Author Archives: Karolina

recipe, vegetables

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Brussels sprouts can be awful or amazing depending on how you prepare them. Here’s how to make them amazing!

1. Toss fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts with a bit of olive oil in a bag to coat. Add salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic powder. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

2. Roast at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the outsides are starting to become brown. Remove from oven.

3. Sauté a few tablespoons of chopped shallots or onion in a bit of olive oil. Once fragrant, toss in the Brussels sprouts.

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I served them with a piece of rotisserie chicken from the store. So good! I hope you’ll give sprouts a chance!

protein, recipe

Southwestern turkey stew

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Today is Day 3 of the sugar detox and no cravings yet! I’ve had a good amount of energy for working out, too.

I teach an exercise class at work every day. It’s nice to have a break from seeing patients to lead the class for our employees. I’m always pretty hungry after class.

Here’s what I usually pack for lunch:

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It’s a recipe I came up with after buying a ton of ground turkey at Costco. I call it southwestern turkey stew- it’s similar to chili.

1. Brown 1 lb ground turkey in a pan and season to taste with taco seasoning or chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic.

2. In a separate pan, sauté 1 chopped onion with 1 chopped green bell pepper in a bit of olive or coconut oil.

3. Add a can of diced tomatoes and a can of roasted green chilis to the onion and bell pepper and simmer until bubbling.

4. Add the browned turkey to the vegetable mixture and cook through.

This recipe makes 4-5 servings and is ready in 20 minutes! It’s a great weekday lunch because you can whip up a whole week’s worth on a Sunday night in no time. Serve with a dollop of plain greek yogurt and shredded cheese!

protein, recipe

Perfect grilled chicken breast

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Day 2 of the sugar detox is officially over! No major cravings yet, but I’m bracing myself for days 3-5. I hear those are the tough ones.

After a long day of filming a cooking video at work and meeting with a group of ladies from church after, I was exhausted and didn’t feel like cooking. Luckily, this dish is healthy and comes together quickly.

To make perfect, juicy grilled chicken breast, start by pounding it out nice and thin. Doing this will help it cook evenly.

Next, place the chicken breast in a ziplock bag with salt water (about 1 tbs salt for 1 cup water). This will further tenderize the chicken breast. Allow it to soak for about 5 minutes, then remove and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat your grill, grill pan, or foreman. If you want to keep your grill clean, seal the chicken breast in an aluminum foil packet with your favorite seasonings.

Grill the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Turn down the heat and allow the chicken to rest and reach a final internal temperature of 165 degrees. Do not overcook- nobody likes dry chicken! Don’t undercook either- nobody likes food poisoning ;)

I served my chicken with some cheddar cheese and a side of baby heirloom tomatoes. It’s amazing how sweet tomatoes taste after just 2 days of cutting back my intake of sweet foods! Enjoy!

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protein shakes, recipe, vegetables

“Beet” the heat smoothie recipe

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Today’s green smoothie is a simple twist on the basic recipe from yesterday. Instead of using a whole green apple, use half and replace the other half with a few slices of frozen beets.

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1. In a blender, combine 1/2 green apple, 1-2 cups fresh spinach, 3-4 slices frozen beets, 1 cup water, splash of lemon juice, and several ice cubes.

2. Begin on low speed and increase to high speed. Whirl until smooth. Allow the smoothie to settle for a minute if you prefer it to separate.

This is what it looks like well blended:

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This is what it looks like after settling (even yummier!):

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What’s your favorite “green” smoothie recipe?

protein, recipe

Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Mash Recipe

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My coworker made the most amazing sugar detox meal! I’m pretty excited to share this genius idea of hers.

Over the weekend, she went out to Cheesecake Factory and really wanted to try the shepherd’s pie, but decided to make her own healthy version at home. Here’s the result!

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This dish is so good, I could eat it every day! Thanks for letting me have some and for sharing the recipe:

1. For the cauliflower mash: steam cauliflower florets until tender. Mash them with 1/4 cup of cream and butter to taste. Add a bit of shredded mozzarella and one egg to get the mixture to bind. Season with a bit of garlic.

2. For the base: brown 1 lb of ground turkey in a pan. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. In a separate pan, sauté shredded carrots, shredded green beans, shredded onions, and shredded tomatoes. All this shredding can be done in a food processor! Combine the turkey and veggies in a casserole dish.

