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Lemon Basil Vinaigrette {paleo, keto, vegan, AIP, Whole30}
This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is the key to take any dish from ‘meh’ to “HELL YEAH”! This aromatic, bright, fresh dressing is super versatile, it’s keto, paleo, vegan, Whole30 and AIP compliant and a must to have on hand!
The secret to tasty home cooking is little more than understanding how to properly and season even the most basic foods. Salt and pepper, garlic and acid, fresh herbs – it’s all so simple and so impactful. This simple vinaigrette combines all of that into one tasty dressing, sauce or finishing move!
To know me is to know that I live for a daily Big F*ckin’ Salad and roasted veggies are my favorite thing ever. This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is perfect on these, drizzled over cauliflower rice, on top of roasted chicken or steak, drizzled over a frittata or eggs, over your favorite fish and so much more.
This recipe was originally shared as part of this delicious Mixed Green Salad with Steam Fried Veggies and has since turned into a staple around here. It’s like a chimichurri of sorts.
This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette comes together in just about 5 minutes and you can store it for up to 7 days in the refrigerator, but I promise it won’t last that long.
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How to Make Hemp Milk +Video {Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Nut-free, Whole30}
How to Make Hemp Milk. Today I am teaching you to make my super simple homemade hemp milk. No need for soaking or straining, no planning ahead, just two ingredients to super easy homemade non-dairy milk. Plus, a few of my favorite flavor variations, Creamy Strawberry Vanilla Bean and Rich Chocolate Hemp Milks.
I am excited to show you how to make Easy Homemade Hemp Milk. It’s one of my favorite meal prep recipes and it’s great when you are in a pinch. Whether avoiding dairy milk is a priority, preference or necessity, I find homemade non-dairy milks to be the best for taste and cost as well as knowing exactly what is in there.
There are so many reasons to make your own non-dairy milks at home, but if I am being honest, often the time and the planning ahead becomes a big reason why I just don’t do it. I forget to plan ahead to soak the nuts or seeds, then I don’t want to fuss with straining the milk.
This homemade hemp milk is a favorite of mine for those last minute moments when I realize I have nothing on hand and I just want a quick smoothie, post-workout shake or even a tasty latte. Unlike most homemade nut milks or non-dairy milks, there’s no soaking overnight and no straining after you blend, so it’s ready whenever you are. You just need a high speed blender, like a Vitamix and about 2 minutes of your time! That’s literally it.
By not straining your homemade hemp milk, you maximize the nutritional benefits of the hemp seeds (hemp hearts) along with the extra fiber.
You can strain if you want it to be more like commercial non-dairy milks, it’s super easy, with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth, but the best part about not straining, you retain all the amazing benefits of the hemp hearts.
NO SOAKING NECESSARY
Hemp seeds contain no phytic acid, the mineral-binding antinutrient common to most nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes (which we talk about at length in my nut milk how to post and this sprouting tutorial for nuts, seeds, grains and beans).
Nutritional Benefits of Hemp Seeds (Why I Don’t Strain my Hemp Milk)
Hemp seeds (or hemp hearts) are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and they are rich in plant-based essential fatty acids, omega 3s, omega 6s, plus due to the optional ratio of these two EFAs in hemp seeds, it’s a great option for reducing inflammation. Hemp also contains including GLA, Gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA), a necessary building block for some prostaglandins that has been shown to support hormone balance, inflammation and more.
Hemp seeds are also rich in vitamin E which is great for your immune function. As far as minerals, hemp is a great source of manganese and magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, among others. Most excitingly, hemp seeds are a quality complete plant based protein, with all 20 amino acids present, including the 9 essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce – this is CRAZY rare in the plant kingdom, this is part of why I never bother straining them out. Per a 30 gram serving of hemp hearts, (approx. 2 heaping tablespoons) you get 10 grams of protein and 10 grams of Omega 3 + 6s. Hemp seeds are also rich in fiber, which is one of the other reasons why I prefer to leave the whole seeds in my homemade hemp milk.
My Blender of Choice + A Special Offer:
All you need is a good blender! That’s it. I recommend a high speed blender for the very best results for super creamy Homemade Hemp Milk. Vitamix is my preferred high speed blender. Using this link, you, the Tasty Yummies community receives $20 off of your first purchase of an Ascent Series product (featured above) plus FREE SHIPPING.
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Instant Pot Hamburger Soup aka Ground Beef Stew {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
This Instant Pot Hamburger Soup is a simple, weeknight meal is a breeze to throw together, it’s hearty and budget-friendly. This comforting classic version of a ground beef stew is paleo, Whole30 and keto-friendly.
This simple, humble Instant Pot Hamburger Soup was born accidentally. You see, I had fully meal planned for this week , which is exciting enough when I plan ahead and to that and on the menu I had my Instant Pot Beef Stew, it’s a favorite of mine, it’s pure, cozy comfort food that reminds me of my childhood. I had planned to leave out the white potatoes and mix up the veggies to suit my tastes and needs. I love that this stew recipe is generally affordable as chuck roast or stew meat is often an budget-conscious cut of meat, however I hit up my local grocery store and the grass-fed chuck roast was $12 / pound, EEEEK and no other quality stew meat option. That’s a hard NOPE!! I wasn’t making a stew that cost over $30 in meat. I looked to my left and there I found grass-fe, grass-finished ground beef, $4.99 / pound. Perfect, I thought, I would just make my beef stew with hamburger meat and it would be amazing.
