by Candice Scott | Sep 23, 2020 | Nutrition, Recipes
This continues to be a go to for me. I love it because it fills me up and is filled with nutrient rich food and lots of fiber.
You can essentially use any dressing or marinade you like but I love Primal Kitchens Honey Mustard for this one personally, you could also use their Thousand Island or Ranch.
You can find the original recipe here.
Please note this is NOT my recipe and all credit is due to Primal Kitchen- it is just one of my favorites. You can also save on ANY of their products at checkout with code CANDICECFITNESS .
What you need:
- 2 purple sweet potatoes cut into cubes
- 2 red potatoes cut into cubes
- Cauliflower or Broccoli about 12-16oz
- Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil (or another brand)
- 2 spiraled zucchini
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- salt and pepper
- nitrate free bacon
- Dinosaur Kale chopped
- Primal Kitchen Thousand Island or Honey Mustard Marinade/Dressing
- 1-2 lbs chicken breasts
How to:
- Take chicken and place in small dish and coat with salt and pepper and Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Marinade
- Allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour or overnight
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Take chopped up potatoes and coat with avocado oil and salt and pepper, place on baking sheet
- Toss cauliflower or broccoli in bowl with avocado oil , turmeric and garlic and distribute on same baking pan OR another to put in oven.
- Place in oven for 30-35 minutes until brown and soft
- Heat cast iron or other pan on stove and cook bacon
- Once bacon is cooked remove chicken from fridge and place in pan with an additional tbsp of Avocado Oil- cook about 6-8 minutes/side until cooked through (check internal temp to 175 degrees).
- Remove chicken from pan and add in zucchini if it needs to be prepped/cooked (I love Trader Joes frozen brand).
- After noodles are done remove from pan and add 1-2 TBSP of Avocado Oil again and this time saute kale until wilted and coated add in garlic and nutritional yeast.
- Once everything is cooked assemble the bowl with kale first, followed by zucchini, then potatoes (both kinds), bacon then chicken and broccoli or cauliflower and then top with 1 -2 TBSP of Thousand Island Dressing.
Yields 2 servings.
- Prep bacon as indicated on package
Please note that I may receive a small commission from some of the links within this post. Also note that I would never affiliate with any company or product that I do not believe in or use whole heartedly.
by Candice Scott | Sep 2, 2020 | Health
Anyone else have a sweet tooth?? Anyone else like sweet stuff??
If you are like me and grew up on ice cream (preferably Dairy Queen blizzards right here) along with fast food, boxed foods, snacks, soda, crackers, chips, lots of condiments…. Then chances are you have a habit of liking sugar.
Even if you are not right there with me on the blizzards, you may like your sweet things. Which is why I am diving into sugar today- what it does to our body when we ingest it, where it hides, and what to do/avoid to help combat the negative side of it.
What is sugar? How does it affect us?
Sugar is something we all DO need, just not a huge amount of it. We need it because it helps provide our cells energy when we break it down. The problem arises when we have too much (even when we think we are being smart) and it leads to inflammation, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and weight gain among many other things.
The process of sugar leading to harm-
When we eat something that contains sugar (so many things contain it but lets pretend white bread for this example), the bread is eaten and the sugar within it is broken down into glucose and fructose. The glucose signals the pancreas to release insulin so the insulin can carry the glucose to the cells for energy.
We only need so much though, when we release too much insulin we can become resistant overtime which leads to weight gain, and things like PCOS, as well as diabetes. The glucose never gets used as it should as a result and just floats around in our blood stream – this can cause our blood sugar to rise hence, diabetes. It can also cause our digestive system to not work properly, it can lead to inflammation all over our body and inflammation as we know is the starter of almost all disease.
The fructose side of sugar is metabolized in the liver. Too much there can lead to what is known as “fatty liver” which none of us want. Our liver is our body’s filter- we need it to work. And when it is clogged/ congested and have fatty deposits on it then we have problems and bad stuff stays in our bodies vs. getting excreted.
Its hidden in more things than we realize….
When we eat certain foods we think of sugar, be it cookies, cakes, even fruit for a healthy dose of it, but it is in far more foods than we may know.
Over the years food manufacturers have gotten good at creating “sugar additives” from gmo and other artificial products to sweeten things. They also get creative with naming certain natural sugars to make you think you are staying low on them because the name does not make you think “oh this is a type of sugar”.
Not to mention with all of the fads that come and go they try to make you believe that eating a gluten free cookie is actually good for you…. but yall a cookie is still a cookie.
Read your labels
Not only do we need to look at actual sugar content, but we also need to look at the names of the ingredients there too.
And btw the daily recommended amount of sugar for women is only 25g-
Basically anything ending in -ose, sugar, or –dextrin or syrup is a type of sugar.
Take a look at the label below (it is a bottle of Asian Zing Wing Sauce – the first ingredient is corn syrup (syrup aka sugar) not to mention corn syrup which is terrible for you…. but thats for another day)
Food for thought ALL of these things are not considered SWEET yet contain well over a days amount of sugar –
- A small wendys frosty (yes it is supposed to be sweet) but has 49g of sugar
- California Pizza Chicken Waldorf Salad has 55g
- Buffalo Wild Wings Boneless 15 ct Asian Zing Wings have 57g
- Sesame Chicken from PF Changs has 58g
- Spicy Chicken from PF Changs 66g
- O’Charleys Balsamic Chicken Salad has 68g!
- Ocharleys Baby Back Ribs Carolina Gold has 86g
- Jamba Juice Strawberry Large Surf Rider Drink has 92g
- Smoothie King the “hulk” large strawberry has 227g of sugar!!!!!
These ALL have too much even if it is supposed to be “healthy” sugar is sugar and too much healthy sugar can cause problems especially if you already have something off within you.
Steps to improve your sugar intake –
1 – First you want to do your best to remove as much fast food from your diet as possible.
2- Aim to only eat processed foods for 1-2 meals a day (starting point) then reduce that every week or so until it is only a few times a week if any.
3- Slow down your shopping and read labels. This is seriously the game changer.
4- Shop the outside aisles of the grocery store as much as possible.
5- Follow recipes and buy only what you need. Keeping extra stuff in the house only leads to temptation.
6- After trying a few of these things try a sugar detox for 2 weeks- it sounds hard but I promise the results are worth it. You will see weight go down, your brain fog to clear, and energy to go up. The first few days are the hardest but if you are already instilling some of these things you should be good to go!
We often think of Salads as the healthy way to go, but do you ever look at the dressings? Just look at some of what I listed above – those salads get that sugar content from the dressing not the food itself.
Paying attention to this is a great place to start too!
I compare some in the video below.
This post contains links to where I may receive a small commission as an affiliate. However please note I am never going to be an affiliate for anything I do not believe in.
by Candice Scott | Apr 16, 2020 | Lifestyle, Nutrition, Recipes
These are so simple and so yummy!
Right now easy and healthy is what I am all about. Being stuck at home means more cooking but having to do a big task every night and pleasing my picky husband can be a challenge. That is why I am obsessed with these now.
What ya need:
Ingredients –
2-3 decent sized zucchini
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup Cassava Flour or Almond Flour
1/2 cup coconut or almond milk – my favorite brand is this
1 TBSP Onion Powder
2 cloves garlic or 1 TBSP garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Add 1/2 cup of milk to another small bowl
Slice zuchinni by cutting off ends then cutting in half and then slicing into fry size strips set aside
Preheat oven to 375 and line a tray with parchment paper
Dip one strip into milk then into dry ingredients to coat then place on tray
Line entire tray then place in oven for 15-20 minutes and flip half way through
Should be golden brown when done
Serve with a dijon mustard dipping sauce and enjoy!
Nutritional Yeast –
A great altnerative to getting a cheesy flavor minus the dairy! It is also a great vegan option to get a complete protein source (contains all 9 amino acids) in (granted you must eat a good deal of it but still!)
It is also loaded with antioxidants and trace minerals as well as b vitamins.
Cassava Flour –
Cassava flour is something that is great to use for those looking to avoid grains, gluten and nuts as well as a good form of insoluble fibre. It is great for the digestive tract and can help reduce inflammation.
It tastes great and is also easy to use.
** I may receive a commission on links on this page**
by Candice Scott | Jan 20, 2020 | Lifestyle, Nutrition
We have all heard anti inflammatory is the way to go. To avoid x or y to prevent ___. There is so much different information out there how do you know what is right? It can become overwhelming as you start to read it all and try to implement or try different things. Once you hear about one new thing then there is another. Who is with me on this?!
I am going to make it a little easier for you. I have done alot of the research so I am going to lay out the basics. I like lament terms personally so if you are like me in that way then this will help!
First off—- What exactly does anti inflammatory mean?
Lets back up first then make our way to that…. The definition of inflammation “is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection”. (1) So when you think of it as our bodies defense mechanism meaning, when our immune systems think there is something harmful so it ups its defenses (our white blood cells, immune cells and cytokines). This is suppose to happen, however these things can go into overdrive, and that is where auto immune conditions come into play. For example Rheumatoid Arthritis- the immune system is attacking joints based on different factors putting up defenses to those areas. This happens when things like toxins, or medicines that build up over time in our liver, or having leaky gut occur and harmful substances are in our body for an extended period of time. This would be referred to as chronic inflammation. On the other end of the spectrum though when you get red after your fall or eat something with too much histamine and react by allergies that in turn is an acute inflammation response.
Hopefully that helps somewhat!?
So WHY do we want to choose Anti Inflammatory Foods?
Alot of foods I grew up on like, chips, cookies, boxed meals, or really anything boxed for that matter have artificial preservatives and toxic like chemicals in them (I.E. Corn Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sodium Benzonate, Artificial Colors and Sweeteners) these things have in some way been linked to cancer, diabetes, thyroid and metabolic damage, etc. So think of what these things are doing to your body when you ingest them. We weren’t made to process this fake stuff… so hello immune response, and if you consume them frequently hello chronic response.
Now this isn’t to say that only foods are the problem for inflammation, our environments such as mold, dust, gasoline and other fumes in the air and then the metals in the tap water we drink and use…. they all play a part too.
We want to add things to our diets and lifestyles that help us. That make us thrive. Our bodies were built for that believe it or not. Many Anti Inflammatory Foods listed below have super antioxidant, vitamin, mineral and nutritional properties that can help combat these harmful pathogens and toxins weve allowed ourselves to have over the years.
The Anti Inflammatory Food List
Eating the right foods that our bodies were made for can help us heal! Foods actually do have healing properties when eaten without any thing like preservatives or chemicals added to them. The ones listed below are just a starting point, but some key things to look for when going to the grocery store.
Some staples to look for or start adding to your diet are:
- Turmeric – a great spice that contains one of the best known things for inflammation curcumin. Curcumin is well known for fighting inflammation within the body. Now just sprinkling a little on your food isn’t going to cut it though. You need it mixed with black pepper and honestly the best is to take it in supplement form.
- Vegetables – Like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels are great for some of their anti inflammatory compounds.
- Organic Leafy Greens – These are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols which are protective compounds (think spinach, kale, collards)
- Organic Cherries and other dark colored berries
- Organic Wild BlueBerries – I love these. These have 2x the antioxidants of normal blueberries. I add them to my smoothie every morning
- Organic Meats/ Poultry/ Fish/ Eggs – be sure to read where they originated from. Whether they were fed corn or soy as many “cage free” varieties are still fed these things which can in turn pass it to us when we ingest it. (For fish look for Wild Caught) The EPA and DHA in fish like salmon and mackerel are great for helping combat inflammation as well.
- Olive oil – (the best being extra virgin for anti inflammatory effects) – contain something called oleocanthal which is shown to have similar effects like taking ibuprofen.
- Avocados – it is basically a superfood as far as I know lol. I love them personally but so does my body. They are packed with magnesium and fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats as well as other things that have been shown to help fight cancer risk.
Ok so what is the takeaway here?
Well for starters lets focus on incorporating some of the foods listed above into our diets. Along with that try to start eliminating or cutting back on soda, burgers, fries, anything with words you cant pronounce on the label.
Is that doable?? I think so!
Another option is to add in some good for you vitamins and whole minerals daily, You can check out some of my favorites here MY FAVORITES . I personally use the Daily Nutritional Support Daily with Wild Blueberries and Spinach. It is a great way to start the day!
As always if you have ANY questions please don’t hesitate to contact me!
-C
*This page may include links with partners that I could receive commissions on.*
by Candice Scott | Dec 16, 2019 | Recipes
Yallllll these guys are amazing.
No seriously I have not had a complaint yet. Now I am NOT claiming to have come up with these on my own. That comes from paleorunningmama.com.
Here is the original recipe – /Almond Butter Fudge
I changed mine up a bit to not include any nuts so here is what I did:
- For bottom
- 1.5 cups of dark chocolate morsels ( I use dairy free like Enjoy Life)
- 1/2 cup of sunflower butter
- 1 tbsp of raw honey
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
- Melt chocolate in pan on stove and then add in other ingredients and stir continuously until melted through. Let cool slightly then transfer to a 8×8 or larger pan lined with parchment paper and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- For top
- Mix 1 1/4 cup sunflower butter
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 5 tbsp of raw honey
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 pinches of sea salt
- Smooth top layer over bottom in pan and let cool in fridge for 2 + hours before serving.
- Remove from pan still on parchment paper and then slice into squares and serve. Keep refrigerated if not using
These things have gotten rave reviews and hopefully you think the same. Feel free to swap out the sunflower butter for any you like and the chocolate chips as well.
Enjoy!
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