Category: Healthy Recipes
Seasonal, simple, delicious, nutritious recipes
Which Appliances are Worth the Counter Space?
In my house, kitchen appliances live in one of two places: in the kitchen or in the basement. The ones in the kitchen are the ones that I use constantly. The ones in the basement are the ones that only come out once in a while.
My Constant Favorites
Blender
This lives right on the kitchen counter because I use it almost every day. I have a Vitamix which is no small investment, but this workhorse has served me well for years. I’m actually on my second Vitamix. After 15 years, I decided to retire my original, and Vitamix has a trade-in program that gave me a discount on my new purchase. There are less expensive options, such as the NutriBullet Blender–and the Vitamix is more power than you’d need for smoothies. However, its heavy duty parts and high powered motor can also turn whole wheat into flour, nuts into nut butter, and other tasks that might cause a lesser motor to wheeze.
Instant Pot Electronic Pressure Cooker
I hesitated before jumping on this particular bandwagon because I’d never used a pressure cooker before and didn’t particularly miss it. Turns out that was just because I didn’t know what I was missing. Instant Pot fans tend to be a bit cult-like, but I’ve totally drunk the Koolaid. I use it to hard-boil eggs (perfect every time!), make stock in 30 minutes instead of two hours, cook hard beans and steel cut oats to tender (but not mushy) perfection in 15 minutes, and countless soups, stews, and one-pot meals. There are many sites, cookbooks, and Instagram feeds dedicated to Instant Pot recipes, so inspiration and instruction is never more than a click away. Easily the best kitchen purchase I’ve made in ten years.
Listen to my podcast episode: 4 Reasons You Need a Pressure Cooker. Continue reading “Which Appliances are Worth the Counter Space?”
Cold Sesame Zoodles
Tips for Healthier Summer Cookouts
Grilling is a quick, convenient, and delicious way to prepare many foods. However, grilling can also create carcinogenic compounds called HCAs and PAHs, which are formed when proteins and fats in meat interact with high or direct heat.
Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to avoid these risks with a few simple steps. Continue reading “Tips for Healthier Summer Cookouts”
Make Ahead Flax Muffin in a Mug
If you’ve been enjoying the Flax Muffin in a Mug recipe I recently shared in the Inner Circle newsletter, then you’re going to LOVE this make-ahead version I’ve developed, which makes it even easier to bake up a hot and wholesome breakfast treat on the go. Continue Reading
Create a world of flavor from just ten spices
Fresh spices are the best spices. But I’ll bet you have spices in your cupboard that have been there for longer than you can remember. Most likely, you bought them for a specific recipe and haven’t used them since.
It doesn’t make sense to have dozens of spice mixes gathering dust in the cupboard when you can create endless variety with just a handful of foundational flavors.
I recently teamed up with McCormick Spice to create this fun infographic, showing how to create a half dozen of today’s most popular flavor profiles using just ten basic spices. But the possibilities are endless!
Spice Recipe PosterMake your own calcium-fortified cashew milk
In the ever expanding category of nondairy milk, cashew milk has become a favorite. Although soymilk is a closer match for cow’s milk in terms of protein, it does have that distinctive beany flavor. (Which I don’t find unpleasant…just pronounced.)
Cashew milk, on the other hand, has a much milder flavor. To my palate, at least, it is the most dairy-like in taste and mouth feel. It’s also–by far–the easiest nondairy milk to make yourself, which can save you big bucks. You can even add your own calcium and vitamin D!
[bctt tweet=”Cashew milk is the easiest to make from scratch. No boiling, skimming, straining.” username=”nutritiondiva”] Continue reading “Make your own calcium-fortified cashew milk”
New Ways to Use Whey Protein Powder
After writing about the benefits of distributing your protein intake more evenly throughout the day, I heard from many of you that you were struggling to figure out how to get the recommended 25 – 30 grams of protein at breakfast and lunch–without eating meat at every meal!
So, when National Dairy Council challenged me to come up with some novel ways to incorporate whey protein powder into familiar meals and recipes, I jumped at the chance.
Why Whey?
Although there are lots of options, each with pros and cons, my protein powder of choice has always been unflavored whey protein. It’s a high-quality protein, neutral in flavor, versatile, relatively inexpensive and–unlike some of the legume based protein powders I’ve tried–doesn’t cause digestive issues (read: gas!). I keep a big container of it in the pantry but until recently I only used it in smoothies.
As I’ve discovered, there are so many other ways to use whey protein powder to increase protein intake throughout the day. Getting the recommended amount of protein should be a snap. Continue reading “New Ways to Use Whey Protein Powder”