Brussels Sprouts & Prosciutto

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

Roasted vegetables are a staple in my weekly cooking.  It's a no-fuss way to throw any leftover vegetables you might have in your fridge into one pan and have a satisfying side dish for any meal.
And, depending on what you throw in the pan, it could easily become a stand-alone meal.

This dish makes for some great leftovers and fantastic to take for a work lunch.

One of my favorite additions to these roasted combinations has always been prosciutto. 

Prosciutto - if you haven't tried it - is a dry cured ham that is sliced thinly (there are expert prosciutto slicers at Caputo's Deli).  It can be eaten in a variety of ways - wrapped around fruit, an accompaniment to a mild cheese, wrapped around your favorite meat and baked to a crispy perfection.

When added to roasted vegetables, the flavors created from the prosciutto explode!  Try this recipe soon and you'll end up having this as a staple in your weekly cooking as well!

Ingredients
serves 4-6

3-4 prosciutto slices, cut into strips
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered)
1-2 potatoes (of any kind), cubed
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped (jarred minced cloves are convenient!)
3 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt/pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in a small pan and cook prosciutto until crisp. Remove from pan
• Place Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic in a roasting pan and pour balsamic and remainder olive oil over vegetables. 
• Season with salt/pepper and mix well
• Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting time
• Serve with prosciutto slices

Nutritional Information
per serving

Protein:   1g
Carbs:     3g
Fat:         1g
Sugar:     1g

Nutritional information are estimates and will vary

Salus Tips

I've had a humbling meal-plan madness month. Mostly because I've realized that just like you, I have so much to learn! Recently Denise Carter (Salus owner) gave a few of our clients a meal plan Lunch & Learn. I could not believe all of the tricks she uses to plan her healthy meals. There is one tip that I have used with every meal since her presentation- anyone can do this anywhere.

USE YOUR PLATE.

This takes 10 seconds.

After you have finished preparing your meal, dish according to the picture below:

2/3 of your plate should contain vegetables
1/3 carbohydrates
1/3 lean protein.

Dishing your plate this way offers your body the perfect ratio for a healthy, well-balanced, fat-burning meal.

This is my dish from dinner last night.










Try it out!

Apple Pumpkin Bites

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

We all need treats from time to time, but what we don't need are the excess refined sugars, preservatives, additives and pro-inflammatory ingredients that are in packaged baked goods.

Healthy eating doesn't mean you have to settle for a dense, flavorless, brick-like baked good that no one will eat.

Free of grains, refined sugars and unhealthy ingredients, these little bites will produce a big smile and a happy gut. 

These can be made egg-free if there is an egg allergy in the home and can be baked easily using a cake pop maker if desired!

Ingredients
serves 9

2 1/2 c almond flour

1 tblsp arrowroot flour (coconut flour or tapioca starch works well also)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 eggs (if egg-free, substitute with a mixture of 2 tblsp flaxseed and 6 tblsp water - let stand for a couple of minutes before adding to recipe)

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c pumpkin puree (without any added ingredients)

1/4 c ghee, melted (coconut oil or organic butter will work as well)

1 tsp alcohol free vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, combine both together.
If using a cake pop maker, drop 1 tablespoon batter into each compartment and cook for 4-6 minutes or on a parchment paper covered baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Allow bites to cool. (I put mine in the freezer for a quick cooling off period)

*Optional Chocolate coating:

1/2 c raw, unfiltered honey
1/4 c unsweetened cacao powder

Mix together ingredients (heat up slightly, if desired for easy coating)
Dip top side of each bit into chocolate or drizzle over each bite with a spoon

Nutritional Information

per serving (4 ea.)

Protein: 7g

Carbs: 6g

Fat: 21g
Nutritional values are estimates and may vary

Theme Nights

Have you ever noticed that events partnered with a theme are way more fun?  From birthday parties parties to company events, fitness classes- and everything else in between.  It's no surprise that this holds true for your meals.

Some people have Mexican Monday, Fish Friday, or Slow-Cooker Sunday.  I don't have designated themes for certain days but I know that I love to try new dishes.  I also know that Mexican food is my weakness!  So rather than go to Betos up the street, I have a dirty pleasure of scanning through Mexican dishes on the internet until I find one that is healthy.  Muahaa! 

