Boost Metabolism

Hot chile peppers may do more for you than add heat to your next meal. Studies show that capsaicin—a pungent compound in hot chiles—increases your calorie burn by boosting your metabolism. It may also stimulate brain chemicals that help us feel less hungry.

You can boost your calorie burn with simple steps.

So. You’re trying to lose weight... join the club. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just turn a knob and rev up your metabolism, your calorie burn, just like that? (Imagine me snapping my fingers here.) Well... we all hear about diet and exercise strategies that supposedly do just that. But do they work? Yes—and no.

You can boost your burn by... Spicing things up.

Studies suggest that capsaicin, an antioxidant in chile peppers (and also what makes them hot), increases the body’s metabolic rate—slightly.

Do I recommend it? Why not! While the metabolic boost you get by added chiles to your diet isn’t likely to melt away pounds, some research also suggests that capsaicin may stimulate brain chemicals in a way that helps you feel satisfied. And when you make your foods delicious with spices—instead of huge amounts of butter or cream—you save calories.

You can boost your burn by... Eating more often.

By having many mini meals instead of fewer, larger ones, you can shift your metabolism into a higher gear more often—and burn more calories. Our metabolisms rev up slightly each time we eat, as our bodies process what we’ve consumed. Also prevents overeating!

You can boost your burn by... Exercising.

As you age, muscle metabolism decreases—by 1 to 2 percent each decade after age 30. When you're young, muscle burns up to 10 times more calories per pound than fat. So even if you maintain the same level of exercise and calorie intake, you tend to accumulate fat. Regular exercise can help offset reduced muscle metabolism and help you stay lean. Muscle dictates metabolism!

Exercise not only boosts your resting metabolism so that you’re burning more calories when you’re at rest, heart-thumping activity blasts away calories while you’re doing it and makes you feel great. If you’re just getting started with an exercise program, check with your doctor first.

Here are a couple of great recipe's to rev up your metabolism. Also throwing in a nice little snack! :)

Paprika & Red Pepper Soup with Pistachio Puree



Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, stemmed, seeded and diced
1-2 fresh green Thai or serrano chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or basil

Preparation
1.Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers and chile to taste. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables release some of their juices and the onion is lightly brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with paprika, salt and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the spices are very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
2.Add pistachios and broth (or water). Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat; let cool 5 minutes.
3.Transfer the soup to a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the soup to the pan.
4.Whisk buttermilk and cream in a bowl; stir into the soup. Gently warm over low heat. Serve sprinkled with cilantro (or basil).

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute
Serve with quinoa or brown rice.

Ingredients
4 cups green beans, trimmed (about 12 ounces)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound; see Note), peeled and deveined
2 16-ounce cans large butter beans, or cannellini beans, rinsed
1/4 cup sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation
1.Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put green beans in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until just fragrant but not browned, about 20 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, about 2 minutes per side. Stir in beans, vinegar and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley.
3.Divide the green beans among 6 plates. Top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup parsley.

Tips & Notes
Note: Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized. In recipes calling for a specific count, order by the count (or number) per pound to be sure you're getting the size you want.
To peel shrimp, grasp the legs and hold onto the tail while you twist off the shell. Save the shells to make a tasty stock: Simmer, in enough water to cover, for 10 minutes, then strain. The “vein” running along a shrimp's back (technically the dorsal surface, opposite the legs) under a thin layer of flesh is really its digestive tract.
To devein shrimp, use a paring knife to make a slit along the length of the shrimp. Under running water, remove the tract with the knife tip.

Frozen Chocolate-Covered Bananas

4 large ripe bananas, peeled and cut into thirds crosswise
3/4 cup 70% dark chocolate, melted (see Tip)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Preparation
1.Peel 4 large ripe bananas, cut in thirds and insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each piece. Melt ¾ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips. Cover each piece of banana with melted chocolate and sprinkle with coconut. (Reheat chocolate, as needed, to keep it melted.) Place the bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours.

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Store airtight in the freezer for up to 1 week. | Equipment: 12 wooden popsicle sticks
Tip: To melt chocolate, microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted. Or place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.

Have a Healthy and Successul Metabolism Boosting Day!