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 

Super Simple Winter Sides

What do you usually have as side dishes for dinner? Mac and Cheese? Mashed Potatoes with milk and butter? Veggies? Sure, they may not be the star of the meal, but side dishes need love too! They play a very important role in making sure your meal stays healthy and wonderful for you. What’s the point of that healthy main course if it is surrounded by calorie-laden sides? Luckily, it’s super simple to make delicious additions to your meal that fill you up, without all of the extra bulk of added fat, artificial ingredients, and extra calories. As I have mentioned before, I am far from being a gourmet chef. However, even I have some tips to share in this department!

Let’s start with Brussels sprouts (just figured out it’s “Brussels’, not “brussel”…weird). For some reason, I always remember old sitcoms documenting people talking about how much they hated Brussels sprouts. Was it maybe in an American Girl Book too? I’m not sure. Anyway, ever since my palate matured, I absolutely love them, and am quite unsure of why they were so taboo. So, go ahead to the grocery store and get yourself a bunch. Did you know they sometimes come on something like this…?

I didn’t until my mother brought this thing home recently. I couldn’t quite tell you what it is. Is it a stalk? A stem? Again, I’m not sure. If they come on this…thing…just snap them on off, and follow these instructions:

You will need: Brussels sprouts, fresh garlic, white onion, salt and pepper, olive oil, a baking sheet or baking stone

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Prep your sprouts. Rinse. Make sure to remove any gross leaves from the outside. Chop off the stubby stem, and halve or quarter them, depending on your preference. Place them into a large mixing bowl.

3. Peel a few cloves of garlic (enough to have a uniform presence throughout however many sprouts you are preparing). Then, crush/mince/or chop the garlic up into small pieces and add to the bowl. I personally love to smash it with the side of a large chopping knife like they do on the Food Network. However, per usual with my “recipes”, there is no exact science to this. Just chop it =)

4. Take about a third (or more depending on the size batch) of the onion. I like to leave the onion in long, skinny pieces, simply separating the layers. If you don’t like onion, it’s perfectly fine to leave this out. Add to the bowl.

5. Then, very gradually, pour in a small amount of olive oil a little at a time, mixing it into the sprouts. I usually use my hands just to toss it. You want just enough to lightly coat everything. We don’t need over oily/soppy sprouts!

6. Give a light sprinkling of both salt and pepper.

7. Place on either a cooking stone or baking sheet with foil and roast in the oven for about a half hour, or until there is a light char/crispiness to your dish. All ovens are different, so it’s best to just keep an eye on them, testing them, and taking them out when you prefer. 

Up Next: Roasted Butternut Squash!

This one is even easier. I have not yet experimented with super intense flavor combos, but when this squash is roasted, it is completely wonderful on its own. For this all you need is cubed butternut squash (a little bigger than home fry size), cooking spray, salt, pepper, and a baking stone or cooking sheet.

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Place your cubed butternut squash on either a baking stone or cooking sheet with foil

3. Give your squash one spray of cooking spray, to gently coat the batch.

4. Salt and Pepper

5. Flip the squash cubes over and repeat on the other side.

6. Pop in the oven for around a half an hour, or until tender.

Want something even easier? How about a sweet potato?

Potatoes get a bad rap. I will discuss this in more depth in a future post, but the reason is mainly because of how we prepare them. Try just having a plain old baked sweet potato. Indulge in the simple orange goodness. I usually have one half at a time. I poke a few holes in the skin with a knife or fork, and simply cook it in the microwave either on the baked potato pre-set, or for about 3 minutes at a time. It will start to steam, so per usual, cook it just a few minutes at a time, rotate it, and keep an eye on when it becomes tender. Then, I simply cut it open, and sprinkle on some pepper. Boom. Perfect, whole food, wonderful, filling, nutritious side dish.

One last side suggestion I have is soup!

I absolutely love Dr. McDougall’s organic, whole food soups. My favorite is the low sodium chunky tomato. It is made with all natural and whole ingredients. Dr. McDougall is a plant based nutrition expert and author of The Starch Solution, an amazing resource for plant based nutrition. Therefore, I truly trust all of his products. Enjoy a cup of this warm soup for only 90 calories!

And there you have it! A few simple ideas for guilt-free side dishes! Tweak them as you like, spices don’t add calories. If you have a favorite spice combo for your squash or potatoes, go for it! Just avoid the extra butter, cheese, excess oil etc! The key is to recognize that we can enjoy the same flavors without all of the extra add-ins that take a toll on our health. Try simplifying your favorite dishes, and get to know the natural taste of your food!

Be Well.

 
Love, Julie

Spaghetti Squash 101

If you asked me what my favorite vegetable ever was...well, I don’t know if I could answer that. However, the spaghetti squash would definitely be a top contender! I personally tend to be a grazer. I prefer to eat more, with less caloric density, than have a small portion of something with a much larger amount of calories etc. This is why spaghetti squash and I are a match made in heaven. This squash comes out string-like, resembling spaghetti. However, nutritionally the two are worlds apart. For example, according to Livestrong.com, one cup of spaghetti squash can be enjoyed for a measly 42 calories with 10g of carbohydrate. It also offers small amounts(which can add up!) of various vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, one cup of spaghetti averages around 220 calories with 43g of carbohydrate. Which can I enjoy more of without getting too full too fast?? You tell me. Not to mention spaghetti squash is absolutely delicious and, like pasta, can take on any flavor you’d like.

Spaghetti squash is one of my main go- tos as a college student. It’s super easy to prepare, and makes a huge batch which lasts a while in the fridge. Sometimes I’ll enjoy it as is. I often throw it into my salads to give them more texture (combined with a mustard/olive oil dressing…mmm delish!). You can pair it with tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, pesto, salsa, Italian spices… you name it. 

Okay, I think this may be my favorite vegetable after all.

Follow these simple instructions and you’re on your way to enjoying guilt free spaghetti!

1. Buy yourself a lovely spaghetti squash and bring it home. They are bright yellow and oval-ish.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Then rinse off the squash. Using a large, sharp, knife, split the squash vertically in two.

3. Scoop out the seeds, as if you were scooping out a pumpkin. I find that it helps to cut around the edges of the fleshy area to loosen up the seeds. Then I use an ice cream scoop to get all of the loose flesh/pulp out. It helps to bring your trashcan next to you for this part (makes clean up easier)!

4. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto the inside of the squash. Taking a paper towel, rub the oil evenly around/into the squash. You want there to just be a light covering of oil for roasting, making sure to soak up any extra oil with your paper towel. 

5. Sprinkle your squash with a little salt and pepper. 

6. Place the squash upside down on either a cookie sheet with foil, or on a baking stone. 

7. Bake for 45-60 minutes. I usually check my squash after 45 to see where it is. You want the inside to be tender and sizzling. Try pulling a small amount of flesh out with a fork, it should be tender. Exact timing is not important here; just make sure to keep an eye on it. Like the quinoa recipe, this is fairly difficult to mess up.

8. Turn the squash right-side up with a spatula (it will be hot!). Let it cool for several minutes.

9. Using a fork, scrape the squash out of its skin. Make sure to get all of it! When you’re done you want to see the white part of the skin. Trust me. You will be very sad if you don’t get to enjoy every morsel. 

10. Enjoy being creative with all you can do with your new favorite vegetable! 

Here is an example of a typical college night meal for me. Notice the squash with diced tomatoes! The best part is, after this labor of love of roasting the squash; it makes a very easily re-heatable side for days to come! Bon appetite! 

Be Well.

Love, Julie