Paleo Sweet Potato Pancakes

I was really craving a nice hefty breakfast the other day, and I wanted pancakes! I didn't want any old regular pancakes.  I needed sweet potato pancakes. I like substituting sweet potatoes anywhere I can. It is high in Vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals versus ingredients that are white flour...barely nutrient dense food. So this is how I did it--

Information: Serves: 2, Gluten-free, Paleo, Dairy-free

What you will need:

• 1 cup - of sweet potatoes or yams, mashed
• 2 tbsp - of Pamela's pancake mix flour or coconut flour
• 2 tsp - of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp - of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp-  of vanilla
• Coconut oil, to grease the pan
• 3 - eggs

Directions:

Step 1

Measure out the mashed sweet potatoes or yams. Mix together with eggs in stand mixer. 

Step 2

Mix in the rest of the ingredients (except coconut oil) until smooth

Step 3

Put coconut oil in the frying pan and heat the frying pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potato pancake mixture to make any size pancakes you desire. Make sure to cook throughly.

Thats it! Its as simple as that. You can sprinkle on some cinnamon to the finished product and add a splash of any type of syrup that follows your diet plan. 

Skinny No flour cookies

Tonight after dinner I was craving something sweet without being unhealthy or making me feel gross. I know I do have a roll of Girl Scout cookies in my freezer right now, and I am trying to avoid eating them as much as possible. I'll just make sure to give them to my friends who come and visit me at my house right? Ha, just kidding…

What you will need:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

This recipe is very SIMPLE! 

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

• All you need to do is combine all of the ingredients in a bowl together. Make sure all of the banana is mashed completely. I used a hand blender to combine all of the ingredients together.

• Spoon it out evenly on a greased baking sheet

• Bake for 15 minutes

The final result were sweet and chewy cookies that really curved my sweet tooth that I was having. YUMM!!! I have a feeling I am going to be making these a lot. 

Strawberry, Banana, date, and almond smoothie

        This morning I randomly decided to try to make a smoothie. I pretty much went to my pantry and my fridge and brought out things that I thought would go well together. I wanted something sweet, healthy, and packed with protein. Here is what I came up with:

Serves: 2

What you will need:

• 1/2 Ripe Banana
• 7 Strawberries
• 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Almond Butter
• 1 Date, pitted
• 1/2-1 scoop of Whey Protein (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Almond Milk
• Add ice (I used 5 cubes)

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in your blender

• First use the 'crush ice' function on your blender until all of the ice is crushed down to a small size
• Then use the 'liquify' option and blend for about 30-45 seconds
• Then it is ready to eat/drink!!

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 189
• Protein: 10g
• Calcium: 60%
• Carbohydrates: 16
• Sugar: 6.5g

**Remember most of the sugar comes from fructose**

Kristen Approved!!

Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil

                          One of the best and easiest things you could do for yourself is to add more fish to your diet. Fish is low in calories, high in omega 3 fatty acid, high in protein, high in calcium, high in phosphorus, and in many other minerals. When looking for a good fresh fish look for LOCAL fish. That means if you live in the United States get a fish that has been swimming in the waters near you.

This recipe is very simple and very healthy for you. I served this fish with some brown rice and sprinkled wasabi seaweed on top.

What you will need:

• Four 6 oz. fillets of white fish (flounder, sole, cod, snapper) I used cod
• Soy Sauce
• Hot toasted sesame oil
• Or regular sesame oil and sriracha (this is how I did it)

Directions:

• Fill the bottom of a steamer pot with water and bring it to a boil
• Turn the heat to medium and place the steamer basket inside the steamer pot. 
• After you place the steamer basket in place the fish on a small plate, parchment, or on top of cabbage leaves. This will keep the fish from sticking to the basket)-- I used a plate

• Steam fish for 5-7 minutes 

• Transfer the fish to a plate and finish it with a few drops of soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha. Sprinkle with seaweed (optional)

This dish was light and had a little zing to it thanks to the sriracha. 

Flavorful Thai Chicken Burger

                    Holy cow! Honestly when I was thinking chicken burger I really wasn't thinking it was going to have much taste at all. I have had turkey and chicken burgers before and they were always missing that pizzaz that most beef burgers have. The great thing about this recipe is that it has everything that a beef burger does without all of the health side effects and the heavy feeling you feel after you eat one. So this how you make this delicious chicken burger…

What you will need:

• 1 pound of ground chicken
• 2 cloves of garlic, very finely minced
• 2/3 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, very finely minced
• 1 teaspoon very finely minced red chili
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola, grape seed, or safflower oil)

Directions:

• Throughly mix the chicken with the garlic, cilantro, shallots, red chili, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. 

• Form the mixture into 4 burgers each about 3/4 inch thick

• Heat a grill or stove top pan to medium heat. 
• Rub each burger with the oil
• Grill for about 8 minutes on the first side, and about 5 minutes on the other side.
• I used a George Foreman grill and cooked until center was no longer pink. About 5 minutes.

This serves 4 people. Serve with a side salad or on a gluten-free bun. :)

***Remember this is chicken so it can not have any pink in the middle of the burger. ***

Zingy and Healthy Tuna Salad

             Today in Washington the rain is coming in sideways and the sun is no where to be found. I was looking for something to eat that was light and healthy. I have been perusing through my new cookbook from Gwyneth Paltrow called "It's All Good." This is a cookbook based around delicious, easy recipes that will make you look good and feel great! I came across this recipe and I decided to give it a shot. I might be adding some more recipes from her cookbook as well. So look out!

What you will need:

• 1/2 cup of silkened tofu or 1/4 cup of Vegenaise. Or You could always use olive oil based Mayo
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 8 oz. of tuna packed in olive oil or water. (I used water)
• 4 cornichons, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon finely minced white onion
• A pinch of ground celery seed
• A big pinch of coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• A few healthy grinds of black pepper

Directions:

• If you are using tofu, puree it in a blender or a food processor with mustard and lemon juice. 

• If you are using vegenaise or mayo all you need to do is simply whisk together the ingredients.

• Dice up your onion and cornichons

• Combine with the rest of ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make sure to break up the tuna. 

• Serve on a bed of greens or gluten free bread. I chose gluten free tortillas!

This tuna salad was very light and zingy. It is very delicious and easy to make. 

10 Ways to feel lighter and healthier through your diet

       

          Through the latter half of last year I started on really listening to my body and actually starting to give it what it wanted and needed. I finally listened to body and realized that a lot of dairy didn't really mix well with me all the time. Additionally I also stopped taking in so much wheat. Even though I was eating 100% whole wheat bread and pasta it still made me puff up and feel bloated. I realized that if I cut out the wheat in my life I would feel so much lighter and happier. So even though I do not have any diseases that cause me to be gluten free, I have found out that any of my carbs that are 'gluten free' clearly happen to not have wheat. So therefore...I am looking for the gluten free versions of everything now.

Cut out or limit your dairy intake

As I said before for some people dairy just does not sit well on your stomach. Thankfully there are a lot of actually tasty alternatives to cows milk dairy. A important thing to note is that Almond milk actually has more calcium than cows milk.

Increase your fruit and vegetable intake

This is a no-brainer, but you have to do it! According to www.choosemyplate.gov fruit and vegetable servings depend on your age. Please refer to these links to figure out how much you should intake. 

FRUITS: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Fruits/food-groups.fruits-amount.pdf and 

VEGETABLES:http://www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Vegetables/food-groups.vegetables-amount.pdf.

I have a good idea...take a can of soup and add a handful of spinach and cook it down while you heat the soup up. It will help fill you up and adds more vegetables in your day. 

Drink more water

Drinking more water helps wash out the toxins in your body and actually helps you not hold on to so much water weight. You should be drinking 8 glasses of water or more a day. Here are some tips to increase your water intake:

• Drink a glass of water when you get up in the morning, before you have coffee or tea.
• Keep a cup or water bottle by your desk at work. Take several sips of water each hour. If you don’t have a desk job, carry a container of water with you, and take sips throughout the day.
• Take a sip whenever you pass a drinking fountain.
• If you get tired of drinking plain water, add a packet of sugarless flavoring to your water. Or put a slice of lemon or lime in plain or sparkling water.

Cut out or limit your wheat and gluten intake

If you saw my previous post I have started making my own homemade gluten free bread to try to keep my life as 'normal' as possible through my food with still limiting my wheat and gluten intake. Thankfully now companies are jumping on the gluten free band wagon. If you go to grocery stores healthy area you will see many gluten free products such as bagels, bread, snacks, and pasta. Doing this will make you feel lighter and carry around less water weight. Unfortunately the gluten free bread and bagels at the grocery stores are still pricey, but the pastas are just about the same price as the gluten type pastas. 

Cut out or limit your sugar intake

Sugar = BAAAAD. Sugar is addictive. And on top of that it turns into fat if it is not burned. Most Americans take in way more sugar than they could ever burn so if you limit it from the beginning that means less to burn later. Easy way to decrease your sugar while not really changing the taste of your foods is to include Truvia into your diet. It is a zero calorie natural sweetener. Please try to stay away from artificial sugars, there is not enough research out there to know what it actually doing to our bodies.

Please watch this video on our sugar addiction:

Increase the amount of fish you eat

One of the healthiest ways of eating is the Mediterranean diet. This diet limits the red meats and increases the healthy oils and the amount of fish in your diet. The benefits of fish are the Omega-3 and 6's and the lower amounts of calories that fish provides versus red meats. When looking for fish at the grocery store please look for fish that are domestic and are free of mercury and other toxins that fish intake. 

Cut out processed foods

One of the best tips I have ever received is to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store. The perimeter has your breads, milks, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Try to challenge yourself to stay in the perimeter and make a grocery list just from these foods. 

Grocery shopping rules to live by:

• Shop the perimeter
• Choose "real" and whole foods such as 100% whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables
• Steer clear of foods with cartoons on the label. 
• Avoid foods with more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients you can not pronounce. 

Use food substitutions to your benefit

Substitutions are great when you are wanting to cut calories and eat healtier, but still have the same taste as your traditional dishes. Some substitutions that I personally have made are:

• Mayonaise ----> Vegenaise. 
• Vegan mayonaise. No cholesterol. No additives or preservatives. Non-GMO.
• Comparison chart: Mayo vs Vegenaise
• Butter ----------> Smart Balance butter OR grass fed cows butter
• White pasta/bread ---> 100% whole wheat OR Gluten free

Other substitutions:

Add vitamins and supplements to your diet

The changes that I have taken to make myself healthier this past year through vitamins and supplements  is Juice Plus. These are fruits and vegetables that are picked at the peak of freshness and then dehydrated and turned into a capsule form. This is great as an insurance for myself when I do not get in the fruits and vegetables that  I need every day. For more information about Juice Plus please go here: http://kristenturk.juiceplus.com. 

On top of Juice Plus I just recently started taking Reichi mushroom capsules. Reishi mushroom is used for boosting the immune system; viral infection such as the flu (influenza, swine flu, and avian flu; lung conditions including asthma and bronchitis; heart disease and contributing conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol; kidney disease; cancer; and liver disease. It is also used forHIV/AIDS, altitude sickness, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), trouble sleeping(insomnia), stomach ulcers, poisoning, and herpes pain. Other uses include reducing stress and preventing fatigue. For more information about Reishi mushroom please go to: WEBMD.

Another great vitamin that I plan on adding to my diet is Vitamin D. Currently there is a vitamin D deficiency pandemic going on in America due to the lack of sun exposure and foods that contain vitamin D. Information on Vitamin D.

Use healthy oils

There are so many healthy oils out there that actually make your food taste better!

The benefits of using healthy oils are for people that have high cholesterol and/or are trying to cut the fat in your diet, oil substitutes can be your best friend. High cholesterol is a contributing factor in having a higher risk of heart disease. Oil substitutes also cut the amount of fat in your recipes. Lowering your fat consumption is an easy way to cut calories and lose weight.

By using oil substitutes in your favorite recipes you can cut your fat intake and lower your cholesterol without damaging the flavor of your food. Lower cholesterol can also lower your risk of heart disease. Since using oil substitutes properly can improve your health without hurting the flavor of your food you have nothing but the stuff that is bad for you to lose.

Some great oils to use:

• Coconut oil: Coconut oil is full of flavour and has nutrients like vitamin E, K and iron that are retained at high temperatures.
• Flax seed oil: Flax seed oil is full of essential omega-3 fatty acids. You can use it unheated in shakes, salad dressing, cereals or on toast.
• Ghee: Ghee is a butter that is free of impurities and cholesterol. However, use sparingly if you are trying to lose weight. It is also very calming to the nervous system.
• Grapeseed oil: This oil maintains its healthy properties known to fight cancers and lower cholesterol at high temperatures.
• Hemp Oil: Just like flax seed oil, hemp oil is full of the essential omega-3 fatty acids and should be used unheated.
• Olive Oil: Olive oil is usually readily available, affordable and cooks well at high heat without losing its nutritional value. It is also known to lower your risks of heart disease -- and tastes great on salads or as a sauce.
• Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is a bit more expensive, but you only need to use a little for a lot of flavour. It also has a lowering effect on blood pressure.

I hope these recommendations can help you feel and be a healthier and happier you!

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Homemade Gluten Free Bread

Happy New Year everyone!!

After spending about a month at home for some family time and the Holidays I am back in Washington! While staying with my parents I was exposed to their new 'diet'. They have cut out dairy, gluten, processed foods, and sugar out of their diet. Growing up I always knew that wheat and pasta made me "puff up" and whenever I limited the amount of carbohydrates that I took in I always seemed to feel lighter and carried less water weight. I actually lost 5 pounds being home!

So now that I am back I am looking at continuing the way that I feel. So today I made some gluten free bread! I wanted an alternative to the expensive gluten free bread that is at the grocery store. A HALF loaf at the grocery store costs about $5.  Ryan and I already had a bread maker, so it made this decision a lot easier.

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups of Pamela's Bread Mix (Gluten free, Wheat Free, Non-Dairy)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 2 large eggs OR 1 large egg + 3 egg whites
• 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast OR 1 yeast packet (7g)
• Water
• Bread Maker

Directions:

In a 2 cup measuring cup add the oil and the eggs. Then add warm water up until it fills to all the way to 2 cups. Pour all liquids into the bread maker, add bread mix and yeast. 

Make sure after you start the bread make to scrape down the sides to make sure all of the dough is together. 

Result:

The bread was delicious! It actually had a slight sweet taste to it and was warm and doughy. You can always leave it in the bread maker a little bit more so it can be firmer if you prefer that. 

Next time that I make this I will make sure to double it. My bread maker is larger that I expected. Enjoy!

Delicious black bean brownies

           I clearly am really into trying new ingredients to make traditional food healthier, so black bean brownies didn't really scare me very much. But I am sure that this idea probably intimidates most. But trust me, they are really good. 

           Starting off, I banned my husband from the kitchen. I didn't want him to know that I was making the brownies out of black beans. He already knew I was making brownies so that was no surprise. After I made the brownies we sat down for our little dessert, and I waited for his response. He loved it. He was   impressed that I made such a great brownie from scratch. And then I dropped the bean bomb. You should of seen his face! It was priceless. He then decided that he should have three..because they were now good for him.

What you need:

makes 9 brownies. 

1 cupcake pan

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for the top

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup of sugar/splenda

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup Vegenaise 

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

(optional) 1/4 cup of walnuts

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place cupcake tins in the cupcake pan. I always make my brownies in a cupcake pan so that every brownie has crispy edges with a gooey center.

Step 2

Drain and rinse the black beans. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. This will take about 90 seconds to a minute on the high power setting. They may not melt completely; stir vigorously to finish melting the chips until chocolate has a smooth and uniform consistency.

Step 3

Pour black beans and melted chocolate into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to pulse until completely smooth. 

Step 4

Pour into prepared cupcake tins about 1/2 way filled. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. You can add optional walnuts to the top as well. Bake for 25 minutes until the top has cracked slightly and the center has set. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.