Category: nutrition

Week 45

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Wrapping up the end of the 45th week with a gluten and dairy free nibble, Brazilian Bliss Bites. Yum. We decided to enjoy them with a cup of tea and a game of chess on a snowy afternoon.

Dates contain more than double the amount of potassium than a similar amount of bananas. Cacao is high in Magnesium; Magnesium is important for many processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure and making protein, bone, and DNA. Brazil nuts are high in Selenium; Selenium is important for reproduction, thyroid gland function, DNA production, and protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and from infection.

Brazilian Bliss Bites

  • 2 cups organic walnuts
  • 1 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 16-20 soft Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup brazil nuts, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chia seed

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a food processor, add in the walnuts and process until a crumbly texture is formed (about 15-20 seconds).
  2. Add in cacao powder and sea salt and pulse to combine.
  3. With the machine running, slowly add in the dates, a few at a time, through the feed tube, so they can fully incorporate into the mixture. Make sure that the dates are blended into the mixture before you add more. Process until all of the dates are incorporated into the mixture.
  4. The cacao mixture should resemble brownie crumbs at this point. You can test the mixture by pressing it in-between your fingers. It should easily stick together and you should be able to easily mold it into a ball, if not, then add more dates, but if you use 16-18 dates, your mixture should be perfect!
  5. Transfer the cacao batter to a medium-sized bowl and add in shredded coconut, chopped brazil nuts and chia seeds.
  6. Take the mixture and press it down into a parchment lined 13 x 9 pan.
  7. Cover and place the cacao mixture in the refrigerator to cool for a couple of hours, (or freezer to have them cool faster) as the bites taste better when cooled and are easier to cut.
  8. Once cooled, lift the parchment paper and cacao mixture out of the pan, and cut it into bite sized bars or squares.
  9. Storage: Wrap the cacao bites up tightly in the parchment paper and then with a layer of tin foil, or store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer. Bars will keep fresh for up to one week, but they probably won’t last that long.

Week 44

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Hope you enjoyed your weekend! Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos give us plenty to celebrate. Since we touched on Halloween last week, I wanted to share a healthy snack we made for Dia de Los Muertos.

I turned to Chris, while sipping our morning coffee, and asked him what he wanted to add to the celebration alter for Sunday. A soft smile came across his face as he told me about his dear friend, Mathew Kennen, and how much he liked the Buffalo Cauliflower at Zokas, one of the best restaurants ever in Pine, CO. So week 44, in remembrance of our dear friend Mat, is Buffalo Cauliflower ❤ NFA

Buffalo Cauliflower

  • 1 to 1.5 head cauliflower, cut into florets (you’ll need about 4 to 5 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 3 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

Instructions 

  1. Place cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Melt butter; stir in olive oil and hot sauce until thoroughly combined.
  3. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower; mix around until all cauliflower florets are coated.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together almond flour, dried parsley, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.
  5. Sprinkle about a handful at a time of almond flour mixture over the cauliflower; gently mix until everything is coated.
  6. Transfer half of the prepared cauliflower to the air fryer.
  7. Air fry at 350˚F for 14 minutes, shaking a couple times during the cooking process. Cauliflower is done when the florets are a bit browned, but not mushy.
  8. Remove cauliflower from the Air Fryer; set aside and keep covered.
  9. Repeat the same process with the remaining cauliflower florets.
  10. Serve with celery or carrot sticks and your favorite ranch dressing.

Dia de Los Muertos is an ancient tradition celebrated in Mexico and other places around the world. During this holiday, people take time to remember and celebrate family and friends who have passed away. Although it’s called “day of the dead”, the celebration lasts for several days! Dia de Los Muertos is for celebrating the beauty of life and death rather than mourn it, it reminds us to enjoy life all year round and to honor our loved ones, this way they stay in our hearts forever.

Popcorn for my Grandma, buffalo cauliflower plus dip for Mat, breakfast essentials for my ride or die Sean, string cheese (and the peacock cloth) for my dear friend Jamie, a Cigar for Chris’s Papi, and dog treats for our furry family. We love you 🖤

We also made Atole to continue our celebration this morning. Atole (ah-toe-lay) is a drink made with masa, finely ground corn flour. When chocolate is added, it becomes champurrado (cham-poor-ah-doe). The word “atole” is derived from Nahuatl, the still-living language of the Aztecs, who were defeated by Hernan Cortez in 1521 in what is now Mexico City. Atole was popular long before Cortez surprised Montezuma with a visit, so the people of Mexico have been drinking atole for many centuries, probably millennia. That’s really no surprise as atole is, in fact, probably the easiest way imaginable to consume corn, a crop first cultivated in the Americas. Just add water to ground corn, and voila: atole.

Atole is like very thin porridge. Served warm, it’s an excellent way to take the chill off a cold morning. Relatively quick and easy to prepare, atole is frequently consumed at breakfast or after dinner, but can be enjoyed any time of day.

ATOLE

  • 3 cups water
  • 9 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar or brown sugar cane
  • 1 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 10 Tbsp. corn flour
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add water, brown sugar cane and cinnamon sticks to large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Bring water to boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
  2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl using whisk, whisk together masarica, salt and milk until completely smooth. Pour masarica mixture into pot with sugar mixture and bring liquid to boil, whisking occasionally; reduce heat to low. Stir in vanilla extract and continue cooking, whisking occasionally, until mixture is smooth and thick, about 10 minutes more. The atole is ready when the drink coats the back of wooden spoon.
  3. Remove pot from heat. Divide atole evenly among serving mugs. Sprinkle with nutmeg if that sounds nice.. Serve warm.

Week 43

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Halloween is in 5 days! Which means… festivities? Things look a lot different this year with COVID. I am anti-social myself, however, if you’re into holiday parties, this weeks snack is one of those delights you don’t have to feel bad about snacking on!

Bat Bites!

  • 4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • black seeds or black sesame seeds for a more mild flavor
  • blue corn tortilla chips
  • black olives
  • pimentos
  1. Place the goat cheese, cottage cheese, salt and pepper in your food processor and pulse 6-8 times until combined.
  2. Scoop out the cheese and form into golf ball sized balls (about 1 1/2 and 2 ounces or 3 balls).
  3. Roll the balls in black seeds until they are completely covered.
  4. Slice some olives for the eyes and place on the cheese balls, insert pieces of pimentos in the center of the eyes. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight to firm up.
  5. Before serving, insert 2 tortilla chips on each side for bat wings.

I opted for some garlic and herb goat cheese, and I do not regret that decision. Goat’s milk has more medium-chain fatty acids than cow’s milk; these types of fat are rapidly absorbed in your body and less likely to be stored as fat. It may be easier for some people to digest than cheese made from cow’s milk, this may be because goat’s milk is lower in lactose and contains different proteins. In particular, goat cheese contains A2 casein, which may be less inflammatory and less likely to cause digestive discomfort than the A1 casein found in cow’s milk.

Cottage cheese is much higher in protein than other cheeses. Several studies indicate that eating high-protein foods like cottage cheese can increase feelings of fullness and help decrease overall calorie intake, which in turn may lead to weight loss

Black seeds, also known as black cumin, nigella or by its scientific name Nigella sativa. It grows up to 12 inches tall and produces a fruit with seeds that are used as a flavorful spice in many cuisines. In addition to its culinary use, it has been used for headache, toothache, nasal congestion, asthma, arthritis, and intestinal worms. It has also been used for pink eye, pockets of infection, and parasites. Today, black seed is most commonly used for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, weight loss, and  digestive tract conditions.

The black seeds taste like a combination of onions, black pepper, and oregano. They have a pungent, bitter taste and smell. They were incredibly more flavorful than I expected them to be, so I would probably use less seeds than pictured or make them bigger in size to sweeten the ratios, I prepared six balls from the recipe originally. There is some scientific evidence to suggest that black seed might help boost the immune system, fight cancer, reduce swelling, and lessen allergic reactions by acting as an antihistamine.

Week 42

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Time to see what’s left in the garden! On my peruse through I decided to gather some carrots and a zucchini. With a little bit of everything that reminds me of fall, I bring you Harvest Muffins! I put my adjustments for altitude in parenthesis 🥰 enjoy!

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (add 2 tbsp)
  • 1 cup sugar (subtract 2 tbsp.)
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda (subtract 1/2 tsp.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 medium (2 cups) apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 cup carrots, grated
  • 1/2 cup zucchini, grated
  • 3/4 cups dried cherries and raisins, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin seeds and almonds
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (add 3 tbsp)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla 

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan cups or grease muffin pan cups; set aside.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in bowl.
  3. Whisk eggs in bowl. Stir in melted butter, applesauce and vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir until just moistened. Add apples, carrots, dried cherries and nuts; stir until well mixed.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan cups.
  5. Bake 18-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Perfect weather here for warm muffins and a cup of tea 🍵

Week 41

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I took a stroll through my garden this morning to see how everything was doing, as we near fall and cooler temperatures approach. To my delightful surprise, I discovered quite a few strawberries in my little patch! I also found a lot of Cayenne peppers if anyone has some good ideas for those. My garden inspired this week’s healthy snack, Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. YUM!

For the Strawberry Bars:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil – melted
  • 2 cups small-diced strawberries
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon  freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon-ish of honey

For the Vanilla Glaze (optional, but huge yes)

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar – sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon milk – any kind you like
  1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour in the melted coconut oil and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
  3. Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lime juice and drizzle honey. Scatter on the remaining berries, then drizzle more honey. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
  4. Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
  5. While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, briskly whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.

Week 40

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Can you believe today is the last day of the 40th week of 2020? 12 weeks left of healthy snacks… what would you like to see for 2021? 😀

So you know that awkward time in the afternoon when you’re hungry but don’t want to ruin your appetite for dinner? It hit us today. Trying to find the delicate balance between satiation and overindulgence. I think I nailed it! These really hit the spot. They are packed full of flavor with the smoked salmon and hint of lemon. My favorite were the ones with both olives and sweet cherry peppers on top!

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites

  • 4 ounces smoked salmon
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 5-ounce container of unsweetened Greek or Icelandic yogurt (i used lemon noosa)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • Sweet cherry peppers, olives, and/or capers
  • optional – fresh herbs (dill, basil, cilantro)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices.
  2. Optional: Place the yogurt in a coffee filter over a small jar for one hour to allow the liquid to drain. (I only had patience for however long it took me to cut up my vegetables haha)
  3. Mix 1 teaspoon of lemon zest into the yogurt (you can also use crème fraiche)
  4. Top each appetizer with a small dollop of the yogurt, smoked salmon, and your choice of sweet cherry peppers, olives, capers, and herbs.
  5. Best assembled within a few hours of serving. Store in the refrigerator until 10 minutes before serving.

Week 39

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A day late! I have had an incredibly busy week and accidentally let some bananas overripe. Whoops! I decided to try something a little different than the usual banana bread and choose mini muffins!

Banana PB Muffins

  • 2 to 3 Bananas (overripe is best)
  • 2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
  • 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp All Spice
  • 2/3 cup Cranberries or other dried fruit
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mash the bananas and peanut butter together, until smooth.
  3. Add oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves, and stir until just mixed.
  4. Fold in dried fruit. Do not over mix.
  5. Drop the batter by spoonful (~a heaping Tbsp.) into a greased mini muffin pan.
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Week 38

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I am in love with all of the nuts and seeds in these cookies! Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, healthy fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals. They regulate body weight as their fats are not fully absorbed, they regulate food intake, and help burn energy. Mounting evidence suggests that eating nuts and seeds daily can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease and may even lengthen your life.

AND THEY’RE DELICIOUS!

Breakfast Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup almond flour (can sub any type of flour)
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together until well combined.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop evenly sized cookies onto the baking sheet.
Press down with your hands (these cookies won’t spread)
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Week 37

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Week 37 inspired by my Dole Plantation visit last year when we were living in Hawaii,

Virgin Piña Coladas!

  • 3/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 3/4 cup cream of coconut
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or rum extract
  • 3 cups of ice

Blend all ingredient; garnish with pineapple wedges or maraschino cherries.

Pineapple is the only edible fruit of its kind, the bromeliads, and produces one fruit at a time. They are all hand planted and picked, and grow in bushes pretty low to the ground. Pineapples contain fiber, vitamin c, manganese, vitamin b6, copper, thiamin, folate, potassium, magnesium, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and iron.

Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream are essentially the same; milk just has a higher water to coconut ratio compared to the cream. Because coconut cream is higher in fat than coconut milk, it’s important to use it in moderation. Though the fatty acids in coconut milk are medium-chain triglycerides that have been shown to have some health benefits, too much fat from coconuts or other sources will cause weight gain.

Coconut cream has a relatively high fiber content in a small serving size, and it’s also a rich source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and the essential minerals iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

I opted to use vanilla extract…I’ve never actually tried rum extract before, but as someone in recovery I decided I wasn’t super in to trying it either. However! If you don’t have any issues with alcohol, that is potentially a better option than vanilla for a more traditional flavor? Just my guess 🙂

EnjoY!

I spy somewhere in this picture a pineapple plant!

Week 36

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With snow in the forecast for Tuesday, this may be the last zucchini recipe for awhile. Don’t rush to your tissue box yet, these brownies will leave you smiling, I promise!

Zucchini Brownies

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/3 cups coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 cups finely shredded zucchini DO NOT DRAIN
  • 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks (optional, i omitted and opted to be naughty on half with peanut butter chips)
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a 9×13 pan with butter or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, and vanilla until fully incorporated.
  3. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined. Batter will be very dry.
  4. Fold in zucchini by hand. Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes.
  5. Optional: Add in chocolate chunks and stir again. Batter should appear more wet. (if not, let it rest for 5 more minutes and stir again)
  6. Spread brownie mixture into the pan and bake for 25-35 minutes. Brownies are done with an inserted toothpick is removed with crumbs. There should not be wet batter on the toothpick.

What makes whole wheat better?

Wheat has three parts to it—the bran which is packed with fiber, the endosperm—the largest part of the seed and made up of mostly starch, and the germ—the nutrient-rich embryo of the seed. It is downright delicious but unfortunately white flour is made up of only the endosperm portion of the wheat, eliminating many of the grain’s nutrients. Whole wheat flour includes the bran, endosperm, and germ of the wheat grain, which gives it a slightly darker color and makes it more nutritious.

Why are whole grains important in preventing type 2 diabetes?

The exact reasons why whole grains are an important mechanism to prevent type 2 diabetes aren’t crystal-clear, but there are several theories:1

  • Whole grains improve insulin sensitivity, which means that the body uses blood sugar more effectively and efficiently.
  • Whole grains are digested more slowly which leads to a far slower increase in blood sugar levels after eating.
  • The nutrients in whole grains plus the fiber content help to lower our body’s level of inflammation which is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes.
  • The fiber in whole grains is incompletely digested in the gastrointestinal tract which produces short-chain fatty acids which decrease insulin sensitivity.

Are certain types of whole grains more effective in preventing type 2 diabetes?

Recent research with 55,000 participants over 15 years from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the Danish Cancer Society Research Center confirms decades of previous research findings on the importance of whole grains for prevention of type 2 diabetes. In this study, any type of whole grain provided similar benefits.1

How many servings of whole grains per day are necessary?

In the Swedish and Danish study, each serving of whole grain was associated with an 11% lower risk of type 2 diabetes for men and a 7% lower risk for women.1 A large meta-analysis of 16 studies recommends consuming 2-3 servings of whole grains per day to decrease risk of developing type 2 diabetes.2

References

  1. Cecilie Kyrø, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Anja Olsen, Rikard Landberg; Higher Whole-Grain Intake Is Associated with Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Middle-Aged Men and Women: The Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Cohort, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 148, Issue 9, 1 September 2018, Pages 1434–1444. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy112
  2. Aune D, Norat T, Romundstad P, Vatten LJ. Whole grain and refined grain consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes:  a systematic review and dose-response meta-analaysis of cohort studies. Eur J Epidemiol. 2013 Nov;28(11):845-58. doi: 10.1007/s10654-013-9852-5. Epub 2013 Oct 25.