Busy Schedule? Here's some tips!

Want to eat healthy, but your not sure how with a busy schedule? Below are some tips I have learned along the way to not be overwhelmed and stay on track.

Tip#1: Juice Prep in the Evening
If you want to make fresh juice in the am, but time is a bit of a crunch, prep in the evening by:
-Wash all your greens, vegetables & fruits
-Prep your ingredients by cutting cucumbers, celery, lemons, etc before bed.  Fruits tend to spoil quickly so leave things like apples or pears until the morning and have the cutting board & knife out and ready to go
-Set up the juicer
-Have jars or containers to hold juice ready to go


Tip #2: Prep & Cook Ahead
There is plenty you can do on a Sunday afternoon to prepare for the week.  These are some of the things I've learned over the years.

-Salads!  I wash and chop veggies like, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, etc ahead of time and store them in glass containers in the fridge.  Then all I need to do is throw my greens (I use the organic triple washed as much as possible)  into a bowl, pull my containers out of the fridge and add which veggies I want.  The more delicate salad adds, like avocado or tomato, I cut when I make the salad.  Cut lemon, and squeeze half over my salad
-Want salad for lunch?
Leave a bowl at the office.  Prep as above & add to large ziploc bag the night before.  I used to make a salad at home and carry in a glass container, but it got to be too heavy walking around the city so I switched to this plan.
-Cook ahead of time. Quinoa, baked sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, steamed veggies and more can all be made in advance.  I would usually make stuff on Sunday to get me through midweek then do a little more if needed.  Plenty of raw dishes can also be made ahead of time

Tip #3: Shop to Save time
My husband and I only go to the grocery store when no one is around! One of us would go on a Saturday or Sunday as soon as the doors opened or on a weekday evening around 8pm.  This means you can go in and out fast with carts not crowding aisles or long lines.
Go with a list.  This will cut down on your shopping time.

Tip #4: Take a Helping Hand
This can mean many things depending on your needs.  Here are a few things I have discovered over the years to help me out:
-Sprouts & Microgreens.  I love them, but I don't have the time, space or green thumb to grow them.  My local farmstand grows sprouts.  I have gotten on a schedule with them so once a week I pick up my sprouts
-Local CSA.  If you don't have time to go to the farmers market, join your local CSA and have fresh veggies & fruits delivered weekly.
-Purchase things like fresh homemade guacamole if you don't want to make it yourself (or while you are waiting for your avocados to ripen!).  Don't want to fuss with a dehydrator?  You can purchase things like raw macaroons or kale chips online, from your local raw food cafe, or from grocery or health food store

Sexy Summer Spring Rolls!

I'm taking on the challenge of creating a Sexy Summer Spring Roll  from Kimberly Snyder's Recipe Assignment for this week!

I've been so inspired, that I will be posting more recipes for this over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for nut based & dessert wraps.  In the meantime, enjoy this evening's creation.

Ingredients:
Curry or plain Coconut Wraps (or sprouted grain tortilla, collard green, or wrapping material of choice)
Carrots
Pea sprouts (or you favorite sprouts, micro greens or other greens)
Guacamole (I took a helping hand and used Wholefoods homemade guac)
Salsa (your favorite kind) - optional for dipping sauce

Step #1:
Get your wrap set!  I love the Curry wraps from Pure Wrap.  If you can't find them, Amazon sells the Paleo coconut wrap.  If you haven't had them before they have a mild flavor and won't overpower.

Step #2: 
Add your guacamole!  Leave some space for when you roll it up.  I spread a nice layer over 3/4 of the wrap

Step #3:

Julienne carrots and add to wrap.  This peeler set from Bed Bath & Beyond is amazing!  Don't have a julienne peeler?  That's ok.  Use a regular veg peeler and make some ribbons.

Step #4:

Add your nutrient dense sprouts (micro greens, greens or a combo).  Want to know more about why sprouts are so good for you?  See Kimberly's blog post on sprouts & micro greens packed full of info!

Step #5:

Roll it up!  Use some guacamole along the edge as "glue" to seal the roll.

Step #6:

Cut in half & plat it up with your favorite salsa for dipping.  Enjoy!

