All Hail Kale Salad

We are back!  I just finished my first of two lactation educator course on my road to becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant - basically a breastfeeding expert).  I don't think I have been so busy in my life!  Balancing teaching online for ASU, teaching Karve classes and prenatal nutrition classes, seeing clients, and making Milk Miracles cookies plus at least 12 hours of course work per week - on top of being a "stay at home mom" - makes me grateful that I survived the last few months!

Intern Kelsey is almost no longer a student intern.  Soon she will be a dietetic intern and will be on her on road toward being a registered dietitian.  I am so proud of her!  We find out what program she matches to in a few weeks, and I am confident that she will find the perfect spot for her!

Megan

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From Kelsey:

I am very excited to be sharing with you this recipe I found online from one of my favorite restaurants, Veggie Grill.  Veggie Grill was a new discovery by my family and me a few years ago when we were shopping at The Grove in Los Angeles, California.  Sadly, there are no locations in Arizona yet, but we are hoping that this will change soon!  This past December I was able to go to San Diego and my family and I ate there three out of the four nights.  The restaurant is completed vegan and, like this salad, is appealing to almost everyone.

Another reason I LOVE this salad is because it contains one of my most favorite super foods, which is kale.  Let me give you a little background on how good kale is for you.  It is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat.  Kale is high in iron, Vitamin K, Vitamin C and calcium.  In addition, it is a great anti-inflammatory food, containing 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids can help fight arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.  If that isn’t enough to make you want to try some kale, let me just tell you that this salad contains the most amazing caramelized walnuts.  Yep, I thought that might do the trick!  Hope you all enjoy this nutritiously astounding salad from The Detoxinista’s blog page. 

All Hail Kale Salad

Maple Glazed Walnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the walnuts, maple syrup and salt.

Stir often, until the walnuts are toasted and the maple syrup is caramelized, about 3-5 minutes.

Papaya Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

½ cup papaya chunks

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup honey

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup water, or more to thin

Instructions:

In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth and silky.

Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch curly green kale

Mango Pineapple Salsa, from Trader Joe’s (or any salsa of choice)

Papaya Ginger Dressing

Shredded cabbage

Maple Glazed Walnuts

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, toss the shredded cabbage in a bit of the Papaya Ginger dressing, and coat well. Set aside.

Scoop some of the Mango Pineapple Salsa or any salsa of your choice onto the salad.

Top the kale leaves with a bit of the Ginger Papaya dressing, then use your hands to massage the dressing well into the leaves. The kale will soften and wilt as you go!

Transfer the massaged kale onto a serving plate; top with marinated cabbage, salsa and the Maple Glazed Walnuts.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Enjoy!

Kelsey

GF Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bars - Revamped

My all-time favorite baked good is this delicious gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.  It can be made with different types of mix-ins (including dark chocolate, peanuts, or dye-free chocolate candies - instead of M&Ms) stuffed with peanut butter cups, or can be made into bars by pressing into a baking dish.  I like them because they're simple (everything is in increments of "2") and I always have the ingredients on hand, but they always contained regular ol' brown sugar.

Until now.

Enter coconut sugar.  

Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut plant.  It is less processed than brown sugar, has more nutrients, and may have a lower glycemic index.  Should we be putting coconut sugar on everything?  No.  But it's better than brown sugar, and since this is my favorite dessert I'm thrilled to have a slightly healthier alternative that works just as well.

My Karve FUEL Challengers went nutso about this treat on Saturday as we practiced eating mindfully and intentionally.  I am ever so happy to indulge their chocolate and peanut butter combo craving.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups smooth peanut butter
2 cups coconut sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 - 2 cups dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks - try Enjoy Life brand 

Instructions:

Cream peanut butter, coconut sugar, eggs and baking soda until smooth.  Stir in chocolate.  

Press into an 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for ~30-35 minutes or until slightly browned.

So.  Good.

Enjoy!

*M*

Chocolate Gogi Sea Salt Drops

What a year!  I can't believe 2013 is almost over.  It has been the most wonderful and eye-opening year for us here at Nutrition Transitions, yet we look forward to the change and renewal that 2014 will bring.  May you find peace in your thoughts about food and yourself in 2014.

*M*

******From Intern Kelsey******

I am very excited to be sharing with you one of the best tasting cookies I have ever tried! The holidays always sneak up on me. I usually make a bunch of different types of homemade cookies for Christmas, but this year I was extremely busy preparing for the GRE and getting my registered dietitian internship applications ready. Luckily, I found these cookies on FoodBabe. I am a big fan of goji berries. They are not only packed with powerful antioxidants and vitamin A, they also taste very good! By mixing them with chocolate, this just doubles the amazingness of these berries! Also, this recipe only needs four ingredients and are very easy to make. Even though I wasn't able to make all my homemade cookies this year, my family was disappointed with these!

Chocolate Goji Sea Salt Drops

Ingredients:

2 bags or 20 ounces of chocolate chips

4-6 ounces of goji berries

8 ounces of almonds chopped in half

¼ teaspoon sea salt plus additional for sprinkling

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients. 

Fill a small pot with ¼ water and heat to simmer.

Place a large bowl on top of the pot. This will create a double boiler.

Fill bowl with chocolate chips and slowly melt.

Once all chocolate is melted, stir in sea salt, goji berries and almonds.

Use a tablespoon to drop mixture onto wax paper.

Top each drop with a small sprinkle of sea salt.

Refrigerate and allow the chocolate to cool.

Enjoy!

Kelsey

Healthy Halloween Bark

Halloween kicks off the best time of year - the holiday season!  Regular ol' candy never makes me feel good, but I look forward to trying this healthier option without all the strange additives.  Let us know what you think if you try it!

*M*

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From Kelsey:
 
We are ending the October series with an easy and fun Halloween treat!  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays not only because you get loads of candy, but also because you get to come up with fun creative recipes to make. Also, you get to carve pumpkins!            

    
This Healthy Halloween Bark is extremely easy to make, only taking about five minutes with only contains six ingredients. This is amazing compared to other regular candies/desserts that are packed with countless ingredients.  It is perfect for those of you wanting a healthy alternative to the artificial and chemical-packed candy.  The Sunspire chocolate pieces used in this recipe look exactly like Reese’s Pieces but contain no artificial coloring or GMO’s. Their natural coloring makes them the perfect item to use when creating a dessert for Halloween or Thanksgiving. I encountered this exceptional dessert from Food Babe’s blog. 

Hopefully this dessert will be a hit in your house so that you can stay away from the processed ones. I hope everyone has a great Halloween!!

Healthy Halloween Bark

Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter
(can sub other nut or seed butters)

3 T. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt


1½ T. maple syrup


1/4 cup Sunspire sun drops chocolate pieces

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients.

Combine almond butter, coconut oil, salt, vanilla and maple syrup and stir well.

Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper and place the mixture in it.

Top with the Sunspire chocolate pieces. 

Place in freezer for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

Kelsey

October Pumpkin Series: Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread - gluten-free, Paleo, and vegan (depending on what you consider honey).  Looks delicious!  

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From Kelsey:

I am so excited to share with you all one of my favorite pumpkin bread recipes. I am always interested in trying different Paleo recipes because this type of diet is fascinaing to me. I have never fully been Paleo, but I have been gluten free for a month having tried it during a previous internship I had, and I definitely benefited from it physically. I had more energy, my skin was clearer and my overall health was better. Since going gluten free, I have basically white and wheat flour from my diet. Instead, I choose flours such as almond, coconut and oat. It is fun experimenting with all the different options out there so I encourage everyone to try it!

While perusing through Facebook, I came across this amazing recipe from Megsvegucation. This recipe instantly caught my attention with the fact that it was gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and Paleo. It also states that it is mostly vegan. I knew that this was something I had to try. I made it and everyone loved it. It makes me extremely happy when I can make healthier options for my family to enjoy. The fact that it is pumpkin is an added bonus! I plan on making as many pumpkin recipes as I can this season.

Hope everyone enjoys this marvelous pumpkin bread as much as I did!

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ginger, nutmeg, etc. will also do)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

2-3 small very ripened bananas

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup almond milk

1/2 cup nuts or raisins (optional, I sprinkled some walnuts on top)

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredient (coconut flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice).

Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl (pumpkin, bananas, honey, vanilla, almond milk) and mix until smooth.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.

Spray pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper.

Pour bread into bread pan and sprinkle walnuts (if desired) on top.

Cook bread 45 minutes (mine took approximately 35 minutes).

Enjoy!

Kelsey

October Pumpkin Series: Pumpkin Chili

Intern Kelsey's second pumpkin post - yum, chili!   I bet this would be awesome with some homemade healthy cornbread...

*M*

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From Kelsey:

This time of the year is my absolute favorite. The weather is cooling down, Halloween is in a few weeks and then it will be my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. I might be a little more excited for Thanksgiving this year due to my birthday being the day after! I cannot even remember the last time I had my birthday off.  I almost always have an exam, school or work on my birthday so I’m looking forward to relaxing and maybe traveling somewhere this year.

So, if you haven’t been able to tell from my previous post, I am pretty much obsessed with pumpkin. My obsession, however, has only led me to try pastry/dessert pumpkin items such as pies, cookies, puddings, frozen yogurt, etc. When Megan gave me the idea of doing a savory pumpkin item, I was unsure of what I would pick. She was then kind enough to send me some ideas, one of them being this AMAZING pumpkin chili from the blog Wellness Mama. As my mom would say, amazing does not even begin to describe it. The flavors are incredible and the pumpkin aroma instantly fills the house. I tweaked the recipe a little bit, adding some organic great northern beans to it. Adding beans, along with the pumpkin puree, will give you a good amount of fiber, which then means this recipe will keep you full for awhile. The only downside was that I could not eat any of my pumpkin no bake cookies I had made earlier in the day or the pumpkin bread I had also made (will be on blog next week). But it was well worth it!! And yes, I did make three pumpkin items in one day.

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do! This dish is perfect to make during this wonderful AZ weather we have been experiencing!

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef

2 onions

1 (16 ounce) can of BPA free diced tomatoes (drained)

1 (15/16 ounce) can or jar of tomato sauce

1 (15/16 ounce) can of pureed pumpkin

1 cup organic beef broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 avocado

Cheese and sour cream to top

*I also added one can of great northern beans

Instructions:

Assemble Ingredients.

Brown beef in a large pot.

When beef is almost completely cooked, add the onions and cook until soft.

Add the pureed pumpkin, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, stock, beans and spices.

Simmer for 10 minutes until heated through.  

Top with cheese or avocado slices.

Enjoy!

Kelsey

October Pumpkin Series - No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Oh hey there, fall!  Welcome back!  It's still a wonderful 90+ degrees here in the Valley of the Sun, but we are all itching for the temperature to fall below 80 so we can whip out our boots and sweaters.  (No, seriously.  That's considered "cool" around here.)

Here's my little pumpkin with her very first pumpkin.

Even though we don't have beautiful multi-colored trees and roads lined with fallen leaves, we can still get into the autumn spirit with some healthy pumpkin recipes.  Intern Kelsey has a treat for our readers - a month full of pumpkin!  Each week we will spotlight a new, healthy pumpkin recipe from some amazing food bloggers that will help you fall-ify your palette.  Let's get cookin'...or in the case of these no-bake cookies, let's just eat!  Wouldn't these be awesome with our healthy pumpkin spice latte?

*M*

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From Kelsey:

I am a huge fan of pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, you name it and I bet I have tried it and LOVED it! I was so excited when Megan came up the idea for me to do a different pumpkin recipe for each week in October. I immediately began the search for the ultimate pumpkin recipes. Enter the No Bake Pumpkin Cookies from My Whole Life. These are absolutely delicious. Without a doubt, they are one of the best pumpkin items I have ever had. Also, they require no flour, no dairy and no baking. I did not even have to buy any of the ingredients because I had them all in the pantry. As if these cookies could not get any better, they also have tremendous amounts of nutrients in them.

Pumpkin has long been over-looked as a good source of fiber. It contains approximately three grams per one cup. Fiber can help keep you feeling fuller longer, which makes these cookies the perfect go to snack. Pumpkin can also help refuel you after a workout, since it contains more potassium than a banana! Lastly, since we are getting into cold and flu season, I thought I would mention that pumpkin has a substantial amount of Vitamin C to help prevent colds and even the flu! I hope that you enjoy these cookies as much as I do!

No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 cup raw pecans

1 cup raw almonds

10 medjool dates
 (pitted)
3 TBSP pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients.

Grind up almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and spices using a food processor.

Add in dates and continue to grind.  Finally, add pumpkin and mix until dough forms.

Let sit in the refrigerator for approximately one hour.  

Roll into balls and use your palm to flatten into cookies.  

Then eat!  Enjoy!

*Kelsey*