Archives for June 2014

 

As anyone who has ever lived with me can tell you, I HATE DOING DISHES. Sign me up to clean counters, take out the trash, vacuum, clean the bathroom or even scrub the toilet. But dishes: blah!

Years ago when I made the commitment to my own health, I went from Subway lunches and frozen Lean Cuisine dinners to homemade quinoa veggie bowls and green protein smoothies. The first week I prepared every lunch at home and cooked each single-serving dinner…and because I was working MORE than full time I ended up with a full belly and a sink full of dishes. I got excited to cook, thoroughly enjoyed my meal and then had no energy (or motivation) to do the dirty work. Have you ever left dirty dishes in the sink for a week? Probably not- because that’s absolutely disgusting (I know from experience)! Well sometimes I hid my disgust for dishes under the premise of “letting them soak” or waiting for a full dishwasher. Whatever the excuse I used, the idea of spending precious “after-work” time cleaning pots and pans every day was a real obstacle in my new healthy lifestyle.

I know that preparing my own meals with all the best ingredients is one of the best choices I can make for my long-term health and wellness. So I found myself in a dilemma: opt for the prepackaged convenient and highly processed frozen meal (with no cleanup) or bust out the pots and pans, make them very dirty and make my own meal? I knew the healthiest decision was the latter.

So to avoid the shivers I get at the thought of doing dishes EVERYDAY, I developed a Golden Rule for my kitchen. Cook ONCE, Eat TWICE (or 8 times as you’ll see below). I solved my problem of eating healthy and avoiding the daily dish wash. Here’s how it works:

 

#1: Choose a meal that you can make to have for dinner, leftovers for lunch, or even freeze and come back to in a month or two!

#2: Make the meal in bulk and then divide into single servings (great example is with soup- I freeze it in mason jars as individual portions)

#3: Enjoy the extra free time you have !

Now while I still don’t have the funds to hire a human dishwasher, I only have to worry about dishes once or twice a week AND am still putting the best quality food into my body.

I’ve been able to use this mantra for making veggie burgers, homemade soups, egg frittatas, desserts and more. Now I spend less time in the kitchen and have more time to spend with my family, friends, and pup!

Have a meal that you can cook once and eat twice? Share it with us in the comments.

Live your WHOLE life!

 

Shannon & Meg

 

HAPPY COW CHIPOTLE BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS W/ ADOBO SAUCE 

2 (15 oz.) cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed & drained

4 Tbsp. EVOO

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large bell pepper, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped plus 1 tsp. sauce

½ cup finely crumbled feta cheese

1 whole egg

1 slice sprouted bread (toasted and very finely chopped, to resemble bread crumbs)

Toppings as desired: avocado, fried egg, tomato, hummus (great topper)

 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spread with beans. Place in oven and roast until beans are mostly split (about 20 minutes).

Step 2: While the beans are in the oven, heat 2 Tbsp. EVOO in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in onion and bell pepper, stirring until softened (about 5 mins). Add garlic and stir (about 2 mins). Add chipotle chili and sauce and stir (about 30 seconds). Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Step 3: Combine the feta cheese and black beans in a food processor and pulse until beans are roughly chopped (about 1/3 of the full bean in size). NOTE: If you don’t have a food processor you can use a fork or potato masher to work the beans and feta cheese together. Add the bean & cheese mixture to the bowl with onions and peppers. Add egg and sprouted breadcrumbs to bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold together gently but thoroughly with hands.

Step 4: Form bean mixture into 6-8 patties. Heat 1 Tbsp. of EVOO in a pan over medium heat. Add patties (as many as you want for dinner tonight) and cook, swirling the oil in the pan occasionally. Flip after 5 minutes, until each side is browned.

Step 5: Enjoy! Add your favorite toppings to the delicious Happy Cow Black Bean Burger. You can use lightly toasted sprouted bread as a bun, spread with hummus, avocado, fried egg or the standard lettuce, tomato and onion.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Arrange patties on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place in freezer until fully frozen (about 1 hour). Take baking sheet out of freezer, and stack frozen burgers, with parchment paper in between. Place in freezer Ziploc bag and return to freezer. Voila!

 

I’ll admit it, I’m a control freak and I have been since I was a little kid. I have always like things done a very specific way. I’ve been doing my own laundry, in my own particular way, since second grade! Some people bring their laundry home to mom or have a pickup service, but the idea gives me the heebie-jeebies! What if they do it wrong?!

While this need for control has caused a set back or two in some parts of my life, it works great when it comes to my health regime. Like Janet’s hit 1986 album, I am in CONTROL of my health and one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to do this is when I monitor what I put into my body….at EVERY meal!

When I eat a whole food, I know exactly what the ingredients are…the actual food! When I eat processed foods, it’s a guessing game. There are a lot of hidden ingredients, ones that we would NEVER expect to be in food. (I actually think of most processed foods as “non foods”.)

Take salad dressing for example: check out the ingredients in your favorite store bought salad dressing. Does it contain high fructose corn syrup? MSG? Trans fats? Titanium dioxide? How about Propylene Glycol Alginate (a chemical which is also used in pesticides and antifreeze)? When ingested, PGA inhibits our body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Simply put, using a salad dressing with PGA can negate all the nutrients in the salad greens and veggies!

The good news is that you have the ability to CONTROL what you eat. Instead of getting frustrated about all the miscellaneous and potentially hazardous materials (that I can’t pronounce) in my food, I choose to take matters into my own “control freak” hands and make the foods myself, from whole foods, in my own clean kitchen (well except for all those dishes).

At Whole Food Love, we give you simple tools that empower you to make easy, healthier swaps! If you’ve ever stirred noodles, whisked an egg, or shaken orange juice you can make your own salad dressing! Your homemade salad dressing will be much tastier and contain ONLY the ingredients you decide.

If you like a light vinaigrette stick with olive oil and your favorite balsamic vinegar. When I’m craving a creamy ranch or thousand island dressing, here is one of my favorite and quick go to recipes for the best homemade salad dressing recipe –  a healthy 5 ingredient honey mustard:

HHM (Healthy Honey Mustard)

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp. honey

½ Tbsp. water

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over salad.  Enjoy!

 

To get what you want, bust a beat like Janet, and get back in Control. Remember when it has to do with your life, you want be the one in control! Stay tuned for my favorite “go to” salads that I pair it with HHM.

What food would you like to stop buying in the store and prepare yourself? Leave us a comment and sign up for our future blogs to see how we can make your recipe, quick and easy using whole ingredients.

Live your WHOLE life!

Shannon & Meg