Recipe: Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
Now, on to the pancakes. Because I’m only going to want to eat them for another couple months. These are substantial, filling, and wholesome. They contain no refined sugar and will not leave you with a pancake coma.
These are not every day pancakes, partly because pumpkin spiced things go to bed after winter, but mostly because they are a little involved. There are quite a few steps and ingredients. But, once you gather them all, putting them together is a breeze. Mixing the dry ingredients ahead into mason jars makes the morning production more feasible.
This recipe is easily made vegan by using two flax eggs in place of the eggs.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Yield: 10-12 pancakes (feeds 4-6)
Ingredients
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
2 tablespoons buckwheat groats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup almond milk (or other milk)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Instructions
- Process the oats and buckwheat groats in a blender until finely ground, about 60 seconds. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda. Do ahead: store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined.
- Heat a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat (or 350F for an electric griddle). Lightly oil or butter the surface.
- Pour 1/4 cup portions of the batter onto the heated pan. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.
On Practicing What I Preach and Asking For Help
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
As a dietitian who works with weight loss I am often asked if I have ever struggled with my weight. Occasionally the question is delivered in a scornful and disbelieving manner. I always get a little flustered when someone comes at me that way, as I know that what they are feeling is that they can’t relate to me. It’s tough to figure out the right way to explain that yes, of course I struggle with my weight, while not getting defensive and not pushing them further away.
The reality is, eating well and exercising are daily challenges of mine, just as they are to anyone who is concerned about their health. These things have become much easier to me over time as I have figured out which foods and types of exercise work best for me. I am a dietitian, a healthy cooking class instructor and a personal chef. My career gives me the time and opportunity to learn how to make delicious, healthy food. I am also a personal trainer, which allows me time in my day to be active. These factors are huge, as I know that one of the major barriers people have is time. I am so fortunate that my career allows me the space to fit them in. But although I have the time and resources, I still struggle with willpower and motivation.
It took me years to reach a healthy weight and a place where I felt comfortable in my body. Years of training myself to feel fuller with less food, learning how to cook, learning how to moderate my intake of unhealthy foods and committing to exercise no matter what barriers come up. This means always planning my meals for the week and usually having healthy food with me wherever I go, exercising when I’m on vacation, when it’s raining or when I just don’t want to and thinking of creative ways to add movement into every day. I have to think ahead when it comes to most social situations about what I’m going to eat or how I will avoid the unhealthy choices. Being healthy is a constant struggle for me and just like anyone else, sometimes I’m on top of it and sometimes I fall off the wagon.
That brings me to now. I think I felt that I had been on track for so long (and maybe even a little too strict) that I decided to stop caring a little. A little less caring can be healthy, too, when you feel like your rules have become too rigid. So that part was good until caring a little less turned into not really caring at all. I still ate healthy for most of my meals but I found myself never saying no to unhealthy foods and drinks. Here in Portland, we have a very strong food and beer culture. We are surrounded by so many delicious options that are often the center of social events. It’s pretty hard to say no when there are always temptations.
I also found myself getting a little lax on exercise. I was teaching 4 fitness classes per week plus doing personal training, which was leaving me little time to exercise myself. Since I was demonstrating some of the exercises, I felt like I was working out, but in reality I was probably only getting a total of 10 minutes of exercise in. I stepped on the scale, which is something I typically don’t do and that gave me the reality check that I needed to formulate a plan and act on it.
I thought about what I always tell my clients and the tools I give them to use. Accountability, setting goals and tracking are strategies that I see work often. But have I actually done these things myself? I’m embarrassed to say no. Last night I decided to sit down and write my goals out. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely, I said to myself, repeating the SMART acronym I always give my clients. I have set goals in my head before but I can’t stress enough the importance of writing them down. Something becomes more real about them.
I also made a calendar so that I could track when I accomplished my goals. Since many of them were measured in “times per week” I needed a way to visualize whether or not I have met them. This is posted right on my fridge, where I can see it everyday. The next thing I did was something that I had been meaning to do for awhile but kind of dreading; I downloaded My Fitness Pal, an app that tracks fitness and exercise. I always tell people to track because I know it works. I also know it’s tedious and time consuming but I really needed to fully understand what I am asking my clients to do. I also knew this would force me to be more mindful of all of the extras I am putting in my mouth.
Lastly, I called on my support system. I asked a friend to set healthy goals with me and check in with my progress while I did the same for her. I asked my boyfriend to help keep me accountable and not bring beer and sweets into the house as much. I informed my business partner of my plan. I’m writing this blog post, which is really putting it out there to the world. I will write another post in two weeks informing you of my progress. I am also asking anyone else who feels like they need a little accountability and support to join me in my healthy eating challenge for the month of October. You can set whatever goals you wan’t and we can check up on each other. Email me at: olivia@nourishnorthwest.com if you’re up for the challenge!
So here are my goals… what are yours!?
1. Limit sweets to 1x/week
2. Limit alcohol to only on the weekends
3. Log food every other day
4. 4 workouts/week (3 intense cardio/strength workouts like TRX or boot camp an 1 yoga)
5. Ride my bike to work 2x/week
Happy Fall–A Recipe for the Season
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
Unlike butternut squash, they are small enough to handle with a regular knife (and regular strength), cook quickly, and have a thin, edible skin. It’s almost as if they are saying, “Welcome to the long season of winter squash. I am your warm-up.”
The following recipe has a wonderful combination of flavors and stands alone as a meal. Welcome to fall!
Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
(Adapted from The Oh She Glows Cookbook)
Serves 4
Salad
1 delicata squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt to taste
1 cup uncooked millet
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into 1″ pieces
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
1/4 parsley leaves, chopped
2 Tbs currants or dired cranberries
2 Tbs toasted pepita seeds
Lemon-Tahini Dressing
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup unsalted tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs water
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice squash crosswise into 3/4 inch wide pieces. Place squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes until fork-tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook millet. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add millet, reduce to a simmer, and steam for 25 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
3. Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Place the kale in a large bowl. Massage 4 Tbs of dressing into the leaves to soften the kale.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the kale and top with cooled squash pieces. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
Recipe: Polenta Bites with Roasted Tomatoes and Vegan Pesto
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
If you were at our potluck this past weekend, you were lucky enough to taste these yummy bites (amongst many other delicious things you all made!). This is a great recipe to wind up summer and use up the last of your basil and tomatoes. It works great as a party appetizer or a full meal!
Polenta Bites with Roasted Tomatoes and Vegan Pesto
Ingredients:
1 tube prepared polenta
For the tomatoes
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the pesto
2 cups, washed, loosely packed fresh basil
1/2 cup shelled pecans, walnuts or pine nuts
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice polenta into rounds and bake for 20-15 minutes.
- Toss together the tomatoes, mustard, vinegar, and olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes in the oven with the polenta until the tomatoes are tender.
3. Meanwhile, combine the basil nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process the mixture until it turns into a coarse meal.
4. Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.
5. When polenta and tomatoes are done, remove from oven. Top each polenta round with a dollop of pesto and a spoonful of tomatoes and serve.
Fridge Clean-Out Meals
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
I tend to get overzealous at late summer farmers’ markets. Everything is bursting with color and ripeness. I jubilantly fill my bag with fruit and vegetables that look good, without having a particular plan for them. Four days later, I have half an onion, half a zucchini, some cherry tomatoes that are nearly sauce, and some mushrooms that are destined for the compost pile. While I’m sure all of that would make my compost very rich, I really bought them to eat. So, I put on my creative cooking cap. With a few pantry staples and a hodgepodge of vegetables, dinner can be healthy and satisfying.
My go-to is to sauté the vegetables with some garlic and olive oil, add to whole grain pasta, toss in some pieces off a roasted chicken (or not), and make a quick white sauce or keep in simple with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Pasta can really take whatever you throw at it. For a gluten-free version, add the vegetables to a steamy bowl of brown rice.
Most of the vegetables can be sautéed together. I dislike wet, soggy, warm tomatoes, so give them special treatment by pan roasting them until they give off their juices and take on the color of molasses. With just a pinch of salt, they almost take on a sweet, balsamic vinegar-like flavor.
I can’t decide if I’m more satisfied by the eating the meal or by knowing that all this good food won’t be wasted.
Other meals that lend themselves to the “fridge clean-out” method are frittata, stir fry, and soup. These are all items that do not require a recipe–just a few staples, some odds and ends produce, and a basic method.
Frittata. The link on thekitchn.com has a good tutorial on the method. Feel free to leave the meat, pasta and/or rice out. As long as you have eggs and vegetables, you can make a delicious and economical weeknight meal.
Stir-Fry. Here’s a good method explanation from lifehacker.com.
Soup. The quality of soup is only enhanced by the addition of more vegetables. Start with a base recipe and add whatever is going to go bad in your fridge.