Real food

Easy Nutty Energy Bites

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Hello Friends, Happy Monday! I wanted to share a really quick and easy recipe my family has been enjoying this summer. These tasty and easy nutty energy bites are a healthful sweet treat that I’m sure will be making their way into my kiddos lunch boxes as they head back to school this week.

You know I love my chocolate and sweet treats, but I want to make them in the most healthful way possible–with wholesome ingredients that won’t sap my energy or derail my health and with sweetness that is balanced by protein and fiber to avoid a blood sugar spike or crash.

Easy Nutty Energy Bites

I love this recipe because its so flexible. This is one of my favorite combinations, but you can use any combo of nuts, seeds, oats, unsweetened coconut flakes, chocolate chips, raisins or other dried fruit for endless variations to suit everyone in the family.

And if you’re short on time or don’t feel like rolling out all of the bites, just grab a spoon and eat it right out of the bowl like you would cookie dough, its that good!

XO,  Kristi

PS – Speaking of school, its that time again! Make sure to check out my blog post Real Food School Lunches in Under Ten Minutes a Day for my favorite healthy lunchbox options and tips for making packing healthy lunches a breeze. Well as much of a breeze as packing lunches every day can be!

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Easy Nutty Energy Bites

These make a perfect, healthful treat to satisfy your sweet cravings without the blood sugar crash and without derailing your health.
Calories: 3046kcal

Ingredients

Stir together:

Add in:

  • 1/3 c chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 c raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 c mini chocolate chips we use Enjoy Life brand allergen free chocolate
  • OR 1 cup total of any combination of nuts seeds, oatmeal, unsweetened coconut flakes or dried fruit you prefer

Instructions

  • Roll the "dough" into small bite sized balls. You may need to adjust the amount of almond butter, honey and protein powder slightly as there is a lot of variation in the thickness of different brands of almond butter and raw honey. If your dough is too sticky to roll out, add a bit more Complete or just put it in the fridge for an hour or so. If its too dry, add a bit more honey or a bit of nut, coconut or olive
  • oil. Adjust as needed, you can't mess these up!
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy! These freeze well if you want to save them longer.

Notes

A quick note about protein powders. I used to be a firm believer that protein powders aren't real food. Most aren't. I avoid anything with whey (a highly inflammatory and unhealthful byproduct of the dairy industry), processed or artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives or additives. Juice Plus Complete is the only protein powder I've found that meets my definition of real food--minimally processed, nutrient dense, whole food, plant based protein from chemical-free, non-GMO legumes. grains, seeds and even mushrooms, one of the only food sources of Vitamin D--and its low glycemic and actually tastes really good! If you're interested in purchasing Complete I'd love to help! Just follow my link or shoot me a message.

5 Tips for Enjoying a Healthy Summer Vacation

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Hello Friends!

The summer travel season is here and you may be tempted to throw your healthy habits out the window while traveling. But please don’t! It’s absolutely possible to enjoy every minute of your vacation without sacrificing your health.

We’re headed to Lake Michigan for a couple of weeks and I definitely believe in enjoying myself on vacation. That usually includes a few treats and less healthy food options. But I don’t believe in going totally off the rails because I know my I won’t feel my best or enjoy my vacation as much if I do. And there will be longer term consequences for my health.

With a little planning, you can have a healthy, healing vacation and enjoy every minute of it!

1. If possible, rent a condo or house with a kitchen.

With kids, this is a must and for anyone health conscious it is a huge help! It will save you time and money and make for a less stressful & more relaxing vacation.

2. Plan healthy meals & pack a cooler & groceries.

We typically eat breakfast and lunch at our rental, and then plan a few easy dinners that we can prep ahead of time and pull together easily. For breakfast I pack plenty of fruit (although we’ll be hitting the farm stands and farmers markets too!), oatmeal, eggs, pre-made pancakes or waffles (this time I’m taking a big batch of my Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles), and my favorite plant-based protein shake mix.

For lunches, I pack foods we can enjoy at the house or pack in a cooler bag for a full day at the beach or hiking. Sprouted wheat and gluten free bread, almond butter and organic cheese for sandwiches. Hard boiled eggs. Fruit. Veggies and hummus. And plenty of salad fixings. I love my Sistema salad containers and pack myself a big green salad almost every day.

For dinner we plan easy meals I can have mostly prepped and pull together quickly, like Salmon with Roasted Veggies and Rice, Hamburgers and Oven Fries, Gluten Free Spaghetti with Cousin Claudio’s Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce (I doubled the recipe last time I made it and froze half to take with us), Tacos or Taco Salad, and Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (dressing made ahead and packed in the cooler). I take all of the meat we need for our stay in a big cooler because clean, sustainably raised meat may be hard to find or cost double what I’m used to paying.

Make sure to pack plenty of healthy snack options too: fruit, veggies and hummus, nuts, seeds, olives and popcorn. Almond milk and frozen fruit for smoothies. (I never travel without my Vitamix blender, either!) I also make and take my favorite energy bites and a few healthy treats like my Buckwheat Brownies and Salted Caramel Nut Clusters, so I’ll never feel deprived!

If packing groceries isn’t an option, order groceries through InstaCart to be delivered to your vacation house or hotel. And make sure to visit the local farmer’s markets!

3. Choose wisely when dining out. 

Even when eating out, its possible to choose mostly healthy options.​ Look up restaurants online in advance and check out the menu. If all else fails, you can find a good salad almost anywhere.

If and when you do choose to throw out all of your usual healthy eating rules, that’s ok! Just make a conscious decision in advance, knowing this is a one time special occasion, not the first step to eating anything and everything the entire time you are away. Make sure whatever you’re splurging on is completely 100% worth it. And then breathe deeply and enjoy every minute of it!

4. Get outside and stay active.

Summer is a great time to get outside and stay active–swimming, hiking, walking, jogging, golfing or actually going to the gym. If you’re headed to the beach, google “yoga on the beach” and the town you are staying in and visit a class. Try out a new & fun activity like paddle boarding or kayaking.

You may have experienced or heard friends laugh about eating in excess while traveling and still losing weight. Amazing, right? But the reason for this fairly common occurrence is two-fold. First we tend to be more active on vacation, with a lot more walking and movement. But even more importantly, our stress hormones are lower because its one of the rare times we actually relax, take time to breathe deeply, and mindfully enjoy our meals. Being in a “rest and digest” state rather than our typical “fight or flight” state dramatically improves both our digestion and our bodies’ ability to burn rather than store fat.

Which leads me to my last tip . . .

5. Make time for sleep, relaxation, mindfulness, prayer, meditation & gratitude. 

I’m the vacation planner in my family and I have definitely been guilty of putting my husband and kids on a death march to see and do and experience everything on my list. If this is you as well, I hope you’ll take a bit of advice from a recovering type-A planner. Having a general plan from which to deviate is great. But make sure you also allow for down time & flexibility in your schedule. Plan for plenty of quality sleep (oh so important for our health!) and relaxation. In our hectic, schedule-driven lives we SO need time to rest, relax and just go with the flow. I’m learning to let go of my plans and schedule and ideas of the “perfect” vacation and just enjoy whatever each moment brings. And it turns out the best memories are made in the spontaneous, unplanned moments of life!

Make time to enjoy slow, mindful meals where you can savor every bite and enjoy the company of those around you. Slowing down and eating mindfully has a host of health benefits, even when you aren’t making the best food choices.

If you don’t already have a regular prayer, meditation and/or gratitude practice-summer vacation is the perfect time to start one. Take a few minutes when you wake each morning and before you drift off to sleep at night to close your eyes, breathe deeply and list the things you are thankful for. You might be amazed what this one small habit does for your emotional and mental health and your enjoyment of life!

May your summer travels all be healthy & happy! 

Kristi

Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles

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You all know I love my chocolate, and I also love buckwheat. And these Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles, well, they’re pretty magical!

So when my son and I went on a date to a local coffee shop where they sell the most amazing gluten free, chocolate waffles (warm chocolate-y goodness that reminded me of my Buckwheat Brownies) we had to come home and try to recreate them.

After trying out the few recipes I found on Pinterest, none of them were really what we were looking for. So we started experimenting. At least a dozen batches later, my tasters finally said this one was the winner. It’s not quite Honey + Moon’s chocolate bubble waffles (which I highly recommend trying if you’re local), but they’re just as delicious! We don’t have a bubble waffle iron, but if you do please try these out in it and let me know what you think.

Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles

If you’re interested in some of the healthful properties of buckwheat, you can read more about that (and get the recipe for Matteo’s Buckwheat Pancakes) here.

Or just dive right in to making these! They’re part healthy breakfast, part dessert, and 100% delicious. They will make the perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast for all of your loves!

XO,

Kristi

Print Recipe

Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles (gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free)

Delicious, healthful, chocolatey goodness in these gluten, dairy and refined sugar free waffles. Egg free/vegan option.
Calories: 2093kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Buckwheat flour
  • 3/4 c. raw cacao (I like Navitas Organics Raw Cacao)
  • 1 tsp. unrefined sea salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp organic cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 1/2 c. vegan "buttermilk" (1 T apple cider vinegar or lemon juice + unsweetened, unflavored almond milk, or your favorite plant based milk, to fill a 1-1/2 cup liquid measure; let sit for a few minutes to sour)
  • 2 farm fresh or organic eggs
  • 1/2 c. pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 c. melted coconut oil
  • 1 c. Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels

Instructions

  • Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
    In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup & vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the coconut oil. (This prevents the coconut oil from solidifying if your milk and eggs aren't at room temperature.) Stir until well combined.
    Stir in the chocolate chips. Let the batter sit for a few minutes for the buckwheat to absorb the wet ingredients and the batter to thicken up a bit, If your batter is too thick, add a tiny bit more almond milk. Meanwhile, heat your waffle iron.
    When waffle iron is hot, scoop about 1 cup of batter onto your waffle iron and cook according to your waffle maker's directions. With my waffle iron, the indicator light comes on well before the waffles are actually done. I found setting a timer for 4-5 minutes worked perfectly. If your waffles don't come cleanly & easily out of the waffle maker, you probably need to cook them longer.
    Carefully remove waffles from waffle maker, place on a plate, and keep warm in a 200 degree preheated oven, if desired, while you make the rest of the waffles.
    We enjoy these waffles plain or with berries or banana slices. Feel free to serve with pure maple syrup if you wish! These will keep well in a zip lock baggie for 2-3 days (although I can't say any of ours have lasted that long!) or they freeze well. To reheat, place on a sheet pan and warm in the oven or pop in the toaster.
    Enjoy!!    

Notes

MAKES APPROX. 6 FULL SIZE WAFFLES (24 QUARTERS) OR 9-12 SERVINGS
You can substitute an equal amount of coconut palm sugar in place of the maple syrup if you prefer. I've tried both and it works great.
I haven't tried this recipe with flax eggs, but I think it would work fine for a vegan/ egg free version. If you try it, please let me know!
I'm a dark chocolate girl, so I love the dark chocolate morsels, but we also tried this recipe with Enjoy Life milk chocolate mini chips and they work just fine too.

Chocolate Crisp Rice Protein Treats

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Hello Friends! I promised you I would post this Chocolate Crisp Rice Protein Treats recipe this week, so here it is!

Chocolate Crisp Rice Protein Treats

I can’t really take the credit for this one. I originally got this recipe from my friend and mentor Bonnie Schnautz, ND of BRenewed Wellness Center. But it is so deliciously addictive and is a regular at our house so I have to pass it on to all of you!

I make these with Juice Plus Complete, my favorite whole food, plant-based protein powder. When it comes to protein powders, I’m extremely picky. Plant-based is a must. I avoid anything with whey (a highly processed by-product of the commercial dairy industry loaded with hormones and antibiotics) or any artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or other questionable additives. Complete contains 15 different plants including nutrient dense legumes, ancient grains, broccoli sprouts, pomegranate, spirulina and even mushrooms. It is also high fiber, low glycemic, non-GMO and is NSF certified to be free of chemicals, heavy metals and any other contaminants or fillers.

Chocolate Crisp Rice Protein Treats

Try these for a delicious treat or (don’t tell my kids) they could even be a high protein, nutrient dense breakfast bar. Just don’t eat the whole pan at once!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Crisp Rice Protein Treats

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. all natural organic peanut butter (make sure to buy a brand with no sugar added. We use Aldi's Simply Nature brand)
  • 1/2 c. raw honey
  • 1 scoop 1/3 c
  • Chocolate Complete
  • or your favorite whole food plant-based protein powder
  • 1-1/2 to 2 c. gluten free crisp rice cereal (I use
  • Barbara's Organic Brown Rice Crisps
  • )

Instructions

  • Stir together the peanut butter, raw honey and Chocolate complete. Mix in the crisp rice cereal. I start with 1-1/2 cups and then add more as needed. It really varies depending on your brand of peanut butter and how runny or thick your honey is.
  • Press into an 8x8 pan and cover tightly. I keep ours in the refrigerator. If you like them softer, room temperature is fine too. Enjoy!

Making Whole Food a Priority, Part 2

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Hello friends! Last week, I gave you three of my favorite tips to help you in your efforts to eat a real, whole foods. After you have made the commitment, stocked your pantry and freezer, and made a list of a few quick and easy meals you can be prepared to pull together anytime the need arises, what next?

Tip #4 is to plan ahead! Planning your meals and snacks for the week is key to your success.

You might be ready to tune out here, because there are dozens, if not hundreds, of articles and services to help you become a better meal planner. I get it. They all sound amazing and if you use one of these plans or services your grocery budget, sanity, and health will all thank you. But I don’t use any of them either. I’m honestly not the best meal planner out there.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t plan. Planning ahead and being prepared for different contingencies is actually vital to your whole food nutrition efforts. My plan is typically just a rough list of options of the meals and dishes I want to make that week. My list is often only in my head or scribbled on a pad of paper I may or may no be able to find when I next need it. When I’m really on the ball I make the list in Notes on my iPhone so I can look at it for a reminder at the grocery store, in the pick-up line at school or when I’m getting organized for my day.

Sometime before my weekly grocery shopping trip I think about our schedule for the week. Which evenings will we all be home to eat dinner together? What evenings will I need something really easy so the kids can eat an early dinner before they head off to sports and activities? What days will I have time to cook and what days do I need to rely on leftovers or something I can pull together really quickly?

