Posts from the ‘nutrition’ Category

Apr 1

Muesli

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

I’ve always had a bit of a cereal addiction. I find it to be a great comfort food, no matter what time of day. In fact, I love it so much that I had to stop buying it! I’ve recently come up with a way to bring cereal back into my life in a healthy way: muesli, which is a homemade cereal based on oats, fruit and nuts. I love how all the ingredients are fresh and not processed. I feel good about eating it.

The recipe is very forgiving and adaptable. I typically use sunflower seeds, but pumpkin seeds would work perfectly (try using both!). You can get additional fiber by adding a tablespoon of flax seed. My favorite dried fruits to use are cherries and dates, but raisins also work perfectly well. The goji berries and cacao nibs are optional if you’re not one for fancy ingredients. You can find them at most health food stores and they’re both considered superfoods. I say yes to superfoods! Might as well sneak a bit of extra nutrition in there, right? They’re both very tasty; the cacao nibs add a lovely hint of chocolate crunch, while goji berries are sweet and chewy. If you leave these out, add more nuts and dried fruit.

Because I find cereal to be such a tempting snack, I prefer to make this one serving at a time. But to save time you can easily multiply the recipe and store it in an airtight container in the pantry. It will stay fresh for weeks, if not months. Instant, healthy cereal!

Feb 29

42 Comments

Fruit and Nut Bites

This may be the easiest recipe I’ve ever shared on Savory Simple. But truthfully, I think the simplicity of these bites is what makes me love them so much. They’re fast, healthy, and are perfect for killing a late night sugar craving. There are only 3 ingredients- medjool dates, pistachios and pecans. That’s it! This recipe is a blank template open to your interpretation. You can try it as is, or use any combination of dried fruits and nuts in your pantry. Feel free to add spices such as cinnamon or cardamom. You can roll them in coconut flakes if you like. Enjoy!

Jan 22

52 Comments

Super Foods Power Smoothie

This is my daily breakfast. It’s very filling and so healthy. I like this smoothie so much that I used it to kick my morning caffeine habit. I used to look forward to coffee. Now I crave my smoothie.

May I talk about flax seed for a moment? One of the most common nutrition complaints I hear from people is that they don’t get enough fiber in their diet. Indeed, it can be quite difficult to get the recommended 20-35 grams per day, especially if you don’t eat a lot of fruits and veggies. 1 1/2 tablespoons of flax seed has 4 grams of fiber! That’s the same as eating a cup of brussels sprouts. In addition to containing fiber, flax seed has omega-3 essential fatty acids and lignans, which have antioxidant properties. There’s evidence that flax seed may help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Adding flax seeds to a smoothie is a perfect way to incorporate natural, healthy fiber into your diet. I recently discovered roasted flaxand prefer the flavor and texture over standard flax seed. But either will work fine.

This recipe is totally customizable. I like using almond milk and butter because almonds are another super food. But feel free to swap out the almond milk for soy or coconut (coconut milk tastes amazing with the other ingredients and is a healthy fat). Use any nut butter you prefer. You can also add more nut butter for decadence. I know a lot of people are squeamish about green smoothies, but I promise you won’t notice the kale. It’s so good for you and this is any easy way to fill your tummy and add nutrition. I freeze individual servings of banana and kale so I simply drop them into the blender. The kale chops up better when frozen. Read more

Nov 2

69 Comments

Almond Butter

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

Since I now regularly make raw almond milk, I decided to invest in bulk almonds to save money. Totally worth it! I can now make milk for pennies on the dollar. It got me wondering what else I could do with them, and I decided to try homemade almond butter. It’s unbelievably easy and incredibly economical.

Oct 11

56 Comments

Raw Almond Milk

I recently watched the documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’ and it was a life changer. The movie provides some stunning scientific evidence supporting the relationship between animal product consumption and disease. I want to live a long healthy life! I’m nowhere close to maintaining an exclusively plant-based diet, but I’m making changes. For example, I’ve never been a big meat eater but I consume quite a bit of dairy. To offset this, I’ve been alternating between milk and non-dairy alternatives.

Out of the wide array of non-dairy milk alternatives available, my favorite is almond milk. It has a mild, smooth flavor and works great in cereal, coffee and smoothies. I have yet to try baking with it but I’ve heard many success stories. I decided to try making my own to see how it compared to store brands such as Almond Breeze.

Sep 10

34 Comments

Strawberry Mango Yogurt Pops

I’ve been making homemade pops quite a bit recently. I go through phases where I get major sugar cravings in the evening (these phases seem directly related to carb and sugar intake during the day). Homemade popsicles have become my answer! They’re healthy, filling, and they satisfy my sweet tooth. I already keep Greek yogurt and frozen fruit handy to make smoothies. For pops, I typically make the same smoothie I would have for a daytime snack and then freeze the contents into my Tovolo Green Star Ice Pop Molds.

It helps to have a good sturdy blender for this. If your blender can’t puree frozen fruit, use fresh fruit. My pop molds use approximately 2 1/3 cups of smoothie to fill all of the molds. This recipe makes a bit extra in case you’re using a larger mold. Drink the excess, it’s delicious. And experiment with the ingredients! I often use strawberries and mangoes because I love the flavor combination, but you can use any fruits you prefer. Play around with the recipe and make a healthy, homemade pop that’s so much better than anything you’ll buy in the store.

Aug 26

65 Comments

Salads 101: Everything You Need to Know

This summer I’ve become a salad fanatic. Believe it or not, I was terrible at making salads before I went to culinary school. It was my shameful secret. I knew about the different tastes (sweet/salty/bitter/sour) but I didn’t realize that paying attention to such a simple cooking principle would have such a dramatic effect on my final product. I also didn’t realize the importance of adding texture and color or that the trick to making salads truly filling was to add protein and healthy fat.

I’m going to break everything into categories to describe how I make salads. Even the picky eaters in my family enjoy my salads, so I think you will too! Pick and choose from this list, but try to add something from as many categories as possible to create a good balance.

Posts from the ‘nutrition’ Category

Muesli

Fruit and Nut Bites

Super Foods Power Smoothie

Almond Butter

Raw Almond Milk

Strawberry Mango Yogurt Pops

Salads 101: Everything You Need to Know

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