To create this ground beef stew I made a few light changes, I increased the broth, went with less meat, I left out the potatoes and opted to create for more of a soup, then a stew, though it still had those cozy stew vibes with the veggies and the flavors.
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Keto Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Paleo, Whole30} + Video
These simple Keto Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a tasty, one pan meal that is a restaurant-classic reimagined. Ready in no-time, these paleo and Whole30 lettuce cups pack a flavor punch.
Earlier last year, I think it was in the late spring, I had the pleasure of attending another amazing event at 1440 Multiversity. During this short wellness event they actually had my lovely friend Michelle from Nom Nom Paleo as a guest teaching an amazing cooking demo for all of us. So fun to watch her cook and create in the kitchen. Michelle made her delicious, popular Potsticker Stir-Fry and that was all it took. One quick sample and I was obsessed, not just in how it tasted but also both in how simple it was and how versatile.
I started making it at home, once a week, most times without the original recipe and as these things do, it slowly morphed into a dish of it’s own in my kitchen. I often would replace the ground pork with ground dark meat chicken, sometimes turkey. I sometimes added the cabbage, but not always. I added bell pepper for the flavor and color and many times I will add water chestnuts at the end, cuz I really love that fresh crunch.
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Easy Sheet Pan Keto Beef and Broccoli (w/ Stovetop option) {Paleo, Whole30}
This Easy Sheet Pan Keto Beef and Broccoli takes a classic dish and makes it even easier. Cooked on one sheet pan it’s ready in about 15 minutes. Keto, paleo and whole30-friendly it’s a delicious, healthy weeknight meal that is worth adding to the meal plan every week!
With the start of the new year, comes the back-to-reality moments. Back to the easy weeknight meals, meal prepping, batch cooking and coming up with quick and simple ways to make sure you are prepared and ready.
I am a big fan of one pot and one pan meals, recipes I can add to the Instant Pot or Crock Pot. I love meals that come together in 30 minutes. In the cooler months I am especially fond of sheet pan meals. If I can toss everything together on one pan and toss it into the oven, there’s minimal cleanup, little babysitting and I can get dinner on the table in a jiffy. Perfect for those busy weeknights.
This particular recipe, my Easy Sheet Pan Keto Beef and Broccoli, actually evolved from a stove top meal I had been making the last several months, a product of what I had on hand and what we love the most, flavor wise. I don’t know if you are like me, but I tend to find a dish I love and continuously make it so many times until I basically don’t actually want to see it again for 6 months. Then we begin again.
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5 Tips for Your Sugar Detox: How to Fight the Cravings, Stay Sane and Feel Free.
Whether or not you have committed to a structured sugar detox or you are simply looking to cut your intake of sweets and manage the cravings – today, I am sharing my 5 simple tips for your sugar detox. It’s not about dieting or crazy rules or restrictive eating as punishment, it’s just about being smart, prioritizing your health and feeling in control of the cravings!
Hey Sweet Thing! Are you addicted to sugar? Do you feel trapped by your constant cravings for something sweet? If you want to break the addictive cycle to sugar, it’s totally possible, it’s not actually as bad (or as hard) as it seems and feeling like you are in control of your cravings – is truly priceless!! Trust me. Removing the addiction to sugar isn’t about extreme restrictions forever or never ever having a sweet again, rather this is about loving your body and your health enough to want to feel your bet, to get yourself out of the constant blood sugar roller coaster and to break free of the sugar cravings that hold you hostage!
I know pretty much all of us can relate and have been there, but I find it’s especially challenging for folks after the holidays. Whether or not you have committed to a structured sugar detox or you are simply looking to cut your intake of sweets and manage the cravings – today, I am sharing my 5 tips to drop the sugar – cuz friends, you are sweet enough already – haha!
Why Cut Back on Sugar?
Sugar at it’s best lights us up, it gives us pleasure in times of stress, depression and pain, but we all know those feelings are short-lived. At it’s worst, sugar in excess can make you feel sluggish, bloated, anxious and crabby – so why do you still crave it? Because it’s addicting. It triggers the same reward and pleasure centers in the brain, that some narcotics do. It’s addicting. Is sugar as bad for us as cocaine? NO – I am certainly not implying that, but I think it’s important to recognize that sugar definitely has the ability to have a very strong hold on us and it’s not our fault.
Excessive Sugar Can:
- raise our blood sugar (blood glucose), which requires our body to constantly be releasing insulin to manage, then we have the crash – it’s highly taxing to the body to be in this constant blood sugar roller coaster of up and down and it can affect other systems of the body, as a result.
- lead to weight gain from overeating, along with elevated triglycerides, insulin resistance, and other indicators of metabolic syndrome. Refined sugar has also been shown to reduce immune system efficiency.1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4748178, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531784800573.
- cause elevated blood glucose levels which has been shown to promote cancer growth 2https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006291X85919308.
- feed bad gut bacteria. When we eat a high-sugar diet, the undesirable bacteria thrive and start to grow out of control, causing a waterfall of health issues, while our beneficial bacteria dwindle in number.
- cause inflammation which can affects our entire body, but very specifically our immune system and our digestion.