Then I make a list of the things I want to make for the week (again often just in my head). My list is usually only 2-3 meals or dishes but they are almost always something that will provides leftovers for a second meal or that I can easily morph into a second (or third) meal for the remaining days of the week. On the days when I have time, I love to cook. But its also a really nice treat to have leftovers and know I don’t have to cook three meals a day. Every. Single. Day.

My shopping list is always in the Notes on my phone. It remains pretty constant–all of the fresh produce and staples we use every week for breakfasts, lunches, my quick and easy dinners and snacks–with just a few additions depending on the other specific dishes I choose to make for the week.

Tip #5 goes right along with planning ahead. When you cook, always. always, always make enough for multiple meals.

I almost always double or triple the recipe for anything I cook. Sometimes I can get an entire second dinner out of one meal. Other times the leftovers might be lunch for me and our 2 yr old all week. Or it might be a quick and easy thing to re-heat on nights with evening activities. Or I might just double or triple the most time intensive part of the meal (like slow cooker beans for taco night or our favorite homemade pasta sauce) and then freeze what’s left or re-purpose is for another meal.

A few years ago I read a book called An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace. Its a series of essays, part cookbook and part mediation on cooking and eating. I honestly am not even sure I finished the book, I think I got distracted and never got back to it. But I appreciated the author’s philosophy. For her cooking is more of an intuitive flowing art form than any specific dish or recipe. Her essays focus on feeding the people around her without any waste … “summoning meals from the humblest ingredients”, using every bit of an animal, fruit or vegetable and especially the belief that “the best meals rely on the ends of the meals that came before them.”

A couple of examples of how I might do this on a given week:

This week I’m planning to make tacos and I always make a huge batch of black beans in the slow cooker. I usually have enough leftovers to put tacos or taco salad in school lunches the next day and for one other quick dinner on a night the kids have to eat early and get to soccer and ballet. Even after two dinners and lunches, I’ll still have plenty of beans left for another meal or two. If I don’t have time to use them, I’ll put them in the freezer to use another week. But most likely, another day this week I’ll make our version of Chipotle style burrito bowls, black bean wraps, or Mexican pizzas on sprouted wheat or brown rice tortillas toasted in the oven. With the beans made, all 3 of these meals are pretty quick and easy options that I can pull together without too much advance prep or time in the kitchen.

I also love to roast whole chickens. I always roast 2 at a time and we usually get 2 complete meals out of the chickens, often with some left for lunches. Then I make stock with the bones and I’ll keep the stock and remaining scraps of meat in the refrigerator to make another meal (usually soup or risotto) or freeze them to use later.

The more you cook, the more food you will have to work with and the more flexibility you will have in planning for the rest of the week. I know, I’m a genius, huh? But it’s so true!! I love having a start to a new meal (or two) already made and in the refrigerator. It makes the rest of the week so much smoother and I don’t have to start fresh every single day thinking, “Oh man, what am I going to make for dinner tonight?”

Once you get in the habit of cooking this way, it becomes so much easier and, over time, it just becomes a way of life.

Tip #6 — Make fruits and vegetables the center of every snack and meal.

Fruits and veggies are the best, most nutrient dense thing you can possibly eat. Low in calories and high in health promoting micronutrients–vitamins, antioxidants, live digestive enzymes and phytonutrients!

Did you know one apple contains approximately 10,000 different phytonutrients? And these are just the ones scientist have identified! All of these phytonutrients work together synergistically in ways we don’t even fully understand, to keep our bodies strong and healthy. And every fruit and vegetable has a similarly long list of different but equally important phytonutrients.

Most fruits and vegetables actually retain more health benefits when you eat them raw. What could be quicker or easier than that? No cooking required!

Every week I buy a mountain of fresh produce: lettuce and other greens, 4 bags of organic apples, 4 bunches of bananas, berries, a bag of clementines & lemons, carrots, grape tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and usually a few other things.

I make a giant green smoothie for breakfast almost every morning. This kids have a serving of fruit with breakfast every day. They usually take a piece of fruit to school for their morning snack. They have at least one fruit and one vegetable in their lunch boxes. They each eat an apple every single day after school. We have a green salad every night with dinner and usually one other vegetable as well. I often have a big green salad for my lunch and again for dinner. I always have hummus and guacamole in my refrigerator for snacking on with raw veggies and for an easy on the go snack.

Try to meet the recommended 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies every day!

#7 Invest in a second refrigerator and/or a deep freeze.

One of my good friends who is eats very healthfully and is raising a real food family recently sent me a picture of her nearly empty cupboard that used to be filled with packaged foods. Now, she said, it’s her fridge that is ooverflowing with fresh produce instead.

When you change your way of cooking and eating and begin eating a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables, you may need a bbigger refrigerator. Especially if you’re feeding a family. If that isn’t an option for you (it isn’t for us) consider investing in a second refrigerator for the basement or garage to serve as overflow for your freezer and to store all of that beautiful, amazing, health promoting produce you’re going to be eating. I’m not sure how we survived without ours!

Whether you are an expert meal planner with a complete weekly or monthly calendar of every meal and snack laid out in advance or more like me … making a rough weekly plan in your head, knowing you will almost certainly deviate from it … just make sure you have a plan! Focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. Figure out what works for your schedule and household and over time, with a little effort, a real whole food diet will become a natural, normal part of life.

Join me in making whole food a priority in your life! Your health will thank you!

XOXO,

Kristi

PS. If you missed Making Whole Food Nutrition a Priority, Part 1, click here to read it now! And make sure to follow Nourished for Life on Facebook for all of the latest news and more healthy living information.

Making Whole Food Nutrition a Priority, Part 1

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Last week I made beef stock. Yep, I was pretty excited and proud of myself. I make chicken stock fairly often…every time I roast whole chickens in fact. But I had a chance to get some stock bones from local grass fed cows and decided to make some beef bone broth. It was amazingly rich and delicious, full of gut healing nutrients and collagen. I ended up with six quarts of beautiful stock and I froze most of it in glass jars to use this fall.

Whole Food Nutrition

At least half of you are probably thinking right now that I clearly have WAY too much time on my hands. But I assure you that is not the case! I’m a very busy, work-from-home mom with 4 kids to keep up with, including a 2-1/2 year old whose constant and ever changing demands keep me running from morning till bedtime.

But this post is not actually about making bone broth, although I highly recommend it! (You can read about some of the benefits and check out the recipe I used here.)

This post is actually about making real food a priority. None of us, including me, have time to spend all day in the kitchen, which is why in my next couple of posts I’m going to share some of my favorite tips for eating real, whole foods in the very limited time we have.

Tip #1 is simply to choose to make whole food nutrition a priority. 

We all lead such busy, hectic lives and it’s easy to use time as an excuse for not cooking or not eating as healthfully as we know we should. But honestly, what is more important than your health, or the health of your family? If there is one thing we should make a priority, isn’t it our health?

We all order our time and lives around the things that are our highest priorities. So why not make the decision, right here and now, to make your own and your family’s health a priority and invest your time in eating real, whole foods?

