Smoothies to the Rescue

Who has time for a nutrient breakfast these days??? Trying to fit in all the things in the morning can cause me SO MUCH STRESS! I have tried to de-stress my mornings by making nutrient dense smoothies for me and all the men/boys in house. Here are my top 3 smoothies for an on-the-go morning! I also LOVE the Chocolate Cherry Smoothie recipe (see post).

REMEMBER to always chew your liquids. Chewing activates enzymes to assist with proper digestion.

I hope you enjoy!

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk

  • 1/4 cup Fresh Or Frozen Organic Blueberries

  • 1/4 cup Frozen Organic Chopped Spinach

  • 1 tbsp Organic Chia Seeds

  • 2 tbsps Unsweetened Organic Shredded Coconut

  • 1 scoop Vital Proteins Vanilla Collagen Peptides Powder

  • 2 tbsps Organic Raw Coconut Oil

  • 1 tsp Organic Acai Powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all the ingredients into a blender, blend, and enjoy!

Salted Caramel Nut Brittle

Salted Caramel Nut Brittle

Salted Caramel Nut Brittle

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk

  • 1/2 cup Frozen Organic Cauliflower

  • 1 tbsp Organic Chia Seeds

  • 1 tbsp Organic Almond Butter

  • 1 scoop Vital Proteins Vanilla Collagen Peptides Powder

  • 1-2 Pitted Organic Dates

  • Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Put all the ingredients into a blender, except salt, blend, pour into a glass, top with a sprinkle of salt, and enjoy!

TropiKale Madness Smoothie

TropiKale Madness Smoothie

TropiKale Madness Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk

  • 1/2 cup Full-Fat Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk

  • 1/2 cup Frozen Organic Cauliflower

  • 1/4 cup Organic Chopped Kale

  • 1 tbsp Organic Chia Seeds

  • 1/4 cup Frozen Organic Mango

  • 1 scoop Vital Proteins Vanilla Collagen Peptides Powder

  • 1 tbs Organic Coconut Butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all the ingredients into a blender, blend, and enjoy!




I Am Exhausted...And Now I Need to Figure Out Dinner?!

MY GUIDE TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR MEALS AND AVOID THE STRESS!

After a long day of working, parenting, and driving kids around to various practices the VERY LAST thing I want to do is figure out what to make my family for dinner. I actually LOVE cooking and preparing meals, but having 30 minutes to get food on the table before my kids have a breakdown and not having anything prepared or purchased, I would get so much anxiety and resentment toward feeding my family.

If I am not prepared, we end up eating out and spending way too much money on food that just doesn’t make the cut nutritionally. I can tell you that for a while, when I was not planning and prepared, we became frequent Chipotle and In-N-Out customers. As a Nutritional Therapist, I would cringe every time I didn’t have a meal planned and took the kids to eat something less than optimal. I am not saying that Chipotle or In-N-Out are terrible options (there are way worse choices we could make), but it is no where near what I could be feeding my family if I put a little more thought into meal planning and preparing for busy weeks.

If you have been following me on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK, you know I have been highlighting some recipes and tips for meal planning, but I wanted to give you my absolute top tips for setting myself up for success.

TOP THREE TIPS & TRICKS FOR MEAL PLANNING

THREE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MEAL PLANNING

THREE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MEAL PLANNING

TIP 1 - PLAN ON FRIDAY

I used to plan on Sunday night or Monday, but this ALWAYS failed me. I would get busy getting the kids ready for school, making sure laundry was done for everyone, and I tried to enjoy my last few hours of peace before the chaos of the week took over so meal planning was never going to be my priority on a Sunday afternoon. When I switched my planning day to Friday I was able to create a plan and set it aside all weekend. When I plan I also make sure I have a grocery list ready on Friday night. If my list is ready, I have the option to go shop over the weekend, have Amazon Prime deliver my groceries, or even go Sunday night or Monday morning without it causing me huge amounts of stress. Having a plan going into the weekend was the NUMBER ONE thing that changed my attitude toward meal planning.

TIP 2 - COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE

I almost always make extra dinner so I can enjoy it again the next day for lunch. Make once, eat twice is such a great way to make sure I don’t eat junk for lunch or just graze on snacks all day. I can also make sure I get a nutrient dense meal in without the stress. If you are not a fan of leftovers, I suggest chopping a bunch of veggies up on prep day and prepare a variety of delicious salads. Again, cook once, eat twice…or more.

TIP 3 - LEAVE ONE FREE DAY

I like to visually see that I have one day where I have the option to eat out OR eat leftovers. I am not a fan of food waste so if we have one or two meals where something is not planned, but we have some leftovers in the fridge, we will enjoy and make sure there is no waste. Also, life happens, various things pop up like business dinners, team fundraisers, school fundraisers, or team dinners and then I just need to rearrange a planned meal to my free day. Making room for one free day leaves planning a bit more flexible for my busy family.

Meal planning has helped our family not want to go out to eat, has taken the stress of cooking a meal off of me, and has helped us enjoy family time around the table. Meal planning for me is not just about dinner, but also about our breakfasts and lunches during the week. This past week, it was just me and the boys as my husband was on a business trip. I planned 19 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) and left 2 days and one meal open. I went grocery shopping, minus a few pantry items I have in my house, and spent $3.50 per person on each meal. You cannot beat that. All meals and snacks were nutrient dense, organic whole foods that I can feel good about feeding my growing kids.

STILL NOT CONVINCED THAT YOU CAN MEAL PLAN? I have three options that can help jump start your planning. I have a 28-day Paleo Plan, a 28-day Plant-Based Plan, or a 28-day Personalized Plan you can purchase today. The Paleo and Plant-Based plans are both available for you to download today. Get started on your health journey today! You can do it!