Does this mean we can’t have ANY sugar ever, nope! I am not insinuating that extreme, unattainable level of perfection with our eating, but of all the foods available to us, I would argue that sugar is the most pleasure-enducing and therefore the hardest to moderate. Limiting yourself around the sweets isn’t a problem with you or your willpower, it’s a problem with the sweets! They are hyper palatable and designed to make you want more. So, what can we do to break the addiction to sugar and begin to feel like we are the ones in control, rather than the sugar?!
References
1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4748178, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531784800573 2. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006291X85919308 -
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast {Gluten-free, Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
Got a small gathering planned? This Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is a simple and easy way to enjoy the flavors of Thanksgiving without slaving over a HUGE turkey. The skin gets beautiful crisped and golden browned and the herbed butter (or olive oil) brings a beautiful flavor to the whole breast. Gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30 – friendly.
Roast turkey breast is a really great alternative to roasting a whole turkey. Not only is it less work, it’s less time, too, which leaves the oven open for making some of the must-have sides, ahem – I am looking at you stuffing and roasted Brussels sprouts. A four- to five-pound turkey breast will feed six to eight people, it’s a cinch to carve, and it’s perfect for making those tasty leftover sandwiches or salads or a delicious soup the next day.
Enjoy this easy Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or really, you can make it any other time of the year; the leftovers are fabulous! I especially love that without fussing with a whole bird, all the cook time and the carving time, you get more time to spend with your loved ones, because that’s what it’s all about, am I right?
This turkey breast is tender, juicy and it’s delicious served alongside your favorite stuffing, cranberry sauce and some mashed potatoes 0r cauliflower mash and definitely some green beans. Don’t forget a pie for dessert.
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Smoked Salmon Dip {Paleo, Gluten-free, Keto} + Video
This Paleo Smoked Salmon Dip has become synonymous with party invites for me. Ready in about 5 minutes, with just 4 ingredients, it’s fuss-free at it’s finest. I make with a dairy-free cream cheese, but you can also make with regular cream cheese, as well.
This Paleo Smoked Salmon Dip has turned into a bit of a mainstay when it comes to entertaining, it was my signature move this past holiday season. I’ve literally brought it to every party, event and dinner, from prior to Thanksgiving and including the holiday straight through Christmas and our New Year’s Eve celebrations, too. Over the summer it is a hit at BBQs and picnics, too!
With the classic flavors of smoked salmon with cream cheese, with a couple of additional ingredients to maximize the punch of taste, this is a must for parties and it’ll impress even the non-paleo folks, as well.
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How To Make Cashew Cream {+ Video}
Dairy-free, vegan cashew cream is so wildly versatile, you are gonna love it. Sweet or savory, it’s perfect as a finishing sauce, a dip or even stirred into soups, stews and sauces. Learn how easy it is to make plus grab some of my most favorite cashew cream flavor variations, including a lightly sweetened vanilla bean and a smoky, cheezy, dairy-free chipotle cashew cream and LOADS of recipe ideas. Paleo, keto and Whole30-friendly.
If you’ve been reading Tasty Yummies for some time now, you know my love affair of cashews runs many, many years deep. It all started with a vegan cashew cheesecake I made, probably for the first time, like 10 years ago now and then finally shared here on the website in 2013 and it’s just exploded from there (see the bottom of the post for lots of recipes). Considering I exist somewhere between totally dairy-free and mostly dairy-free, cashews are absolutely heaven sent when it comes to recreating that creamy texture you get from dairy. From sauces to cheesecakes and even an amazing keto nut butter – I am continuously amazed at what I can create with cashews.
While I have LOADS of cashew cream based recipes from the past almost 9 years on Tasty Yummies, I am finally sharing my basic Cashew Cream recipe along with two additional flavor variations that I LOVE and make often. There really are an unending amount of variations of cashew cream depending on how you plan to use it and your taste and you can adjust the thickness and consistency by adding more or less water, plus there are also so many options for other ingredients you can add to adjust the flavors. But, I wanted to give you the basics so you could be on your way to create your own variations, too.
I have made versions of this cashew cream of mine so many times over the years from cooking demos at Whole Foods to private cooking lessons with dairy-free folks and EVERY SINGLE TIME, without fail, people refuse to believe that it’s cashews!!
Cashew cream has a really mild flavor, which I find allows it to be added to just about any type of cuisine or dish. Be sure to use raw unsalted cashews, not roasted, to yield the best texture and flavor. You can find raw organic cashews in the bulk aisle of most grocery stores or online with places like nuts.com, etc.
Be sure to scroll all the way through to get ALL of the many options for flavor options, ideas for how to use your cashew cream, along with some of my favorite cashew cream recipes plus I answer a few Cashew Cream FAQs!
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Kale Salad with Roasted Salmon and Warm Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette {paleo, keto, gluten-free}
Kale Salad with Roasted Salmon and Warm Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette. I am SO excited to share this delicious recipe inspired by my recent travels with The Feedfeed to Cascadian Farm’s home farm in Skagit County, Washington. Plus, I am sharing all of the incredible stuff I learned about their organic farming practices, from their commitment to regenerative agriculture, to the importance of crop rotation, cover crops, pollinator fields, soil health and so much more! We are also talking about this brain-boosting, nutrient-packed Kale Salad with Roasted Salmon and Warm Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, why frozen can sometimes actually be better than fresh and lots more!
