March Meal of the Month

March brings spring and that means lots of great produce is coming our way.  St. Patrick’s Day might be behind us, but it has inspired me to come up with a menu for this month that celebrates green and spring! Gluten free and meat free, this simple March Meal is light and flavorful.

Gluten Free Pesto Pasta with Oven Roasted Shrimp – The combination of shrimp and pesto always tastes good and by roasting the shrimp in the oven with a little garlic, you’ll be adding just enough extra yum to make this pasta dish a hit. My choice for the pasta is Tinkyada brand brown rice spirals, which is a great shape for the pesto to cling to in all the nooks and crannies.  Toss with this homemade pesto sauce.  Top your pasta with the oven-roasted shrimp and fresh grated parmesan.  My version (photo) uses "zoodles" (noodles made from zucchini with this nifty gadget) in place of pasta. 

Note:  if you’re in a hurry you can try Pasta Perfetto or Cibo Naturals brand pre-made pesto in the refrigerated fresh pasta section of your store.  If you choose a different brand, read the ingredients list before buying! Avoid those with whey protein isolate and soybean oil.

Herb Focaccia – Here is where I take a shortcut.  I buy a fresh baked focaccia loaf from the bakery department and then heat it in the oven. I serve plain, but offer a ‘dipping’ sauce of olive oil and Italian herbs on a small plate.  If you are gluten free, try Canyon Bakehouse’s Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia (usually in the freezer section of your store).

Snap Pea Spring Salad – spring means fresh sugar snap peas and these crunchy peas are great tossed into a salad with a bright tasting lemon dressing.  Simply add 1 ½ cups of fresh, cut up sugar snap peas to spinach, toasted slivered almonds and chopped cucumber. Toss with a dressing made of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dash of Dijon, salt and pepper. If you want a more formal snap pea recipe, check out this version by Bon Appetit.

More spring veggies to keep an eye out for include artichokes, asparagus, broccoli and green beans. What are your favorite greens for spring?

New for 2015!

One recurring request I’ve had is to post more dinner or main meal “clean eating” options.  It seems that breakfast and lunch are not the most challenging meals to keep clean and that the end of the day seems to be where healthy, clean eating habits are most often put to the test.

 In an effort to help you end your day on a good note (at least when it comes to food), I’m introducing “Meal of the Month” for 2015.  I’ll post a complete meal (with recipes or links to recipes) that incorporates the ideals of clean eating: organic grown, fresh, healthy fats and ingredients you recognize… and avoiding heavily processed and refined, factory made ingredients whenever possible.

Since February brings with it Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d start with a meal that includes a delicious dessert that won’t add guilt for indulging. This meal is a favorite around here and finds its way to our dinner table quite often.

Main: Turkey and Farro Zucchini Boats – This recipe is from Clean Eating and usually makes more filling than we can fit in the zucchini shells, which gives you leftovers for later. It says to soak the farro overnight, but 4-5 hours of soaking time will also work - just be sure to cook for about 20 mins. and taste test for doneness before you remove the farro from the stovetop in step 1.

Side: Roasted Green Bean ‘Fries’  - No recipe needed, just wash and trim organic green beans, then dry and lightly toss with a bit of olive oil.  Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Roast in a 400 degree F oven until they turn brown and wrinkly.  Serve hot and eat like fries.

Salad: Winter Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar dressing.  You can have a little fun with this one.  The recipe is more like a list of guidelines.  Start with your favorite salad greens (spinach?, arugula? mixed greens?) and add in sliced pears (or in-season fruit), toasted walnuts (or pecans), a bit of goat cheese (or feta) and some pomegranate seeds (or not).  Toss the mixture with a dressing of raw apple cider vinegar (full of health benefits!), extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Dessert: Baked Apples – Or baked pears. This recipe is from a previous post. Take the time to make your own whipped cream by whipping organic heavy cream with a bit of vanilla, some orange zest and a tablespoon of coconut sugar. 

There's a whole year ahead and many more meals to share... if you like what Grow in Wellness has to offer, please share with a friend.  Enjoy!

It's All About Food

October 24 is all about food... it’s Food Day! And just what is Food Day? It’s a day to inspire Americans to change their diets and fight for change to our nation’s food policies.

It’s no secret that our grocery stores are filled with too many processed, chemically enhanced and deceptively labeled food products.  Food Day is a reminder to pay attention to what you put in your body and to make eating Real Food a priority in your life. This movement also strives to bring awareness of the impact food-production policies have on our environment, our farms and our health.

Think you’re pretty good at choosing healthy meals and reducing environmental impact?  Click here to take the Food Literacy Quiz and see how you rate.

The FoodDay.org website is full of great ideas on how to make changes. It can be as simple as incorporating “Meatless Monday” into your life.  If you have kids, they have a Kids Cook Monday newsletter to get the kids in on the action, too. They have even partnered with Jamie Oliver to raise awareness about food education in schools (an area that desperately needs changing).

