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Adding another plant-forward recipe for your Meatless Monday archives – veggie stuffed portobello mushrooms! Mushrooms are versatile vegetable that work in a variety of vegetarian friendly recipes because of the great hearty texture.
This blog post is in partnership with Farmer’s Fridge. Thanks for supporting projects that make Nutrition Happen!
It’s here: the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Temperatures have dropped (well, at least here in Chicago!) which means it’s the start of hibernation season.
I’m kidding, we’re not always in hibernation when it gets cold (although, you know there’s some truth to this!) but let’s be real here: it’s easy to have a “forget it!” mentality during the holiday season when it comes to mindful habits. I’m a fan of making goals, but part of having a healthy mindset is being able to accept when plans don’t go accordingly. The key is setting REALISTIC goals that you can meet, even after the busy holiday season.
Remember, small habits = big changes over time.
Here are five realistic ways to stay on track and make nutrition happen during any busy season:
A dietetic intern’s schedule is no joke, friends. Getting up for a 5am run and then spending all day promoting nutrition education classes around town – just to come back around for my 6:30pm MBA classes. Literally though, what is sleep? What is snack time? What is SLEEP!?
I’d also like you to please turn your attention to your nearest Registered Dietitian and give them a HUGE hug because all that work they put in for you is SO completely underrated. They are by far the hardest workers I know (I’m also 200% bias, being a (dietitian to be) myself…#noshame)
But you know what’s been getting me through these weeks? A new line of juices from Organic Girl!
Happy Monday! It’s a fabulous day over here at Nutrition Happens – I’ve got a special recipe made for you from my beautiful and talented friend, (and Registered Dietitian) Shannan Monson!
Shannan is the owner of Nutrition Simply, an online community she built empowering and inspiring those around her to simply feel good about themselves. (which is what we’re all about here – because good food = good mood!) The moment I connected with Shannan her passion for nutrition reflected across all aspects of her work. She balances work life with family life and every little detail in between so effortlessly – but isn’t afraid to get real with you about it. Her honesty about her struggles with nutrition in the past combined with the extensive knowledge she has today (and love for J.Crew) makes her basically like the ultimate best friend you didn’t know you were missing in your life. (Bonus points: she rocks a mad lip color and will inspire you to do the same!)
I hope you haven’t gotten tired of me boasting about all things spring-y around here…the spring produce love is REAL. I’m digging my daily greens (as usual) and the warmer weather definitely help sets the spring time mood – can’t wait for berry season soon!
Post-workout. A 2% mango and jalapeno Siggi’s with coconut chips.
Iced coffee via Kudu’s and a blueberry Bai5.
I also had some raw carrots for a snack with hummus…which I never got a picture of. But I am giving you this picture, which shows a little bit of what I prepared for the week – including the carrots! I guess the theme of the week is orange…oh wait that’s every week. (Go Tigers! And Vitamin A!)
Made a batch of this cucumber. radish, and mango mix for the week – with a squeeze of lime and drizzle of honey.
Which got mixed into this salad – with a bed of arugula + avocado + smoked salmon and a little bit of goat cheese.
Which you can see in action here…work lunch.
An minneola orange. Hauled last week
An everything but the kitchen sink salad – my favorite! A base of kale and arugula + shrimp + sweet potatoes + roasted tricolor carrots + peas + sundried tomatoes + peas all tossed in lemon juice and tahini.
A piece of this kick ass chocolate I got in the mail from the Easter bunny. They sure do know me well – coconut and dark chocolate and all!
Head on over to Jenn’s linkup for more food inspirations – she’s talking all about her CHARLESTON eat’s today – yay!
Things already in my pantry: lots of leftover produce from last week!
From Whole Foods: Sambazon Acai pack (on sale for $5.69!), Mahava coconut sugar, pineapple salsa, frozen peas, frozen mangoes, Fage greek yogurt, strawberries, a ruby red grapefruit + sumo mandarin + cara cara orange, a bartlett pear, almond cheese, oat flour, a two savory yogurts from Blue Hill and a brown box to go filled with too many hot bar items.
I love using coconut sugar as a baking replacement. Sometimes stevia just doesn’t cut it – and when you’re baking for someone who is not used to the stevia aftertaste, coconut sugar is a great alternative to refined sugar. Derived via the sap of the liquid of coconut plants, coconut sugar is said to have a lower glycemic index compared to other sugars. Even though coconut sugar container a higher amount of nutrients and inulin (a fiber undigested in our digestive system) compared to refined sugar, it doesn’t mean you can go absurdly crazy and eat it by the spoonful. (source.) Moderation is key! It’s a better alternative on days we want to bake up a nice treat.
There a many options and brands avaliable readily these days – I really like using this one from Madhava. They also have a great whipped honey!
Sambazon Acai packs are staples in my freezer – I’ll pick up some when I catch them on sale. I love blending a pack with frozen mangoes! I also love snacking on frozen mangoes, especially during the warmer seasons.
Still feeling the citrus love – they are still incredibly sweet! I ate the sumo mandarin on the way home – the bonus is that they are super easy to peel…aka making them a perfect car snack.
You can just as easily make oat flour yourself by grinding oats in a food processor, but I keep a bag on hand in the pantry for those days when inspiration strikes and need it just like that. Or when I’m making recipes that only require a few tablespoons.
I’ve bought the almond cheese from Lisanatti before but it’s been a while and since it was also on sale this week, I decided to give it another go. From what I remember, it takes on more of a nuttier almond taste – but melts just like regular cheese. I plan on crumbling in on a few salads I have planned for the week. Have you tried almond cheese before?
And the Blue Hill yogurts – I’ve seen these floating around Instagram for the longest time. I’m surprised I didn’t try them out sooner – I tend to have a sixth sense when it comes to new products! I picked up the one with beets (duh) and sweet potatoes (what’s new?).
Same goes for the mini Go Raw bars – although I tried one the other day and was not impressed. My favorite dried fruit/nut bars are from a local company here in Charleston called Nicole’s Nutty Goodness – the espresso flavor is my favorite!
From Trader Joe’s: Asparagus, avocados, baby carrots, roasted red peppers, organic split pea soup, toasted oat bran, honey, avocado salsa, greek yogurt, romaine, mint, lemons, limes, whole carrots.
Side note: Does anyone love reading Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyers? Seriously, I look forward to it every month. They make it so fun!
I’m so happy to see the toasted oat bran back in stock at Trader Joe’s! It used to come bags but it’s nice to see it in some new packaging. Nothing too interesting here, just some essentials. I was craving soup the other day and didn’t feel like getting comfortable in the kitchen to make my own – so I stocked up some split pea soup for when days like that strikes again.
The avocado salsa….not my favorite item from TJ! Not enough avocado, too much salsa.
Just some more essentials – lemons + limes, carrots, bananas, Tuscan kale. And the three layer hummus is just another fabulous hummus from Trader Joe’s – great for those who are indecisive and can’t decide on one flavor.
I stopped by Earthfare one day last week after work to pick up a few things – instant oats, whole spelt flour, black quinoa, pecorino cheese, blackberries, blueberries, this cornbread mix from Hodgson Mills (5 ingredients and only takes 20 minutes to bake!), these garlic parmesean crackers from Doctor Kracker (I like to add them for texture in salads!), and a bottle of Pinot Noir. #wino
I’m a sucker for trying new teas so this had to make it into my basket. White chocolate mocha?
Oh, okay. And a little pecorino action for the week. Cheese..wine. Life’s all about that balance!
What’s in your shopping cart this week?
