Category Archives: How-To Make It Doable

Please Bookmark & Share: Recommended Supplement Brands + 5% to Animal Welfare Organizations

February 14, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Tera's Plain Organic Whey - Papillion Sky Photography

Please Bookmark & Share this Page:

Perfectly Produce Supplement & Whey Recommendations

On this page, I will list the brand of supplement products that I recommend to my clients.  In addition to being a nutritional pick, I also check to see if the product has been reviewed by ConsumberLabs.com; no product that has had a bad review will be listed. I will also try to post promo codes for additional savings and free shipping offers.

Healthy products don’t have to cost you a fortune.

A Win-Win-Win

  • You receive high-quality supplements, grocery staples (even kitchen gadgets) for significantly discounted prices
  • You receive a list of nutritionist reviewed and recommended supplement brands (including probiotics, fish oil, CoQ10, & multi-vitamins)
  • You contribute 5% of your total sales to animal welfare organizations

5% Automatically Donated

The most exciting part of this is that we have been approved by Vitacost and Amazon to receive on average 5% of your total sales – from any department – that we will convert into a donation to an animal welfare non-profit organization! Watch on Facebook as we post updates on totals donated each quarter.

Thank you for this extra-step. Humane animal treatment is very near to my heart and I appreciate (very much) your willingness and ability to help. Happy Valentine’s Day! ~Teri

 

Current Vitacost Promo Code good through 2/29/12:  EMBOGOF

Good for 50% off selected Vitacost brand products – including fish oil.

Receive free shipping with orders over $49.

 

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Eat8: Fall in Love with Made-A-Head Meals (Especially on Mondays), Stick to Your ‘Prep Plan’

February 07, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Mushroom and Artichoke Topped Tofu with Quinoa - Winter Meal Planning Kit

Produce Tally & What Worked for Mon. Feb 6th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 7 servings

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Freezer full of produce-based made-a-head items: I knew going into the weekend that I wouldn’t have time to do any meal prep this weekend (Saturday spent with friends and Sunday being the Superbowl).  I did look through my freezer on Sunday morning and decide which frozen made-a-head items I could use to keep me going on Monday until I had more time for prep and getting to the store.
  2. Stuck to my ‘prep plan’: Yesterday I posted a link to a 7-day meal plan template that I’d love to share with you.  On this template, I included a daily “prep” box to help think through when you will have time to actually do what you planned.  One is relatively ineffective without the other.  In my prep plan for the week (pictured in yesterday’s post), I wanted to make my Mushroom Artichoke Topped Tofu and do my grocery shopping.  Happy to report that I did both.  And since the Mushroom Artichoke Topped Tofu is one of my favorite recipes, I veered from my plan and had that for dinner last night (vs. made-a-head pumpkin lasagna).  Let your plan be flexible; it will still get you where you want to go.

My Produce Sources on Mon:

  • Breakfast: 1 serving (banana blueberry buckwheat pancake)
  • Lunch: 3 servings (split pea soup + herbed northern white beans)
  • Snack: 0 serving (at late lunch and forgot to grab snack)
  • Dinner: 3 servings (mushroom and artichoke topped tofu – should have been 4, but opted to finish some pretzels from the Superbowl vs. have my Everyday Greens – and that’s ok, I’ll have the greens Tues.)

How are you doing?  Close to 8 servings?  Even 6?  Would love your stories. ~Teri

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How to Meal Plan – Part 1: The Plan

February 06, 2012   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

My Meal Plan This Week

Befriend Meal Planning – It Will Love You Back

In my opinion, the most important 20 minutes you can give your health each week is to learn how to meal plan.  Whether you do it for 7-days at a time or 1-day at a time – always be prepared for your next meal before it’s time to eat.

The next most important investment is to allocate at least 2 hours each week + 20 minutes each day to finding out how to implement that plan.  Until you find out how to fit this into your schedule – take that time back from gym time if you have to.  You will not obtain the health results and weight loss goals you are looking for from working out if you don’t have a solid nutritional plan in place.  Exercise will fit back in, and even more comfortably, once your prioritize your diet.

Getting Started

  1. Use a Template: I’ve created a 7-day version of the meal plan used in the Perfectly Produce seasonal meal planning kits which I’d love for you to try.  I included a ‘prep’ box to help you think through when you can prep, shop, and cook during the week.  If simple notebook paper or a post-it works for you, then use that – it really has to be what you can see yourself using, effortlessly, over time.
  2. Check your Freezer: Take a look at things like: what made-a-head items you have, how much stock you have available to make soups, how many and which types of grains do you have ready to go, do you have frozen produce that you could use?
  3. Check your Fridge: Any perishable items that you need to use up?
  4. Check your Pantry: This is where I really start to put meals together in my mind – seeing jars of my mom’s home-made stewed tomatoes can make me start craving a spicy Southwest Chicken Soup or seeing spices like cumin can make me want to plan a taco night.
  5. Check for Sales: Once you’ve seen what you have on-hand and what you are now craving, take a look at grocery store sales.  Many markets advertise their weekly sales on Facebook, check for online sources of coupons, check retailers web sites directly for coupons of your favorite items, or plan a trip to Costco or other wholesale stores.

Getting it on Paper: Be Realistic – Start by Asking Yourself these Questions

  1. When will I have time to grocery shop?
  2. How much time do I have this week for prep/cooking?
  3. Which day/night could I find time for a 2 hour prep session?
  4. When during the day can I find 20 minutes for prep (this can include planning time and grocery shopping time)?
  5. Are there any work lunches, dinner events, or travel this week that need to be taken into consideration?

Fill in Your Template – Include When You have Time for Prep

  1. Start by crossing off meals that you won’t be having at home (more on planning for travel and on-the-go to come).
  2. Work back from when you are going to the grocery store – if it isn’t for another 2 days, are there left-overs from your scan of the freezer that could be used until you go?
  3. Mark which day you have time for 2 hours of prep – pick 2 recipes that you’d like to make during that time (can be ones you’ve been wanting to try, ones from the meal planning kits, or ones that utilize the ingredients you found in your freezer/fridge/pantry sweep).
  4. Fill in which meals those 2 recipes could be used for: for example could they be used for  3 dinners + 2 lunches this week and left-overs froze for upcoming weeks?
  5. Fill in the rest of the meals – start with variety of your protein sources, plan a little harder for plant sources like legumes, dried beans, and grains like farro and quinoa;  next, aim for 2-3 servings of produce at each meal; and finally, aim to have every color of the rainbow for produce eaten over the course of the week.

Easy, right?  Maybe not the first time, but I do assure you that meal planning becomes second nature once you practice.  And my hope for you is that you find a way to make meal planning something you want to practice.  I’m convinced that our 5-year old selves are always just below the surface – and they are very aware of the difference between having to and wanting to…want to do this.

For extra motivation, create your own list of how you feel the weeks you do meal plan versus the weeks you don’t.

