Stuffed Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 tomato

1 mini sweet peper

1 celery stick

1 chicken breast tender

1 handful of rainbow chard

Coconut oil or olive oil

Spices

Prep time:

15 minutes

Some people prefer this recipe cooked, but I like it mostly raw. You could easily make this vegetarian/vegan by subbing the chicken for beans or lentils.

Spice the chicken- I use cumin, paprika, garlic and black pepper. Cook the chicken in a skillet with coconut or olive oil on medium heat.

While it’s cooking, cut up the celery and pepper into small pieces. Cut the top of the tomato off, and then cut out of the middle to hollow it out. Cut the innards into bite sized pieces.  Wash and hand rip the chard on place on the plate.

Once the chicken is done cooking, cut it into bite sized pieces. Then stuff the tomato with the chicken, celery and pepper til full. Then place the remaining, including the tomato innards, with the chard.

Enjoy!

Quick breakfast

A typical American breakfast is full of things I can’t eat- cereal, bagels, cream cheese, muffins, etc. So I’ve come up with a go-to easy to prepare breakfast.

Ingredients:
Two pieces of turkey bacon
Spices (I use garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika)
1/2 cup of coconut yogurt
1/4 cup of blueberries
1/4 cup of pecans
2 tbsp of ground cold pressed flaxseed

Prep time:
15 minutes

Preheat your oven on its high broil setting. Season the bacon and grab the ingredients for the yogurt. Once the oven is heated, place the bacon in. I normally just place them on a sheet of foil. Set a timer for five minutes.

Next, put the flaxseed, blueberries and pecans into a bowl. Measure out of the yogurt- one serving is just less than half a cup. Then mix together. Once the timer is up, flip the bacon and broil for another five minutes.

If you’re a fan of tea, sip on a cup while preparing breakfast and eating.

And that’s it! Enjoy.

Where I got my ingredients:

Coconut yogurt- Sprouts. It’s also available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, but Sprouts is 70 cents less expensive.

Turkey bacon* and flaxseed- Whole Foods.

Blueberries and pecans- Trader Joe’s.

*I used to purchase the turkey bacon from Trader Joe’s since it is significantly less expensive, however I noticed it was upsetting my stomach despite not obviously containing any allergens. I believe the “natural flavor” may contain soy, or my stomach may just not it agree with it. It’s still very tasty for those who are not sensitive to soy though!

I am not affiliated with any of the stores I purchase groceries from. I provide this information as when I changed my diet I wasn’t sure where to buy food for

BBQ Chicken and “Teriyaki” Greens

Ingredients:
Two chicken drumsticks
GF, DF, SF BBQ sauce
One zucchini
1/4 green bell pepper
One handful of baby spinach
One handful of rainbow chard
Spices (black pepper, garlic, rosemary, paprika, cumin, any you would like to add)
Coconut aminos
Coconut oil (or olive oil)

Advanced prep time: 45 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serving: 1

If you have not tried coconut aminos yet and miss Asian flavors, try a bottle! Coconut aminos give the greens a little sweet teriyaki flavor without soy.

After making almost every lunch and dinner for a few months with chicken breast tenders, chicken drumsticks seemed like an easy substitute.

They are- the trick is to cook them ahead of time. At 425 degrees in my oven, to cook a pound (4-6 pieces) takes about 40-45 minutes. Season generously before baking. I wait til the last  ten minutes to add any sauces such as BBQ.

If you have the already cooked drumsticks in the fridge, you can reheat them in the oven at 425 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Go ahead and add the bbq sauce before putting them in the oven. You’ll just want to make sure they’re hot when they come out.

While the drumsticks are heating up, chop up the veggies. Then put them in a small sauce pan with coconut oil heated in it over low-medium heat. My stove has a 1-10 scale, so I use a 3 or 4. Let the zucchini and pepper cook for about 2-3 minutes, then add the kale and spinach.

Now season. I always add ground black pepper, garlic, cumin and paprika. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Next add the coconut aminos. I just add a splash, stir and let it sit for another 1-2 minutes.

Then serve! Enjoy.

If you find yourself still hungry as I occasionally do, have a fruit for dessert. I’ll normally have an apple with sunflower seed butter or an orange.

When I first changed my diet, I had no idea where to shop in the Phoenix area. Below is where I got my ingredients.

Chicken, coconut oil, green bell pepper and zucchini- Trader Joe’s
Rainbow Chard, Desert Smoke BBQ sauce, and coconut aminos- Whole Foods

Whenever possible, I buy organic.

I am not affiliated with any of the stores I purchase groceries from.

Let food be thy medicine

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

― Hippocrates

In August 2012, right before starting my junior year of college, I finally learned why at 20 I felt trapped inside the body of a 40 year old. Plagued by fatigue and an inability to lose the 15 pounds I’d put on since coming to college, my mother’s naturopathic chiropractor determined I am allergic to gluten, dairy and soy. At the time, my favorite food was cheese.

At first, I was in denial. How could I be allergic to all the foods I love? Gluten made sense, my older sister has a severe allergy discovered when she was a teenager, and my mother now avoids it. In January 2012, I started limiting my gluten intake severely to see if I would feel better. And dairy? Growing up as an extremely picky eater, dairy products were one of the few things I would never turn my nose up at. My middle school memories involve drinking organic chocolate milk by the case. However, over the summer when I ate a lot of dairy- we’re talking half a tub of the Belgian chocolate pudding from Trader Joe’s- I would vomit. It was terrifying. I’d call my mom sobbing every time it happened. But soy? Isn’t soy a health food? I had become a huge fan of Asian cuisines as I got older. What was I supposed to eat now?

I went two days without eating gluten, dairy or soy once I found out I’m allergic. My body felt great- no bloating, gassiness, or general stomach pain. Then I binged on a half gallon of Reese’s peanut butter ice cream.  My stomach bloated up as if I was 5 months pregnant and I spent the better half of that day on the toilet. That’s when I knew the madness had to stop; that my relationship with food needed to change.

This blog is intended to help you with your relationship with food too. I’ll be posting delicious recipes that even a college student like myself can make. In addition to recipes, I’ll be relaying general health information.

Of course, this is all my opinion- I am not a doctor or nutritionist. So why should you read this? I’ve spent the last 7 months or so immersing myself in health and nutrition, perhaps to the point where it’s a little obsessive. Within 3 months of changing my diet, I lost 20 pounds and 3 dress sizes. My skin is clearer and more healthy looking. I’m much more calm and relaxed. I just feel better! And I want you to feel better too.