A special thank to my husband who took the photos as I was making my version of Sexy Summer Spring Rolls.

I'm back!

Hello everyone!

I took some time off from creating in the kitchen to creating with watercolors, pastels, & acrylics!

I will be posting new recipes again. Please enjoy them and if you would like to see what I've been up to for the last few months, you can check out my art website jencolombo.com

xoxo
Jen

Butternut Squash as a Side or Dessert

This Butternut Squash dish is super simple and really delicious. I plan to make this again for Thanksgiving Day as dessert, but you can also use it for an amazing side dish.

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
1" ginger
Cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 handful of unsweetened fine shredded coconut

Step #1: Peel and cube butternut squash (approx. 1" square). Place in parchment lined baking dish.
Step #2: Add coconut oil, sprinkle in cinnamon, peel & zest ginger onto butternut squash.  Toss well.
Step #3: Bake on 350* for about 45 mins or until fork tender.  Turn off oven, throw 1/2 handful unsweetened coconut and mix. (Enough to give each cube some coconut, add more if desired).  Leave in oven about 5 minutes, remove and enjoy.

Cabbage Slaw Salad

We went to dinner the other day, and me husband's food came with a little side slaw.  I tried it, and thought they added sugar or something to it which I found to be unnecessary.  So I decided to created my own clean version, full of flavor and color.  If you want to be fancy, you can use the mandolin.  I was being lazy and didn't want to pull the mandolin out and  just cut up the cabbage by hand with a good knife.

Ingredients:
Red Cabbage Shredded(1/4 - 1/2 depending on size of cabbage)
Green Cabbage Shredded (1/4 - 1/2 depending on size of cabbage)
1-2 Carrots Shredded (I use a julienne peeler - super simple)
1 lime
Handful of cilantro
Scallions - diced (optional)
Pink Himalayan Salt

Step #1 : Shred & cut ingredients.  Toss into bowl.  Add juice of 1 lime, cilantro, & salt.  Mix well & serve.
Step #2 : Enjoy.  The simplicity allows the lime & cilantro to really shine through for a very satisfying salad meal or side.

Mexican Inspired Salad

I love the flavors of Mexican food!  This simple salad is inspired by the flavors & spices from Mexican rice, pico de gallo, & guacamole. (See my versions of Mexican "rice" here and here).
You should feel free to switch anything out for what you have around the kitchen.  I am not crazy about heat in my food, but if you love it, go ahead and add some minced up jalapeno!

Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce (or mixed greens, or baby kale)
Handful Cherry tomatoes
1 Green pepper
1 Avocado
2 scallions(or red onion)
Parsley, about half a handful
Cilantro, about half a handful
1 clove garlic(zested or minced)
1 lime (or half depending on how juicy it is)
Cumin (to taste)
Sea or Pink Himalayan Salt (to taste)

Step #1: Chop up veggies, herbs, & cube avocado. Add everything to a large bowl. Zest in garlic, add cumin & salt to taste, &  squeeze in lime juice.
Step # 2: Mix well and enjoy!

Almond Coconut Treat

I decided to continue no sugar (with the exception of raw young coconut water) and a very green centric diet for the month of August after completing the month of July. 
I found that I was fine without any fruit and was satisfied with coconut puddings for dessert.
Then we went to a wedding this past weekend (no coconut pudding access).  Seeing all the brownies, cookies, & ice cream made me want a little bit of an almond based cookie or raw treat.  Determined not to break the Extreme Green Cleanse I am doing, I experimented with this simple almond coconut treat earlier and it was a success.
These measurements are approximate, you can experiment, you won't go wrong!

Ingredients:
Approx. 2 teaspoons Raw Almond Butter
Approx. 2 teaspoons Unsweetened shredded coconut
Cinnamon (to taste)
1/4 of a vanilla bean (open & scrap beans)
Stevia (optional, I didn't use it)

Step #1: Place almond butter into a bowl and add shredded coconut as needed to thicken. Add cinnamon & vanilla and stir.
Step #2: Use a teaspoon measuring spoon to form mixture & place in mini cupcake liner.  Place treats in freezer for at least 20 mins before enjoying. They are bite sized, but filling. I made 3 total, but only ate 2 of them.