Category: Nutrition / Recipes

27 Foods That Give You More Energy

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

We are all so busy, aren’t we? It seems that while today’s technology can do wonders in making us more productive, it has also created a climate in which we find it difficult to unplug and recharge our batteries. Like many, I find it challenging to have the energy to do all I want to do at the end of the workday.

One way I have addressed this recently is getting back to my commitment of eating organic foods. By omitting pesticides and other chemicals from my system, I am hopeful that I will not only feel better but also improve both my quality of life and longevity. With cancer and Alzheimer’s in my family history, I am cognizant of doing what I can to improve the likelihood that I will not follow suit.

Doing some reading online for more ways to improve my energy through diet, I found this article on 27 foods that give you more energy. This is a great starting point for some future menu planning! You can read the article for full detail – I am just happy to see dark chocolate on the list! But seriously, I do plan to put these foods into our menu plan. I think it is worth a try and a great way to add another layer to our already improved eating habits!

For a laminated list of the foods that you can carry with you to refer to when menu planning and grocery shopping, shoot me an email.

Shalom!

Sage

SuzetteHerbs

As a musician, I often (in fact more times than not) awake with a song playing in my head. This morning I awoke with a change of pace – and the herb sage dancing in my thoughts.

Not one to ignore such whisperings of the Spirit, I decided to see what I could learn about this gray-green colored herb. I love its color. I feels like peace to me. I have always cooked with it, but I have never investigated it the way I have today.

According to rxlist.com, sage is used to address many ailments, including many digestive problems that challenge me (hmm). It is also used to reduce overproduction of perspiration and saliva, as well as for depression, memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, sage is used by women for painful menstrual periods, to correct excessive milk flow during nursing, and to reduce hot flashes during menopause. It can be applied directly to the skin for cold sores, gum disease, sore throat, and swollen nasal passages, as well as inhaled for asthma. In short, sage could address many symptoms that ail me – and I always thought of this herb as just a spice to cook with! (Insert another hmmm here … could there be a reason Spirit is whispering this herb to me in my waking moments?)

According to the beautiful book Herbs – Gardens, Decorations, and Recipes I have on my bookshelf (by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead), sage is a bushy plant that grows to about 2 feet in height and is evergreen in warm climates (I think my Central Florida locale will work here!). It should be grown in well-drained, neutral soil and exposed to full sun.

In cooking, I love to use sage in my stuffing. It is also good with fatty meats and fish, cheese, pasta, rice and vinegars. You can find it in Wildtree’s Italian Sausage Seasoning. I am sorry to say I have not tried this yet, but I will be adding it to my next order, along with looking for some sage plants from my local nursery. I hope Danny won’t mind tending to some sage bushes outside our lanai!

Shalom!

Greek Chicken Burgers

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

 

If you like dill, you are going to love this recipe as much as I do!

1 1/2 tablespoons Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Wildtree Tzatziki Seasonoing Blend

1/4 cup Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Crumbled Feta

1/2 cup Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed

1/4 Red Onion, chopped

1 pound Ground Chicken

1/2 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt (or Tofutti)

1/2 Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Hamburger Buns (or Schar Gluten Free Chibatta Buns!)

Combine 1 tablespoon Wildtree Tzatziki Seasoning Blend, bread crumbs, feta, spinach, onion and chicken.  Shape into burgers and saute in Natural Grapeseed Oil until cooked through.  While burgers cook, combine yogurt (or Tofutti), 1/2 tablespoon Wildtree Tzatziki Seasoning Blend, cucumber and lemon juice.  Serve burgers on buns topped with cucumber mixture.

Split Pea Soup

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

I’m always looking for ideas to use up leftovers after the holidays.  I had a lot of ham left from Christmas, and I was feeling like some comfort food.  The results:  this pea soup recipe.  I have to say, it is the best pea soup I have ever had, if I do say so myself!