Watch for How to Meal Plan – Part 2: Balanced Composition.  Here I’ll go into more detail on protein variety, sources of produce, and other things to try and include in your meal plan each week! ~Teri

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Benefits of Using Frozen Produce: Nutrition, Cost, Convenience

January 31, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Costco - 4 lbs./ $5.99 ($1.50 per lb.)

Benefits of Using Frozen Produce

In the age of local and raw, most healthy cooks are either confused about whether they can still use frozen fruits and vegetables or they’ve been overlooking it since the days when only sliced carrots and peas (or of course the mix of both) were available.  But today, there is significantly increased variety, many organic and even local frozen winter CSA options, and a health crisis demanding we eat more produce.  This makes frozen fruits and vegetables an attractive option.

Nutrition

  • Comparable to fresh and potentially higher: Depending on storage conditions of fresh (including how long and at what temp you stored it at home), frozen produce can retain more vitamins than fresh produce.
  • Phytonutrients are largely more susceptible to heat than to cold:  Even the 1-3 minute blanching that is used in processing frozen vegetables causes only minimal loss.  In fact, blanching reduces total cooking times of things like soup further protecting nutrients.
  • Real vs. ideal: In the end, the only nutritional consideration is what gets you to eat more produce. The ideal side of the spectrum is eating that piece of broccoli raw within and hour of picking, but we live in real.  And if organic frozen broccoli allows you to eat it 3 times per week versus the 1 time per month (or year) you can ensure it’s been picked within 1 hour – buy the frozen.  It’s assumed that you will still have fresh, too, for variety.

Cost

  • Less expensive for out-of-season: Frozen berries in January will be less expensive than imported fresh – and will taste better.
  • Even less expensive in bulk: Wholesale stores like Costco are increasing their offering of organic frozen produce.
  • Less waste: Increased flexibility of when to use them; decreased spoilage and waste.
  • Conducive to bulk cooking: Total food spend decreases with bulk cooking; frozen produce reducing prep time encouraging you to do more bulk cooking.
  • Decreases your hourly rate: Have you ever calculated an hourly rate – for yourself – for household tasks?  It’s an interesting process.  Ask yourself things like: what price would I pay for an extra hour of free time with my kids? If I saved an hour in the kitchen, what bigger project could I put that hour towards – maybe your own business that you make greater than $60 per hour at? These are the same types of questions I personally use to justify the investment of bulk cooking.  One 4-5 hour session in the kitchen will easily save me an additional 5 hours during the week.

Convenience

  • Significantly reduce prep time: No stalks to peel, onions to dice, pods to remove, or washing needed (most can go straight from bag to pot, be sure to allow for the quickly reduced cooking temp in things like soup; some can be chopped even frozen – but larger pieces should be thawed first for safety).
  • Increased flexibility: Your schedule isn’t dependent on what fresh produce you have to use before it spoils.
  • Decreases cooking time: As mentioned, blanching frozen vegetables helps reduce their total needed cooking time.

Which Applications are Better for Frozen vs. Fresh

  • Frozen: cooked dishes like soups (freezing alters the cell walls and can affect texture); purees (cold or hot); smoothies (frozen fruits and veggies like broccoli (handful is wonderful in smoothies) eliminates need for ice cubes); last minute adds to stir-fries (no excuses for not having a mix of veggies with that pasta).
  • Fresh: when the texture is important – salads, fruit salads, Picco de Galo, salsas, pesto; when in-season and time permits; when just as easy as frozen to ensure variety and daily intake of fresh – pre-washed greens, sprouts, fruit.

At the Store Tip

  • Walk through the frozen aisle and compare it against your shopping list – be aware of what frozen substitutions are available (this will vary widely by store) before picking up everything fresh.  What options are there for lightening fast stir-fry mixes to have in your freezer for ‘those’ days? Are there items on sale? Just watch for (and avoid) those with heavy sauces.

~Teri

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Shopping – Winter Week 4: Varieties of Sweet Potato, Purpose of Kudzu Root, Benefits of Crimini Mushrooms

January 30, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Varieties of Sweet Potatoes - Linden Hills Co-op

Which Variety of Sweet Potato Works Best

  • I prefer the lighter skinned variety (pictured in the center above) of sweet potato.  It has a meatier, mild tasting flesh that withstands cooking in soups well.
  • The darker skin variety which have the very rich orange flesh, often sold as ‘yams’,  work well for fries or whipped (this could be used as a home-made puree used as a substitute to pumpkin in the Pumpkin Lasagna).
  • My bottom line: the varieties are largely interchangeable, but play with different ones. Often when people think they don’t like sweet potatoes, they just haven’t found a variety yet that they do like.
  • If you associate sweet potatoes with marshmallows and Thanksgiving, give the lighter flesh variety a try in more savory dishes. Rich in fiber, beta-carotene, and an anti-oxidant known as sporamins, sweet potatoes are an important addition to a healthy diet…all year.

Crimini Mushrooms

  • Crimini mushrooms are a member of the common ‘button’ mushroom family.  You will find crimini mushrooms refrigerated beside the more familiar white button mushrooms.  They are baby (less mature) portobello mushrooms and will have a darker skin.
  • Button mushrooms (including crimini), once thought to be nutritionally less significant than their more exotic cousins like shiitake, have taken the spotlight recently as their immune enhancing, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties have been uncovered.  They are also significant sources of the mood enhancing amino acid tryptophan.
  • White button can be substituted for crimini; however, I prefer crimini mushrooms because they have higher mineral content including significantly higher amounts of selenium (the same nutrient found in Brazil nuts).
  • Costco often has crimini mushrooms in larger (well priced) containers – perfect for the 6 cups needed in the Mushroom and Artichoke Heart Topped Tofu (Winter Kit – Week 4).

Kudzu Root

Kudzu Root (also spelled kuzu) is well worth the search; be sure to start it early so it have it in time for Friday’s dinner.

  • I was first introduced to kudzu root during my Therapeutic Use of Whole Foods class in graduate school.  It was introduced to us for it’s healing properties to the digestive system, with a secondary benefit of being an incredible thickener.
  • After I began using kudzu root more after graduation, I also learned that it is high in isoflavones.  These are the same phytonutrients found in soy and flax that have anti-cancer properties.
  • Kudzu root – with it’s many nutrition and therapeutic properties – makes a wonderful alternative to cornstarch.
  • Kudzu root is located in the Asian section of better health food stores.  You can try asking department managers to carry it if your store doesn’t.  If you still can’t find, I recommend buying it online: VitaCost Kuzu Root.

Broccoli

  • I found organic frozen broccoli at Costco for only $1.50/lb. – this will work perfectly in the Pureed Broccoli Soup (and save prep time).

