Health and Fitness

How to Pick the Freshest Produce (Infographic)

January 8, 2019 By Joi Sigers

While I have often tried to focus on healthy eating on Get Cooking, I am really revitalizing my focus. Why? Because I’m revitalizing my focus on healthy eating in my own life and want only the best for you and your family as well!

Don’t worry, I have no intention of completely cutting out desserts and even less intention of completely cutting out carbs (they’d have to pull my potatoes out of my cold dead hands… whoever they are). But cutting back on less than healthy foods while increasing healthy foods only makes sense.

I’m lucky – I’ve always been a fiend for fruits and vegetables. Especially vegetables. I’m not sure if it’s because my parents always had gardens while I was growing up or if I simply enjoy the taste of just about every vegetable imaginable. Probably a little of both.

Below is a very useful infographic from Pounds to Pocket that’ll help you determine when a fruit or vegetable is the freshest.. as in ripe for the taking!

How to Pick Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in the Store

Infographic Created by Pounds to Pocket: https://www.poundstopocket.co.uk/pound-place/how-to-pick-fresh-ripe-fruits-and-vegetables/

The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson (Review)

January 4, 2018 By Joi Sigers

The Keto Reset Diet

Earlier my husband and I were talking about New Years Resolutions and how they relate to making powerful decisions about healthy eating. These diet resolutions get a really bad rap simply because most people don’t stick with them. I think one of the THREE reasons is they’re looking for a quick fix rather than a lasting plan.

Big difference.

The second reason, in my opinion, people don’t stick with a lasting plan is they don’t choose one that allows for delicious food. Let’s face it, many of us are bona fide foodies (I’m raising my hand, here, and it has a fork in it) and we simply will NOT go down a road that doesn’t include good food. Period.

Third reason? This one may not seem as obvious, but I believe it’s because we don’t have a why. The how can be easy enough…. Cut out chips (How? don’t buy them.) Cut out sugar (How? Stop eating living your life like your Cookie Monster’s cousin.) Cut out diet soft drinks. (How? Put down the Diet Dr. Pepper and walk away.)

We know the hows. We’ve memorized the hows! What we need to know is WHY.

WHY should we turn our kitchen upside down?
WHY should we make a change that will not only effect us but most of the people in our family?
WHY should we change our eating out habits and, ultimately, leave places we’ve eaten at for over half our life by the wayside?
WHY should we go totally against the grain… against the familiar… against what feels comfortable?

The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet

You have, undoubtedly, heard of the Keto Diet. I recently published an article on Get Cooking titled, “What is the Ketogenic Diet and How Do You Get Started On It?” After reading this book review, you might want to check out this particular article for more information.

One of the most-trusted sources, online and off, for all things “Keto” is Mark Sisson. His blog (Mark’s Daily Apple) is as popular as it is informative. Fortunately he has written a wonderful book, The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever, meaning you can have access to the information and recipes at any given time. More importantly… you’ll have access to what you need most of all – they WHY.

Mark Sisson—author of the mega-bestseller The Primal Blueprint—unveils his groundbreaking ketogenic diet plan that resets your metabolism in 21 days so you can burn fat forever.

Mounting scientific research is confirming that eating a ketogenic diet could represent one of the greatest nutritional breakthroughs of our time—and that it might be the healthiest and most effective weight loss strategy ever. Going “keto” by eating high fat, low-to-moderate protein and low-carb foods enables you to break free from the disastrous effects of carbohydrate dependency by resetting your metabolism and promoting metabolic flexibility—where your body learns to burns fat instead of sugar for energy, even when you go off plan.

Unlike many other ketogenic programs that require challenging restrictions and deprivation or offer misinformation, Mark Sisson, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of the #1 paleo blog MarksDailyApple.com, presents a unique two-step, scientifically validated approach for going keto the right way. He first reveals the real secret to rapid and sustained weight loss, which is in becoming “fat-adapted” before entering full nutritional ketosis. This process allows your body to learn to burn fat more efficiently, resulting in increased and sustained weight loss over the long-term. It takes as little as 21-days to reprogram your metabolism to burn fat for fuel, by ditching processed grains, sugars, and refined vegetable oils in favor of nutrient-dense, high fat, primal/paleo foods–and you’ll see immediate results. Next, you’ll fine-tune with Intermittent Fasting and then foray into full ketogenic eating for a further weight loss boost and improved health.

