Easy Healthy Recipes - Sloppy Joes

Ah, Sloppy Joes - a childhood favorite! It was one of the few times we were encouraged to eat with our hands and get messy. The recipe below is free of the nasty products found in most canned Sloppy Joe products. Serve on a whole wheat bun with a mound of fresh vegetables on the side. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2/3 Cup organic catsup

1 Tablespoon organic Worcestershire sauce

1 Teaspoon organic paprika

1 Teaspoon organic cumin

1 Teaspoon organic sea salt

1 Teaspoon organic ground black pepper

1/2 Teaspoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon organic oregano

1 Tablespoon organic white wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon organic unfiltered olive oil

1 Small organic yellow onion diced

4 Stalks organic celery diced

1 Clove organic garlic passed through press

1 Bunch organic scallions

1 Pound ground bison

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl combine catsup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, and vinegar

2. Add olive oil to pan over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and celery until onions are translucent. Add ground bison and cook until browned. 

3. Combine meat and spice mixture in large bowl. Serve on whole wheat buns with chopped scallion garnish. Be sure to have a plateful of veggies. Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Recipes - Grass-Fed Hamburgers

Very few things seem to satisfy quite like a fresh, juicy hamburger. The combination of fat, salt, and savory flavors meld forming an exceptional experience for our tummys and our tastebuds. Here are the two keys to enjoying burgers:

1. Eat grass-fed beef from local farms. Industrial animals are loaded with growth hormones, antibiotics, and fed food made with genetically modified organisms. All nasty stuff!

2. Eat small portions as part of a balanced meal. A serving of ground beef is defined by the USDA as 4 ounces - buy a pound of meat an serve 4 people. The picture above has 2 ounces. Plenty!

INGREDIENTS

1 Pound grass-fed 85-90% ground beef

Organic sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and paprika to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat cast-iron skillet with lid over high heat until smoking.  

2. Form ground beef into four 4-ounce patties about 1-2" thick

3. Dash salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides of meat to taste

4. Place burgers in pan and cover. Drop heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes. Flip burgers and cook for an additional 3 minutes. 

5. Remove burgers from pan and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve with a heap of veggies, some fruit and some smashed avocado (recipe on blog) or ketchup. Add a whole wheat bun, raw baby spinach, and tomato if you prefer. Or top with sautéed leeks and shrooms (recipe on blog)! Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Recipes - Belgian Waffles

This recipe requires a waffle iron of some sort - electric, cast iron, etc. - and goes great with homemade whipped cream. See the whipped cream recipe on this blog. This healthy breakfast was served with steamed and sautéed spinach, Concord pears, and leftover pan-seared chicken. Note the portion sizes!

INGREDIENTS

2 Organic, cage-free eggs

2 Cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tablespoon organic sugar

4 Teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 Teaspoon sea salt

1/4 Teaspoon organic cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla

1-3/4 Cup whole, grass-fed milk

1/2 Cup organic unfiltered EVOO

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat waffle iron to medium heat. Waffle irons without a non-stick surface may require oil to be sprayed or brushed on before batter for each waffle is added.  

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with whisk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix with whisk until smooth. 

3. Pour approximately 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle iron. Close lid and cook for 2-3 minutes or until steaming stops. Remove waffle and enjoy with whipped cream, berries, or Grade B maple syrup.  

Easy Healthy Recipes - Smashed Avocado

Garlic, garlic, garlic - eat more garlic! Eat fresh garlic at every meal. It is an amazing antioxidant that has been shown to help prevent some of the most common ailments like colds, flu, heart disease, cancer, and the effects of aging.

Using natural fats found in avocados or olive oil take some of the bite out of the raw garlic. Allow the chopped/pressed garlic to sit for 10 minutes prior to use. It will increase its nutritional punch, as well as mellow out the flavor. And go easy when cooking garlic - brown, over-cooked garlic is bitter. 

Here is a simple smashed avocado recipe my family uses regularly with various foods at any time of day. It pairs great with chicken, burgers, or slathered on whole wheat naan.

INGREDIENTS

1 Ripe organic avocado

1 Clove organic garlic passed through press

1/2 Organic lime

1 Pinch organic sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Squeeze garlic through press onto a cutting board and allow to mellow for 10 minutes.  

