Your Diet Action Plan, Part 3: 3 Easy Whole Food Recipes

March 28, 2013 1:46 pm / Posted in Articles, Blog

One of the most common objections to eating good, whole foods is time. People live busy lives and don’t know how to implement their diet action plan. They think eating well is a chore and would rather reach for that processed snack bar than for the vegetable crisper.

I have to say that this changes over time. Once you start taking an interest in your nutrition and your health—and more importantly once you start seeing the results of 80% compliance with your fitness program—cooking and food preparation become a real pleasure!

That said, I understand that it takes quite a bit of adaptation and that some go-to food habits are hard to break. So as the final part of my three-part series on the benefits of whole foods, I’ve put together a few tasty comfort-food recipes that are easy to prepare.

If you’re wondering what the big deal is with whole foods, you might not have read the first and second part of this series. You can find those here. Don’t worry, I’ll wait until you get back.

http://burkecleland.com/blog/your-diet-action-plan-part-1-3-benefits-of-whole-foods

http://burkecleland.com/blog/your-diet-action-plan-part-2-shopping-for-whole-foods

Enjoy the recipes and thanks for reading my whole foods series!

Mango, Berry and Banana Smoothie (Serves 2)

Mango, Berry and Banana Smoothie (Serves 2)

Consider this healthy option before reaching for that drink of soda.

Ingredients

1 frozen, ripe, peeled banana

2 pitted dates

1 cup freshly chopped mango

¾ cup coconut water

½ cup of raspberries

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until consistency is smooth. Other than raw fruit, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

Sauteed Zuchinni. (Serves 8)

Sauteed Zuchinni

This side dish can be easilly made in under ten minutes with preparation included. It’s inexpensive and can make a great side for a main course of lean proteins.

Ingredients

1 medium zuchinni

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Rock salt and Ground Pepper

Red pepper powder (or cayenne pepper)

Preparation

Julienne the zuchinni. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the zuchinni, stirring occasionally until tender. This should take approximately 4 minutes. Season with rock salt, pepper and cayenne powder or red pepper powder to taste.

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Wedges and Homemade Lime Mayo (Some advance Preparation Required) (Serves 2-4)

This recipe requires a little bit of advance preparation, but the rewards are a tasty snack that has all the benefits of comfort foods without all the baggage that comes with a processed meal.

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Wedges and Homemade Lime Mayo

Ingredients

The Potatoes

3 Sweet Potatoes cut into wedges

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup mayo (use 1/3 of the homemade mayo in the recipe below)

Rock salt and and ground pepper

Homemade Lime Mayo

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

¼ teaspon Dijon mustard

½ teaspon rock salt

¾ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon lime zest

Preparing the Potatoes

Preheat your oven to approximately 450 F. Place sweet potatoes and oil on a lined baking tray and salt and pepper to taste.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once.

Whisk lime juice and zest in with the homemade mayo.

Season with chopped cilantro and serve with lime mayo for dipping.

Preparing The Mayo (Should be prepared 2 days in advance)

Combine egg yolk, lemon joice, white wine vinegar, mustard and ½ teaspon of rock salt in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is bright in colour and completely blended. This should take about 30 seconds.

Gradually add ¼ cup of olive oil using a ¼ teaspoon measure and whisking constantly over four minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup in a slow stream, continuing to whisk until the whole is thick. At this point the mayo will be closer to the colour you would expect mayo to resemble.

Cover and chill for 2 days.

Feel free to use pasteurized egg yolk if you’re preparing this for a child, and elderly person, a pregnant woman or anyone with a compromised immune system.

Category: Articles, Blog

Posted by Burke