Fast Food For Fall!

No, not actual fast food...

We're talking healthy fall meals that keep you feeling good when you're on the go! Here are some of my favorite easy to prepare fall staples that provide me with great, nutritious fuel even when I'm low on time. It's about half fresh food, half "processed". But, let's face it, it's hard to make your own soups and dals everyday. Luckily, there are some fantastic pre-made options out there!

I've been really in tune with my seasonal cravings this year. The chill in the air has made me say goodbye to salads and gravitate towards warm, hearty deliciousness. Also, I think I'm addicted to squash. I've had fun experimenting with acorn and butternut this fall! 

Let's zoom in a little to see what we have…

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Entrees- I know I can always trust the McDougall brand for well-balanced vegan meals. Their soups and asian entrees are delicious and filling, while being naturally low-fat and packaged in BPA-free containers. You can find these products in the soup and asian departments in Whole Foods and sometimes in the natural section of your regular grocery store. 

Amy's Organic Soups- While not in BPA free containers, these soups are still a great choice given the integrity of their ingredients. I've been enjoying their split pea soup lately, as it's easy to heat up at school! Amy's uses organic ingredients whenever possible, and is always non-gmo. I usually prefer Dr. McDougall's in taste, but as I said, the split pea has me hooked! 

Tasty Bite Indian Entrees- So, I've recently become addicted to Indian. Those warming flavors are simply divine. However, getting those flavors in a home cooked meal can be pretty labor intensive, and requires a lot of ingredients. As a grad student, I was craving good Indian food, but did not have the time or money to make it myself! Enter Tasty Bite. I was ecstatic when I found this brand in my local Whole Foods. Tasty Bite has a vast array of Indian options. Many of the entrees are vegan, gluten free, and kosher. Everything is all-natural, made with simple ingredients that one can recognize and understand (always key with processed foods). Even better, Tasty Bite has an awesome BPA- free packaging system which cooks the items in an already sealed pouch, allowing for a long shelf life without preservatives! I love heating up some spinach dal and enjoying it with spaghetti squash. It literally takes one minute. 

These foods are a little less "fast", but if you make them in advance, they round out a meal perfectly. Lately, I've been roasting tons of spaghetti, butternut, and acorn squash to have on hand. I usually just hollow them out, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and throw them in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes (butternut seems to take less time, so I'd check at 35 first). Acorn squash is delicious if you cut it into wedges! The other two I do in halves. I also love to quickly steam some broccoli or roast eggplant to have ready for easy to prepare lunches and dinners. Not pictured here are mung beans and quinoa, which add a great source of protein to any meal.

Here is an example of an easy meal I whipped up with some of the pre-made ingredients I had in my fridge (not the prettiest picture, I apologize):

I have spaghetti squash, mung beans, broccoli, red onion, eggplant, and tomatoes. I dressed it with some Annie's Lite Goddess dressing and poof! Delicious, fast, nutritious fall meal =) 

I hope you've gotten some inspiration from this post. Just because you're low on time, doesn't mean you need to sacrifice on quality! When we are busy and on the go, it is especially important to give our body the energy it needs. It's all about doing a little prep in advance, and having some pre-made staples in your pantry. 

Enjoy the last bits of fall everyone! 

Be Well.

Love, Julie 

Two super easy, super healthy recipes!

Happy Saturday Everyone! I hope you are enjoying a restful and relaxing weekend. You deserve it! Today I wanted to share with you two super yummy, super easy recipes I've enjoyed lately. Before I do though, make sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates/ fun wellness stuff! @JMartinez621 and https://www.facebook.com/BeWellLoveJulie  .

Ok, now for the deliciousness! This first recipe was inspired by a Tara Stiles Video (aka  it is basically the same, but I didn't have actual curry sauce- which actually probably makes this version lighter) So, credit to her! Yes, she is my new favorite person. I just read Yoga Cures on my kindle, and it was amazing. Simple, eye opening, life changing. I'll have to do another book list soon!

Curried Rice and Lentils with Veggies ! 

You'll need: 

- A lentils and rice mixture, or any grain of your choice. I did a medley of brown rice, wild rice, and lentils from whole foods

- Vegetable broth

- Earth Balance, olive oil, or a non-stick cooking spray

-Orange Bell Pepper 

-Red Onion

-Celery

-Greens of your choice 

-Any other veggies you desire/ would like to substitute with 

- Curry Powder

- Chilli Powder

- Ground Tumeric 

-Salt and Pepper

As usual, my recipes are more like guidelines. I'm not a professional chef, and everyone's appliances and tastes are different. Alter this as necessary to make it work for you, choosing the correct amount of ingredients for your portion size!

1. Prepare grains per package instructions. I like to use vegetable broth instead of water to give it more flavor. Make a big batch and save leftovers for later in the week! I use a half cup as one serving 

2. Heat a large pan on medium high heat, add a tablespoon or so of Earth Balance (or other choice). Just enough to add some flavor without adding mega calories. 

