Eggplant Un-Parmesan

Fresh ingredients

I've had such good luck with the Mark Bittman VB6 book, why not try another one of his recipes?  This time I went for the Eggplant Un-Parmesan - vegan and delicious.  It almost ends up being an eggplant casserole topped with breadcrumbs, if you wanted to top with cheese of course, you could.  The recipe took a lot longer to make than I anticipated - lots of roasting and what not.  So, if you don't have 2 hours to spare, I would probably save it for another day.  I'm glad I made it and loved the leftovers the next few days.

Unfortunately, I was too busy cooking, roasting, slicing and dicing to take too many pictures, but I have a few.

Easy, clean sauce with onions, garlic and tomatoes simmered for awhile

I didn't follow the directions and cut the eggplant the short way - ooops!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs eggplant
• 5 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs minced garlic
• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 cup chopped basil 
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, preferably course-ground (I used whole wheat panko)

Note:  I didn't have enough basil, so I just used what I could.  Would probably even be better with more basil though!

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees and postion two racks so that they've got at least 4 inches between them.  Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices, arrange them on two rimmed baking sheets.
2. Use 2 Tbs of olive oil to brush the tops of each eggplant slice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast the eggplant until the slices brown on the bottom and sides, 10 to 15 minutes; turn and cook other sides until crisp in places and golden, another 5 to 10 minutes.  When they finish cooking, remove from the oven and lower hear to 400 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, put 2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When it's hot, add the onion, sprinkle with another 1/2 tsp of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture comes together and thickens, 20 to 25 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
4. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with about 1/2 inch of the tomato sauce.  Layer the eggplant on top with some basil.  Cover with a thin layer of sauce and repeat until all the eggplant is used up; reserve some of the basil for serving.  Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and lots of pepper, and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Simmer remaining sauce while eggplant bakes.
5. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, garnished with remaining basil.

This really came out so good, very flavorful and I love the breadcrumbs as a sub for cheese.  I did feel like I needed a little more to my plate to make it a full meal, so I served it with salad and pesto toasts.  

Pesto toasts:

• Real whole grain english muffins, halved
• Topped with fresh pesto
• Sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if you so choose
• Broil on low for no more than 2 minutes

Looks pretty good, right?  Patting myself on the back...

Even though this took a while to cook, I ate it for 2 days after and wasn't sick of it! Play around with the recipe as you want though - add cheese, other veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, etc) whatever you think works.

Happy cooking, enjoy!

Love, Lizzie

Self Care - Acupuncture

Being healthy is more than just eating right, it's taking care of ourselves in a holistic way, also referred to as self-care.  As basic as this concept of self-care seems, I know we can often become our own lowest priorities. Self-care includes, working out, eating healthy, avoiding dangerous habits like smoking but also it could be little things like taking a hot bath, getting a good night sleep or relaxing with a cup of tea.  These things aren't just important for our physical health, but our mental health as well.  That's what makes us feel calm, grounded and happy.  Acupuncture also falls in the self-care category.  Though it's an additional cost for me, I want to be my top priority, so I'm willing to spend a little money to make sure I'm the healthiest I can be.

My sister has been getting acupuncture for awhile now and raved about it.  I never really thought much about it and I also questioned whether it worked or what I would get out of it.  Well, things are about to get personal... because after talking to my sister, I realized I do have a few things that could possibly be helped.

When I went onto the website for Copley Acupuncture, I was blown away at all the conditions Marcy White can cater to.  I mean really, check it out.  So, in reviewing the list, I realized there are a couple of health issues that are ongoing for me, even after much work on my own.

