To me, Whole Foods is a little slice of heaven on earth.

Some women like to window shop and drool over beautiful clothes…

I prefer to peruse the isles of Whole Foods.

(Ok, I love clothes too but window-shopping is not really my thing… I like shopping to buy better)

Anyway… I love to stroll down the isles and dream of new meals to create and flavors to try.

Beyond just shopping there, they have some of the best lunch and dinner meals around. If you have not gone to their Marketplace for a meal, you really need to!

They have EVERYTHING. Mexican, Italian, Indian, Sushi… you name it, they have it and everything is delicious! I know that most of the store is pretty spendy (my husband calls it “Whole Paycheck”) but their meals are really quite reasonably priced.

One of my favorite things to eat there lately is their Teriyaki Salmon Bowls. I pretty much want one all day, everyday so it was time to attempt to make them at home.

Now if I can just convince my husband that he wants these everyday too…

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

GLUTEN FREE TERIYAKI SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 C Bragg’s amino acids

3/4 C water

1 tsp minced ginger

2 tsp minced garlic

2 T brown sugar

1 T cornstarch

Couple of dashes of cayenne pepper

TO MAKE:

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Then reduce to a simmer until it thickens. Stir frequently.

GRILLED SALMON AND VEGGIE BOWLS

Adjust quantities according to how many you are serving

INGREDIENTS:

Chopped:

Bell Pepper

Cauliflower

Asparagus

Onion

Mushrooms

*any veggies work!

Thinly sliced salmon

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Minced garlic

Sea salt

Pepper

Cooked brown rice

TO MAKE:

Fire up the grill!

Place all chopped veggies in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a scoop of minced garlic.

Cook them on the grill on a high heat until they brown up but still a bit crispy. We cook ours on a grill pan we got at Target and it works perfectly for any veggies

For the salmon, we usually buy the frozen Alaskan Salmon Fillets from Costco and those are really easy to slice in thin pieces. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and dash of sea salt. Place them on the grill and watch them closely because they won’t take long to cook.

TO SERVE:

Layer brown rice, veggies, and salmon and drizzle the teriyaki sauce on top. Garnish with fresh basil and green onions for added flavor.

ENJOY!

After a whole pregnancy of craving nothing but Mexican food, two weeks of quick and easy meals, and wonderful friends and family cooking for us… I have made my way back into the kitchen to work on some new, non-Mexican, recipes!

As I am learning to juggle my two little ones, keeping up with laundry and brushing my teeth before my husband gets home from work…. My goal with most meals has been to have enough for leftovers for lunch the following day.

Leftovers are a mama’s best friend.

With Spring finally making it’s way to us, I am getting so excited to grill up every type of colorful vegetable I can get my hands on! Yet for this recipe, my stove had to suffice… as well as the veggies I happened to have in my fridge.

Feel free to get creative with this meal and use whatever type of veggies you and your family like. Really anything goes with this one!

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

CILANTRO LIME PEANUT SAUCE + VEGGIES + RICE 

(apple cider vinegar not used)

PEANUT SAUCE:

• ½ C natural peanut butter
• 1 T Braggs amino acids (or soy sauce)
• 2 T limejuice
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 t minced ginger
• 1 T brown sugar
• ¼ C cilantro
• ¼ C water
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional – just adds a bit of a kick but not too much)

(kale and zucchini not pictured) 

VEGGIES + RICE:

• 2 C cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in vegetable broth for added flavor)
• 1 can water chestnuts – chopped
• 1 bell pepper – chopped
• 2 C steamed kale – chopped
• 3 carrots – pealed and chopped
• ½ C green onions – chopped
• 1 zucchini – chopped
• ¼ C chopped cilantro
• Coconut oil

TOPPINGS:

• Chopped peanuts
• Green onions
• Sriacha Hot Sauce

TO MAKE:

SAUCE:

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add more water to reach desired consistency if necessary.

VEGGIES:

Heat a bit of coconut oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add carrots and peppers and cook for a few minutes until they soften. Then add water chestnuts, steamed kale, green onions, zucchini, cilantro, salt and pepper and cook all together for a few more minutes. I tend to like my veggies on the crispier side so turn up the heat to medium high and let them brown up without getting soggy.

*Steaming the kale prior to sautéing it will soften it and makes it much better! You can use a steamer or just put a bit of water in a pan with the kale and cover. Cook for about 5 min on a high heat. You just want it to soften a bit and wilt.

TO COMBINE:

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked brown rice, sautéed veggies, and peanut sauce. Stir until combined. Give it a taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.

TO SERVE:

Add toppings and enjoy!

 

When Brook and I first met, he didn’t like fish. Of any kind. Ever. I loved fish… but was terrible at making it.

Needless to say, for the first few years of our marriage, there was no fish being bought, prepared or consumed in our household.

Until… one summer we were invited to a ranch that some friends of ours own and they had hired a fantastic chef to cook for us all. We happened to be having salmon for dinner and Brook LOVED it.

I don’t remember what the chef used on the fish (I was too distracted by Brook’s sounds effects as he ate it) but I do remember how excited Brook was about it.

This in turn inspired me to try a bit harder to incorporate fish into our diet on a regular basis and made me determined to find ways to prepare it that Brook would like.

With some time, lots of trial and error and a very patient husband… we now eat fish several times a week and we BOTH love it.

May I encourage you to keep an “open pallet” when it comes to food? Even foods you or your family may not love initially? Just like we individually grow and change… so do our taste buds!

I am not saying make yourself eat things you hate.

There are just some things you may never like.

I want to say that I like beets. They are SO good for you and pretty! The reality is I have tried them in every shape and form and I still think they taste like dirt. Some say they have an “earthy” flavor. I beg to differ.

What I am saying is try new things every once and while and be creative with how you prepare foods.

Especially with your children! Keep trying to find ways to help them eat whole, nutrition filled foods.

I have a 2.5 year old myself and I know how hard this can be! Yet, I already see his tastes changing and as we “strongly encourage” him to at least try a bit of everything.

Today’s recipe is one way we love to eat fish. We usually use it on salmon but it would work on any kind of fish and maybe even on chicken.

ENJOY!

PS: if you like beets, maybe you can send me new recipes to help change how I feel about them! Until then… I will steer clear.

Elizabeth

SMOKED PAPRIKA RUB

Serves 2 – 3 (if you are feeding more, simply double or triple the recipe)

THE RUB:

1 T brown sugar

1 T cumin

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Lemon Juice

Olive oil

Salmon/Tilapia – as much as you need to fill the bellies of whom you are feeding.  Adjust quantities of the rub according to how much salmon you use. I used about 10oz of salmon to feed Brook, Duke and myself and this was the perfect amount of rub for that.

Preheat oven to 400F

In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.

Arrange fish on a baking sheet and squeeze or drizzle lemon juice on each piece. Drizzle just a bit of olive on each piece as well. Use your hands to rub it in a bit.

Scoop the rub onto the fish and use your hands to evenly coat the top and sides of the fish.

Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until it flakes with a fork. The baking times will differ depending on what kind of fish you use.

TO SERVE:

It goes great with rice, potatoes, pasta, salad… just about anything. And a side of veggies of course!

We ate ours tonight with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli.