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15 Best Free Apps for Eating Healthy on a Budget

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can definitely be a challenge at times. With fast-food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s on nearly every corner, the temptation to stop and get a quick bite to eat is something that everyone has in common. In life, you can’t control everything, but you most definitely can control the food you put into your body.

Of course, it’s okay to splurge every now and then, but if your diet mainly consists of processed foods this can and will be very detrimental to your health. Even though you may not see the effects right away, in the long run you will be more prone to various types of illnesses that can be a great threat to your general health. That being said, there is no better time to take control of your health by finding ways such as downloading healthy food apps to create a more balanced diet.

Due to the fact that the health and fitness lifestyle has become more popular than ever, it only makes sense that the number of health and fitness apps would skyrocket too. It’s 2019, and there seems to be an app for just about everything! So why not download an app that can transform your diet and help you live a healthier lifestyle? These apps can virtually do everything! Some can track your heart rate, the number of calories you eat, provide you with personalized meal plans and so much more. Having these apps is almost like having a personal trainer or nutritionist in your pocket. 

So instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a personal trainer or nutritionist, you can simply download apps that can basically do the same thing. Feel free to utilize or download the various apps that Wikiby has found to help you keep your general or specific diet on track and so that you can crush your fitness goals by the new year. 

15 Best Free Apps For Healthy Eating On A Budget

Infographic Credit: WikiBuy.com

A Wonderful Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Cookbook: Whole Bowls by Allison Day

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Whole Bowls Cookbook by Allison Day

Whole Bowls Cookbook by Allison Day

When I had to quit eating wheat and gluten (as well as cooking, baking, smelling, and dreaming about them), I had to adopt and adapt. Adopt a new way of eating, cooking, and serving meals and adapt to every single change or be a miserable cuss.

I have no intention of being a miserable cuss… so adapt, I did!

One of my favorite sanity savers and means of serving meals became (and remains) “Bowls.”  Some call them Buddha Bowls and others call them even fancier names. Me.. well I’m a simple gal from Kentucky, so Bowls suits me just fine.

My middle daughter, Brittany (who happens to be a beautiful vegetarian – more on that in a minute), knew how much Bowls mean to me and gifted me with the gorgeous cookbook you see here, “Whole Bowls: Complete Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals to Power Your Day.” This cookbook could not be more up my alley! Not only are there MANY (countless, really) great gluten-free recipes but they’re ALSO vegetarian, meaning I can make them for Brittany to enjoy as well.

Only fair, right? After all, she bought the book!

Above, I referred to the recipes in this cookbook as “countless.” Obviously, the actual recipes can be counted – I’ll tell you why I insist on calling them countless! Each and every recipe in Whole Bowls can be tweaked and switched up to your individual tastes. For example, “Loaded Baked Potatoes with Baked Beans and the Works” (page 157), calls for russet potatoes, you can easily use sweet potatoes. If a recipe calls for quinoa, you can use brown rice.. if a recipe calls for white rice, you could use cauliflower rice… and on and on. I would recommend making each recipe exactly as given – but, after that, get creative. It’s your Bowl, after all!

There are also recipes for out of this world sauces that can be incorporated into the bowls they’re recommended for as well as other bowl recipes (whether in or out of this particular cookbook). A few of the sauces are Pumpkin Seed Sauce, Homemade Mayonnaise, Balsamic Glaze, and a Chive Oil (page 109) that is extraordinary on just about anything and everything. In fact, I have a special glass bottle in my Amazon cart I’m buying solely for keeping some of this oil made up and handy.

I love that author Allison Day has made Whole Foods such a gorgeous cookbook (they’re somehow more enjoyable to use, aren’t they?) and that the recipes are completely gluten-free. I also love that they’re basic – deliciously creative, but yet “doable.”

{Continued Below…}

Other AMAZING Recipes Include:

  • Mac and Cheese with Smoked Tofu and Baked Tomatoes
  • Mediterranean Pasta with Arugula, Peas, Yellow Tomatoes, and Feta
  • Roasted Pears with Whipped Goat Cheese and Maple Pine Nut Brittle
  • Hummus
  • Coconut Dreamy Whip
  • Homemade Nut Butter
  • Spring Rice Bowls with Chive Oil
  • Holiday Bowls with Stuffing, Sweet Potato Latkes, Brussels Sprouts, and Balsamic Glaze
  • Greek Mushrooms Stifado with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
  • Miso Meal in a Bowl
  • Black Beans with Butternut Squash, Black Rice, and Chimichurri
  • Three Bean Garden Salad with Asparagus and Coconut Dressing
  • Curried Falafel with Kale Salad
  • Winter Chopped Salad
  • South of the Border Bowls with Walnut Meat and Grilled Avocado
  • And many, many, many more creative, delicious, and nutritious recipes.

