By Lisa, Whole Body Team Leader Edina

I confess, I love my Crock pot!  I’m always looking for new vegetarian slow cooking recipes and, over the last year, I started slow cooking beans from scratch.

Beans are a healthy staple, providing vitamins, minerals and nutrients, plus they are high in fiber.  They are low in all of the ingredients you want to minimize – fat, sugar and sodium.  Not only are they nutritious, but beans are also economical, especially if you use dry beans vs. canned.

On our current 28 Day Challenge, I have been batch cooking up a storm, and using my slow cooker has made it that much easier.  For those who are not aware, batch cooking is basically choosing one day a week to cook large quantities of a bean, a grain, a green vegetable and maybe a soup, dip or another main dish to use as a starting point for quick meals throughout the week.  For more information, check out our week 1 recap here.

Earlier this week I cooked up a 1 pound bag of our organic 365 Cannellini beans.  I rinsed and soaked the beans (about 2 ½ cups) overnight, then changed the water and put them on low in the morning when I left for work.

I came home about 8 hours later to 6 ¾ cups of perfectly cooked beans.  I portioned out 2 cups for the recipe I was using and froze the rest for later.

Check out this cost comparison – note that the organic bulk beans are the most economical.

Here is the basic method for you to try cooking beans at home:

Slow cooker beans

2 cups dried beans

Soak in water to cover by several inches.

Rinse and pick out over dried beans, discarding any shriveled or broken beans.  Put in crock container (if you have the removable insert) or in a bowl and add water to cover beans by several inches.  Soak 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Next, drain the beans and discard the soak water.  Put the beans in the crock, and add water to cover by 2 inches.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low 8 hours.  Taste to make sure they are done.  If not, recover and cook to taste.  Drain beans & serve.

Yield:  Approximately 6 cups.

A few other notes to consider:

• Beans will last about 1 week in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.
• Red kidney beans have a toxin that is eliminated by cooking.  This toxin can cause unpleasant symptoms – namely, stomach distress.   After soaking, be sure to boil red kidney beans for 10 minutes on the stove before cooking to remove this compound.
• Do not add salt or sugar to beans when slow cooking, it can interfere with the cooking process.
• If you have older beans or are cooking at higher elevations your beans may take longer.

Consider slow cooking your beans for even more convenience!  Most beans still need soaking, but nothing beats the convenience of turning on the crockpot (rather than the stove top) and letting them simmer while you are away from the house.  As the warm weather hits, it is a perfect way to cook without heating up the kitchen.

Have a healthy day!

Lisa

Week Two’s theme was PlantStrong: Reconfigure Your Plate. If you’ve been paying attention even just a little bit, you should have a good understanding by now that the Health Starts Here 28 Day Challenge focuses heavily on getting you to Eat. More. Plants! Plants are rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential to your health and wellbeing, and the more variety we eat, they better we can feel.

Greens are some of the best options for plant nutrition because they are incredibly high in nutrient content, and very low in calories – or as we like to say, they have the highest nutrient density of any food.  And the darker the better, so mix it up and try some new varieties like kale, chard, collard greens and more.  Here are few suggestions:

• Arugula has a hearty, peppery flavor and delicate texture that mixes well with other greens and is great in salads and sandwiches.
• Collards have a mild flavor and go further by holding more of their volume than many other greens, but take a little longer to cook.
• Kale is available in several varieties and has a mild, cabbage-like flavor with a slight peppery zip. Its texture helps it retain volume after cooking.
• Swiss Chard has a hearty, likable flavor that works well in sandwiches, or mixed with other greens.
• Turnip Greens are slightly—yet agreeably—bitter and traditionally cooked at low temperature for a long time produce a silky texture.

Need a few tips on adding more greens into your diet?

• Make your own salad mix at the beginning of each week.  If you are new to greens, use a base of a more familiar green like romaine or spinach, but also mix in some baby kale, chopped collards, arugula or other choices.
• Add them to your smoothie. Spinach and kale are especially good for this – add a cup to your fruit smoothie, and though it may turn you drink green, the taste will blend very nicely with the fruit.
• If warming up some leftover soup for dinner, add a handful of greens to the bottom of your bowl and pour the soup on top. The heat of the soup will steam the greens and add a boost of nutrition to the bowl.
• Still having a hard time with raw kale?  Try massaging it with avocado like in this team member favorite recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2721

As for the rest of your vegetables, spend a little time at the beginning of each week washing and chopping your veggies so they are ready to eat and cook with all week long. Wash and mix your lettuces, chop your broccoli, celery and carrots, even chop and freeze onions and peppers to use in recipes as needed. Peel and refrigerate some garlic, cut some lemon and lime wedges, prep a few single serve containers of salad blends to take to work – hopefully you get the idea.

Handouts:

If you missed a meetup, or misplaced your copy, you can find them here:

HSH Veggie Burger Handout

Week 2 Featured Recipes

For more resources, check out our Guide to Vegetables on our website. Scroll down the page for a great grid on Leafy Greens and start experimenting!

We also spent some time talking and demonstrating knife skills at our Week Two meetup.  A good knife, and some basic instruction, can save you some time in the kitchen. Hop over to YouTube and do a search for Basic Knife Skills for a slew of helpful how to videos.

Happy eating and see you next week!

We really hope you are all able to join us each week at one of our meetups.  There’s one at each store every week during the challenge, and you are welcome to attend at any of the stores as your schedule allows.  But we also know this can be a busy time of year, so we’ll be proving you with a short recap each week in case you weren’t able to join us, or missed a few of the key points.

This week’s theme was Batch Cooking 101.  One of the unique features of this challenge is the focus on batch cooking.  For some, batch cooking means spending an entire day in the kitchen to prepare meals for a month or more. In this case, we’re talking about an hour or two at the beginning of the week spent chopping veggies, cooking grains, and preparing a few recipes to save you time as the week goes on.

As we’ve worked with customers making healthy eating changes over the last 2 years, a common challenge seems to be finding time to cook.  Using this method can help you learn a new way of meal planning and preparation. If you aren’t following the recipes in the book we provided, we highly encourage you to do so, at least for a week, to experience how batch cooking works, and to then take what you learn and replicate it as you go forward.

So how does it work? Most weeks, a bean, a grain, a starchy vegetable, a soup and a sauce can be the base for you to make as many meals as you will need. By adding a few fresh veggies to the basics that are prepared you can easily vary meals. Black beans can become burritos for dinner, a topping for a green salad when mixed with peppers and avocado for lunch, and even part of a tofu breakfast scramble with sweet potatoes and onions. Some weeks you might be able to assemble a whole meal like lasagna or a casserole, and use that throughout the week as lunch.

Even when you prepare a complete recipe, you don’t have to feel as though you are eating the exact same meal every day.  As we look at the Week 1 menu, on Monday night, we prepare an easy chili recipe that we enjoy with cornbread muffins. On Tuesday, we wrap that chili with brown rice and veggies in a tortilla topped with salsa for a tasty burrito.  And then on Thursday evening, we enjoy a serving of that chili over a baked sweet potato with some steamed chard. Any additional servings left after those three meals can be frozen for quick meals down the road.

Speaking of freezing, here’s a quick tip for saving space in your freezer.  When freezing cooked beans, grains, soups, sauces and other dishes, fill a freezer bag with an individual serving, seal, label, and lay on a cookie sheet in your freezer.  Once frozen, you can store your nice flat package upright in the freezer making them easy to locate.  When reheating, simply cut the bag off the frozen item, then heat and enjoy.

Handouts:

At our meetups this week, we distributed a few handouts to help with your batch cooking. If you missed a meetup, or misplaced your copy, you can find them here:

Beans Flavor Chart

Guide to Cooking Beans

Guide to Cooking Grains

Featured Recipes Week 1

Bonus Resource:

Checkout our blog post on Mighty Bowls for more great ideas on using your batch cooked beans, grains and veggies to create a wide variety of tasty meals.

Don’t forget one of the best time saving tips of all – you can freeze cooked beans and grains so they are ready and on hand any time you need them.  Canned beans and frozen rice are nice time saving options you can purchase ready to go, but save even more money by making your own!

