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Health and Fitness

Infographic: Health Benefits and Healing Properties of Turmeric

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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

An Even HEALTHIER New Focus Coming to Get Cooking

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Salad Bar Salad

New year.. new goals!
New year… new habits!
New year… new life!

Or so it goes, right? And then something crazy happens… it’s called February. Right around the second week of February, we pack up our resolutions the way we packed up our Christmas decorations. Then, like the tinsel, they aren’t thought about until 12 months later.

The sad thing is, when it comes to our health, breaking healthy resolutions is as dangerous as driving without a seat belt or rollerskating on a sheet of ice.

Very often, the average person has to have an “eye-opening experience” – something that causes them to evaluate and re-evaluate how they eat and how they feed their family. My number one goal in this post is to either keep you from having such an experience or to remind you of one you had.

A Personal Eye-Opening Moment

A few years ago, a much-loved (and young!) family member had to have a stent put in. Sitting in the heart hospital’s waiting room was an eye-opening experience in many ways. Naturally, I was scared for my loved on and very distressed that he was going through the very unpleasant experience. I was also very moved by the other families (many with teary eyes and clutched tissues). I was especially caught off guard by the number of patients I saw and heard about who were under 60.

I remember when the phrase “heart patient” immediately conjured up an image of a man or woman who was 70 years old or beyond. Not today. Heart patients are all ages and the whole prospect is horrifying.

As a nation, we eat an unbelievably unhealthy diet and we’re paying for it. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s – some of the worst monsters of our time can be avoided simply by eating healthier.

While raising our three daughters, I always tried to cook as healthy as I thought was possible. Today, when the majority of my cooking is for me, my husband, and our cats (they really fancy my baked cod, let me tell you) – healthy food is in the forefront of my mind.

Even with my food blog, I’ve always tried to provide healthy recipes, food reviews, and tips.

So what you’ll see isn’t so much a huge transition on the blog, but more of a renewed devotion to finding the healthiest foods, drinks, and meals possible.

Below are just a few examples.

  • I am not as big on “avoid this, avoid that” as I am on “eat plenty of vegetables, drink green tea, fall in love with chia seeds…” that sort of thing. HOWEVER, there are absolutely foods that we should all cut back on – some even WAY back on. Sugar is one such food. And it’s not about calories – it’s about the unhealthy things sugar does to our bodies. Am I saying to avoid it completely? Heck, I know I can’t even do that, so I’m not about to tell anyone else to! I’m saying we should all cut way back on it. Read labels. It’ll knock the wind out of you when you see how much sugar is added where it has no business being. Look for foods with little to no sugar added.
  • I am fanatical about vegetables. FANATICAL. They are delicious, beautiful, and the healthiest thing for our bodies and minds imaginable. I’m a huge component of getting as many vegetables in, daily, as possible. I slip them into soups, omelets, cheese quesadillas, tacos, salads (hello, obsession of all obsessions), meatloaf, stews, burgers, and so on. The more the better! I ‘ll be adding recipes and tips that have one thing in mind: getting more vegetables on your plate!
  • I’m trying out lots of healthy foods and drinks and will be reviewing them on the food blog. There are some phenomenal products out there and I can’t wait to tell you about them.
  • I’ve read quite a few wonderful books about eating healthier and will be reviewing them either here or on my Self Help Blog.
  • I’ll be having a Healthy Food of the Week beginning this week actually (which reminds me, I’d better get cracking!). We’ll see why we need to eat more of this particular food, along with some ways to work it into more meals.
  • If you haven’t already made a vow to eat healthier and feed your family the healthiest meals possible, I hope you’ll do so today.

It’s not about wearing a smaller size of jeans, flattening a belly or de-jiggling this, that, or the other. It’s about being healthy, feeling great, living a long life, and keeping your loved ones out of waiting rooms and yourself out of hospital gowns that open in the back.

Monday’s Call To Action!

Ready for a Call to Action before we end? Here goes! THINK about what you DRINK….

  1. If you (as of right this minute) drink soft drinks or diet soft drinks, give them up. If you have a 24 pack in the refrigerator, throw it out! These drinks are absolutely horrible for your health and the sooner you give them up, the better.
  2. If you add sugar to your coffee and/or tea, stop. It’s unnecessary and not even remotely good for you. Did you know that sugar has even been linked to pre-mature aging?! Yikes, right?! See: Ideas for Giving Up Sweet Tea for Unsweet Tea (it’s my own personal account because sweet tea had a hold on me for many, many years).

Bell Peppers

 

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

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Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
All of February is Heart Month and today, itself, is heart awareness day for women. I proudly wore my red today in honor of my mother who died from a heart-attack and as a means of raising awareness for heart disease. I hope and pray strides will be made in heart health for the sake of my three beautiful daughters (and everyone else’s beautiful daughters for that matter!)

In honor of Heart Month and today’s Heart Awareness Day, I want to tell you about a healthy breakfast that’s perfect for any time of day. I got the idea for roasted sweet potato pancakes from a tweet from Cooking Light. They made Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with just two ingredients: a roasted sweet potato and 2 eggs.

Intriguing!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
I saw one willing sweet potato on the shelf and knew I had eggs ready at a moment’s notice in the fridge.

Since I’m “One of those gals” who is always looking for ways to “sneak” healthy food ingredients into as many meals as possible, I decided to also add 1 Tablespoon of Chia Seeds and 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed to the mixture… but I’m getting ahead of myself. We have to roast the sweet potato first!

I cut my sweet potato (skin on) into four rounds and sat them in a small iron skillet. I drizzled 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Seed Oil over the tops (but you could easily use Olive Oil). I made sure all sides of the rounds were coated, then sprinkled on a little paprika and a little cinnamon for good measure.

I roasted the sweet potato at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then removed the skin and mashed them really good with a fork. I then added two eggs along with the chia seeds and flaxseed (1 TBS each).

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancake
I added some ghee to a non-stick pan (you could use butter, of course) and positioned a few pancake molds (not even remotely necessary – I was just trying to be cute). I poured some batter into the two molds and cooked my pancakes over medium heat for 6 minutes – I removed the molds when they looked “set.” After the six minutes, I flipped and cooked them for 4-5 minutes more.

They held together beautifully – which, I’m not lying, kind of surprised me.

Tip: Use the widest spatula you have – otherwise it may take two to flip them. If you aren’t using pancake molds, simply divide the dough into two pancakes. Again, a mold is not necessary.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes
Topping:

For the topping, I beat 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 TBS sugar. Because I wanted to bring a little bit of apple flavor and goodness to the party, I grated nearly half of an apple and stirred it into the whipped topping, reserving some for the topping.

I topped the pancakes with the topping and sprinkled on some more chia seeds and grated apple.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
With experimentation, I discovered that these pancakes are also fantastic with maple syrup or honey. You could actually even drizzle a little honey on top of the whipped topping.

When you try these, go easy with the whipped topping at first – I actually added more than I needed. The pancakes, themselves, are so darn good, you don’t need much with them. These were a lot of fun to make and tasted fantastic.

And did I mention they were healthy?

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

Gluten Free Cranberry Pecan Cookies

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Gluten-Free White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free White Chocolate Chip and Pecans Cookies
Before getting to the two gluten free cookie recipes, I just want to express my yuuuge gratitude to food companies who keep churning out exceptional gluten free products. Krusteaz, Udi’s, Glutino, Pamela’s CedarLane, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Amy’s… the list goes on and deliciously on. I am so very thankful for them – and I plan to keep letting them know – all over social media, through e-mail, here on the food blog… anywhere and everywhere I have an opportunity to sincerely thank them, I’m going to take it. I’d love to see everyone in the gluten free (for health reasons, especially) community do so. We don’t hesitate to point out when a company or restaurant drops the ball – we should be even faster with gratitude.

Seems fair, right?

Okay… off the soap box! One of the companies I am most thankful for is Krusteaz. Their products are first rate – as in perfect every single time – and they are SO affordable. Let’s face it, not all gluten free products can be called “reasonably priced” let alone “So affordable,” but Krusteaz (and Pillsbury, for that matter) are as fair as it gets.

I just made a couple of batches of cookies using Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I tweaked their wonderful Choclate Chunk Cookies recipe (below).  In place of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I made the following cookies with the following SIMPLE alterations. The first (with dried cranberries) was made for my youngest daughter who cannot eat chocolate (poor baby!). She loves cranberries like crazy, so I thought this would be ideal.

  • Cranberry Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured below) instead of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I added 3/4 dried cranberries and 3/4 coarsely-chopped pecans.
  • White Chocolate Chip Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured at the top) again, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup coarsely-chopped pecans (yes.. as a matter of fact, I am obsessed with pecans)

Below is Krusteaz’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe (it’s perfection, by the way). It’s the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever find – you don’t even need a mixer. Tweak as I did (above) or go with the orgiinal (below). Either way, you’re going to be blown away.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 ¼ cups Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chunks
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together flour with remaining dry ingredients. Add eggs, butter and vanilla and blend until dough forms, kneading by hand if necessary. Scoop rounded 2 tablespoon portions of dough and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly.

Bake 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. – Recipe from Krusteaz

Gluten-Free Cranberry and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free Cranberry and Pecans Cookies

Review: Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns

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Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
One of my favorite parts of being a food blogger is the opportunity to review new cookbooks. As a cookbook collector, they’re a great passion of mine, so getting my eager hands on the newest and best cookbooks makes me kind of giddy.

Okay… very giddy.

One of the newest cookbooks I’ve had the opportunity to review is Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns. This beautiful cookbook is packed with great recipes for healthy, clean eating. You won’t miss the extra fat and calories because author Audrey Johns has replaced them with tons of flavor and creative combinations.

Book Description:

Lose weight by eating guilt-free, low-calorie, unprocessed versions of all your favorite foods, with this helpful, accessible diet and cookbook—featuring more than 130 clean eating recipes and gorgeous full-color photos—from the popular weight loss blogger who lost 150 pounds in eleven months.

At 275 pounds, Audrey Johns was unhealthy and unhappy—until the day she vowed to give up the “fake food” and taught herself to cook her favorites from scratch. Within eleven months, Audrey mastered the kitchen, began to take better care of herself, and lost more than 150 pounds—over half her body weight.

Now, Audrey shares her story, insights, and clean eating recipes to help you slim down. Lose Weight by Eating includes more than 130 mouthwatering recipes for family favorites, including pasta, scones, fried chicken, nachos, meatloaf, and cookies—all bursting with flavor and fewer than 500 calories per serving. Most recipes use simple and inexpensive smart swaps and are full of hidden vegetables that keep you feeling fuller longer, and all are picky-kid-friendly and husband-approved.

Imagine losing eight to sixteen pounds the first week and fifteen to twenty-five pounds a month eating skinny pizzas with only 125 calories per slice or 150-calorie cheesecake bars! Lose Weight by Eatinglets you enjoy these delights and more, such as “Jelly Doughnut” French Toast, California Club Pizza, Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Onions, Veggie Packed Lasagna, Cheddar Stuffed Turkey Burgers, Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip with Fruit, and Skinny Cheesecake with Raspberry Drizzle. Audrey also provides a handy six-week meal plan and weight loss tips to keep you motivated.

Lose Weight by Eating is all about making the naughty nice. Giving your favorite foods a delicious, healthy makeover, you can eat what you love every day—and still shed those unwanted pounds.

{Review Continued Below…..}

Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
Spaghetti Bolognese from Lose Weight by Eating 
After losing more than 150 pounds (150!), Audrey Johns started LoseWeightByEating.com and has, over time, helped thousands of people lose weight and get healthier.

Her story has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors. She was also on the cover of Woman’s World magazine and was even a chef contestant on the second season of ABC’s The Taste.

Audrey hosts a clean-eating video series on eHow.com and writes food, wine, and travel columns for local magazines.

It was just a matter of time before a wonderful cookbook came into play and this beauty was well worth the wait.

Recipes Include:

  • Twice-Baked Cheesy Potato Boats
  • Four Metabolism-Boosting Greek Yogurt Dips with Veggie Sticks
  • Cheddar-Stuffed Turkey Burgers
  • Grilled Chicken Strips
  • Peach Sunrise Cobbler
  • Homemade Blueberry Orange Soda
  • Salsa Rice and Chicken Bake
  • Skinny Chicken Alfredo
  • Spaghetti Bolognese
  • Overloaded Baked Potatoes
  • Blended Mocha Coffee
  • Skin-Firming Citrus Boost Water
  • Margherita Pizza
  • Easy Tortilla Chips
  • Sausage and Pepper Hogie
  • And MANY more – 130 in all!

{Review Continued Below…..}

Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
In addition to beautiful pictures accompanying each recipe (love that), I’m also crazy about the information and inspiration that comes at the front and end of the book. Meal planners and even sample menus will help anyone get on track. The author has also included plenty of information on making her wonderful recipes very “kid friendly” – this really excites me because childhood obesity and diabetes can be prevented if adults will simply put the child’s health first.

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, maintain your weight, get healthier, or simply enjoy good, clean, healthy food, you’re going to really, really love Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns. It’s a wonderful addition to any cookbook collection. I know it’s one I’ll use again and again.

Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns
Lose Weight by Eating by Audrey Johns

Foodie News: Have You Ever Heard of Tulsi?

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Tulsi
One herb has been revered for thousands of years for the following benefits:

  • Balance
  • Support Immune System
  • Lifting Mood
  • More energy
  • Less stress

Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil is a powerful adaptogen that provides balance to the body and is a legend in other parts of the world as a health-supporting herb.

Here in the west, Tulsi is largely unknown. The graphic above (from the Organic India Blog) shows why Tulsi is the most important herb most of us have never even heard of.

While I, personally, have never tasted it, word is that Tulsi Tea is delicious.

Click here for even more information about tulsi.  You can order tulsi tea online by clicking the link.

Tulsi Benefits

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe

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Gluten Free Pecan Sandies

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies

When it comes to Christmas cookies… or any cookies, for that matter… one of my absolute favorites is Pecan Sandies (sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookies). My favorite cookies are usually “nutty” and always extra-sweet and these cookies more than fit the bill.

When I had to give up gluten/wheat (my body’s decision, not my mind’s), I was pretty sure the days of being a cookie monster were behind me. Fortunately a lot of food companies have been busting their rears perfecting All Purpose Gluten Free flours and have, as a result, opened up a whole new world to the gluten free crowd that we once thought was closed for good.

Granted, some of these “1 to 1” all purpose gluten free flours can be pretty expensive, but the one I recently discovered is, shockingly, just a bit more than regular flour. The fact that I’ve used it in A LOT of old favorite recipes as a substitute for traditional flour with spectacular results just blows me away.

Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour is a a dream come true for this gluten free cookie monster and the fact that it’s also affordable is even sweeter.

I used my favorite Pecan Sandies recipe, from my favorite cookies cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas, 1985. You should see this cookbook! I’ve used it so much over the years (throughout the year, like any self-respecting cookie monster would) that the pages are discolored, stained with who-knows-what and filled with notes like…

  • Brittany’s favorite cookie!
  • Emily loves these so much, they’re worth the extra effort..
  • Michael’s fave..
  • Stephany can’t get enough of these…

It’s pretty easy to tell my favorite cookbooks from the rest.

Below is the recipe, as it appears in the cookbook EXCEPT that I replaced “all purpose flour” with Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. If you have another gluten free all purpose flour you’d like to use, by all means, give it a try! I personally haven’t tried other gluten free flours so I can’t promise they’ll be as great as these were.

Needless to say, if you don’t have to eat gluten free, simply switch out the gluten free all purpose flour for the traditional one.  Either way, you’ll have a cookie that’s as delicious as it is pretty.

Print
Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe

Yield: 45 Cookies

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2-1/4 cups Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter or margarine till softened.
  2. Add sugar and beat till fluffy.
  3. Add water and vanilla and beat well.
  4. Stir in flour and nuts.
  5. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake in a 325 degree oven about 20 minutes or till done.
  7. Remove and cool.
  8. In a plastic bag, gently shake a few at a time in powdered sugar.

 

Gluten Free Strombolis With Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

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Gluten Free Stromboli

Gluten Free Stromboli (Delicious!)

 

Gluten Free Strombolis Recipe

1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic from a jar (optional)
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (Meat Free)
1 Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt
4 Cups Mozzarella
Pizza Crust (see below)
Black Pepper

Pizza Crust: For these, I used one bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (makes two strombolis).  Follow the directions for pizza crust on the back of the bag. When it comes time to roll out the crusts, remember you want it pretty thin. Another tip, roll it out on parchment paper, then use it to “assist” you in rolling the stromboli up.

To make it even easier, you could use Pillsbury’s Ready Made Gluten Free Pizza Crust. IF you can find it. I have trouble finding it in most grocery stores anymore.

  1. Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Brown the Italian Sausage. If you’d prefer Hot Italian Sausage, use it instead. After making these with the Sweet, I couldn’t help thinking that a mixture of sweet and hot would’ve been delicious.
  3. Add the chopped peppers and onions to the sausage as it browns. Drain and return all to the pan.
  4. If you’re adding garlic, do so now. Feel free to add more or less – depending upon your own level of garlic love.
  5. Salt and pepper everything.
  6. Add half the jar of sauce – save the rest for dipping your Strombolis.

Gluten Free Stromboli

Gluten Free Stromboli

For the Crust:

  • Roll each ball of pizza dough into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle.  Carefully transfer to a baking sheet.
  • Divide the Italian sausage filling down the middle of each rectangle. Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella evenly on top of each filling.
  • Turn the pan horizontally, so you’re looking at the future strombolis lenghtwise. Starting at the bottom of each, carefully roll the dough on top of the filling about an inch to two inches. Roll in the two sides.  Now roll “up” from the bottom (here’s where the parchment paper is a lot of help) and seal the edges – position the stroms with the seam on the bottom.  Cut several diagonal slits into the crust (with a ridiculously sharp knife), if you’re feeling fancy.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix
Optional Add Ins and “Hindsight” Ideas:

  • Pepperoni Slices would be delicious in these strombolis. One bite it, it occurred to me! Why it didn’t occur to me while I was at the store is beyond me.
  • You could easily make vegetarian strombolis by replacing the meat with extra peppers, mushrooms, and even jalapenos.
  • Instead of using the spaghetti sauce method, even though it was delicious, the next time I make these I want to try this approach: Brown the sausage/drain. Saute onions and green pepper. After rolling out the pizza crust, “brush” on my favorite pizza sauce (which happens to be Classico), evenly spread the filling ingredients down the middle, add the cheese, roll up, and bake. Like I said, the spaghetti sauce is fantastic, but I think pizza sauce would be pretty amazing too.
  • The stroms shown here are my first attempt and I, obviously, didn’t go too heavy on the filling. I wanted to make sure my dough closed around the ingredients and didn’t bust at the seams. Use common sense when putting your stroms together – it’s honestly better to go “light” than to have them pop open in the oven.
  • Strombolis don’t have to have to include the traditional ingredients. These would also be delicious with cheddar cheese, onions, and ham. I guess just about any luncheon meat would be delicious. Hmmm, I think I’ll try sliced roast beef and Swiss cheese sometime…
  • When it comes to favorite gluten free mixes (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix), I order in bulk off of Amazon. I’m afraid I can’t always count on my grocery store to have just the mix or mixes I need, but I can always count on Amazon. Come to think of it, it’s time to order another box of each of these mixes.
  • Store-bought pizza dough (whether you go the gluten free route or not) would be easier to work with, but when you make your own, the taste is just out of this world. They may not be quite as photogenic as a store bought crust would be, but since when do photos taste good?!
  • When I served the stroms, I sliced and positioned them on the plate among plenty of Ruffles Potato Chips (you just cannot have stroms without Ruffles!). I served little bowls of Marinara Sauce for dipping, but pizza sauce would also be great. Add a dill pickle and you’re golden.
  • Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust is a 10 out of 10. Excellent in every single way and it has never let me down. I highly recommend it for pizzas and strombolis.

Gluten Free Stromboli

Strombolis without Ruffles? I Don’t Think So!

Review: Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore

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Everyday Detox

Everyday Detox

 

I’ve discovered something pretty fascinating – the healthier you eat, the healthier you want to eat. When we add more vegetables, fish, fruit, and other healthy foods to our life, we actually find ourselves craving these foods than unhealthy choices.

One of the best ways to ensure that you’ll eat healthier meals is to arm yourself with a great collection of healthy cookbooks. Healthy cookbooks filled with recipes you’ll actually make, that is!

As someone who regularly reviews cookbooks, I admit there are a LOT of them out there with recipes that, while beautiful and impressive, I have less than zero intention of ever making.

If… and that’s a big if.. I could actually find (and afford!) all of the ingredients they often list, I’m just not convinced I’d follow through with the production.

That’s why coming across a cookbook that is both health conscious and filled with doable recipes is a real treat.  Everyday Detox is one of the biggest treats I’ve had in a while.

From the Book:

A healthy guide to detoxing naturally, all year round–no dieting, juice fasting, or calorie counting required–to lose weight, improve digestion, sleep better, and feel great, featuring 100 properly combined recipes for every meal of the day.

Most diets and cleanses have all-or-nothing rules that encourage unhealthy cycles of intense restriction followed by inevitable bingeing. In this healthy guide to detoxing naturally, nutritionist and blogger Megan Gilmore shares 100 delicious, properly combined recipes that will leave you feeling satisfied and well nourished while promoting weight loss and improving digestion and sleep.

Because the recipes were developed with digestion mechanics in mind, detoxers won’t feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating. And crowd-pleasing recipes for every meal of the day—such as Banana Coconut Muffins, Chocolate Chia Shake, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Skillet Fish Tacos, Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza, and Peppermint Fudge Bars—are packed with all-natural, whole-foods ingredients designed to stave off feelings of deprivation. With helpful information on how to stock your detox-friendly kitchen plus a handy food-combining cheat sheet that demystifies this cutting-edge health principle, Everyday Detox makes it easy to start eating this way today.

Recipes Include:

  • Maple Pecan Granola
  • Go to Greek Salad
  • Cinnamon Coffee Cake
  • No Bake Coconut Granola Bars
  • No Fail Kale Salad
  • Crispy Zucchini Chips
  • Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • Raw Lemon Bars
  • Zucchini Lasagna
  • Mushroom Gravy
  • Thai-Style Lettuce Wraps
  • Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza
  • Skillet Fish Tacos with Citrus Slaw
  • Overnight Chia Pudding

The recipes I’ve tried have been uncommonly delicious.  The Overnight Chia Pudding might be my favorite – it couldn’t be easier to make and it’s even better than you expect it to be. Really, really delicious.