You may remember a while back in my Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice Post where I shared that I would be heading to the Pacific Northwest with Cascadian Farm and The Feedfeed – hopefully you caught our amazing adventures over on Instagram in real time (and if not, you can still see the trip in my Highlights).
To fill you in on that magical trip, we spent the entire day on Cascadian Farm’s home farm in Skagit County, Washington. This USDA certified organic farm, set on 90 acres of land, was the most picturesque and inspiring backdrop, perfect for learning all about their farming practices, their approach to organics, sustainability, regenerative agriculture and more. The Cascadian Farm home farm is actually a testing ground for organic and regenerative agricultural practices, the results of which help inform best practices across our partner farm network of suppliers.
We had the opportunity to get our hands dirty in the soil that they work so hard to manage, protect and improve, for us, the land, their farmers and their community, we ate wild berries we picked straight from the vines. I played with friends, old and new, making gorgeous fall-inspired wreaths from flowers we picked from the pollinator fields and we finished the day enjoying the most incredible locally-sourced and seasonally inspired meal right there in the fields on the farm, the majestic mountains towering over us.
Most importantly, I got to have the conversations that I love to have, chatting about regenerative agriculture and why it’s SO vital we nourish and give back to our land and soil, we learned more about Cascadian Farm’s commitment to these practices – that at this point, in my mind, is absolutely non-negotiable when we are talking about the future of our planet and our food!
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Cast Iron Skillet Crispy Kale
Cast Iron Skillet Crispy Kale is a favorite easy weeknight side dish for us. Cast Iron Skillet Crispy Kale is ready in under 10 minutes, under 5 if you are in a rush and don’t care about the crispiness factor. Best part, kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, so this Cast Iron Skillet Crispy Kale tastes great and it’s great for you, too! WIN WIN!
I am all about the simple, easy, weeknight dishes but I especially love nutrient-dense, brain-boosting foods that are easy to prepare and include in the weekly repertoire.
One of the world’s most nutrient dense foods, kale is an inexpensive way to load up on important vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Kale is incredibly rich in Vitamin C (more than 4.5 times what you can find in spinach and 1 cup of raw kale has more vitamins C than a whole orange). Kale is also one of the world’s best sources of Vitamin K, with 1 cup of raw kale containing more than 7 times the recommended daily amount, Vitamin K is an important nutrient involved in blood clotting.
Kale is also a great source of B6 and other B Vitamins. Kale like other leafy greens is a rich source of antioxidants, specifically Beta-Cerotene, an antioxidant the body can turn into Vitamin A, along with various polyphenols and flavonoids, including two flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol known for being heart protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and so much more. Kale actually contains over 45 different flavonoids! WOAH!
Lutein and zeaxanthin, catenoid antioxidants these are the nutrients that give kale its deep, dark green coloring and they are protective against macular degeneration and cataracts. Kale is also high in many minerals people are often deficient in, some of the minerals found in kale include calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, to name a few.
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A Guide to Smarter Smoothies {Video}
While smoothies have become a popular meal replacement, snack and all around trendy food, crafted incorrectly you can be consuming a sugar-loaded, blood sugar exploding cocktail. I am excited to share with you A Guide to Smarter Smoothies to hopefully help you understand how to better create the smoothies that are right for you.
If you’ve been reading Tasty Yummies for some time, you probably know that the archives are LOADED with smoothie recipes. Smoothies used to play a much larger role in my daily diet routine, for the longest time it was always my favorite way to start my day. Interestingly at the height of my smoothie consumption, weight loss was definitely a struggle, as were energy crashes and sugar cravings. What I didn’t know back then, but I do know now as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, is that without the proper formulation, smoothies are a blood sugar explosion waiting to happen.
Every time you consume any carbohydrates and sugar containing foods, it causes an increase in blood glucose. How much so is dependent on the food and the individual. Simple sugars more specifically (monosaccharides), those sugars ending in -ose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, galactose, maltose – these are metabolized especially quickly and can often cause a big surge in insulin.
Our body’s innate intelligence continually monitors the amount of glucose in our bloodstream to maintain balance and homeostasis. When blood glucose levels increase, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin. Insulin increases the uptake of glucose by our muscle and fat cells; increases the amount of glycogen in our muscle and liver; increases fatty acid synthesis from excessive carbohydrates; and decreases fat breakdown and mobilization from our fat tissue.
How Bad Can a Fruit-Loaded Smoothie Be?
With a spike in blood sugar, a release of insulin and the impending crash, no matter what food is the initial cause, this can lead to immediate hunger, mid-day cravings, energy crashes, lightheadedness, anxiety, etc. Even worse, if the rest of your day’s eating (and most days) continue on the carb and sugar path, you are absolutely creating a long term problem. Whether you are overweight, struggle with weight loss or notice blood sugar issues or not.
Day in and day out this roller coaster can lead to a slew of health complications beyond obesity, lethargy and cravings. To simplify the worst of it, constant output of insulin is like the boy that cried wolf, your cells stop responding to the insulin that is constantly being produced and they become resistant, meaning without the insulin to transport the excess glucose to your cells for energy production, blood sugar levels remain high and this is can lead to chronic insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and eventually diabetes.
These days, I personally prefer to opt for (and I recommend to my clients) the prioritizing of nutrient-dense whole foods, rather than drinkable meals, like smoothies or juice. Whole foods offer the opportunity for maximum nutrient absorption, which allows our digestion to work as intended, and assuming these whole foods aren’t loaded up with carbohydrates and sugar – it’s much easier on your blood sugar.
That said, in the summer I do find myself with a much different appetite and my cravings differ quite significantly from the cooler months. I am not nearly as ravenous for more robust meals, especially on the hotter days. In the summer months I find myself wanting and craving more smoothies than any other time of the year. Knowing what I know now, my approach to creating them has drastically changed, so today I am going to share with you my Guide to Smarter Smoothies.
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Easy Roasted Chicken
Easy Roasted Chicken is a staple meal, that guarantees meal prepping and meal planning success! This no-fail, foolproof approach to Roasted Chicken takes just a few ingredients and a thermometer, for you to master. Grab the recipe for my Easy Roasted Chicken and enter to win a set of Copper Chef Wonder Cooker pans.
There is nothing quite like an impressive meal that requires very little fuss. There is also something to be said for those cozy, beloved meals that bring comfort, despite how basic they may be.
An easy roasted chicken has the power to comfort. Read on for not only my simple technique for roasted chicken but also for an amazing giveaway for this beautiful, versatile Copper Chef Wonder Cooker.
I am super excited about this new Copper Chef Wonder Cooker that I have had the pleasure of experimenting and playing with over the last week. This 14-in-1 multi-cooker set is not only impressive in the many ways that you can use it, but it’s a stunner, a perfect addition to any foodie’s kitchen collection.
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Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice {Keto, Paleo, Whole30}
Easy Keto Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice comes together with your favorite protein and it’s ready it just about 15 minutes. This easy and quick Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe is also paleo, Whole30 with vegan options. If you have never had Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice, life is about to change. Don’t miss this simple Keto Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe, made extra easy with my secret weapon!
To know me, it to know my excitement for all things food! More importantly, beyond my simplistic love of food and cooking, it’s the real special things, like knowing where my food comes from, why it’s good for me, the impact that my food choices make on the environment and my health – that’s where I get real giddy. It’s just a true nerdy love affair, from top to bottom.
Anytime I can connect with my food on a deeper level, I jump at the chance. The wonder of the whole process is truly so special to me and I find each bite tastes so much better and each meal is so much more meaningful when I can slow down and acknowledge the full process and the full journey the food took to my plate. Our food is so much more than seeds, soil, sun and water. It’s love, it’s passion and it’s so so much work! We cannot ever take for granted the amount of energy that goes into our food.
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6-Minute Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon
Much like other staples in our household, shredded chicken, Big F*ckin’ Salads, and hard cooked eggs, this 6-Minute Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon is a weekly mainstay! Here’s the best part, this Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon is ready in six minutes! You heard me – SIX!
If you dare tell me that you don’t have time to make dinner, we will fully get into it. I can promise you that. With delicious, nutrient-dense meals like this, ready in under 10 minutes, there are literally NO excuses. Grab the cast iron skillet, have some high quality, sustainably caught, skin-on salmon on hand, every week, choose some nice organic greens or another fiber-loaded green veggie and BOOM, in under 10 minutes you’ve got dinner. Easy.
Best part, wild caught salmon is an incredible source of quality omega-3 fatty acids. In our household we shoot to eat quality salmon or other omega-3 rich fatty fish, at least 3 times a week, I notice this makes a really big difference in my health, my skin looks better when I am on top of my omega-3 fats and I just feel better. And dang, it is truly so delicious!
As always, I am gonna preach what I always teach and that is quality matters. Seek out a sustainably fished, wild caught salmon. Not only is it better for your health, it’s better for the environment and the earth! Don’t skimp here. And the skin, lots of extra nutrients in there, so not only is it tasty AF, it’s giving you some good stuff, too.
Things I want you to know about my Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon:
- It’s basically the only way to eat salmon!
- If you’ve got the time, let the salmon filets rest in the fridge, uncovered, skin side up, to dry out the skin. 15 to 30 minutes ahead of cooking, an hour if you’ve got it. This makes a world of difference. Trust!
- Do not overcook your salmon, dry salmon sucks.
- Cast iron is where it’s at. The cast iron gets hot and stays hot, evenly. I like to turn the heat off for those last couple of minutes of cooking on the other side, so it’s not crazy hot, but there’s no need to move the pan to the oven or broiler.
- Serve your salmon, crispy skin side up. If you take it out of the pan and serve skin side down, you broke it, the skin will lose that amazing crisp.
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Big F*ckin’ Salad (B.F.S.) // How to Build the Ultimate Salad that Doesn’t Suck
Tasty Yummies Big Fuckin’ Salad. Big Fucking Salad. Big F*ckin Salad.
If you’ve followed me on Instagram for some time, you know that the Big F*ckin’ Salad is a total staple in my kitchen, and yah ok, my potty mouth is also a staple in well, life – but I do my best to keep is mostly PG-ish, most of the time! Nearly every single day, in the Brickey household, we rip a colossal nutrient-dense salad for a meal. It’s a great way to get it loads and loads of important nutrients in one sitting, it’s filling, easy to make, fun to get creative with and they are just dang yummy! I actually feel like if I build an amazing B.F.S. at least once a day, I can be certain no matter what the rest of my day looks like, I am getting a huge dose of super important nutrients. Generally in the summer months, it’s what’s for dinner most nights, but oftentimes it’s lunch and I’ve even been known to crush an epic Big F*ckin’ Breakfast Salad, too! One of my favorites.
I am finally walking you through my basic formula for building the perfect loaded up Big F*ckin’ Salad, so you can be a B.F.S-building Queen (or King). As far as I am concerned, all you need for a successful B.F.S. is quality greens, protein, fat, some crunchy stuff (from extra raw veggies or other add-ons) and an amazing homemade dressing. That’s it.
Best part about a daily B.F.S? You can be sure you are loading yourself up with tons of plant based nutrients, lots of fiber and of course some quality fat and protein. Follow my formula and make yourself a B.F.S. every day to get in your nutrients and I promise you will never ever get bored.
First things first, get yourself a SOLID gigantic bowl for your B.F.S. I love our huge wide bowls for Ikea (seen here), but I am not mad about a big salad being served in a gigantic mixing bowl (glass OR metal), either.
Tasty Yummies Big Fuckin’ Salad. Big Fucking Salad. Big F*ckin Salad.
GREENS + PROTEIN + VEGGIES + FAT + DRESSING
(+ extras if you want ’em)First major rule of the B.F.S. Club:
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Grain-free Thai Beef Bowls {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Grain-free Thai Beef Bowls. This is an easy, one-pan meal, ready in just over 15 minutes, and it’s a weeknight staple in our house. Garnish all pretty-like to create colorful masterpiece, serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles or go with regular rice or noodles. This recipe is paleo, whole30 and keto friendly.
I know for many of you with families and busy schedules, though the summer is supposed to be about relaxing and chilling, somehow before you know it, the schedule fills up and you are going non-stop. Dinners are eaten on the run and you are quite literally setting up your digestion for a rough go. While it’s far easier said then done, to slow down, I think much of this action can take place with meal planning and preparing meals that can me made start to finish in under 30 minutes.
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Banh Mi Salad {Keto, Paleo, Whole30}
Banh Mi Salad. This is a delicious take on Vietnamese classic sandwich, the Bánh mì. Keto, paleo, Whole30 and gluten-free, this deconstructed take on one of my favorite sandwiches is loaded with flavor, fresh crunchy vegetables and so much color. I cannot wait for you to try this one.
Alright all my keto, paleo, Whole30 pals, you didn’t think I would leave you hanging on this whole Banh Mi thing, did you? I shared my delicious gluten-free Banh Mi Sandwich a few weeks back, as part of a Sammie Smackdown Contest with Canyon Bakehouse, all for a very good cause, but a lot of you, like me, are generally on that grain-free train. I feel ya, I feel better that way, too! But, there’s no reason we can’t get it on these sammie vibes, in our own way. Enter the Banh Mi Salad, my new favorite thing!
I entered my tasty take on this classic Vietnamese sandwich, the Banh Mi, to try to win $10,000 for my charity, Joyful Heart Foundation. Joyful Heart is a leading national organization with a mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse and support survivors’ healing. Through healing, education, and advocacy, they are paving the way for innovative approaches to treating trauma, igniting shifts in the way the public views and responds to these horrific acts of violence and reforming legislation to ensure justice for survivors – and ultimately working to end this violence, forever!
Voting is still open. It remains open until August 20th and you can vote up to 3 times a day for my sandwich, with extra votes coming in if you share on social media and sign up through email to win a years worth of gluten-free bread! Head over to the Sammie Smackdown contest on Canyon Bakehouse’s website and help me by voting EVERY SINGLE DAY until the contest ends on 8/20. It would mean the world to me to win this money for this incredible, privately funded organization, doing such important work.
In the meantime, if sandwiches and bread aren’t so much your thing, you need to make this epic salad, inspired by that sandwich. All the flavors, tastes and vibes, without the bread. (And yes, I am aware that Banh Mi literally translates to bread, so this becomes an oxymoron of sorts, but I am OK with that.) If you are following a paleo or keto approach to your eating or maybe just doing a Whole30 and looking to have something fun, this salad is for you!!
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Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl {Paleo, Whole30, AIP-option}
This Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl is a lightly updated version of a classic Hawaiian comfort food. We swap the traditional white rice with cauliflower rice and with flavorful Umami grass-fed beef patty from TRIBALÍ Foods and epic mushroom gravy make this a savory dream come true.
If you haven’t been able to tell by recent recipes here on Tasty Yummies over the last 8 or so months, I was incredibly touched by my two trips to Hawaii in the last year. The food clearly made a major impression on me, among many other things. Beyond the flavors, of course, I love the varying cultures that inspire the cuisine, as well as the locally accessible foods that influence the food.
One dish that continuously peaked my interest (AKA haunted me) on both of my visits to the islands was the Loco Moco bowl. Loco Moco is classic Hawaiian comfort food. Traditionally made with white rice, a burger patty, an over-easy or fried egg, and a generous serving of beef gravy, often with mushrooms, it’s basically a Beth dish, if there ever were one. Savory, unfussy, non-pretentious, comfort food with an undertone of umami. GAH! Dream status. The bad thing, I could never ever ever enjoy one while I was on the Islands, the gravy ALWAYS contained gluten, every single restaurant, I would ask.
So, I creepily creeped on anyone that ordered it near me, took mental notes, maybe drooled a little and couldn’t wait until I could recreate one at home in a way that I could enjoy.
As usual, besides the given of recreating a recipe without gluten, I wanted to created something that was totally grain-free and as always, prioritized quality ingredients, most importantly the beef! You all know how important the quality of my animal proteins are to me. You can read more here about the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef and why I choose to make this a focus of my nutrition.
I know prioritizing quality of food can often feel overwhelming, but we cannot afford not to make as many attempts as we can for better quality, our health depends on it. I am also intensely passionate about supporting the companies prioritizing not only better quality but also transparency in their supply chain. TRIBALÍ Foods was created by Holistic Nutritionist, mom and former vegetarian, Angela Bicos Mavridis, who merged her passion for wholesome, nutrient-dense foods with globally-inspired flavors for a delicious, healthy meal option. After meeting with Angela in person and bonding instantly over our Greek heritage, our connection ran even deeper as we shared our health and healing paths and our commitment to high-quality, sustainable foods that actually taste good!! I fell in love instantly with TRIBALÍ and Angela.
TRIBALÍ Foods‘ patties feature 100% organic grass fed and finished, pasture-raised beef and 100% organic free-range, air chilled chicken, all meat is humanely raised on family farms without any added antibiotics or added hormones, and blended with locally sourced herbs and vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, poblanos and fire-roasted garlic. You can buy TRIBALÍ Foods online (use coupon code YUMMY to save 20%), or find them in the freezer section of select Super Targets from coast-to-coast, in Southern California at natural retailers like Bristol Farms, Lassen’s, Lazy Acres, Erewhon and Gelson’s and now all of the Natural Grocers locations across America. I get mine locally at our Whole Foods and you can check out the store locator to find a retailer near you.
The Umami Grass-fed Beef Patties were the perfect choice for these bowls, having fire-roasted garlic, onions, and woodsy Shiitake mushrooms — with a tangy hint of nori seaweed, a dash of Red Boat fish sauce, and umami spices. I love that they are paleo, keto and Whole30 friendly, but they are also AIP compliant. WOAH!
With the umami rich beef gravy the punch of flavor if this comforting Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl is unreal. I cannot wait for you to experience this, too! Breakfast just got a whole lot better and better for you, too! Read the rest of this entry »
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Grilled Spicy Shrimp and Veggie Skewers with Pineapple Turmeric Salsa {gluten-free, paleo, Whole30, keto}
Ready in no-time, these Grilled Spicy Shrimp and Veggie Skewers are fast, simple, and so crazy-flavorful. Turmeric adds a boost of health benefits and flavor depth to both the marinade and the Pineapple Turmeric Salsa served on the side. This recipe is gluten-free, paleo, whole30 and keto compliant.
This post and recipe were created in partnership with MegaFood®. I am proud to work with brands that care about the health of its consumers and the planet. As always, all opinions, ideas and text are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Tasty Yummies.
There’s something so special about the food of summer. At our house, we opt for lots of easy-to-make, all-encompassing meals that don’t require too many pots and pans or heating up the kitchen. But more, I LOVE celebrating all the vibrant colors and tastes of the season. And we are ALWAYS down for a grill-centric meal over here.
By now you folks know I am all for getting in ample superfoods and supplements, be it classically in tablet or powder form, tossed into smoothies – I have some very important supplements that are part of my everyday routine, no excuses. That said, there is something I love so much more about foods and supplements working together in harmony. Often, there are other nutrients found in our foods that work symbiotically with these supplements and other nutrients to ensure the best chance for assimilation and absorption.
Turmeric is one of those foods/supplements that I don’t ever miss! I’m serious, I take it every day. I have personally seen improvements in the health of my joints and muscle recovery post-workout by consistently including turmeric in my diet over the past few years*. In fact, I can almost always feel a marked change if I miss even a single dose. It’s pretty wild.
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Understanding these Essential Fats
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are essential and incredibly important for your body and brain. They are essential because they MUST be obtained through our diet. Read on for science-based health benefits of omega-3s, why they are so important and everything else you need to know.
At this point, you know how I feel about fats and the importance of including quality fats in our diet. Today we are going to talk more specifically about essential fatty acids. The two most well-known polyunsaturated fats are omega-3s and omega-6s. Both are considered to be essential fatty acids, because our body needs them and we cannot produce them on our own. It is important that we get these essential fats from our food. The human body can create most of the types of fats it needs from other fats or raw materials, but for these essential fatty acids, this isn’t the case.
Since we’ll be talking almost exclusively about omega-3s in this post, I do want to quickly first address about the “other” EFA. The essential fatty acid, linoleic acid (LA) is an inflammatory omega-6 fat. While that word “inflammatory” may sound bad to you, this is your reminder (we’ve talked about it before), that inflammation is quite important in our body, as part of proper healing. For example, you whack your head and get a swollen goose egg, that little bump is just one example of inflammation and it’s actually quite important to the healing process, as the inflammation sends nutrients and blood flow to that area for it to heal. Adequate omega-6 fatty acids, make this inflammation possible. That said, an excess of omega-6 fatty acids, as you can imagine can promote chronic and excess inflammation, which we all know can promote a wide array of diseases.
While both omega-3s and 6s are essential to the body, due to our modern diets that tend to effortlessly be abundant in omega-6 fats, most people are severely deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, so the ratio is severely imbalanced for many. Let’s talk about how we can fix that and why it’s important.
Understanding EFAs and Why Omega-3 Is Most Coveted:
The omega-3 fatty acids were first discovered in the early 1970’s when Danish physicians observed that Greenland Eskimos had an exceptionally low incidence of heart disease and arthritis despite the fact that they consumed a diet high in fat. These early studies established fish as a rich source of n-3 fatty acids.
EFAs are the good fats necessary for hormone production and they are important for normal growth, especially of the blood vessels and nerves and to keep the skin and other tissues looking youthful and supple as a result of their lubricating quality. Omega-3 fats are an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. They provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Likely due to these effects, omega-3 fats have been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions. 1https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/
In the typical America Diet it is far easier to get omega-6 EFAs (linoleic acid) than the omega-3 EFAs (alpha-linolenic acid). While omega-6 on it’s own from quality sources, isn’t a villain, for most people their excessive omega-6 consumption is coming from non-whole food sources like highly refined plant and seed oils (including corn, canola, safflower, sunflower and, soybean oils), which we already know to be toxic, food-like-substances we are best to avoid. These are the oils most typically found in restaurants, fast foods and other foods of convenience, like packaged, processed foods. Most folks are getting hit with omega-6 fatty acids from many places, while simultaneously not consuming enough omega-3 fatty acids. Other sources of omega-6 fats are grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, poultry (even the organically grown) and industrially raised meat. So it makes sense that adequate (if not far more than) levels of omega-3 fats are effortlessly consumed.
- The human body does best with a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats somewhere in the range or 1:1 to 1:4. Unfortunately most Americans are existing in a ratio upwards of around 1:20, and many have NO detectable level of omega-3 fats, at all.
- Balancing this ratio takes special care to reduce the amount of highly-refined, non-nutrient dense, omega-6 abundant foods in our diet (processed foods, fried foods, fast food, vegetable oils, etc) and consistently including more preformed omega-3 rich seafood (or algae).
- For what it’s worth, grass-fed meat contains 5 times the omega-3 fats as conventionally raised meat and lower levels of omega 6 fats. 2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/ Grass fed beef’s ratio of of omega-3 to omega-6 is 1:1 where as the ratio in conventionally raised meat is more like 1:7.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are Important:
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids reduce inflammation, promote cardiovascular health, protect your brain and help prevent metabolic syndrome and chronic diseases. 3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23794360
- The human brain is primarily made up of fat and it has a high requirement for DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. Low DHA levels have been linked to low brain serotonin levels, which are connected to an increased tendency for depression and suicide. Several studies have established a correlation between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression. High consumption of omega-3 FAs is typically associated with a lower incidence of depression, a decreased prevalence of age-related memory loss and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease 4Kalmijn S. Dietary fat intake and the risk of incident dementia in the Rotterdam Study. Annals of Neurology. 1997;42(5):776–82. doi: 10.1002/ana.410420514. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 5Yehuda S, Rabinovtz S, Carasso RL, Mostofsky DI. Essential fatty acids preparation (SR-3) improves Alzheimer’s patient’s quality of life. International Journal of Neuroscience. 1996;87(3-4):141–9. doi: 10.3109/00207459609070833. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 6Hibbeln JR. Fish oil consumption and major depression. The Lancet. 1998;351:1213. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)79168-6. (April 18 1998) [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 7Hibbeln JR, Salem N. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and depression: when cholesterol does not satisfy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1995;62:1–9. [PubMed] 8Stoll AL. Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999;56 407-12-415-16. [PubMed] 9Calabrese JR, Rapport DJ, Shleton MD. Fish oils and bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999;56:413–4. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.56.5.413. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 10Laugharne JDE. Fatty acids and schizophrenia. Lipids. 1996;31:S163–S165. doi: 10.1007/BF02637070. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
- A lack of omega-3s can lead you to a higher risk of heart disease and chronic inflammation. Deficiency has also been linked to higher chances of dementia and alzheimers, ADD, arthritis, poor cognitive function and brain development, joint pain and more.
References
1. ↑ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/ 2. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/ 3. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23794360 4. ↑ Kalmijn S. Dietary fat intake and the risk of incident dementia in the Rotterdam Study. Annals of Neurology. 1997;42(5):776–82. doi: 10.1002/ana.410420514. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 5. ↑ Yehuda S, Rabinovtz S, Carasso RL, Mostofsky DI. Essential fatty acids preparation (SR-3) improves Alzheimer’s patient’s quality of life. International Journal of Neuroscience. 1996;87(3-4):141–9. doi: 10.3109/00207459609070833. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 6. ↑ Hibbeln JR. Fish oil consumption and major depression. The Lancet. 1998;351:1213. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)79168-6. (April 18 1998) [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 7. ↑ Hibbeln JR, Salem N. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and depression: when cholesterol does not satisfy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1995;62:1–9. [PubMed] 8. ↑ Stoll AL. Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999;56 407-12-415-16. [PubMed] 9. ↑ Calabrese JR, Rapport DJ, Shleton MD. Fish oils and bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999;56:413–4. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.56.5.413. [PubMed] [Cross Ref] 10. ↑ Laugharne JDE. Fatty acids and schizophrenia. Lipids. 1996;31:S163–S165. doi: 10.1007/BF02637070. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
