No Kidding Nutrition

Healthy Habits Made Easier

Frozen Cacao Peanut Butter Cookies

frozen cacao peanut butter cookies

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Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Freezing time
4 hrs
Total Time
10 mins
 

Beat the heat on those steamy summer days with these frozen, no-bake cookies. My go-to summer cookie recipe!

Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: Frozen, no bake, chocolate, peanut butter
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup almond or non-dairy milk of choice
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
  • 1 cup gluten-free oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
  • 2 tsp unrefined, organic coconut oil
Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, combine almond milk, cacao and sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add oats and coconut oil. Arrange spoonfuls on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for four hours. (These can be eaten in less time, but they will be gooey!)

Baked Avocado and Egg

Baked avocado and egg

 

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Prep Time
2 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
17 mins
 

Avocados are an excellent source of dietary fiber, providing 40% of the Daily Value in a 1-cup serving. They also contain vitamins C and B-6, magnesium and potassium. Try this tasty recipe and reap all the benefits from this powerful superfood!

Course: Breakfast
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2-3 tablespoons salsa room temperature
  • sea salt
  • squeeze of lime
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Slice avocado in half, remove pit and remove 2 spoonfuls of flesh in each half. Place avocado in baking dish. 

  3. Sprinkle with sea salt and a squeeze of lime. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like things spicy! 

  4. Crack 1 egg into each avocado half. 

  5. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until egg whites are no longer clear. Remove from the oven and garnish with a few tablespoons of salsa; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
16 mins
 

One cup of roasted pumpkin seeds provides over 40% of the daily recommended amount of magnesium. Magnesium is important in muscle and nerve contraction as well as helping regulate blood sugar and blood pressure.

Course: Snack
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • sea salt to taste
  • optional spices such as curry, cinnamon or cumin
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 

  2. Place raw pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast for up to 20 minutes. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

Pumpkin seeds can be eaten alone as a healthy snack but are great toppers for salads, soups, oatmeal, yogurt, or even pasta. You can also use them in homemade granola, in place of nuts in pesto or bake them into muffins. 

Spinach Feta Quesadilla

Spinach and Feta Quesadilla

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Prep Time
7 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
12 mins
 

A tasty lunch with antioxidant-rich spinach, fiber-filled beans and more. Make sure you look for fresh, quality feta made from either sheep or a combination of sheep and goat's milk. 

Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/4 cup fresh feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
  • 2 Tbsp creamer, such as half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup canned cannellini beans; drained, rinsed and mashed with a fork
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 medium flour tortillas
  • cooking spray
  • 1 medium lemon
Instructions
  1. Coat a 10-inch skillet coated with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté 1 minute; stir in spinach. Cook until spinach is hot and liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes; remove from heat.
  2. Add feta and Parmesan cheeses, creamer, beans, pepper and lemon juice to skillet; stir until well-combined.
  3. Spread 1/2 cup of spinach mixture on half of each tortilla; fold tortillas in half to enclose filling.
  4. Recoat skillet with cooking spray. Place 2 folded tortillas in skillet and brown over medium heat, about 2 to 3 minutes per side; set aside and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

  5. Cut each tortilla into four wedges. Serve with lemon wedges. 

Chicken with Lemon and Capers

Chicken with Lemon and Capers

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Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
22 mins
 

This easy to make dish was always one of my kid's favorites. It comes together quickly and doesn't rely on heavy breading or frying like a typical chicken cutlet recipe. 

Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
  • 1/8 cup flour or gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup organic chicken broth
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 1 tbsp butter, optional
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions

  1. Slice or pound 1 package chicken breasts so they are no more than ½ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Dredge in flour (you can use gluten free) mixed with paprika. Heat olive oil in skillet (you are not frying them like cutlets, so only as much oil as you think you need to keep them from sticking). 

  3. Cook on each side until no longer pink in middle; remove from pan and keep warm. Deglaze pan with chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. 

  4. Squeeze half a lemon into remaining broth, cook for a couple of minutes until reduced to the consistency you like. If using, swirl in a tablespoon of butter. 

  5. Add in 2 tablespoons of capers and heat through. Return chicken to pan and keep in just long enough to get heat through. Serve, spooning sauce and capers over chicken.

Recipe Notes

Dairy free, gluten free.

Garlic for Good Health

garlic for good healthEating garlic for good health? Yes, it’s true. Garlic has a myriad of health benefits and once you’ve discovered them, you may want to add a little more garlic into your life.

Garlic might just be the secret unsung hero of the health food world. Not only does garlic contain powerful antioxidants, it also has anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral and anticlotting properties. It is extremely easy to grow and a staple ingredient in many recipes. Raw garlic can even be rubbed on bug bites! What is most unbelievable is how overlooked this vegetable of the allium family is. While health-conscious people are constantly focused on the super foods du jour such as kale, avocados or chia seeds, they often forget about the simple, unsexy (bad breath is an unfortunate effect) and underutilized clove of garlic.

According to Jo Robinson of Eating on the Wild Side, garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years to treat wounds prior to the advent of penicillin. It also was consumed in order to fight off colds, sore throats and the flu. Recent studies have shown it to be effective in promoting cardiovascular health. Unlike longterm and repeated antibiotic use, our bodies do not develop a resistance to garlic. (To be clear, I am not suggesting that you don’t take antibiotics and you should always consult your doctor for ANY medical issue.) Last but not least, garlic was shown to block “100% of the growth of human cancers of the stomach, pancreas, breast, prostate, lungs, kidneys and brain” in a Canadian study highlighted in Robinson’s book.

The best way to eat garlic? Raw or cooked are both fine as long as you follow these rules. If eating raw, press the cloves in a garlic press for the greatness to be fully released. Slicing, mashing or chopping is ok too, but pressing rules when it comes to getting the most health benefits out of your garlic. If cooking garlic, once it is prepped, let it sit for about 10 minutes. This is absolutely necessary prior to heating it. If you heat garlic right away, you’re losing one of its important enzymes.

Trying to grow your own garlic? It’s a simple as planting a clove in the fall, about a month and a half before the first frost. I tried it for the first time and it was a success. However, do not attempt this with supermarket garlic. Order your garlic from a seed catalogue or purchase from a nursery or farmer’s market. Or you can do what I did and have a friend give you a head from their own garden-grown garlic. You’ll need to separate the cloves, but leave the skins on. Plant each clove separately in good soil with the pointed end facing up. Let it sit through the winter and early spring with a layer of mulch (or in my case, leaves did just fine). You’ll know when to pick when the lower leaves start to brown. It’s really that simple. For more growing tips, click here.

Interested in trying garlic the next time you feel a cold or flu coming on? Here’s a recipe for a garlic-infused tea that I often use:

Garlic for Good Health Ingredients

  • 1 peppermint tea bag
  • 1 clove raw garlic, pressed (let sit for 10 minutes after pressing)
  • 1/2 lemon squeezed
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

In a tea cup, add garlic and peppermint tea bag. Pour boiling water over. Add in remaining ingredients and steep, covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Drink tea and eat the garlic!

 

 

Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

Despite their tiny size, chia seeds are packed with health benefits. Each tablespoon contains 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of plant-based protein, and 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. They also are a good source of magnesium and calcium. This superfood makes a wonderful breakfast pudding that can be made the night before!

Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

¼ cup covernight chia seed puddinghia seeds

1 ¼ cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk of choice)

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix chia seeds, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract in mason or similar jar. Put in refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours or overnight, shaking vigorously at least once after 30 minutes. Top with favorite fresh fruit, goji berries, chopped nuts, cinnamon, shredded coconut or sunflower seeds. Can also be heated up and served warm if desired.

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain Using The Three “R’s”

avoiding holiday weight gainThe holidays are a tough time of year when it comes to avoiding holiday weight gain.

Sharing meals with friends and family, spending quality time with your loved ones and enjoying the support and sense of belonging that comes with being connected to people, is far more meaningful and important than stressing (or obsessing!) over an extra few pounds. Rather than waste your energy wondering how you are going to restrict yourself to just one of those peanut butter Kiss cookies, try using the three “R’s:” Reduce, Relocate, and Resist.

 Step 1: Reduce

Ok, it is the holidays. No sense in trying to eat salad all day and hope to get through your friend’s cocktail party without a little splurge. Instead, eat throughout the day as you normally would, but reduce the size of your plate! I like to eat on salad plates rather than dinner plates as the visually pleasing “full” plate makes me feel as if I’m eating more. This little trick has helped me on numerous occasions.

And don’t forget to plan ahead for the evening splurge. Will it be two cocktails? Extra shrimp? If you arrive at your guest’s house with a plan in place, you’ll be much more likely to keep your overeating to a minimum.

Step 2: Relocate

Remove the tempting food from its current location and relocate it somewhere in your house that requires about a 20 or 30-second walk in order to retrieve it. Maybe it’s a shelf in the laundry room, the basement, a spare cabinet in a guest room, or the garage (just make sure it’s stored in an airtight, critter-proof container).  Sometimes even a too-high-to-reach shelf in one of your kitchen cabinets is all that it takes. It’s that simple. I did this with our leftover Halloween candy this year and boy did it make it make a difference!

 Step 3: Resist

New research contradicts previously held beliefs that willpower is a finite resource. In the past, willpower was believed to behave like a muscle, i.e. it gets “fatigued” after use and therefore is unavailable when needed for those chocolate truffles. In 2013, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the results of a study that showed that people who believed that willpower was abundant in supply, and not something that could be depleted, performed better at resisting an impulse after completing a series complicated tasks. The subjects who believed that willpower was a finite resource however, did not do well on the secondary task and gave up more easily.

Start practicing using your willpower in little ways and build up to things that are harder for you to resist. An example might be to start resisting watching the commercials during a tv program by leaving the room or switching the channel. Start simple and easy. You want to feel in control before tackling the leftover cheesecake in the fridge!

Did any of these strategies work for you? Was one easier than another? Spread the word by “liking” this post on Facebook or sharing this article on your favorite social media platform. And of course, I’d love to hear about your success story, so join the conversation below!

The Power of Parsley

parsleyWhen it came to growing vegetables this summer, I have to admit I would not have won any prizes. I’ve always been a bit sporadic with my watering and I was easily dissuaded when those pesky little green worms invaded my garden. However, when it came to herbs, I ruled! Forget that they are often as easy to grow as weeds (I had to put that disclaimer in just so you know that no green thumbs are necessary to grow herbs). Nonetheless, I still felt an immense amount of pride when I looked out my kitchen window and saw bountiful, healthy herbs growing in my garden.

For most of us, herb-growing season is over. But an indoor herb garden is a great way to continue to use fresh herbs over the winter. There’s really never a bad time to start growing herbs indoors and since I’ve gotten so used to fresh herbs over the summer, I can’t wait to get a few small plants growing in my kitchen.

One herb you should definitely include in your indoor garden is parsley. While I used to think of parsley as merely the garnish for many of my dishes, I’ve learned just how wonderfully healthy this herb is. I’ve started to add it to my smoothies and juices and sneak it in to many recipes that otherwise don’t call for it. Raw food advocate and expert David Wolfe eats it like a rabbit-which means biting it right off the stalk. While I don’t see myself doing that anytime soon, I do think this power-packed herb deserves more attention. There are many health benefits to eating parsley and it is an amazing alkalizing food (alkalizing foods help keep your blood pH in a state that is difficult for disease to thrive). Did you know that parsley is

  • loaded with chlorophyll which helps stabilize blood sugar and promotes healing among other things
  • an excellent liver detoxifer
  • a “chemoprotective food” meaning it can protect you from damaging carcinogens
  • a breath freshener
  • a great source of antioxidants
  • contains vitamins A and C

In fact, animal studies have shown parsley to inhibit lung tumor formation. With all these benefits, I hope you’ll try to incorporate this wonder herb into more of your meals. Here’s a delicious juicing recipe to try from Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Kitchen:

6 celery stalks

3 cucumbers

3 large broccoli stems

½ cup loosely packed parsley

1 ½ lemons, peeled and quartered.

Wash and prep all ingredients. Juice all ingredients.

 

How do you enjoy eating your parsley? I bet you’ve got some great ideas that No Kidding Nutrition readers would love to know!

 

 

Pumpkin Seeds Pack A Nutritional Punch

pumpkin faceNow that Halloween is approaching, I thought I’d give pumpkin seeds the attention they deserve. When I was a kid, we sometimes used to scoop out the stringy flesh of our Halloween pumpkins, rinse the seeds and toast them in the oven. I think the act of making a “snack” out of the seeds was far more exciting than actually eating them for some reason. But a few years ago, when my local grocery store started carrying roasted, flavored pumpkin seeds, they immediately became a staple in my pantry. They have numerous health benefits due to their high content of

·      Protein: 10 grams of plant-based protein in a quarter cup!

·      Magnesium: almost half the Recommended Daily Allowance

·      Zinc: one ounce has over 2 mg of this mineral that many people are deficient in

·      Fiber, if eaten in their shells (for those of you who really like some serious crunching!)

The ancient Aztecs who munched on seeds were on to something! Pumpkin seeds also don’t require refrigeration, which makes them extremely well suited for lunchboxes, airplane snacks and camping trips. With cold and flu season here, pumpkin seeds are a great way to boost your immune system. Zinc also helps with sleep, acne and mood. Keep a jar on the kitchen table so kids can take a handful when they are doing homework or returning from after school activities. Experiment with various flavors as a nut-free way to get some crunch into salads. Try adding plain, raw dried seeds to yogurt, granola bars, trail mix and oatmeal.  Share your favorite ideas with our readers.

Contact

Ready to create habits that stick? Call or email me today so I can help you get started.
Email: dawn@nokiddingnutrition.com
917-696-4623

Mission

To make healthy habits easier. That’s it!