With The Keto Reset Diet, you can eat to total satisfaction by enjoying rich, high-satiety foods, and even weather occasional slip-ups. You’ll use keto as a lifelong tool to stay trim, healthy, energetic, and free from the disastrous health conditions caused by the typical American diet. With step-by-step guidance, daily meal plans and a recipe section with over 100 delicious keto-friendly recipes, this is the definitive guide to help the keto-beginner or the experienced health enthusiast understand the what, why, and how to succeed with ketogenic eating. Read More….

As we were looking at above, in order to make a healthy change to our eating, we need…

A lasting plan rather than a quick fix.
Food and meals our taste buds will approve of as much as our brain does.
The all-important WHY.

In The Keto Reset Diet, Mark Sisson doesn’t just address each of these bullet points, he courts them and proposes – and you’re the one with the happily ever after!

Key Chapters and Sections of the Book

Chapter 1 “The Keto Diet 101 – What, WHY, and How”

Chapter 3 “The Health, Performance, and Disease Protection Benefits of Keto”

Chapter 5 “Ditch Toxic Foods and Replace with Nutrient-Dense Foods”

Chapter 7 “Live a Keto-Friendly Lifestyle”

Going Keto: Strategies and Recipes

Recipes Include…

Pizza Bites
Sweet Pepper Nacho Bites
Marinated Eggs
Turmeric Balls
Vanilla Protein Fudge
Parmesan Crisps
Lime Bars
Creamed Spinach
Next Level Baked Avocados
Caesar Salad with Anchovies and Pancetta
And many more delicious and healthy recipes.

If you are looking to improve your health (whether you want to lose weight or not), the Keto Diet is a fascinating road to take. The popularity of the diet, itself, lets us know that MANY people are having great success with it.

In full disclosure, I do not adhere strictly to the Keto Diet or any diet, for that matter. Rather, I incorporate the following diets together:

Mediterranean Diet
Paleo Diet
Ketogenic Diet
Bulletproof Diet

By researching and exploring each of these four diets, I’ve found a healthier way of eating and living and, quite frankly, I feel better than I ever have. I buy each book that addresses these diets and am constantly learning and arming myself with information.

I couldn’t recommend strongly enough that you do the same. We’re only as healthy as we eat – I hope that 2018 will be the year you don’t just read or believe these words but will fully live them out.

The Keto Reset Diet is an excellent addition to your own healthy-eating arsenal.

The Keto Reset Diet

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

September 12, 2017 By Joi Sigers

It’s officially here….. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!! I’ll let you in on a little secret, I couldn’t be happier. I love all the months of the year, mind you, but there’s just something about September 1 – January 1 that floats all my boats.

The recipe below is from Explore Cuisine (so you know it’s a knock-out). Have you tried their gluten-free pasta? It’s healthy, affordable, and best of all, crazy delicious. Explore Cuisine will, hopefully, become steadily available in more grocery stores – until then, you can find it easily on Amazon. It’s just fantastic.

Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
Total time: 1 hour 40 mins
Serves: 3-4 servings

For the Cashew Cream:

½ cup raw cashews
1 cup water boiling water
1 clove garlic
2 tsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp salt
6 sheets Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne
2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1 t0 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)

For The Filling:

15oz canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ to ½ tsp salt (to taste)
⅛ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the cashew cream (this can be prepared ahead of time), soak the cashews in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water
Combine the soaked cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and the ½ cup of reserved soaking water in a high power blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the lasagna sheets and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep them from sticking together
While the pasta cooks, prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside until ready to use
Once the pasta sheets are cooked, drain them and run them under cold water (if any of the sheet are stuck together, separate them carefully). Set them aside
Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the prepared tomato sauce and red pepper flakes (if using) and pour on the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish. Spoon about half of the cashew cream over the sauce
To prepare the cannelloni, place about a tablespoon and a half of filling on each pasta sheet and carefully roll each one. Arrange them on the baking dish, over the tomato sauce and cashew cream. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes
Drizzle with the remaining cashew cream before serving. Serve warm

Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil (No Boil!) Noodles

September 6, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Noodles

Gluten-free lasagna just got easier and healthier – and if you love lasagna like Garfield the cat and I do, this is the kind of good news you’ve been waiting for.