If you’re interested in feeding your family a healthier diet and/or looking for ways to lose weight without suffering (!!!), I know you’ll love Everyday Detox.

 

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

Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza

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Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza

Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza

Before we get to the recipe, a few words about grilling pizzas. My husband has always been a huge fan of grilling. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, corn on the cob… you name it,  he’s grilled it…. and to perfection.  Last summer, however, I thought he’d finally lost his mind. Seriously, I thought it was time to phone the children.

He told me that he had special plans for his weekend grilling. As my mind was rounding up ideas for sides for burgers, steaks, or chicken – he said he wanted to grill a couple of pizzas.

I’m always up for an adventure that doesn’t involve snakes, heights, or dressing in horizontals, so I told him I was on board.

Here’s the thing, in spite of my initial doubts, I soon found that grilled pizza is out of this world delicious.  Out. Of. This. World. It gives a certain, unmistakable flavor to pizza that’s like a brick-oven pizza you’d pay an arm and a leg for.   If you’ve ever had a brick oven pizza, you know they’re more delicious than any pizza has a right to be.

Grilled pizzas recreate the flavor – for a lot less money. AND without heating up your kitchen.

Note: Be sure to read the article in its entirety – it continues after each picture until the end, and I’ll let you know when that is. Deal? Deal.

Pizza Crust with Classico Sauce

Pizza Topped with Classico Sauce and Mozzarella

Your Pizza Crust

If you don’t eat gluten free, choose any crust you want: make your own, buy a mix, or even use a pre-made crust. If you eat gluten free, I (personally) suggest using one of these two gluten free mixes:

  • Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Crust Mix
  • Glutino Gluten Free Pantry Pizza Crust Mix

I’ve heard great things about Pamela’s Products Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix but haven’t tried it, myself, yet. When I do, I’ll let you know.

When making a grilled pizza, there is nothing in the whole world wrong with buying a ready-made crust. In fact, they’re nice and firm and you can pretty much bet that they’re up to the challenge. Besides, the flavor from the grill and your toppings are the true stars of the show.

Your Pizza Sauce

When it comes to pizza sauce, different strokes for different folks. Some use tomato sauce, straight from a can, and swear there’s no other way to do it. Others grab a can or jar of whatever pizza sauce is on sale.  As for me, Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce is the only one I ever buy or use.

I once had a little taste test challenge and it blew the rest away. The flavors in Classico make the so-called flavors in the rest seem non-existent. It’s also thicker. And prettier.

Let’s Get Grilling!

1. Prepare your pizza crust:

After your crust has been mixed, work it with your hands to form a large circle OR several small circles or even rectangles. Place dough onto a lightly-floured, unbleached parchment paper-lined pizza pan.  Needless to say, if you’re gluten free, be sure to use gluten free flour or (my personal favorite) gluten free cornmeal. You can also use aluminum foil in place of the parchment paper, but parchment paper seems less inclined to tear.

2. Have your sauce, toppings, and cheese ready:

Whether you’re making a good old-fashioned cheese or pepperoni pizza or you’re getting fancy with grilled veggies or a Cheeseburger Pizza (See Below), have everything ready to go. DO NOT expect the crust to wait on the grill for you while you round everything up – he will burn faster than you can think of a Plan B.  Have everything ready within arm’s reach.

When putting sauce on your dough, think of it as “painting” the crust as opposed to slopping sauce all over it. Too much sauce on the pizza isn’t a good thing.

Your Grill

Gas Grills: Set grill to 400 degrees F

  • Pre-heat grill with lid closed for about 10 minutes.
  • Use an  oven thermometer to make sure that the grill temperature is at a minimum of 400 degrees F.
  • When grill is at the proper pre-heated temperature, carefully grease the grates with olive oil. Simply wet paper towels with the olive oil, and use tongs to “grease” the grates. There are also cooking sprays made especially for grilling too.
  • Peel the parchment paper off and place your pizza dough directly onto the grill. This is where it’s especially cool to have a pizza peel – you can just slide your dough onto the grill in style.
  • Cover and cook your crust for 3 minutes (until bottom is crisp). Turn crust over and QUICKLY top with your sauce, toppings, and cheese.
  • Cover and grill two more minutes.  Remove your delicacy from the heat by sliding pizza onto a pizza peel or cutting board.
  • Allow the pizza to rest for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy.

