Tag Archives: healthy eating

LMG Meal Plan: 10/21

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During this time of year, I find myself craving hearty, cozy meals. Soft, warm foods that are gentle on digestion and provide comfort during this time of transition.  Gone are the days of big, fresh summer salads based around  backyard garden vegetables.  Raw veggies and fruit have been replaced with piping hot bowls of oatmeal, soup and stews, along with steamed veggies.

When it comes to meal plan and grocery budgeting, one way that I stretch my dollar is by creating meals based around seasonal produce. Root vegetables like carrots, beets and parsnips are now readily available, along with squash, pears, apples and kale.

Here’s whats on the menu for this week:

Sunday: Homemade Veggie Borscht & Potato-Zucchini Patties

Monday: Sweet Potato Fettuccine

Tuesday: Flax Crust Veggie Pizza

Wednesday: Baked Hemp Seed Crusted Salmon, Wild Rice, Broccoli

Thursday: Zucchini Lasagna – using thinly sliced zucchini in place of noodles

Friday: Wing It

Saturday: Out for dinner

Sunday: Butternut Squash Gnocchi (!!!)

Snack Prep:

Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars

Hard boiled eggs

Homemade Trail Mix: dry roasted wasabi edamame, pumpkin seeds, green raisins

Amazeballz - I am loving Fitnessista’s formula for ballz. For dry ingredients, I use 4 tablespoons of oats, then play around with different mix’ins like pumpkin, cashew butter, PB2, cocoa, raisins, etc.  Last week I made cashew oatmeal raisin, peanut butter & honey and double dark chocolate chip. These little cookie dough balls are one of my favorite pre-workout fuel snacks.

What types of food or meals provide you with comfort during the fall & winter?
Do you prep snacks ahead of time?

 

Frozen Fruit Skewers

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Hey Southern AB friends, had enough of the heat yet? It won’t be long before we’re unpacking our dog sleds and snow shoes!  Lets embrace the heat with a frozen summer treat! (I’m a professional poet, obvi.  Probably a compulsive liar, too)

Frozen Fruit Skewers
Ingredients/Directions:

Skewers
3-4 types of fruit.  I used banana, strawberries, kiwi and watermelon.

Slice the fruit, skewer it and freeze for about an hour.

Grapes, peaches, honeydew melon, blackberries, pineapple and mango would all be great choices.   I think almost any fruit could work (I can’t imagine apples, pears or oranges would be very good, though.)

Ps. Don’t tell The Germaphobe (aka my husband) that I put tonight’s dessert in the flower pots. He’ll never get over it if he finds out they came into contact with outdoor microorganisms.

In case you missed it, I posted a super-simple Watermelon-Lime popsicle recipe yesterday!

G&B’s Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

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Favorite fruit combo right now. Strawberries, kiwi, banana.  I just discovered how awesome this trio is and I probably deserve a Nobel prize now.

I based a minted pea potato salad on this recipe and loved the result. I hate sloppy, mushy, overly-dressed potato salads and in this recipe, the peas and herbs take the stage. In my version, I used just greek yogurt, added basil, extra mint, goat cheese and parmesan.  My mom also makes a killer potato salad that isn’t drowning in mayo.  I will get the recipe from her and share it this summer.

When I was in Hawaii, I ordered a purple yam and sweet potato salad that was annihilated with Miracle Whip. I’ll probably never get over it. Haven’t had a good nights sleep since then.

Lately, my bedtime snack has taken the form of fresh berries and yogurt. With Green&Blacks dark chocolate shavings.

It was almost too pretty to eat! I used the chocolate squares as a spoon. Best idea ever.

Into the mason jar went:
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
80 4 squares Green&Blacks 70% dark chocolate + shavings

Have you tried/Do you love Green&Blacks chocolate? It’s what gets me through life. They have a crazy good white chocolate vanilla bar that I’m obsessed with. I ate two bars last week. Plus an espresso bar. Can’t stop. Won’t stop. (Said in a Diddy voice. Is his name still Diddy?)

Mountain Detox – photos from the weekend

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Last weekend was filled with so many great things. Fresh mountain air. Girl talk. Tons of great eats: Dinner at crazyweed. Lunch at Nourish. An exciting internship meeting in Banff.  Wine and homemade appetizers. Long sleeps. Yoga. Walks. More wine. An impromptu road trip to Lake Louise (I’d never been before!) A crackling fire.

Cherry tomatoes + basil + olive oil + salt, along with dates + honey goat cheese

Here’s an easy lunch I’m currently loving: Ultra thin crust margarita pizza. Using a (brown rice) wrap as the ‘crust’, I topped it with homemade pizza sauce, fresh spinach and basil, cheddar, sliced tomato and goat cheese. Pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400F until cheese is bubbly and the crust is crisp. Steamed asparagus on the side.

Make this.

Where’s your favorite place to ‘detox’ and unwind?

Introducing: LMG Group Meal Plans!

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Veggie Scramble

One thing that has helped me stay on track with my wellness goals is to create a weekly meal plan. Not only has it prevented me from having a nervous breakdown in the grocery store (not knowing what to buy or make) it saves time and money. I put an end to mindless wandering around the store, filling a shopping cart with impulse purchases that may not serve a purpose. (Although that can be fun at times!)

My goal is to create a wellness community on LMG  with a somewhat-structured weekly meal plan where we can share our favorite recipes.  You don’t have to prepare each meal on the specified night, but with ‘the plan’ in place, at least you will have 5-7 options to turn to during the week.  Submissions are always welcome – recipes don’t have to be your own creation – a link to an online recipe is perfect. It doesn’t even have to be something you’ve made before – lets keep an open mind and try some new dishes!

Mixed greens with strawberries, apples, pecans and avocado dressing

Creamy Vegan Spaghetti

Black Bean Quesadillas, Roasted Corn Salsa & Spicy Guacamole

Here’s an example of my meal plan I’m following this week:

Monday: Thai Chickpea Burgers + Sweet Potato & Yam Fries + Greens
Tuesday: Avocado Shrimp Spring Rolls + Spicy Peanut Sauce
Wednesday: Homemade Margarita Pizza + Greens
Thursday: Roasted Rosemary Chicken, Wild Rice, Roasted Asparagus & Parsnips
Friday: Spaghetti & (Bison) Meat Sauce – for Court. (I’m out of town)
Saturday: Eat out (both of us)
Sunday: Organic (local) Beef Burgers + Greens – for Court

Before I get into the first weeks meal plan, I want to discuss the importance of having a kitchen that is stocked with staples. Life is so much easier when you have options readily available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.  Before grocery shopping, I do a quick inventory to see if anything needs to be restocked. I’ve created a list of what I regularly have in my kitchen.

Gluten Free Jalapeno & Cheese Tuna Melts (Mayo-free)

Bison Portobello Burgers + Oven Baked Yam Fries

I don’t expect anyone to rush out and purchase everything on the list, but rather to use as a guideline.

Please try to purchase organic produce whenever possible. There are ways to fit it into your budget.  Are there things in your life you can cut back on or eliminate? Tim Hortons? Buying lunch everyday? Magazines? Start small and build a savings strategy from there. Use that money towards a health investment: higher quality, sustainably farmed produce that isn’t heavily sprayed with pesticides.

Veggies & Herbs

Spinach
Mixed Greens
Carrots
Celery
Sweet Red Onion
Green Onion
Yams or Potatoes
Frozen Corn (buy organic!)
Frozen Shelled Edamame (only purchase if it is organic)
Frozen Peas
Sliced Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Basil
Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli or Cauliflower
Minced Garlic

Fruit
Apples (whatever variety is on sale)
Bananas – I buy 2 or 3 bunches at a time. Once ripe, slice and freeze for smoothies!
Lemons & Limes
Avocado (when in season)
Fresh seasonal berries, or frozen
Frozen tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) – if on sale

Canned/Jar Goods

Chickpeas
Black Beans
White Beans
Crushed Tomatoes
Plain Tomato Sauce
Tomato Paste
Unsweetened applesauce

Meat & Dairy
With farmers market season in full swing, now is a great opportunity to meet and connect with local farmers. Again, please try to purchase local and organic meat and dairy products whenever possible.

Eggs
Egg Whites
Chicken Breasts
Ground Bison or Extra Lean Ground Beef
Wild Salmon
Plain Greek Yogurt or Plain Goats Milk Yogurt
Soft Goat Cheese or Feta
Mozzarella, Cheddar, Havarti – whatever is on sale
“Milk” consider switching to non-dairy milk. It’s less expensive. I use unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk, Organics almond, Good Karma flax and on occasion, Natura soy.