Explore Cuisine makes a wonderful line of gluten-free pastas that will change your entire pasta game. They’re delicious – dare I say far more delicious than they sound like they’d be. I mean, let’s be serious, even those of us who love vegetables to distraction would be a little skeptical about Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles. I know I was! When I first used them to make lasagna, I was half-tempted to make one with traditional gluten-free noodles too, you know… just – in – case.

I didn’t take this crazy precautionary step and it turns out I didn’t need to. These noodles have a really wonderful, understated flavor that couldn’t work more beautifully with tomato sauces if it had to.

Not only are these noodles gluten-free and delicious, they don’t have to be boiled before building your lasagna. I am so over the process of handling limp HOT lasagna noodles, so that’s a dream come true for me and my hands.

{Continued Below…}

Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna on Amazon

About Explore Cuisine:

Explore Cuisine products are vegan, organic, gluten-free, and kosher, ensuring your health and igniting your taste buds! For example, our delicious bean pastas contain nearly 20-25 grams of protein per serving and are low in carbs and sodium while simultaneously containing a high fiber content. With Explore Cuisine, you’ll experience the incomparable taste of pasta with all the benefits of nutritious beans! Read More…

There is a wonderful recipe for Vegetable Lasagna on Explore Cuisine’s blog – just click the link to check it out. It’s out of this world – fresh and delicious.

The first lasagna I made with these noodles was, however, my “go to” lasagna I’ve been making for 112 years. The recipe is below and, thanks to these no-boil noodles, it couldn’t be easier.

A Few Notes:

If you use a pasta sauce that already contains garlic – leave the garlic out of the recipe. The same is true of one with bell peppers, or onions.
You can add a small (drained) can of sliced mushrooms in with the onion and bell pepper.
I like my lasagna extra saucy, but if you prefer your lasagna a little more “traditional,” only use one jar of pasta sauce instead of 1-1/2.
Always check pasta sauce for the gluten-free label. Some actually are not gluten-free. Always, always check.

Easy Gluten-Free Green Lentil Lasagna

Ingredients

2 Packages Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna
2 lbs Ground Chuck
1/2 Cup Finely-Chopped Bell Pepper
1 Cup Finely-Chopped Sweet Onion
3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
1 TBS Kosher Salt
1 TBS Oregano
1 TBS Basil
1-2 28 oz Jars Prego or Ragu Pasta Sauce (I usually use 1-1/2)
2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 Pint Ricotta Cheese
16 oz. Cottage Cheese (small curd)
8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet cook ground beef until brown.
Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until onions are transparent.
Add the salt.
Stir in pasta sauce and heat on medium low for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and the two slightly beaten eggs.
Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan or dish.
Layer with the uncooked Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce.
Continue layering until all ingredients are used, reserving 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
Cover pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining half cup of mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven, and allow lasagna to stand 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

What Is the Ketogenic Diet and How Do You Get Started On It?

July 31, 2017 By Joi Sigers

This is a guest post by Louise Hendon, co-host of The Keto Summit and author of The Essential Keto Cookbook

The Ketogenic diet has been making waves lately.

In fact, you’ve probably seen the name being mentioned by various health-and-wellness bloggers on the internet. But what is it, exactly? And how is it different from all the other diets out there?

We’ll run through what the ketogenic diet is, what foods you can eat on the keto diet, how the diet benefits your health and some beginner’s tips for getting started.

What Is the Ketogenic Diet?

It’s a diet that changes your body’s metabolic state – instead of mainly burning glucose, you’ll be mainly burning fat instead.

That’s because the ketogenic diet limits your carbohydrate intake which means there’s simply less glucose available for your cells to use as fuel. And as a result, your body is forced to start burning up your stored fat.