Ingredients:

16 oz packet of dried split peas

3 carrots, cut up

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups diced ham

1 box organic vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 tablespoons Wildtree Smoky Bacon Grapeseed Oil

1 teaspoon Wildtree Herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon Wildtree Gourmet Sea Salt:  Smoked

1 teaspoon Wildtree Garlic & Herb Blend

Wash peas in a strainer and check for any stones.  Heat Bacon Grapeseed Oil in a pan and add vegetables and ham.  Saute for 5-10 minutes.

Place vegetable mixture in crockpot and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on high 5 hours.  Stir and enjoy!

Note:  If you prefer to cook the soup all day while at work, prepare the veggies the night before.  Heat on high 30-60 minutes in the morning while prepping for work.  Turn heat to low before leaving for work and cook on low all day.  Come home to the delicious smell and taste of this comforting soup!

P.S.  Do you like my beautiful pottery bowl?  The set was a gift from our neighbors, Randy and Karla Glotfelty.  Randy owns Lakeland’s JenKen Kilns, and he is a master potter!

 

Smoky Roasted Spaghetti Squash

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

1 spaghetti squash

Wildtree Smoky Bacon Grapeseed Oil

Wildtree Gourmet Sea Salt:  Smoked

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

If you avoid yummy spaghetti squash because it is so difficult to cut open, I have great news for you:  you don’t have to cut the squash open before cooking it!  You can roast a spaghetti squash, whole, without the need to struggle with getting a knife to cut through the tough vegetable.

For this yummy recipe, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Poke the squash throughout with a sharp knife and place in baking pan.  Roast in the oven for 1.25 hours.  Let it cool on the counter until it is cool enough to handle.

When you are able to handle the squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds.  Cut each half again so that you have four quarters.  Place the quarters back in the pan.  Drizzle with the Smoky Bacon Grapeseed Oil, sprinkle with the Smoked Gourmet Sea Salt and shredded cheese.  Place back in the oven for 15 minutes, until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili Recipe

SuzetteGarlic Galore Seasoning Blend Recipes

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes

4 cups (1 box) organic vegetable broth

1 cup water

1/2 cup quinoa

1 teaspoon Wildtree Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend

1 tablespoon Wildtree Leslie’s Chili Blend

2 teaspoons Wildtree Spicy Carne Asada Seasoning

1 teaspoon Wildtree Gourmet Sea Salt – Smoked

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Saute potatoes and onion in Garlic Grapeseed Oil until onion is translucent.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer one hour or more, or until potatoes are tender.

Note:  sweet potatoes are on the “clean” list – it is not necessary to spend your money on organic sweet potatoes if you are trying to watch your grocery budget!

 

Traditional Chili Recipe

SuzetteChipotle Lime Rub Recipes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil

2 pounds hormone-free, grass fed lean ground beef

1 28-oz can organic crushed tomatoes

1 15-oz can organic chopped tomatoes

4 tablespoons Wildtree Leslie’s Chili Blend

1 tablespoon Wildtree Taco Seasoning

1 teaspoon Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub

1 teaspoon celery seed

 

Saute onion and pepper in Garlic Grapeseed Oil in large pot.  Add ground beef and cook until cooked through.  Drain any grease.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for one hour or more.  (Make ahead tip – prepare the night before, put in slow cooker crock and refrigerate until following day.  Heat on low in slow cooker until ready to eat.

 

Healthier Smashed Cauliflower

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

tuna-stea

 

1 head cauliflower

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/8 cup Tofutti artificial sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons Wildtree Scampi Blend

Wash and cut cauliflower into small chunks.  Steam until tender.  Mash cauliflower and combine with remaining ingredients.  Place in greased casserole dish and heat in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

Note:  Cauliflower is on the “clean” list!  If you are trying to manage your grocery spending, cauliflower is considered a safer vegetable without having to buy organic.

Served here with Thai Ahi Tuna.

Salmon Piccata

SuzetteNutrition / Recipes

salmon-piccata

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil

4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets

2 tablespoons capers

1/4 cup Wildtree Piccata Sauce

Method of Preparation
Heat Natural Grapeseed Oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon, skin-side down, and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through: 140°F. Transfer salmon to serving plates. Add capers and Piccata Sauce to skillet and stir until heated through. Pour the heated sauce over the salmon fillets.