Stephanie Kay Nutrition

Stephanie Kay Nutrition

Real Food for Real Life

  • recipes
    • all recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Soups & Stews
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
  • nutrition
    • All Articles
    • Tips
    • FAQs
    • This vs. That
    • How To/Guides
    • Weight Loss
  • resources
    • 7-Day Meal Plan
    • Balanced Meal Guide
    • 5-Ingredient Cookbook
    • Lunch Box Cookbook
  • About
    • About Steph
    • Contact
  • recipes
    • all recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Soups & Stews
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
  • nutrition
    • All Articles
    • Tips
    • FAQs
    • This vs. That
    • How To/Guides
    • Weight Loss
  • resources
    • 7-Day Meal Plan
    • Balanced Meal Guide
    • 5-Ingredient Cookbook
    • Lunch Box Cookbook
  • About
    • About Steph
    • Contact
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Meal Prep
  • Nutrition Tips
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Green Lentil & Spinach Curry

Published on October 15, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

A quick and easy one-pot meal, this green lentil and spinach curry is filling and full of flavor making it a perfect plant-based meal.

Green Lentil & Spinach Curry

 

In my opinion, lentils are a totally underrated ingredient. Not only are they incredibly easy to cook on the stovetop but they are incredibly inexpensive to use. Dried lentils are a year-round pantry staple that can help you create everything from soups to salads, to side dishes and stews. Not only are they a whole food, but they are also a good source of plant-based protein and a great way to grocery shop on a budget as they stretch really far to create many meals. This creamy green lentil and spinach curry is easy to whip up in a pinch and is a great nourishing meal that will keep you coming back for more.

Lentils cook very similarly to rice, a bit of water and a pinch of salt and away you go. Although that is the basic format, there are lots of ways to jazz lentils up with broths, herbs, and spices to help add some additional flavor. Lentils also come in many shapes, colors, and formats, and their use can vary from dish to dish. I personally prefer red and yellow lentils for soups and stews, like my Spiced Red Lentil Soup, Puy lentils for salads, like my French Lentil & Beet Salad, and brown or green lentils for richer and earthier dishes like this green lentil and spinach curry. Thanks to their quick cooking time, lentils make a great weeknight meal, as they are easily ready in less than 20 minutes. Plus, they can even be made in advance and stored in the fridge to add to salads or cut down on cooking time for meals.

 

Print
Green Lentil and Spinach Curry

Green Lentil and Spinach Curry

Author: Stephanie Kay

I made this lentil and spinach curry with green lentils to keep with the green theme, but red or yellow would also work very well.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups green lentils, dry
  • 400ml can light coconut milk
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2” ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons olive or coconut oil
  • 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup basmati rice

Instructions

  1. Using a mesh colander, rinse the lentils well, strain and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, heat oil and add diced onion and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent and carrots are tender.
  3. Add in minced garlic and grated ginger, and cook for another 1 minute. Add curry powder and ground cumin, and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add rinsed and strained lentils to the pan, and stir quickly to coat the lentils in spice and onion mixture.
  5. Pour in water and coconut milk, and stir to ensure everything is well combined.
  6. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 30 minutes until lentils are tender and the sauce has thickened.
  7. While the curry is simmering, prepare the rice. Combine basmati rice with 2 cups water and a pinch of sea salt, bring to a boil, and simmer on low for 15 minutes until the water has absorbed and rice can be fluffed with a fork. Set aside.
  8. After 30 minutes, add chopped spinach to the curry, cover again and cook for another 5 minutes. The spinach should wilt down into the lentils, it might need to be stirred a little to encourage it.
  9. Remove curry from the heat and give it a good stir to ensure everything is well mixed together. Season to taste as needed.
  10. Serve curry with a side of basmati rice and sprinkle of coriander.
  11. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 597 calories
  • Sugar: 5 grams
  • Fat: 17 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 92 grams
  • Fiber: 12 grams
  • Protein: 24 grams

Keywords: coconut milk, curry powder, rice, easy, healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

6 Common Causes of Bloating

Published on October 12, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

Everyone knows the heavy, uncomfortable feeling of being bloated. In fact, it has become so common that many people consider it a regular everyday occurrence and just part of their normal digestion process. However, the truth is that bloating, gassiness, and abdominal discomfort, are not “normal” whatsoever, rather they are a sign of digestive distress. While reasons for digestive upset can vary from person to person based on diet, lifestyle, stress, or environmental factors, and although it can seem difficult to identify the culprit, it is possible, you just need to know what to look for. So here are six of the most common causes of bloating and what to do about them.

6 Common Causes of Bloating

Common Causes of Bloating

1. Not Chewing Enough

The digestive process operates like a chain reaction, working from the top down. Taking the time to chew your food and eat slowly is the first vital step in supporting good digestion and reducing digestive issues further in the process. Although most people think digestion occurs in the stomach, very little digestion occurs in the stomach, as digestion actually begins in the mouth. The action of chewing helps to pre-digest food by mechanically breaking it down, and by chemically breaking it down with the help of an enzyme found in your saliva called salivary amylase. The action of chewing helps to signal to the rest of the body and triggers your stomach to begin producing stomach acid to further break down your food and continue the digestive process. If you don’t fully chew your food, or you eat too quickly, you are essentially putting a big wet log on your digestive fire; you are going to put it out.

Solution: Take the time to fully chew your food when you eat. When you eat, sit down, slow down, and put down your fork between bites. The more mindful you can be when you eat, the more it will support digestion and reduce potential bloating.

2. Low Stomach Acid

Low stomach acid, also known as hypochlorhydria, is a commonly overlooked problem that can lead to digestive issues such as bloating, gas, acid reflux, and heartburn. Although many people assume that these issues are caused by excess acid in the digestive tract, they are actually caused by not enough. Stomach acid is essential for helping us produce the enzymes that break down our food, and low levels of stomach acid can lead to inadequate digestion of proteins, nutrient malabsorption, imbalanced gut flora, and potentially the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, yeast, or parasites in the stomach and small intestine. The production of stomach acid levels will naturally decline as people age, however, they can also be suppressed by a poor diet, consumption of additives and preservatives, stress, smoking, and many other poor lifestyle factors.

Solution: If you suspect you have low stomach acid, consider supporting it by drinking a natural digestive aid such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar before meals, this will help to stimulate stomach acid and help you break down your food. Alternatively, you can use various supplements to support your digestive fire such as digestive enzymes, digestive bitters, or betaine HCL.

3. Unbalanced Gut Flora

The health of our digestive system is deeply influenced by the bacteria that call our body home. Your microbiome, or our gut flora, is a beneficial colony of one hundred trillion bacterial cells residing in your large intestine which directly impacts our health. However, when the number of beneficial bacteria is outweighed by unfavorable bacteria, be it from low stomach acid, poor diet, or a combination of both, dysbiosis of the microbiome occurs. Unbalanced gut flora is one of the major common causes of bloating, gas, constipation, and inflammation of the digestive tract. One of the easiest and quickest ways to boost the beneficial bacteria in your gut, is to eat probiotic-rich food, most often made via fermentation. Fermentation not only helps to increase beneficial bacteria but can help to remove anti-nutrients, ensuring that food is more easily digested.