This metabolic state is called nutritional ketosis and it has all sorts of health benefits (more on those later).

Keto Diet foods: What can you eat?

You’ll be eating a moderate amount of protein, lots of fats, and very few carbohydrates.

Healthy foods to eat include:

Non-starchy vegetables (so leafy greens like spinach and kale)
Meats, organ meats, fish and shellfish
Nuts and seeds (in moderate amounts)
Healthy fats like ghee, coconut oil and olive oil
Herbs and spices, like cinnamon or paprika: Joi has a great article on their health benefits

And the foods to avoid are:

Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squashes
All legumes, aka lentils, beans, and soy
All grains, such as wheat, oats and rice
Vegetable and seed oils
Processed foods, meaning chips, crackers, cookies etc.

If you’d like a more extensive list of what foods you should be eating and avoiding, feel free to check out our list of Keto diet friendly foods.

How does Keto benefit your health?

There are many health benefits to the keto diet, and we’ve rounded up just a few below:

It stabilizes your energy levels by balancing out your blood sugar levels. When you’re not consuming carbs, your energy no longer spikes and dips – you feel more alert and don’t have to deal with brain fog or the dreaded “mid-afternoon slump.”
It can help you beat your sugar addiction because you’ll be going cold turkey on all the sweet treats you’re addicted to. Plus, another benefit of having stabilized your blood sugar levels is you avoid the blood sugar crashes that trigger cravings in the first place.
It decreases your hunger levels naturally and researchers have shown that a low-carb diet leads to lowered food intake because it influences the hormones which control hunger. This then helps with weight loss and combating overeating.
It’s great for weight loss, and just by scanning through some of the many success stories on the web you’ll be able to see how effective the keto diet is for losing weight!
It could be used as a therapeutic treatment for a wide range of diseases. It’s already being used to treat epilepsy, and research is being done to see if it can help reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, PCOS, and cancer.

How does Keto benefit your health?

There are many health benefits to the keto diet, and we’ve rounded up just a few below:

It stabilizes your energy levels by balancing out your blood sugar levels. When you’re not consuming carbs, your energy no longer spikes and dips – you feel more alert and don’t have to deal with brain fog or the dreaded “mid-afternoon slump.”
It can help you beat your sugar addiction because you’ll be going cold turkey on all the sweet treats you’re addicted to. Plus, another benefit of having stabilised your blood sugar levels is you avoid the blood sugar crashes that trigger cravings in the first place.
It decreases your hunger levels naturally and researchers have shown that a low-carb diet leads to lowered food intake because it influences the hormones which control hunger. This then helps with weight loss and combating overeating.
It’s great for weight loss, and just by scanning through some of the many success stories on the web you’ll be able to see how effective the keto diet is for losing weight!
It could be used as a therapeutic treatment for a wide range of diseases. It’s already being used to treat epilepsy, and research is being done to see if it can help reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, PCOS, and cancer.

Tips for getting started on Keto

It’s tough getting started on any diet – here’s our advice for keto:

In the beginning, just focus on reducing your carbohydrate intake. Make sure you focus on eating less than 25g of carbohydrates per day and then, once you’ve adjusted to that, take a look at your protein/fat intake. Especially if you’re used to consuming a Standard American Diet, reducing carb intake will a big enough change in the beginning.
Choose one meal in each day to skip because it will make starting a keto diet much easier if you only have to think about/plan for two meals each day instead of three. Some folks like to skip breakfast and some folks like to skip dinner, so experiment a little to see what works for you. If you have circadian rhythm issues, then skip dinner (or lunch) instead of breakfast.
Find a buddy (friend/husband/wife) as it’ll help you stick to the diet if you’ve got someone else to keep you accountable. And if you can’t find a buddy, then at least share your goals with your friends/family or on social media – it’s been proven to increase your chances of success.
Choose the right week to start by making sure you pick a week when you’re not overloaded with work and don’t have too many social plans. It can be a little tough adjusting to keto in the beginning, so you’ll be much more likely to succeed if you pick a good week to start. Don’t wait forever though!
Plan your meals and re-stock your kitchen to make sure you’re prepped ahead of time…and aren’t stuck in the supermarket wondering what you can/can’t buy and what you should make for dinner. A little bit of planning will go a long way towards making your keto diet journey a stress-free one.

