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 …
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Quick and easy ground beef taco meat using homemade taco seasoning. One skillet and less than 30 minutes for this mouth-watering taco meat.
Did anyone else here grow up on boxed Spanish rice? My hand just shot through the roof.
My parents were all about convenience, so we grew up on boxed rice pilaf and Spanish rice. While I have zero hesitation to continue eating the boxed version, I find that there is just never enough!
I prefer my carbs (particularly rice) in excess, so I make a big batch of this rice (sometimes I double the recipe!) every time I have the hankering.
Homemade Spanish Rice is super simple to make! It requires hardly any additional effort than making regular white rice, and results in a mouth-watering rice that the whole family will love. I’m willing to bet you already have everything you need on hand.
One of my brothers and his wife makes Spanish rice for their kids regularly, and often for family dinners. I requested they fork over the recipe so that I could give it a whirl in my own home. This recipe is an adaptation of what they do!
Color me telepathic, but I have a sneaking suspicion you could use an easy meal using mostly pantry ingredients.
Sometimes we need cooking to be the easiest thing we’ve done all day or could simply use a win, and this vegan black bean sweet potato skillet is exactly that!
Incorporating basic ingredients you likely already have on hand, you’ll likely not even need to leave the house to make this beauty happen.
Bonus points: this recipe makes a TON of food – great for feeding the whole family or for meal prepping.
Bonus points, the sequel: You can make all sorts of changes to this meal based on what you have on hand!
This colorful, nutritious meal includes sweet potato, black beans, quinoa, bell pepper, onion, garlic, salsa and chili powder. The end result? A hearty meal that’ll tickle the tongue buds and make you feel satisfied.
The best part? This vegan Mexican inspired meal is so easy to prepare. Let’s talk about it!
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.
How to cook rice and potatoes for optimal digestion. Preparing rice (and other grains), potatoes, legumes, nuts and seeds properly unlocks the nutrients and ensures they aid rather than hinder digestion.
There continues to be debate in the health community as to whether or not rice and potatoes are considered “healthy.” Are they pro-inflammatory and raise blood sugar? Do they irritate the gut lining? Are they too full of “empty” carbs?
The paleo community has long debated whether or not either or both are permissible, because while both have been a part of the human diet for over 3,500 years, both contain lectins, which can cause gastrointestinal issues or autoimmune flairs when they aren’t properly prepared.
I wrote an article titled Is Rice Paleo?, where I go into detail about the downsides of various types of rice (white, brown, wild, forbidden, etc), versus the potential health benefits. Check out the article if you want a deep dive into rice and why it could both be considered potentially harmful or healthful.
The heated debate on rice and potatoes goes back to lectins (which are bad) and resistant starch (which is good). Fortunately, the way we prepare rice and potatoes can largely destroy active lectins and also make the resistant starch easier to digest, improving gut health and promoting regular bowel movements.
First, let’s discuss lectins and resistant starch.
What are Lectins?:
Lectins are proteins that bind to carbohydrate and serve as anti-nutrients. The purpose of lectins is to protect the plant from digestion so that if an animal were to eat it, the plant can survive the digestive process and still germinate after defecation.
Lectins are found in grains, potatoes, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
When consumed raw or undercooked, lectins in their active state can cause interfere with the absorption of minerals, especially calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Phytohaemagglutinin, a type of lectin found in undercooked kidney beans, cause red blood cells to clump together. It can also produce nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhea, bloating and gas.
Lectins can bind to cells lining the GI tract, which may disrupt the breakdown and absorption of nutrients. It can also affect the growth of intestinal flora. Because lectin proteins bind to cells for long periods of time, they can potentially cause an autoimmune response and inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
The good news is, boiling lectin-containing foods deactivates the lectins, thereby removing the anti-nutrient property from them. The kicker is, they must be properly boiled or cooked, lest some of the lectins remain.
What is Resistant Starch?
Resistant starch plays an important role in digestion. Resistant starch is called such because it is resistant to digestion. It moves along your digestive system and arrives in your colon intact.
Resistant starch may help prevent colon cancer (due to its ability to bind food together to help it move through your body), improves your insulin resistance, makes you feel full and helps you sleep at night. We need both digestible and indigestible foods in order to keep our bowel movements regular and well-formed.
Now that we’ve covered the cons (lectins) and the pros (resistant starch and easy-to-digest carbohydrate), let’s discuss how to cook rice and potatoes for optimal digestion.
