Kitchen Nutrition & Recipes

Let’s make this 2017 different. Let’s do this for real. Let’s commit to something that is realistic, personal, really worthwhile and attainable! Improving your health!

The is one thing I would like you to know before you decide to “go on another diet” as your 2017 New Year’s Resolution:

YOUR METABOLISM IS NOT A CALCULATOR!! It is not a chemistry set, and it doesn’t know what raising a gram of water 1 degree means…. (this is the actual definition of a caloric unit) This measurement is used to measure the energy released by food during digestion. It doesn’t take into account the quality of the food, whether or not there is any nutrient value to the food or the strength or weakness of digestion.

Counting calories, cutting out carbs or fat doesn’t work. Doing this and expecting the body to respond in a linear & predictable manner is pointless. It may work for a short while, but how many times do we want short term results?

This approach often causes the metabolism to be a little “irritated.” Irritated as in it starts to hold on to everything you eat because you’ve sent it into a state of panic. It does not work and science has proven it over and over again. 95% of people who follow this approach regain the weight and 66% end up even heavier. And the number on the scale is honestly not the best measure of health anyway. Having a body that is well nourished and strong and is able to carry you through your life’s activities with energy and vitality IS!

In order to get real results, you have to understand how YOUR body really works. This is a continuous learning process. Each of us are individuals with unique genetic dispositions and histories. Every part of who you are needs to come to the table to make your nutritional program complete. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat well. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat junk. Be mindful and eat consciously.

Three Simple Ways to improve your health this year:
1. Take the time to read labels, not only the nutritional label, but the ingredient list. Ingredients are foods and spices. This is not a place for chemicals. If you don’t know what it is, where it comes from or how to pronounce it, toss those “food substances” out!

2. Commit to choosing real, whole, unprocessed food. Plan your meals. This is the way to nourish your body and not just eat whatever is convenient.

3. Move your body. Grand County offers so many great winter activities. Try something new. Keep going until you find the ones you love. Snowshoe, ski, ice skating, spin class, Pilates, kick-boxing, and YOGA of course!

Ingredients

• 3 cups organic mixed greens
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 green onion, chopped
• small handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced thin
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• sprinkle of sesame seeds
• freshly grated black pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon tahini
• Mix ingredients together.  Toss with your greens.

• ¼ cup canned coconut milk
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ½ tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. raw honey
• 2 Tbsp. Bragg’s amino acids or Coconut aminos (good substitute for soy sauce)
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Combine all ingredients into a mason jar with a lid and shake vigorously to combine.  So easy and soooooo good!

I make this salad/slaw to top a bed of spinach and add grilled chicken to make a whole dinner

Ingredients:

• 1 fennel bulb sliced thinly
• ½ small red onion sliced thinly
• 1 cup fresh orange juice- 1 -2 oranges with seeds removed
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp exta virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp. pure maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
• 1 sprig of fresh marjoram chopped (can use 1 tsp of ground if you have to)
• 2 bunches of watercress stemmed ( I use the whole thing)
• ¼ cup unsalted walnuts (toasted lightly on stove)

In large blow combine the fennel, onion, orange juice, vinegar, oil, maple syrup salt, pepper and marjoram, toss and let sit 10-15 min.

Add the watercress and walnuts to the fennel mix toss lightly and put over the spinach and serve.

Yeah!  Love this one.  I sometimes use extra Orange juice for more dressing.

• 1 sm. Frozen banana – or ½ of a larger one
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 2/3 plant milk of choice (I like almond or cashew)
• ¼ cup. Plain organic Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. organic maple syrup, Grade B or C
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp fresh grated ginger (can use more to taste)
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. shredded unsweetened coconut

Blend up and enjoy!

Recipe adapted by Lisa Turan from Emma Frisch
Even those who say they don’t like hummus are pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
• Rutabaga – 3 cups rough chopped
• 1 can organic garbanzo beans
• Carrots – 1 cup rough chopped
• Tahini – 1/4 cup tahini (optional)
• Garlic – 2 tablespoons chopped
• Fresh Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons
• White miso – Optional: 1 tablespoon
• Extra Virgin Olive oil – 2 tablespoons

For Garnish

• Sesame seeds – 1 teaspoon, toasted
• Red pepper flakes – 1 teaspoon
• Sea salt – 1 teaspoon

1. Fill a medium pot with water and salt it generously. Taste the water – it should taste like the ocean.  Add the rutabaga and carrots, and bring to a boil until fork-tender-about 10-15 minutes.
2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables from the pot to a food processor. Set the broth aside and use to thin the hummus if needed. You can save (will freeze just fine) to make homemade soup.
3. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and miso to the food processor. Puree.
4. While blending, slowly pour olive oil in until you have a smooth consistency. If the hummus is too thick, add a tablespoon of the vegetable broth at a time.
5. Garnish with a small swirl of olive oil and sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and sea salt.