Have fun shopping, exploring the store, and trying new ingredients!  As always, if you have questions – just let me know! ~Teri

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Shopping – Winter Week 3: Why Watercress, What is Bragg’s, Benefits of Black Soy Beans

January 21, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Fresh Watercress with Roots

Watercress – Helps Protect from Cancer & Reduces Inflammation

Watercress is a member of the brassica (also called cruciferous) family of vegetables.  This elite group of foods include:

  • watercress, uppercress, landcress, arugula
  • horseradish, radish, daikon radish
  • cabbage, bok choy,Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage
  • broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, turnip, kohlrabi
  • kale, mustard greens, collard greens

Health Benefits: Brassica foods contain nutrients including phytonutrients that are important additions to our diet for three reasons:

  1. Enhance and support all three phases of liver detoxification
  2. Reduce inflammation
  3. Repair cellular DNA

There are benefits to enjoying both raw and lightly cooked brassica foods – when cooking, light steaming and minimum (<1 minute) of microwaving is best.  Watercress provides a flavorful, peppery way to enjoy a raw variety of brassica in the Everyday Greens Mix.

Selecting: I prefer watercress that still has its roots attached (pictured above).  Simply snip roots off with kitchen shears and rinse well with water or lightly soak with mild vinegar solution (about 2 tbsp per gallon of water).  If I can’t find watercress with roots, I like to buy arugula or more kale to use throughout the week.

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos – Gluten-free Soy Sauce

Bragg’s is simply an alternative to traditional soy sauce.  Like soy sauce, Bragg’s is derived from soy beans (non-GMO varieties).

Bragg’s is processed to be gluten-free vs. traditional soy sauce which is processed with wheat (unless buying wheat-free tamari).

I personally have both tamari and Bragg’s in my spice collection.  I put Bragg’s in the meal plan to introduce both a taste and gluten-free alternative to you. Bragg’s, in my opinion, is a bit softer tasting than the more robust traditional soy sauce.  Although you can easily substitute soy sauce, I do recommend buying a small container of Bragg’s (even once) to see if you like the variety it brings sprinkled on veggies and whole grains.

Bragg’s can be found in the Asian section of your supermarkets.

Black Soy Beans – Higher in Antioxidants than Traditional Yellow

The only whole canned soy beans that I could find this week where black soy beans (versus traditional yellow).  I’m really excited to make the soy patties with the black soy beans tomorrow.  Black soy beans (similar to black beans) have a higher concentration of antioxidants than their fair yellow-colored cousins.

If you have problems finding these canned, you can certainly make your own from dried soy beans (not to be confused with ready-to-eat dry roasted soy beans used in the trailmixes).

When time permits (which honestly isn’t as often as I would like), I like to make my dried beans using a pressure cooker.  Cynthia Lair, one of my former cooking instructor, provides easy to follow instructions for making beans from scratch.  It really is a tremendous money saver and environmental boon.

Pumpkin + Sweet Potato Puree – Beta-Caroteine Rich Lasagna

I’m so excited that it’s pumpkin lasagna week!

When I was getting ready to go to the store, I saw that I had a can of sweet potato puree in the cupboard.  The recipe needs 2 cans of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), so rather than buying 2 cans of pumpkin, I am going to try substituting my can of sweet potato puree.  The nutritional profile will stay the same; pretty excited to see how it goes!

I hope as you use the recipes, you, too, will see how flexible they can be.  And once you learn the basics of portion sizes and what foods fall into which categories, you’ll be able to adjust and make substititions for any recipe!

Have fun shopping! ~Teri

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Everyday Greens Mix (Kale, Watercress, Spinach, Lettuce): 3 Easy Methods, No More Excuses

January 20, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Dino Kale - Papillon Sky Photography

The Secret to Easily Eat Greens Everyday:

  1. Always have greens cleaned and ready to grab
  2. Get in the habit of having a handful at each meal (even one a day is a respectable start)

If you wait until after you walk in the door at 5:30 to clean and prep that kale you bought two days ago – you aren’t going to do it.

If you think the only way to eat greens is by having  a cold salad everyday – you aren’t going to do it.

Greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, and watercress are far from just for salad anymore.  I shared a few ideas in an early post about how easy it can be to add something green to each meal.  This is what I love about the Everyday Greens Mix and why I included it in each season of the meal planning kits.  The mix allows you to have a variety of greens, prepped before it’s time to eat, so you are encouraged to use them…easily and unlimitedly.

But as mentioned above, if you don’t have the mix ready to go before 5:30 – you aren’t going to do it.  The good news is that there are three methods to make sure you do have greens ready to eat everyday.  Pick the one that best matches your time availability and buying preferences – and which method is best will likely change depending on the week.  And that’s good; having flexible options will ensure you do it each week – not just the ones when all the stars align.

Method 1: Buy Pre-Washed

The variety of packaged, pre-washed organic greens is booming.  Baby Kales, Baby Lettuce, Half-n-half Spring + Baby Spinach, Arugula – so easy to find and reasonably priced.  Some delicate greens like watercress (which I always recommend buying the variety with the roots still on) are harder to find.  And on those weeks were convenience is needed – it’s ok to just have baby kale and spinach.

Pros: No Prep*, Competitively Priced, Always Ready

*Whether to wash pre-washed produce is a personal decision – CBS reviewed this and posted some comments from manufacturers.

Cons: Not Local, Compromise with Flavor (nothing like fresh picked greens)

Method 2: Store Greens in Salad Spinner – Keeps them Fresh and Easy to Grab

If I have the room in the fridge, I like to wash all of the various greens together by placing in the (very clean and sanitized!) sink.  Then, I place them all in my salad spinner and just store on the top shelf.  It’s still easy to grab individual types of greens (like lettuce for tacos) or a mix for salad. Stays nice and crisp for up to a week.

Pros: Can buy Local, Easy to Grab

Cons: Increased Prep Time with Cleaning, Bulky Storage

Method 3: Wash and Store in Plastic Bags in Crisper

When space is limited, then I ‘wrap and roll’ them for storage in the crisper. You can wrap them mixed, or wrap them individually by type- whichever works best for you. This method is great for reducing storage space, but aren’t quite as accessible and might limit grabbing those extra handfuls.

Pros: Reduced Storage Space, Can buy Local

Cons: Longest Prep Time, Not as Readily Available (could decrease frequency used)

—-Storage Note: All methods will keep them fresh for about 5 days in a ~40 degree fridge (if greens were fresh when bought: watch use-by dates on pre-washed, especially if they are on sale)

And finally, for the meal planning kit users, here are the visual instructions for how I describe to roll the greens in paper towel when doing Method 3.

Step 1: Place the bunch of cleaned greens at top of paper towel strip

Step 2: Roll-up in paper towel

Step 3:  Place 1-4 individual rolls in large storage plastic baggie, gently remove excess air, seal, and store in crisper (see pic above)

I always love hearing new ways that you find to ‘throw a handful of greens here’ and ‘a handful of greens there’.  I’d love for you to share your ways to eat greens everyday! I think you’ll be surprised at how good they taste outside of the salad bowl!

~Teri

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WebMD Fat-Fighting Foods: 21 in Just 8 Perfectly Produce Meals

January 16, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

 

WebMD Fat-Fighting Foods: http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-fat-fighting-foods

Fat-Fighting Foods: The List Reads Like an Index  of the Perfectly Produce Recipe Books: and They Come with Daily How-To Help

January always starts with various food lists being published – what’s in and what’s out of the culinary and diet worlds.  The best three that I’ve seen so far include two from Huffington Post; the first titled “7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should be Eating But Aren’t” and  the second “12 Foods to Add to Your Diet in 2012″; and the recent WedMD slideshow titled “Fat-Fighting Foods”.

I get so excited when I see these lists because they essentially read like the index of any one of the Perfectly Produce Seasonal Meal Planning Kits. The recent WebMD list was the most comprehensive, most targeted to weight-loss, and best chance to highlight just what I mean. So using just the Winter Meal Planning Kit, I challenged myself to find the most fat-fighting foods in the fewest meal ideas. The result: 8 meal ideas to use 21.

The Super 8

1. Greek Yogurt with Maple Fruit Salad

  • Greek Yogurt + Oatmeal + Almonds + Apple + Apple Cider Vinegar

2. Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

  • Berries + Milk + Cinnamon + Egg + Nuts + Oatmeal

3. Chicken Breakfast Bake with Rio Star Grapefruit

  • Lean Meat + Oatmeal + Eggs + Grapefruit

4. Kale and Adzuki Bean Frittata with Pear and Dates

  • Egg + Beans + Pear

5. Fennel Citrus Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

  • Greek Yogurt + Raw Vegetables + Salad

6. Hearty Chickpea Stew with Wasa Crisp

  • Crispbread + Beans + Cinnamon + Raw Vegetables + Sweet Potato + Soup

7.  Pureed Broccoli Soup

  • Soup + Sweet Potato + Cayenne (Hot Peppers) + Beans + Quinoa

8.  Sesame Shrimp Salad with Dates

  • Salad + Fish + Quinoa + Crispbread

There are many wonderful cookbooks available which provides recipes on how to use ingredients like quinoa and legumes, but here’s what makes Perfectly Produce’s recipes different:

  • Portioned: Each recipe and meal idea are balanced using a simplified macronutrient exchange system to help regulate blood sugar and keep you feeling full – this will make you feel more in control of your hunger during the day.
  • Seasonal: Each recipe book is seasonal which keeps the cost of the produce down and the flavor at it’s peak.
  • Daily Help: Each recipe book comes with a complete set of tools including shopping lists and cooking guides to help you stay organized and not overwhelmed with daily preparation. Plus, you have daily access to a licensed nutritionist through this blog as I do weekly bulk cooking and prep real-time with you.
  • Simple: And my greatest hope is that each kit makes it simple for you – no thinking or organizing lists on your own.  I hope they provide you a comprehensive starting point – a foundation to learn, with me, how to use whole foods daily.

I hope you’ll agree. ~Teri

January 18th, 2012: Update to original post

As I find other links that support the foods included in the meal planning kits, I will post them here.  I like these links because they provide a clear reason for why these foods should be eaten – their purpose-  like we try to do within our recipes.

Huffington Post: The Super 7: Foods with Benefits

 

 

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Eat8: Frugality Motivates | Warm Things Up

January 13, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Empty-the-Fridge Frittata

Produce Tally & What Worked for Thurs. Jan. 12th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 9 servings

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Wanted an empty fridge before doing weekly shopping: Sometimes frugality is the biggest motivator.  I knew I was doing my Winter Week 2 shopping last night, so I compared the shopping list against what was in the crisper and made a pile of all the produce that wouldn’t be used.  I was going to make a sandwich for lunch which would have had a respectable 2 servings of produce, but instead created the this frittata (recipe below) which doubled my intake to 4 servings.
  2. Was in the mood for warm food – so even though a cold salad was the most logical use; I made a warm frittata: During the winter, I love (almost crave) a warm component to every meal.  Often, when I don’t think I want produce it’s actually that I don’t want cold produce.  Lightly wilted spinach becomes more appealing to me than a cold spinach salad. Or, lightly sauteed green pepper and onion sound more appealing added to Everyday Greens as fajita style veggies than raw would have.  Warm veggies (and fruits) can be prepared nearly as quickly as raw (the cutting is the longest part), and can be used as an addition to almost anything.  Before they go bad (or at the start of your week as part of your bulk cooking), intentionally stir-fry or roast a big batch of various veggies to always have ready.  Great way to eat more produce each day.

Recipe: My ‘Emptying-the-Fridge’ Frittata: 1 portion – 2C, 2P, 3F

  1. Diced and lightly sauteed in 1 tsp walnut oil: 1 green pepper; 1/4 cup onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (didn’t even cut; just tossed in whole) + pinch of salt; ~2 tsp of turmeric
  2. While veggies where cooking, chopped up all greens left in crisper: ~1 cup fresh cilantro; ~1 cup baby lettuce
  3. Once onion was translucent (about 5 min); cracked two eggs on top of veggie mixture. Lightly stirred, not disturbing the yolk. Cooked until set (about 3 min)
  4. Plated mixture on top of chopped greens
  5. 10 min. tops start to finish

My Produce Sources on Thurs:

  • Breakfast: 1 serving (banana blueberry buckwheat pancake)
  • Lunch: 4 servings (frittata)
  • Snack: 1 serving (home-made trailmix with prunes + dried edamame)
  • Dinner: 3 servings (produce in home-made chicken noodle soup + clementine)

Today I really felt good. I had the energy to not only go to the store after work – but had enough energy left to actually enjoy it. I hope you are noticing the benefits of eating more produce, too. ~Teri

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Shopping & Prep – Winter Week 2

January 12, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

The Plan

The Shopping

I really do enjoy going to the store – more when I have time to take my time – but do to some extend each time I go.  And today was no exception.  With Week 2 shopping list in hand, I headed off.  Here are a few notes I took that I thought might be helpful.  As always, if you have questions about something that mentioned here, please comment.

Produce

Maradol Papaya

  • Papaya: Whole Foods had them available as halves and my local co-op had very under ripe ones available.  Since it isn’t needed until Fri., I left both stores empty handed and decided to try back later in the week.  I’ve posted more details on papaya here.  It is a beautiful fruit and worth the search for a good one.
  • Belgian Endive: The three that I found tonight were too wilted and browned to buy.  I bought an extra container of “baby lettuces” to substitute
  • Texas Rio Star Grapefruit: There are two kinds of grapefruit in my mind; 1) Texas Rio Star, and 2) all the others.  Texas Rio Star are pink fleshed, naturally sweet (no added sugar please!) and in-season now.  This pink pigment is lycopene (studied in prostate health).  The same antioxidant found in cooked tomato products, watermelon, guava, and papaya. Enjoy them, often, while they are available.

