Category: Advanced Plan

Kale Chips- Unbelievably Yummy!

I’m not sure I would have ever believed that Kale chips would be a good replacement for potato chips but these things are awesome.  The trick is to use a dehydrator to get the crispy texture.  I made these as samples at our Total Food Makeover last Saturday and I had so many comments about how good they were.  Here you see my kids “massaging” the kale to get it prepared for the dehydrator.

Dehydrated Kale Chips

2-3 bunches of fresh kale (lacinato/tuscan or curly)

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea Salt to taste

Any other spices you would like:  garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper, etc.

#1 – Prepare the kale – I prefer to leave most of the stems in but if you are preparing for kids or skeptics, you may want to cut out the hard stems.  Chop into bite sized pieces and put in a big bowl.

#2 – Add the rest of the ingredients and here’s the trick:  massage the kale to incorporate all of the flavors and to soften the texture.  It should be about 1/2 the size of where you started.

#3 – Spread on the sheets of a dehydrator.  (I use an Excalibur that I bought refurbished for about $150- it has 9 dehydrating shelves).  Set dehydrator for 115 degrees – this keeps all of the enzymes in tact meaning it is still considered a raw food.  The dehydration process takes about 8 hours.  I usually put it in before bed and it is ready to go first thing in the morning.

ALTERNATE METHOD:  You can bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes but you lose the raw status and they are definitely not as crispy.

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

I love it when a meal comes together

One of my main goals on my mission for better nutrition is to GET PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN!  Most people are surprised to learn that most of the meals I make come together in less than 30 minutes, use few ingredients, and appeal to the whole family.  This is an example of one of those quick, easy, and tasty meals that I made on a night that was very hectic.  I actually found that taking that short mental break while I was preparing the food was just what I needed.  I enrolled my kids to help which allowed us some time to cooperate and communicate.  Not to mention, when the kids help, they are much more likely to try the food.  For example, my 7 year old helped chop the zucchini and my 9 year old skewered the chicken.

On the menu:

CHICKEN SATAY (from Maximized Living Nutrition Plans) – CORE & ADVANCED PLAN

2 tablespons raw almond butter

1/2 cup liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or organic tamari

1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons curry powder

6 skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts, cubed

1 teaspoon hot pepper or chili sauce (check ingredients!)

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

Combine almond buter, aminos, lime juice, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce.  Place the cubed chicken in the marinade and let marinate 30 minutes – overnight.  Weave the chicken on to wooden skewers (presoaked in water to prevent burning) Preheat an indoor cast iron grill pan to high than reduce to medium heat.  Cook skewers approximately 5-8 minutes on each side until no longer pink inside.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

2-3 large zucchini – chopped into cubes

1/2 onion – chopped into cubes

Sea salt

Spices to taste

Coconut oil or grapeseed oil

Heat oil in a pan (I used GreenPans here but cast iron or stainless steel will also work – stay away from aluminum or teflon!) to med-high heat, put vegetables in the pan and do not touch until browned.  This gives the vegetables a nice color and provides a different taste.  I used a premade spice mix – just check the ingredients.

WILTED SWISS CHARD

1 bunch swiss chard or any type of greens

olive oil

garlic

salt

lemon juice

To prepare the chard, start by cutting out the hard pink stalks and chop the rest of the greens into bite sized chunks.  Combine the chopped chard with the salt, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl.  Massage the chard to combine the flavors and soften the leaves.  Put into a pan and heat lightly until desired doneness.  I prefer mine just lightly wilted.  DO NOT heat the olive oil too much because it cannot withstand high heat.

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

No-atmeal – Grainless Hot Cereal – Must Try!

I came across this wonderful recipe over the weekend and just had to try it.  I whipped it up this morning and was amazed at how good it was.   It was a creamy, crunchy, rich, delightful change of pace.  Although the original recipe contains a high glycemic banana (bananas should typically be saved for before or after exercise)- the fact that there is no oatmeal or grains of any kind make it a terrific breakfast treat.   The Advanced Plan version merely takes out the banana and adds a small amount of stevia.  Amazing what you can do with food.

It is full of healthy proteins and good fats along with being full of vitamins and minerals.  The best part is that it is perfect for a cold morning and so satisfying that I won’t even think about food for at least 4 hours.

So here it is- give it a try.

  • 1 small handful of walnuts
  • 1 small handful of pecans
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 banana, mashed or Stevia to taste for Advanced Plan
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if you prefer it a little runny)
  • Optional: 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds, 1 handful of fresh berries

Directions:

Add walnuts, pecans, flax seed and spices to a food processor and pulse it down to a course grain, making sure to stop before it’s totally ground into a powder. Set aside.

Beat eggs, add almond butter, and almond milk and mix well.

Stir in the nut mixture. Gently warm on the stove until the “no-atmeal” reaches your desired consistency; this should only take a few minutes. Stir the mixture frequently as it cooks.

Sprinkle pumpkin seeds and berries on top if desired . Add more almond milk if you want.

recipe & picture courtesy of Doug Descant & Mark’s Daily Apple

 

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment