by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
All snowed in, so what to do? Experiment in the kitchen of course! I wanted to get creative with only using the ingredients I had in the refrigerator because there’s no way I’m going to the store right now. Simple recipes always resonate most with me, because as much as I love to cook, I really just want to get to the eating part. The more ingredients there are the more mess there is to clean up, and the longer it takes to actually get to eating it! So I found some basic ingredients and whipped up some delicious and healthy pancakes. Perfect for a snow day!
Makes 1 serving (three small pancakes)
Ingredients:
1 banana mashed
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut flour (feel free to use another type if it’s what you already have)
Optional add-ins: blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
If you want them flatter and not quite as thick add some milk (any type will do).
Directions: Mix all 3 ingredients until they are well incorporated. Melt some coconut oil in a pan and make small pancakes with the batter. Cook for several minutes on medium heat and flip occasionally until they look done.
I added chopped walnuts, almonds and maple syrup to finish it off. It was heavenly.
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
I ask myself this question all the time. There are some basic rules of thumb that I follow when it comes to fruits and vegetables. But it’s easy to feel insane, as I often do, when we don’t have so much control over our food. Eating at restaurants and friends houses can be a challenge for people, like me, who are always reading labels and ingredients lists, wondering if this is organic or GMO-free (I know, if it gets any worse I probably should see a shrink). I’ve done a little research to set some boundaries I can feel at ease with. Certain foods are a no-no if they aren’t organic, some are a “try your best to get organic” while for others it doesn’t matter all that much.
#1: Know the Dirty Dozen. If buying organic is hard, then just go for the holy grail. These guys typically contain the highest levels of pesticide residue: apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches/nectarines, spinach (including frozen and canned), peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, snap peas, potatoes and blueberries. So if you are going to buy only a few things organic, make it these ones.
#2: Clean 15. You can feel at ease knowing the clean 15, produce you don’t have to buy organic: avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, sweet peas (frozen), onions, asparagus, mangoes, papayas, kiwi, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe (domestic), cauliflower, and sweet potatoes.
#3: Pick what you eat the most of and buy just those ones organic. These are the foods that are frequent fliers on your shopping list, and are consumed in your house on a weekly basis. So if you eat a lot of spinach, cucumbers, celery and apples, like I do, then always buy those organic, no exceptions. But if you hardly eat potatoes or snap peas, then once in a blue moon it’s ok to skip the organic if you have to.
#4: When dining at a restaurant try to let go of the anxiety of not knowing if your food is organic. It probably isn’t, unless they specially state it on the menu. This situation always gives me problems. There are essentially 3 choices here: 1) Don’t ever go out. Yea Right! 2) Go out but worry the whole time over what you cannot control. 3) Go out, chose healthy options when available, and allow yourself a day off from worrying. It’s not easy, I often find myself hovering around option number 2, but I’m trying to go with the third option more.
Part of what I am trying to do about easing my (and your) anxiety, is being ok with moderation. I’m writing this post as much for me as for you. It’s easy to get obsessed with reading alarmist articles and websites that scare the pants off of you. If I know one thing it’s that worrying is like junk food in your body. Anxiety messes with us physically and can cause as much damage as a big mack with fries. If I eat a non-organic apple one day and worry about it, then I’m causing more harm to my body then If I just ate the apple and didn’t give a crap. Happy shopping!
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
Granola is one of my favorite improvised kitchen experiments. It’s very simple as long as you follow a basic formula: dry ingredients + wet ingredients. So simple! The dry ingredients can be any combination of nuts, seeds, grains, spices and dried fruit. The wet ingredients usually consist of an oil (I like coconut) and a sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave, banana). I tend to use what I have lying around, unless I’m using a specific recipe.
Here’s what I did, but feel free to add, remove, adjust the ingredients to your liking. The more you experiment without using a recipe, the better you’ll get.
Dry ingredients:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Wet ingredients:
1/4 c tbsp coconut oil melted
2-3 tbsp honey
1 banana mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
- In a small saucepan heat up coconut oil and honey until melted
- Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl until evenly mixed
- Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients
- Stir so incorporate all the way through.
- Spoon the mixture into a baking dish or lined cookie sheet
- Bake under a for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until it is as toasted as you want it
Some granola is crunchier than others, depending on the wet ingredients and the baking time. You can make thi crunServe over yogurt, ice cream or milk of your choice. Or if you’re like me eat it alone right off the baking sheet because you simply can’t wait!