Solution: Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables, tempeh, miso, kombucha, and cultured dairy all contain probiotic bacteria that can help to reduce bloating. Additionally, you can also use probiotic supplements to help rebalance your microbiome.

4. Food Intolerances

Although probiotic-rich foods contain beneficial bacteria that can help to alleviate bloating, it is important to understand that not all foods affect people the same way. Although cultured dairy might be rich in beneficial bacteria, if you do not tolerate dairy well, it will only lead to more bloating and digestive distress. Food intolerances are one of the most common causes of bloating, and one that can easily be avoided if you know what foods negatively affect your digestion. Not every body is created equal and therefore not everyone will react the same way to the same foods. Paying attention to your body’s reactions to foods is the single best way to identify food intolerances. After you eat are you bloated? Gassy? Uncomfortable? The more you can pay attention to how your body reacts to certain foods the easier it will be to identify the foods that are causing your bloating. There are dozens of different foods people can be sensitive to, however, some of the most common include dairy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, soy, and shellfish.

Solution: If you suspect that you might be sensitive to a certain food the easiest thing to do is to remove it entirely from your diet until you see improvement and reintroduce it to see how your body reacts. You can begin by simply testing foods out at home, or use an elimination diet protocol, however, if you are still not seeing an improvement you can speak to a healthcare practitioner to help identify food intolerances through testing.

5. Artificial Sweeteners

Although artificial sweeteners might seem like a safe bet for someone trying to be diet conscious, they are a very common cause of bloating and digestive upset. Because artificial sweeteners are just that, artificial, many of them are not broken down by the digestive tract. Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, and sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol are passed whole into the small intestine which easily ferments in the gut. These types of sweeteners are commonly found in “health” foods such as protein bars, protein shakes, and chewing gums, so it is essential to read labels.

Solution: In order to reduce bloating, it is best to avoid these forms of sweeteners altogether, and simply opt for a limited amount of natural sweeteners from time to time when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

6. Lack of Movement

Exercise helps to stimulate the peristalsis, the rhythmical, muscular contraction that propels food through the intestinal tract, which aids in stimulating good digestion. Ideally, bowel movements should occur naturally every 18-24 hours and be easily passed. A slow bowel, much like a sedentary lifestyle, can lead to constipation which is one of the leading common causes of bloating. Adequate movement, be it low or high intensity, along with adequate fiber and hydration can help to stimulate the natural digestive process. Additionally, movement can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and given many digestive issues are impacted by our mental state, movement can help to reduce the impact of our lifestyle and mental health on our digestive system.

Solution: Any form of activity, light or intense, will help to stimulate the digestive process. Something as simple as a light walk after a meal can help to reduce bloating and stimulate digestion.

The Bottom Line

As common and annoying as bloating might be, it doesn’t need to be. There are many common causes of bloating, so identifying what is affecting an individual can take time, as causes can work in conjunction with one another. Be patient and be open to trying different interventions to help determine what is affecting you specifically.

Make-Ahead Broccoli & Quinoa Salad

Published on October 10, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

This make-ahead broccoli and quinoa salad is a simple way to ensure lunches are ready for the week, and the flavors of this salad only get better with time.

Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

 

This broccoli and quinoa salad was actually inspired by a friend, and reader, who shared a very similar recipe with me, and because I thought the idea was clever, I decided to make my own version. One of my favourite things about sharing recipes on my blog is the messages and feedback I get from followers, be it here on Instagram or Facebook. The online world can be weird as you are simply putting content out into the world and waiting to see what happens, so hearing from people who actually make (and enjoy) my recipes is incredibly rewarding.

When I started working as a nutritionist, never did I ever imagine I would be sharing recipes on my website. My goal was also to help people learn to eat better, but as a self-taught cook, I never saw myself teaching others to cook themselves. It wasn’t until I really started working with people individually that I realized that for many knowing what to eat was not the issue, but rather how to prepare it was. I wasn’t always good in the kitchen (and I still have a lot to learn), but when I grew the confidence to start experimenting a little bit more and going outside of my comfort zone, I found eating well a heck of a lot easier. When the food you cook actually tastes half decent it makes eating well a whole lot more enjoyable.

This make-ahead broccoli and quinoa salad is a basic recipe that cooks of all levels can create. If you can boil, chop and stir, you’ll be able to whip this dish up in no time. This recipe is ideal for meal prep as it makes several portions so you’ll have lots of leftovers for easy grab-and-go lunches and dinners, plus the longer it sits the more the dressing absorbs into the veggies, and the better it tastes.

More Make-Ahead Salads:

  • Summer Bean Salad
  • Mediterranean Orzo Salad
  • Asian Quinoa Salad
  • Three Bean Salad
  • Make-Ahead Lentil Salad
  • Mediterranean Couscous Salad

 

Print
Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Author: Stephanie Kay

This broccoli and quinoa salad can be served immediately but tastes best the next day once the dressing has been absorbed, and it can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Salads, Sides
  • Cuisine: Paleo, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 head broccoli
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, dry
  • 1 cup water or chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Begin by cooking the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa in a fine colander under running water. In a medium pot, combine 1 cup water or broth, 1/2 cup dry quinoa and a pinch of sea salt, bring to a boil.
  2. Once boiling reduce to a simmer for 12-15 minutes until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
  3. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, combine lemon juice, mustard, honey, sea salt and black pepper, and drizzle in olive oil whisking to combine.
  4. Trim broccoli into florets (discard stems) and cut into manageable bite-size pieces, and combine in a large bowl with slivered almonds and sliced shallots.
  5. Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to the broccoli mixture, cover with dressing and toss well to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  6. The salad can be served immediately or stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  7. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 303 calories
  • Sugar: 5 grams
  • Fat: 20 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 28 grams
  • Fiber: 5 grams
  • Protein: 8 grams

Keywords: broccoli, cold, easy, healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Harvest Breakfast Bowls

Published on October 8, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

The perfect use for dinner leftovers, these harvest breakfast bowls are the best way to use up your roasted veggies to make a hearty morning meal.

Harvest Breakfast Bowls

 

If there is one thing that frustrates me more than anything when it comes to nutrition, it is the concept that are specific foods are meant for specific meals. The idea that “breakfast foods” should only be eaten at breakfast, “lunch foods” should only be eaten at lunch, and “dinner foods” only eaten at dinner is so weird when you think about it. The reality is that there actually are no “breakfast foods”, “lunch foods” or “dinner foods”, there is only food, and everything else we add to it is just a label, which is exactly why I want to share these harvest breakfast bowls.

I didn’t always think this way. The thought of including vegetables as breakfast would send the old me running for the hills; breakfast was meant for cereal, toast, granola, or something sweet that actually made breakfast closer to dessert. I still remember watching a friend eat chicken for breakfast and thinking that he must have lost his mind because it seemed so strange. It probably took me years to realize that food is just food, and you can actually eat it whenever you want. The truth is, the only reason we associate certain foods with certain meals is that we are fortunate to have the option to, and good marketing has led us to believe this is true. It’s not often you see a commercial for breakfast chicken or dinner eggs, but guess what, they both work just as well. In many cultures, breakfast is simply another meal and an ideal place to use up any extra leftovers from the night before.