Texas Rio Star Grapefruit

Proteins

  • Beef roast: Any cut of roast can be used. I like round or even trimmed chuck.  Tonight, I did decide to splurge a bit so I chose a beautiful bison roast.  And it’s ok if your roast is under 4 lbs.  Future meals that call for the made-a-head roast can easily be substituted for chicken or even soy products.
  • Chicken breast: Bulk packages are always cheaper.  I bought a 4 lb package and will individually wrap them in 12 oz portions and freeze for future use.
  • Scallops: reminder that they aren’t needed until the end of the week; I will follow the tip sheet and pick them up later.

The Prep

  • Tonight I’ll spend about 1/2 hour in the kitchen prepping for tomorrow’s bulk cooking session. In addition to cleaning and getting containers ready, I’ll get the chicken frozen plus put the grains on to soak. Remember, you want to soak them first in water, then rinse, then cook in stock for best results.

I was surprised at how much I had missed bulk cooking and daily meal planning over the holidays. It was nice experiencing my ‘second list’ again.

Happy shopping! ~ Teri

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Let’s Try: Antioxidant, Lycopene, Fiber Rich Papaya

January 12, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Maradol Papaya

Papaya – this is something that many of you have probably seen in the store, but might not have brought…yet.  It has a subtle sweetness and wonderful soft flesh.

  • Selecting: choose a papaya that is as yellow/golden as possible.  Completely green papaya are best only when used in cooking or adding to marinated fruit salads. They will continue to ripen at home, so if you purchase one that has some green spots, just let it sit on the counter for a couple of days.  It’s also ok to select papaya that have some blemishes (as long as they don’t puncture the rind or have mold or off orders with them).  As the papaya ripens, it naturally begins to develop darker areas.
  • Preparing: rinse the outside of the papaya before cutting (this helps reduce any contamination that could be carried in to the flesh with the knife that was on the surface).  Then, simply cut length-wise in half.  You’ll see the beautiful little seeds in the center which you simply scoop out with a spoon, and then cut away from the rind and cube.  You can cut very close to the rind without getting any bitter taste.
  • Taste the seeds: Before discarding, treat yourself to trying something new and taste the little seeds (pictured below).  They are like mild little peppercorns and can be used as your next ‘wow’ ingredient in a salad.  It should provide at least a few minutes of good conversation at your next dinner party! (and add cubed papaya to that salad- yum!)
  • Nutrition: Papaya is rich in fiber and antioxidant vitamins C, A, and E.  It’s also a rich source of potassium which is important in maintaining healthy sodium:potassium ratios – this is what determines our blood pressure.  Insufficient potassium in relation to salt intake contributes to hypertension (high blood pressure).  Papaya is also a good source of lycopene. Lycopene is studied for it’s role in men’s prostate health.
  • Serving size: 1 cup cubed = 1 carbohydrate serving
  • Winter Meal Planning Kit: enjoy papaya in Week 2 with Simple Pasta with Garlic Bay Scallop

Peppery Papaya Seeds

 

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Eat8: Avoid Tuna-Salad-White Foods | Set a Timer for 20 Minutes

January 12, 2012   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Roasted Chicken Apple Pomegranate Salad - Winter Meal Planning Kit

Produce Tally & What Worked for Tues. Jan. 11th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 8 servings

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Ate colorful, produce rich chicken salad: The picture above of the winter kit’s Roasted Chicken Apple Pomegranate Salad says it all.  Traditional deli style salads (like tuna and chicken) are popular for a reason – they taste good and, when made at home, can be convenient on-the-go options.  But to make them ‘great’ options, be sure they are every color except drab tuna-salad-white.  Add diced apple, oranges, pomegranate arils, grapes, celery, fennel…the sky’s the limit.  Drab to Fab: Bulk it up with produce + reduce mayo in half and replace with crushed walnuts + use correct amounts of protein (2-3 oz per portion).  Yum…my.
  2. Used fruit as a sweet finish to dinner: Most of us crave something sweet at the end of dinner, and I know you have heard this a million times, but please consider – and actually do – this time.  Nibble on fruit first. (see below for how to make this more realistic)

Help Reduce Post-Dinner Cravings:

  1. Eat at least twice during the day before dinner: if you are ravenous, good luck fighting the biological battle you are about to embark.
  2. Ensure that your dinner is balanced with nutrient-dense carbohydrates (produce, whole grains), lean proteins, and healthy fats.
  3. Set a timer for 20 minutes – the timer on your stove or microwave works great.  Try, with all your might, to still be eating your modest sized dinner (see condition #1) when the timer goes off.  If you are shocked that you finished with over 10 minutes remaining, sit quietly or begin cleaning up.
  4. Once the timer goes off, reassess the craving.  My fairly-well-educated guess is that it will be reduced.  At which point, that fruit will finally sound more satisfying (this is how mindful eating begins).
  5. Enjoy fruit as sweet finish (and adding it to your personal Ea8 tally!)

My Produce Sources on Tues (Wk 1 Winter Meal Plan):

  • Breakfast: 1 serving (banana blueberry buckwheat pancake)
  • Lunch: 3 servings (roasted chicken apple pomegranate salad)
  • Snack: 1 serving (home-made trailmix with prunes + dried edamame)
  • Dinner: 3 servings (produce in cheesy beef skillet + pear + pomegranate)

How did you do? Your tips, tricks, and comments on how you are eating more fruits and vegetables are always encouraged!

~Teri

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Eat8: Planning and Bulk Cooking

January 11, 2012   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

Parsnip Fries for Roasted Chicken with Parsnip Fries and Herb Mashed Peas - Winter Meal Planning Kit

Produce Tally & What Worked for Mon. Jan. 10th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 10 servings

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Planning & Bulk Cooking: This past weekend, I finally began using the winter meal planning kit in it’s entirety for the first time since the holidays. Even though I did pretty well at maintaining my goal of 8 servings of produce per day (mostly fruits) during that time, it is wonderful being back to increased variety and lots more greens and vegetables!

Sources:

  • Breakfast: 1 serving (banana blueberry buckwheat pancake)
  • Lunch: 3 servings (roasted chicken apple pomegranate salad)
  • Snack: 1 serving (home-made trailmix with prunes + dried edamame)
  • Dinner: 5 servings (parsnip fries + herb mashed peas + pomegranate)

2012 is off to a good (very tasty!) start!

~Teri

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Shopping – Winter Week 1: Customer Q’s: Nut Butters, Which Whey, Finding Edamame, No Red Meat

January 06, 2012   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

“I haven’t seen macadamia nut butter at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or MS Market. Do you know where I can find it?”

Mara Natha used to be the brand that was most easy to find.  I, too, am finding it hard to find now.  There is a new brand at the Linden Hills co-op called Wilderness Poets (pictured above) that makes a variety nut and seed butters including a macadamia nut blended with Brazil nuts (wow!).  It’s very tasty, but pricey ($13.99/jar).

Honestly, what I recommend and do myself is make my own.  Macadamias, with their higher fat content, are really easy to blend at home.  Be sure they are at room temp, then just blend in a good blender, food processor, or Ninja blender. You could add a touch of water if you needed, but I haven’t had to do that.  The beautiful thing is that this works well for all nut butters.  Try almond macadamia or walnut cashew – the varieties are endless.  For a special treat, play with making home-made nut butters and add a touch of 100% maple to them as you blend…yea, just be careful – it’s addictive!

You could also easily substitute another nut when needed.  Just watch serving sizes and maintain variety.

“I have never used whey protein powder before and just bought chocolate flavor. Is that okay, or am I supposed to stick to a non-flavored type?”

I prefer plain, organic whey to avoid added sweeteners and flavorings. Plain whey also gives you the most flexibility because it can be added to almost anything without being noticed (smoothies, yogurt, stirred into steel-cut oats).  With that being said, flavored varieties can be used if you watch the ingredients label and nutrition facts. Much like other labels, you should be familiar with the ingredients listed.  Some type of sweetener will be used, be sure it’s at least stevia and not artificial sweeteners.  And watch carbohydrate servings.  Generally it will be zero, but depending on the sweetener it could contribute something.  Remember the half rule: if it’s greater than 7 grams of carbohydrate per serving, count it as 1.  If it’s less than 7 grams, you don’t need to count it.

My favorite brand of whey (whether plain or chocolate) is Tera’s Whey.  This is the supplier I use for Wellies and they are now available in several stores including Whole Foods.

“I haven’t been able to find roasted edamame and wondered where to find them.”

These do tend to be a little trickier to find.  Here is a previous post I did on both edamame and dried roasted soy beans.  I hope it helps.

“I was looking at Week 2 to prepare and see that pot roast is a recipe. I don’t eat red meat, at all, and would like a substitute recipe. I see that the leftovers are used in Weeks 3 and 4 as well, so if you have suggestions for those meals I would appreciate it. Do you have plans to create alternate meal plans for clients with dietary restrictions such as mine?”

I do intend to create recipe booklet with specific considerations as our community continues to grow and resources allow.  Until then, I am more than happy to provide suggestions on how to customize the recipes to best suite your individual needs.  I’m confident that the recipes are simple enough to be substituted easily.  For example, ground turkey or chicken can easily be used instead of ground beef in the Cheesy Rice Skillet and upcoming Meatloaf.

As for the pot roast, a pork tenderloin could be prepared with the same vegetables and used in subsequent weeks just as is indicated for the roast.  Another alternative would be to roast tofu with a selection of vegetables for the primary meal in Week 2 and then to again use tofu or edamame (or rotisserie chicken) in Weeks 3 and 4.

I hope this provides you with enough suggestions.  If not, please let me know how I can help further.

Thanks for the questions and opportunity to address them! ~Teri

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Organic Restaurant – Minneapolis: La Chaya Bistro

January 03, 2012   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

La Chaya Bistro - Chicken Tacos with Pickled Onion

Mexico Meets Italy – Serious Perfection.

La Chaya Bistro on 45th and Nicollet is committed to all the things restaurants worth supporting should be: use of the highest quality, nutrient-dense, responsibly sourced ingredients to create nourishing, flavorful dishes that contribute to our health rather than inhibit it.

Chef and co-owner Juan Juarez Garcia creates your plate using organic/local produce (whenever possible), organic eggs, chicken, and dairy, grass-fed beef and pork, and wild-caught seafood. Ah, sigh.

I enjoyed lunch at La Chaya yesterday with my husband.  We shared the Mahi Mahi and chicken tacos. Each plate was served with two tacos and a modest side of fresh guacamole. Only one taco would be needed to adhere to a balanced lunch of approximately 3 carbohydrate servings, 3 protein servings, and 3 fat servings (this would include a small piece of the unbelievable home-made focaccia that is served in lieu of chips, as well as, a shared green salad to start).  Save money and share a plate with a friend or take the 2nd home to enjoy (I’m sure just as much) for dinner.

La Chaya Bistro

4537 Nicollet Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55419
info@lachaya.com

Enjoy and when you go – share your experience!  ~Teri

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Define Your Daily Distraction

January 02, 2012   perfectlyproduce   10 Comments

Is Your New Year’s Resolution List Complete?:

  • Lose weight – check!
  • Eat healthier (more produce + watch portion sizes) – check!
  • Exercise 5 days a week – check!
  • Daily distraction – Feel good enough to {fill in the blank} each day – check?

Daily distraction – huh?

A distraction should be just that, something that provides a positive distraction from a more challenging goal. It’s a mini-goal. A goal that’s obtainable – each day – while you achieve the big goal over several months.  It’s what you would enjoy – each day – as you benefited from making positive health changes.

Here are some real examples from my clients:

  • “I would like to feel good enough to read for even a half hour before bed each night.”
  • “I want to start writing again – even just 20 minutes a day to get started again.”
  • “I want to have the energy to refinish my deck before the end of summer.”

It’s all about enjoying the journey.  I get that a great part (and a huge motivator) of losing weight is to look better.  And, yup, you will. But my hope for you is that you find a daily motivator – a distraction – to keep you on that journey for a beautiful, sustainable, long lifetime.

Here’s my offer: Until noon (CST) Tues. Jan. 3rd, I’ll give everyone that shares their distraction by commenting to this post a free meal planning kit. No strings. No further commitment. Just a chance to try something new this year.

To 2012- ~Teri

(Code for free kit will be emailed to email address provided while commenting. Email addresses are not shown as part of the reply below and are never shared.)

 

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Eat8: Car Travel Under 5 Hours

December 27, 2011   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Produce Tally & What Worked for Fri. Dec. 23rd

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 6

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables when traveling:

  1. Started with produce rich breakfast - no matter what time we get on the road, I can control breakfast so I ensure we start with a nutrient-dense breakfast.  I pre-blended a Blueberry Mint Breakfast Blend (variations in all seasonal kits) the night before so that it was ready to pour and drink as we got out the door in the morning.  It feels like one extra thing to do before bed, but it is well worth it to start the day in a good place.
  2. Packed portable fruits for a car picnic - this comes down to what I have left in the kitchen and don’t want to spoil while we’re gone.  This week I had 2 kiwi, 4 clementines, and 2 apples left in the crisper.  Enjoyed a portable, nutrient-dense picnic in the car of left-0ver homemade baked tofu (the protein) that I had made earlier in the week + sunflower seeds for a mineral rich fat + my portable fruits for carbohydrate. Yum.

Sources:

Breakfast: 3 servings

  • 1 cup berries (+1), 1/2 banana (+1), 1 cup frozen broccoli + handful of spinach (+1)

Lunch: 2 servings

  • 1 kiwi (+1); 1 small apple (+1)

Snack: 1 serving

  • 2 clementines (+1)

Dinner: 0 serving

  • 2 pieces of thin-crust veggie pizza at parent’s house (nope, not enough topping to count as a full serving)

Remember: When traveling shorter distances, control the meals you can.