Once you make the decision to skip the drive thru, take out and processed, packaged foods at the grocery store and eat only real, whole foods, there may be a transition time when it seems overwhelming and really hard. But stick with it a few weeks and I promise you’ll soon get into a new groove where planning for healthy meals and snacks will just be a normal part of our life. You might even find you love it! And feeling great, having more energy and better health–both now and in the future–will be an amazing reward and the best gift you could give to your family.

So once you’ve made the decision, what next? How do you get started or improve on your commitment to eating real food?

Tip #2 — Set yourself up for success with a well stocked pantry and freezer.

The most important things you can do to set yourself up for success are planning and preparation. I’m going to devote part 2 of this series to how I go about planning our weekly meals, grocery shopping & meal prep. So stay tuned for that. But even more important than a weekly plan is your overall preparation with a well-stocked pantry and freezer. This makes last minute meals and snacks when you haven’t had time to plan much easier and makes it less likely you will resort to the drive thru or carry out or processed foods.

The things I buy in bulk and always have in my pantry include:

We buy meat from hormone and antibiotic free, pastured or grass fed animals in bulk from a local farm (Fischer Farms in Jasper, Indiana) so our freezer is always stocked. In my freezer you will also always find wild caught Alaskan Salmon, plenty of frozen fruit for smoothies (my daughters also like frozen fruit straight out of the freezer as a snack), extra loaves of sprouted wheat and gluten free bread and homemade stock for soup or other dishes.

This means even if I don’t have time to go to the grocery store all week, I can always pull together a healthy snack or meal in relatively short order.

Please don’t think real food has to be time consuming to prepare or fancy! No guilt here … there are plenty of times I don’t have time to cook a fancy meal. My go to quick-and-easy (but still real food) meals when I have had zero time to plan or prep a meal are:

  • Leftovers!! This is one huge advantage of cooking regularly.
  • Our favorite Buckwheat Pancakes
  • Eggs–scrambled, fried, hard boiled (if I have some already made) or if I have just a bit more time an omelette or frittata
  • Gluten free pasta with jarred pasta sauce or a quick pan sauce
  • Oatmeal
  • A nut butter sandwich on sprouted wheat or gluten free bead
  • A big lettuce salad with canned tuna, chickpeas, leftover chicken, avocado, nuts or berries. (You can find two of my favorite green salads here and here)
  • Depending on what I have on hand, we usually have fruit and/or veggies with hummus and/or a big leafy green salad on the side.
  • In a pinch I’m perfectly satisfied with a Complete plant-based protein shake. It’s satisfying and healthy and I feel a million times better than if I had gone through the drive thru.

We also have an aeroponic growing system called a Tower Garden which means I always have fresh lettuce, herbs and other greens growing right in my kitchen that I can grab for a quick salad or to go in a smoothie or protein shake. I absolutely love our Tower Garden and highly recommend it for any real food home.

#3 — Break your prep and cooking into smaller jobs and squeeze them in whenever and however fits your schedule. 

This is where I come back to the beef stock. It may seem like a big, overwhelming, time consuming project but it really couldn’t be easier when you break it up and fit it into your existing schedule. I kept the bones in my freezer til I had a few extra minutes one evening after dinner. Threw them in a stock pot with water and some aromatics and let it simmer over night. Five minutes and done. In the morning, I didn’t have time to deal with it so I stuck the whole stock pot in the refrigerator. 1 minute or less. One afternoon when I had a few minutes I strained the broth, put it in jars and put the jars in the freezer. 10 minutes max. It took a little planning but almost no actual time.

Another example of this is my favorite quinoa salad that I like to make for a dinner side dish or have on hand for a quick lunch or dinner. It feels like a lot of work by the time I cook the quinoa, make the dressing (an amazing tomato vinaigrette) and chop all of the vegetables. But it’s a lot more manageable if I break it up into smaller jobs. I make the dressing one day when I have time and put it in the fridge. When I’m cooking rice for dinner, I put on another pot and cook the quinoa at the same time. It goes in the fridge too until I have time to actually make the salad. And then it doesn’t take much time to chop the veggies and put it all together and I have a yummy and nourishing side dish or meal for whenever I need it.

These are just examples. Think about the real food dishes or meals your family likes, and figure out ways to break up your prep and cooking time to fit it into the nooks and crannies of your schedule.

Make the commitment. It may take some time and effort to make the transition and figure out how to make a real food eating plan work for you. But once you do, it really won’t take much more time, only a bit more planning! And it will be so worth it for your short and long term health!

XOXO,

PS —  For more tips and tricks, read Making Whole Food Nutrition a Priority, Part 2! And follow me on Facebook for more healthy living information and inspiration!

Paleo Carrot Cupcakes

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Happy Easter, friends!

I absolutely love spring. It has been beautiful here the past few days and getting outside for soccer games and walks around the neighborhood is so good for my soul! Easter is also one of my favorite holidays, maybe because its spring and also, I think, because the focus is on faith and enjoying time together rather than all of the other trappings that makes some other holidays so hectic and stressful.

Today I have a new recipe for you that is perfect for your Easter celebration this weekend and a book recommendation.

Paleo Carrot Cupcakes

Paleo Carrot Cupcakes

When our daughter turned one, I wanted to make carrot cake cupcakes for her birthday. Of course they had to be gluten and dairy free, but I also wanted them to be free of refined sugar and oils and as healthful as I could make them. I looked at dozens of recipes and none were quite what I wanted. So I used all of my healthy baking tricks and created these. They were a big hit with the whole family. So much so that I made them again for my husband’s birthday a month later and for Juliette’s 2nd birthday as well.

These cupcakes are so healthful, high protein and nutrient dense they could easily be breakfast muffins. Without the icing, they are completely free of any refined sugar. For moist, delicious and nutritious muffins, add in the walnuts and golden raisins and skip the icing. Shhh …. don’t tell my family they’re really super healthy muffins, they think they’re getting cupcakes.

Since I was making these for birthday “cupcakes” and now an Easter treat, I did add icing with powdered sugar to make them a bit more fun and festive, but that is completely optional.

The maple icing is my dairy-free version of a buttercream icing and its delicious with these cupcakes. I love to top them with carrot & walnuts too, but that isn’t necessarily my kiddos favorite. So eat them plain, iced, or with whatever toppers you and yours will enjoy!

Paleo Carrot Cupcakes

Might I suggest, if you are looking for a delicious, fun and healthful treat for your Easter brunch these might be the perfect thing. They will be making an appearance at our house next weekend!

If you’re looking for other Easter treats, you might also consider my Buckwheat Brownies (gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar and oil free) or these amazing little Salted Caramel Almond Clusters.

Lessons from The Blue Zones

The past few weeks I’ve been reading a book called The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner. Buettner and a team of researchers have spent years finding and researching places around the world with extraordinarily high concentrations of centenarians. They have found five such “Blue Zones” and Buettner tells stories of the centenarians he has met in each of the Blue Zones and outlines the diet and lifestyle factors which appear to contribute to the health and longevity of people of these regions. It’s a fascinating read for anyone interested in healthy living. The amazing thing is not just the longevity of the people of these regions, but their health as they age. He tells stories of 80 or 90 year olds he mistakes for 60. And they continue to be very active, walking every day, working in their farms, vineyards and gardens, caring for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, spending time with friends and family and contributing their communities well into their 80s, 90s and 100s.

Here are some of the common factors which appear to increase both the life span and more importantly, the health span of people in these regions:

  1. Move more — Stay active! Intentional exercise is wonderful, but just adding more movement to your every day life appears to make a big difference. Walk more. Park at the back of the parking lot and walk further to the store or office. If you work at a desk all day, get up and walk around the office for five minutes every hour. Climb stairs. Ride a bike. Garden. Play a recreational sport. Stretch while you’re watching tv in the evenings. Do yoga. Do isometrics while you’re standing in line at the grocery store. Chase your kids or grand kids around. The healthiest people don’t sit still and continue to stay active as they age.
  2. Eat less — Okinawans say “hara hachi bu“ before every meal–a Confucian-inspired adage that is a reminder to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. We tend to eat until we’re full. Okinawans eat until they are no longer hungry. This is a significant difference. As one researcher notes, “We gain weight insidiously, not stuffing ourselves, but eating a little bit too much each day–mindlessly.” (Buettner at 271) As a result of this attitude, people in each of the Blue Zones tend to consume fewer calories every day. Reducing calorie intake has been shown in many studies to prolong life, and an expanding waistline correlates with an increase in almost every western disease including heart disease and diabetes.
  3. Eat a whole food, plant based diet — In addition to eating fewer calories, people in the Blue Zones also eat nutritionally dense, real unprocessed foods, rather than the calorie-dense and nutritionally deficient foods commonly found in the western world. Each of these cultures also eat a very limited amount of meat. Strict Seventh Day Adventists of Loma Linda, California (the only American Blue Zone) are vegetarians. The other Blue Zones traditionally only had access to meat on rare occasions and reserved it for Sundays or holidays. Traditional Sardinians, Nicoyans and Okinawans eat what they produce in their gardens, supplemented by duram wheat (Sardinians), sweet potato (Okinawans) or maize (Nicoyans). “[S]cientists analyzed six different studies of thousands of vegetarians and found that those that restrict meat are associated with living longer.” (Buettner at 275-76) Beans, whole grains, garden vegetables, fruit and nuts are the basis of all of these longevity diets. If/when you do eat meat, make sure it is from grass-fed or pastured, hormone and antibiotic free animals. When it comes to animal products, spend your grocery dollars on quality, rather than quantity.
  4. Have a purpose — Okinawans call it ikigai and the Nicoyans of Costa Rica call it plan de vida. Both phrases translate essentially as “why I wake up in the morning”. An 11 year study of people ages 65-92 found that individuals who had a strong sense of purpose, a goal in life, both lived longer and were sharper and higher functioning than those who did not. This may be as simple as caring for grand children or a hobby you enjoy. Volunteerism–helping others–is also important to feelings of fulfillment and healthful aging. Exercising your brain by learning a new language or doing things that are novel and complex has also been shown to decrease memory loss and may decrease risk of Alzheimer’s. (Buettner at 281)
  5. Relieve stress — Its so important to our health to find time and ways to slow down, relieve stress and increase our serenity and people in the Blue Zones all seem to do this well. Sardinians pour into the streets every day at 5 pm to socialize with their friends and neighbors. Nicoyans take a break every afternoon to rest and socialize. Traditional Okinawans each have a group of life-long friends called a “moai” that they visit with every evening before dinner. For Adventists, Saturday Sabbath is an entire day when they stop their work, homework, sports and weekly activities. They spend the day focused on God, family and spending time in nature (which often includes a hike). All of this results in a greater sense of well-being and lower stress. (Buettner at 284) Chronically elevated stress hormones causes chronic inflammation, which accelerates aging and increases our risk of all of the so-called “age-related” diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even cancer.
  6. Belong to a faith community — Centenaries in the Blue Zones are all people of faith. Studies have shown that attending religious services make a difference in how long a person lives. One study found those who attended religious services at least once a month reduced their risk of death by about a third, an impact about as great as that of moderate physical exercise. Faith in God and a higher purpose lowers stress levels and promotes peace. “It appears that people who pay attention to their spiritual side have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, stress and suicide and their immune system seems to work better.” (Buettner at 288)
  7. Make Family a Priority — Centenarians in the Blue Zones “tended to marry, have children, and build their lives around that core. Their lives were imbued with familial duty, ritual, and a certain emphasis on togetherness.” (Buettner at 290-91) “By the time centenarians become centenarians, their lifelong devotion produced returns: Their children reciprocate their love and care. Their children check up on their parents, and in four of the five Blue Zones, the younger generation welcomes the older generation into their homes. Studies have found that elders who live with their children are less susceptible to disease, eat healthier diets, have lower levels of stress, and have a much lower incidence of serious accidents.” (Buettner at 291) Another study found that elders who live with their families had much sharper mental and social skills.

These are not isolated factors, but tend to go hand in hand. For example, moving more, faith in God or a higher power and close relationships with family all help to relieve stress. I highly recommend reading the stories of fascinating centenarians from around the world and I think you will be inspired to adopt a longevity lifestyle too.

Buona Pasqua! A blessed Easter to you and yours. I hope you each enjoy this special time with nourishing and delicious food and, just as importantly, make the time to nourish your body, mind and soul by connecting with your faith, family, friends and getting outside to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.

XOXO,

Kristi

Print Recipe

Paleo Carrot Cupcakes (gluten free, dairy free, refined oil & sugar free)

These nutrient dense and delicious carrot cupcakes are make the perfect healthful Easter treat or first birthday cupcakes. Free of gluten, dairy and refined oils.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Calories: 355kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe banana mashed well with a fork (1/2 cup)
  • 4 oz. unsweetened organic applesauce
  • 1 c. grated carrots I have also used pulp from my carrot, orange and ginger juice
  • 1 c.
  • almond butter
  • 1/4 c.
  • coconut oil
  • , melted I put a glass jar in the oven while it preheats to melt the coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 T
  • pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c.
  • almond flour
  • 1 tsp.
  • baking soda
  • 1 tsp.
  • sea salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 c. golden raisins optional add-in
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts optional add-in
  • Dairy Free Maple "Butter"Cream Icing
  • 1 c.
  • Nutiva Shortening
  • I have also used 1/2 c. coconut oil and 1/2 c. palm shortening
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 c. pure maple syrup
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line muffin tins to hold 18 muffins.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients in the order listed. Add the golden raisins and walnuts if desired. Mix until well combined.
  • Scoop batter into greased or lined muffin pan, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until cupcakes are golden and baked through. Cool completely.
  • While cupcakes are cooling, make the icing. Combine the shortening and 2 cups powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix well. Mix until combined, adding more powdered sugar as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Ice completely cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

The Skinny on Vegetable Oils & My Go-To Salad Dressings

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I hear a lot of questions about salad dressing, and with good reason. Bottled salad dressings are typically filled with highly questionable or downright harmful ingredients like highly processed GMO oils, sugar or high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and chemical emulsifiers and preservatives.

I often dress my salad with a drizzle of flax or extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. You can find two of my favorite salads where I do just this here and here. For Mexican themed salads I love to use organic salsa or fresh homemade pico de gallo and guacamole in place of dressing.

