Simple and Healthy!!

Changing Habits for long term success needs to be simple and healthy!

It takes a while sometimes for new healthy habits and practices to become part of you. It can sometimes feel like staying well and healthy is work. I know and I get it, which is why I have put together a list of resources that I have found that actually work. I thought you might like to use them to help you with your long-term goals.

This week I want to focus on FOOD!!! Well mostly VEGGIES!!!

FOOD IS MEDICINE

The life changing art of My Sunday Batch Method:(Look out Marie Kondo)

Before I explain how my batch method will literally free up time and change your health, let’s have a quick look at the diet landscape.

It seems that there is an idea that there is one specific diet that is great for everyone. Each group, whether it is Keto, Vegan, Paleo or something else,, each group seems to have found the holy grail of protocols. This can be confusing, leaving many of you not quite knowing what to eat for good health. All the above mentioned have some deficiencies or gaps that need to be filled.

The research continually points to personalization and diet variation as keys for overall health, yet in the online world, it often seems like many are trying to tout that their own method is the best.

1. In general, we all largely agree that we should eat whole organic free/wild foods that are free of pesticides and hormones, yet we spend 90% of our time debating the 10% we disagree about.

2. Those saying they have “figured out what has worked” have figured out what works for them. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone because we are all a little different. I do think however that there is value and something to learn in every approach. Heck, I have experimented a lot over the years to find what works best for me.

Plants: Mostly Veggies

We can all agree that one of the biggest challenges most of us face is getting enough veggies into our diet. It doesn’t matter which type of diet you follow, it always is the area where we fall short.

The other thing about this is that veggies are often only an afterthought in most restaurants, quick food pick up places and order in food services. The small amounts of veggies that they do include are not all that tasty. (In my opinion of course.) Let’s not even talk about the happy hour menu!!!

So that means in order to get more veggies into your daily diet that are organic and tasty, you must prepare them at home. It can feel like a lot of work and planning, right? Well, I have a short cut that I think might help. No more excuses!

My Sunday Batch Method: Fast, Quick and Nutritious

PURCHASE

I go to the store  or farmers market, and I load up on a variety of organic veggies, green leaves including parsley and cilantro. I also grow my own herbs so I can grab them fresh. I also load up on good fats, like avocados at various stages of ripeness, and raw organic seeds and nuts.

PREPARE

Once I am home:
I wash everything and trim of leaves of the root veggies, like carrots, radishes, and beets. Then I trim the asparagus and put them in a glass jar like I would a bunch of flowers. I then preheat the oven to 400 degrees:
While the oven is warming up, I roast the nuts and seeds: Once the oven is at 400 and the nuts and seeds have been roasted, I take them out and then roast the beets, and Butternut squash. That takes about 35-40 minutes.

While those veggies are roasting, I lightly steam the following:

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes etc.

While they are lightly steaming and the oven is roasting, I chop the veggies that I like to eat raw and store them: Things like radishes, celery, carrots, peas, peppers etc.: You can also wash and store zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, and other veggies.

To save time I buy the pre-packaged boxes of organic greens that include spinach so I can just grab a handful of mixed greens easily. I can then add kale, parsley, cilantro, sprouts, ginger, garlic, and anything else I like to include in my salad base.

If you eat eggs and like to have some of them ready to throw into a lunch container, then add another pan to the stove and boil to your taste.

All the above takes me about just over one hour. It might take a little longer on your first try, but once you get the hang of it your prep time will get shorten.

Once everything is cooled and in glass storage containers, I now have my fridge stocked with a variety of raw slightly steamed and roasted veggies, good fats and nuts and seeds.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Grilled Veggies: Add a little olive oil, and Himalayan Sea salt to one or more of the following: sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, cauliflower etc. and grill along with your favorite protein. For me it is usually WILD Fish. This is a simple, tasty, and nutritious meal.

Big Bowls: This is my go-to… I love a BIG BOWL OF GOODNESS! Add a handful of mixed green and red leaves to your big bowl, now add broccoli, roasted red and yellow beets, Brussel sprouts, chopped celery, nuts, onions, avocado and finally add some cilantro and parsley. Toss in a simple dressing and you are good to go. Optional and small quantities (lentils, shellfish, chickpeas, and quinoa)

Bone Broths: Warming and great for cooler evenings: Sauté onions, garlic, and grated ginger, add your organic bone broth of choice, add protein if uncooked and raw veggies of choice (I like carrots and celery) bring to the boil and simmer till protein is cooked. Add in already steamed broccoli and rough chopped kale. Cook for another minute. Ladle the broth into a bowl and add avocado slices and chopped cilantro and serve. (You can experiment with adding Asian spices, or coconut crème, lemon grass and mint leaves.) You could also add a very small serving of your noodles of choice.

Veggie Frittata using already prepared veggies. This is a very simple and nutritious meal. Serve with a simple green salad for added nutrients.

Stir Fry: Add a ton of veggies to a Stir-fry using your favorite spices. Top with some chopped roasted nuts or seeds for added crunch.

Use your Insta-pot or slow cooker for easy meals. You have all your veggies already ready to go for no fuss preparation.

SIMPLE AND HEALTHY

I am a bit of a lazy cook however, I want to eat home cooked, organic, simple meals that are good for my family and me. I want to feel good, have high energy and know that I am getting the minerals and nutrients I need each day.

Those are just a few simple ways to have a tasty and nutritious lunch or dinner using my Simple Batch Method. This way you are not starting from scratch every night. Meals are ready in less than 20 minutes, and you have more time to spend with family and loved ones. Yeah!!

I hope this was helpful…. Healthy and Simple! Please feel free to share with others and have them sign up for my weekly newsletter for FREE Health Tips and information.

Enjoy the first week of the Fall and have a healthy week

Dr Pia