Would you like some simple keto recipes to get you started? Check out my cookbooks here.

Fast & Easy Summer Meal: Meatless Tostadas

July 12, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Given the fact that I have a food blog and talk about food without even taking a breath, you probably already know that I love to cook. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I stare in blank amazement when people say they don’t enjoy cooking.

Having said that, on the hottest days (and nights) of summer, I appreciate a quick, easy, and no oven required meal. These tostadas are so quick and easy to pull together and there are endless options to “make them your own.” They’re also great for eating on a budget – especially if you make them meatless.

The Toppings Are Your Call:

Refried Beans or Ground Beef w/Taco Seasoning
Cilantro
Shredded Cheddar
Mexican Crumbling Cheese
Green Onions
Shallots
Shredded Lettuce
Jalapeno Peppers
Chiles
Tomatoes
Pico de Gallo
Sour Cream
Salsa
Salsa Verde
Black Olives
Lime Juice
Roasted Corn
Roasted Red Peppers
Etc…

The NON-Recipe for Refried Beans Tostadas

There’s No Need to Even Heat These Tostadas

It all starts with the base: the Tostada shells. I love the Guerrero Tostadas pictured above. They’re delicious and ridiculously inexpensive. That’s a combination I don’t take lightly.

Line a baking sheet (or several) with the number of tostadas you’ll be serving. There’s no need to heat the shells at all for tostadas.

Refried Beans: I use canned refried beans and am pretty darn brand-loyal. I buy Old El Paso Traditional Refried Beans almost exclusively. For 10 tostadas, I used two cans. Now you can use refried beans straight from the can for this recipe or to serve as is. However, I love to add a little water (couple of tablespoons) to the beans when I first add them to the skillet, along with about 1/2 tsp of cumin and a splash of hot sauce. In full disclosure, I add cumin to more things than not. In this particular dish, I also added 1/2 cup of sour cream to the beans. It makes them creamier and dreamier.

Cook the beans on low, stirring frequently. Season with a little salt.

Make Some with Avocado and Some Without: Just In Case Someone Isn’t a Fan

When the beans are nice and hot, plop them evenly among the tostada shells, spreading them to the edges. Top the hot beans with shredded cheddar cheese so it’ll melt irresistibly into them.

Now this is where you can really get cute. Add whatever floats your boat at this point. Cilantro, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, scallions, shallots… you do you!

I add different toppings just about every time I make tostadas but the cast of characters almost always includes cilantro, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.

You’ll want to put the sour cream on top, if for no other reason than it looks cool. Finally, the thing that really seals the deal? Squeeze a little lime juice over the whole shebang.

I’m not sure why, exactly, but lime juice simply makes every single Mexican dish you can think of even better.

Ideas for Side Dishes:

Rice
Tossed Salad
Chips and Salsa
Corn
Fried Potatoes

How to Start Eating Healthy

June 26, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Healthy eating: we all think about doing it, just not now. Realistically speaking, no one goes from eating fried chicken and tacos one day to broccoli and carrots the following day. Diet is very difficult to change, especially when most of us are addicted to eating certain types of foods. But don’t worry; healthy eating begins gradually. First, you have to make a mental commitment to start eating more healthy foods. Don’t start a crash diet, and don’t suddenly give up your favorite junk food either. The goal is to sustain healthy eating as a long-term habit. With that in mind, here are several suggestions that will help you eat better and avoid diseases:

Replace Chocolate with Dark Chocolate

Most of us love chocolate and eat a chocolate at least once a week. Unfortunately, chocolate is packed with sugar, which is really bad for health overall. If you are a choco lover you cannot live without its addictive sweetness, here’s a solution: eat dark chocolate. Let’s be realistic; you probably won’t be able to give up your chocolate habit overnight. So the next best solution is to make chocolate less unhealthy. Chocolate itself is not unhealthy. It’s the sugar and corn syrup in chocolaty snacks that ruin your health. Dark chocolate contains more cocoa and less sugar, and is thus a better option.