Shawarma Salad Bowls

I struggle to get a proper lunch in these days. Between juggling all the various aspects of life, getting a properly prepared, nutrient-dense lunch does not happen (confessions of a holistic nutritionist!) unless I meal plan and prep. One of my favorite go-to’s for a quick, easy, delicious, and nutrient packed lunch are these Chicken Shawarma Salad Bowls. I prep about 4 of these and keep them in glass tupperware in my fridge. When I do this prep on a Sunday evening, my work week and mom week becomes less hectic, more manageable, and I feel good knowing I am taking care of and feeding my body well. I hope you enjoy!

Shawarma Salad Bowl makes lunching easy and healthy!

Shawarma Salad Bowl makes lunching easy and healthy!

Shawarma Salad Bowls

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lbs Chicken Thighs (diced into cubes)

  • 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

  • 1.5 tsp Black Pepper

  • 1 tsp Cinnamon

  • 2 tsp Turmeric

  • 2 tbsps Cumin

  • 4 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • Organic Arugula

  • 1 pint of Organic Cherry Tomatoes

  • 1 English Cucumber (diced)

  • 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)

  • 1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)

  • 1/4 cup Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing, plus extra

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Cumin, and Avocado Oil in a medium sized bowl. Add the chicken and coat the chicken well. Set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken in a single layer leaving a little space in between each piece to brown. Depending on size of the skillet you may need to do this in two to three batches.

Combine Tomatoes, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, and Parsley with Primal Kitchen Italian dressing. This is a delicious side salad in by itself.

Divide the lettuce into bowls or into glass snapware. You’ll find a link below for my favorite set. Top each salad with cooked chicken and the tomato/cucumber mixture. Outside of the dressed tomato/cucumber mixture I do not dress the salads until I am ready to eat. When ready, drizzle a little Primal Kitchen dressing and enjoy!

Portobello Burgers

My kids love, love, love burgers and with my youngest sensitive to gluten helping him find the right substitute for this favorite food has been tricky. I started making this recipe a couple months ago and it is a family hit. My older son may opt to just lettuce wrap this burger sometimes, but when they tell me it's better than In-N-Out burger, I feel like it's a win!

Portobello Burger with Grass-fed Ground Beef from Primal Pastures

Portobello Burger with Grass-fed Ground Beef from Primal Pastures

Portobello Burgers

Makes 2 Servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb ground beef

  • 2 portobello mushrooms

  • 1 onion, sliced

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1/2 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning mushrooms

  • 1/4 tsp pepper, plus extra for seasoning mushrooms

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tbs mayonnaise

  • avocado, bacon, arugula, fried egg, for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a small ovenproof dish with some ghee. Rub the top cap of the portobello mushrooms with a little bit of ghee and sprinkle salt and pepper onto the mushrooms. Season both the top and the inside of each mushroom.  Place the mushrooms gill side down in the dish and roast for 12 minutes.

In a bowl, combine ground beef with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.  Divide the ground beef into three patties (the last patty can be used in a leftover salad or for breakfast).  Throw burgers on a preheated grill or in a cast iron skillet. Cook to medium or to doneness of your liking.

While burgers are grilling sauté the onion in a pan with some ghee until the onions caramelize. Add the minced garlic and cook until garlic is slightly golden.

Place the cooked mushrooms on a plate, gill side up, spread some mayonnaise on the gills, top with the burger, caramelized onions, and other topping you'd like to add.

TIP

Third burger patty can top a salad the next day for lunch. 

Simple Roast Chicken

This recipe is a staple in our house. It's pretty much foolproof and one of my favorite basics when I'm unmotivated or unsure about what to make for dinner. Serve it with a simple salad, roasted veggies, or steamed green beans with lots of ghee or butter. The kids go crazy over the perfectly seasoned and crispy skin and because you season the butter or ghee before sliding it in between the skin and the meat, the meat is tender, juicy, and seasoned to perfection. Yum! Hope your family loves this recipe as much as mine. 

Organic Roast Chicken with Green Beans

Organic Roast Chicken with Green Beans

Simple Roast Chicken

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (4-5 lb) roasting chicken

  • 1 lemon, zest and quartered

  • 1 onion, quartered

  • 3 tbs ghee (or 5 tbs of cold butter cut into 5 pieces)

  • 3 tsps sea salt

  • 2 tsps granulated garlic

  • 1 tsps pepper

  • 1 tbs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

  • 2 tsps fresh sage leaves, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine salt, granulated garlic, pepper, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, and sage. Set aside.

Remove and discard the chicken giblets (can save this for stock if you'd like to). Pat the outside dry. Sprinkle a little bit of the herb mixture into the cavity. Separate the skin from the breast meat and stuff with ghee (or butter) and herb mixture (for best results combine the ghee and herb mixture or roll the cold pieces of butter in the seasoning). Do the same with the thigh meat and skin. Rub the whole bird with ghee and sprinkle with herb mixture.

Stuff the cavity with the quartered lemon and onion.

Use leftover butter or ghee and rub the skin with butter and sprinkle remainder of the seasoning mix all over the bird.

Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with rack.

Place the chicken into the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh or thickest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone reads 165 degrees with and instant read thermometer or meat thermometer.  Remove the chicken to a platter, cover, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

TIPS

-You can roast two chickens at the same time. No increase in time to cook is necessary.

-Use the carcass to make chicken bone broth.  

-Leftover chicken can be used for leftover salads.