Author: movewelldc

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Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken

We live in a busy world and my clients are always listing time, convenience, and budget as their biggest constraints on healthy eating. When cooking is the last thing you want to think about, the amazing slow-cooker is your best friend. First introduced to the world in 1950 and mass-marketed in the 1970s, this piece of kitchen equipment has stood the test of time and is a staple in many a household. In most cases, you truly can dump ingredients in the large ceramic vessel, cover, and forget about it for the day – coming home to a homemade meal, house that smells divine, and still have time to spend with your family and friends.

 

This pulled chicken recipe is so easy. The only prep you have to do is mince the garlic and adobo pepper and thinly slice the scallions. If you’re feeling extra lazy, buy minced garlic in a jar. Serve it with a couple corn tortillas, cabbage slaw with a vinegar base, fresh avocado slices, and cilantro leaves for a healthy and easy dinner perfect for staying in or entertaining a crowd (chicken thighs keep the cost down!).

Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas

SLOW-COOKER PULLED CHICKEN

Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced using green and white parts
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 Tbs cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

  1. Add the chicken, wine, scallions, garlic, chipotles, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to the basin of a large slow cooker.  Mix with a large wooden spoon to coat chicken in sauce and spices.
  2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours until the chicken is tender and shreds easily with two forks.
  3. Serve immediately with tortillas or atop brown rice and greens in a bowl.
  4. You can refrigerate this recipe in an air-tight for up to 5 days, or freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 3 months (be sure to label it!).

 

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Maple-Apple Cake Donuts

Sure, pumpkin anything is bringing sexy back this fall (and all the falls) but apples have been an autumnal all-star far longer. We could do a comparison table here showcasing everything you can do with apples versus pumpkin and I bet these two tasty ingredients would be neck-and-neck, but that is too much formatting and work for me to handle before my next yoga class (truth be told). So instead, I’m going to tell you about how I turned this delicious Pumpkin Cake Donut recipe from King Arthur Flour into a Maple-Apple Cake Donut using apples I picked from my local Waters Orchard.

Growing up in Massachusetts, my favorite donuts were those powdered cake donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts which inevitably left more sugary dust on your chin and clothes than made it into your mouth. I loved the fluffy texture and sweet remnants you got to lick off your lips after the treat was done. As a nutrition coach, I tend not to eat or recommend too many donuts these days but if you’re going to do it, do it good.

The following Maple-Apple Cake Donut recipe was inspired by sweet apples and a small jar of granulated maple sugar from my parents up in New England. The ingredients did the talking, King Arthur helped me with the baseline, and my creative mind made swaps to cut back on added sugar and fuse these fluffy Os with fall flavor.

Maple-Apple Cake Donuts

MAPLE-APPLE CAKE DONUTS

Makes 12 donuts

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 stick of butter (or 1/4 cup), melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups 15-minutes homemade apple sauce (recipe follows)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 ts ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, level
  • Granulated maple sugar for dusting

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two donut pans. 
  2. In a large mixer, use the flat beater attachment to combine the oil, butter, eggs, sugars, maple syrup, apple sauce, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. (You can also do this by hand with a little elbow grease and a whisk). 
  3. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
  4. Fill the wells of the donut pans about  to the top but be careful they don’t overflow.
  5. Bake for ~18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. 
  6. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes, loosen the edges (if need be) with a butter knife, and gently flip onto a rack to cool. 
  7. While the doughnuts are still warm generously dust them with granulated maple sugar (or cinnamon sugar).
  8. Let cool completely and store at room temperature for several days. I like to place them on a plate, stick them with toothpicks, and tent them with plastic wrap so they have room to breath.

 

HOMEMADE APPLE SAUCE

Ingredients:

  • 2 extra large or 3 large apples – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Directions:

  1. In a medium microwavable mixing bowl, combine prepped apples with sugar and cinnamon.
  2. Microwave for 3 minutes, stir, and microwave again another 3-4 minutes until apples are soft (not mushy) when pricked with a fork.
  3. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blender until mostly smooth (any little chunks will taste delicious when you bite into them).

 

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Perfect Pork Chops

It’s getting chilly out and there is no better time to warm up with some home-cooked goodness than this sweater weather time of year. One of my favorite, grounding and nourishing dishes is seared pork chops. Pork chops are lean, delicious, easy to make, and go perfectly with all that homemade apple sauce you now have from the fall harvest. Bonus: if you have a pup, give them the bone when you’re done. They’ll love you forever (though I’m sure they already do).

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Here’s a simple, hard-to-screw-up recipe perfect for a cozy night in. Pair with roasted root vegetables and a simple sample for a healthy meal that won’t break the bank.

PERFECT PORK CHOPS

Serves 2

Ingredients:
– Two 4-6oz pork chops
– Sea salt and pepper to taste
– Olive oil for cooking

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Bring chops to room temp, pat dry and season on both sides with sea salt and pepper.
2. Pre-heat a heavy (oven safe) skillet over a medium-high flame. When hot enough a drop of water hitting the pan will hiss and steam.
3. Add 1-2 tsp olive oil and immediately add chops. Cook for 1 minute on the first side, flip and cook for 2 minutes on the second.
4. Transfer whole pan to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove and let rest for at least 5 minutes on a plate or cutting board. Slice serve whole.

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The Practice and Benefits of Belly Breath (Diaphragmatic Breathing)

On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your stress level? Chances are it’s higher than you’d like. The body’s response to stressful situations – “fight, flight or freeze” – is an important part of our ability to cope with dangerous and sometimes life-threatening situations. Unfortunately, the way we live our lives these days – constantly on the go, striving to do and accomplish so much, not wanting to disappoint people and thus saying yes when maybe we ought to say no – is peaking our stress levels way more than is healthy.

Chronic stress is no joke. It can lead to high blood pressure (a major risk factor for heart disease), anxiety and depression, immune system suppression (aka more colds and flus), skin conditions, GERD (acid reflux), and countless other health issues.

I am no stranger to stress. Why do you think I became a yoga teacher? Prior to my yoga practice – both taking and teaching – my anxiety was consuming at times. I still have to work to stay on top of it and, for me, the most tried and true way to combat the physical manifestations of my anxiety is through pranayama, or breathing techniques. My favorite form of pranayama – deep belly breathing – is straightforward and discreet. You can do it anywhere, at any time, and all you need is one minute.

We all have one minute to take care of ourselves. No excuses.

 

According to a recent publication from Harvard Medical School, “deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide.” As a result, deep belly breathing has been proven to  slow one’s heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure. Plus, it just makes you feel most at ease.

 

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The Practice

 

Directions:

  1. Come to a comfortable position either lying down or sitting upright on a pillow block of blanket. If you choose to sit, make sure you are comfortable and that it feels somewhat effortless.
  2. Bring your right hand on top of your heart and your left hand on top of your belly.
  3. Close the enjoys and start to pay attention to your natural breath, without trying to change anything at all at first.
  4. Begin to deepen your breath, inhaling through the nose to fill your belly. You will feel your in-breath pass beneath your right hand first, then the diaphragm will press down and your abdominal wall will swell outward beneath your left hand. Pause.
  5. Exhale just as slowly as you inhaled, first emptying the belly and feeling your left hand draw back toward your spine; then, feeling the out-breath rise up beneath your right hand, clearing the chest cavity and exiting through the nasal passages. Pause.
  6. Repeat for nine more cycles, or a total of 10 belly breaths.

 

This simple practice will take anywhere from 45-90 seconds to complete. Pepper this practice through your day five to 10 times by setting reminders on your phone or work calendar to keep you honest. You will be amazed how quickly your stress levels drop and a sense of ease washes over you.

Pro-Tip

Make this practice a ritual before any predictably stressful situation – a presentation at work, tough conversation with a partner, or big competition, to name a few. Not only will you feel better going in, but you’ll be less likely to react negatively throughout.

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My (mostly) all-natural skin care regime for combination skin – tried and true!

 I’ve battled skin issues since I was 14. I spent years in high school, college and beyond punishing my skin with harsh chemicals and ravaging my insides with all kinds of antibiotics. The topical medications were effective for a while but they’d without fail eventually dry out my skin until I developed a different kind of skin issue. The pills my dermatologists were all too eager to prescribe also worked like magic, but knowing what I know now about gut health and the damaging effects of chronic antibiotic use I wish I could go back and pick a more natural path.

Better late than never.

For the last few years I’ve experimented with a variety of homemade, natural and gentle skin care treatments. Age is certainly on my side – my hormones have calmed down over the years – but my skin has never been better now that I treat it like I would treat any other vital organ in my body. Be kinder to your skin and if you can, skip the harsh chemicals and antibiotics. After years of trial and error here is what I’ve found that works for me….
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Every morning, I rinse with cold water to wake up and lightly pat my skin dry. After that, I use a homemade toner (1 part Thayer’s Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera: 1 part apple cider vinegar), followed by EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 moisturizer. The SPF component is key. I’ve used other brands that are “matte-ifying” and despite having oily-to-combination skin I think I look less greasy when I used the non-matte-ifying kind.
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Every night, I wash my face with Herbivore Charcoal Bar Soap and dry it using a clean wash cloth, moving it around in small circles to gently exfoliate and lift off any residual moisturizer or makeup. I then layer on a thin coat of Dr. Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel. I love how this feels on my skin – it’s like I can feel it tightening and toning! It’s not cheap but it lasts forever since you use so little each time. After that, I smother my face with a thick layer of Jason Aloe Vera Moisturizing Creme, which smells divine and is super affordable ($9 or less for 4 fluid ounces).
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These rituals have worked for me on a daily basis for the last year and a half and haven’t shown any signs of losing their efficacy. As I get older, however, I realize it’s so important to give my skin a little more loving than this baseline alone, so three times a week I exfoliate using a homemade mix of coarse sea salt in honey and jojoba oil (1 part salt: 1 part honey: 2 parts jojoba oil).
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And once a week I use Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask. I’m obsessed with this mask even though it is a little pricey by comparison to my other favorite products. I always feel like I’m glowing and dewey afterwards. Well worth it in my humble opinion!
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It’s a lot to invest in up front but these products stretch for a long time and your skin (and the environment) will thank you! It might take longer to see the results you desire but your skin will appreciate your patience.
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Back in the Running Game: Accelerated 8-Week Half Marathon Training Program

Half Marathon Training Program

Half Marathon Training Program

After three months of battling plantar fasciitis, I’m back in the saddle – or sneakers as it were. With the Richmond Half Marathon coming up 8 weeks from Sunday, it’s officially go time. I typically train for 12-16 weeks prior to a race. It’s almost always better to easy your way in and build up slowly. Injury is something we can’t control and sometimes you just have to,

“do what you can, with what you have, where you are” ~Teddy Roosevelt

 

This week marked week one of shorter runs, dedicated foam rolling, and targeted yoga practices. Sunday will be my first long run in months – fingers crossed! I’ll be running through the residual inflammation in my plantar fascia and will provide tips I learn for managing the pain while still rocking the program below.

What’s been working for me thus far? Rolling my arch and outer heel with a lacrosse ball every morning and evening, icing using a frozen water bottle after every run, and keeping the rest of my body loose, limber and rolled out. A diet low in inflammatory foods (sugar, gluten, red meat, etc) is part of the game plan as well. You are what you eat!

Do you have any tricks that have helped you train through injury?

Plantar Fasciitis Therapy

8-Week Half Marathon Training Program

half-marathon-training-program-8-weeks

 

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Garden Fresh Kale-Almond Pesto

I’m an Italian girl with Mediterranean taste buds so when summer rolls around pesto comes into the forefront of my culinary rotation. Pesto is so easy to make and can be played with endlessly. My little urban garden is currently overflowing with at least four varieties of heirloom kale and a gal can only eat so many kale chips, eat so many kale salads, and drink so many kale smoothies before she gets kale’d out. The solution to my kale fatigue? You guessed it, presto pesto!

Kale Almond Pest

My kale pesto has the same umami goodness of a more traditional recipe, but with a little extra kick from the bittersweet taste profile of this blend of kale leaves. I used a mix of laccinato, curly, and a purple-stemmed kale whose name I don’t know but you can use whatever looks fresh and delicious. If you don’t have almonds, pine nuts or walnuts work well too.

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I quadrupled this recipe to make 4 quarts, which are now sitting frozen in my freezer for a crazy week when I don’t have the time to cook. These will stay fresh for up to 3 months when frozen, but I wouldn’t leave them sitting for more than a week in your refrigerator. Enjoy with eggs, grains like farro or quinoa, and of course on pasta. Green goodness in a jar – what more could you want from a summer haul!

 

Kale-Almond Pesto

(yields one quart)

 

Ingredients:

  • 6 heaping handfuls of kale (I used 22 leaves de-stemmed)
  • Juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup parmesan
  • 1/2 cup dry roasted almonds

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until it’s an even consistency.
  2. Scrape contents into a wide mouth mason jar.
  3. Store in the fridge for up to 10 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
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Spicy Mango-Coconut Popsicles

We live in a world addicted to sugar, it’s true, but going cold turkey doesn’t always work out so well. Deprivation can lead to yo-yo eating patterns, which won’t help you sustain your long-term healthy eating goals. A better approach that I often help my wellness clients take is making healthier versions of your favorite meals.

Dessert, while not the most essential of meals, is nonetheless an important food ritual many of us enjoy – and hey, life is best when enjoyed! One of my favorite challenges is finding ways to make sweets better for you without tasting like sawdust or bland ice.