As you start your journey, we wanted to provide you with some extra resources for recipes and cooking tips to take advantage of during your challenge and beyond.  These are websites, blog and Facebook pages that will inspire you along the way, and hopefully introduce you to a whole new world of cooking.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere

• An online version of the 28 Day challenge (not identical to your book, but very close)
• Cooking videos. You’ll find the one on steam frying especially helpful.
• Guide to cooking grains
• Lots of Health Starts Here recipes. And much more

www.engine2diet.com

Website devoted to the Engine 2 Diet, based on the book by Rip Esselstyn. Recipes, forums, weekly meal plans. This program follows most of the same guidelines as our Health Starts Here program, but eliminates ALL animal products.

www.happyherbivore.com and www.fatfreevegan.com

Both sites feature low-fat, vegan recipes with lots of pictures.

www.happycow.net and www.vegguide.org

Resources for dining out that can help identify vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants. You can search by area, so this can also be useful if you are traveling during the challenge.

Facebook Pages:

Most of these pages are visible to the public, meaning you can see them even if you don’t have a Facebook account. Your interaction will be somewhat limited, but you can see recipes and links.

• Sarno Bros. Wicked Healthy Food
• Engine 2 Diet
• Forks Over Knives
• Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating’

Here are the links to our Whole Foods Market Facebook pages:

• St. Paul: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketStPaul
• Minneapolis: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketLakeCalhoun
• Minnetonka: www.facebook.com/WFMMinnetonka
• Edina: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsEdina

Store Blogs:

Archived articles from previous challenges, plus new posts along the way.

• St. Paul
• Minneapolis
• Minnetonka
• Edina – Coming soon. Check out one of our other store blogs in the meantime.

We’ll share plenty of additional resources as we go, but this should give you a good start.  And feel free to share a comment on this post if you’ve got some great suggestions to add.

Tempeh is one of my favorite plant based proteins.  It has a wonderful nutty taste and chewy firm texture which make it appealing and adaptable to many dishes, including stir fry and adding “meatiness” to chili or stew.  It also is great crumbled and mixed with taco seasoning for a quick tempeh taco night.

What exactly is tempeh?  Tempeh (pronounced TEM-pay) is a traditional food made from fermenting soy and is often blended with rice or other grains.  Fermenting soy can convert minerals into a more absorbable form so the body gets more nutrients, possibly resulting in an even healthier overall product.  An additional benefit of fermented soy (other forms include miso, soy sauce and natto) is that it can be easier to digest which can be especially helpful for people with any digestive issues or difficulty absorbing protein.

Tempeh comes in the shape of a rectangular or square cake.  Note that you may see black spots on your tempeh.  These are nothing to worry about, as that is just a natural part of the fermentation.  You can find tempeh in our stores near the refrigerated tofu and other plant based proteins like seitan.

Another thing to know is that because of the fermentation process tempeh can be slightly bitter, although I haven’t always found that to be the case.  You can steam it for 10 minutes before doing other things with it to ensure getting rid of the bitter edge (however, when I’m in a hurry I’ll often sauté it in a little vegetable broth and it tastes just fine.)

I have recently been experimenting with marinating tempeh, which has produced delicious results!  I often keep the finished product in a covered container in the fridge to add to salads and other dishes during the week.  Here are two easy preparations to get you started.

Easy Tomato Basil Tempeh 

• 8 oz package organic tempeh
• 1/2 – 3/4 bottle of Health Starts Here Tomato Basil Dressing

Cut tempeh cake into cubes.   Steam for 10 minutes.  Place tempeh in dish, cover with Tomato Basil dressing and toss gently.  Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.  After marinating, saute in pan with a little bit of vegetable broth (only to prevent sticking) for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  Serve immediately over salad greens, or in a whole wheat wrap with other fresh veggies as desired (avocado is delicious), or store in the fridge to use as desired.

Serves 2.

BBQ Tempeh

• 8 oz package organic tempeh
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of BBQ Sauce (choose a brand free of refined sugar and low in sodium)

Cut tempeh cake into cubes.  Steam for 10 minutes.  Place tempeh in dish, along with onion and red bell pepper.  Cover with BBQ sauce and toss gently.  Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.  Grill in a vegetable pan over medium heat until heated through, or bake in a covered dish at 350 for 30 minutes.  I particularly enjoy this with a generous serving of steamed collard greens or chard.

Serves 2-3

Hello friends!

First off, I want to thank you for checking out this blog. Clearly in some way, shape, or form you are interested in making your body feel better. Whether you participating in our current 28 day challenge or not, the Whole Foods Market website and stores have an abundance of healthy eating education that is there for YOU, so definitely take advantage of it!

We recently held a meetup on the topic of oils, fats, oils, herbs, and more oils. I believe attempting to avoid oils is the toughest aspect of this challenge. Oils seem to be in everything and everywhere! Bread, pizza dough, tortillas, pasta dishes, dressings, you name it and it probably contains oil. Next thing you know our cars will depend on oil to function! (Oh, wait… I feel silly, I got a little excited in that last sentence, but on that note, I better check my car oil) Here is the beautiful light to cast upon our shadowy oil dilemma: Nature. Good ol’ Mother Nature. She gives us so many ways to flavor up our foods naturally that it’s almost overwhelming to choose between all of her delicious creations. Here are a few ways we kicked up the flavor and nutritional profile of a simple quinoa dish (sans the oil) at our most recent 28 day challenge class. It’s a quick, easy, and fun activity to do, so make sure to involve the whole family when experimenting with new food adventures!

Deliciousness required:

• Organic quinoa (buy in bulk)
• Organic veggies (carrots, broccoli, red kale)
• Fresh organic avocado
• Dates (buy in bulk, deglet noor is pitted, medjool need pits removed at home)
• Organic coconut milk (365 canned brand tastes great)
• Braggs Liquid Aminos (small spray bottle is convenient)
• Organic dried herbs (any kind will do based on your taste preference. I used curry, parsley and onion flakes)

FYI: I bought all these ingredients (moderate amounts and almost all organic) at Whole Foods for just over $20, so not only is this activity healthy, it’s a great value!

Step 1: Cook quinoa (I steam because it’s easy and I don’t have to stir and watch over it, which allows me time to prepare other ingredients while the quinoa cooks.)

Use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.

Step 2: Prepare your pastes.

• Avocado paste: Cut in half, remove seed, and spoon insides into small mixing bowl. Stir to create a paste-like texture. Add fresh lime juice to brighten flavor. [bonus tip: if you aren’t serving or using all of your paste right away, leave the pit in the bowl with the paste to slow the browning process]
• Date paste: Put dates in blender. Fill water to slightly cover dates. Blend well.
• Coconut milk: Open can and mix in the fat that has settled at the top.

Step 3: Prepare your veggies.

Cut up and steam carrots and broccoli. (Use any veggies, it just gives this simple dish some texture and an extra boost of goodness from additional minerals and vitamins.)

Remove kale leaves from stem. Dice up into small pieces. (Again, it gives the dish extra phytochemicals, plus it looks oh so pretty!)

Step 4: Create your masterpieces! AKA Play with your food!

Put quinoa in several small bowls to use as base for each different tasting. Put pastes, veggies, and herbs in small serving bowls.

Now start playing! Mix and match different flavor combinations with the different pastes, veggies and herbs you have prepared. Place on top of your quinoa and mix thoroughly. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Quinoa with avocado paste, onion flakes, parsley, lime juice, carrots, broccoli, and kale makes for a savory tasting green dish.
• Quinoa with liquid aminos, curry, carrots, and onion flakes creates a dish that satisfies if looking for a salty, Indian flavored dish.
• Quinoa with date paste. Try it by itself, it’s sensationally sweet!
• Quinoa with coconut milk, carrots, broccoli, kale, and parsley for garnish. The fat gives the dish a hearty, tropical flavor (add exotic mango pieces for the real deal!).

Step 5: Repeat, repeat, repeat

• Not only have you now experienced some new flavor combinations, you’ve also discovered the secret to quick meals on the fly using what are hopefully staple pantry items for you now.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Coconut milk is full of fat, should I use it?

It’s true that coconut milk is 94% saturated fat, but it’s made of short and medium chain fatty acids, unlike animal meat, which primarily consists of long chain fatty acids. The difference is that your body will not plan on storing saturated fat from coconut because it can use it for energy far more efficiently than a long chain fatty acid from meat sources. Plus, you are getting vitamin C, calcium, iron, and fiber when using coconut in a more natural, whole form. Lastly, coconuts are rich in lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid that has antimicrobial properties and increases your HDL’s (the ‘good’ cholesterol).  All that being said, we encourage you to use it sparingly, especially if weight loss is one of your goals.

What’s the big deal about using avocados? I heard they were really fatty.

Again, true, but avocados contain monounsaturated fat. This means there is a break in the hydrogen and carbon atom chain, thus not ‘saturating’ the fatty acid chain, making it easier for the body to use as energy.

