Healthy Holiday Tips

 

HEALTHY HOLIDAY TIPS

Christmas is only just over a week away and the silly season is in full swing! Many people use this time as an excuse to splurge on unhealthy food and habits and are left with a "holiday hang over" after New Years. It doesn't have to be this way.. it is possible to indulge and enjoy this time without losing control and feeling guilty. I'm going to list a few tips and keep it simple.. staying healthy during the holidays should be enjoyful and shouldn't feel like a chore.

• Start your day off healthy. Most holiday festivities and get togethers take place in the evening. Take advantage of breakfast and lunch to prepare yourself healthful meals.
• Have a healthy snack before you go out. This will prevent you from feeling hungry when you get there and going over board on the all the treats set out.
• Try to find "healthier" snack options at parties.. ie; fresh fruit and veggies, cheese, whole grain crackers, olives, pickled veggies, etc..
• Don't deprive yourself. Enjoy your favorite treats in moderation and mindfully savor and enjoy them.
• When drinking alcoholic beverages try to chose wine, beer, or spirits mixed with juice or water with fresh citrus. Try to avoid sugary drinks that are usually loaded with sugar and artificial colours and flavours.
• Drink water. Don't forget to stay hydrated!
• Don't forget to sleep either! There may be many late nights, so take advantage of the uneventful ones and aim for 8 hours of sleep.
• If you do go over board and find yourself feeling guilty about your unhealthy choices that day, don't beat yourself up, just recommit to your health right away and move on.
• Take 5... or 10, minutes to yourself. The holidays are fun, but can be overwhelming. Take a few minutes to yourself to just breathe... meditate, listen to music, do some yoga poses, read an article, have a bath.. whatever helps you relax for a few minutes. Try not to involve technology during this time too.
• Don't forget what the holidays are actually about- it's not food. Enjoy the company of your friends and family.

How to make your own Almond Milk

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ALMOND MILK

Almond milk is plentiful on the shelves of grocery stores these days, but have you seen the ingredients? Most have added controversial preservatives and emulsifying ingredients that may irritate your digestive tract. Also, it tastes way better made from scratch.. and it's kind of fun!

Ingredients;

• 1 cup almonds, soaked over night
• 4 cups (filtered) water
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of Himalayan or sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp. maple syrup (optional)

Method;

• Drain and rinse the soaked almonds
• Add all ingredients in to a blender and blend for 2 minutes, until almond are very well ground.
• Strain the ingredients from the blender through a nut bag or cheesecloth (a reusable produce bag also works great!).
• Keep the almond milk refrigerated. It will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3 days. Shake well to mix before each use and use just as you would any other milk.

Bloglovin'

 

 

Today I've been spending my snowy day off planning my trip home to Vancouver Island over Christmas break. I am excited to escape the cold, dry prairie winter to a mild and wet island "winter". I took the above photo at Miracle Beach on my last visit. I love that someone arranged the rocks on the beach <3.

 

This snowy weather reminds me how important it is for us in Northern climates to consider supplementing with quality Vitamin D. Due to the angle of the sun this time of year (October-March) our bodies do not synthesize Vitamin D from the sun. I wrote a full post all about the importance of Vitamin D here. 

 

Another thing I did today was create an account on the site Bloglovin', so that I can follow my favorite blogs and others can follow me as well;

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Why Gluten Free?

Why Gluten Free?

You probably never even heard the term "gluten" 10 years ago and now you hear and see it everywhere, right? Although I don't cut it out completely, I do try to avoid it most of the time. I made this decision because I feel better with out. I used to have a lot of gut issues and skin irritation. My doctor suspected celiac disease. My test results came back negative, but suggested I might have a sensitivity and experiment with out it for a couple weeks. I did that and I learned I am better off without it. After limiting my gluten intake not only have my gut issues disappeared, but I feel lighter and I have more energy. I also no longer have any skin irritations, but I believe that was a combination of issues that caused it, not gluten alone (a blog post for another day!). I still indulge in varieties of gluten containing foods here and there with out any adverse effects, but my diet is at least 85% free of gluten.

