One Week Gluten-free, Vegan Meal Plan

One Week Gluten-free, Vegan Meal Plan. This plan is designed for 1 person and can easily be multiplied accordingly.

Compost: things you can compost

Composting can be confusing when you get going. I feel the same way about my recycling bin but that’s a topic for another day.

Here is a quick guide as to what you can compost. I am in the process of learning how to compost on our tiny, little patio.

But if you are not into the diy project, at this point, here are a few others tips on not sending your compostable items to the landfill.

Many counties have a compost and yard waste bin that you can add to your weekly service. Check with your waste management service.

OR

You can check out to see if you have any local farmers at your Farmers’ Market that will accept your compost each week when you go to get your produce.

OR

You can see if you have local farms or farmers that may like it. There are many community gardens that would love to compost for you. All you have to do is be willing to drop it off.

Check out the guide below for things you can compost.

Happy Composting!

Instant Pot timing for Veggies

I think many people are on to the instant pot craze. It’s not a surprise that there are 1,000s of recipes. One thing I struggled with when it came to my instant pot was quick timing for veggies. I use the instant pot on days my time is limited but then found myself looking up the timing for veggies on a regular basis SO enter this quick guide to instant pot timing for veggies. I printed it and put it on the inside of our instant pot cabinet door and it has been so nice to have.

How kids can help in the kitchen

Eating is an everyday thing. Making meals is some how, some way incorporated into every single day. How can your kids help? What can they do while you cook? While a child running the show at the stove is not an age-appropriate task, there are many things that your kids can do in the kitchen to help prepare a meal.

The way digestion works is that it starts north, in the brain, and it is no different for your kids. Hearing the pan sizzle, seeing the vibrant colors of the veggies, smelling the bacon cook in the pan, feeling the textures, and finally tasting the food, are all part of the process. The goal is the to get the kids in the kitchen BUT where do you start? Below are age-appropriate tasks that kids can help with in the kitchen.

This is a win-win: 1) you get help in the kitchen 2) kids learn about the digestive process 3) kids learn about nutrition

Now, when you first get started, it is going to take more time and patience from you but it will get better. There will be spills, veggies cut the wrong way, and dinner served a few minutes late, but in the the long run this will be a huge benefit for the entire family!

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How to get kids in the kitchen

7 tips for meal planning while staying at home

I know there are many that have had their lives turned upside down with the recent pandemic. We are “fish out of water” in a lot of ways. It’s not that these schedules are bad, they are new, and they are a change to our routine. Here are 7 tips to help you stay sane while you navigate work-from-home, school-from-home or just stay-at-home routines.

Click below for the PDF and printable version.

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4 ways to lower your sugar intake

It’s a pretty well-known fact that we don’t need sugar to survive. We don’t gain any essential minerals, vitamins, or fats from sugar. Here are 4 easy ways to lower your sugar today.

1) Less sugar in your coffee

            How much sugar do you add to your coffee? The powdery white stuff is easy to spot but let’s talk about creamer. The average creamer has 5g of added sugar per tablespoon. Whoa, that really adds up when you consider that most people don’t just add one tablespoon. Question, do you like the taste of coffee or do you like creamer with a little coffee? I understand, I like milk alternatives in my coffee and there is no way I will be giving up my oat milk cappuccino anytime soon. 

At home: Easy transition is to start lowering the amount you put in or get out a tablespoon and measure and then take away a little bit each day until you reach your desired amount. Measuring is a true eye-opener for me.

Recipe: Cashew milk is the creamiest and easiest to make. 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked overnight in water. Strain. Add 4 cups water and blend on high for one minute. Store in the refrigerator.

At the store: Search for lower sugar products and try them out. We are lucky that alternative options are in abundance now. If you can tolerate dairy, switch from creamer to half-and-half or whipping cream. If you can’t tolerate dairy, Oat and cashew milk are my favorite. They are the creamiest and best for frothing. While the milks at the store don’t always have the best oils in their milks, it is a alternative to making it at home. Plus, you can find these alternatives out and about quite frequently.