67 Low-Carb Dinner Recipes that are easy to prepare, perfect for meal prep and are great for those looking to make changes to their diet or maintain a carb-conscious lifestyle.
For those of you who are looking to clean up your diet after the holidays, I’ve gotchu. Before we dive into this recipe roundup, it’s important to mention I don’t recommend any one style of eating as a blanketed template, as our body’s needs are constantly shifting.
I do find eating a diet that is lower in carbohydrate tends to be how I personally function best. It is also sustainable for my body type, where eating low-carb for some people can be the kiss of death.
Regardless of your diet protocol, be mindful of what you are changing and observe your body’s reaction. Avoid “sticking it out” or “suffering through it” when something feels drastically wrong.
Why Eat Low-Carb?:
Again, I will never tell you how to eat. I will, however, tell you why one would choose to eat a diet low in carbohydrate.
Depending on your body chemistry, carbohydrate raises your blood sugar and can cause inflammation when eaten in excess. Higher blood sugar can result in insulin resistance or diabetes when left unchecked, leading to a slew of ancillary health issues. If you find you are constantly hungry, become angry or anxious if you go more than a few hours without eating, crave sugar or fatty processed foods, or if you experience mood and energy shifts, you could be insulin resistant. While this may not be life-threatening in the short term, it can lead to diabetes in the long-term.
Chronic inflammation in your body can also lead to numerous health complications and diseases as well as hormonal imbalance, gut dysbiosis and more. Chronic inflammation reduces your body’s natural immune system, making it more difficult to clear toxins, fight and prevent disease. All disease is the result of inflammation, so monitoring your inflammation is the best insurance policy you could possibly buy into.
When to Eat Low-Carb:
Uncovering how your body functions best is your journey. I shift my diet to low-carb when I notice something is off with my digestive system (i.e. I’m constipated, gassy, my poop is just weird, etc), when I’m noticing big shifts in energy or mood, wake up feeling puffy for no reason, and/or when I’ve put on some extra pounds that I’d rather not have.
When I shift my diet to include less sugar or carbohydrate, I notice an immediate difference in my energy level and mood. Within a few days, I feel trimmer and my digestive system usually resets itself. That said, the process of feeling better can require more time for those whose bodies are not accustomed to eating low carb and need time to detoxify. Your starting point matters here.
Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests are an easy, fun, and clean breakfast! Low-carb, paleo, keto, and whole30, this winning breakfast is fun for the whole family!
Instant Pot Mexican shredded beef is a goof-proof approach to the best taco meat! This easy recipe makes restaurant-style shredded beef and takes just over an hour to prepare.
Easy, comforting Spaghetti Squash Bolognese made with straight-forward, simple ingredients. This gem of a dinner is perfect for meal prepping and also easy to throw together any night of the week.
Tender, crispy Instant Pot Carnitas recipe. This simple Mexican shredded pork recipe requires minimal prep time and effort!
On this week’s vegetarian meal plan, we have Turmeric Rice Burrito Bowls, Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant and String Bean Stir Fry, Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Pasta, Balsamic Sweet Pepper Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan, and Mango Edamame Quinoa Salad. Enjoy! Sunday Turmeric RIce Burrito Bowls from Making Thyme for Health Prep Ahead Tip: Cashew cheese and pico de gallo …
On this week’s menu: Baked Spaghetti with Kale, Mushrooms and Tofu Ricotta, Vegetarian Chili with Summer Vegetables, Summer Corn, Monterey Jack, and Brown Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers, and Roasted Summer Vegetable Burrito Bowls with Avocado Basil Crema. Happy Meal Prepping! xo Sunday Baked Spaghetti with Kale, Mushrooms and Tofu Ricotta, Vegan Mediterannean Chickpea ‘Meatballs’, Prep Ahead Tip: Comes together quickly. …
Spiced Ground Beef Tacos with seasoned roasted sweet potatoes and cashew-based vegan queso are a delightfully simple yet flavor-blasted taco for any night of the week.
Feeling like you could use a little food re-set? Me too! Here’s why I’ve chosen to do a Whole30. You’ll also find 42 nutritious Whole30 recipes for some satisfying, clean meals in this post. I know. Whole30. Old news. Hear me. While I’ve followed a modified paleo diet for a number of years, I’ve never …