 

Vegetable Breakfast Bowls

 

I made these harvest breakfast bowls with parsnips, butternut squash, and Brussels sprouts, but you can truly use any fall vegetable you like or leftover dinner veggies. Just warm them up, put an egg on top, and breakfast is served!

More Healthy Breakfast Bowls:

  • Savoury Oatmeal Bowls
  • Meal Prep Breakfast Bowls
  • Tex-Mex Breakfast Bowls

 

Print
Egg Breakfast Bowls

Harvest Breakfast Bowls

Author: Stephanie Kay

These harvest breakfast bowls are a great way to use leftover roasted vegetables from dinner to make a quick, healthy and hearty morning meal.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 bowls 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 pound Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil + extra for cooking eggs
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 eggs + more as needed
  • Optional: Parmesan cheese, to serve

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. On a large baking sheet, arrange parsnips, butternut squash, and Brussel sprouts.
  3. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, season with salt and use your hands to ensure everything is well coated.
  4. Top vegetables with sprigs of rosemary, breaking them up as needed to cover more of the vegetables.
  5. Transfer baking sheet to the oven for 20 minutes until vegetables are roasted and golden brown.
  6. In a pan, crack and fry eggs sunnyside up (or cooked to your liking).
  7. Transfer cooked vegetables into bowls and top each portion with egg(s) to serve.
  8. Season with sea salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to taste.
  9. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 257 calories
  • Sugar: 9 grams
  • Fat: 8 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 40 grams
  • Fiber: 11 grams
  • Protein: 12 grams

Keywords: egg, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, parsnips, savory, leftovers, healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

8 Benefits of Eating Local Food

Published on October 5, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

The buy local movement has grown tremendously in recent years and with good reason, the benefits of eating local food are plenty. From nutrition to environmental and community reasons, now more than ever it is important to support your local farmer. Here are 8 benefits of eating local food.

Benefits of Eating Local Food

If you follow me on Instagram, follow me on Facebook, or have ever seen me at my local farmer’s market, you know how important shopping and eating local are to me. As a nutritionist, I get a ton of questions on different topics, be it supplements, post-workout snacks, nutrient timing, or the latest fad diet, and although all of this might be informative, when it comes to eating well nothing is more important than the quality of the food we eat. The foundation of any good diet, no matter what the goal is, is determined by the food you eat. Whether you are trying to lose weight, increase energy, train for a marathon, or simply looking to eat a little better, nothing will have more impact on your goal than the quality of the food you consume.

Although I wasn’t always one for shopping local and visiting the farmers market, the more I learned about nutrition and the more I understood how the food I eat impacts my body, the more I truly cared about where it came from and how it got to my plate. Eating whole foods is wonderful, and I will never knock anyone for doing so, but there is a big difference between the apple grown down the street and the orange flown in from across the world. To me, the benefits of eating local food will trump any powder, supplement, or organic ingredient you will ever use, and here are the reasons why.

The Benefits of Eating Local

Here are 8 reasons why eating local benefits you, your health, and your community.

1. Local food is fresher.

Local food is fresher, tastes better, and is likely more nutritious. At a farmer’s market, most local produce has been picked within the last 24 hours, ensuring it is ripe and at its peak nutrient density. In contrast, most supermarket produce was picked days or weeks prior to reaching the grocery store shelf. As soon as a food is harvested its nutrient content begins to deteriorate, specifically vitamins C, E, A, and some B. Of course, produce that has traveled still has nutritional value, but the fresher the fruit or vegetable the more nutrient-dense it will be. So although the apples flown in from Argentina might look great on the grocery store shelf, the ones from the local farm are far fresher and better for you.

2. Supports your seasonal needs.

When you eat locally, you eat with the seasons, and the cycle of seasonal produce is perfectly designed to support your health. If you get back to basics and consider how we ate before the modern grocery store, we simply ate what was available to us at that time of year. Eating seasonally is the most natural way to eat, and one of the most beneficial to our bodies. In the peak of summer, our bodies require cooling foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, and berries to help us handle the elements, while in the dark and cold days of winter we need rich and warming high-fat foods, root vegetables, and fermented foods. Eating seasonally also helps to avoid eating the same thing all year round, which is less than ideal for your health. Our local seasons provide the ideal foods for our body’s natural needs based on our geographic location.

3. Helps you discover new foods.

Eating well can get boring if you stick to the basics; there are only so many times you can eat oatmeal for breakfast and chicken with broccoli for dinner. For instance, how many varieties of tomatoes can you find at your local grocery store? Maybe 3? Local farmers are keeping nearly 300 varieties of tomatoes alive every single year, leaving little room for boredom. How often do you eat garlic scapes, kohlrabi or kabocha squash? Whether you chose to visit your local farmers market or join a CSA, eating seasonally forces you to try to foods and be more creative in the kitchen.

4. Helps you eat mindfully.

It’s easy to scarf down a microwavable meal when you know nothing about where it came from, who produced it, and how it got to your plate. However, when you shop locally you are more connected to the food you eat; knowing who produced it, what farm it came from, and exactly how it got from farm to fork. It’s the same way mom’s homemade tomato sauce evokes a very different feeling and connection than the stuff you grab at the drug store while buying your toothpaste. When it comes to eating mindfully, there are many more components than just what we are eating, the who, where, when, how, and why are just as important, if not more. Shopping and eating locally make you more connected to your food and the impacts it has on your body.

 

If you choose not to personally grow, harvest, or raise your own food, you vote with your dollar every single time you buy your groceries or shop for food.

 

 5. Produces less waste.

Because buying local shortens the distribution chain, forcing food directly from the farm to fork, less waste is produced in the process. Not only does buying local mean less packaging via transportation and shipping, but it also means less environmental waste from pollution and less food waste in the process as well. Buying a CSA from a local farm or shopping at the weekly farmer’s market means next to no food packaging at all, ensuring food was moved directly from a local farm to you, minimizing emissions and food waste in the process.

6. Supports local businesses.

When you buy food in the grocery store most of the cost you incur goes to the transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration, and marketing of that food, and not necessarily to the farmers themselves. When you buy from a local farmer, farmers market, or local shop you are supporting your local community, and your money goes back into producing more local food for you.

7. Supports sustainable agriculture.

Eating locally encourages the diversification of local agriculture and crop variety. This, in turn, reduces the reliance on monoculture; single crops grown over a wide area to the detriment of soils. The reality is that our food is only as nutrient-dense as the soil in which it is grown; although strawberries are known to contain high levels of vitamin C, these levels are heavily dependent on the quality of the soil in which they are grown, and their level of freshness.

8.  Gives power to the consumer.

People have very strong opinions about the state of our food and agriculture systems, be it positive or negative, but the reality is that as a consumer you have a choice. If you choose not to grow, harvest, and raise your own food, you vote with your dollar every single time you buy food. So, if you buy processed foods or imported foods you are creating more demand for these products. In contrast, if you buy local and demand local foods at your local grocery store, you are creating a very different and important demand. Every time you buy from a local farmer you have an opportunity to ask questions, learn about their farming practices and gain a better understanding of your food.