There is a reason why you hear about gluten sensitivities and celiac disease so much more now than years ago. It's because the sources of gluten are different than it was back then, in the sense that they have been genetically intervened. Gluten is a protein found in many grains, most notably wheat. It has a sticky consistency that makes it great for binding and texture... perfect for bread, pastries, and processed foods. Wheat being the most popular choice, is often deamidated to make it water soluble to make it mix and bind better. Wheat is also often hybridized to be drought and bug resistant, and faster growing. It's these mutations in the grain that are a big cause of the intolerances and inflammatory responses that are only becoming more common.

I'm not saying that whole-wheat (or any other gluten containing grain) is not a healthy choice.. there are many health benefits to these whole grains and encourage you not to deprive yourself of anything that makes you feel good.. within moderation, of course ;) Try to choose the ancient grain varities, which haven't been genetically altered so many times through out the years. 

With anything you eat, keep in tune with your body and how it makes you feel. We all have different nutritional needs and responses and what works one does not always work for all.

Here's a list of gluten free alternatives. Whether you are gluten free or not, these choices will benefit your health help add some variety to your diet;

• Buckwheat
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Cornmeal
• Brown or Wild Rice
• Oats (certified GF)
• Almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Popcorn
• Lentils
• Sorghum
• Teff
• Black Bean Noodles
• Soba Noodles
• Brown Rice Cakes
• You can find all kind of gluten free goods at your local health food store, farmers market, or bakery. Read the ingredients though. There are lots of good products out there, but many gluten free products are just as processed as the gluten containing variety as well.

Cosmic Cookies

If you haven't had Cosmic Cookies from Planet Organic, you are missing out! Luckily, they are so generous to share their recipe with the world, so anyone can make them at home. My boyfriend thinks these cookies are just the greatest. He's had a run or bad luck lately and been sick, so I wanted to buy his favorite cookies for him. I forgot to buy them while I was at the store earlier, so I found the recipe online and pretty much had all the ingredients (with a few nutritionisty variations), so decided to have a go at it! To be honest, I think these are even better than the original ones! :) But please use the original recipe if you wish.

 

  

Cosmic Cookies

This recipe yields 24 (huge) cookies (so I halved it).

 

Ingredients;

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 2 1/4 cups quick oats
• 1 cup  sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (meal)
• 1 cup xylitol (or coconut sugar)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups carob chips (or dark chocolate)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
• 1/4 cup  water
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 3/4 cup  coconut oil
• 1 cup  almond milk

 

Directions;

• Preheat oven to 350 Celsius.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together (ingredients listed flour through cranberries)
• Melt the coconut oil and then add the other wet ingredients (water, molasses, and milk).
• Mix all the dry and wet ingredients together until combined.
• Lightly grease cookie sheets with coconut oil or use parchment paper.
• The batter will make about 24 large cookies
• Bake one cookie sheet (with 12 cookies) at a time at 350 for 25 mins.

Fight the first signs of the cold/flu

I live in Edmonton, Alberta, and it's that time of year we transition (quickly!) in to the Winter season. As the temperatures drop we often find an outbreak of cold and flu viruses going around. I recently had a bout of my own with the flu a few weeks ago; the first time I had been sick in nearly 10 years (I swear my immune system has super powers), but as I learned the hard way, the cold weather is not the only thing that brings viruses... and healthy eating alone can not prevent it from infecting you. I had definitely not been getting enough rest and was stressed out with taking too much on in my life. I can not stress enough how much that stress can effect your health, physically as well as mentally. So, if you are starting to feel run down or feel something "coming on" here is a list of things you can do to kick your immune system in to full force;

• Relax. Take 5. Be still and breathe, clear your mind. It doesn't matter when or where, but put aside 5 minutes for yourself.
• Get a good sleep. 8 hours (minimum) of continuous sleep is a must if you want to fight off being ill.  
• Eat a healthy balanced diet, including; fresh veggies and fruit, lean protein and fish, nuts and seeds, eggs, and legumes.
• But don't eat sugar, dairy, or processed/refined foods... they produce mucous. Limit or avoid alcohol too.
• Take supplemental vitamin C; 500mg every couple hours. Your body uses vitamin C much more rapidly during illness.
• Take supplemental zinc; 40mg/day.
• Take fish oil (DHA/EPA); 2g/daily
• Take a probiotic supplement in the morning before breaky and again in the evening before bed.
• Drink warm water with ginger, lemon, and honey.
• Drink lot's of (filtered) water.

Fresh tomato basil pasta sauce

 

 

 

I have a lot of tomatoes right now. I planted a couple of tomato plants in the garden this year and just had to pick them all due to the frost at night now (boo short Alberta summers!). Quite a few were not ripe yet, so they are ripening on the window sill. A lot were ready though, so we are having tomato everything for days.. starting with fresh tomato basil sauce with gluten free penne. This pasta is one of my top favs. You have to be careful wit a lot of packaged/prepared gluten free products because a lot of the time they are just as processed (if not more so) than the gluten containing variety. Not the case with this pasta.. it's made from whole organic ingredients. Plus, you'd never even know it's gluten free, it tastes and has a very similar texture as the real deal.

 

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Fresh Tomato Basil pasta sauce

 

 

Ingredients;

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves. crushed or minced
• 1/2 tsp. (Himalayan pink) salt
• 1/8 cup basil, torn up in to small pieces
• 1 Tbsp. red wine (optional)

Method;

• In a pot add tomatoes, garlic, wine, and salt and bring to a simmer while stirring quite frequently, turn down the heat to low-med and continue to simmer for 15 mins.
• Add basil and continue to simmer for another 2 mins.

 

I haven't been blogging as much as I thought I would or as much as I would like to. I love writing on my blog and I'm actually pleasantly surprised and super grateful for a amount of readers I have. To be honest I find the cyber world a little overwhelming. Besides blogging I have facebook, twitter, instagram, and snapchat.. so I'm going to make a schedule where I allow myself time to catch up with the digital world, but know when to turn it off.

Life is just so busy right now, but in a good way... I love my studies, my current full time job, running and riding my bike outside, aaaand my new kitten; meet Sitka!

 

 

 

 

Orange Muffins

 

Orange Muffins

Orange muffins.. sounds boring, but they taste delicious! Maybe I'll come up with a better title for this recipe later... lol. I adapted this recipe from Pretty Simple Sweet blog, just made some of my nutritionisty substitutions and additions to make them gluten free and refined sugar free. In order to make them sugar free but equally sweet I used Xylitol which is a sugar alcohol. It has about 33% less calories than sugar. It is absorbed much slower than sugar and does not spike blood sugar levels making it most often safe for diabetics. It also reduces dental cavities by remineralization of deeper layers of demineralized enamel. Xylitol is safe, there are no studies that connect it to any of the negative health affects that have been seen in studies regarding artificial sweeteners (Xylitol is not an artificial sweetener, it is a sugar alcohol), but too much (1/2 cup/day+ usually, but varies person to person) can cause some gastrointestinal upset.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Xylitol
• 2 Tbsp. orange zest
• 1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking power
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup choice milk (I used coconut)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• For the topping; crushed almonds and sprinkled cinnamon.

Method

• Preheat oven to 375f./190c
• Grease 12 muffin cups or line them with paper cups.
• Mix together all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; Xylitol, orange zest, flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
• Mix together all of the wet ingredients; coconut oil (make sure it's not too hot or will cook the egg!), eggs, yogurt, milk, OJ, and vanilla extract.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together well.
• Pour the batter in to the 12 muffin cups and then top with crushed almonds and cinnamon.
• Bake for approx. 20 mins, until tooth pick comes out clean.

 

Tzatziki Sauce

 

Tzatziki Sauce

I'm pretty big on the Meatless Monday thing, so for my vegetarian dinner tonight I plan to make falafel wraps. I was trying to think of where I can pick up some tzatziki sauce that has pronounceable ingredients.. and then I remembered I have a cucumber in the fridge that is on it's last legs, actually, I have everything I need to throw together my own tzatziki sauce! So, this it... just 5 ingredients, so easy, and sooo much better for you than the stuff from the grocery stores. This recipe doesn't make a ton, so feel free to double up on the ingredients if you wish.

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. cucumber (grated and squeezed of excess moisture with paper towel)
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed with a garlic press.

Method

• Just mix it all together and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving for flavours to enhance.

Garden Fresh Zucchini and Black Bean Pasta Stirfry

 

Zucchini Squash/Courgette fresh from the garden

My friend/roommate brought home a box of zucchini squash from his Granma's garden, telling me and my boyfriend Jason to help ourselves! I am attempting to grow my own zucchini in our little garden, but I planted late and might have to opt. for just the zucchini flowers (yes, they are edible, and yes, they are delicious!).

With only 17 cals/100g, zucchini (along with most veggies and fruit) are considered a functional food. A functional food is basically a term that means you get the most amount of nutrients for the least amount of calories/energy. You get "more bang for your buck". Zucchini (especially the golden variety) are rich in flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants, very good source of potassium, rich in vitamins A and C, and moderate source of B vitamins (including folate) and minerals; iron, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc.

What I would really like to make is zoodles (zucchini noodles), but unfortunately, I don't have a spiralizer to slice the zucchini properly to do that. One day, I will! So, I decided on black bean noodles instead and slice up the zucchini in a stirfry. I make these black bean noodles often, They are an excellent source of fibre and protein and not a high source of carbs, like most pasta varieties. With black beans being the only ingredient, they are also gluten free! Where can you find these? Costco, if you are lucky! If not, Save on Foods, in the natural foods section/aisle.



 

Black Bean Pasta Stirfry

For this stirfry, I simply chopped up the zucchini plus some other veggies I had at home (onion, carrot, bell pepper), friend them on med-high heat with avocado oil, added some shrimp, and made my simple stirfry sauce. Then, served over the black bean pasta! Easy-peasy, fast, healthy meal!



Thai Red Curry Lentils

  

 Most of the time when I cook something good, it happens by accident. I'll start with an idea and then just start throwing extra stuff in.. whatever I have in the fridge that I think I should use up soon and extra spices. I love flavor (who doesn't?!), but not a lot of salt. Instead of grabbing for the salt shaker next time you think your food is lacking in flavor, try adding something from the spice cabinet instead. If you don't feel confident about mixing your own flavors there are lot's of spice mixes you can purchase at local markets and online.

I am now going to write down everything I make, as I go long with any extra additions. I feel like I have had so many good eats lately that I would love to share, but I never have the recipe to be able to share it. I started today with this vegan and gluten free Red Curry Lentil recipe. I've made something similar to this a few times in the past. I made this with the vegetables I had on hand and you can do the same... you don't have to use the exact same veg and portions that I used. The next I make it, I'm probably going to use different ones anyways ;)

Thai Red Curry Lentils 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water

• 1 can (400ml) lite coconut milk

• 1 cup red lentils (dry)

• 1 can (227ml) sliced bamboo shoots

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 tomato, diced

• 1 zucchini/courgette, diced

• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 1 tomato, diced

• 2 carrots, peeled, and chopped

• 3 Tbsp. Thai Kitchen red curry paste

• 1 tsp. raw coconut sugar

• 1 Tbsp. low sodium tamari sauce

• 1 tsp. ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp. cayenne papper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in to a large pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for approx. 20 mins. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add something new to your grocery list!

 

This morning I chopped up some fresh purple potatoes for breaky. Yams are usually are my choice potato, but I thought I'd change things up this time. I love food and having a big selection of it, but at times I can be guilty of eating a lot of the same foods frequently and cooking the same meals. It's so important to eat a variety to ensure you aren't missing out on any nutrients. So, next time you are at the grocery store or market, try picking up an item or 2 that you normally wouldn't! It doesn't have to be exotic or completely new to you.. maybe you just haven't had a zucchini for a few months or maybe you usually add a banana to your smoothie and want to swap it for avocado! If you are unfamiliar with the foods or haven't prepared them before, look up some recipes and ideas online!

Add some Kelp to your spice rack! // Stirfry Chicken with almonds and brussel sprouts

Kelp granules are my new favorite seasoning! Kelp is a great substitute for table salt, as it's low in sodium, but still has the iodine... a lot of it! It tastes kind of like salt.. salty seaweed. I like to cook with Himalayan and sea salt, which are void of iodine, so adding a couple shakes of kelp fixes that problem. The reason why iodine is important for our health is because it helps stimulate the thyroid gland, which secretes hormones that regulate the body's metabolic rate (aka metabolism). It is also a good source of potassium, iron, vitamin b-6, and riboflavin (vitamin b-2), and it contains a phytochemical that has been shown to absorb and eliminate radioactive elements and heavy metal contaminants from our bodies. Please note, a little bit goes a long ways with kelp granules. Recommended servings range from 1/10 to 1/4 tsp... so just a little sprinkle is all you need.

Stirfry Chicken with Almonds and Brussels Sprouts

 

Last night I made a chicken stir fry seasoned with a little bit of kelp granules, Himalayan salt, and pepper, sautéed with avocado oil (which is a great oil for med-high heat cooking). I simply threw some chicken breast on to a George Foreman grill. While the chicken cooked I sautéed some chopped brussel sprouts, onions, and sliced almonds. I added the chicken to the stir fry after it was cooked and mixed it all together. It made for a delicious, fast, and easy healthy dinner! :)

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

        Since I've finished all of my assignments I've been using a lot of my spare time in the kitchen. I've making numerous trips to Planet Organic; getting all the ingredients I've been wanting to play with and stock my pantry. Our landlords just told us the other day that we will getting a brand new kitchen this summer, so I'm super excited about this news!

 

Other things I've been up to lately include yard work and a war with my printer. I bought a printer in the summer, equipped with whole lot; colour, scanner, and fax. I wanted to print some research papers yesterday and it wouldn't print.. just blank paper!! The ink head was clogged up.. great. This required having to take the piece out to clean it.. which isn't as simple as it should be. With the help of You Tube tutorials and after a many choice words and a couple glasses of wine, I got the piece out. My boyfriend was in the room next to me and I could have simply ask for a hand, but my ego got the best of me and I was determined to do this by myself. Now, the printer head is laying out to dry and fingers crossed when I put it back together it will print again!!

The thing about living in Edmonton is that as soon as all the leaves fall off of the trees in the autumn, it snows right after. In the spring, after the snow in melted, they have to raked. We have a lot of trees in our yard.. a lot of bags of leaves were made (about 15 of them).. So, let's say I have to squat down 10x for each bag with a handful of leaves.. that's 150 squats!! 2 days later and I can still feel it in my bum and back of the thighs!

 

In the kitchen, I've been making a lot of vegan dishes lately. This is because I recently purchased the Oh She Glows Cookbook.. and everything in it looks so good!! I'll share of my favorite recipes from it with you all in the future. But, last night I decided I wanted to make Chicken. I wanted to use the slow cooker because that's something I haven't really cooked with much. I looked online for a recipe and found this one from Skinny Taste. It is SO GOOD!! I served this with a side of shredded carrot, sautéed with coconut oil and balsamic vinegar, and a glass of fresh made iced tea (green tea, fresh lemon, and sweetened with a little bit of xylitol).

 

 

 

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

 

Ingredients:

 

•  2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

• black pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used tamari for gluten-free)

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp water

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste (I used about 3 tsp, I love spice!)

• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds (I toasted them first)

• 2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish

 

 

 Method:

• Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper.

• In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriacha. Pour over chicken and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

• Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.

• In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with (toasted) sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

  

 

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

 I've been seeing these delicious looking "over night oats" recipes all over the internet for quite a while now, but for some reason never tried any of them out.. until now! It took me all of 2 minutes to prepare tonight and then just stuck the jar in the fridge over night and they are ready to eat in the morning! No more excuses for anyone who tries to say they don't have time to make a healthy breaky in the morning :)

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Over Night Oats

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbps. old fashioned rolled oats

• 1 heaping Tbsp. chia seeds

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 1 cup unsweetened milk (I used soy)

• 1 small ripe banana, mashed

• 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

• 2 tsp. maple syrup

 

Method:

• Mash the banana and then mix all the ingredients well together in a bowl, adding the milk last.

• Transfer mix in to a jar or other container that can be well sealed. (This recipe fits perfectly in to a regular size mason jar).

• Place in the fridge and let set for 6+ hours.

• Add on top some slices banana, chopped nuts, and cinnamon if you like.

 

Makes 2 servings 

Happy Earth Day! // Protein Power Goddess Bowl by OhSheGlows

Happy Earth Day everyone! I feel like I have not blogged in SO long. That's probably because it has been a long time. It was nice to take the summer and again parts of the winter some what easy. I did continue with taking courses, but took a few vacations/getaways, and focused more on balancing my life instead of devoting my life to school and work. The consequence of that decision was that eventually I had to make that devotion in order to make my nutritional applications diploma deadline. After months of being over my head with deadlines and working more than I should, I am happy to say that I just finished my very LAST assignment!! I write my final exam in 2 weeks and I will officially be certified as a nutritionist. I am so happy to be "done"! You can bet it won't be long until I sign myself up for an advanced course though. There is still so much I want to continue to learn.

So, Earth Day!.. To celebrate our planet I decided reduce my environmental foot print by making a vegan dinner from all organic ingredients. I made the Protein Power Goddess Bowl from the Oh She Glows cook book. I loved this recipe and I can't wait to try more of them in her cook book, everything looks so good! I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do try incorporate plant protein instead of animal sources at least a few times a week.

I have been busy in the kitchen a lot lately with all kinds of experiments and challenging myself. Some of it has been more successful than others... mostly success though! I wish I could share so much of it with you, but I am terrible at measuring and recording down what I make. So, there's a few things that really stood out which I am going to work on re-making and recording it properly so that I can share! :)

 

Protein Power Goddess Bowl

 

 Ingredients:

 

Lemon-Tahini goddess dressing;

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1 large garlic clove, minced (I used 2)

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (I used 2)

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt (I omitted all together)

• fresh ground pepper, to taste

 

Lentil mixture;

• 1 cup uncooked green or black lentils (I used green)

• 1 cup uncooked wheat/spelt berries (I used wheat berries).. use rice or quinoa for gluten free option.

• 1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing (I used avocado)

• 1 red onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 3 cups spinach or kale, chopped (I used kale)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

 

Method

• In a food processor combine all the ingredients together for the lemon-tahini dressing and process until smooth. I don't have a food processor and mixed it well together with a fork and crushed the garlic with a garlic crusher.

• Cook lentils and wheat/spelt berries according to the directions given on the package. I cook lentils for 20 mins and then wheat berries for 1 hour.

• In a skillet, sauté onions in the oil over medium heat until almost cooked, then add the bell pepper, garlic, and tomato and continue to cook for approx. 7-8 more mins (until most of the liquid has evaporated). Stir in the spinach/kale until wilted.

• Stir in all of the tahini-lemon dressing and cooked lentils and spelt/wheat berries. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the minced fresh parsley just before serving.