Grains & Flour & Baking Supplies

Whole Grain Wraps (I buy regular wraps for Court, brown rice for myself)
Whole Grain Bread (I buy sprouted grain bread for Court, and Udi’s gluten free bread for myself)
Whole Grain Pasta (I alternate between organic corn, quinoa and brown rice)
Brown Rice
Wild Rice
Quinoa
Rolled Oats
All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (or spelt, all purpose whole wheat)
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Pure Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Beans
Pure Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life is a favorite brand)
Dates
Raisins

Nuts, Seeds, Oils & Spreads
Chia seeds
Hemp Hearts
Flax seeds
Raw Almonds
Raw Pumpkin seeds
Walnuts
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Peanut Butter
Almond Butter
Fruit Juice Sweetened Jam or Reduced Sugar Jam (avoid anything artificially sweetened or flavored)
Raw Honey
Pure Maple Syrup
Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut Oil

Spices & Herbs
I use these ones the most:

Sea Salt & Pepper
Fresh Ginger (store it in the freezer – just grate as needed and place it back in)
Chili Spice
Cinnamon
Basil
Cumin
Dill
Oregano
Turmeric
Medium Curry (for times when you don’t have eight hours to mix spices)
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

Condiments & Dressings

Dijon Mustard
Reduced Sodium Tamari (an organic, gluten free alternative to conventional soy sauce)
Jalapeno Tabasco
Salsa (Herdez is my fave brand)
Tomatillo Salsa
Organicville Island Teriyaki Sauce (gluten free & no sketchy ingredients)
Balsamic Vinegar (Williams Sonoma has THEBEST aged balsamic vinegar)

To submit your recipe link, email me: joannagregson(at)live(dot)ca

Lastly, at the bottom of this post, there’s a print option in case you want to use my kitchen staples as a shopping reference.

If you have any questions or ideas, please leave them in the comments section! :)

Look for the first meal plan post this coming Sunday, June 10.

Coconut Lime Loaf

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If you like lemon loaf, this recipe is right up your alley. It tastes like the tropics: sweet toasted coconut with a hint of citrus. I contemplated adding a splash of tequila, but decided to wait and see if the recipe turned out first.

Next time, a tequila-lime glaze is happening.

Coconut Lime Loaf – Gluten Free!

Preheat oven to 350F, lightly coat a loaf pan with coconut oil or cooking spray

Ingredients/Directions:
In a bowl, mix together:

1 3/4 cup gluten-free, all purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill or Kinnikinnick GF flour mixes. Or, if you have the patience and four hours to mix 80 types of flour with binding agents you can do that too.  Any all purpose flour should work though.  ;) )
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

2/3 cup plain yogurt (I used organic goat yogurt)
1 egg
1/2 cup cane sugar
zest of 1 lime + juice from half the lime
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Add dry to wet, pour into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Eat three slices before dinner.

This recipe confirmed two things:

  • Lime is my favorite summer flavor
  • I despise ‘zesting’ citrus. Hate it on a cellular level. I’ve been doing a lot of it this week, and if I ever win the lottery, I’m hiring someone to do it for me… and clean up my kitchen messes.

    What kitchen or food-related ‘task’ do you dislike? Aside from cleaning up messes.

 

Creatures Of Habit

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I was listening to a Jillian Michaels podcast the other day, and she was talking about how we’re creatures of habit- we eat the same five breakfasts, lunches, dinner, etc. When I stopped to actually think about what I eat in a week, I realized I do eat the same things, with slightly different variations.  My five main breakfasts are:

2 eggs, toast with nut butter or mashed avocado
Oatmeal with seeds, nut butter and fruit
Scrambled eggs and sauteed veggies
Eggrito
Whatever baked good I’ve made: banana bread or a muffin – always with nut butter, and usually with an egg or two.

Reading over my breakfast list  has confirmed I’m an almond and peanut butter addict. I know it seems like all healthy-living bloggers say that, but it’s true. Sometimes I find myself alone in the kitchen, late at night dipping into the almond butter jar.  Do I need a therapist?