• My skin - I definitely have problem/acne-prone skin.  It's much better now than it was years ago, thankfully. That may be due my diet being much better, drinking tons of water and being really diligent about washing my face every night before bed (even after a few drinks!).  I also use quality products, so generally speaking I fare well.  But, I can always get some help in that area.
• Digestion - do you even want me to go into this?  Let's just say it's been an issue for years.  It's really the main reason I got into nutrition and was motivated to change my eating/lifestyle habits.  Again, much, much better than even a year ago, but not totally there yet.
• Depression - womp, womp - I know, but I do definitely get the winter blues like clock work every February.  By March I have my whole life-change-plan in place with a new state to move to, then come April I forget all about it and skip off to the Cape for the summer.  So, why not try to stay ahead of it and attempt to avoid the February misery.  

One huge factor I will really emphasize here is do your research!  Only go to a licensed acupuncturist.  Do you really want someone not licensed sticking you with needles??  I hope your answer is hell-to-the-no.  With any doctor, practitioner, provider, etc. be SMART and absolutely do not take any chances.

Well, let me just say right now - I loved my session with Marcy.  Not only did she genuinely want to hear about why brought me there,  but she was enthusiastic to tell me about the history and evolution of acupuncture, which is extensive.  Beyond that, we soul-mated about nutrition, the healing powers of natural foods and remedies - basically we couldn't stop talking.  She explained to me that the end-all-be-all of acupuncuture is to bring the body into balance.  BALANCE.  I love that idea.  Much of what I live for and strive for is balance.

So far, I've only had one session with Marcy but I'm going back again this week.  She explained to me that at first it helps to go back regularly to kick start the treatment.  Once you've been doing it for awhile you can spread out your appointments.  So, for now I'm aiming for once a week.  I plan to see how I feel after a month and then figure out how to move forward.  I will keep you all posted on my experience.

How do you all take care of yourselves?

I hope you do a little something just for YOU today!

Love, Lizzie

Inspiring Today TGIF

TGIF my little Whole Hearts!  Don't you love this quote?  It's so perfectly true.  Well, I hope you all do something fun this weekend!  I am off to an overnight myself, should be great to get out of town and do something different.  A break from the norm is always rejuvenating and healthy.  I will get some new posts up next week.  Thank you all for checking out my little blog.  I am still juggling work and my Health Coach certification with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, so my free time is a bit limited.  Once my course is done this June I hope to be able to blog more.  Thanks for the support and feedback in the meantime.

Happy Friday!  Eat something good this weekend!

Love, Lizzie

GM-Uh-O

There has been a lot of talk over the last few years about GMO's.  I first heard about GMO's way before I had any inkling of what it meant or that some day I would even care about it.  Well, fast forward a couple of years and I have now morphed into a crazy food safety-awareness-advocate.  Crazy is good sometimes, right?  First things first, GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, also called Genetically Engineered (GE).  So, what does that really mean?  Well, it means plants, seeds and grains that are altered with various strains of DNA from bacteria, viruses and other plants and animals - think weird animal DNA being pumped into your tomato so that it doesn't go bad and keeps it's red glow. Some of those bacteria and viruses even include ecoli. Bottom line, none of it happens in nature and is very different from natural cross-breeding.  Why do we want to put mixed up DNA in our body?  Just imagine what that can do to us over time?

Since GMO's are a fairly recent practice, mostly starting in the 1990's, it's been hard to accurately assess it's affects on humans.  However, it has been shown that GMO products can have serious negative health implications in lab testing on animals.  Including smaller overall growth of the liver, heart and brain, compromised immune systems and white blood cells that were structurally altered making them more susceptible to diseases.  There have been many other accounts from farmers that reflect worse - including, infertility and even death.

GMO's can impact us, humans, in a couple of ways...

1. We eat animals.  Animals eat food.  What food do they eat?  Well, these days, most animals eat GM corn and other kinds of GM feed.  Though, most should eat grass.  Simple, old fashioned, grass.  That's a story for another day, but can we all agree that animals shouldn't eat lab experiments? 
2. Our food can be filled in with GMO related products.  Perfect example, Cheerios.  Which, clap, clap to them, they just removed GMO products from Cheerios.  Just plain Cheerios though, not any other version, i.e. Honey Nut Cheerios (my favorite).  I'll focus on the positives for now though.  Thanks, General Mills... you have about 1,000 products to go.  For more on the Cheerios story, click here.