~Teri

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Trail Mix Ingredient: Dried Edamame

December 22, 2011   perfectlyproduce   No comments

 Dried Edamame and Dry Roasted Soy Nuts

Attached is a picture of these products to help you in your search.  Dried edamame and dry roasted soy nuts are typically sold in the bulk or ‘healthy snacks’ sections of grocery stores.  Oddly, sometimes not together.  At Whole Foods – Minneapolis, I find dried edamame by the snacks and dry roasted soy nuts by bulk.

  • A Must Watch on the Ingredients List:  Ensure that they are DRY roasted, several varieties have added oils (which you do not want)

Both products can be used equally well in any of the seasonal trail mix recipes from the meal planning kits.

Online Source: Seapoint Farms Dried Edamame – Amazon. Need to buy 12 pouches at a time, but at only $18 it’s a good price.

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Eat8: 1 at Each Meal | Relax from Ideal

December 22, 2011   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Produce Tally & What Worked for Wed. Dec. 21st

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 8

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Started with 1 serving of produce each time I ate – rather than focusing on what I shouldn’t eat, I went into each meal occassion knowing that I could find at least 1 serving of produce.  This led to 2 which led to feeling full enough to not want a lot of high calorie holiday treats.
  2. Gave myself permission to relax from how I usually define ideal – juice rather than whole fruits & greens for breakfast – not ideal but during the holidays very real.  I’ll take real over not doing it anyday.

Sources:

Breakfast: 2 servings

  • 1/2 c. juice (+1); 1 kiwi (+1)

Lunch: 3 servings

  • 3 c. homemade Southwest Chicken Soup (Spring Kit) (+2); 2 clementines (+1)

Snack: 1 serving

  • 1 small apple (+1)

Dinner: 2 serving

  • 1 cup pomegranate arils  (+2) (nibbling on these kept me out of the cookies!)

Remember: Our cells don’t get time off over the holidays, in fact, they are busier than ever processing our indulgences (not matter how modest).  Continue to provide them nutrients to do their jobs.  It will make the transition to more sustainable changes all that much easier in the New Year.

~Teri

 

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Eat8: Eat Them Early | Use Left-overs | Track Intake

December 21, 2011   perfectlyproduce   1 Comment

Produce Tally & What Worked for Tues. Dec. 20th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 7

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Ensured extra produce at breakfast & lunch because I knew dinner options would be limited
  2. Used produce-rich left-over soup for breakfast
  3. Tracked actual intake – being accountable to my goal motivated me to replace my usual sprouted tortilla that I have with my homemade baked tofu for 6 cups of mixed leafies. It was so much better as a salad!

Sources:

Breakfast: 2 servings

  • 1/2 c. juice (+1); 1.5 c. left-over Chicken White Bean Soup (+1)

Lunch: 4 servings

  • 6 c. leafies (+2); 1 banana (+2)

Dinner: 1 serving

  • small apple (+1)

 

What worked for you today?

~Teri

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Eat8: Left-overs for Breakfast | Accountability

December 20, 2011   perfectlyproduce   No comments

Produce Tally & What Worked for Mon. Dec. 19th

Goal: 8 servings | Actual: 9

I enjoyed day 1 success of exceeding my goal to eat more fruit and vegetable servings because….I was accountable to telling you! By lunch, I only had 4 servings.  A festive holiday dinner of yummy cheese and crackers was on the menu prior to me introducing Eat 8 yesterday.

What worked today to help me eat more fruits and vegetables:

  1. Left-overs (and love of warm & savory) for breakfast – I bulk cooked 2 soups on Sunday and will enjoy the simplicity of heat-and-go breakfasts all week!
  2. Accountability – knowing I was going to post what I ate allowed me to rethink just having cheese & crackers!

Sources:

Breakfast: 2 servings

  • 1 kiwi (+1 serving); 1.5 c. left-over Chicken White Bean Soup (+1)

Lunch: 2 servings

  • 1.5 c. left-over Southwest Chicken Soup (+1); 1 kiwi (+1)

Dinner (post introduction of Eat 8): 5 servings

  • 3 c. homemade Chicken White Bean Soup (+2) ; 3 c. leafies (+1); 1 c. pomegranate arils (+2)

Remember: Find a way to hold yourself accountable to your health goals. Whether it’s weight loss, eating more fruits and vegetables, or exercising. Tell someone what you are going to do and then report back daily on how you did.  I’d love if this blog became that for you.  It has already helped me, too.

~Teri

 

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How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: Track & Share with Eat 8!

December 19, 2011   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

 

www.papillonskyphotography.com

How to Be Healthy

Don’t Smoke + Move + Eat at Least 8 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Daily

Easy, right? Well, I’m so convinced of the therapeutic power of eating this much produce that I’ve bet my job on it. And now, to up the stakes I’d like to be more transparent about how many servings I actually eat. And most importantly, I’d LOVE for you to join me! There’s strength (and ideas!) in numbers!

How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables – Introducing “Eat 8″

Join me in Eat 8 to track your servings, increase your accountability and share with others how you are able to eat more fruits and vegetables.  Do so by simply commenting on my posts with your own tally and what worked! I’ll post a tally of my daily fruit and vegetable servings.  How I got there…or why I didn’t.  The goal each day is at least 8, but ALL effort counts and some days we will be shy of the goal.  But that’s ok.  Trying is what matters.

And keep this tucked away: adding even just 1 additional serving per meal would equal 3 servings per day which equal 21 extra servings per week!!

Feel free to also share the benefits you start to notice from eating that much produce.  Remember, the real goal isn’t just to be healthy; it’s to experience your answer to the question “what would I do if I was healthy?” to experience your daily distraction.

Join in on Twitter, too! Be sure to tag your posts @perfctlyproduce #eat8 when you come across fun and creative was to eat more produce!

~Teri

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You Can Be ‘Mostly’ Something And Still the Best, Doable Option

November 18, 2011   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

How to Classify Perfectly Produce

Plant-Based (mostly) + Whole Foods Sourced (mostly) + Cell Focused

According to Eatright.org, 40% of individuals get their dietary information from the Internet vs. 16% from a doctor and {gasp} a mere 2% from a consultation with a nutritionist.  With 40% doing this online, I decided to play on search engines like Google this week to see what type of results people are getting for various search terms. Perfectly Produce doesn’t fit into the rigidly defined squares that many dietary options are classified as – and that’s just fine with me.  During this post, it’s important to remember that the word “based” is by definition synonymous with “mostly”.

Plant-Based (mostly)

The term ‘plant-based’ became popular as a dietary term when Michael Pollen famously wrote “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants” in a 2007 NYTimes essay titled “Unhappy Meals”.  A search today for ‘plant-based diet’ would lead many to conclude that this equates to vegetarian or veganism.  Not true.  Plant-based means just that – based in plants but not necessarily exclusively.