About the Author


Whether you choose to eat gluten-free or the choice has been made for you, you will absolutely love Whole Bowls. For that matter, you’ll love it if you eat gluten with wild abandon! This is just a fun, exciting, and delicious cookbook. I highly recommend it to everyone.

{A few more words about Bowls below the picture…}

Bowl

A few tips I’ve picked up along the path of my relationship with Bowls:

  • If you’ve given up wheat/gluten for health reasons, to cut calories, or because you’re on a particular “diet,” you don’t have to give up flavors because of it. Get creative! Sloppy Joes, for example don’t have to have buns – they can just as easily be served over potatoes (baked, mashed, roasted..) in a bowl with pickles and onions on the side. Same with Pulled Pork or any other “sandwich” you need to deconstruct. Even Egg Rolls can be deconstructed and presented, beautifully, in bowls.
  • We all know how nutritious vegetables are or us. I won’t insult your intelligence or bore you unmercifully by going into their virtues. One of the wonderful things about Bowls is that you can “sneak” beautiful, colorful, and healthy vegetables in to the mix without compromising the taste. I love to keep avocados on hand because they add SO MUCH to bowls. They look great, taste great, and are healthy to boot.
  • Spiralized vegetables aren’t just beautiful in Bowls, they’re also filling and fun to eat. Kids, especially, love different sizes, shapes, and textures.
  • Roasted vegetables are also fun to throw into Bowls – they give a delicious contrast in flavors alongside cooked or raw vegetables and grains.
  • Bowls are IDEAL for those of us who keep and insist on using leftovers. Leftover corn is one of my favorite things to pop into bowls.
  • A “mock” KFC Chicken Bowl technique I love – Put Mashed Potatoes into the bowl(s), top with cooked yellow corn, chicken (omit if you choose), and brown gravy. I love to make and add a little vinegar coleslaw to the side, too. It’s outrageously good.
  • When buying bowls for… well… Bowls… look for wide-open bowls, usually called pasta or salad bowls.  Bowls can make a gorgeous presentation – I like to use white bowls, often, but have also fallen in love with colorful ones.
  • Bowls are ideal for breakfast, lunch, and supper. Breakfast bowls are another favorite. Potatoes, bacon or sausage, eggs, broccoli, and cauliflower bowls make a breakfast that’s worth getting out of bed early for even on a Saturday.
  • Once you go down the Bowls rabbit hole, you’ll wonder what took you so long! Again, Whole Bowls is a wonderful source for inspiration and countless ideas.


How to Pick the Freshest Produce (Infographic)

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How to Pick Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
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

The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson (Review)

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The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson

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.)

The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson

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 Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson

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….

 

The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson

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

  1. A lasting plan rather than a quick fix.
  2. Food and meals our taste buds will approve of as much as our brain does.
  3. 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 by Mark Sisson 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

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Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

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:

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. While the pasta cooks, prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside until ready to use
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Drizzle with the remaining cashew cream before serving. Serve warm


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

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Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles

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 Green Lentil Lasagna

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.


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

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What is the Ketogenic Diet?

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.

What is the Ketogenic Diet

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!
  5. 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.

The Essential Keto Cookbook

Fast & Easy Summer Meal: Meatless Tostadas

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Tostadas with Refried Beans and Tomatoes

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

Guerrero 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.

Tostadas with Refried Beans and Tomatoes

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.

 

Avocado on Tostadas

Ideas for Side Dishes:

  • Rice
  • Tossed Salad
  • Chips and Salsa
  • Corn
  • Fried Potatoes


How to Start Eating Healthy

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Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes
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

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Mediterranean Diet Chicken Recipe
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

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Meanwhile, cut the basil into a chiffonade: stack the leaves and roll them, and then thinly slice.
  5. 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.
  6. For the polenta: Now mix in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. (Optional: add 1-2 tablespoons of water to reach desired thickness.)
  7. 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!