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I discovered this recipe from a fellow blogger a healthylivinghowto.com, and have been a bit obsessed with it ever since! I made a few tweaks and wanted to share!
My favorite meal of the day is, and always has been, breakfast. No matter how early I have to wake up in the morning, I always leave extra time to sit down and enjoy a meal in the morning. Growing up on a Standard American Diet (SAD), I would wake up feigning immediately for sugar cereal, if I recall correctly my favorite was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Really healthy and blood sugar regulating way to start the day, right??? Once I became more educated about nutrition and simply more in touch with how foods effected how my body feels, I shifted to a "healthy" breakfast, which consisted of a giant bowl of oatmeal. Granted, this was a big step from the refined, chemically derived bowl of white flour and sugar, but it still felt like a sugar bomb in my stomach and left me on the rollercoaster of blood-sugar dips and spikes where I would crave starch and sugar throughout the day. This, in turn, effected my energy levels. Now that I eat in a way focused on whole, nutrient dense foods, and lots of vegetables, my standard breakfast is generally pastured eggs, veggies, sauerkraut, and sometimes I'll throw some leftover ground meat or nitrite/nitrate free bacon in. But I admit, sometimes I miss a sweeter, more grain-based start to the day, which is why I was so excited to find this recipe! Cauliflower is one of those amazing foods that has a fairly neutral taste, and you can make it into so many different things, both sweet and savory. It is in the cruciferous family of vegetable, and is extremely high in Vitamins C and K. Cauliflower has been linked in numerous studies to provide outstanding cancer prevention benefits, particularly within the bodies' detox, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory systems. It has also been linked with cardiovascular and digestive support. So, in conclusion, its a fantastic vegetable to include in your diet on a regular basis! See recipe below, and enjoy! Cauliflower Oatmeal Ingredients: 1 cup "riced" cauliflower (see instructions below) 1/3 cup organic, whole coconut milk (if you don't have this you can use raw or organic whole milk, or almond milk) 2/3 cup filtered water (or less, depending on desired consistency) 2 large organic egs 1 tbsp ground flax seeds Cinnamon to taste Sea salt to taste Other optional spices: cardamom, ginger, orange zest, vanilla...be creative! Choice of optional sweeteners: powdered stevia, grade b maple syrup, raw honey Choice of toppings: berries, nuts, fresh fruit, shredded unsweetened coconut Preparation: First of all, this is how you make cauliflower into a rice-like consistency: I use my Vitamix, but you can use also a hand grater or food processor. Cut off the stems (unless using a vitamix, and then use the whole thing), and break into pieces. Mix with just a bit of water and process or grate until chunky/rice-like. In a saucepan, add riced cauliflower, coconut milk, and a bit of water (if desired). Over medium heat, cook until cauliflower is tender, anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Add whisked eggs, flax, cinnamon and other spices. Also, at this point you can add sweetener to taste, then simply serve in a bowl with desired toppings! Enjoy :)
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Being a resident of San Francisco, there are taquerias galore on every other corner...most serving an amazingly delicious, authentic array of foods. Back in my pre-nutrition minded days, a giant burrito was definitely my go to food to eat out. Its hard to go wrong when there is cheese and guacamole involved. Nowadays, while I still eat both (raw, and in moderation) cheese and guacamole, I don't eat the tortillas. This makes going out to taquerias not quite as fun! Several days ago, I created this "taco salad" recipe (minus the taco), and it was delicious! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS (use whatever quantity of each you like): Shredded lettuce diced red onion chopped tomato nitrate free, crumbled bacon organic salsa (homemade or store-bought) ground meat of your choice (I used ground chicken, but any kind is fine, as long as it's organic poultry or grass fed beef/lamb, pasture raised pork) TACO MEAT SEASONING: 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp oregano 2-4 cloves minced fresh garlic if desired pinch of red pepper flakes INSTRUCTIONS: MEAT: Mix all seasonings together with about a cup of water and set aside. Brown the ground meat in a pan and drain, and then add the seasoning mix to the pan. Continuously stir on medium heat until the water is evaporated, then its done! SALAD: Mix all ingredients together. Done. Top with sliced avocado and/or crumbled raw cheese) DRESSING (the best part): Combine the following (play around with quantities as desired, hard for this to go wrong!): minced fresh garlic 1 small, ripe avocado, mashed 2-3 tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro dash of cayenne if you like spice sea salt and pepper to taste olive oil fresh squeezed lime juice Raw Avocado Chocolate MousseIf you find yourself with a sweet tooth, or just want to seriously impress your friends at a dinner party and have them leave convinced that alternative, healthy desserts can be absolutely as delicious (if not more so) than processed sweets filled with refined sugar and grains, then I strongly suggest trying out this recipe!