2. Slice avocado in half with a heavy chef knife. Remove pit by gently chopping chef knife into the side of the pit and applying a slight twist. Spoon out the green avocado flesh onto the cutting board.  

3. Add a three-finger pinch of sea salt and juice from 1/2 of a lime.  

4. Use a potato masher or fork to bash the ingredients together into a smooth consistency. Use the chef knife to fold over the mixture to ensure all of the flavors are evenly distributed. Serve up and enjoy!

Excerpt from Mark Sisson on Mark's Daily Apple: 

Eating avocado with a fast food hamburger meal eliminates the inflammatory response and endothelial dysfunction that results from eating the hamburger alone.

It protects the liver as much as extra virgin olive oil (without the prominent flavor) and improves cardiometabolic dysfunction, even in the context of a high sugar diet.

Avocado boosts nutrient absorption from other foods you eat with. Beta-carotene absorption and conversion into retinol, for example, increases when you eat avocado.

Avocado oil is also highly resistant to heat, about the same as olive oil (which itself is extremely stable).

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-primal-mayo-mayonnaise/#ixzz3LW7gqoam

Easy Healthy Recipes - French Toast

French toast is so versatile. It is great for families members with varying tastes. Go savory by topping toast with salt and pepper. Traditional with jelly or jam. Or super sweet with powdered sugar or maple syrup. Organic, pure Grade B maple syrup is a great alternative to sugar. It contains 54 antioxidants, many of which are also found in tea, berries, and broccoli! As always, serve with a balanced plate including lots of veggies, lean protein, and fruit. Today, our French Toast breakfast was rounded out with organic mixed nuts, Concord pears, and lots of steamed spinach sautéed with grass-fed butter, organic garlic, an sea salt. Add a few diced organic bell peppers for crunch!

INGREDIENTS

3 Organic, cage-free eggs

1 Cup whole, grass-fed milk

1 Tablespoon organic sugar

1/4 Teaspoon organic vanilla

1/4 Teaspoon organic cinnamon

Pinch sea salt

8 Slices whole wheat bread

3 Tablespoons organic, unrefined coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat large pan over low-medium heat. Set slices of bread on counter to dry out. 

2. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to bowl. Whisk all ingredients together.  

3. Place one tablespoon of coconut oil to pan. Dip bread into bowl and thoroughly wet with batter. Place 2-3 pieces of bread into pan. Cook 1-2 minutes, flip, cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Enjoy! 

Healthy Approach to Eating - Forget Dieting

Numerous clients have started their journey with me by discussing failures in their approach to living a healthy lifestyle. It is a recurring theme of self-blame. They talk about how they cannot resist temptation, the lack of motivation, or the need for greater willpower. As the clients and I discuss those issues in greater detail, I often discover that the lack of success is not the client's fault, but rather a flaw in the methods used in trying to achieve those health and wellness goals.

If leading a healthy and active lifestyle were as simple as willpower or really wanting to be skinny, the majority of us would be fit! The reality is that being healthy ultimately comes down to making changes in our overall approach to nutrition and movement.

One of the key factors for success is finding the eating and exercise habits that are enjoyable and sustainable long term. Do you love bread? Then why go on a diet or eating plan that restricts bread? That is simply not going to be an approach to eating that you will stick with for years. Do you dread running on the gym's treadmill? Then don't do it. Find the movement activities that you enjoy - what ever that is - and make that your consistent workout.

My experience tells me that the majority of diets and fitness programs are grand failures. Media and fitness outlets promote the opposite message - that these diets and fitness programs are successful and it is us that are failures. Nothing could be further from the truth! 

Interested in learning how to identify and integrate healthy habits into your life that are both enjoyable and sustainable? Then contact Michael Ockrim to discuss your current approach to living a healthy and active lifestyle. 

Easy Healthy Recipes - After School Snack Hot Dogs

After school snacks can be satisfying and taste good. Today the kiddos came home to grass-fed hot dogs with organic catsup, organic red bell peppers, organic ruby red grapefruit, organic mixed nuts, and leftover pancakes from breakast (see recipe on blog). Note the portion sizes - only 1/2 a hot dog each! It is just a snack, after all.... Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Recipes - Pancakes

Start thinking savory for breakfast. This will open up an entire world of options for both vegetables and protein. This meal consisted of whole wheat pancakes, steamed spinach with garlic and butter, leftover chicken, sushi (yes, sushi for breakfast!), raw carrots, cashews and almonds, and some Concord pear. Note the portion sizes!