The Bottom Line

The benefits of eating local food are endless, the greatest being the connection it gives you to your food. It’s scary to think how far removed we have become from our food; many of us eat foods never knowing if they grew from a plant, tree, shrub, or bush. The more you eat locally the more you are able to reconnect with food and recognize the importance of real food and how it impacts your body. By supporting local farmers today, you are ensuring that there will be local farms in your community tomorrow, and that is something that we can all agree is important.

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Published on October 3, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

If you love pumpkin, pumpkin spice, pumpkin pie, or pumpkin lattes, you’re going to LOVE this pumpkin chia pudding. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it lasts for days in the fridge so you can whip up a batch and you’ll have healthy breakfasts, snacks, and desserts ready whenever you need them.

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

Fall is my favourite season of all, and I used to get so excited when the festive drinks started showing up on coffee shop menus, especially the pumpkin spice latte. As soon as the leaves would turn, I would put on a warm woolly sweater and head to my local Starbucks for a cup to go. In fact, my sister and I used to make it a yearly ritual and we would always go together for our first cup of the season. It was a fun thing to do together, and something we always looked forward to, but looking back it makes me cringe a little.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister, and Iove going for coffee with her, but now what we both pay a lot more attention to the quality of the food we eat and drink, the fact that our beloved grande pumpkin spice latte contains 50 grams of sugar is enough to scare me away from it forever. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve not lost my love for the flavour of pumpkin spice, I just find different ways to do it like this pumpkin chia pudding.

 

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

I know this recipe might sound a little odd, but I can assure you that the taste of this is bang on. The combination of spices in this recipe and addition of the coconut cream topping helps to make it a rich and satisfying treat made completely of whole foods. Heck, start your day off with my gluten-free pumpkin spice pancakes, and end the day with this pumpkin chia pudding and I promise you’ll be dreaming sweet pumpkin spice dreams.

 

Print
Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Author: Stephanie Kay

Made with coconut milk, this pumpkin chia pudding is a healthy breakfast or snack. Not only is it gluten-free and vegetarian, but it has all of the flavours of fall for a healthy pumpkin spice treat

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 puddings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 400ml can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Toppings: Coconut cream (see instructions), cinnamon, maple syrup, chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Open the can of coconut milk; remove the coconut cream top from the can and add it to a small bowl. Pour 3/4 cup of the liquid milk into a different large bowl, this will be used to make the pudding. Reserve the remaining liquid in the can, and transfer to the fridge with the bowl of coconut cream (separately). These will be used to make the coconut whipped cream topping.
  2. In the same large bowl with the 3/4 cup of coconut milk, combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract, maple syrup and chia seeds. Mix with a spatula to ensure everything is well combined.
  3. Transfer pudding mixture to 2 medium sized mason jars, cover and add to the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
  4. When you are ready to serve the pudding, prepare the coconut whipped cream. Remove reserved can of coconut milk and bowl of coconut cream from the fridge.
  5. In a medium bowl, add coconut cream and using a large whisk or fork, thoroughly whisk cream to add air. In batches, add a small amount of the reserved can of coconut milk to the coconut cream to create a whipped coconut cream. You are looking to create a rich and frothy texture. Depending on your brand of coconut milk, you might need all of the reserve liquid or just a few splashes to create the frothy coconut whipped cream topping.
  6. Optional: You can add a little splash of maple syrup if you want to sweeten the coconut whipped cream, however I find the pudding itself sweet enough.
  7. Serve the pudding with two heaping spoonfuls of coconut whipped cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a handful chopped pecans.
  8. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 pudding
  • Calories: 424 calories
  • Sugar: 10 grams
  • Fat: 33 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 32 grams
  • Fiber: 13 grams
  • Protein: 8 grams

Keywords: chia seeds, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Did you make this recipe? Rate it below!

Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice

Published on October 1, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

This chicken cauliflower fried rice is a lighter take on classic fried rice and a great way to add more veggies to your diet in a fun and flavourful way.

Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice

 

I never used to buy cauliflower before I discovered cauliflower rice. It was just one of those bland and boring vegetables that I never really knew what to do with besides adding cheese sauce to it. When I first heard the term cauliflower rice I was completely perplexed and had no idea what the person was talking about. I immediately thought of it as a food trend that wouldn’t last until I tried it myself for the first time. If I am being honest, the first time I made cauliflower rice it made one heck of a mess in my kitchen, but the more I made it, the better I go and the less of a mess it actually made. There are a number of different ways to make cauliflower rice, but I think the easiest is in a food processor; it’s quick to prepare and easy to clean up, and it stores really well in the fridge or freezer for later use as well.

This chicken cauliflower fried rice is a really basic recipe with simple ingredients most people will already have in their kitchen, making it a convenient weeknight meal. I made this recipe with skinless and boneless chicken thighs because I love the flavor but you could certainly use chicken breasts if that’s all you have.

 

Print
Chicken & Cauliflower Fried Rice

Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice

Author: Stephanie Kay

This chicken cauliflower fried rice recipe calls for chicken thighs because I think they provide better flavour, but chicken breasts would work just as well.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, diced
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1” ginger root, grated
  • 3 spring onions, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 3/4 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • To Serve: spring onions, sesame seeds, hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Cut cauliflower into chunks and add to a food processor to make cauliflower rice.
  2. In a skillet on medium heat, add coconut oil and add diced chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. In the same pan, add whisked eggs and scramble gently. You want to leave them a little soft and runny as they will be heated again later. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. In the same pan, add spring onions and carrots and sautee for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  5. Add cauliflower rice to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes for help soften the cauliflower. Add chicken and peas to the pan, and stir through to combine.
  6. As the cauliflower mixture cooked, combine soy sauce and sesame oil in a small dish and whisk together. Pour into the pan and stir to ensure it is well incorporated with the cauliflower rice.
  7. Stir the scrambled eggs back into the mixture, and season to taste as needed.
  8. Garnish with extra spring onions, sesame seeds and hot sauce to serve.
  9. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 499 calories
  • Sugar: 8 grams
  • Fat: 23 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 21 grams
  • Fiber: 7 grams
  • Protein: 54 grams

Keywords: chicken thighs, soy sauce, sesame oil, carrots, peas, gluten-free, healthy, low-carb

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Thai Salmon Fish Cakes

Published on September 27, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

Fish cakes might have a reputation for being bland and boring, but these Thai salmon fish cakes are anything but! These salmon fish cakes make a great lunch or dinner, and work well on their own or topped onto your favorite green salad.

Thai Salmon Fish Cakes

 

Growing up I hated fish, partially because my only reference point was fish sticks, which I’ve come to realize are anything but impressive. In high school, I steered clear of fish as much as possible, and in university, I essentially lived on bowls of pasta or toast with peanut butter. It wasn’t until I started my first job working in Sports Marketing that I was determined to eat healthier and learn to cook along the way. There were ups and downs, to say the least, nights of eating homemade meals, and others visiting the local takeout spot with friends. Part of the biggest challenge in eating well was actually making my food taste good. I had never used herbs or spices, let alone did I have any in my kitchen, so I really had to be creative and find simple ways to make my food palatable. I still remember one night after work, sitting in my apartment with my roommate, asking him to explain how to cook with spices. I remember taking notes of our conversation with things like; “paprika + cumin = Mexican, oregano + basil = Italian“. Looking back it’s actually hilarious to think that how I started to learn.