But making your own dressing is quick and easy if you have a well stocked pantry and spice cabinet. Just follow a basic formula of 2-3 parts oil to one part acid (any variety of vinegar or citrus juice) and then experiment with adding herbs and spices to come up with your own favorites. (Technically, a vinaigrette is 3 parts fat, one part acid.) Save your old salad dressing bottles, spice or jam jars, or I like to use and re-use these very affordable salad dressing bottles from Amazon. There are other great options on Amazon as well.

Use minimally processed and health promoting oils like flax, coconut or extra virgin olive oil. Look for cold pressed or expeller pressed, organic oils.

Avoid processed “vegetable” oils including soybean, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, peanut, canola and corn oil.

These grain or seed oils are highly processed processed and refined. Can you imagine the energy and effort it takes to extract oil out of a kernel of corn?! The oil is generally extracted from the seed or bean with high heat (which destroys any nutritional value and oxidizes the oil, turning it rancid and harmful to the human body) and toxic petroleum based solvents such as hexane, traces of which remain in the oil. Then the oil must be further chemically refined to eliminate undesirable smells, flavors and colors and make it palatable. Some of these oils go through an additional process called hydrogenation, to make them solid at room temperature and increase the shelf life. These hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are used in processed foods and sold as margarine or shortening.

Soybean, corn and canola oils are almost certainly from GMO crops (unless they are certified organic). These crops have been genetically modified to withstand exponentially higher quantities of the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup), which is an endocrine disrupter and “probable carcinogen”, according to the World Health Organization. Glyphosate kills everything except the genetically modified crop and then remains in our food.(1)(2)

We have been told by various adversory groups and the government’s own dietary recommendations to avoid saturated fats and replace them with polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) instead. As a result, between 1909 and 2009, the consumption of PUFAs increased by 300%!(3) Soybean oil consumption alone has increased 1000-fold since 1900.(4) In 1999, at the turn of the millennium, soybean oil made up an astonishing 20% of calories consumed in the United States.(5) And this has turned out to be incredibly detrimental to our health.

In his book Eat Fat, Get Thin (which I highly recommend) Mark Hyman, MD, Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, explains how this erroneous dietary advice occurred in the first place and details the studies that show diets high in PUFAs (in the form of hydrogenated oils/trans fats AND liquid vegetable oils) are among the leading causes in the epidemic of western diseases we now face including obesity, heart disease, diabetes & cancer.

One of the issues with the studies on which this dietary advice was based is that they didn’t differentiate between the two types of PUFAs–omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation and disease, while omega-6 fats fuel inflammatory pathways in the body.(6)

A healthful diet should include equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. The typical American diet now contains many, many more omega-6s than omega-3s. (7) Too many omega-6 oils in our diet promotes inflammation in our bodies(8)(9). Dr. Jospeh Hibbeln, a leading researcher at the National Institutes of Health, believes that the over-consumption of omega-6 fats and the underconsumption of omega-3 fats have led to increases in:

  • cardiovascular disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • obesity
  • metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes)
  • irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease
  • macular degeneration (age-related blindness)
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • asthma
  • cancer
  • psychiatric disorders and
  • autoimmune disease (10)

Most Americans cook with these oils at home, eat them in restaurants, and they are found in almost every packaged, processed food we buy. Even commercially raised meat is high in omega-6s. Wild game and grass fed or pastured animals are high in omega 3-s, because the animals are consuming mostly grass and green plants. But since the Industrial Revolution, commercial farmers have been feeding animals grains and seeds high in omega-6s and low in omega-3s, rather than the animals’ traditional diets. This means even the meat most of us eat is high in omega-6s and very low in omega-3s.(11)

You can reduce your consumption of inflammatory omega-6 oils by changing the fats you cook with at home, avoiding processed packaged foods, avoiding fast food and being careful what you choose in restaurants and switching to meat from grass fed or pastured animals. Making your own salad dressing with healthful oils is also a good start to regaining the right balance of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Making your own dressing is so easy and gives you endless flavor options with health promoting, real foods. Here are four of my go-to salad dressings, along with our favorite salad pairings. Try all of them and then experiment and come up with your own favorites!

Salad Dressings

Greek Dressing

3/4 c. good quality extra virgin olive oil (I use California Olive Ranch)

1/2 c. Red wine vinegar (or Bragg’s apple cider vinegar)

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground mustard seed

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp good quality sea salt (I use Celtic sea salt or Redmond Real Salt)

Pour all ingredients into a glass jar or a 12 oz. dressing bottle and shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Good quality extra virgin olive oil solidifies and turns cloudy in the refrigerator. This is one way you can tell whether your olive oil is pure and of good quality. In a study done a few years ago at UC Davis, the vast majority of EVOO tested was found to not actually be extra virgin or to be adulterated with lower quality processed oils. So when you’re paying for extra virgin olive oil for its health benefits, its good to confirm you actually have the good stuff! Just take it out of the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before you want to use it, or let the bottle sit in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Shake well and enjoy this dressing with green leaf, red leaf or romaine lettuce, topped with tomato, cucumber, red onion and black olives. Optionally add a bit of feta or goat cheese.

Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from 1-2 lemons)

2 T Dijon mustard

Sea salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a small jar or dressing bottle with a lid and shake well. Alternatively, add the first three ingredients to your Vitamix, blend, and then drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running till you have a smooth creamy emulsification. We like this dressing on spinach, kale, bok choy or other dark leafy Asian greens such as pak choy, mizuna or yukina savoy. On each salad I like to add crumbled bacon (please only use nitrate-free bacon from clean, pastured animals), sliced hard boiled egg (or feta cheese) and a handful of walnuts, pecans or sunflower seeds. The tartness of the dressing and some added fat from the bacon, egg and nuts really cuts through these sometimes slightly tough or bitter greens.

Caesar Salad

Dairy Free Creamy Caesar Dressing

*Adapted from Once Upon a Time: Recipes and Recollection from a Rover City (Jr. League of Evansville 2003)

3 cloves fresh garlic

3/4 c. mayonnaise (For the healthiest option, make you own mayo. If you use store bought, look for one with the fewest and best ingredients possible. We usually use Real Mayo which isn’t perfect but better than some other options.)

2 tsp. capers with brine

1/2 to 1 tsp. anchovy paste (we like the full tsp–the saltiness and umami from the anchovy makes up for the missing cheese in this recipe, but tailor this to your anchovy taste!)

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (I use Celtic Sea Salt or Redmond Real Salt)

Place all ingredients in your Vitamix or a good quality blender and blend until smooth. We love to toss this dressing with chopped romain and top it with grilled chicken for a gluten and dairy free Chicken Caesar Salad. Sometimes I make crutons from gluten free bread to make my kids happy, but its just as good without.

Shallot Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

l shallot, cut in half or quarters

2 T raw honey

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

Place first 5 ingredients in your Vitamix and blend. With blender running, slowly add olive oil and keep blending until you have a smooth emulsification.

We enjoy this dressing on mixed greens with berries or dried fruit and nuts. I also like beets and an avocado with this dressing.  Optionally add some crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese.

