Whole Story

With the holidays fast approaching, our thoughts are turning to holiday eating and also to how we can stay health-focused through the craziness. To that end, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the recipes we’ve created recently that we can work into our weekly menu plans to help keep us balanced and energized throughout the holiday season. Each recipe below was crafted with a focus on our Healthy Eating Four Pillars: Whole Foods, Healthy Fats, Plant Strong, and Nutrient Dense. So, no matter what dietary path you follow they’re a simple way to ensure your everyday meals are nutritious AND delicious. Plant-Strong Emphasize fresh and cooked vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains — no matter what type of diet you follow.

• Spinach Salad with Aduki Beans and Citrus Vinaigrette This salad features a delicious combo of ingredients. Check out how colorful it is—a good indicator that you’re getting a range of nutrients to nourish your body.

• Tempeh Curry This very easy curry features tempeh, sweet potatoes and green beans, and it uses coconut milk for creaminess.
• Whole Wheat Pasta with White Beans, Mushrooms and Arugula Pasta tossed with beans, mushrooms and leafy greens, seasoned with balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs, makes a hearty dish for fall.

Healthy Fats Get your fats from whole food plant sources, such as nuts, seeds and avocados.

• Kale, Carrot and Avocado Salad Avocado adds rich flavor and creamy texture to this simple salad.
• Creamy Sesame Greens Tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds, whisked with fresh citrus juice, serves as a sauce for cooked greens.
• Banana Nice Cream Almond butter adds richness and creaminess to this family-friendly frozen treat.

Whole Foods Choose foods that are real, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal and unprocessed. That means a lot of cooking from scratch. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

• Learn to Cook: Quinoa This complete protein is light and fluffy in texture but has that whole grain ability to fill people up.
• Learn to Cook: Brown Rice Cooking whole foods from scratch is easy—on the cook and the budget, too. Try cooking a pot of brown rice.
• Learn to Cook: White Beans Cook a pot of beans on the weekend and then you’ll have them on hand during the week for adding to salads, stirring into soups, making bean dips, and more.

Nutrient Dense Go for foods that are packed with nutrients when compared to their total caloric content, and choose foods that contain a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants.

• Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Aduki Beans This dish has it all: leafy greens, beans, sweet potatoes and seeds.
• Get Your Greens Smoothie A handful of fresh greens added to your smoothie is an easy and tasty way to boost the nutrient content.
• Cucumber, Radish and Seaweed Salad These ingredients are loaded with nutrients but not calories. Seaweed couldn’t be easier to prepare—find out how in this super simple 6-ingerdient recipe.

Check back in the coming weeks and months for more featured Health Starts Here recipes, including holiday options, where we’ll be highlighting ingredients, cooking techniques, and check out our growing collection of recipes highlighting our Healthy Eating Four Pillars.