Watch out for the next target on the GMO agenda - Chobani.  The claim is that their cows consume GMO feed. Whole Foods is now pulling Chobani from their shelves because of this. To read more about this, click here.

Now, how do you incorporate this knowledge into your regular life?  Well, it's said that 80% of processed food on the market contains GMO products.  If you think about how many products have some form of soy or corn, you'll see how that's possible.  There is amazing information on the website The Non-GMO Project and this is what they say to look for on labels:

Common Ingredients Derived from GMO Risk Crops
Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.

How many times have you seen those ingredients on labels?  I'm going to go out on a limb and say all the time.  Yikes, right?  All we can do as consumers is to be aware and pay attention to labels.  For those who agree with me and also think this topic is important, we need to push for GMO labeling on foods.  That's not a requirement now, so in the meantime here is a great visual I found during my GMO research - thought it was helpful!

Source:  www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com

Whenever I start talking about this a lot of people ask how it's legal?  What about the FDA? The fact is, the FDA does not have any mandatory safety testing for GM related products.  They have a "volunteer" testing program for pre-market review only.  The FDA only sends a letter to such company reminding them that they are obligated to provide safe products and if a consumer becomes ill then they are liable.  

This is such a huge topic, I could really go on and on.  However, I just wanted to provide some initial insight into what GMO's are all about.  Again, my intent here is to help you make the best food, nutrition and health related choices for you and your family.  We all deserve to be educated consumers!

Be smart, be thoughtful and eat good food!

Love, Lizzie

The Clean Fifteen

So, I gave you the bad news first with The Dirty Dozen, now for some better news. There is also a whole list of fruits/veggies by the Environmental Working Group that are considered to be "The Clean Fifteen".  These veggies receive the least amount of pesticides.  They either tend to have a protective barrier around the part we eat or they just "require" less pesticides. So, who are these hearty, tough little fruits and veggies?  Check them out and keep this in mind when you're not able to buy organic.

- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Sweet corn
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Sweet potato
- Cantalope
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Papaya
- Pineapple

My whole intent of doing this blog goes deeper than sharing recipes, nutrition tid-bits and inspiration.   It's to make you aware of what you're buying, what you're putting in your body and your families bodies.  It's important!  That being said, life is LIFE - it's busy, it's stressful and sometimes it's cold and rainy!  So, we can't always get to the "good" grocery store.  Knowing what you can get away with - i.e. on the days when you can't make it all work - is going to be helpful to you at some point.  It was to me at least.

Just do the best job you can, buy the best produce available to you.  Be an educated consumer.

Good luck my little Whole Hearts!

Love, Lizzie

Black Bean Tacos

I should probably get more creative, but I'm still hooked on Mark Bitman's "Eat Vegan Before 6pm" book.  I decided to make the Black Bean Tacos with Tangy Cabbage.  Coincidentally, I made these on National Bean Day (January 6th) - who knew?!  They came out great really good, if I do say so myself.  The beans are crispy and tasty with the garlic and spices mixed in.  The cabbage is crunchy and refreshing, I was actually surprised it was so flavorful with only veggies, olive oil and lime juice. Also, I was happy/relieved to whip them up pretty quickly after work AND just in time to watch The Bachelor (don't judge)!

The tacos were full of flavor and I had enough for leftovers - even better!  I love the idea of cooking once and eating twice!

Before the mashing...

Cabbage chopped, pre-mixed

Cabbage mixed and pretty as can be - it even smelled refreshing!

Cooked beans... not that pretty... but tasted great!

Ingredients:

8 6-inch corn or whole wheat tortillas
3 Tbs olive oil
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, drained
1 Tbs minced garlic (I estimated 3 cloves)
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh hot green pepper (like, jalapeno or serrano), minced - I used jalapeno
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I eyeballed this, you can add more or less to taste)

* I added guacamole to my tacos.  If you don't have any guac it's ok, the tacos really are flavorful enough on their own.  I just love all things avocado.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tbs of olive oil.  Stack tortillas in aluminum foil.

2. Combine the beans, garlic, chili powder, cumin and half of the salt.  Mash together with a potato masher or fork so it's chunky but mixed.

3. Spread the bean mixture on the prepared pan, drizzle with another Tbs of olive oil.  Roast in the oven, tossing a few times, until crumbly and crisp in places; 15 - 20 minutes.  Transfer the tortillas to the oven with the beans for the last 5 mins of cooking.

4. While the beans are cooking, mix the cabbage, pepper, chili, scallions, lime juice, cilantro and remaining olive oil and salt, pepper in a bowl.  Toss to combine.  Adjust seasoning as needed.  Divide cooked beans between tortillas and top with cabbage.

Not a fancy picture, but I was WAY to hungry to wait!  You get the idea.

I loved the idea of substituting meat with beans, plus beans are a great source of protein.  It definitely made me think about what other recipes I can replace with beans!

Hope you try this recipe.  Of course, let me know if you add in any interesting ingredients!

Love, Lizzie

Overnight Oats

I try to eat mostly vegan whenever possible.  All and all, it's been easier than I thought it would be - maybe that's because I actually want to do it!  The one meal I struggle with the most in this vegan attempt is breakfast.  I need something easy and quick in the morning to grab and eat at work.  My staple breakfast for the past 3 years has been plain Greek yogurt, berries, almonds or granola and cinnamon.  Usually on the weekends I make a whole wheat english muffin with almond butter, which I love.  That being said, I don't want to eat it 7 days a week.  Don't get me wrong, Greek yogurt with berries is a really healthy breakfast, but technically yogurt is dairy.  So, I was really excited this weekend to finally try "Overnight Oats".  I've seen so many other bloggers rave about it, I just never attempted it myself.  Well, let me tell you - this won't be the last time I make it!  It's vegan, delicious and easy!

I pulled on various recipes and it's easy to play around with.  But I got my base from the fabulous Gina of SkinnyTaste.  I've seen others make it in leftover almond butter jars to scrape up those last bits, so that's what I decided to do.

Almost empty almond butter jar with the oats, blueberries and bananas

With almond milk and cinnamon

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup quick or steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/3 banana (could do more if you like)
- 1/2 T chia seeds
- couple dashes of cinnamon

Topping:
- Purely Elizabeth granola
- chopped, toasted pecans

If I made this without the almond butter jar, I would just add in a scoop - I think it's more flavorful and filling.

Gina suggests a couple of drops of liquid vanilla Stevia, I omitted that.  You could also add some agave or honey if you like it a touch sweeter.

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except toppings) in a jar/container, shake and put in refrigerator overnight.  Next day (could last a couple of days) mix together and add preferred toppings.

My preferred topping - my Dad bought me this, he was mad this great product name was already taken!

Let me know if you try this and play around with the flavors!

Happy eating, enjoy!

Love, Lizzie
xoxo

The Dirty Dozen

No one wants to eat dirty food, right?  Sometimes it's hard to tell what's really dirty though.  So, what is the "Dirty Dozen"? Technically, it's the Dirty Dozen Plus.  It's the top fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticides.  This is primarily because you're ingesting the skins - the part directly sprayed by pesticides or fruits/veg that typically have higher levels of pesticides.  Sadly, the USA uses 1.2 BILLION pounds of pesticides a year.  Yet, only .01% of that actually reaches the intended target.  Think about it for a minute.  Where is the rest going?  That's a story for another day, but think food, air and water.  So, if possible, you should strive to buy organic versions of these various fruits and veggies.  I realize that organic options aren't always available, but I think it's important to know which ones are most susceptible to contamination.

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Hot peppers
• Imported nectarines
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Sweet bell peppers
• Kale/collard greens
• Summer squash
• Raspberries

There are other fruits/vegs to be aware of and the list is updated annually by the Environmental Working Group.  Check out their website for more detailed information.

If your local grocery stores don't have organic options, check for speciality food stores or local CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture).  CSA's can be expensive, but there are usually various options for amounts and frequency.  Or, an alternative would be to split a CSA with a neighbor or friend too.

I would also encourage you to thoroughly wash all of your produce.  You can buy pre-made sprays, but you can also use a simple wash of water and apple cider vinegar - 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar.

I disclose with this post, and really any future post I write, about fruits/vegetables that consuming them in any form is a much better decision than not consuming them.  Don't let the pesticides scare you, fruits and vegetables have amazing health benefits.  My whole intention is to make you aware and help you make better decisions. 

I want us all to live long, healthy lives.  The more we know, the more we can reduce our risk.

Shop and eat smart, I know you can.

Love, Lizzie

xoxo

It's a Whole New Year

I really do love a clean slate.  It's refreshing and exciting.  A lot happened in 2013 - from the Boston Marathon Bombings, some family health issues, my trip to Italy and the Red Sox winning the World Series (woop woop!) - but for me personally, the biggest change was enrolling with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition!  It was scary initially because it's a big commitment, but I am SO incredibly glad I did!  It's been a great experience and I've learned so much more than I expected.

I don't necessarily love "resolutions" because I feel like they are too severe and never last.  That being said, I do like the idea of intentions or goals... just general themes to carry into the new year.  I have a few in particular that I am hoping to work on.

1. Continue to experiment with vegan eating.  I am by no means totally vegan, but I am trying to keep my animal product intake down.

2. When I do eat meat, it will only be wild and/or organic.  I have no intention of eating factory farmed meat or fish.  I love seafood and a good steak, so I am not giving them up completely, but I really want to be thoughtful about where it is coming from.

Side note:  If you want to really know where you're meat is coming from, you have to watch Food, Inc.  I got it OnDemand but you can also get it on Netflix.  I'm kind of obsessed with it.

3. Buy more organic fruits and veggies.  I'm doing a post soon on pesticides in our regular fruits and veggies, that will hopefully help you when making your purchases.  That being said, consuming any fruits and veggies is better than nothing.

4. Live a little harder... or more passionately, however you want to see it.  Just do more, see more, cook more, laugh more and love more.

What are your intentions for 2014?

I wish you all the most healthy and happy New Year!

Love, Lizzie
xoxo

Chickpea Ratatouille

Well, I was a little Nana and stayed home on New Years Eve.  So, with the intent of getting back on track with eating, I decided to load up on some veggies going into the new year!  I got Mark Bitman's new book, "Eat Vegan Before 6pm", which I love and it ties in nicely with my own part-time veganism.  The recipe is pretty easy, the most time consuming part is chopping all the veggies.  Then you just load up on olive oil, salt and pepper and roast.  The end result was really tasty, filling and fresh.  I'm glad to have leftovers the next few days as I head back to work.

Ingredients:
1 lb eggplant (smaller ones are better), peeled if you like, cut into large chunks
3/4 lb zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 lb Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and chopped, or 1 (28 oz) can, drained
1 onion, sliced (I chopped)
2 red or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, sliced (I cut into large chunks)
5 garlic cloves, halved (I chopped)
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper to taste
4 Tbs olive oil
3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, or 1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley (I used rosemary this time)

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients except the oil, chickpeas and herbs in large roasting pan.  Drizzle with oil and toss to combine.

2.  Transfer to the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender and some water has released from tomatoes to create sauce, 30 - 40 minutes.

3.  Add the chickpeas, stir, and return to oven until the beans heat through, 5 - 10 minutes.  Add the herbs and stir.  Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

* I added a little more olive oil as the roasting progressed.

This is likely more of a side dish, but it's so versatile you could do almost anything with it.  Last night I used it as a pizza topping on a whole wheat pita with pesto sauce - it was so good!  I already want to make it again.

Hope you do some more home cooking in the new year too!

Enjoy!

Love, Lizzie