Celebrating Food Day is a great way to get started on making healthy eating a priority or it can be a day where you commit to eating food that comes from plants and to avoiding food that is made in factories. Make Food Day the first day of a yearlong journey into eating REAL FOOD!

 Here’s a healthy (and tasty) lentil soup recipe to get you started:

Lentil Soup
(adapted from Giada DiLaurentis’ lentil soup recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 package Trader Joe’s steamed, ready to eat lentils

11 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

2/3 cup dried brown rice elbow pasta

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and broccoli. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat and then drop temperature to simmer. Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

It's a Green Time of Year

In honor of March’s National Nutrition Month status, and St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk about something green. One of my earliest posts talked about the importance of greens for nutrition, but today I’d like to share with you a little info about one green SuperFood in particular  - Spinach. I’ve included a recipe that’s easy to “make and take”, too. Yes, Popeye was right – this dark-green leaf really packs a nutritional punch, helps fight cancer, builds strong muscles, and much, much more! (Keep reading to learn more.)

SuperFood:Spinach

Food science studies continue to show that eating spinach helps improve health and reduce the risk of many health issues, from cancer to memory loss to strokes. Here’s just a short list of what makes Spinach a SuperFood!

• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes

• Protects against the occurrence of cancer, including colon, lung, skin, oral, stomach, ovarian, prostate, and breast cancer

• Helps regulate blood pressure

• Builds muscle and strong bones

• Helps prevent memory loss and cognitive decline

• Protects against skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis

• Acts as a natural diuretic and laxative

• Performs as an anti-inflammatory

• Reduces migraines

• Prevents cataracts and macular degeneration

What’s inSpinach?

One of the more exciting recent discoveries about what’s in spinach is the presence of glycoglycerolipids. You may not have heard glycoglycerolipids before because people are just starting to talk about them. Glycoglycerolipids are the key players in plant photosynthesis, and new research shows that they can prevent inflammation and damage in the digestive tract. What else are you getting in a cup of spinach? Here’s how it stacks up by percentage of Daily Values:

Vitamin K 987.2%

Vitamin A 628.8%

Manganese 84%

Folate 65.7%

Magnesium 39.1%

Iron 35.7%

Copper 34.4%

Vitamin B 232.3%

Vitamin B 625.8%

Calcium 24.4%

Potassium 23.9%

Vitamin C 23.5%

Fiber 17.2%

Vitamin B 114.1%

Vitamin B 35.5%

(Source: www.wholefoods.com)  

And here’s the recipe I promised… 

Spicy Chicken Salad (no mayo!)

Ingredients:

Two skinless chicken breasts, baked or poached and chopped.

¼ cup chopped red, yellow or orange pepper

¼ cup chopped celery

½ cup fresh chopped baby spinach leaves

1-2 very ripe avocados, cubed

1 clove fresh minced garlic

1 ½ tsp chipotle or chili powder

Pinch of pepper and sea salt

Directions:

Chop cooled chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and place in large bowl. Add chopped pepper, celery and spinach leaves and minced garlic; mix well with a large fork. Add the cubed avocado; mash the avocado into the chicken and vegetable mixture, stirring and mashing until you have a slightly smooth consistency. Add the chipotle or chili powder, the pepper and sea salt. Mix well. Serve on romaine lettuce leaves, unsalted brown rice cakes or toasted whole-wheat bread. (I lay a few whole spinach leaves on top when I eat it as a sandwich!)

Don’t save the green just for St. Patty’s day… make it an everyday part of your life, just like Popeye. Enjoy!

Wrap it Up

It’s been a busy few weeks and when I’m on the go day after day, I try to find healthy lunch ideas I can quickly make and take with me. 

This wrap is not only tasty, but gluten free and easy to roll, wrap in foil, and go.  The brown rice wrap (from Trader Joe’s) nicely holds the spinach, chopped tomatoes, carrot slivers, avocado and leftover shredded chicken tossed with tahini sauce.  Clean, whole foods all rolled up into a gluten free wrap that holds up while being transported – what’s not to like?

You can make this wrap with your favorites, too – turkey, leftover sliced or ground beef, even baked tofu. Add as many vegetables as you can fit in the wrap to boost your veggie and nutrient intake. The key to keeping it healthy is to use the tahini dressing instead of cream cheese, ranch or sour cream.

Tahini is made from sesame seeds and is rich in phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and iron.  Tahini is a great source of calcium and is high in B and E vitamins.  It helps maintain healthy cell growth, skin and muscle tone and gives you a boost of protein. The dressing is quick to make (I used my immersion blender) and you will have enough leftover to save for another day.

Here is the dressing recipe adapted from Power Foods cookbook:

Tahini Dressing

1 minced garlic clove

¼ cup tahini

juice of one large lemon

pinch of sea salt

dash of pepper

3-4 TBSP water

Using an immersion blender, blend first five ingredients adding water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. 

This dressing is also good tossed in a kale salad and can be used as a veggie dip.

What is your favorite wrap combination?