I’m not suggesting that I am now an expert in the kitchen by any means, but the reality was that no amount of notetaking was going to help me, I just had to start trying things. Buying spices, trying spices, and mixing them together to create a different flavor combination. I googled recipes, made good ones, and also made terrible ones, but I learned by doing. A simple piece of salmon or fish on its own is incredibly nutritious, but it is the way you season and cook it that makes it incredibly delicious.

Fish cakes are a really simple and inexpensive way to make a small amount of salmon stretch for several meals, and these Thai salmon fish cakes are no different. They are best made using leftovers from the night before to help cut down on prep time, but can certainly be made in the moment. I made these Thai salmon fish cakes with canned salmon, which is quick and cheap to use, but if you have leftover cold salmon you can certainly use that too. It’s the simple combination of spices and flavours in these humble salmon fish cakes that give them a delicious Thai flavour. Paired with a simple salad, they make a great light lunch or dinner.

Print
Thai Salmon Fish Cakes

Thai Salmon Fish Cakes

Author: Stephanie Kay

This salmon fish cake recipe calls for canned salmon because it is quick and convenient, however, if you have leftover cooked salmon, you can certainly use that as well.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 fish cakes 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 300g salmon, skinless and boneless, canned or cooked
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 Thai chilli, seeded and minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1” ginger root, grated
  • 1/4 red bell pepper, minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • Fresh coriander and lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine salmon, green onion, chili, garlic, ginger, and red bell pepper and, using your hands, mix well to combine.
  2. Drizzle in fish sauce and mix to combine.
  3. Sprinkle in coconut flour, cumin, coriander and sea salt. Using your hands, mix well to ensure spices are well incorporated.
  4. In a separate small bowl, crack and whisk eggs, and then transfer to the large bowl and mix with the salmon mixture. You are looking for a thick mixture to form that is easily held together.
  5. Using a 1/4 cup measure, form into balls and then flatten into disks, the mixture should form 6 patties.
  6. Add patties to a plate and transfer to the fridge for 30 minutes to chill before cooking.
  7. In a skillet on medium heat, heat coconut oil, add patties and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until crispy. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to work in batches.
  8. Serve fish cakes warm with fresh lime wedges and coriander, or store and eat cold with a herb salad.
  9. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 fish cake
  • Calories: 136 calories
  • Sugar: 1 gram
  • Fat: 8 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 3 grams
  • Fiber: 1 gram
  • Protein: 13 grams

Keywords: leftover salmon, canned salmon, healthy, easy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Roasted Tomato & White Bean Soup

Published on September 24, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

Creamy tomato soup without any cream! This roasted tomato and white bean soup is incredibly simple to prepare with the same rich and creamy texture as a classic cream of tomato.

Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup

 

Last week I paid a visit to my local morning show, CTV Ottawa, to share some simple tips for healthier versions of fall comfort foods. Between zoodles, cauliflower rice, pumpkin pancakes and my oven-baked chicken fingers, I’ve got lots of easy recipes that can satisfy a craving without throwing a wrench in your meal plan. If you’ve been following me for some time now, you know that I am all for high-fat foods and heavy creams, because as long as you are choosing real food in its real format, they all contain a ton of nutritional benefits. However, when it comes to rich and creamy soups, not everyone can tolerate dairy the same way, so it is nice to have options to help create the same delicious texture and consistency, and this roasted tomato and white bean soup is exactly that!

Aside from dairy, there are actually many ways to create a creamy soup texture without adding any heavy cream. For instance, using starchy vegetables like sweet potato or squash is a great way to ensure soups have a thick and rich consistency, and coconut milk is also a great way to add flavour and texture, like in my Curried Coconut Butternut Squash Soup. However, I also think white beans are a fun way to provide a creamy texture and include a little plant-based protein at the same time.

There are a few different varieties of white beans, be it navy beans, lima beans or Great Northern beans, however, my personal preference is cannellini beans for their mild taste and rich texture. Adding them to a soup is quick and easy, especially if you use the canned variety (which is what I did in this recipe) and they really create a rich texture without altering the flavour of the soup too much.  Adding cannellini beans to this roasted tomato and white bean soup really allows the roasted tomato flavour to shine and helps make a simple one-pot meal that can work as an easy dinner or meal prep idea.

 

Print
Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup

Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup

Author: Stephanie Kay

This roasted tomato and white bean soup is made with a mixture of field tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, however, Roma or plum tomatoes would be great as well.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2.5 pounds tomatoes, roma, plum or field
  • 15oz can cannellini beans
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Wash and cut tomatoes in half, and lay them skin side down on a baking sheet.
  3. Drizzle tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Transfer to the oven and roast for 60 minutes.
  4. With 5 minutes left, begin preparing the base of the soup.
  5. Open can of beans, strain off excess liquid and rinse beans well. Set aside.
  6. In a large pot on medium heat, add 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil, and add onion, carrots and celery, cook for 4-5 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant, ensure it does not burn.
  8. Remove tomatoes from the oven, and transfer tomatoes from the baking sheet to the pot. Stir to combine with vegetables.
  9. Add in sprigs of thyme and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  10. Add in cannellini beans and broth, stir to combine, and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
  11. Once the soup has cooked, remove the sprigs of thyme, and using an immersion blender or in batches using a bar blender, puree until smooth.
  12. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with diced tomatoes and sprinkle of chives.
  13. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 150 calories
  • Sugar: 9 grams
  • Fat: 5 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 24 grams
  • Fiber: 6 grams
  • Protein: 6 grams

Keywords: roasted, creamy, fresh, healthy, white bean

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies

Published on September 19, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

These chocolate tahini cookies with sea salt are flourless and gluten-free, and soft and chewy just the way a cookie should be.

Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies

 

Cookies are one of my favorite treats; give me a good cup of coffee with a cookie and I’ll be one happy little camper. On the way to a friend’s cottage this summer we stopped at one of my favorite coffee shops just outside of Ottawa, The Fieldhouse, to grab a coffee for the drive. When I was in the shop I decided to get some cookies to bring to the cottage (C’mon, I’m not all kale and coconut oil!), and they had these salted dark chocolate cookies that were absolutely amazing. They were soft and chewy, with a little hint of spice and a touch of salt, and they hit all of the taste buds at once. I was shocked when the lady at the counter told me they were grain-free, I figured gluten-free could easily be done but had never really thought about creating a grain-free cookie.

The only grain-free cookie that I can really think of is classic peanut butter cookies. They are essentially just a combination of peanut butter and sugar, so it’s no wonder they are delicious. Now, obviously, that is not a recipe that will fly with me, so I had to find a slightly healthier alternative, which is exactly what I’ve done with these Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies.