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
This is my favorite dish right now! The perfect fall breakfast, snack or dessert. It’s simple, but that’s why I make it almost every day. I’ve seen similar recipes that use maple syrup, sugar, and molasses to sweeten it, but it’s not necessary. The natural sweetness of the apples is more than enough. If you can’t make this, then I don’t know what to tell you. You will not regret this one, I promise!
- Peel and cut the apple into bite size pieces. (If you want to get creative you can shred it, or use the apple peeler on the entire thing to make very thin slivers, but I personally like it in chunks.)
- Put the apple pieces in a pan over medium heat with a bit of coconut oil (about a teaspoon will do) and as much cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice as you like. Cover with a lid to keep the moisture in.
- Wait about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The apple will release its juice and natural sugars, so no need to add sugar to this one. It tastes like apple pie without the crust. ENJOY!
by Caroline | Jul 8, 2015 | Recipes
Mindful eating is all well and good until it’s time to join the rest of society and go out to eat at an actual restaurant (that is assuming you have a social life, which you should, it’s good). Reading menus at many restaurants can make you realize how uptight you have been about what you eat. At least that’s how I feel when there’s nothing that appeals to me and I can’t enjoy a nice meal out without having a moment like this: “Excuse me is that wild Alaskan salmon? Um, is there cream in that sauce? Do you have any grass-fed beef?” You do the same thing too? Ok then I’m not the only one. Great.
That brings me to a wonderful experience I just had to share with the rest of the health concious people out there. Westville is a restaurant in New York that has locations in Chelsea, East Village, West Village and a location in Hudson too. I had the fortunate experience of dining there with my dearest girlfriends who also appreciate a healthy lifestyle. Westville’s philosophy is simple, fresh and seasonal foods.The atmosphere itself is very cozy and unpretentious.
It’s really all about the food. The menu consisted of chicken, fish and veggie entres as well as salads and market plates.OH MY GOD THE MARKET PLATES!!!! You pick four choices from an extensive list including artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, beets, zucchini, and butternut squash. If I could eat this food every day I could be a vegetarian and not miss out on anything. As far as entries go the crispy vegan quinoa & artichoke burger with avocado, chopped kale, alfalfa sprouts & sriracha coconut ranch dressing served w/ an arugula and marinated red onion salad was absolutely heavenly.
With great food and even better friends, it was my idea of the perfect dining experience. I’m definitely going back!
by Caroline | Jul 5, 2015 | Recipes
While I love fresh pressed juice, smoothies seem to be more filling and can carry you longer throughout the day without getting hungry. Smoothies can be a little intimidating because there are endless combinations and you want to make sure the flavors go well together.
To simplify the process here is the basic outline that I follow:
1. Start with a leafy green. Spinach is my favorite because it doesn’t have flavor and it’s not as fibrous as kale so it blends up nicely. It’s always great just to have on hand because it’s a super quick dinner option too, if you don’t have enough time to make a gourmet meal.
2. Add a liquid. This can be your choice! I like to use almond milk or coconut milk because it gives the smoothie a nice creamy texture. If you need to hydrate coconut water is also a good option. If water or plain milk is your thing than do that. No rules, just add a liquid. I generally don’t measure but a cup or so should do it.
3. Get fruity. Add whatever fruit you have! Again no rules. Apples, bananas, berries, pineapple, kiwi. Just beware that strawberries and spinach make a brownish colored smoothie. So If color is important to you either go for spinach and neutral colored fruits to make a green smoothie, or skip the greens and make something red or purple with lots of berries. Is an avocado a fruit? Because that is one of my favorites to throw in too!
4. Accessorize! After you put on an outfit it’s fun to dress it up a bit with jewelry, shoes, a hat or purse. Well this is the same thing! Raid your pantry and see what else you can throw in there to pack a nutritional punch. My favorite accessories are great pantry staples and always on hand. Chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, almond butter, greek yogurt (plain is preferred as to not throw off the taste), vanilla extract, and cacao nibs (especially good for a mint chocolate chip smoothie) are some of my staples.
Another tip: Keep your bender on the counter where you can use it. Most people have toasters on their counter. I have a juicer and a blender on my counter instead. Accessibility is key! You won’t use it if it’s buried in the cabinet.
Keep it Simple. Use what you have. Don’t go crazy looking at recipes and buying ingredients you’ll use once. Chances are if you have the staples (fruit, liquid, greens) and keep some accessories in your pantry, you can have a healthy start to your day. And for all those commuters out there, it’s easily portable, yay!
