Clean Eating Goddess

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Healthy Split Pea Soup

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Healthy Split Pea Soup
I’ve been making pea soup for years. Ina Garten really has the best recipe so I’ve made my own alterations to her original recipe. The woman is a genius if you ask me. I have been watching Barefoot Contessa for as long as I can remember. My spin on the her recipe is adding pureed spinach for added nutrition and a really vibrant colour. I also like to substitute potatoes for rutabaga, squash, or sweet potato. The best part of this soup- it’s the easiest to throw together! Hope you love it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1 cup rutabaga, diced (can also sub with sweet potato, parsnip, red potato)
• 2 1/2 cups split peas (rinsed, and divided)
• 8 cups organic low sodium chicken or vegetable stock (homemade is always best!) + extra for spinach
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent.

2.Add your carrots, rutabaga, half of your split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking.

3. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes. Stir frequently. Season to taste.

4. When your soup is finished cooking, turn off the heat. In a high powered blender add your fresh spinach and enough stock to get the spinach moving. Blend until completely smooth.

5. Stir the spinach mixture into the soup. Serve with extra virgin olive oil and freshly cracked pepper. I also like to add crunchy chickpeas and toasted pepitas for added texture and crunch!
Healthy Split Pea Soup

Deconstructed Healthy Sushi Bowl

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Healthy Sushi Rice
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I know that many of you have made some of your New Years goals- which likely include losing weight. I am not one to preach about how you should be living your life, but I did want to share some of my thoughts on resolutions. As we reach a birthday, new year or other milestone that is meaningful in some way, we often set different goals. It is great to check in and assess our lives to take note of what we need to improve upon or perhaps to reward ourselves on what has been achieved.

This year, instead of setting that familiar measurable goal of losing weight, consider altering your entire lifestyle. Healthy eating, exercise, etc..is my lifestyle. It is not an obsession nor is it a means of looking my physical best. My lifestyle is one that makes me feel great both physically and mentally. Do I eat junk sometimes? YES. Do I drink sometimes? Yes. Do I skip workouts? Hell yes! But I do all of these things in moderation. Balance is key. Too much of anything is never a good thing and that sometimes includes an obsession with a healthy living. I understand that might sound silly to many of you, but if eating a few Doritos sends you down a downward hill of self-hate, guilt, and obsessive exercise.. there is something unhealthy about that too. Life is about finding the balance in everything (this also includes work and relationships).

Now onto the recipe! I love this recipe for many reasons…

1. I don’t have to waste my money ordering sushi anymore.
2. The possibilities to make it your own are endless.
3. Makes a delicious side dish for any protein (think tofu, raw or cooked salmon, chicken, chickpeas etc…)
4. It is so easy to make and super cheap!
Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

Here’s how you make it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked brown rice or about 4 cups cooked ***(see notes, follow directions on the bag)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp tamari or gluten free soya sauce (or to taste)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp wasabi paste (optional, more if you like it hot!)
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled ginger
• 1 sheet of nori (dried seaweed) cut into thin strips
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup seeded and chopped cucumber
• 1 avocado diced

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to directions. See note below.

2. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk rice wine vinegar, tamari, honey and wasabi until combined. Pour mixture evenly over rice and stir until well coated. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste.

saltier= more tamari
tangier= more vinegar
spicier = more wasabi
sweeter= more honey

3. Mix in pickled ginger, nori, cucumber, avocado and sesame seeds.

4. Serve alone or with protein of choice.

***I love this brand of short grain brown rice for this recipe. It mimics the texture of white sushi rice. I cook mine with splash of avocado oil and salt. It comes out sticky and fluffy- perfect for sushi rice! Cook according to bag directions.
Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

Vegan Nourish Bowl

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Vegan Nourish BowlAlthough we just got through the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers, it is now time to prepare ourselves yet again for another Holiday debauchery of eating, eating and more eating. Regardless of the holiday time, am I alone in this constant comfort food craving that has yet to come to an end? Something to do with the dark days and cold weather I assume… In any case, the holidays are a time to indulge so long as we do so in moderation. A little of the bad stuff counter-acted with a lot of the good stuff makes for a holiday we can enjoy and most importantly feel good about. So, to help you get all those nutrients in between those forkfuls of pie and mashed potatoes, I’ve created a completely meat and dairy free bowl that is packed with protein and vitamins. Most importantly, this is one tasty and filling bowl. Here are the components:

• roasted maple butternut squash
• noodles made from red lentils
• garlicky spinach
• avocado mash
• browned broccoli
• toasted pumpkin seeds
• shaved carrots
• cucumber
• hummus

I like to prepare all the ingredients on a Sunday, and put this together throughout the week whenever I want to reach for something healthy. Happy Holidays, and hope you enjoy this throughout the season!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (peeled and diced)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp freshly grated garlic or garlic powder
• 1 tsp sumac
• red lentil noodles (or any bean noodle, or bean itself will work) cooked and coated in olive oil so they won’t stick.
• 1/2 tsp finely diced garlic
• 1 extra large handful fresh spinach
• 1 cup broccoli (chopped)
• 1 avocado (cored and removed from skin)
• 2 tbsp of fresh herbs of your choice chopped (I used basil and mint.. cilantro will work nicely too!)
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 carrot (shaved using a peeler)
• 1 mini cucumber (seeded and sliced)
• 2 tbsp hummus

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place butternut squash in a roasting pan and coat with 1 tbsp olive oil (may need more depending on the size of your squash), maple syrup, sumac, 1 tsp garlic, salt and pepper. Roast for 35-45 minutes or until tender and brown on the edges.

2. In in a medium pan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Cook garlic for 30 seconds then add spinach. Cook until spinach has shrunk down, season with salt and pepper and set aside. In the same pan, brown broccoli by roasting it in the pan for about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mash the avocado, fresh herbs, lime, salt and pepper until combined. Taste and adjust lime juice/seasoning to your taste.

4. Assemble your bowl. Place prepared ingredients in the bowl (squash, broccoli, spinach, noodles, avocado, carrots, cucumber) and dollop hummus in the center for dipping. Then sprinkle with crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds.

Vegan Nourish BowlVegan Nourish Bowl

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