With Jillian’s ‘creatures of habit’ thought in my mind yesterday, I switched things up… slightly. There are definitely mornings where I eat things that aren’t on the above list (like yams or a green smoothie) but for the most part, I like my habitual breakfasts. I think this one has earned a #6 on the list.

Peanut Butter & Banana Breakfast Burrito
Serves 1

Ingredients/Directions:
1 wrap (I use brown rice)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/3 banana, sliced
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Spread all of the above ingredients on a wrap, roll and enjoy! Even better: warm in a toaster oven for five minutes before serving.

After taking my first bite, I unrolled it, tossed a handful of spinach in and carried on. Stealth health.

What are your five staple meals?

Blueberry Chia Jam

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It’s been a while since my last post on ‘foodie highlights’ from the week. Last time was in Hawaii, when my diet was 90% pineapple, apple bananas, taro frozen yogurt and ahi poke. I miss those days. Especially the taro fro-yo.
I love being able to cook in my own kitchen again, though. Some highlights from the week:

Rainy day chicken and rice casserole served in the ultimate comfort dish – a giant mug.

In a crock pot on high heat, I added sliced carrots, red onion and celery, along with a cup of vegetable broth, salt, pepper and a pinch of rosemary and sage. After an hour, I added sliced zucchini, peas and corn.

Then I wrangled two chicken breasts into a frying pan. It was a sad and awkward sight to see. Raw meat just… creeps me out and I don’t know what to do with it! It was like a scene from Fear Factor.  Court is usually in charge of grilling or cooking it. I took the easiest approach I could think of: frying the breasts in coconut oil. Once they were done, I shredded the chicken and added it to the crock pot with the veggies. I turned the broth into gravy by whisking in almond milk, corn starch, nutritional yeast and some extra sage, salt and pepper. As you can tell, I’m really good at writing down measurements. Sorry about that.

I cooked brown rice according to the directions, then tossed it with a tiny bit of butter, a handful of chopped spinach and pepper. The chicken casserole was poured on top of the rice.

A great salad topper that can be made ahead of time: red lentils tossed with coconut milk, tumeric, cumin, garlic salt and pepper. Mixed with sauteed mushrooms, fresh basil and spinach.

Blueberry Chia Jam. The only jam I’ve ever made and probably will make, because the thought of pectin, boiling jars, etc stresses me out.

All you need:
a jar
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
optional: cane sugar

In a saucepan on low heat, I added  frozen blueberries and mashed them slightly until they thawed. After stirring in lemon juice and heating for about a minute, I poured the berries into a mason jar, stirred in chia, and let it thicken for two hours in the fridge. Chia seeds are so magical.

Creamy Lemon-Basil Spaghetti

Inspired by the flavors in one of my favorite coconut curry dishes, I added a springtime twist. The creamy sauce is a can of coconut milk, the juice of half a lemon, and a cup of loosely packed basil leaves.

I tossed extra basil leaves in with brown rice spaghetti, olive oil, then poured the creamy sauce and veggies over top.  Again, I forgot to write down the measurements, but doesn’t it look good?! It was delicious.

Lastly, I’ve been eating this for breakfast… a lot. Topped with chocolate PB2.  You need to try this 5 minute breakfast cupcake recipe. It keeps me satiated for hours and it tastes like dessert!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends! What are some of your favorite eats from the week?


Pahoa

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There’s an abundance of local, organic, sustainably farmed food on the island, and I love that the people living here are so supportive of the ‘eat clean and eat local’ movement. Farmers markets take place nearly every day in various locations and the smaller scale grocery stores sell local produce, meat and dairy – even raw cheese!

It’s significantly less expensive to buy groceries from the local markets rather than a regular store selling imported goods. It seems like everyone is into wellness. Reason #234 why I fit in here.

A few days ago, Court and I stopped in Pahoa to visit a health food store, ‘Island Naturals’ and check out the towns vibe. A glimpse of downtown:

While we were at Island Naturals, we picked up a lunchbox to share from the hot salad bar.

Butternut squash lasagna, curried tofu, ono and chicken.

Oh look, tomatoes from ‘the’ farm. (The one we’re going to.) We bought a few and they were delicious. It’s been so nice eating garden fresh tomatoes again.

For such a small town, Pahoa has a ton of restaurants – Thai, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, etc. I’m hoping we can sample a little of everything at each one over the next few weeks. I’ve got my eye on that Mexican place first!