In other news … 

Shred10

I am hosting two new Shred10 accountability groups starting Monday, March 6 and Monday, April 3. You do not have to be local to join in! This ten day program will help you jump start your health and includes help with meal planning and recipes, daily private coaching from me by text or phone and plenty of encouragement and accountability to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.

If you are ready to take the next step in your health journey, contact me for more information. Life is way too short not to be your healthiest and feel your best every single day!!   

Prime Time Health

Four Wednesday evenings in March, beginning this Wednesday, March 8, I’ll be teaching a workshop series called Prime Time Health. This workshop is a wealth of information for any adults or seniors who want to take charge of your own health and learn how to feel better, sleep better, have more energy, reduce inflammation and prevent disease. If you want to live longer and better, this series is for you!

Register here or contact me for more information.

Taste the Shred

On March 16, from 6 to 7 pm, we have an event at the Newburgh Central Library called Taste the Shred. Chef Adam Edwards will be cooking up several recipes from our Shred10 guidebook for you to taste. Join us to learn more about this health changing ten-day program and see for yourself how delicious healthy can be!

Register here or contact me for more information.

Spring is in the air, friends! Its a perfect time to get outside, breath deeply and get serious about changing your health and your future!

XOXO,

Kristi

PS.  Make sure to follow Nourished for Life on Facebook for all of the latest news and even more health and wellness related information!

Sources:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19539684
  2. https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/Q&A_Glyphosate.pdf
  3. TEDxHarvardLaw — Dr. Stephan Guyenet, The American Diet
  4. Mark Hyman, MD, Eat Fat, Get Thin (2016) at p. 80
  5. Hyman at p. 117
  6. Hyman at p. 77, 118
  7. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332206002435
  8. Hyman at 79
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19022225
  10. Hyman at 124-24, citing Hibbeln JR, Nieminen LR, Blasbalg TL, Riggs,JA, Lands WE. Healthy intakes of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids; estimations considering worldwide diversity. Am J Clin Nutrition. 2006 Jun:83(6 Suupl.); 1483S-93S.
  11. Hyman at p. 117

Buckwheat Brownies

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Happy Monday, friends!

As we head into this hectic holiday season I have to confess, I am already worn out! In the past three weeks we have had Halloween (thankfully the kiddos all took it pretty easy on me on their costumes), celebrated 4 birthdays, the end of the soccer season, wrestling, hours of Nutcracker rehearsals, a traveling husband, a teething toddler and then said toddler also had a cold (which means neither toddler nor mama have slept much in the past couple of weeks).

I can only imagine how poorly I would be functioning right now if I wasn’t fueling my body with real whole foods. During these especially hectic and sleep deprived phases of life, we need the nourishment that comes from plants even more. Which is why I take my Juice Plus religiously and do my best to get my green smoothie in every single day, even when I am so tired I can barely see straight. The phytonutrients from all of those fruits and vegetables provides more nourishment and sustained energy for my body than all of the caffeine in the world ever could.

But, after all of that talk about plant nutrition, I hope you will forgive me for sharing a brownie recipe today. Because once in a while we need chocolate too, don’t we?

Buckwheat Brownies

My son has been gluten and dairy free for six years now and his baby sister and I have since joined him. In the last six years I have tried a LOT of brownie recipes. When I bake, I like to use the most healthful ingredients I possibly can. But I have to be honest–the recipes I’ve tried with black beans and other mystery ingredients just don’t cut it for me. Neither have any of the other gluten and dairy free variations I’ve tried, whether healthy or not. None have ever measured up to the perfectly moist, rich, chocolatey, chewey not cakey, dense but not too dense, gooey but not too gooey brownie I have in my head.

That is, until these. It turns out buckwheat–one of my favorite flours–is the perfect solution! You can read more about the health benefits of buckwheat (and get our favorite pancake recipe) here. No one will ever know these brownies are gluten free unless you tell them. They are moist, amazing, and unlike many gluten free baked goods they stay moist and keep well (tightly wrapped) for up to a week.

Buckwheat Brownies

I use Nutiva coconut sugar, which is still sugar and should only be eaten in moderation as a special treat. But it is more healthful than conventional white sugar, which is heavily processed, bleached and almost always made from GMO sugar beets. Nutiva’s coconut sugar is organic and non-GMO. It is unrefined, which means that unlike white sugar which is completely empty calories devoid of any nutrition, coconut sugar retains some small amounts of nutrients from the coconut. According to Vani Hari, the Food Babe, coconut sugar has 10,000 times the potassium, 20 times the magnesium and 20 times the iron of conventional white sugar. It also contains inulin fiber, which slows the absorption into the blood stream. It also has just over half of the glycemic load of white sugar, which helps you avoid that blood sugar/insulin spike and crash.

I also like baking with Nutiva Shortening, which is a blend of coconut oil and red palm oil. Both are naturally solid at room temperature (so no hydrogenation, the process which turns Crisco shortening and margarine into toxic trans fats), minimally processed, healthful fats. It makes a close to perfect substitute for butter. But if you can have dairy, real organic butter works great here too.

Buckwheat Brownies

I may have mentioned it before, but its worth repeating: When baking with gluten free flours, use a scale! Baking by weight is so much more accurate than volume and allows you to substitute flours or make adjustments to a recipe with a lot more success!  You can buy a good, inexpensive scale from Amazon. I have this one.

Buckwheat Brownies

You may be wondering why a health coach who preaches the evils of sugar is sharing a brownie recipe. But I love chocolate and I’m completely fine with an occasional treat when it’s made with the most healthful ingredients possible.

My personal rules for sweet treats and desserts (that I follow most of the time) are:

1) Make them out of the most healthful ingredients I can (and avoid artificial colors, flavors & sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and unpronounceable preservatives and additives as much as humanly possible).

2) Enjoy sweet treats after a healthy meal, never on an empty stomach. This helps to avoid the blood sugar spike & sugar headache I get from eating sweets on an empty stomach. And if I have already enjoyed a satisfying meal, one treat should be sufficient to satisfy my chocolate or sweets craving.

3) When you eat a sweet treat, make it a good one and enjoy it mindfully. I try not to eat treats that aren’t worth it and I never eat them on the run. It’s so easy to get in the habit of grabbing something to munch on anytime you walk by the pantry or as you sit in the car or at your desk. Try to get out of the habit of mindless snacking. This will make a huge impact on your health. Choose your snacks wisely–fruits and vegetables as much as possible, and when you do choose to eat a sweet treat, sit down and savor every bite!

Buckwheat Brownies

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you are all surrounded by loved ones this week and take the time to count your blessings! I am thankful for YOU and for the commitment you make to your health and the health of your family with the choices you make every day!

XOXO,

Kristi

Print Recipe

Best Ever Buckwheat Brownies (gluten, dairy & refined sugar free)

No one will know these moist, amazing brownies are free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar and are made with nutrient dense buckwheat flour.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time22 minutes
Total Time32 minutes
Servings: 16 Brownies
Calories: 10426kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or 5 oz. Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels)
  • 8 (Approx 175 g) T. Nutiva shortening (or organic butter, if you can have dairy)
  • 1 c. Nutiva coconut sugar
  • 2 farm fresh eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 87 g approx. 2/3 c. Buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Sea salt
  • 1/2 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips or chopped walnuts optional add-ins

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pain.
  • In a double boiler over medium high heat (or in a heat-proof bowl sitting over a saucepan with an inch or two of water in it) melt the chocolate and shortening and stir together. Let cool and then whisk in the coconut sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are completely incorporated. Then add vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the buckwheat, baking soda and sea salt.
  • Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips or walnuts, if desired,
  • Smooth batter into prepared pan and bake a 325 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Do not overbake! If you use a glass or an 8x8 pan you may have to adjust the baking time a bit. Let baked brownies cool and enjoy!
  • These brownies keep well, wrapped tightly, for several days and up to a week or freeze well for several months.

Notes

*I'm usually a dark chocolate girl, but I actually prefer semi-sweet chocolate in these. If you want a lighter brownie with a bit of a caramel taste, cut back to 5 oz of the semi-sweet chunks. If you like a darker chocolate brownie, by all means use the dark chocolate morsels instead.
**If you don't use Enjoy Life chocolate chips (which I highly recommend!) please use a good quality chocolate. It really does make all the difference in these brownies. I've tried them with a common grocery store brand of chocolate and they were just not the same.
***I honestly can't decide whether I like these better with chocolate chips or walnuts. So you choose! They're delicious either way!

Heart Healthy Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad

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I love to add a big dose of nutrition to my day by having a big green salad for lunch. We also have a green salad with our dinner nearly every single night. Usually its simple — lettuce or greens, maybe with some tomatoes. But sometimes I like to do something different and this salad is the perfect start to a special dinner. 

This is my copy cat version of Biaggi’s Honey Roasted Beet &.Arugula Salad, which is one of my favorite things to order there. (By the way, gluten free friends, Biaggi’s has a really good gluten free menu!) The avocado and goat cheese add just the right amount of healthy fats and creaminess to balance out the peppery arugula and the sweetness of the beets and crunch of the pecans rounds it out perfectly. And every single thing in it is so good for you!

Arugula

Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale. Like all cruciferous vegetables, arugula is a nutritional powerhouse. Two cups of arugula  provides 20 percent of vitamin A, over 50 percent of vitamin K, and 8 percent of vitamin C, folate and calcium needs for the day. 

Along with other leafy greens (and beets!), arugula contains very high levels of naturally occurring nitrates (more than 250 milligrams/100 grams), which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is the natural blood pressure medication produced by the body’s own internal pharmacy when we eat right and exercise. Nitric oxid helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels which improves blood flow, muscle oxygenation and athletic performance and lowers blood pressure. 

Eating large amounts of cruciferous vegetables has long been associated with a lower risk of cancer, in part because they contain a sulfur-containing compound  called sulforaphane. These compounds give arugula its peppery bite and may also give it its cancer-fighting power. Researchers have found that sulforaphane can inhibit the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC), known to be involved in the progression of cancer cells. The ability to stop HDAC enzymes makes foods containing sulforaphane a powerful part of cancer prevention and could make them an important part of a holistic cancer treatment plan as well.  

Beets

Beets are high in fiber, vitamin C, folate and essential minerals like potassium (essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). 

Like arugula, beets help improve circulation and lower blood pressure due to their naturally occurring nitrates. As discussed above, these nitrates are converted into nitric oxide–a natural vasodilator. 

Beets are also a good source of betaine, a nutrient that helps protects cells from environmental stress. It’s known to help fight inflammation, protect internal organs, improve risk factors for cardiovascular disease and enhance athletic performance.

According to Dr. Mercola, the powerful phytonutrients that give beets their deep color may also help to protect against cancer. Research has found that beetroot extract administered in drinking water reduced multi-organ tumor formations in various animal models. Beetroot extract is also being studied for use in treating human pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancer.

Roasting & peeling beets is easy. Just follow these instructions from thekitchn.com. Roast a bunch of beets at a time. They will keep in the refrigerator for a week, and you can use them for your salads for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Make sure you save your beet greens for another use. Beet greens and raw beets are also great additions to your morning green smoothie. 

Avocado

Avocados are one of my favorite foods. They are high in fiber and vitamins A, C,  K, B6, folate and choline. They have more potassium than a banana (!!) and also contain the minerals calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese and selenium. They are high in heart healthy monounsaturated fat, which actually promotes weight loss. Oleic acid, the main type of fatty acid in avocados, has been shown to reduce inflammation and have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. Adding healthy fats like avocado, pecans and extra virgin olive oil to a salad promotes satiety, and when you feel satisfied you’re less likely to overeat or reach for a junk food snack later. 

Just reading all of this makes me want to eat this salad every single day. Nourishing your body has never tasted so good!

Dress the salad with a drizzle of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a really good balsamic vinegar, if you have one. If you just have every day grocery store variety balsamic, that’s fine too. Make a simple balsamic reduction and keep it in the refrigerator to use all week and longer. It is delicious on salads or drizzled on roasted vegetables.

This salad is perfect for a satisfying and health promoting lunch, a light dinner or as a side or starter for a special occasion. I love it with gluten free Jovial spaghetti and Cousin Claudio’s Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce.

Blessings! 

Kristi 

Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad

Print Recipe

Heart Healthy Beet & Arugula Salad

Enjoy this amazingly delicious and health promoting salad as satisfying lunch or light dinner or as a start to a special meal!
Servings: 2 MAIN COURSE SERVINGS OR 4 SIDE SALADS
Calories: 220kcal

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups Arugula (or mixed greens if you prefer) (or 5 oz.)
  • 1 bunch (2-3) roasted beets (Heat oven to 400. Cut off leafy tops, scrub beats & wrap in foil. Place in oven on a baking sheet to catch juices. Roast 40-50 min or until tender when pricked with a fork. Let cool then peel off the skins and dice. I roast a bunch at a time and then keep them for salads and smoothes all week)
  • 1 Avocado, diced (Cut in half, remove pit, slice through the avocado in hatch marks/squares in the peel and then use a spoon to scoop it out)
  • 1 roll Goat cheese
  • 1/2 c Pecans, finely chopped
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic Reduction

Instructions

  • Divide arugula between 2 plates for a main course or 4 plates for a starter or side salad portion.
  • Cut avocados in half around the pit, remove the pit and slice through the flesh of the avocado with a sharp knif. Use a spoon to scoop the slices out and divide evenly between the salads.
  • Slice or dice 2 beets and divide them between the salads. Add pecans and crumbled goat cheese, if using. Optionally, slice a log of soft goat cheese into 1/2 in thick slices and roll each slice in finely chopped pecans, pressing to get the pecans to adhere to the cheese. Place one slice of cheese on each salad.
  • Top your arugula or salad greens with the beets, avocado, and goat cheese rounds. Add more pecans if you like.
  • To make the balsamic reduction, pour the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and add the honey or coconut sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the balsamic is reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. The reduction will thicken a bit as it cools.
  • Drizzle each salad with extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic reduction and enjoy!
  • Enjoy!
    This makes one large main course serving or 2 side salads. Of course, adjust quantities to your taste.  

Sources for nutritional information:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282769.php

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

https://authoritynutrition.com/12-proven-benefits-of-avocado/