3. Top the meat and veggie mixture with cauliflower mash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Broil to get the cheese golden and bubbly for the final 2-3 minutes.

Can’t wait to make this! It’s so satisfying and you won’t even miss the potatoes.

recipe, snacks

Spiced Almonds

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Try these curry spiced almonds for a flavorful and satisfying snack.

I used Calcutta Heat Curry Seasoning, but you can try your own flavor combination. Next time I’ll try smoked paprika, Frank’s Red Hot, or cinnamon.

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Toss 2 cups of almonds with 1 egg white or 2 tbs olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add seasoning (about 2 tbs or to taste) and stir to coat.

3. Spread almonds in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 mins, stir around, and bake for up to 10 mins more.

These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Measure out 1/4 cup (or 28 grams) for a snack. Enjoy!

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breakfast, recipe

Is paleo bread any good? Breakfast sandwich

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Breakfast isn’t complete without some protein! Lately I’ve been really into breakfast sandwiches, so the thought of giving up bread for this sugar detox made me sad. I tried to think of what I could use as the base for my egg sandwiches. Eggplant and zucchini didn’t sound too good to me… But then I found THIS at Whole Foods over the weekend!

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Whaaaaat?? Bread made of coconut and almonds? With only 60 calories per slice, 5 g fiber, and 7 g protein? It sounded too good to be true. To be honest, I was nervous about how the taste and texture would be. The price tag ($10.99 for 16 slices) made this purchase a gamble.

Luckily, I’m not at all disappointed! This bread is soft, dense, and barely different in flavor from the sunflower bread I usually use.

Here’s how to make my 5 minute breakfast sandwich:

1. Place 1 slice of paleo bread topped with 1 slice pepper jack cheese in the toaster oven.

1. While the bread is toasting, scramble 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg whites in a nonstick pan. On the same pan, sizzle some turkey breast or ham until golden. You could add some spinach, tomato, or onions at this point, but I don’t like my breakfast sandwiches to taste too healthy ;)

3. Your bread should be done at about the same time as the egg and meat (and veggies). Take the bread out of the toaster and top the bubbly cheese with everything on the pan.

4. If you like things hot, add a few drops of hot sauce… Or sriracha. I was a little broken hearted to see that the second ingredient in sriracha is sugar.. So don’t use this if you’re strictly sugar detoxing :( Otherwise, sriracha is amazing on everything!

Enjoy this sandwich hot and gooey with my basic green juice on the side!

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protein shakes, recipe, vegetables

Green juice for beginners

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Ok, let’s get started with a ridiculously easy recipe. Even if you’re not doing a sugar detox, you may be curious about green smoothies and juices. They are probably the easiest way to pack some greens into your day! Here’s the most basic recipe for a rushed morning:

1. Cut a green apple into quarters.

2. Toss the apple, a handful of spinach, cup of water, splash of lemon juice, a d cup of ice into a blender.

3. Start on a low setting and quickly turn it to max speed. Blend for about 60 seconds or until the spinach and apple are completely liquefied and frothy.

This makes one MASSIVE green juice coming in at about 100 calories (depending on size of apple.) Enjoy!!

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food

21 Day Sugar Detox

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A few of my coworkers and I have decided to take a 21 day sugar detox challenge to crush intense cravings and start eating more cleanly.

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The manual is huge, but the whole thing is really pretty simple. I can eat lots of vegetables, animal and plant proteins (but nothing too processed), and full fat dairy (to prevent blood sugar spikes from low fat dairy). There are no sugars or sweeteners allowed, with the exception of one green apple or one green tipped banana per day. No fruit!?

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Believe me, I’m questioning this food list like crazy. For example, why can I have apples and bananas when other fruits, like raspberries, cranberries, and papaya are lower in sugar?? And why can I have almonds but not cashews or peanuts? I think if it was just me doing this challenge alone, I would tweak it a bit. For the sake of fairness to my coworkers, I’ll just stick to the list. It’s only 21 days after all!

I’ll be posting recipes and food prep tips- feel free to jump in with us on this challenge! I’m starting my morning with some unsweetened coffee and organic whole milk. Yuck! Hopefully my taste buds will adapt.

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