These cookies are a little chocolatey twist on a classic peanut butter cookie, with a lot less sugar and tahini instead of peanut butter. If you have never had tahini before, don’t be alarmed, it is essentially just sesame seed paste or the sesame seed version of peanut butter. I’ve used it in a lot of recipes on the blog, including my Power Bowls and Broccoli Salad, so if it is not a staple in your pantry yet, it is about to be.

Truthfully, I was actually a little nervous about sharing this recipe and therefore played around with it a lot. I talk a lot about the importance of avoiding sugar, so sharing a cookie with sugar in it might seem a little odd, however, I also talk a lot about the importance of opting for quality over quantity and enjoying treats in moderation. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t eat cookies (because I do), I just make sure that when I eat a cookie is a good quality cookie and not a processed pre-packaged one. So, to sweeten this recipe I opted to use raw organic cane sugar because it is one of the least refined versions of sugar. If you don’t have raw organic cane sugar, coconut sugar would also work really well, but for the purpose of this recipe, natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey just won’t just cut it.

 

Print
Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies

Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies

Author: Stephanie Kay

These salted dark chocolate cookies are sweetened with a little raw organic cane sugar, but coconut sugar would work well too.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cookies 1x
  • Category: Cookie
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1/2 cup raw organic cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients; tahini, egg, vanilla, and whisk well to combine.
  3. Add in dry ingredients; cocoa powder, sugar, sea salt and baking soda, and use a spatula to combine.
  4. Once the mixture has been combined, add in dark chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop dough into balls (approximately 1.5 tablespoons), until 12 balls are formed.
  6. Using your finger or the back of a spoon, gently press the balls into cookies, just a little. Don’t worry about making them too flat, they will flatten out more when they bake.
  7. Transfer baking sheet to the oven for 15 minutes until cookies are baked but still tender. They will harden when they cool.
  8. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
  9. Allow to cool completely before eating.
  10. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 169 calories
  • Sugar: 2 grams
  • Fat: 13 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 11 grams
  • Fiber: 3 grams
  • Protein: 5 grams

Keywords: chocolate chips, sea salt, gluten-free, healthy, easy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Slow-Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Published on September 17, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

Let your kitchen do the cooking with this super simple slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal and indulge in a warm and healthy breakfast to start your day.

Slow-Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people when they are trying to help make healthy changes to their diet is that they don’t have time. Either they are too busy to cook, can’t seem together organized, or just find themselves scrambling at the last minute, people are always looking for ways to make healthy eating more efficient and less time-consuming. One of the primary goals of my work is to actually show people that eating well does not need to be complicated, and there are lots of easy ways to ensure you are eating real food that works for real life and this apple cinnamon oatmeal just happens to be one of them.

I’ve shared lots of healthy portable breakfast ideas on the blog, like my Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies or Spinach Breakfast Casserole, so this slow-cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal is just another easy breakfast idea that you can add to the list. As the seasons change, the temperature drops, and the nights get shorter, there is nothing like a warm breakfast on a cold and dark morning. So let your slow cooker do the cooking, and wake up to the warming scent of cinnamon with my slow-cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal for a healthy ready-made breakfast.

 

Slow-Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

Print
Slow-Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Slow-Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Author: Stephanie Kay

Made with steel-cut oats, fresh apples, cinnamon, vanilla and raisins, this slow-cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal is a heart-warming breakfast you can enjoy any time of the year.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steel-cut oats
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 apples, diced (Mcintosh, Lobo or Cortland)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
  • Toppings: Walnuts, pecans, maple syrup, cream or milk

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a 4 or 6-quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
  2. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or overnight.
  3. Once cooked, stir the oatmeal to ensure everything is well combined, and add desired toppings before serving.
  4. Enjoy!

Notes

To reheat leftovers, simply add a splash of water or milk and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1 minute.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 294 calories
  • Sugar: 22 grams
  • Fat: 6 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 56 grams
  • Fiber: 8 grams
  • Protein: 8 grams

Keywords: crockpot, homemade, healthy, steel cut, overnight

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

How to Sweeten Food Without Sugar

Published on September 14, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you know how hard it can be to cut sugar out of your diet completely. That sweet and satisfying taste is highly addictive so removing it altogether is a big adjustment for many people. So, one of the best tricks to learn when improving your diet is how to sweeten food without sugar and still satisfy your sweet tooth.

How to Sweeten Food Without Sugar

 

I used to be addicted to sugar. I would eat it in every meal and snack during the day, whether I knew it or not. Almost every packaged food I bought contained added sugar, be it my morning granola, salad dressing, protein bars, or sauces and marinades, it was hiding in everything I ate. So when I decided to cut it out cold turkey, it was a real surprise to me that almost everything in my fridge and pantry needed to go. Very quickly I realized how addicted I was to sugar, as my sugar cravings became more and more intense, so I really had to look for simple and healthy ways to satisfy my sweet tooth without downing an entire bar of dark chocolate.

Although there are lots of great natural sweeteners that you can use to sweeten your food, if you really want to cut out your sugar cravings it is best to try and limit those as well. I’m all for maple syrup, but not if you’ve got a 1/4 cup of it on your morning oatmeal, so perhaps one of these simple suggestions will help you find a new way to sweeten your food without sugar and help put your sugar demons to rest.

8 Ways to Sweeten Food Without Sugar

Here are some easy ways to provide a sweet taste without using refined sugar.

1. Cinnamon

Cinnamon was one of the first tricks I discovered to help me crush my sugar cravings. I honestly never used to buy or cook with cinnamon until a read about how it can help to manage cravings by balancing blood sugar. I now often use cinnamon in my morning oatmeal, like my Chai-Spice Apple Oatmeal, add it to smoothies, or simply sprinkle it on sliced apple for a healthy snack. You can also add it to your morning coffee to help provide a little bit of sweetness without any added sugar.

2. Bananas

Realistically any fruit can help to provide natural sweetness without adding sugar, however, bananas are particularly useful because they have a slightly higher natural sugar content than most fruit. Although many people might think this is a bad thing, it is nothing to worry about, especially if you are opting for a banana over a donut. (Let’s keep things in perspective.) Bananas are most commonly used in smoothies, but they are a great tool in baking, like my Banana Bread Bites, and also make a satisfying snack slathered in almond butter. Plus, for those late-night cravings on the couch when all you want is ice cream, they make the perfect all-natural sweetener for my homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream.

3. Dates

Dried fruit, such as dates, raisins, and cranberries, is a very concentrated form of fresh fruit so I always suggest you use them sparingly, however, they can really help satisfy a sweet tooth. When buying dried fruit, be sure to read the ingredients list to ensure that it really only includes dried fruit as some brands will add extra sugar to sweeten them. A dried date or two makes a tasty sweet treat paired with a handful of nuts, or if you want to get extra fancy my Carrot Cake Energy Bites or Homemade Turtles are always a hit.

4. Shredded Coconut

Not everyone is a fan of the flavor of coconut, but if you are, this one is so versatile. I rarely used shredded or flaked coconut, until I once had it in trail mix and realized how naturally sweet-tasting it can be. Shredded or flaked coconut is really easy to find, any baking aisle or bulk food store will carry it, and as long as you buy the unsweetened stuff you can pretty much use it in anything. I personally love to add flaked coconut to trail mix instead of dried fruit, or my Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding instead of maple syrup, and the shredded version works really well in a bowl of plain yogurt or oatmeal with lots of fresh fruit.

5. Crushed Berries

Fresh berries are delicious, but when cooked or crushed they provide an extra level of sweetness, especially frozen berries. I like to keep a bag of frozen raspberries or blueberries in the freezer just in case I want to add a little sweetness to something.  By simply warming frozen fruit on the stovetop (or in the microwave) really helps to bring out the natural sweetness and makes a great topping for yogurt, overnight oatmeal, chia seed pudding, or my Almond Banana Pancakes.

6. Apple Sauce

Apple sauce might seem like a baby food snack right out of the 1980s, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work for adults too. Aside from just eating it right off the spoon, it also works really well in baking to help sweeten and provide added moisture, like in my Blueberry Oatmeal & Maple Muffins. I’ve also been known to add it to my morning oatmeal or use it as a condiment for savory dishes like pork.

7. Vanilla

Vanilla extract and vanilla powder are a delicious way to add sweetness to breakfast or snack time. A little splash of vanilla into your morning smoothie, oatmeal, or plain yogurt can help to add an extra little touch of sweetness and flavor. Vanilla extract can be a little acidic tasting so be sure to use it in cooking, but vanilla powder works well in everything from yogurt to coffee.

8. Sweet Potato

This one might seem odd, but sweet potatoes are a delicious way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Baked long enough a sweet potato becomes rich, sweet, and creamy and can really help take the edge off a craving. They can be baked right into recipes like my Morning Glory Muffins, or eaten on their own as a dessert topped with almond butter, cinnamon, and shredded coconut. Give it a try, you’ll be pleased you did.

Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

Published on September 13, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

These homemade gluten-free chicken fingers are super simple to prepare and turn out perfectly crispy every single time.

Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers

 

I honestly haven’t eaten chicken fingers in years. As soon as I started focusing on eating whole foods, I made a point to cut out all processed and pre-packaged foods, chicken fingers included. Truth be told, they weren’t one of my favorite foods, to begin with, I’m much more of a French fry girl myself, however, I know how much people love them, so I figured making a recipe for oven-baked chicken fingers would be a lot of fun.

When it comes to deep-fried foods, recreating a healthier version can be really tough because it is really the fryer and the oil that provide all of the texture and flavor. So when it came to creating a gluten-free version of oven-baked chicken fingers I knew I had my work cut out for me. Fortunately, today there are a ton of different flour options on the market, so I knew if I could find the right combination I could make it work.

The key to getting these Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers crunchy and crispy is the addition of tapioca flour to the almond flour. Although tapioca flour, or tapioca starch, might sound fancy it is simply flour made of cassava, which is a long tuberous root that is high in starch content, which makes it ideal for thickening soups or sauces and also helps to provide a crispy texture in baking and cooking. The combination of the almond flour and tapioca flour in this recipe helps to give these Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers the crispy deep-fried texture you would expect without any deep-frying at all.

 

Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers

 

These gluten-free chicken fingers are a great meal for kids, a large group or party, or a make-ahead dinner idea. They store really well in the fridge and keep their crispiness for up to 3 days, or you can batch-cook them in advance and store them in a freezer and warm them in the oven when you need a simple dinner in a pinch.

 

Print
Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers

Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

Author: Stephanie Kay

Made with chicken breasts, almond flour and tapioca flour, these baked chicken fingers are a healthy and gluten-free recipe the whole family can enjoy!

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Mains
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil + more as needed

To Serve:

  • Honey Mustard (3 tablespoons mustard + 1 tablespoon honey)
  • Ketchup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and black together, and set aside.
  4. In a separate small bowl, crack eggs and whisk until well combined.
  5. One at a time, dip chicken strips into egg mixture, ensure it is well coated, and then transfer to the flour mixture. Use your hands to ensure that the entire chicken strip is well coated in the flour mixture and then transfer it to the baking sheet.
  6. Continue doing this, one chicken strip at a time, until all of the chicken has been coated in the egg and flour mixture and placed onto the baking sheet.
  7. Once the baking sheet is lined with the chicken strips, drizzle olive or avocado oil across all of the chicken strips. You don’t need the chicken to be coated in oil, just a little drizzle across the top of each piece.
  8. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for a total of 18 minutes, turning the strips halfway through, until the tenders are brown and crispy on both sides.
  9. Serve with a side of honey mustard or organic ketchup.
  10. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 309 calories
  • Sugar: 1 gram
  • Fat: 11 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 11 grams
  • Fiber: 1 gram
  • Protein: 26 grams

Keywords: oven, homemade, easy, gluten free, healthy, almond flour

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Published on September 10, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

This spicy black bean soup is simple to prepare and loaded with plant-based protein for a healthy and filling lunch idea.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

 

I wasn’t always a fan of beans. In fact, when I was a kid I used to hate them. I thought they were weird and mushy and the texture drove me crazy. We only really ate them a couple of ways in our house; either in a big pot of chili or a cold bean salad my mom used to make in batches during the summer. I don’t think it was until I moved out and lived alone that I realized how much food actually costs, and how much of a penny-saver a can of beans could be, that I actually started eating them regularly. At first, the only thing I knew to do with them was to eat them straight out of the can, but the more I started to cook with them, and experiment with different varieties, the more I realized how versatile they can be. In fact, beans work well in everything from stews to salads to soups, much like spicy black bean soup.

In a perfect world, the best way to cook with beans is actually by soaking them and cooking them from scratch. This process helps to make them more easily digested (so they are less of a musical fruit), as it helps to remove the phytic acid and anti-nutrients naturally present in dried beans. Although this is the ideal way to prepare them, I do think there is a time and a place for canned beans, and I frequently use them myself, so I always encourage people to use them too. Using canned beans can help to save time so you can whip up a delicious and healthy meal in a pinch, without breaking the bank.

 

Spicy Black Bean Soup

 

This spicy black bean soup is such a simple and filling meal, and I truly think that it is a great make-ahead meal or meal prep idea.  In fact, the longer this soup sits in the fridge the better it tastes, as flavors really come together, so it really tastes best on day 2 or 3. Make this spicy black bean soup on a Sunday afternoon for a delicious week’s worth of plant-based protein-filled lunches.

