Search results for: pumpkin

52 healthy grilling recipes from around the web! Grilled chicken, pork, beef, lamb – this post has it all! Gluten-free, paleo, keto options galore!

Avocado Chocolate Muffins (Paleo) – grain-free chocolate muffins made with coconut flour – refined sugar-free, dairy-free, easy to make, and fudgy! Recipe includes a keto option!

Quick and easy pineapple fried rice with shrimp, vegetables and cashews is an amazing flavor-blasted healthier take on the classic takeout dish. Make it in less than 30 minutes at home!

3 Keto Salad Dressing Recipes made with basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. Use these dressings for all sorts of green or grain salads or even as marinades for your favorite  protein! This post is sponsored by Truvia® Sweetener. If you’re anything like me and you adore big salads, you’re going to love …

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Rolled Oat Protein Pancakes are a nutritious low-fat, high protein, moderate carb pancake recipe. Geared for those targeting specific macros and/or anyone who loves a great pancake.

An easy 4-Step tutorial on how to make Instant Pot Coconut Milk Yogurt. This goof-proof method results in the best tasting dairy-free vegan yogurt, and only requires 3 ingredients! This post was a long time in the making, and I’m so thrilled to finally be sharing it with you all! Not only have I made …

A couple of weeks ago, I had a reader request freezer meals. Happy to oblige! Nothing pleases me more to provide inspiration or resources for meals that are easy to prepare and save. After all, cooking shouldn’t be complicated (IMHO).

In this post, I am including my favorite recipes from my site that can be frozen, thawed, and re-heated easily, as well as mouth-watering recipes from around the web.

Which Foods Freeze & Reheat Well?:

In general, plenty of liquid and/or fat and minimal vegetables makes a great freezeable meal. You’re pretty safe with anything that is smothered in tomato sauce, a cream-based sauce or coconut milk sauce.

Take lasagna for instance. It includes sauce, minimal fresh vegetables, and plenty of fat (from the cheese and/or meat). Casseroles, meat-centric soups (hello, chili!!!), curries, and recipes using pantry staples freeze and reheat well without tasting funky.  

Hearty vegetables, like root vegetables, winter squash, onion, and peppers freeze and reheat very well, but less hearty vegetables like cauliflower and zucchini do not.

As an exception to this, recipes that are fairly dry for the most part, such as veggie burgers, meatballs, breaded meats, and/or animal protein burgers are great candidates for freezing to reheat and consume later.

So let’s dive in! Here are my favorite healthy freezer meals from both The Roasted Root and from around the web.

Vegan Banana Pancakes made grain-free and paleo-friendly using almond flour and flax eggs. An easy egg-free recipe for banana pancakes!

How to cook dry black beans in the Instant Pot – a quick and easy method for cooking dried black beans (or any beans) that doesn’t require soaking.

Anti-Inflammatory Recipes to Support Your Immune System using nutrient-dense ingredients. Packed with antioxidants to lower inflammation.

40 recipes using pantry ingredients, covering breakfast lunch and dinner. If you have a hefty stock of pantry items but are low in fresh produce, you’ll love these easy nutritious recipes using staples.

 

Many of us keep a hefty stock of pantry items but don’t always have access to fresh produce. Coming from a small mountain town where it can snow non-stop for days, I’m very familiar with pantry cooking. 

When we don’t have control of mother nature, we can make the best of our food situation by whipping up delicious meals using ingredients we always have on hand.

You’d be surprised what you can do with a can of beans. I mean, Double Chocolate Chickpea or Black Bean Brownies, anyone? Suddenly being stuck at home doesn’t seem so bad.

Some of the recipes in this post include ingredients I would consider to be staples. For instance, I personally always have a supply of ground turkey, chicken, and/or sausage in my freezer, and keep bananas, potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion on hand.