Picture two small tree branches, one that is sturdy and straight with no breaks or bends and one that is broken in the middle, yet still hanging intact on the tree. If you need a stick for, let’s say, roasting carrots at a bonfire (I could have said marshmallows, but come on… let’s think healthy!) you go to the tree where both branches previously mentioned are hanging. To get the straighter, unbroken stick off the tree, you’ll have to twist it, bend it, snap it, and probably use quite a bit of effort to get it down because it was so intact. On the other hand, to get the already broken branch down, just a slight pull should do, and it will require much less effort and very little energy. This is the essence of saturated versus unsaturated fats in your body.  It takes far more energy to break down saturated, unbroken fatty acids. Yet like a stick with a bend or break in it, unsaturated fatty acids require much less energy for your body to break down and use. In the end, your body doesn’t need to work as hard and you can go spend the excess energy you have on everything else you do in a day!

Plus, avocados are loaded with delicious awesomeness like vitamins B, C, E, K, folate, potassium, magnesium, and lutein. Trust me, that’s a great thing!

Are oils bad for you? You make them seem like the root of all evil.

In a short answer, not necessarily, but here’s a further explanation. To extract oil and make it available for consumers, first the seeds or nuts are cleaned, ground (and in some cases, heated), pressed, and then the oil is extracted.  Many oils are then distilled, bleached, deodorized, heated and distilled again to further refine the oil. These processes destroy many beneficial minerals and vitamins along the way, leaving you with just the fats in the end! Sometimes such high heat is used that the molecular structure of the fats will be changed, creating trans fats and unrecognizable chemicals within your body.

This is just a quick overview to familiarize you with the general refinement process. Some oils (like those available at Whole Foods Market) are cold pressed which doesn’t destroy as many vitamins and minerals.  However, there are still 9 calories per 1 gram of fat, so consuming oil is a very easy way to consume large amounts of calories in little servings. I just look at the big picture – we obtain many more micronutrients and phytochemicals when consuming whole foods ultimately giving our body the opportunity to balance and heal itself.

In conclusion, we don’t need oils to flavor up our dishes and keep veggies from sticking to our pans while sautéing (vegetable broth or water works wonders). If I can flavor up my foods with whole, unprocessed, plant strong sources that are nutrient dense, I’m all in (thank you Whole Foods for Health Starts Here items!). Our bodies have trillions of cells and are constantly trying to repair themselves. If we simply give our body a chance to heal itself, we will be happier, more focused, and more productive. That’s not just a prediction – it’s a beautiful fact of life!

So until next time, enjoy becoming an artist of your plate, paint it with as many different colored foods as possible and use natural sources to kick up the flavor even more!

Have a wonderful day and happy eating!

I will admit, when I started doing the Engine 2 Challenge, the thing I thought I was going to miss the most was eggs. Before I began, I would easily go through a carton of eggs by myself every week. It isn’t officially a Sunday in my house until we’re eating nice eggy crepes or pancakes . Lunch isn’t looking hearty enough? Put a poached egg on it. Feeling hungry after a run? There was always a hard-boiled egg waiting for me in the fridge to silence my stomach. But the thing I thought I was going to miss the most was baking. Eggs are included in so many of my favorite sweets to allow them to rise, brown, keep them moist or make them tender, and I was not entirely convinced that I was going to make it a month without baking a loaf of challah or whipping up a batch of macaroons. Then I discovered just how many things can replace eggs in baked goods, and are even easier to keep around than a perishable carton of eggs.

What you are trying to replace varies by recipe. In most cases, it is going to be binding and moisture. Any of the following things can be used to replace eggs in basic baking recipes, and if a recipe just calls for one egg, go ahead and leave it out, no substitution needed.

Egg Alternatives

• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon ground chia seed
• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons egg replacer powder*
• 1 egg= ¼ cup pureed banana (this will alter the flavor of your recipe)
• 1 egg= ¼ cup blended silken tofu**
• 1 egg= ¼ cup soy yogurt**

**These substitutes will keep things moist like an egg, but will not bind like an egg.

*If you want to make your own egg replacer powder, combine:

• 10 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

To make ¾ cup of egg replacer. Keep in the pantry for up to six months.

There are also many ways to replace dairy.

Dairy Alternatives

• Milk=An equal amount of non-dairy milk. Soy and nut milks work best because they have some natural fat in them, as dairy milk does. Unsweetened almond milk is my favorite.
• Buttermilk=Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to one cup of non-dairy milk, let sit for five minutes, then stir.
• 1 cup cream=1 cup whipped silken tofu

You can take my word for it that these substitutions work and are delicious, but I think you’ll be truly convinced when you give this recipe for Chocolate Mousse a whirl:

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup 100% fruit seedless raspberry jam (replacing refined sugar)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (replacing cream)
• 12 ounces extra firm silken tofu (replacing more cream and egg yolks)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill 1-2 hours before serving. Serves 4.

Well, folks, you are in the final stages of your 28 day challenge, and it’s time to start thinking about where you are going after the 28 days are over. Will you continue on a PlantStrong path? Return to your old ways (hopefully not completely!)? Or perhaps somewhere in between?

Whatever direction you head, we wanted to arm you with a good understand of label-reading to help you make good choices wherever you are.  You have some guidelines in your Get Your Engine Started book that can provide good reminders in seeking out E2 friendly foods, but here are a few more tips, courtesy of Jeff Novick, that extend beyond the E2 boundaries.

Rule #1 – Watch for Red Flags

Think a label that says No Trans-Fat or Fat-Free really is? Labeling laws say that if you have less than .5 g of trans-fat per serving, you can call your product Trans-Fat Free.  You might be thinking, “OK, fine, half a gram won’t hurt me.” But here’s where the second trick comes in – serving sizes can easily be manipulated to insure there’s less than .5g per serving. That can of canola spray oil you use to keep your pancakes from sticking? 557 servings!  It’s virtually impossible for a human finger to spray so briefly as to get a serving that small…not to mention coating a cooking surface.

Rule #2 – Never evaluate a product based on one item (ie. carbs, protein, fat etc.)

Fat-free foods can be loaded with processed sugars. A higher fat food can get its fat from oil…or it can be from nutrient dense nuts and seeds.  For example, we often receive sample sized Larabars to distribute at sporting events we sponsor. If you aren’t familiar with the product, these bars are made with dried fruit and nuts…and nothing more. I am always amazed when someone picks up a bar, looks at the nutritional panel and says “wow, that’s high in fat (or sugar) – no thanks!” without even bothering to look at *where* the fat and sugar were coming from.

Rule #3 – Check the serving size and adjust your thinking accordingly.

A common trick to make you think a food is healthier and/or lower calorie than it is is to make the serving size pretty small.  Most cans of soda or bottles of beverages are 2 – 3 servings each, but most people consume them as one.

Rule #4 – When looking at the sodium content of a food, don’t trust the “percentage of daily value.”

Keep in mind your daily goal should be no more than 1500 mg of sodium – the current recommended daily value is 2400mg for a 2000 calorie diet.

Rule #5 – Make sure your food doesn’t have sugar (or some form of sugar) as one of the first 3 ingredients.

And that there are no more than three types of sugar in the food. Words to look for include corn syrup, rice or maple syrup, molasses, honey, evaporated cane juice, malted barley, or words ending on “ol” or “ose” (maltitol, sorbitol, dextrose, fructose).

These tips, along with those from your Engine 2 Food Rules chart should guide you on the way to making smart choices.

Note: Much of the content of this article comes from Jeff Novick, MS, RD and a frequent presenter at Engine 2 Immersion programs. To read more from Jeff, visit www.jeffnovick.com

Nutty Red Pepper and Basil Dip

Makes about 3 cups

This is an excellent dip for fresh veggies, or you can use it as a sandwich spread or as sauce for fish or whole-grain pasta.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted cashews or macadamia nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons tahini
1 1/3 cups chopped roasted red bell pepper

Method

Place cashews in a medium bowl, cover with cold water, and allow to soak for 4 hours. Drain and transfer to a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Add more water if you prefer a thinner dip or if you would like to use it as a sauce.

NutritionPer serving (about 1/4 cup): 210 calories (130 from fat), 15g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 135mg sodium, 15g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 3g sugar),7g protein

Black Bean Spread/Dip

This E2 dip with all the extras is spicy and great with baked chips and veggie dippers.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove of garlic, chopped

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk substitute

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 small red onion, sautéed over medium heat for five minutes

Juice of one lime

Directions: Blend together until smooth. Use water or broth to thin if desired.