This whole foods recipe takes only a few ingredients and a blender. The main ingredient is avocado, which is an incredibly versatile food! Lets take a look at some of the health benefits from one of my favorite website, whfoods.com:
These are just a few of the many wonderful benefits of avocados, not to mention they are just delicious. Try out this great recipe for another way to incorporate this nutrient dense food into your diet! RAW AVOCADO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Ingredients: 1 avocado 1 banana 2 tbsp full fat coconut milk (or almond as a 2nd choice) 3-4 tbsp raw cocoa (or cacao) powder 1/2 tsp vanilla (more or less to taste) cinnamon and sea salt to taste Instructions: Couldn't be easier! Cut open and scoop out the avocado. Throw everything into a blender (or use a hand blender), and mix until creamy. Taste and adjust spices if need be. I served mine with raw cacao nips sprinkled on top, I bet sprinkling a little bit of orange zest could be delicious, too. Be creative! The other night I made some delicious cilantro turkey burgers, and while I usually go sans bun, I was having guests over who I thought might miss out on the bread part of the burger (this, admittedly, can take some getting used to!). So I experimented with making a gluten/grain-free bun, and it turned out delicious! This is also a wonderful "bread" to spread with some raw almond butter for a snack, or replace in many other situations in place of conventional and inflammatory bread.
If you've been following my blog for some time now, you've read all about the inflammatory nature of gluten-containing foods, as well as know that for many, even whole grains can be inflammatory as well and lead to a host of issues, many of which relate to leaky gut syndrome (aka, increased intestinal permeability). With that in mind, try out this fantastic alternative! Grain-Free Burger Buns Adapted from paleoplan.com Makes about 4 (tops and bottoms) INGREDIENTS: 4 eggs 4 tbsp coconut flour 4 tbsp almond flour 4 tbsp melted coconut oil 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp sea salt DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (both flours, baking powder and sea salt) and mix thoroughly with a fork. Next, combine eggs and coconut oil separately. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and mix. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it lightly with coconut oil or grass fed butter or ghee. Spread mixture evenly over baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. You can either shape them into buns before baking, or make more of a flat bread and cut after they have cooled. Kale Chips!I was experimenting with different seasonings for kale chips yesterday, and this one turned out pretty good! Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods out there. It can be prepared in many ways, steamed, sauteed, roasted, or raw. Making kale chips are a wonderful method of preparation, and kids absolutely love them.
A quick look at some of the vast health benefits of kale according to whfoods.org:
Ingredients: Kale (any type, as much as you want, remember it cooks down to at least 1/3rd its original size) Unrefined, cold pressed sesame oil Sea salt (celtic or himalayan are great for their trace mineral content) Black pepper or lemon pepper Cayenne Pepper or red chili flakes (optional, add if you like spice) Curry Powder De-stem kale and place in a bowl (make sure its completely dry). Add above ingredients (all of which are optional and to taste, play around to see what you like best), and mix well, making sure all of the kale is coated with oil (but not too much, you don't want it soggy). Spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees. Take out and mix/turn every 10 minutes or so until they are crunchy...the timing on this will depend how much kale you are making. Enjoy!! If you haven't had your fill of pumpkin yet (which I apparently haven't), try these pumpkin pancakes made with coconut flour! Inspired by and adapted from my colleague at balancedbites.com, these are packed full of delicious fall flavor, without the added sugar. I loaded them up with cinnamon, which is great for blood sugar stabilization/regulation. After the over-eating that generally comes with Thanksgiving, we may all be in need of! As always, since I rarely measure anything with my cooking, feel free to play around with the amounts to get your desired consistency and flavor. Enjoy...
