Category: Healthy recipes

My Clean Living Life – Part IV

I am a super proud Colon Cancer Survivor(since August of 2011) so eating “clean” is an essential part of my life.   I’m also Lactose Intolerant so I’m ever mindful of making the right food and beverage choices.

Here are just some of the products I find make it easier for me to lead a dairy-free life:

I eat cereal every morning so milk is a major part of my diet.  Before I even realized I was Lactose Intolerant I had already made the switch from whole milk to 2% milk and then finally to 1% milk so switching over to Almond Breeze Almondmilk (Original and Unsweetened) suits me just fine.

I love love love cheese so I was super excited when I found out I could still have cheddar cheese, a personal fave, as well as any of the “hard” cheeses as they are easier to digest than the “soft” cheeses and therefore do not upset my stomach.  For cheddar cheese, I prefer the CABOT brand…

When it comes to yogurt there are so many options today but I tend to gravitate towards Yoplait lactose free yogurtas it just tastes better than most of the other dairy-free brands flooding the market.

I used to love to slap a dollop of whipped creme on top of my pie or cake during the holidays.  Instead of using whipped creme, try this simple recipe to make your own dairy -free version:

  • Use one can of full-fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen organic Coconut Milk is a good brand to use)
  • Plus one tablespoon of  local honey for sweetener (optional)

Whisk the two ingredients together for up to 4 minutes and you’re good to go!

During the dog days of Summer (which is honestly the only time I think of ice cream) one of my fave dairy-free choices is Breyers Lactose Free Natural Vanilla as it’s simply delicious.

If you are a salad lover like me, scratch the heavy blue cheese or ranch dressings (or other milk-based dressings) and switch over to the lighter Balsamic Vinaigrette (Wish Bone makes a tasty version…)

And finally,  I’m an avid snacker so I found that Hummus easily takes the place of  creme (“soft”) cheese, its way better for you plus it tastes good too!  Sabra Classic Hummus (or its many equally delicious varieties) makes a healthy satisfying dip whether you’re snacking on raw veggies, crackers, pretzels, and/or baked chips.  Yummy!

So whether you are Lactose intolerant or not, Bon Appetit!

Fresh is Best!

In spite of the fickle pre-Summer weather this month, my work and social life (which are both calendar-driven as opposed to season-driven) appear to be getting busier and busier.

 

 

At the same time this girl (with her history of colon cancer) absolutely needs to find the time to eat healthy in order to stay healthy.

 

 

While I do enjoy eating the healthy dishes that I prepare in the crock pot, or buying, heating and eating Amy’s organic canned goods, or even micro-waving and eating clean frozen meals, it’s beginning to get monotonous…

In a perfect world, I would have my own personal chef…ready, willing and able to whip me up a variety of fresh and healthy dishes that taste as good as they look (smile).

Lucky for me I found the next best thing through my early morning conversations with Margot, my gym friend.

Margot suggested I look into the Fresh Meal Plan.  It’s offered at all of the Edge Fitness Centers in Connecticut.   And it’s ‘the nation’s largest farm-to-table meal plan service with free delivery to your doorstep.‘   What ultimately sold me on it though (outside of the obvious benefits) was that all Edge Fitness members receive 10 percent off the weekly rate of $109 for the first 6 weeks and, THIS IS HUGE,  we could cancel at any time!

Here’s how it works:

You register by logging onto FMP’s website

Once online you can read all about the program including  the history of its Founders, FAQs and testimonials.   They even have a phone number to call and  talk to a live person who explains how everything works.   Once I was satisfied with all the answers to my own questions I was ready to begin.

The first thing I did was decide on one of four meal plans:  Traditional, Paleo, Signature or Vegetarian.  Each of the meal plans come with a featured image  and each plan is detailed in full so that you truly understand what you are signing up for.   This also helps you to decide which meal plan is right for your lifestyle.  However, no matter which meal plan you initially choose, FMP gives you the option to pick and choose meals from any one of the 4 meal plans!

I chose the Paleo meal plan because, for the most part, me hungry but me still needs to eat clean-healthy (smile).

 

 

Selecting your weekly meals:

This must be done on a desktop or laptop computer, not a mobile device.  Simply log onto the FMP website and select your healthy meals for the following week.

Here’s what I chose for my first week of 10 prepared, ready to heat-and-eat meals  (1 lunch; 1 dinner per day):

Korean BBQ Pork Chop

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry (pictured)

Roasted Mediterranean Mahi

Miami Cuban Turkey Burger

Truffle Steak Frite

Panca and Chive Turkey Meatloaf

Chicken Caprese Salad

Blackened Mango Mahi Tacos

Spartan Bison Burger

Kung Pao Chicken

 

Free Delivery right to your doorstep!

On Mondays by 7am a local courier delivers the first 6 meals and on Thursdays by 7am the remaining 4 meals are delivered.

All of these meals come neatly packed with 2 disposable ice packs inside an insulated cooler bag.

 

 

They are all stored in bake-friendly disposable containers.

For the best in fresh, you should refrigerate them immediately.

The now empty insulated cooler bag is left outside on your doorstep the day before your next delivery.   The containers and ice packs are yours to keep or dispose of as you wish.  Easy breezy 🙂

Again, I pre-paid $98.10 for the week or $9.81 per meal for my first week of 10 meals which is not too shabby considering the fact that I did not have to grocery shop, do prep work or spend precious quality time in the kitchen (smile).

And the taste — Yummy!

 

 

So far I’ve had the Truffle Steak Frite with Sweet Potatoes and Green Salad and the Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry with Broccoli.  All of the Paleo meals are high protein, low-fat and low calories (less than 400 calories!)

My only caution is that the food is soooooo good that it may be difficult to go back to your normal, regular diet.  Outside of that I have just two words:

 

 

My Clean Living Life – Part II

I hate to admit this but it’s almost Summertime so I’m starting to slack off on my clean cooking.   It’s too doggone hot, which means my health may suffer as I just don’t feel like getting in the kitchen and cooking clean…Yet, I’m still hungry…it’s a vicious cycle…so what’s an aspiring-to-be-clean-living girl to do?!?

You know if only there were frozen dishes that did not contain additives or unhealthy chemicals.. that would solve my problem…but wait, there are!   I searched on Google and here’s what I uncovered under eatclean.com:  The 9 Cleanest Frozen Entrees You Can Buy:

  • Amy’s Light in Sodium Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada (love Mexican!)
  • Luvo Turkey Vegetable Lasagna (Lasagna, who knew!)
  • Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken (Coconut Chicken – Delish!)
  • Evol Fire Grilled Steak (You mean I can have my steak too!)
  • Saffron Road Chana Saag with Cumin Rice (Sounds exotic and yummy!)
  • Kashi Southwest Style Chicken (Kashi means good in my book!)
  • Tandoor Chef Lamb Vindaloo (Another exotic sounding delicacy!)
  • Amy’s Tofu Scramble (Yummy!)
  • Luvo Chicken and Harissa Chickpeas (love Chicken cooked any way and always love chickpeas!)

What’s great about all of these frozen clean meals is that they are not only delicious and nutritious but alternately low in calories, low in sodium, high in fiber, dairy free, low in carbohydrates, low in sugar, and low in saturated fat.  I’m headed right over to my local health food store/market (Edge of the Woods) to pick these dishes up!

Bon Appetit!

 

16 Bean & Clean!

 

Backyard bonfire Continue reading 16 Bean & Clean!

Bean Clean!

In a perfect world I would always eat clean and get the proper rest.  However, from time to time, I find  myself overindulging on vino and eating food with too much sodium.  It is during these times when I break down and start cooking my clean dishes.  Here’s a recipe I received from my former co-worker Michele which is so easy to make and soooooooooo good!  I call it Clean Bean:

In a large saucepan put about 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat on low heat

Chop by hand or in a food processor 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, 1 large red onion, 1/2 bunch of cilantro and add to heated oil

Sauté until soft

Add 2 cans of kidney beans and 2 cans of black beans with most of the juice drained

Add 1 cup of whole grain or brown rice and 1 and a 1/2 cups of water

Stir well and add 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of chili powder.  If it tastes like it needs salt, feel free to add it

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until all water is absorbed which may take up to an hour.

Add cooked chicken sausage (sliced in to quarters) and cherry or grape tomatoes (sliced in half)

All done!  Yummy! Continue reading Bean Clean!