If you are fresh out of anything on any of the ingredient lists, feel free to comment below, and I will do my best to provide substitutions! Here are some common substitutions you can employ when in a pinch:

Easy Substitutions:

• Meat: You can always replace meat with rice and beans for a complete protein. If you’re making soup that calls for meat, swap it for black beans and brown rice.
• Potatoes: Most potatoes can be used interchangeably, and butternut squash is a great replacement for potato.
• Carrot: Grated sweet potato, butternut squash, or regular potato can be used to swap out grated carrot.  Carrot and zucchini are interchangeable in baked recipes.
• Sweet Potatoes/Banana: You can often substitute applesauce for mashed sweet potatoes in breads or baked goods using a smaller measurement. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, use ½ to ⅔ cup applesauce. Mashed banana can be used to replace mashed sweet potato and vice versa in a 1:1 change.
• Tomatoes: If a recipe calls for tomato sauce and you don’t have any on hand, you can blend up diced tomatoes. Similarly, you can often substitute tomato sauce for diced tomatoes if you are fine with a smoother versus chunky texture.
• Nut Butters: Use peanut butter, tahini, almond butter, and cashew butter interchangeably.
• Dried Fruit: Raisins, dried blueberries and cranberries can be used interchangeably. 
• Oil/Butter: Most cooking oils are interchangeable, and butter can almost always be used to replace oil and vice versa. Where I don’t suggest using olive oil is in sweet baked goods, unless you are okay with the olive flavor coming through.
• Dairy-Free Milk: Non-dairy milks such as almond milk, oat milk and coconut milk can be used interchangeably and can often be used to replace cow’s milk.
• Cream: Cream can be replaced with full-fat canned coconut milk.
• Sweeteners: All liquid sweeteners are interchangeable, but be sure to keep a watchful eye on a baked good that uses honey instead of pure maple syrup, as honey burns at a lower temperature.
• Sugar: Coconut sugar + a touch of pure maple syrup can be used to replace brown sugar, and vice versa.
• Eggs: If you don’t have eggs on hand, you can replace 1 egg with ¼ cup of something else. For instance, ½ of a banana, ¼ cup of mashed sweet potato, applesauce, and/or flax or chia eggs. To make 1 flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water and stir well. Allow the mixture to sit and thicken for 10 minutes, then use it as you would a regular egg. 

These easy, nutritious recipes will not only keep you satisfied, they make for fun cooking projects at home! Leave a comment telling me which ones you try, and enjoy!

xo

Keto-friendly Carrot Cake made with almond flour for a carb-conscious take on the classic dessert! Use up your pantry items to take an “all-but-the-kitchen-sink” approach!

Crispy Mediterranean Chicken Salad with a fresh, zesty lemon herb tahini dressing, cherry tomatoes, avocado, arugula, and cucumber. This nutritious dinner recipe is packed with flavor and is perfect for anyone who loves a big vibrant meal as well as those on a carb-conscious, paleo, or keto diet.

The BEST gluten-free banana bread recipe made with gluten-free flour blend and sweetened with coconut sugar. Add chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts to level up this already moist and fluffy dream bread.

Chicken sausage pesto pasta makes for a filling, delightfully flavorful and fresh meal. Make it ahead of time for meal prep, or whip it up for the whole family!

What’s your pasta theory?

Are you into red sauce? Creamy sauce? Pesto? A drizzle of olive oil or melted butter? Something I’ve never even heard of?

Perhaps you have a noodle preference, meat (or lack thereof) specifications, and/or vegetable requirements (or lack thereof)?

While I’ve been eating gluten-free for a decade, I still occasionally find myself craving a big bowl of pasta. Truth be told, I can get down for just about any iteration of pasta, regardless of the sauce, and/or meat and vegetable inclusions.

I do find I absolutely ADORE pasta with sausage and pesto sauce. Which is exactly what we’re doing for today’s carb fest! I use a store-bought chicken sausage and homemade pesto sauce, but you can go about this however you’d like.