INGREDIENTS

1 Organic, cage free egg

1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tablespoon organic sugar

3 Teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder  

1/4 Teaspoon sea salt

1/4 Teaspoon organic vanilla

1/4 Teaspoon organic cinnamon

3/4 Cup whole, grass-fed milk

2 Tablespoons organic, unrefined olive oil

2 Teaspoons Ghee clarified butter for pan

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk egg until fluffy. Add flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder to bowl. 

2. Place cinnamon and vanilla into measuring cup and whisk. Add milk to measuring cup an whisk until just combined. Pour into bowl.  

3. Add olive oil to bowl. Whisk ingredients until smooth. Wait 2 minutes for batter to rise, then whisk again until smooth.  

4. Melt 1 teaspoon ghee in pan. Ladle in batter making palm-size pancakes. Cook 1-2 minutes, flip, and cook another 1-2 minutes.

These pancakes are great plain if you like more of a biscuit flavor. Drizzle with some organic grade B maple syrup to sweeten. Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Recipes - Tuna Salad

Who says lunch for the preschool kiddos has to be Lunchables or McDondals? Today my 3 and 5 year olds enjoyed some spaghetti squash with organic, grass-fed butter and sea salt; organic carrots; organic cashews and almonds; organic tortilla chips; and homemade tuna salad. And of course, a glass of water. Mmmmm. Here is the easy healthy tuna salad recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 Tablespoon of organic mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon organic, unrefined olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon Muchi Curry powder

1/2 teaspoon chia, hemp, or buckwheat seeds

1 handful diced bell pepper

2 florets broccoli finely chopped

1 can pole caught skip jack tuna fish

DIRECTIONS

Add mayo, olive oil, salt, curry, and seeds to a small bowl. Mix well. 

Drain tuna. Add tuna, bell pepper, and broccoli to bowl. Mix well. 

Serve with a few organic tortilla chip "spoons." Enjoy! 

Easy Healthy Recipes - Clean Eating Crepes

SIMPLE HEALTHY RECIPES: Crepe is the French word for pancake. These pancakes are thinner than our traditional pancakes and can be filled with fruit, syrup, or savory ingredients like meat and cheese.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon organic sea salt

2 cups grass-fed whole milk

1 tablespoons organic, unfiltered olive oil

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla

2 cage-free eggs

12 teaspoons coconut oil for pan

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Stir in milk, olive oil, vanilla, and eggs. Beat with a wire whisk until smooth.

2. Heat an 8-skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Pour approximately 1/2 cup batter into the pan. Tilt and twist the skillet to create a thin layer covering the bottom. Cook until the batter is just firm. Run spatula around edges to free up crepe; flip and cook 20 seconds on second side. Repeat with remaining batter, adding coconut oil to pan before each crepe.

Bon appetit! 

Easy Healthy Recipes - Clean Eating Hamburger Helper

SIMPLE HEALTHY RECIPES

INGREDIENTS

2 TBS organic, unfiltered olive oil

2 TBS organic, grass fed butter

1/2 organic white onion, diced

1 organic orange bell pepper, diced

2 cloves organic garlic, passed through garlic press

1-1/2 LBS. grass fed 85-90% lean ground beef

3 organic roma tomatoes, quartered

2 TBS chopped organic parsley

1 TBS organic sea salt

1 tsp organic ground black pepper

1 tsp dried organic oregano

8 oz organic whole wheat pasta shells

DIRECTIONS

Heat 2 quarts of water and 1/2 TBS sea salt to boiling.

Heat 1 TBS oil and saute onion, pepper and garlic for 5 minutes until soft. Add ground beef and saute until just brown - 5 minutes. Drain off excess fat and put into a large bowl.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente - 7-10 minutes.

Slice and quarter tomatoes and chop parsley. Add to bowl and mix well to slowly warm tomatoes. Add 1/2 TBS sea salt, white pepper, butter, and oregano to bowl mixture.

Drain pasta and toss with 1 TBS olive oil. Add to bowl, mix well, and serve warm.