Chai Spiced Quinoa Porridge

Quinoa is a grain that can be used in sweet and savory cooking. I love making breakfast porridges with it. I always play with different flavorings and this one has been one of my favorites so far.

Ingredients

3/4 cup chai tea, strongly steeped 

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, soaked for at least 1 hour

1 cup coconut milk (I used canned organic coconut milk)

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of ground nutmeg

pinch of sea salt

Optional toppings:

Raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Chopped nuts

Goji berries 

Shredded coconut

Chia seeds

Fresh fruit
Coconut milk

Procedure

1. Steep chai tea and place in a small pot. Drain and rinse quinoa until water runs clear and place in pot with tea. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is cooked or liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Drain if quinoa cooks before liquid is absorbed.
2. Place cooked quinoa back in pot and add 1 cup coconut milk, spices, and salt to your own taste (You might not need the extra spices if your tea was strong enough, I personally like the extra spice). Let milk warm through and transfer porridge to a bowl.
3. Top with desired toppings and extra coconut milk.

Enjoy!

Kale and Walnut Pesto

I love pesto. Pesto is a great way to incorporate healthy fats, greens, and herbs into an every day diet. It is high in protein and pairs well with almost any type of vegetable or meat. I use it as a spread, dip, marinade, or dressing. There are many different recipes and types of pesto. Here is a recipe that I recently came up with and I eat with absolutely everything! 

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
8 small kale leaves (about 2 cups), stemmed
2 Tablespoons thyme leaves
1 clove garlic
zest and juice of one lemon (about 3 Tablespoons juice)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Place walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. 
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust with sea salt or lemon juice. If pesto is too thick, add more olive oil. 

Notes

• Toasting of nuts is not necessary, but it will enhance their flavor. 

Author: Giovanna Garcia, Natural Chef

Tips for Weight Management

There are many factors that contribute to a person being overweight. It can be frustrating to manage weight when we don't know what the issue is. "Calories in and calories out" does play a role in weight management, but there is more to look at. It's mostly the quality of the calories that matters.

Most popular weight management diets just restrict calorie intake and don't consider the quality of the food going into our bodies. If a diet is low in calories and still full of refined sugar and carbohydrates, a person might lose some weight at first, but the sugar cravings, mood imbalances, and old eating habits will still be there. A weight management plan should be a lifestyle change and not temporary restrictions or eliminations that are not realistic to stick with.

Factors that contribute to a person being overweight:

• Behavioral
• Eating when not hungry
• Skipping meals
• Lack of exercise
• Emotional
• Overeating due to stress, anxiety, depression, or frustration
• Metabolic
• Low thyroid
• Slow metabolism
• Medical drugs
• Low muscle mass
• Lack of exercise
• Age
• Gender
• Toxicity
• Metals
• Food colorings, preservative, and flavorings
• Plastics and pesticides
• Bacteria or parasitic overgrowth
• Nutritional
• Eating too many foods that lack nutrients such as processed foods, high sugar foods, and refined carbohydrates
• Consuming more energy (calories) than expanded 
• Having an imbalance of essential nutrients (usually it's an excess amount of carbohydrates and not enough protein and healthy fats)

Factors that contribute to a person being underweight:

• Not consuming enough energy (calories)
• Not getting enough nutrients
• Digestive issues
• Anorexia/Bulimia
• Excessive exercise
• Allergies
• Stress
• Crohn's and Celiac Disease (gut issues)
• Mal-absorption of nutrients
• High thyroid
• Medication side effects

Tips to manage weight:

• Detox/Cleanse: A detox is not the same as fasting and should not be a calorie restriction diet
• Feed your liver: The liver is an organ with many important functions such as making enzymes, making proteins, making bile (helps digest fats), detoxifying chemicals, detoxifying drugs and alcohol, filters about 95% of microbes and toxins from the bloodstream, and regulates blood sugar
• Increase protein: eggs, meats, yogurt, nuts, seeds, legumes
• Increase bitter foods: arugula, dandelion greens, chard, raw cacao powder
• Increase greens: leafy greens, sea vegetables
• Increase sour foods: sauerkraut, vinegars, lemon juice
• Increase herbs and spices: parsley, cilantro, licorice root, cinnamon
• Regulate blood sugar: Weight gain around the waist is usually a blood sugar issue
• Decrease gluten-containing grains and sugar intake (refined carbohydrates)
• Eat gluten-free grains: amaranth, millet, quinoa, brown rice
• Avoid tropical fruits (banana, pineapple, mango) because they are very high in sugar, stick to berries
• Increase non=starchy vegetables: greens, greens, and more greens
• Increase healthy fats: coconut oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters, olive oil
• Increase protein: protein at every meal is important, especially at breakfast (Ideally within an hour of waking up)
• Increase fiber: legumes (good source of fiber and protein). flax seeds, chia seeds, vegetables
• Increase metabolism
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Green Tea
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sea Vegetables
• Cumin and Curry Powder
• Hot Peppers (Cayenne)
• Exercise daily
• Exercising in the morning is best because training hard at night messes up cortisol balance and can cause you to hang on to weight
• Get enough sleep!
• Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night
• Lack of sleep leads to cravings and overeating
• Stay hydrated
• Water
• Herbal teas

Sources

Bauman College Workbook, Spring 2012

Sauté the healthy way

Healthy sauté is a way of sautéing without the use of a fat, such as olive oil, that could potentially get damaged (rancid) by heat. The sautéing is done with vegetable or chicken broth and still makes the food to taste great. The olive oil can be drizzled over after to preserve its good flavor and nutritional value. This method can be used with any vegetable or meat. 

I personally love this cooking method and use it with mostly everything. I don't harm my body by eating rancid fats and I add healthy fats such as such as avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil (without heating) after I'm done sautéing. To learn more about healthy fats and fats becoming rancid when heated click here: http://apurifiedlife.blogspot.com/2012/05/choosing-fats.html

Ingredients:

Any vegetable or meat of your choice cut into bite size pieces. 

Procedure:

1. In a stainless steel pan, heat 2 Tablespoons unsalted vegetable or chicken broth over medium heat. 
2. When broth begins to bubble, add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.
3. Add other ingredients such as garlic, ginger, or chicken, and continue stirring for another few minutes. 
4. Add other vegetables of your choice and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until tender and all ingredients are cooked through. 

Notes:

1. You can add another Tablespoon of broth at any time throughout the cooking if it evaporates completely and food starts to stick to the pan. 
2. If not using onion in your sauté, just skip that second step and add the vegetable(s) of your choice instead. 
3. Visual signs of knowing that chicken is cooked through is that meat is no longer pink when cut into with a knife.

Author:

Adapted from World’s Healthiest Foods www.whfoods.com

Healthy sautéed onion, eggplant, red bell peppers, and chicken with curry powder over spinach

Healthy sautéed garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil with quinoa on the side

Pantry Essentials

In order to cook healthy you need to have healthy ingredients to choose from. I've created a table to help. Eating a variety of these foods every day will ensure that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Purchase foods organic when possible for the highest nutritional value. Feel free to print this out and keep it somewhere handy for when you go to the grocery store. Happy shopping!

Food	Types	Servings	Nutritional Benefits
Healthy Fats/Oils and Nuts/Seeds (raw or dry roasted)	Walnuts Pecans Almonds Hazelnuts Brazil nuts Cashews Pistachios Sesame seeds Chia seeds Sunflower seeds Flax seeds Pumpkin seeds Nut butters Tahini Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil	2-3 servings per day A serving of nuts and seeds is 2 Tablespoons  A serving of fats/oils is 1 Tablespoon	Nuts and seeds are good sources of essential fats (Omega-3 and Omega-6), vitamin E, protein, B vitamin, beta carotene, minerals, and folic acid Soaking nuts and seeds helps digest them better and increases nutrient availability Coconut oil reduces inflammation, aids digestion and metabolism, and decreases risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer
Whole Grains	Gluten-Free: Quinoa Millet Amaranth Buckwheat Teff Rice (Brown rice, Jasmine, Short grain, Long grain, Wild) Contain Gluten: Wheat Rye Spelt Barley Oats (oats don't contain gluten, but are usually always cross-contaminated with other gluten containing grains unless gluten-free certified)	1-3 servings per day A serving is 1/2 cup cooked	Whole grains provide complex carbohydrates and fiber Gluten-free grains are hypoallergenic and provide B vitamins and magnesium to help with digestion and balance blood sugar Gluten-containing grains can be inflammatory and hard on digestion Soaking or rinsing grains before cooking helps their digestion
Spices and Condiments	Unrefined sea salt Peppercorns Tamari, low salt Vanilla, pure  Miso Nutritional yeast Dijon Mustard Apple Cider vinegar Balsamic vinegar Cayenne Paprika Cacao powder (raw) Sea Vegetables (Nori, Sea Palm, Dulse, Agar flakes, Kombu, Wakame, Hijiki, Arame) Dried herbs: Bay Cinnamon Cumin Oregano Pepper (Paprika, Cayenne)  Turmeric Fresh herbs: Basil Thyme Cilantro Dill Ginger root Parsley Rosemary Mint	2-4 servings per day A serving is 1 teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon	Spices and herbs add flavor and boost metabolism Sea vegetables provide amino acids (building blocks of protein), vitamin E, B vitamins, fiber, and minerals Nutritional yeast provides B vitamins, amino acids, and minerals
Dairy (Choose organic and grass-fed. Choose whole, low-, or non- fat without any additives)	Raw dairy Yogurt (live) Goat cheese or yogurt (live) Cottage cheese Kefir Mozzarella Parmesan Romano Feta	1-2 servings per day A serving of cheese is 1 ounce A serving of yogurt is about 4-6 ounces	Dairy are a great source of protein and calcium Calcium-rich foods help immune system, fat metabolism, and protect against bone damage and breast cancer
Dried Legumes and Soy (Choose soy products that are fermented and non-GMO)	Garbanzo beans Black beans Pinto beans Adzuki beans Mung beans Kidney beans Navy beans Cannellini beans Fava beans Lima beans Split peas Lentils Soy beans (Edamame) Tempeh Tofu	1-2 servings per day A serving is 1/2 cup cooked	Legumes are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates 25% of their calories come from protein Darker legumes contain antioxidants Soak legumes overnight before cooking to reduce gas
Meats (Choose organic, pasture-raised [grass-fed, not grain-fed] lean meat and poultry; free of hormones, antibiotics, and nitrates)	Chicken Turkey Lamb Beef Eggs, high in Omega-3(organic and pasture-raised)	1-3 servings per week A serving is 3-4 ounces	Animal foods are a very good source of protein and also provide some vitamins and minerals  Eggs boost brain health, reduce inflammation, and provide heart health
Cold-Water Fish (Choose high in Omega-3, low mercury)	Salmon (wild caught) Scallops Tilapia Ahi Tuna Cod, Halibut Sole Tilapia (farmed in the U.S.) Trout	1-3 servings per week A serving is 3-4 ounces	Seafood is rich in protein, minerals, and essential fats (Omega-3)
Vegetables (Choose fresh, organic, seasonal, and locally grown)	Leafy: Arugula Bok choy Kale Collards Napa cabbage Cabbage, red/green Broccoli sprouts Brussels sprouts Mustard greens Chard, Swiss Leaf lettuce Spinach Mesclun salad mix Romaine lettuce Watercress Crunchy and Starchy: Broccoli Radish Daikon Cauliflower Beets Carrots Pumpkin Bell pepper, green/red/yellow Cucumber Celery Zucchini Summer squash Green beans Yam Sweet potatoes Mushrooms (button, crimini, enoki, maitake, oyster, portobello, shiitake) Burdock Asparagus  Artichoke Parsnip Peas, sugar snap Peas, green Tomatoes Fennel Jicama Onions, red/yellow Garlic Leeks Scallions	5-6 servings per day A serving is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked	Vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals that aid digestion, immune system, growth and development, and bone health Vegetables with the highest pesticide contamination (should be purchased organic) are: Bell peppers Celery Spinach Lettuce Potatoes
Fruits (Choose fresh, ripe, organic, and in season)	Blueberries Blackberries Cherimoya Cherries Cranberries Currants Figs Nectarines Grape, dark skin Plums Pomegranate Prunes Raisins Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Apricot Papaya Cantaloupe Kiwi Mango Nectarines Peach Persimmon Watermelon Oranges Kumquat Lemon Lime Grapefruit, pink Tangerine Apples Banana Pear Pineapple Plantain Quince	2-3 servings per day A serving is 1/2 cup or 1 medium piece of fruit	Fruits provide complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals Fruits with the highest pesticide contamination (should be purchased organic) are: Peaches Apples Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes
Beverages	Filtered water Herbal tea Green tea Chai Vegetable juice Nut milk	Filtered water: 8-10 cups per day Herbal tea: 2-4 cups per day	Beverages provide hydration and help detoxify

Sources

Natural Chef Textbook, Bauman College

www.whfoods.com