EAT YOURSELF WELL

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February 28 is National Chili Day – Here’s a Great Recipe to Celebrate!

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kidney_beansParts of the country are getting blasted with late-winter snowstorms, making this a GREAT time for chili – just in time for National Chili Day!

There’s really no wrong way to make chili, other than opening a can full of who-knows-what ingredients. If you’re missing anything below, feel free to experiment with something similar …. the recipe will probably still turn out fine.  And if you’re trying to minimize the prep work, feel free to sub in Hooray Puree packets as noted below.

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • A couple of carrots, chopped, or one packet of Hooray Puree Carrot
  • 1/2 butternut squash, diced, or 1 packet of Hooray Puree Butternut Squash
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 chopped bell peppers – green, yellow, or red
  • about 1 cup chopped celery 
  • 1 tbsp chili powder 
  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
  • 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tsp dried oregano
  • Chopped cilantro, red onion, jalapeños, green onions, or anything else that sounds good to you!

Heat oil in a large pan (not cast iron, or it will react with the tomatoes) over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, butternut squash (if you’re using puree, wait until you add the tomatoes), and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery, and chili powder. Cook about 5-6 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.

Add tomatoes and kidney beans and stir well. If you’re using purees for the butternut squash or carrots, add that now.  Season with cumin, oregano, and salt. (If you’re feeling adventurous, add a little cinnamon and/or dark chocolate to bring out a big, deep flavor.)  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with chopped cilantro, red onion, jalapeños, or anything else that sounds good to you!

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No Time/No Money? No more excuses!

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The most common reasons people give me (and in honesty, the most common excuses I try to give myself) for making bad food choices are “no time” and “no money.”

Where did we get the idea that healthy food has to be expensive and time-consuming?  Sure, organic food costs a little more (and I have a post on that one coming soon), and it’s always going to be hard to beat the SHORT-TERM costs of uber-subsidized, hyper-processed fast food nastiness … but tasty, healthy meals can be made in minutes.

Following are a few foods to keep on hand so that when you’re out of time and out of money, you can still make something super-delicious in minutes … buy in bulk when they’re on sale!  And at the end, I’ve thrown in a quick recipe I invented tonight, when I got in late after a 3-state day (lots of travel!) and couldn’t face the grocery store!

  • Canned Beans of any type, like black beans, kidney beans, white beans, lentils, whatever (but buy ones with no BPA in the cans)!:  Added to just about any veggies, create filling, healthy meals in minutes
  • Canned Tomatoes (again, no BPA)
  • Frozen Veggies:  Broccoli, green beans, peas, carrots – whatever you like.  Just don’t get the ones with sauces and seasonings added – you’re going to do that yourself, with healthy ingredients!
  • Raw Almonds:  A meal in itself when you truly have no time … and delicious crushed over salads, etc.
  • Quinoa:  quick-cooking deliciousness that meshes with just about any flavor, sweet or savory
  • Olive Oil:  But of course!
  • Spices: Start with a good set of the basics, and keep adding new ones when you see them.  Go online to find recipes for them, or stir-fry some of those veggies in the freezer and just toss in the spices to see what happens!

broccoli

Turmeric-Garlic Broccoli & Chickpea Saute with Crisp Red Pepper Strips

Tonight when I got home, I knew I was short on veggie servings for the day, I didn’t want to load up with too much food because it was late, but (as always), I was unwilling to sacrifice taste or texture!  So, I grabbed what I had on hand:

  • 1 Bag frozen organic broccoli
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • dash of olive oil
  • 1/2 can organic chickpeas, drained
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp turmeric
  • 1/2 medium red pepper, cut in strips

Put about 2 Tbsp of water, a dash of olive oil, and the crushed garlic into a pan, and add the bag of frozen broccoli (mine says it’s three servings, but it’s really just one decent-sized one).  Cook about 4-5 minutes until the broccoli is no longer frozen.  Add the chickpeas, turmeric, and pinch of salt, and cook until the chickpeas are hot.  If you’re like me and love pepper, add some fresh-ground white or black pepper.  Serve with cool, crisp red pepper strips.  

Serves one, or two as a side dish.  Doubles easily.  And as always, PLEASE experiment with the measurements and ingredients:  cook the red peppers with the broccoli, add onion, throw in a handful of spinach or cherry tomatoes, whatever you have on hand – PLAY with your food!

