Archives: Healthy dinner ideas

Coconut Aminos

Coconut Aminos

Have you heard about coconut aminos? Essentially it’s the sap from a coconut that’s filled with amino acids, which rebuild muscle tissue, boost the immune system and raise physical energy levels – along with much, much more! I just learned about this magical condiment and used it in one of my recipes in place of soy sauce. Chad is doing the Whole Read more »

Tonight everything has changed in the hamburger world. Every time I attempt to have any type of burger I’m stuck with the plain burger and no bun. Tonight, everything’s changin! My excitement about this new GF hamburger bun (that’s actually not filled with total junk) is soaring high!

On this fine night we decided to make grass-fed ground beef burgers and as we walked around Whole Foods we actually came across gluten free hamburger buns! If only you could have seen the excitement in my eyes as we quickly threw the package into our cart.

I’ve never been so happy about a hamburger bun before and boy was it worth every bit of hype. You see, I’m always the girl who makes sure her burger comes without the bun, not because I’m watching my carb intake, but because my body can’t tolerate the gluten that’s in the buns! Please check out Canyon Bakehouse for an incredible (healthier then all the rest) surprise.

We were so hungry when we got home from the market that we couldn’t wait to start cooking immediately.

I grabbed the ground meat, scallions, garlic powder, cinnamon and lime and prepared myself to make the best kickin’ burger around town.

We toasted the buns, got out the ketchup, hot sauce (for Chad) and sauerkraut. YUMMY

The cinnamon gave it the most incredible hint of sweetness. According to Chad, we made the best damn burger that he’s had in NYC!

Here’s the recipe: This will make 3-4 burgers depending on their size

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound of grass-fed ground beef

2 scallions

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ a lime

Start by removing your meat from the package and place it into a mixing bowl. Chop your scallions using the green and white parts and add them in with the meat. Then add your garlic and cinnamon and mix together. Make your patties and set them aside on a separate platter.

Place a frying pan on the stove and pour in your olive oil. Heat on high until the oil is hot, then lower to a medium flame. Place your burgers in the pan and let cook, flipping when needed so both sides cook evenly. Take the lime and sprinkle some juice over each side of the burgers. Sprinkle some extra cinnamon on each side as you flip the burgers. Cook until desired and place on a plate with paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

Load up your burger and enjoy!

GF burger!

GF burger!

Fully loaded burger

Fully loaded burger

With this cold weather marching through Manhattan we’ve decided to make a yummy, comforting meal for dinner tonight.

Brisket! Yes it really is delicious and I highly recommend trying it.

This dish works really well in a slow cooker. You can prepare it in the morning before work, leave it on all day (8 hours) then your cooker should automatically turn to warm and your all set for din din.

For a side dish to go along with it we haven’t decided if we’re making a bean dish or sweet potatoes. Tough call… You can also make a grain of your choice. Be creative.

Here’s the recipe.

1 package of grass fed beef brisket from your local farmers market, or supermarket

1 yellow onion

1 clove of garlic

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

4-5 tomatoes depending on their size (if very large then only 1-2 tomatoes)

½ cup tomato sauce of your choice (I like Cucina Antica because there’s no added junk)

2 cups red wine (Anything that you’ve got lying around BUT it should be something that you would drink in a glass)(If you don’t have enough wine you can add 1 cup vegetable broth instead – that’s what I had to do – still yummy!)

10 olives (I like the Greek olives but you can use any that you like)

Start by cutting any fat off your meat. Wash it off and then lightly coat both sides with olive oil. Place the meat in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Finely slice the onion and put that in the cooker. Grate the garlic clove right over the cooker. Peel and chop the carrots, then place them in the cooker as well. Wash your celery and then chop in small pieces then add to the cooker. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces and add them as well as the juice from them into the cooker. Then add the tomato sauce, red wine and place the olives on top.

Turn your cooker on low for 8 hours and enjoy a delicious meal when it’s all done.

I’ll post a picture when mine is finished cooking. Enjoy!

With spring in the air and everyone coming out of hibernation, our wedding is quickly approaching and so is my bridal shower! With that being said, we already got an amazing gift – a crock-pot! We received it yesterday from my friend Jaci and used it last night for dinner! Talk about being excited about a cooking tool!

Let me just say that it was super easy to make a really tasty and delicious dinner. We made chicken with carrots, dates and dried apritcots. YUM!

The dish was a tad on the sweet side but that wasn’t due to any added sugar – the dates and apricots were bursting with flavor! I highly recommend investing in one of these – you definitely won’t be disappointed. If you don’t like to cook and think that you have to spend hours in the kitchen for something to taste good, then this is the right tool for you!

All you have to do is throw everything in the pot and turn it on – you can leave it for hours! Whoever invented this is a serious genius!

I will post the recipe below – we paired this dish with quinoa and were pleasantly satisfied.

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 chicken breasts or thighs, your choice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

½ cup dried pitted dates, chopped

¾ cup veggie broth, low sodium

¼ cup water

¼ cup orange juice

Put the chicken at the bottom of the slow cooker and place all other ingredients on top. Cover and turn on low for 6 hours. For the last hour, turn on high so that the carrots cook all the way through. This will make a yummy broth to pour over your quinoa. Enjoy!