 g poly fat; 0 g trans fat; 27 mg sodium; 20 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 1 g fiber; 94 mg potassium

1. Tinker, L.F., Schneeman, B.O., Davis, P.A., Gallaher, D.G. and Waggoner, C.R. “Consumption of Prunes as a Source of Dietary Fiber in Men with Mild Hypercholesterolemia.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53 (1991): 1259–65.
2. Gallaher, C.M. and Gallaher, D.D. “Dried Plums (Prunes) Reduce Atherosclerosis Lesion Area in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice.” British Journal of Nutrition 2009; 101(2):233-239.

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

XOXO,

Natalie

P.S. Don’t miss a very exciting Valentine’s Day Twitter Party with @HelloGiggles and I (@NatalieCoughlin) on Thursday, February 14th at 10AM PST! I’ll be sharing healthy tips, recipes and more! Submit your questions now to @HelloGiggles. Make sure to use #heartdriedplums in your tweets!

The post Heart to Heart with Natalie Coughlin appeared first on HelloGiggles.

You want the skinny? As an athlete, it’s really important for me to set small, attainable goals that eventually become part of my everyday lifestyle—the key factor to my success has been consistency over the years. It’s really all of the little things that add up in the long run, for example, adding California Dried Plums to your diet. Sure, I work as a spokesperson for the commodity board representing California dried plum growers and packers, but I’ve been popping these babies in my mouth like candy since I was a little kid! What I love about dried plums is that they’re naturally the whole package when it comes to nutrition, because they support bone health, heart health, digestive health, immunity and healthy aging. They’re also extremely tasty, portable and available year-long, so I can always keep a pack of them in my purse, gym or travel bag. However, the best-kept secret that I’m revealing here, is that California Dried Plums are a fantastic culinary ingredient, and there are numerous ways to use them. A California Dried Plum purée is one way; this helps make your favorite baked treats healthier by adding moisture while decreasing the amount of sugar and fat—check out my awesome snack bar recipe and cooking video below!

Here are some other tips that have helped me eat right and kept me on track to earn my 12th medal this past summer at the 2012 Games:

1. Get plenty of quality sleep and stay hydrated
2. Eat mindfully. Take time to enjoy and savor your food.
3. Relax and leave time for fun with family and friends.
4. Eat simple, seasonal, nourishing foods, including an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
5. Include spices and seasonings to boost the flavor of foods instead of using unhealthy fats.
6. Keep a nutritious go-to snack with you at all times (à la my snack bar recipe below!)

Natalie’s California Dried Plum Snack Bars

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking spray
1/4 cup California Dried Plum purée
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 egg white
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 325ºF. Spray an 8-x-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving the paper overhanging on 2 sides. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dried plum purée, honey, orange juice, egg white and orange zest. In small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon and baking powder. Fold flour mixture, oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds into dried plum mixture.

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