A Few Benefits From Theme Night Meal Planning:

It is less expensive than going out.  You also know the ingredients in your meal, making it much healthier.
Easier to plan.  It is so much easier to plan around a certain theme than to choose from every recipe imaginable.  
You can try new recipes.  Since I started implementing theme night at my house I have tried over 10 new slow-cooker recipes.  Eating healthy has been much more enjoyable for my husband now that we aren't eating the same thing every Sunday.
It's fun.  Let's be honest.  When you're busy you have to enjoy the simple things in life.  I truly look forward to my meals.  If you feel like you need some spice in your meal life, log on to SalusPeople and try some of These Meals.  You can also view the calories and macronutrient information for each meal.  

Enjoy! 

Quick Chicken Corn Chowder

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

This soup is a great way to use up a bunch of leftover chicken and veggies that you have in your fridge.

Perfect for the busy family with little time to prep and/or cook - this soup can be thrown together on the stove top quickly or, the ingredients can be thrown into a crockpot before work and served when you get home!

Ingredients

serves 4

6 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp ghee (or organic butter or coconut oil)

2 c leftover chicken

salt/pepper to taste

2-10oz frozen bags of corn

14oz organic, low sodium chicken broth

14oz. coconut milk


(optional: any leftover veggies you might have, chopped)

Melt ghee in a dutch oven over med-high heat

Sauté green onions for about 2 minutes

Stir in chicken, salt/pepper, 1 bag of corn and broth - bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes

While mixture simmers, combine coconut milk & remaining bag of corn in a blender and process until smooth

Add to pan, mix and simmer for another couple of minutes

At this point, you can top with any topping you desire (we like bacon bits and sometimes feta).

*If you decide to use your crockpot, dump all ingredients into crockpot (including the blended bag of corn with coconut milk), turn on low or high, depending on how long you will be away from home.

*You can also add any leftover veggies to the pot as well (we like to add diced potatoes).

Nutritional Information* per serving

Protein: 35.5g

Carbs: 40.7g

Fat: 11.5g

*Nutritional values are estimates and may vary

Meals For The Business Traveler

Every once in a while you may get lucky enough to travel for work. Who doesn't enjoy different scenery from the desks we see every day? There are also those employees who are constantly on the road. They may not feel so lucky when they learn about their next trip. Either way, these are some great tips to staying healthy while traveling.

Be flexible and patient to find health foods.

Unless you pack your meals for the entire trip, you may have to be flexible and a spontaneous with the foods you consume.

Here is a list of some great travel snacks that can fit in your briefcase or purse. If you don't have time to pack a lunch, you can find most of these foods at the gas station or convenience store.

Stick to 3 meals with no snacks to cut out extra calories. This is especially true if you are not preparing your own food. Restaurants tend to sneak extra ingredients (high-calorie sauces, etc.) where you can't account for the total calories you are consuming.

Pick the place for client dinners. If you have a meeting over dinner take initiative and give a few healthy options for location. Check out the restaurant's menu options beforehand and make sure there is something available that you will feel good about eating.

Happy Travels!

Samoa-Flavored Bars

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

It's that time of the year....

Girl Scout cookies!

For many, the time has arrived when the cookies are being delivered.

This used to be a yearly tradition for us - as it is for many - and we ordered Girl Scout cookies for two reasons:

1. To support our local Girl Scouts
2. To eat the cookies!

That changed a few years ago when I began to care about how the food we were eating would affect our health in the moment and in the future.

Don't misunderstand...

I'm not saying that eating a Girl Scout cookie (or two) once a year is going to create health problems and you should avoid that entirely. 
But let's be honest...
Do we really just eat one (or two) girl scout cookies each year and avoid most other junk food throughout the rest of the year??  (If you answered "yes", you are AWESOME and will most especially like this post and recipe...keep reading!)
It's the cumulative exposure to toxic ingredients that, over time, will create problems.

The day I began reading the ingredient labels, was the day things turned around for us in terms of our nutrition and our health!

So when the Girl Scout cookies were being sold, the first thing I did was actually read the ingredients list.

What I found...