More Bean Soup Recipes:

  • Roasted Tomato & White Bean Soup
  • Bean and Bacon Soup
  • Spring Green Minestrone

 

Print
Spicy Black Bean Soup

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Author: Stephanie Kay

This spicy black bean soup recipe is made with canned beans for simplicity, but if you have dried beans you could certainly use those too.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (15oz) black beans, strained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 green onions, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground chillies
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp. ground pepper
  • 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • To Serve: avocado, cilantro, green onion, corn chips

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil on a medium heat and add chopped onion, green onion, bell peppers, carrots and celery.
  2. Heat on medium for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.
  3. Add garlic, cumin, chilli powder, oregano and crushed chillies, and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  5. Add in the strained black beans, stir quickly to coat with spice mixture and cover with broth.
  6. Add in bay leaf and red wine vinegar, stir to combine.
  7. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for 30 minutes.
  8. Once to soup has cooked, the broth is flavourful and beans are tender, remove from the heat and using an immersion blender or in batches using a bar blender, puree until smooth. For a chunkier soup, remove 1 cup of the soup mixture before blending and add it back in at the end.
  9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve with sliced avocado, scallion, fresh cilantro and/or corn chips.
  11. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 206 calories
  • Sugar: 7 grams
  • Fat: 3 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 36 grams
  • Fiber: 13 grams
  • Protein: 10 grams

Keywords: black beans, carrot, olive oil, chicken broth, avocado, vegan, easy, healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

5 No-Cook Lunch Ideas

Published on September 7, 2017 by Stephanie Kay

For those days when you are in a pinch and life is just too hectic to meal prep, here are 5 easy and healthy no-cook lunch ideas for work that you can take to the office to help keep your healthy eating on track.

Lunch Ideas for Work

No-Cook Lunch Ideas

Whether you are single, a mother of two, or a broke student trying to make ends meet, lunches seem to be the last thing on everyone’s mind. Of course, there are lots of great meal prep ideas you can do to ensure that you have healthy meals ready for the week, but sometimes life just gets the best of you so the simpler you can keep things the better.

When it comes to packing a healthy lunch, there are a few simple guidelines I like to suggest to ensure that your meal is well-balanced (while still being simple) to help keep you full and focused for a day of work. In order to create a well-balanced meal, the best thing to do is include all three macronutrients; a good source of protein, some healthy fats, and good quality carbohydrates in the form of vegetables and/or fruits. This is easier done when cooking, but it is actually still pretty easily done when you can’t cook at all. There are lots of easy-to-find foods and shortcuts that you can take at the grocery store, or in your own kitchen, to help you save on time while still keeping nutrition in mind. Although I don’t work in an office now, when I did I always kept a few super simple no-cook work lunch ideas in my back pocket so I could just grab and go in the morning, or pack lunch in five minutes when I got home after a long day of work. So here are my top 5 favorite no-cook work lunch ideas for those mornings when you just don’t have the time and need to get out the door.

 

No-Cook Work Ideas

 

No-Cook Lunch Idea #1

Can of Tuna + Leafy Greens + Tomatoes + Avocado

This is such a quick and easy lunch to toss together, and I personally ate this particular lunch all of the time when I was working in an office. The key to this no-cook lunch idea is that you really have to commit to doing as little work as possible, honestly. To make this super quick to put together simply keep a box or bag of pre-washed leafy greens and a pint of cherry tomatoes in the fridge, some avocados on the counter, and a can of tuna in the cupboard. In a big container combine a bunch of leafy greens and a handful of cherry tomatoes, and bring an avocado and a can of tuna to work with you. At the office, you can combine all of the ingredients to make a tasty tuna salad, just be sure to leave a bottle of salad dressing in the office fridge (so you don’t have to carry it back and forth), make sure the office kitchen has a can opener, and lunch will be ready in no time.

 

No-Cook Work Lunch Ideas

No-Cook Lunch Idea #2

Hummus + Vegetables + Nut Butter + Apple

Hummus is often considered more of a snack, but in reality, there is no reason why it can’t be used in a healthy lunch; made of chickpeas and tahini, it is loaded with complex carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and healthy fats. Plus there are tons of different flavors available at most grocery stores! To ensure this meal is filling enough, simply increase the serving size of hummus and add lots of sliced vegetables to create a deconstructed salad (if you will), and pair it with nut butter for added fat to help keep you going all afternoon. When it comes to types of nut butter the options are truly endless as you can buy everything from peanut butter to almond butter to pecan butter and combinations of all three and more. Just be sure to choose an all-natural nut butter to ensure that there are no added sugars or refined oils, so you are actually eating butter made of nuts, not sugar butter with some nuts in it.

 

No-Cook Work Lunch Ideas

No-Cook Lunch Idea #3

 Hard-Boiled Eggs + Olives + Vegetables + Berries

I know what you are thinking, “Red, you have to cook hard-boiled eggs, so this meal doesn’t count as one of your no-cook lunch ideas”. On the contrary, my friend, almost every grocery store now carries pre-cooked boiled eggs so you don’t even have to do it yourself! They often come in little packs of two and can be found in the cheese or take-out section, so just have a little browse at your local supermarket. Paired with olives, boiled eggs will give you a boost of protein and lots of healthy fats between the two to keep your blood sugar balanced, your mind sharp, and keep cravings at bay for the rest of the afternoon. Plus, the vegetables (buy them pre-cut if you need to) and fruit give you a little source of carbohydrates for a boost of energy, and if you are feeling extra hungry, just add an extra egg or two.

No-Cook Work Lunch Ideas

No-Cook Lunch Idea #4

Bean Salad + Vegetables + Cheese + Nuts

In addition to tuna salad, this was also one of my go-to no-cook work lunch ideas when I worked in an office. Canned beans are really easy and inexpensive to find, and although you can buy individually canned beans, it’s also really easy to find canned bean medleys. A lot of these options pair several types of beans together, marinated in a simple dressing with some herbs and spices to give them a little flavor. You can eat them right out of the can if you want, but I prefer to rinse the excess brine off a little bit. Beans serve as a good source of plant-based protein, and when paired with vegetables, cheese and nuts, you have a complete balanced. And packed in these DALCICI Stainless containers, it’s like a little cheese board to go.

 

No-Cook Work Lunch Ideas

No-Cook Lunch Idea #5

Deli Meat + Lettuce + Vegetables + Guacamole

Deli meats have a really bad reputation, and although many of them are less than ideal, some types can certainly be used from time to time. If you want to use a deli turkey, chicken, or roast beef, be sure to look for all-natural versions with limited added sodium and added sugar. They are convenient to have on hand for a simple source of protein, and you can eat them on their own or make little deli roll-ups with leaf lettuce and extra veggies. Pair them with a side of guacamole for added healthy fats, which you can buy pre-made in grocery stores or simply mash an avocado yourself, and this example of no-cook lunch ideas has got everything you need for your day ahead.

  • Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • …
  • 41
  • Next

Hey, I’m Stephanie

– AKA RED –

I’m a nutritionist on a mission to change the way you look at food and teach you how to make real food work for real life in a realistic way.

Get to Know Me

Want A 7-Day Meal Plan?

Download my free 7-day meal plan, complete with a grocery list, for a week’s worth of easy healthy recipes that make real food work for real life.

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Shop My Cookbooks

My eCookbooks are filled with quick and easy real food recipes to help make eating well a breeze so you can crush your goals.

Learn More

Recipes

  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Meal Prep
  • Snacks

Nutrition

  • FAQs
  • Tips
  • This vs. That
  • Weight Loss

Connect

  • Instagram
  • About
  • Cookbooks

About Stephanie

I’m a nutritionist on a mission to change the way you look at food and teach you how to make real food work for real life in a realistic way.

Learn More

Site Credits
2022 © Stephanie Kay Nutrition
To Top