I respect all dietary choices individual makes, including vegetarianism which I participated in for several years, but I also want to provide permission to those that enjoy modest amounts of animal products with their meals that they, too, can obtain health.  The key here is modest amounts (2-3 oz per serving) and not necessarily at every meal.

When it comes to animal products, there are two non-negotiables that I do adhere to:

  1. When I choose to consume an animal product to nourish myself, I feel I have the obligation to ensure that those animals live (lived) a respectable, humane life
  2. I will speak with my money and at all times possible only purchase products or go to restaurants that support this mission (I realize this won’t always be possible and I will always graciously thank the animals that contributed to that meal)

In essence, I try to be a humane omnivore.  A term I feel in love with when I read this blog post by Dee Garret .  She writes ”…eating humanely.  This last part means that if my dinner had a mom, it will only be so if I know that it lived as it was meant to live and that it lived well.”  Well said.

My bottom line: Eat lots (and lots) of produce everyday – every meal.  Goal = 8-10 servings per day.  As a perfectly respectable start, 1 serving every time you eat. Enjoy with modest amounts of protein, humanely raised when animal sources, and a variety of fats.

Whole Foods Sourced (mostly)

The term whole foods, as innocent as it seems, has quite a spectrum of followers.  In it’s most raw definition (no upcoming pun intended), the moment something is picked or heated it has become ‘processed’.  Cutting and removing stems or leafy tops, by definition, no longer makes this food ‘whole’; as does, removing the cream from milk.  And this is where my sensibility to make life doable comes in – I’m not a purist, I’m a doablist.

I will include pasta at my table and I will always have days that I need help and will buy ‘convenience’ foods.  Believe it or not, there are responsible food manufacturing out there putting formulas together to help us eat smarter even on the days we don’t think we can.  A list of my favorites will have to be reserved for a another post.  But at the end of the day, my plate will be whole foods-based – even if not exclusively.

My bottom line: Make sure the majority of your plate has as close to whole foods on it as possible (and most of them produce!).  If you use small amounts of packaged items be sure you know what each of the ingredients are and that there is fiber other other nutrients provided (not just all 0% when you look at vitamins and minerals on the nutrition facts).

Cell Focused

I think many of my science trained friends would challenge my use of the term ‘cellular nutrition’ and argue that everything related to nutrition is for the cell so why term it ‘cellular nutrition’, because inherently the word ‘nutrition’ alone implies this.  This is a valid point.  But my defense of this term would be that it’s an effective way to provide that constant reminder of what nutrition really is all for – functionality of the individual cells.

But here is a significant place that Perfectly Produce differs from many sites from my search results for “cellular nutrition”:

  • Where we get this nutrition should be (mostly) plant-based, (mostly) whole foods vs. supplementation

My bottom line: Use whole foods and produce everyday for the best chances to optimize cellular nutrition.  When necessary and when a trusted opinion has told you how to safely, use modest supplementation to support dietary efforts.

Perfectly Produce: Plant-Based + Whole Foods Sourced + Cell Focused

~Teri

 

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Doable Bulk Cooking – 2 Recipes, 16 Meals: Ready for Monday!

November 13, 2011   perfectlyproduce   No comments

 

Great Start to the Week!

Be Prepared for Your Next Meal Before It’s Time to Eat  (I will repeat this often)

In my last post I committed to making just two recipes this weekend – bite-sized, doable bulk cooking.  And so I did.  Last night, despite feeling like making popcorn and watching a movie, I went into the kitchen and started to cook.  Within 10 minutes I had the music turned up a little louder and a renewed sense of control over my diet.  I was determined to avoid last week – one that I didn’t plan for and paid the consequences of by Friday night.

Here’s what happens when I don’t do meal planning and bulk cooking:

  1. Meals become too heavily grain-based – sources: previously frozen grains, sprouted tortillas, or pasta
  2. Carbohydrate servings increase – more grains are eaten to make-up for the lost volume of produce
  3. Working-out becomes more sporadic because energy levels decline
  4. Sleep is impaired from decreased diet quality and lack of exercise
  5. Caffeine intake increases – mood becomes more impatient, more anxiety – creativity decreases

Here’s what happens when I do plan and cook:

  1. Meals are produce-based – 2-3 servings per meal (average 8 servings per day!)
  2. Whole grains are modestly enjoyed (at most) as only 1 carbohydrate serving per meal (1/3 cup)
  3. Within 48 hours, energy levels increase and working-out seems doable
  4. Sleep improves
  5. Caffeine intake moderates (~6 oz, 2x per day – total ~300 mg daily) – creativity replaces anxiety

When I see these lists typed, I’m amazed that I ever feel too busy to not prioritize meal planning and make-a-head (bulk) cooking - it’s how I nourish myself.  It’s just like exercise, the first 10 minutes is always the hardest.

~Teri

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A Secret to Diet Success: Bite-Sized, Doable Meal Planning

November 11, 2011   perfectlyproduce   2 Comments

Bulk Chickpea Stew - Winter Kit (www.papillionskyphotography.com)

Be Prepared for Your Next Meal Before It’s Time to Eat 

If you are ready, really ready, to make dietary changes that work this time – you are going to have to befriend meal planning.  It is an unrealistic expectation to put on yourself to think that at the end of a long, time-starved, day you are going to spend 20 minutes first cleaning vegetables, then 20 minutes chopping and preparing them, then 30 minutes cooking them…and this assumes you already knew which recipe you were going to make, which you probably didn’t until you got in the car and were driving home- oh, and that wasn’t a pleasant drive since your first two picks you knew you didn’t have the ingredients for and there is no way your stopping at the store tonight.  So it’s no surprise that cereal, pasta, hot dogs (even if organic), pizza or take-out becomes the foundation of your next meal.  I get it.

I get it because I’m only a nutritionist part of the time. I’m also a time-starved small business owner, a member of a household that has a personality of its own (why can’t houses stay dusted looking or vacuumed for longer than 4 hours), and a woman who wishes she had more time for friends, hobbies, and work life balance.  So I get it.  And I know the only time that I stay successful is when I commit to planning.  You are going to eat everyday, so befriend and commit to a process that makes you eat smarter.

1st – Commit to Just 2 Bulk Recipes that You Will Make within the Next 3 Days

A doable bit-sized start is just to make 2 bulk recipes (a bulk recipes makes at least 6 servings – if a recipe doesn’t, just double it).  This will ensure that you have healthy, cell nourishing meals over the next 4 days while you continue to regroup.

I’d love to see us commit to this together by responding to this post with the 2 recipes that you will make.  And no judgements on which recipes – we’ll work on quality next, first we need to focus on planning and just getting in the habit of making them.  Because, this really is the secret to diet success. ~ Teri

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