If you are used to a mocha or adding chocolate to your coffee, Further Foods has a chocolate reishi mushroom + collagen peptide powder that is amazing. Blends well with milk and coffee plus gives you all the benefits of collagen and reishi mushrooms.

2. Less sugar in your condiments

            Have you flipped the bottles of condiments over lately? Ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, relish, or salsa. Sugar can add up quickly when you glaze over the amount hidden in our everyday condiments. I was in complete shock the first time I realized how much added sugar is in ketchup. When I was younger, I swear I used veggies as a vehicle for ketchup. Not to say that you should live a life without BBQ chicken but there are options for less sugar.

Ketchup- 4 g per 1 tablespoon

BBQ sauce- up to 16g per 2 tablespoons

Relish- 4 g of added sugar per serving

At home: Flip over your bottles of condiments and look to see how many grams of sugar or added sugar in your products. Look at the list of ingredients, is sugar the first, second, or third ingredient? Do you know all the names of sugar to identify them? There are over 98 names for added sugar.

Use a measuring spoon when needed to know exactly how much you are consuming and dispose of any products you are not wanting to consume.

Learn to make your favorite condiments at home. It will take a few ingredients and time to learn but worth it in the end. We have a local brunch spot that sells their homemade ketchup and whoa, it is so worth it. You could always look for a local, small business to support.

No-Sugar Ketchup

6 oz Tomato Paste

1 cup water

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

¾ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp mustard powder

1 tsp sea salt

Whisk all ingredients together and simmer for 30 minutes until thickened to your liking.

At the store: Flip over your bottles and jars. Yes, this is time consuming, at first, but it will get easier and faster. You will quickly find companies that are trying to use honorable ingredients and less sugar in their products.

Primal kitchen has great options. They have ketchup, barbecue sauce, and steak sauce.

Be aware that some of the sugar-free options then add artificial sugars which DO NOT help lower blood glucose levels, in the long run. They can negatively impact your digestive tract and gut bacteria.

3) Less sugar in your salad dressings and salad toppings

            Here is another one that quickly gets out of control. How much salad dressing do you use? The recommended servings or more? And how much sugar is in the toppings of dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and crunchy croutons?

Dried cranberries- 17 g of added sugar per ¼ cup

Glazed walnuts- 11g of added sugar

At home: Use less! That’s the first tip. I remember my favorite salad used to be spinach with glazed walnuts, dried cranberries and honey balsamic dressing. No wonder! Think veggie toppings for replacement or addition. Cucumbers, tomatoes, radish, carrots, mushrooms, avocado, and onions. For dressing, consider the way you “toss” your salad. Put your toppings and lettuce in a bowl with a lid, place the lid on top and give it a good shake. This is a more effective way to SPREAD the dressing you are using.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/3 c Apple Cider Vinegar (I like Bragg’s)

1/2 c avocado or olive oil

3-4 tsp dijon mustard (I like a more mustard-y taste)

1 tsp garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste.

OXO sells a great dressing shaker- they have a big and small. I use the big one at home and use the small one for travel, work or going to a friend’s house.

At the store: Look for the added sugar and the type of oil used in the dressing you typically buy. There is a reason why there is a big price difference among salad dressings. It can be found in the ingredient list.

Primal kitchen makes a few of my favorites, including, ranch and Caesar. Tessemae’s and Bragg’s makes great dressing, too.

4) Less sugar in your snack bars

One of the most popular items, in the last few years, has been the increase in snack bars, granola bars and protein bars. In a world of convenience, they rank somewhere up at the top. The problem is that they can be loaded with fillers ingredients, added sugar, on top of which, they have caused a big problem for teeth by causing cavities (That’s just a side note from my hygiene world.) So where can you find the 1) convenience 2) shelf-stable 3) great flavor that are gained from throwing a snack bar in your bag?

At home: Your best bet is to split the bar in half. Remember your body can only handle 5g of sugar at a time so splitting it in half can help to bridge to gap between leaving work and arriving home to get dinner started or get you through the one-hour gym class you wanted to attend. Trust me, I have used them often at work because trying to eat an apple and almond butter on a 10-minute break is not always feasible. Do you have access to a refrigerator? Sliced nitrate-free turkey rolled up with cheese or in lettuce can provide protein and fat. Add a container of mixed nuts to your work station or drawer for easy access when you need a snack.

At the store: Buy mixed nuts instead. When you eat a protein bar you are, of course, trying to get protein but most of the time you are buying “time or fuel” to get to your next meal. I typically see clients use them as a snack. The fat and protein in a handful of mixed nuts is going to get you further without your blood sugar spiking from the additional “fillers”, or even dried fruit sugars, in premade bars.

If you need to buy bars, here are a few of my favorites: Think Thin, Oatmega and GoMarco bars. Look for less than 5g of sugar per bar or serving.

Sugar is everywhere and it can easily sneak into our routine and it adds up quickly! Learning more about the products you use daily will help you make decisions to lower sugar. I challenge you to look at labels. Need help? Don’t be afraid to ask.

Enjoy!

97 names for SUGAR

97 NAMES FOR SUGAR

As if tracking ingredients was not enough, there are over 97 names for sugar. Here is a complied list for you to use as you search ingredients. Here you can download a PDF for your convenience.

Agave

Agave Nectar

Anhydrous dextrose

Barbados sugar

Barley malt

Barley malt syrup

Beet sugar

Blackstrap molasses

Brown sugar

Buttered syrup

Cane Juice

Cane Juice crystals

Cane juice solids

Cane Sugar

Cane Syrup

Caramel

Carob Syrup

Castor sugar

Coconut palm sugar

Coconut sugar

Confectioner’s sugar

Corn Sweetener

Corn Syrup

Corn Syrup solids

Crystalline fructose

Date sugar

Dehydrated cane juice

Demerara sugar

Dextran

Dextrin

Dextrose

Diastatic malt

Diatase

Dried Oat syrup

Ethyl maltol

Evaporated cane juice crystals

evaporated cane juice

Evaporated cane syrup

Evaporated sugar cane

Florida crystals

Fruit juice

Fruit juice concentrate

Fruit juice crystals

Galactose

Glazing sugar

Glucose

Glucose solids

Glucose syrup

Golden Syrup

Golden sugar

Granulated sugar

Grape sugar

Gum syrup

High-fructose corn syrup

Honey

Icing sugar

Invert sugar

Invert syrup

King’s syrup

Lactose

Malt sugar

Malt syrup

Maltodextrin

Maltol

Maltose

Mannose

Maple syrup

Maple sugar

Molasses

Muscovado sugar

Nectar

Palm sugar

Pancake syrup

Powdered sugar

Raw sugar

Refiner’s syrup

Rice syrup

Saccharose

Simple syrup

Sorbitol

Sorghum

Sorghum syrup

Sucanat

Sucrose

Sugar

Superfine sugar

Sweet sorghum

Syrup

Treacle

Turbinado sugar

White sugar

Xylose

Yellow sugar

3 apps to help relax your mind

I know, best self-care (for lack of a better term) is probably spent off your phone BUT there are many apps that can actually help us relax. We utilize technology in so many aspects of our lives. Why not now? Amidst very stressful times for many, here are my 3 favorite apps to help relax my mind.

1) Headspace - The app includes teaching you how to meditate. Seems like a foreign thing for many people to learn but meditation has more benefits than turning off the “noise” for a few minutes. It allows for a daily internal check-in, allows you to let go of emotions. Meditation is great for increasing the quality of your sleep, increasing your metabolism, increasing brain function and reducing aging. New to meditation? Headspace helps you start with just 2-3 minutes at a time.