* I’m not familiar with grilling pizzas on charcoal grills – but you can find information online. Simply ask Google – he knows everything. 

Cheeseburger Pizza!

You can use cheeseburger pizza toppings for a grilled OR oven baked pizza, but (at the risk of sounding like a broken record), the brick-oven effect from a grill is extra, extra special.

Brown 1 lb ground chuck with 1/2 an onion. Salt and pepper the production. After the meat has browned, remove from pan and drain.

Coarsely chop 8-12 dill pickle chips (the number depends on how much you love pickles – I went with 8 the first time and have since moved up to 12).  You could, of course, use pickle relish or finely chop the pickles – but, for whatever reasons, I always take the “rustic” or “coarsely chopped” side.

As for cheese, I use a combination of  shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar cheese for Cheeseburger Pizzas. I’ve seen some people just use cheddar, but I couldn’t do that to mozzarella.

Not after everything we’ve been through.

As you can tell from the picture at the top, I didn’t do it, but you could add chopped fresh lettuce and shopped tomatoes to the top right before serving.

If you’re ready to completely blow your mind…. why not make a Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza by simply topping with crumbled bacon before (or even after) grilling?

* thud*  I just passed out from the thought.

KinniKinnick Pizzas

Kinnikinnick Pizzas Topped with Classico, Jalapenos, Olives, and Banana Peppers

Taco Pizza on the Grill

Before I had to start eating gluten free, taco pizza was a huge obsession.

Guess what. It still is.

You can build a taco pizza by simply changing a few things up with the Cheeseburger Pizza – and, again, this can be done in the oven or on the grill. After your ground beef or chuck has browned, add taco seasoning (McCormick has a gluten free taco seasoning mix… good on them!) and a little water, just as if you were making tacos. Add black olives, jalapenos, black beans, cheddar cheese, whatever toppings your little heart desires.

Before serving, top with chopped lettuce and tomatoes. Serve with sour cream and/or mild sauce, salsa, or Picante sauce. A little sour cream and mild sauce drizzled over the top of each slice…. HEAVEN!

Frozen Pizza on the Grill

This is where things really get quick and easy! You can grill frozen pizzas and get that same brick oven flavor. Simply place the pizza onto the grill, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes (for traditional-size frozen pizzas).  Lift the cover of the grill, rotate the pizza 1/2 turn, close the lid, and cook for about 10 more minutes.

Please keep an eye on the pizza the whole time. Gluten free frozen pizzas are almost always smaller than regular pizzas, so they will cook faster. Use the 10 minutes as a guide, not a hard and fast rule.

Use a food thermometer when you think your pizza is ready – you want the internal temperature to be at 160 degrees.

My Beloved Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Pizza Crusts are AMAZING on the grill. Seriously, the flavor can’t even be described. Even non-gluten free eating pizza lovers will be hooked for life.

A Couple of Notes:

  • After the first two minutes, check the bottom of your crust. If it isn’t browning equally across the surface, use a spatula and rotate the crust 90 degrees.
  • It’s very (make that VERY) tempting to go overboard with sauce and toppings when it comes to pizza. However, try to reign yourself in. Too much sauce and extra-heavy toppings do nothing to add to the flavor of a grilled pizza. In fact, they’ll just weigh it down and detract from the awesome grilled flavor. Use a very modest layer of sauce across your dough and store the leftovers in the refrigerator for next time.
  • Classico.

Classico Pizza Sauce
The End.