PUMPKIN PANCAKES (makes 6ish large pancakes) 1 can organic pumpkin (or fresh and pureed) 6-8 eggs 3(ish) tablespoons coconut flour 1/2 tsp baking soda To Taste: cinnamon orange zest freshly grated ginger cardamon vanilla These were delicious cooked in butter (grass-fed whenever possible), but you could also use coconut oil. I topped mine with a spoonful of raw almond butter. Yum!!! While potatoes are ok once in awhile, due to their starchy nature they can lead to pretty intense blood sugar spikes and crashes. And of course, if weight loss is our goal, they're not a great choice. Cauliflower, on the other hand, is a cruciferous vegetable packed with nutrients, and is especially high in vitamin C, K, folate and other B Vitamins, magnesium, and is full of fiber. Try this recipe instead of mashed potatoes next time, it is absolutely delicious! adapted from www.maryvance.com Ingredients: 1 medium head of cauliflower, organic 3 – 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled (or more depending on taste) 1 cup chicken or veggie stock, or water sea salt to taste Fresh ground pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, optional or 1 tbsp miso paste 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or organic butter Wash and trim the head of cauliflower and cut into rough pieces. Heat a pan and pour in the cup of water or stock, toss in the cut cauliflower and cloves of garlic. Bring to a simmer and cover the pan. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft. Add pepper. Transfer mixture, including the liquid, into a blender. (You may want to do this in two batches.) Add in the nutritional yeast or miso paste, olive oil. Puree until it resembles the consistency of mashed potatoes. You may need to add in a little more water/stock to facilitate the blending, but be careful NOT to add in too much liquid. (You could also add in some coconut or almond milk for extra richness and flavor.) Taste and add sea salt if necessary. This is a great recipe for any time of day! Try in the morning for a warming breakfast. Remember to go for the full fat greek yogurt, or use any other kind of organic yogurt. If sensitive to dairy, try a goat or sheeps milk yogurt. Servings: 2 By: Laura Rymar Ingredients 2 large sweet potatoes 2 T almond butter ¼ c plain Greek yogurt 1 tsp maple syrup ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp vanilla 1/8 tsp orange zest 2 T chopped pecans 2 tsp ground flax seed, ground Procedure 1. Preheat oven to 400F. 2. Clean sweet potatoes thoroughly, leaving skin on. Wrap in parchment paper and then foil. Place in oven and cook for about 40 minutes or until soft. 3. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and orange zest together. 4. When potatoes are ready, remove from oven and let cool. 5. Split down the center and spread 1 T of almond butter each. Top each with generous drizzle of cinnamon yogurt sauce. 6. Sprinkle each evenly with chopped pecans and ground flax seed. Following up my recent post on how to make eating a whole foods diet more feasible for us who feel like we're always running out the door (especially in the morning), I've found this to be an excellent breakfast. These muffins are a wonderful recipe from a fellow Nutrition Consultant, Mary Vance (maryvancenc.com). All you need to do is find about 20 minutes sometime during the week to prepare these. I then store them in the fridge and re-heat them in the toaster oven in the morning, and have one with two eggs. You will then have started off your day with a nice healthy serving of fat and protein. Also, try spreading them with almond butter or tahini!
I know, I am obsessed with coconut, but remember that coconut flour is full of fiber and protein, and can be purchased at Whole Foods, your local co-op, or online at tropicaltraditions.com. And these muffins are far superior to other, gluten and sugar containing muffins that will spike your blood sugar and set you on the wrong foot for the day to come. Enjoy! COCONUT FLOUR MUFFINS 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp coconut flour 3 eggs 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or butter 1/4 cup whole coconut milk (melted if needed) 1/4 tsp baking powder cinnamon to taste pinch of sea salt Optional: Add blueberries, honey to taste, cardamon, or vanilla. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients together well (coconut flour can be a little chunky so make sure to really mix). Pour into greased or lined muffin tin (if you don't have a muffin tin, you can try making these as "cookies" as well), and bake for about 15 minutes. It is always a challenge for me to include enough veggies at breakfast, as I grew up eating sweet, dessert-like breakfasts, and now that I realize how devastating this is to my energy throughout the day, have realized the need to find (quality) protein and fat rich breakfasts that will sustain my blood sugar, set me off on the right foot, and are quick enough to make early in the morning. Here is one of my recent favorites, and it can be modified/experimented with....get creative! Also, if you're pressed for time in the morning, try grating the veggies the night before.
Ingredients: 1-2 cups vegetables of your choosing, I like to include a combo of: zucchini, summer squash, sweet potato, carrots 1 tablespoon coconut flour 1 egg Spices of your choosing, I like: salt, pepper, and a touch of cinnamon Directions: Simply mix all together, cook stovetop in coconut oil, and serve topped with 1-2 eggs, sunnyside up or over easy! Modifications: For a sweeter pancake, stick to sweet potatoes for a sort of modified "latke." Then add cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of sea salt. I've also added grated or finely chopped kale before |
AuthorRachel Fiske, NE and Certified Personal Trainer CategoriesOlder Recipes
September 2012
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