Buy a Smoothie Blender

Do you find yourself hydrating with soda? Soda contains more sugar than you think, so you should try to avoid drinking sodas daily. A healthier alternative is a tall glass of smoothie. You can make fruit smoothies, veggie smoothies, or a combination of the two. Smoothies are packed with vitamins and minerals that are not present in everyday junk food. If making smoothing is easy, you will find yourself depending less on soda drinks. So, go buy yourself a good smoothie maker. You don’t have to spend a lot on a product like Magic Bullet that is easy to use and also clean.

Replace a Junk Food Snack with a Healthy Alternative

Can’t stop munching on Doritos? Next time you watch a movie, munch on a healthy snack like baby carrots or pumpkin seeds. People rarely taste the food when they are eating in front of the TV. So, try this tactic to give your body healthier nutrients and fewer excessive calories.

Eat Out at Healthy Restaurants

Eating out at a good restaurant is one of the most enjoyable experiences in life. Next time you decide to go out for dinner, pick a restaurant that promotes healthy meals, and avoid the local junk food joint. You may have to spend a tad bit more, but your body will thank you for it later.

Include a Veggie with Every Meal

If you are not used to eating vegetables or are averse to it in any way, learn to have your veggies gradually. Include a single vegetable with every meal to get used to the idea. You don’t even have to eat much. If you keep up with this habit, you will be able to include more veggies and less sugary and fatty foods in meals.

Keep in mind that healthy eating doesn’t happen overnight. Train yourself with the above suggestions and you will be able to consume higher quality ingredients that do not contribute to devastating conditions like chronic heart disease.

Pictured at the top: Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes

Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce and Polenta

June 7, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Most people have a favorite type of “diet” or style of cooking they prefer above the rest. I have always been drawn to the Mediterranean diet – the colors, the flavors, the healthiness, the variety of options… basically, I love everything about it.

The recipe below is one of the wonderful Modern Mediterranean Diet recipes, inspired by Greece, Spain and Italy, from Pangea Nutrition. Pangea Nutrition recently announced its new Modern Mediterranean Diet Program, where people can sign up to receive a month of groceries and recipes to set them on a path to eating the way people in the Mediterranean have eaten for centuries (which clinical trials have shown to prevent various health issues and promote longevity).

This makes life simpler for the home cook as well as healthier for his/her family.

Pangea would like to offer you an additional 10% off a month of the program, with the code MDM17 through mid-June. Act now to take advantage of the discount (Pangea Nutrition)!

I’ll have another Pangea Nutrition Modern Mediterranean Diet recipe tomorrow, but for today you’re going to LOVE this chicken recipe. To make it gluten-free, substitute gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour.

Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce and Polenta

1lb chicken tenders
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 cherry tomatoes (1/2 pint)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil

For the polenta: Bring small pot filled with 1 cup of water to boil. Slowly add 1/4 cup cornmeal while stirring, until mixed well. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally (every 5 minutes).
Set up breading station with 3 shallow dishes: On dish 1: place 1/4 cup flour; on dish 2: whip 2 eggs; and on dish 3: spread 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. To bread the chicken: pat dry with a paper towel and coat each tender in flour, shaking to remove excess. Then dip in egg, making sure it covers completely, and then coat in breadcrumbs. Press down gently to adhere.
Heat 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Place the breaded chicken tenders in the pan and heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, cut the basil into a chiffonade: stack the leaves and roll them, and then thinly slice.
After removing the chicken, add to the hot pan 12 cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons basil chiffonade. Toss for 1-2 minutes, until the tomato skins blister.
For the polenta: Now mix in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. (Optional: add 1-2 tablespoons of water to reach desired thickness.)
Serve each plate with the chicken on a bed of polenta, topped with fresh basil tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Thanks to Pangea Nutrition for sharing the wonderful recipe, picture and savings code!