Tofu Tahini Spread

This flavorful, protein packed spread really satisfies.  Great on rice cakes or crackers, and makes a great sandwich spread to layer with tomatoes, cucumbers and sprouts.

12 oz firm tofu

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon miso

2 teaspoons reduced sodium tamari

2 scallions, minced

1 carrot, grated

1 rib of celery, minced

Ground black pepper to taste

Directions: Mix tofu, tahini, miso and tamari in food processer until smooth.  Scoop into a bowl.  Stir in scallions, carrots, & celery.  Add black pepper to taste.

Hempseed Apricot Chews

Serves 24

Hempseeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Sweet, nutty, chewy and dense, this snack satisfies that afternoon craving for sweets. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Ingredients

3 cups (about 1 pound) dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup shelled hempseeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

Method Line an (8-x-8-inch) pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until mixture forms a chunky paste. Transfer to prepared pan and press with a spatula to create an even thickness. Cover and chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours, and then cut into squares for serving.

Per serving (1 chew): 100 calories (25 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 3g protein, 18g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 13g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 15mg sodium

A common challenge when changing to eating the whole foods, plant strong way is finding time to cook.  After all, most vegetables aren’t always ready in their whole state – they need rinsing, chopping, dicing and slicing.  All that before they hit the salad bowl or the stove top.

Throughout my life, one of the biggest determining factors in any success has been a good planning process.  My current weekly planning process for healthy eating takes about 4 hours, and it includes:

• 1 hour for planning meals.

o   This involves mapping out breakfast, lunch and dinner on a simple grid for all days of the week.  I reference my schedule and social engagements and consider those with the planning process.  I check the pantry and create a grocery list.

• 1 hour for grocery shopping.

o   I put everything in the order of the grocery aisles, starting with produce first.

• 1-2 hours for advance food prep .

o   I usually make one or two main dishes to package and freeze in individual servings.  Last week I made sweet potato lasagna and raspberry lemon tofu cream for parfaits.

o   Rinse and chop vegetables to put into covered containers for snacking and adding to salads and other dishes.

o   Wash and dry salad greens.

o   Steam leafy greens.

o   Make a salad dressing.

This process, along with a well stocked pantry, really seems to work well.  We always have something to eat when I don’t have the time or energy to figure something out.

Sometime, however, the reality is that there isn’t an extra four hours in my week to plan. So, on those weeks I rely on healthy convenience foods from my pantry and freezer to get me through. One of my favorite healthy convenience foods that make it on my menus frequently is our 365 Everyday Value Frozen Brown Rice.  Ready in less than two minutes, it beats waiting the typical forty minutes for brown rice to cook.  I often use it to create healthy brown rice bowls during the week that are ready in less than ten minutes.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Lisa’s Brown Rice Bowls in Minutes

Asian Style

• 2 cups 365 frozen brown rice, cooked
• Peanut sauce (recipe below)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli, steamed or cooked
• 2 carrots, shredded
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• 2-3 portions of Teriyaki tofu, chopped (optional)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup almonds, roughly chopped (optional)

Cook brown rice according to package directions.  Make peanut sauce.  Mix rice & sauce together.

Mix broccoli, carrots, bell pepper & tofu into rice mixture.  Divide into serving bowls.  Top with chopped scallions and almonds.  Serves 2.

E2 Peanut Sauce

• 4 T. creamy peanut butter
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. water
• 3 T. agave nectar or maple syrup

Mexican Style

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 tsp. dried cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed/drained
• ½-1 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ½-1 cup salsa
• ½ avocado, chopped

Cook brown rice according to package directions.  Stir in cumin, oregano and fresh cilantro.  Divide rice between two bowls.  Layer ingredients in order listed,  Serves 2. Ole!

Here’s a little help to inspire you to make your own “mighty bowls”, using whole grains, plant proteins and vegetables.

Mighty Bowls of Goodness

Create a colorful, nutritious and delicious one-dish meal.

Here’s an easy—and filling—way to mix and match the bounty of the season into a big bowl of mighty goodness. Choose your favorite bean and grain, and then add in veggies, greens and spices.

Quick Tip: Start your week by pre-cooking your favorite grain and bean varieties and prepare a selection of veggies. With those bases covered you can assemble these mighty bowls in a flash.

For more time saving inspiration, please see this blog entry by Jen from Whole Foods Market, St.Paul, on how to stock and freeze your way to quick nutrient dense meals.