Pomegranate – Background and Handling Tips!

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First, check out the great information on the history and lore of pomegranates at Pomegranate – HandPicked Nation.

Then, newly inspired to get the fabulous health benefits of this fruit, try one (or both) of the following easy ways to enjoy them!

1.  Open the pomegranate and eat the arils – the mess-free way!

IMG_6074

The key to opening a pomegranate without it looking like a crime scene afterwards is simply to do it underwater!   First, shallowly slice through the pomegranate skin, and cut away the are around the stem.  Then, dunk the whole pomegranate into a

IMG_6075bowl of water deeper than the pomegranate, and pull the fruit apart with your hands.  You’ll be able to easily roll the arils away from the white pith, leaving the arils on the bottom of the bowl, with the white bits floating.  Pour out the water and floating bits, and eat!

2.  Juice the pomegranate (you’ll never drink the stuff in the jar again)

Again, cut shallowly around the pomegranate, dividing it into about 4 sections (depending on size).  Pull the fruit apart with your hands (underwater if you want to stay clean).  Using a hand-held  juicer – one made for oranges or grapefruit – insert the sections of pomegranate and squeeze.  You may have to reposition each section and squeeze twice … and this could be messy, so wear an apron or cover yourself with a towel.  Warning: this fresh juice tastes nothing like what you can buy at the store … you might get addicted!

Want to use even more of the fruit?  Apparently, ancient Romans used pomegranate rinds as a form of leather … hmmmm ….

Addicted to Acai Bowls!

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acaibowlI was lucky enough to spend most of October in Hawaii on business … and lucky enough to stay in a hotel that was right next to the most amazing little acai joint called Basik Acai (a don’t-miss if you’re in Kona!).

I came home virtually addicted to these nutritional-powerhouse bowls of goodness (Dr. Oz: “Acai is a powerful antioxidant. Colorful dark foods like red wine, pomegranates, concord grapes, blueberries — they call them brain berries — are full of nutrients.”), and since there isn’t an acai bowl source anywhere near my home in Atlanta, I had to figure out how to make them on my own.  Luckily, they’re simple if you have a Vitamix, and you can have fun playing around with loads of different ingredients.

TO MAKE:

Using a strong blender, blend the following until creamy but still frozen:

Frozen unsweetened pulp packets: Whole Foods sells the frozen Sambazon-brand pulp, but I’ve discovered I like Amafruits (which you have to order online) a little better – seems like less water, more fruit.  I use 1.5 – 2 packets per bowl, but experiment to see what you like.

Liquid:  Just about anything you want, but I really like coconut water, coconut milk, homemade cashew milk, and/or greek yogurt.

Other frozen fruit:  For me, frozen bananas (at least a bit) are a must – they make the texture nice and silky.  Mangoes are also nice.

Whatever else you want to blend in!  I’ve used kale, edible green tea, peanut butter, almonds, cacao nibs, pomegranate, chia, and lots more.  Have fun!

Spoon this mixture into a bowl, and liberally top with chopped fresh fruits (papaya, banana, blueberries, strawberries … you get the idea).

Add texture with a sprinkling of granola, goji berries, crushed almonds, walnuts, unsweetened coconut, and/or flax seeds, etc.

Finish with a drizzle of fresh local honey or maple syrup if you like.  I don’t normally add sweetener to anything, but Acai pulp is unsweetened, so just a touch of honey or maple syrup really builds the flavor.

ENJOY!

Made today: Raw Cashew Dreamcake from My New Roots

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rawcashewdreamcakeraspberryI’m not a vegetarian, but find I generally feel better when I focus on non-meat food sources.  Today, I was out looking for ways to use up some cashew cream that I’d made, and stumbled onto the My New Roots blog’s Raw Cashew Dreamcake recipe.  Working with what I had on-hand, I had to substitute cranberries for the raspberries, but this was AMAZING.  Give it a try and let me know your thoughts!

Steath Health: Healthy Substitutions (that can make food taste better!)

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As I’ve said before, I’m NOT a fan of compromise …in any form, really, but particularly not in something as important as what I eat.  But there are a lot of simple substitutions you can make without even impacting the deliciousness of your favorite recipes … and sometimes even making them tastier!

Give these a try and let me know what you think:

  • Replace sodas with sparkling water.  Add muddled fruit for a flavor boost:  this time of year, try ginger and lemon, or fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice!
  • … 

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