No Excuses Detox by Megan Gilmore (Review)

April 18, 2017 By Joi Sigers

No Excuses DetoxYou may have heard of Megan Gilmore’s first book, Everyday Detox (you can read my Everyday Detox review here). I was beyond excited when I heard she had another cookbook out and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Her recipes are creative, easy, and feature foods you have most certainly heard of and probably even have on hand.

No Excuses Detox is just as exciting as her first cookbook and the recipes are just as creative and delicious. Megan proves that creating healthy meals for yourself and your family doesn’t have to be difficult. She offers tons of great recipe to make sure your family doesn’t keep eating the same things over and over – a trap that’s easy to fall into when you’re trying to eat healthy.

But let’s be honest – you can only eat so many grilled chicken salads and vegetable soup before you start to lose your inspiration. That’s when fried potatoes, greasy “head-sized” cheeseburgers, and pizzas topped with everything in the refrigerator start to look good. This collection of recipes keeps you from getting to this point and (this part I really love) the results are far more delicious than the less-healthy options.

The book includes Megan’s great advice on substitutions, time-saving tips, meal plans, and even a “Beginner Five-Day Shopping List.”

Do you feel all of those excuses slipping away???

From Everyday Detox author Megan Gilmore, powerhouse blogger behind Detoxinista.com, here are 100 quick-to-prepare, affordable, and delicious whole-food recipes that make it easy to follow a healthy lifestyle for you and your family every day.

In No Excuses Detox, Megan Gilmore presents a collection of satisfying, family-friendly recipes developed with speed, convenience, and optimum digestion in mind. Because enjoying what you eat on a daily basis is crucial to maintaining health goals, these recipes for comfort food favorites–from Freezer Oat Waffles, Butternut Mac n’ Cheese, Quinoa Pizza, Loaded Nacho Dip, and Avocado Caesar Salad to Frosty Chocolate Shakes, No-Bake Brownie Bites, and Carrot Cake Cupcakes—taste just as good as their traditional counterparts, but are healthier versions packed with nutrients. Megan Gilmore sharply identifies many of the reasons people fail to stick to a healthy diet—too busy, budget conscious, cooking for picky eaters, concerns about taste or fullness, and more—addressing them head on and offering simple solutions. This beautifully packaged and artfully photographed book gives readers no excuse to not eat well year-round.

No Excuses Detox Cookbook Black Bean Burgers

About the Author

Megan Gilmore is the creator and recipe developer behind Detoxinista.com, a website that makes healthy living easier and more accessible, and the author of eEveryday Detox. A certified health coach and certified nutritionist consultant, she trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and NHI College.

Recipes Include

Fresh Pico de Gallo
Mushroom and Black Bean Tacos
Sloppy Joe-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Loaded Nacho Dip
White Bean & Rosemary Dip (AMAZING!)
Zucchini Hummus
Creamy Cauliflower “Potato” Salad (perfect for this summer)
Knock-Off Italian Dressing
Frosty Chocolate Shake
TONS more!

The average person gives the following excuses for not cooking and eating healthier meals:

“The food doesn’t taste as good.”
“My family won’t eat it!”
“I’m too busy to cook.”
“It’s too expensive to eat healthy food.”

Basically, this cookbook addresses (and obliterates) these concerns and leaves us all with… you guessed it No More Excuses! Each excuse is taken, individually, and the author offers great advice… from someone who knows because she has been there.

You can find No Excuses Detox on Amazon. The paperback version (the one I was sent in exchange for telling you all about it) is actually available right now for nearly $10 off the list price! It’s even cheaper than the Kindle version.

Infographic: Health Benefits and Healing Properties of Turmeric

April 5, 2017 By Joi Sigers

When it comes to superfoods, I’m reading more and more about turmeric. It’s fascinating just how much good this unassuming, colorful, and delicious spice can do for you. As the infographic below shows, when we use turmeric in our cooking – we aren’t just doing our taste buds a favor… we’re helping every other member of the team as well!

My favorite way to use turmeric is on rice, but I can’t wait to try the different ways mentioned here. After reading the infographic, click through the link beneath it for more great information.

Source: Fix.com Blog

Health and Fitness

How to Pick the Freshest Produce (Infographic)