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2. Peloton- Before you write me off as crazy for using this app to relax, I am referring to the YOGA section of the app. While I do love this app for exercise, and that helps many people relax, I use it for the yoga, meditation and stretching classes. Talk about an all-around great app for everything from stretching to walking to cycling, they have it all. Yes, there is a monthly fee but it is well worth it and you can join any of the classes. You don’t have to have the peloton bike to enjoy this app and gain so much from it.

When I train at the gym and there is no cycle class going on, I use the peloton app, my ipad and my airpods. I can join a live class going on somewhere else in the world and it is amazing how you can feel the energy of the other riders without being in the same room. Pretty cool. It’s the same for the stretching and yoga classes.

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3. Happy Color- Kids color, right? It has become a trend for adults to have coloring books, too. This virtual paint-by-color app seems a bit far fetched from the real deal and I actually second guessed a family member for even introducing this to me and then I gave it a shot. Wow, I was impressed by the relaxing effect the task at hand really did elicit. It was great. So I use this when I am waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for a doctors appointment, waiting for a family member to run into the store. 5-10 minutes at a time and it really does help calm me. I was the kid that needed the playdough and stress ball in class to listen so go figure that this mindless activity works.

Jicama Fries

Jicama Fries

Jicama Fries. Okay, if you are anything like me…giving up french fries for a healthier lifestyle with better oils was not easy. To be honest, at in-n-out I still slip some of the time and just pay the price for fried french fries.

Some people are soft french fry people and some are crunchy french fry people. My grammy was always the best to go out to get burgers and fries because she loved the crunchy ones and I loved the squishy one. This was a match made in heaven, so I thought. You can skip the steaming process to have crunchy fries.

These jicama fries have changed the way we make fries at home. They are easy to make, great for a snack or addition to a meal.

Start by gathering a sheet pan and cooling rack. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Start with jicama sticks or whole jicama. Trader Joe’s, WholeFoods and our local co-op sell jicama in prepared sticks which saves you on prep time. If you can’t find those, you are more than welcome to peel and cut the jicama into 1/2 - 3/4 inch sticks.

Once they are cut, place strips into a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes. If you don’t have a microwave (we don’t), you can steam them on the stovetop for 7-8 minutes to reach the same desired tenderness. If you skip this process of steaming, you will have crunchier jicama fries.

Remove sticks from microwave or stovetop, place in large bowl and toss with avocado oil and spices.

Get a sheet pan and place a cooling rack on it. Any wired rack with work. You want them to be able to cook throughly. Arrange sticks on the cooling rack.

Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees or until crispy. Enjoy!

Jicama Fries

·       1lb. sliced Jicama

·       2 tbsp Avocado Oil

·       1tsp Sea Salt

·       1 tsp Tumeric

·       1 tsp Paprika

·       ½ tsp Chili Powder

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and fit it with a cooling rack. (this helps with baking and clean up)

2.     Place the jicama strips in a microwave-safe bowl Add two tablespoons of water. Cover, and microwave for 15 minutes, stopping once to gently stir. (If you don’t have a microwave, don’t worry. You can can steam them on the stove top for 7 mins)

3.     In large bowl, toss the jicama fries with the avocado oil and the spices. Arrange on the cooling rack.

4.     Bake for 45 minutes or until browned.

5.     Serve immediately

Enjoy!

Baked Mini Apple Pies in Rice Paper

Okay, these sound funny but are so delicious. The great thing is that these are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and egg-free but not flavor-free. They taste cinnamon-y and are so festive for fall and winter.

Use them for friendsgiving, a dinner party or for a festive snack.

Start with a mixture of different apples. About 5-6 apples will be plenty. The kind man, at the farmers’ market, helped me pick out a mixture of Braeburn, Jonathon, and golden delicious apples.

Jonathon, Braeburn + Golden Delicious

Peel and slice apples into a bowl. You are going to want them to be sliced thinly so it makes wrapping them a little easier. My friend and I reminisced how our moms used to use a apple peeler with a crank that made it so much faster but 8 apples weren’t so bad.

To your bowl, add 1/2 cup organic brown sugar (not my first sugar choice but maple syrup would be too runny to stay in the wraps). I use Wholesome organic brown sugar.

Add 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have this- use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom or a mixture of these)

Mix sugar, apples and spice together.

Spread a thin layer of coconut oil on the sheet pan and have ready to go for your apple pie rolls.

Take your rice paper sheets (I find these in the Asian specialties section of the grocery store) and soak in warm water for about 30 seconds each. Soak them one at a time and as you go so they do not stick together or get mushy.

I set one soaked sheet on the counter and fill with 3-4 apple slices. Fold up the bottom and then the side and roll upward to form a “roll.”

Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way through

Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Flip them half way through the time.

Top with ice cream or whipped cream for a delicious dessert!

Baked Mini Apple Pies in Rice Paper

Ingredients:

1 sheet pan

4-6 apples

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1 tbsp coconut oil (or another cooking oil)

1 package of rice paper sheets (they are normally circular)

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Peel and slice apples into a bowl.

3. Add brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice and mix together

4. Soak each rice paper sheet for 30 seconds-1 minute. Set on clean surface. Scoop 3-4 apple slices on sheet and fold into a roll.

5. Brush sheet pan with coconut oil to avoid sticking.

6. Bake for 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way through.

7. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

5 Essential Kitchen Gadgets

In the kitchen, there are a thousand tools that could clutter your space. Tools like a strawberry huller and a corn silk remover, not all are created equal and not all are completely worth the drawer space and money. Trust me, I have owned and then cleared many over the years. There are 5 essential tools that I love and use to make meal prep and lunch on-the-go a much easier part of my day. These have earned a valuable corner in the drawer and a valuable space on my top 5.

5 ESSENTIAL KITCHEN GADGETS

5 Essential Kitchen Gadgets (plus, they make perfect gifts for a friend)

 Avocado 3-in-1 tool

 Herb shears

 Lime/Lemon juicer

 Zoodle spiralizer

Garlic rocker

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Avocado 3-in-1 tool

The avocado 3-in-1 tool IS a game changer. You can buy it here. When I switched to eating a higher fat, lower carb lifestyle, avocado became a regular star in meals. We eat avocado at least 3x a week and this tool slices the avocado evenly and saves time. Beware the tool is hard to clean once the avocado dries so wash it right away.

Herb shears

This tool is hands down my absolute favorite. Who likes to finely chop herbs? Sage, mint, rosemary…to name a few. Don’t all speak up at once…no one likes to chop green onions or dill. These shears finely and evenly chop a variety or things from basil for pasta sauce to cilantro for tacos. Easy to use, dishwasher safe. This one is a wonderful gift for your foodie friend.

Lime/Lemon juicer

There are two different sizes of this tool: green for limes and yellow for lemons. Buy them here.

I do have to admit that the first 3 times I used this tool the wrong way, so let me spare you. Cut your lemon or lime in half and place the fruit facing down into the juicer. (see picture below) Press the squeezer down with two hands and, boom, you have juice. Great for adding citrus to drinks, sauces, guacamole, dips, lemon water. So many options for using this tool.

Zoodle spiralizer

For a long time we used the veggetti tool to make zoodles. Great option but this spiralizer has been easier to clean and you can spiralize carrots, squash, beets and zucchini. Simply cut off the ends of the vegetable and twist through the spiralizer to make “noodles.” You can top noodles with sauce, make into eggs nests for brunch, drop into soups, or create a stir-fry. Spiralized “noodles” cooked extremely fast so it makes them wonderful for quick meal prep.

Garlic rocker

This one is not hard to figure out but does save a lot of time and is very easy to clean. Peel garlic and place under rocker. Rock back and forth until garlic is finely minced. Done and done!

Joseph Joseph is at the top of my list when it comes to clever kitchen gadgets.

In summary, here are a few of my favorite things…(I hear Sound of Music in my head when I say that aloud.)

Let me know what your favorite kitchen items are in the comments below.