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With that in mind, I recently experimented with  a Mango Coconut Popsicle recipe, spiced with ginger. Ginger is a superfood linked to relieving nausea, inflammation, pain and a whole host of digestive issues. I also threw some turmeric in there because, well, why not? It too has anti-inflammatory properties and might help your skin and joints look and feel their best.

This fast and tasty recipe is guilt-free and impossible to mess up. Bonus: any leftovers that won’t fit in your molds can be enjoyed on the spot as a healthy smoothie. Enjoy!

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Spicy Mango-Coconut Popsicles

Servings: 6-8 popsicles

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups frozen mango
  • 1/2 very ripe banana
  • 1” fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1/2” fresh turmeric, scrubbed
  • 1/2 cup whole fat plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
  • 8 oz unsweetened almond milk

 

Directions:

  1. Blend ingredients in a high-speed blender for 1 minute or until smooth.
  2. Pour into popsicle molds leaving about a 1/4” at the top. Any leftovers can be consumed like a smoothie – yum!
  3. Freeze for at least 3 hours, but ideally overnight.
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Big Batch Breakfast (Part Deux): Healthy Veggie & Cheese Egg Muffins

Breakfast just got a whole lot easier. If you’re on the go as much as I am, it always pays off to spend a little extra time over the weekend to prepare some grab-and-go meals that will keep your full and focused throughout the week no matter what calendar cluster-Fs may arise.

For the past two weeks I’ve been making a big batch of healthy egg muffins on Sunday afternoosn, switching up the vegetables and accoutrements to keep things interesting. Below you’ll find my current favorite, but you can check my Instagram account for a recipe with asparagus, summer corn, and grape tomatoes. You can’t go wrong with either!

Healthy Baked Egg MuffinsBig Batch Breakfast (Part Deux): Healthy Veggie & Cheese Egg Muffins

Makes 12 egg muffins, or 6 servings.

Ingredients:

  • Butter, coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray, to coat pans – or, use silicone baking cups
  • 8 large eggs
  • Splash of milk (can use nut milk if preferred)
  • Generous pinch of sea salt and ground pepper
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, de-stemmed and minced
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 cups kale, cut into thin ribbons
  • 1/2 cup sweet & spicy cherry peppers
  • 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 3/4 – 1 cup shredded parmesan

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Crack eggs into a large bowl and whisk with the milk, thyme, salt and pepper.
  3. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan as desired.
  4. Sauté red onion in olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt. Add kale, sweet and spicy pepper, and garlic and sauté another 5-7 minutes.
  5. Divide veggie mixture and cheese between each muffin cup, then carefully pour eggs in until muffin tins are almost full – leaving about a 1/4-inch space.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The egg muffins will look like soufflé when they come out of the oven, but they will sink after a few minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before using a rubber spatula to carefully remove each muffin.

Notes:

  1. Adapted from Popsugar.
  2. You can consume these immediately or let them cool, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. They’ll refrigerate well for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

 

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Big Batch Breakfast: Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Let’s face it, oatmeal can get pretty boring, but oats are so good for you – loaded with heart-healthy fiber and minerals. What to do?! Get baked. Err, get baking!

My baked oatmeal is super easy, cost-effective, and since it’s a big batch recipe you’ll be set for breakfast all week. Convenience – check! Taste – check! Healthy – check!

Plate of Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Even if you don’t typically dig oatmeal, give this method a try. It changes the texture and fuses the flavors so you might just feel like you’re eating dessert, all the while you’re fueling yourself with clean energy for an active day. And best of all, there’s no added sugar so there’s no guilt with this breakfast decadence.

Go on, shake up your morning meal. It’s good to the last bite!

 

Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup toasted, unweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 Tbs ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of fine-grain sea salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen will work too – just defrost and discard any liquid)
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 Tbs melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Optional toppings for serving: plain yogurt, maple syrup or honey for drizzling, and/or more fresh fruit

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch rectangular baking dish with butter or coconut oil.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine.
  3. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the almond milk, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla. Whisk until blended.
  4. Spread the berries evenly over the bottom of the baking dish then cover the fruit with the dry oat mixture. Drizzle the wet ingredients over the oats. Use a spatula in zig-zagging strokes across the surface of the wetted oats to smooth out the top and push any dry oats down.
  5. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top is golden (not burnt!). Remove your baked oatmeal from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
  6. Serve with yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a more decadent and delicious breakfast experience!

Notes:

  1. This recipe will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
  2. Recipe adapted from Cookie & Kate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #movewelldc!