3. Chop onions and add them to the pan.

4. Do the same with the peppers and celery. 

5. Let these sauté a while until they are nice and soft.

 6. Once the veggies are at their desired texture, turn down the heat a little bit and add grains. 

7. Add a pinch of curry powder, chilli powder, and ground tumeric. Add any more depending on your tastes. 

8. Add the greens, sauté until everything is nice and warm. 

9. Salt and pepper/ season more to taste

10. Enjoy this nutritious and flavorful meal! 

Lemon Pepper Zucchini with Quinoa and Marinara Sauce 

This one is something I just whipped up on my own with random pre-made things I had in my fridge. I love making lemon pepper zucchini and having it ready to throw into any recipe. Also, having a good quality marinara sauce is a wonderful way to easily add flavor to any meal. I like Whole Foods 365 and search for types with no crazy ingredients. I apologize for the messy plating! It didn't occur to me that I should blog about this when I took the picture!

What you'll need: 

- Quinoa

-Vegetable Broth

-Zucchini

-Fresh Garlic

-Greens of Choice

-Marinara Sauce

-Olive Oil

-Lemon Pepper Seasoning

-Italian Seasoning

-Fresh Lemon Juice

-Salt and Pepper 

1. Prepare quinoa per instructions with vegetable broth. 

2. Chop up a few gloves of garlic, depending on portion size

3. In large pan, heat a small amount of olive oil (again, just enough for flavor) and garlic. Use a medium heat so things don't burn! 

4. Meanwhile, chop up zucchini and add to the pan 

5. Sauté zucchini on medium high heat, adding lemon pepper and italian seasoning as desired per your taste. 

6. Squeeze in a little bit of juice from a lemon and continue to sauté zucchini until it reaches desired texture. 

7. Salt and Pepper to taste.

8. Reduce heat and portion out the amount you would like to save as left overs. 

9. To the amount remaining in pan, add quinoa, greens, and marinara sauce. 

10. Stir until everything is warm and delicious

11. Enjoy! 

I also make this by throwing all the left over components into a bowl and microwaving! Do whatever works for you that day =) 

I hope you enjoy these quick and easy recipes! They are simple, and full of whole, nutritious, satisfying ingredients. Why bother with anything else? As I'm sure you can tell, there is an easy formula behind these two recipes. Grain, veggie, greens, seasoning. What other combos can you come up with? Experiment with your favorite flavors! Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean? The possibilities are endless. I'll continue to post anything I find extra easy and delicious! 

Be Well.

Love, Julie

Super Easy Eggplant!

I’ve been loving eggplant lately. I have no idea why I do not buy it more!!! Someday I hope to make an amazing eggplant caponata. However, since I am currently in school, and ridiculously busy, I tend to go much more basic. Again, pardon my not so exact recipes. Hopefully this will just give you some inspiration and ideas! Notice there are no added oils in these recipes! Water does just fine as a binding agent.

I’ll start with the more complicated:

Super Easy Vegan Eggplant Parm:

You will need:

1 eggplant (or more depending how many people you’re making it for.)

Cornmeal

Whole Wheat or almond flour

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

Your tomato sauce of choice (I go organic and usually get one with basil and spices for flavor)

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Cut up your eggplant into half inch slices

3. Combine a mixture of one part flour and one part cornmeal (say about a half cup of each). You can also throw a little pepper/basil etc in there if you want!

4. Lightly coat each slice of eggplant with water and dip it into the flour mixture, just giving it a light covering. Then place each piece onto a baking stone or baking sheet with foil.

5. Put the eggplant slices in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they get a little golden.

6. Meanwhile, give the bottom of a glass baking pan a light coating of cooking spray. The size of your pan will depend on how much eggplant you are using. You want to be able to create two layers of eggplant.

7. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

8. Once the eggplant is slightly golden and out of the oven, place a layer of the eggplant over the sauce.

9. Cover the eggplant with another layer of sauce.

10. Sprinkle on your desired amount of vegan parmesan and mozzarella ( a little can go a long way!).

11. Create another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese. This time make sure the sauce completely covers the top.

12. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

11. Feel free to add any of your favorite Italian spices etc and enjoy!

Lately however, I have been in a much simpler mood, not needing all of the cheese and “breading” on my meal. So, I have been whipping up some… 

Deconstructed Eggplant Parm

You will need:

1 Eggplant

Italian spices (basil, salt, pepper, Italian mix, oregano, whatever is your favorite)

Tomato sauce of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 375

2. Slice your eggplant into half inch slices

3. Coat each slice lightly with water and place on a baking stone or cookie sheet with foil.

4. Sprinkle desired spices over eggplant pieces, flip them and do the same on the other side.

5. Pop them in to over for about a half an hour. This will really all depend on your oven and the thickness of the slices. They will be done when they are golden brown and tender.

6. In the last few minutes, warm up your tomato sauce.

7. When the eggplant is done, pour sauce over and poof! Delicious, nutritious, simple meal.

This goes amazingly well  with spaghetti squash! (Check out my spaghetti squash 101 post from December)

I also love to use the left over eggplant plain in salads etc. So delicious!

Enjoy!!!

Be Well.

Love, Julie