One of my favorite things about being a Holistic Nutrition Consultant is being able to share what I know with others. I love introducing people to what they can create in their own kitchens. Everything you eat is a choice. Everything you eat has a consequence. It will either build your health or contribute to disease. Eating for your health doesn’t have to be painful. Cooking and creating good healthy meals can not only be fun, but delicious! Each one of us is different. There truly is not a one-size-fits-all diet. It just takes a little time and your attention to figure out what works best for you and your body.

Here are a few tricks, tips, and myth-busters to get you started looking and feeling your best.

Myth #1: You need a kitchen full of fancy and expensive equipment to prepare healthy meals.

Truth is the only special tool you need is a basic blender.

Myth #2: You can’t afford to eat healthy.

The truth is that you either spend the money now on good clean ingredients or you will spend it down the road at the DR.’s office. There are simple ways to save money at the grocery store. Stop buying the processed and nutrient deficient food items. If your cart isn’t full of Doritos, white bread, and soda, you’ll have more to spend in the produce isle. Even better, you will feel better when you remove those “food” items from your diet.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Eat real, whole, food in their natural state, or at least as close as possible to its natural state. Nature doesn’t use wrappers. Use whole grains instead of those processed and bleached into flour. Eat the whole fruit and not just the juice. You need the fiber to slow down the impact on your blood sugar.
2. Eat your vegetables either raw or lightly steamed to retain the nutrients.
3. Swap out your white pasta with brown rice pasta (Tinkyada brand holds together the best).
4. Choose wild caught fish over farm raised. Farmed fish often has added food coloring to make it look better.
5. Choose clean high quality fat every day. Raw nuts and seeds, extra virgin cold pressed oils and avocado are good choices.
6. Simplify your meals. Not only does it make meal prep faster, studies have shown that we eat less when there isn’t such a wide variety available at a meal. (Remember what happens at a buffet?) Choose just one dense food, like chicken, eggs, or pasta. Then fill the rest of the plate with non-starchy veggies. Read non-starchy as leafy greens! You can have a nice quality meat with a great salad or steamed vegetable and then skip the potato and/or bread.
7.  Quality of food rules quantity. There is a reason that you can eat an entire bag of chips and not feel full. If you choose wisely you will be providing your body with the nutrition it needs instead of dumping empty calories in and still needing more.

It is finally starting to feel like spring in Grand County! As the snow disappears our appetites begin to change with the season. We tend to crave lighter foods like salad versus big bowls of stew. A good rule of thumb in eating clean this spring is to include fresh fruit daily and veggies in every meal. You will have more energy, get your daily fiber, and the anti-oxidants prevent premature aging!

Every year the Environmental Working Group comes out with 2 lists to help us choose our produce most effectively. The 1^st list is of the most pesticide laden produce. Known as The Dirty Dozen, this list names the fruits and vegetables that, when grown with conventional methods, have been found to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residues by the time they hit the grocery store bins. The 2^nd list called The Clean 15, details the fruits and veggies with the lowest amount of pesticides. This is the lowest amount, not zero amounts. You still need to wash well prior to consuming.

Does it really matter? I guess that is a personal choice, but I think it does. No matter how well you wash your produce it is impossible to get all the residues off. It matters because there is an established link in the amount of stored toxins in the body to the amount of fat in the body. To simplify a more lengthy explanation that includes the strength or weakness of an individual’s digestion: The more toxins you store, the more fat you will have. To me, that matters.

The new list for 2016 just recently arrived. We work hard for our money. Use this list to spend your money on the organic options for the Dirty Dozen. To save some cash, purchase the Clean 15 as conventionally raised produce. Buying organic is a great way to eat clean, non GMO and nutrient packed food. By avoiding the dirty dozen, we can reduce our exposure to pesticide residues by 80%.

This year the dirty list has 2 additional items being listed as “dishonorable mentions”. If you are avoiding GMO versions, corn and papaya on the Clean 15 have been additionally marked GMO. Those should be purchased organic.

Here you go!

2016 Dirty Dozen in order of most pesticide amounts to least- best to purchase Organic.

• Strawberries
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Celery
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Sweet bell peppers
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers

+ Hot peppers and Kale/Collard greens as dishonorable mentions.

The Clean 15 2016- lowest levels of pesticides and safer to purchase non-organic varieties

• Avocados
• Sweet corn (GMO)
• Pineapple
• Cabbage
• Sweet peas
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Mangoes
• Papayas (GMO)
• Kiwi
• Eggplant
• Honeydew melon
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower