With Thanksgiving just about a week away, most moms/grandmas I know are starting to feel that common panicky feeling. How will I cook everything and still be able to socialize? Can I keep this one day from ruining my otherwise healthy routine? How am I supposed to cook for all these people with different dietary needs (i.e. gluten free, dairy free, allergies, vegans, and so on...). IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY. YOU CAN DO THIS. KEEP YOUR SH*T TOGETHER! You can't make everyone happy 100% of the time. It just isn't going to happen, so why stress yourself out so much? (Must be something to do with all that family-togetherness). Here are a few of my tried and true tips for a healthier thanksgiving. 1. Under no circumstances should you skip breakfast or lunch! Doing this will only lead you to overeat (or drink) at the big meal. Have two small, balanced meals earlier in the day to make sure you do not over do it. 2. If you are going to someone else's home and you have a special dietary preference, do not overwhelm the hostess (or host) with all of your needs. Make a dish you know will be enough for you and bring enough for everyone to try. Now you know there will be something you can eat and the host will greatly appreciate this! 3. Three. Bite. Rule. For anything that is an 'indulgence' give yourself a small portion and only have three bites. The tempting first bite, the 'this is so good' second bite, and the savor it for a few moments last bite. This is a biggie for families where someone may get offended if you do not try their *specialty*. 4. Always make half your plate veggies! When you fill that plate up with salad and green beans, there's less room left to over do it on those higher calorie/fat items. You can also start with a nice salad to fill your belly up before heading into the big leagues. Remember, be mindful. Just because it's Thanksgiving does not mean you need to eat your weight in cranberry sauce. 5. Move. After dinner, it can be very tempting to sit down and watch some football. DON'T DO IT! Offer to help clean up (if it's not your home) or go for a quick walk. Here I have a few suggestions of classic holiday side dishes, lightened up. Those are lemons. Get your mind out of the gutter! (Thank you, internet, for realizing how un-perky my post-breastfeeding boobs are!) I took four classic Thanksgiving sides and gave them a much needed makeover. Enjoy!
If you love Sausage Stuffing, try Quinoa stuffing instead: Ingredients
Enjoy some Caramelized Roasted Sweet Potatoes rather than candied yams: Ingredients
Forget that green bean casserole (does anyone actually like that?!) and try this Green Bean & Cheddar salad instead. Ingredients
My sincerest apologies for posting this so last minute. If you are brave enough to enter a grocery store at this point, I promise these recipes will be worth it!!!
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This holiday season, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be eating all of the good things. Yes, that includes cookies, muffins, pies, cakes, and any other sweet treat you can think of. Rather than focus on the bad, my resolution for this time of year is to keep it positive! Small changes can make a big difference when it comes to baking. See how I transform my favorite sweets to make them healthy-ish!
You want to change the sugar... Recipe calls for 1 cup granulated sugar Substitute with...
You want to change the fat... Recipe calls for 1 cup vegetable oil Substitute with...
You want to make it gluten free... Recipe calls for 1 cup all purpose flour Substitute with...
You want to make it vegan... The recipe calls for 1 egg Substitute with...
Substitute with...
*Make your own date syrup, cashew cream, or almond milk. Soak overnight in cool water. Discard the water. Add to food processor with equal parts water. Blend until smooth. For the almonds and cashews, use a cheesecloth to separate the liquid from the pulp for a smoother product. You can add in vanilla extract to flavor your nut milk. **In my experience, a little change is all you need. I do not recommend trying to make ALL of these substitutions in one product. My favorite swaps are applesauce for sugar in cakes, beans for oil in brownies, and silken tofu for cream in custardy pie For a few other great substitution ideas, check out this post from Whitney E RD, an LA based blogger I just stumbled upon and am loving right now! Guess who’s back, back again. Hello! It’s been a while, and I’ve missed you. As you can see, there have been some changes made to the website (new domain, who dis?). Without boring you with all the little details, 2017 was a HARD year for me. Many ups and a few more downs. For one, I felt completely overwhelmed by the whole blogging thing, and I began to resent cooking and writing about nutrition – and that was a major sign for me that I needed to make some adjustments.
I started following many very talented bloggers and began to feel inadequate. How are they posting so often? Where do they find the time? The guilt seeped in and took over! What I did not consider was that these very accomplished women were FULL-TIME bloggers. They did not have a full time job additional to all the work that goes into making a successful website. As I fully enjoy my current career, I had to re-evaluate and prioritize my short-term goals; I had to find my mission and stop comparing myself to others. I know that I want to practice private nutrition counseling, and that is what I need to focus on. You can still count on a recipe here and there, and maybe the occasional rant on a nutrition topic that I feel needs to be expressed. Really, in order to maintain my sanity, cooking needs to stay an escape and relaxing practice – not homework. SO. If you’re looking for nutrition resources related to disease prevention or management or you want to embark on a health and wellness journey, this is a great place for that. I will leave the blogging to pros and do what I do best – helping others become their best selves. Check back in the next few weeks to see what I have cooking for 2018! Thanks for reading, Ashley In my experience, the two most common misconceptions about nutrition and eating a healthier diet are: "It's too expensive to eat healthy." "I don't have enough will power to eat healthy." The reality of the situation is this - healthy foods are not more expensive, but healthy-convenience foods are. So really, you need to ask yourself one very important question. Is my time or my money more valuable? For most of us, what we really want is for healthy to be fast and easy - something that has been made quite difficult by our current food system. However, it doesn't have to be expensive! Many of the most nutritious foods available to us are quite affordable and are often sold in bulk, think whole grains, beans, and legumes. Alright, you're intrigued but still not into it. Let's talk about meal planning. Yes, meal planning. I want you to roll those words around in your mouth, feel them on your tongue, and get used to them. Lets start with my definition of meal planning: To think about the meals in your immediate future and plan what they will be in advance, with a clear mind. Now break that definition down. 'To think about the meals in your immediate future.' Depending on the person, immediate future can mean a few hours, a few days, or even a few weeks for my serious planners out there. Meal planning needs to work for you and your schedule. Do you like eating the same thing every day or do you prefer to change it up frequently? Can you carve out some free time a few nights a week to prep new lunches, or is Sunday your only free time? 'To plan your meals in advance.' When thinking about meal planning, you want to have a few recipes or go to dishes you know you like and can prep without much difficulty. To stay budget friendly, try to pick recipes and dishes that have a few constant ingredients so you wind up using everything you buy and waste less. 'To have a clear mind.' This may be the most important part. Have you ever planned to order a salad a lunch, then last minute decided to get that creamy pasta dish because it looked SOOOO GOOD? This happens, and is not the end of the world. However, if you pre-made and brought your salad to work, chances are you're going to eat it. Why waste all that hard work? More often than not, by the time we get to eat our lunch at work, we are pretty hungry (okay, hangry). Hungry does not make it very easy to make the right choice! Don't put yourself in that position, make the healthy choice the easy choice! Here is my weekly plan. Feel free to use it as is or make it your own!
1. Map out your week. Be sure to note a post-work event or weekend gathering so you can plan around it. 2. Now, are you a grazer or a meal eater? Make sure you are considering how many times you will be eating each day. I prefer to eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day. 3. Pick your recipes. I have a go to smoothie for breakfast, and my snacks are usually the same 3-4 combos of protein and carbs so I really only need lunch and dinner recipes. Start with your dinner recipes, as you can always make extra of these to bring for lunch. Remember, try to pick recipes with common ingredients to prevent waste. Monday Meal 1 - Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2 - Epic bar and dried apricots Meal 3- Cous Cous (whole wheat) veggie salad Meal 4- Hummus and veggies Meal 5- Chicken breasts with broccoli Tuesday Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices Meal 3- Cous Cous (whole wheat) veggie salad Meal 4- Hummus and veggies Meal 5- Salmon with brussel sprouts Wednesday Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2- Epic bar and dried apricots Meal 3- Dinner leftovers Meal 4- Hummus and veggies Meal 5- Chicken stir fry Thursday Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices Meal 3- Teriyaki chicken wrap (chicken stir fry leftovers in a wrap) Meal 4- Hummus and veggies Meal 5- Butternut squash risotto Friday Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2- Epic bar and dried apricots Meal 3- Teriyaki chicken wrap Meal 4- Hummus and veggies Meal 5- Dinner Leftovers Saturday Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder) Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices Meal 3- Trail Mix* Meal 4- Skip* Meal 5- Wedding meal* Sunday Meal 1- Hotel breakfast* Meal 2- Trail Mix* Meal 3- Any leftovers from week Meal 4- Smoothie Meal 5- Lentil Bolognese *I have a wedding out of town this weekend so I will be packing a few snacks and having to make smart choices while away! Recipes needed: 1 lunch, 5 dinner **I will be posting the correlating recipes as the week goes on Once you have this done, check what ingredients you already have on hand and create a shopping list for what you still need. Once you get home from the grocery store, prep your snacks and your first lunch. Estimated time = 2-3 hours depending on how close you live to the market. At this time you can also pre-cook your grains and chop all veggies for your dinners. So, what do you think? Is 3 hours of your time worth a week full of healthy meals? Seems like if you are not currently bathing yourself in all things coconut, you might as well be eating fast food for every meal. Since it seems to be coconut's 15 minutes, lets break down the different coconut based foods and figure out if you should really be eating them. Coconut Oil Many people ask me if they should be cooking with coconut oil instead of olive oil. Here's what you need to know about cooking with oils. Each one has a specific smoke point. The higher the smoke point, the less likely that oil is to burn. Burnt oil = not so healthy oil. SO the oil you choose should depend on the type of cooking you will be doing. Grilling or pan frying? Go for a higher heat oil such as coconut, avocado, grape seed, and peanut oils. Baking? Olive, corn, and vegetable oil are fine. Making a salad dressing? Any oil works well here, choose based on your favorite taste. Coconut oil does have a distinct taste and smell, it is slightly sweet. If you are new to using it, try baking with it first. There are also aerated oil sprays which can make cooking with coconut oil easier for beginners. My favorite brand is Carrington Farms. Coconut Water A few years ago, you would never have seen a bottle of this stuff unless you were at a hot yoga class. Now, there are multiple varieties available at every grocery store. Coconut water is a great natural source of electrolytes like potassium and sodium. What that means is, after a particularly grueling workout, coconut water is a great choice to re-hydrate yourself. There is a catch - stay away from flavored coconut waters, as these can be laden with added sugar you definitely do not need. Unflavored coconut water also makes a great addition to a smoothie in place of water or unsweetened almond milk. Coconut Flour This flour is higher in fiber than regular all purpose flour, and also gluten free. Just like coconut oil, this flour does have a slightly sweeter taste than AP, so I recommend trying it out in baked goods before cooking with it. Bob's Red Mill makes a great option. Coconut Milk
Due to the higher fat content, coconut milk makes a great, creamy alternative to cow's milk and creamer in your coffee. Traditionally used in many cuisines, such as Thai and Indian, coconut milk adds depth and flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. Coconut milk comes in full and low fat options, and will stay good in your pantry for months if unopened. *A word of caution. Although it is a plant, the fat in coconut is considered a saturated fat. This is the type of fat associated with the risk of higher cholesterol, so be mindful of how much you are using. Happy almost Friday! I love this video!!! It's been almost a month now and I wanted to share some thoughts about this whole dairy free experience. These past few weeks have been eye opening. Have you ever found yourself speaking with someone that is vegan/paleo/rescuesanimal/doescrossfit? Well, I have, and I found it to be so frustrating listening to them yap on about why they live life that way and why I should too. But a funny thing happened to me this past month - I realized that I was that person. Everywhere I went, I had to somehow work in that I was currently 'dairy-free.' I received my share of eye rolls and head tilts followed by a statement that usually went something like "I don't know how you do that, I live for cheese." I have to say - I get both sides now. It's really difficult to maintain a lifestyle that is slightly different from the norm. I don't want to continually preach to the world that I do not eat dairy - but the food options are so few and far between, if I am not vocal I would be surrounded by dairy at every social gathering I go to. So I ask - friends and family of those currently observing a different dietary lifestyle than your own - please consider what we are going through. No, we can't just eat that food just this one time - we have made a commitment and are trying our best to stick to it! I digress...
Is this dairy free lifestyle working? Honestly - yes. While I have had a few small break outs around my forehead and chin (probably hormonal), I have not had a single episode of the cystic, painful pimples I once dealt with on a weekly basis. I have been making more home cooked dinners and lunches, planning out my snacks better. I have been exploring with so many new spices, herbs, and flavor profiles. Ryan's (the fiance) birthday was this past weekend and he asked me to make his two favorite things - cookies and spaghetti & meatballs. Both of course, I usually make with tons of butter and cheese, respectively. So I had a fun time experimenting in the kitchen to come up with something we could both eat and enjoy. Unfortunately, the cookies were terrible so I do not have a recipe to share. But I do have a killer Turkey Bolognese recipe I will be posting shortly. Here are some new finds that will make your life that much better... Pamela's dairy-free gluten-free brownie mix. Noms. Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar chickpea puffs. Double Noms. Most of my recipes will be dairy free for the next few months. However, my blog posts will start to cover new nutrition topics after this. Have a fantastic weekend!!! A full week has gone by! And I am still alive! Not to be too dramatic, but I did not think I was going to do well. Boy, did I surprise myself! Not only did I abstain from all dairy, but I experimented with new recipes, and brought my own lunch to work every day. Gold stars for Ashley. Here is what I learned this past week... Paleo and Vegan websites are a great resource for someone looking for dairy-free alternatives. Coffee just isn't the same without cream. So I've ditched the coffee and gone straight to espresso. **hands shaking slightly** Dairy isn't the hardest thing I've ever given up. Don't get me wrong. Do I miss my yogurt in the morning and my Romano cheese sprinkled on everything else? Yes. Yes I do. I went out to dinner the other night and was dreading the food envy that was about to be had, and to my surprise I was FINE. Seeing and smelling the different dishes garnished with creamy sauces and aged cheeses did not send me into a tail spin the way I thought it would. If anything, it made it that much easier for me to choose a healthy dinner (i.e. more veggies, fish, lean protein/less pasta). At least I could still have my glass of red wine! After dinner, I felt full and satisfed, but not over stuffed and sick. During the week I made three tasty suppers (with enough to be had for lunch the next day) and really did not miss dairy very much at all. This was my favorite of the week - homemade pulled pork stuffed into a baked sweet potato with a purple cauliflower steak. YUM.
Thanks to my wifi controlled slow cooker, I was able to cook the pork all day whilst at work. I coated boneless pork shoulder with a dry rub of brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, and paprika then let that sit in the refrigerator over night. In the morning I put the meat into the crockpot with 2 cups natural apple juice (love Martinelli's - ever see Master of None? Go watch it) and 1 cup apple cider vinegar (Braggs, of course) and put that baby on low for 8 hours. The sweet potatoes and and cauliflower were simply roasted for about 45 minutes. Top it all off with your fave BBQ sauce and enjoy! I also adapted this recipe Spicy Sausage Pasta - a household favorite. I simply removed the cream and cheese. To maintain the creamy style of the dish, I pureed a can of cannellinibeans with some chicken broth and a tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast (for the cheesy flavor). I honestly could not tell the difference between the old and new recipe! I recently purchased the cookbook One Pan Two Plates, by Carla Snyder and decided to try out the Sweet and Sour Stir Fry with Beef, Broccoli, and Mango. It was fantastic! I added a few extra veggies I had laying around, like mushrooms and zucchini. I also subbed the brown rice out for some quinoa. Definitely going to be on our monthly rotation! I bet you're wondering about my skin. Wasn't that the whole point of this? Well, yeah. I feel that it is too soon to determine if my short-lived dairy free lifestyle has actually had an impact on my skin. I can tell you (with a huge smile) that there have been no new breakouts yet - so I must be doing something right! BRB LYLAS BFFAEAE XOXOX TTYL A funny thing happens as you age. All those changes that have been going on in your body begin to show in different ways. Dry hair that doesn’t seem to grow as fast. Brittle nails that break right when at the perfect length. Parched skin despite excessive moisturizing. You begin to realize that your physical attributes really are affected by your daily habits – exercise, nutrition, hydration, hygiene. As my nuptials are just around the corner, I have really been focusing on how my lifestyle effects my external health. My bachelorette party confirmed that excessive alcohol, while obviously not good for your body, wreaks havoc on my skin. I can see a difference in my brightness and firmness of my face when I do not drink enough water the days before. I have a multi-step regimen both morning and night with things like snail secretions and Manuka honey. I am one of those super lucky people (can we just confirm that writing in italics = sarcasm? Okay, great.) I have nice skin most of the time, but every few months I have a nasty fit of large cystic like mountains on my cheeks that scar terribly and last forever. While I do see an improvement from changing my skincare routine and seeing an esthetician, I still have these breakouts and I am SO TIRED OF IT. Not tired enough to take medication for it, but definitely ready to drastically change my diet if that’s what it takes. Dermatologists and bloggers agree, for once, that a valid method to prevent breakouts is to eliminate dairy from the diet. Maybe you know me personally, or maybe you have been following my posts here on the blog and Instagram. Regardless, a stranger could easily determine that there are a handful of foods I cannot live without. Cannellini beans, lemons, spinach, garlic, zucchini, salmon, and Romano cheese. The later of the group, often considered my vice, is sprinkled into almost every dish I put together. And when I say sprinkle, I mean ¼ cup of that salty goodness smothers my food. I drink half and half in my morning coffee. My breakfasts are usually Greek yogurt based. String cheese is common snack for me. Oh and the Romano cheese. This is not going to be easy. I think I am up to the challenge. I can get my calcium through many other non-dairy foods such as leafy greens and shellfish. I will be the first to admit that I use dairy as a crutch. Why explore with new spices and flavors when I know I can just add cheese and it will taste great?! Aside from the potential benefits to my skin, I am hoping this exercise will help me to broaden my tastes and recipe cache. So there you have it. I begin my new dairy-free trial today. Yesterday, I said my farewell to my beloved dairy. If anyone has any suggestions to help me make this transition easier, please share! I will also be posting the different non-dairy food substitutes I try and what I am eating this month for those of you also interested in putting dairy on pause. A few items I have already experimented with in preparation:
So Delicious coconut milk creamer to replace my half-and-half. Spoiler alert: it tastes like coconut. I’m more a fan of the smell vs the taste of coconut, I really only got it because I thought it would be creamier than almond or soy milk, which it was. I’m not in love, but I’ll keep it around in case I have a donttalktomebeforemycoffee kind of morning. I can do a good tea if necessary, but I will not give up finding a worthy creamer substitute. Still on deck to try: Califia Almond and Coconut Creamer, Silk Soy Creamer, Ripple Pea Protein Milk, Hemp Milk, FlaxMilk, Cashew Milk Epic Protein Bars, Chicken Sriracha flavor. These jerky like bars are awesome. 15 grams of protein to keep me feeling full enough to say no to dairy when a snack attack comes on. I will definitely be checking out the other varieties! I am hoping to make this Vegan Parmesan Cheese in the near future… This should be an interesting month!!! I have begun adding all of my favorite recipes to the blog. Please bear with me as I will only be able to post a few at a time.
Cooking, for me, is extremely therapeutic. Following a recipe, prepping ingredients, managing my time, bouncing around my kitchen. These are the mental exercises I need to unwind after a hard day or take my thoughts off a pressing issue. I love the way I can improvise based off the ingredients I have or the mood I am in. When the result of my time spent in the kitchen, sometimes hours, is a clear mind and a happy face on my fiance, I am contented. These recipes I post are more like a base than a full recipe. I do not make them the same every time, and I hope that you will use them to enrich your own cooking experience. I do not plan on appropriating nutrition facts to my recipes. They all come from wholesome ingredients and fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle. If you would like nutrition information for a recipe, please contact me and I would be happy to share. Some abbreviation you may see in my recipe posts: GF = gluten free DF = dairy free V = Vegan As a Dietitian, I have seen my share of many different fad diets (21 day fix, nutrisystem, etc.) that while being unsustainable in their wholeness, have some excellent underlying aspects – the primary one being portion control. Before we get into portion control, I’d like to tell you a story... It was July, right around Independence day, and I had about 7 BBQs to attend in the course of two weeks. Wanting a healthy option to eat at all of these events, I planned to make and bring my own dish – mostly cold salads and soups bursting with fresh veggies and whole grains. My absolute favorite summer pastime is eating huge slices of juicy, dripdownyourchinandyoudon’tmind, watermelon. As is common in the summer time, these green bowling balls of goodness are on sale. So I decided to buy the biggest one I could find. I planned to enjoy post-party as my dessert. Well, wouldn’t you know it, by the time I go home I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was cut into this giant melon. I knew it would be messy, and take more than the 5 minutes I was willing to spend on a snack at that time. So every time I wound up choosing whatever snack food was in my pantry and put off the watermelon for the next day. It was a sad, sad day when I came home and found that my watermelon had shriveled up – I had to throw it away! Moral of the story – make your healthy choices the easy choice. Your belly and your wallet will thank you. Portion control is not relegated to the dinner table. Read on for my favorite tips on portion control and making healthy easier. Before grocery shopping:
After grocery shopping:
At meal time:
A note about ‘healthy’ substitutes, like sugar free cookies and non-fat dairy. These products are healthy on a one-to-one basis. What that means is, you are not being healthier by eating 5 sugar free cookies if you were only going to eat one regular cookie. Everything in moderation - even those foods that are marketed as healthy.
That's all for today! I'll be back soon with multiple posts to make up for my month long hiatus. Ciao! |
AuthorAshley Shaw MS, RD, CDN Archives
November 2017
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