Sugar, vegetable oil (partially-hydrogenated palm kernel and/or cottonseed oil, soybean and palm oil), enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), coconut, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk (condensed milk, sugar), cocoa, sorbitol, glycerin, invert sugar, cocoa processed with alkali,cornstarch, salt, caramelized sugar, dextrose, soy lecithin, carrageenan, leavening, natural and artificial flavor.

Can you count how many different sugar/sugar alcohol ingredients are in there? (hint: highlighted in red)  Not to mention the hydrogenated oils and other oils that contribute to inflammatory diseases.

What I decided to do...

I didn't want to cease our support for the Girl Scouts, but I also knew I didn't want to feed my family cookies that contributed negatively to our nutrition and health endeavors.

We gave the money we would spend on cookies and donated it to the Girl Scouts and decided to find a better alternative to the cookies.

Healthy food CAN be delicious...

I understand that the bottom line with mass-produced processed foods is cost, and it's cheaper for manufacturers to use chemicals and preservatives than real, natural ingredients.

But I also know that the cost to the health of my family is a far greater concern than the convenience I might find when purchasing said items.  I also know how easy, how delicious, and how few ingredients can go into some tasty alternatives.

Only 5 ingredients and nut/gluten/dairy free...

I got the inspiration for this recipe from 2 sources:

1. Samoa Girl Scout cookies
2. Larabars

The ingredient simplicity of Larabars is genius and I play around with different add-ins all the time - it's fun!

I love the taste of Samoa and knew coconut and chocolate were the flavors I liked the most.

So.....with the Larabar ingredient list as a guide, I threw those items in my food processor, mixed it together with a few quick pulses, shaped into a square block and refrigerated.  Done. (you can easily double or triple this recipe to have extra on hand and they freeze well!)

Are they just like Samoas?

Nope.  But then I wasn't going for the exact taste and texture either.  But is the taste good?  Absolutely!  Does it pass the taste test with my youngest critics?  You better believe it!  Do I feel good about finding a great tasting alternative to the ingredients listed above?  Without a doubt!


Ingredients
serving size: 1 bar/1.5 oz.

1/2 c pitted dates
2 tblsp unsweetened shredded coconut
scant drop or two of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tblsp gluten/dairy/nut/soy free chocolate chips*

• Place all ingredients in food processor
• Blend until a soft dough forms
• On some parchment or wax paper, gently press dough into a square shape
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour
• Cut into small squares (serving size is the size of an actual Larabar)

Optional add-ins:
Cashews (or any nuts if you are not nut-free), peanut or almond butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, oatmeal, raisins, cinnamon.  Be creative!


*You can find chocolate chips @ Harmons, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Smith's Marketplace


Nutritional Information*
per serving

Protein:  2g
Carb:      20g
Fat:         8g

Nutritional values may vary depending on portion size

Meal Planning For The Busy Professional

Between work, exercise, relationships and everything else, who actually has the time to meal plan? Not many. But that's okay, because you have these tips to help you out.

Keep it simple. I don't know why, but people tend to think that once they start eating healthy they have to go to marthastewart.com and make steelhead trout with fennel, butternut squash, lima beans, and fennel-apple salad. (This is actually a meal at my favorite local restaurant, PAGO.) But you do not have to create these masterpieces! I usually try one new recipe a week and stick to simple dinners that take less than 30-minutes to cook. (Stay tuned for my "How to create meals that take 30 minutes or less"later this week!)

You could also try this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast. It only takes 10 minutes to prepare and it is absolutely delicious.

Plan once a week. There is no written rule that says you have to plan your meals every day. On Sunday before I grocery shop I doodle "Monday-Saturday" on a piece of paper and write my dinners for the week. Then I go through the fridge and pantry to see what I need to buy.

(If your spouse is responsible for making dinner, take a few seconds offer input of what you would like to eat for the week)

Eat the same thing a few times. Yep I said it. While I love to mix up my dinners every day I usually rotate between 3-4 meals for breakfast and lunch. When you are busy you don't always have time to create these impeccable dishes. Eat an omelette a few times per week, mix up the meat in your lunch wrap, and make sure to have some hummus and vegetables handy.

So there you have it. A few simple and easy-to-apply tips for the busy professional.


I hope these tips help you in some way!

My Portion