Food Friday: Sloppy Joe Sweet Potatoes

www.skinnytaste.com (My dish looked a little sloppier...as it should!)

Don’t we all love food that reminds you of a childhood memory? This recipe brings me back to being a young girl at camp…oh wait…maybe I’m imagining myself in the movie It Takes Two as one of the Olsen twins. 😃  Whatever the memory is, sloppy joes are a delicious comfort food. This recipe is a healthy twist on the classic, filled with veggies and served on a flavourful sweet potato. This dish is gluten free, dairy-free and even Paleo. It is very quick and easy to make on a weeknight or Sunday, for week day leftovers. Be sure to get good quality ground beef, such as from Getaway Farm Butcher Shop in the Hydrostone or the Seaport Market. SkinnyTaste.com, where this recipe comes from, is filled with recipes that are healthy, delicious and lower calories. 

Ingredients: (3-4 servings)

• 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, washed and dried (or a few small ones)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef 
• 1 tsp seasoned salt, such as Montreal Steak (or pinch of each: paprika, ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes)
• 1/3 cup chopped carrots, small
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
• 1 clover garlic, minced 
• 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz can tomato sauce 
• 2 tsp tomato paste (I freeze leftovers in tbsp portions)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 chopped green onion, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes by poking holes all over with a fork, then cook in oven at 425F for about 45-60 minutes, or until tender. You can even pre-cook the sweet potatoes. 
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and seasoning to the pan and cook, breaking it up into small pieces. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 4-5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, paste and water to the skillet, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook until carrots are tender, about 15-20 minutes. 
3. To serve, cut sweet potatoes open, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and top each with 1/2 cup of meat and green onions for garnish. 

Enjoy! Remember to let me know what you think. 

Are you looking to get on track with your diet this year? Come visit me for the healthy way to cleanse. :)

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

The Five Love Languages - How do you express love

As the holidays draw nearer there has been a lot of talk with my friends and family about gift giving. I've found that we all have different opinions about gift giving, whether it be the amount of gifts, the type of gift or the meaning behind it. These discussions have got me thinking about the variety of ways people show love and receive love. There are actually five love languages and gift giving is one of them. Have you heard of the five languages of love? By understanding these different love languages, you will better understand how your family, friends or partner receives love and how they give it and are able to better explain how you give and receive affection as well, ultimately improving those relationships. This holiday season this will translate to less stress around family and more love. And don't we all want more love :) 

The Five Love Languages:

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Words of Affirmation - Words like "I love you," "You look beautiful," "You did a great job," mean a lot to people whose love language is words. Perhaps send a little note in their lunchbox or remember to compliment them on a job well done, perhaps with the christmas cookies or decorations. 

Physical Touch - Do you know someone that wraps themselves around you as soon as they see you? I know a few! Their language of love is definitely physical touch. Be sure to give them a big hug when you see them or are saying goodbye, or a hand on the back when passing by at a holiday party to let them know you are thinking about them. 

Receiving Gifts - Flowers anyone? What a great simple way to say I care for you for these people. Perhaps your partner is always bringing home a small token after a trip. This shows they are thinking of you in their own way. The gift giving time is a highlight over the holidays for them. They have probably put a lot of thought into what they got you! 

Quality Time - Does your grandfather or father love to be in the room with you but not have much to say? Does your partner want you to go to bed with them even though you aren't tired? They appreciate quality time, in any form. For these people, undistracted quality time is appreciated, whether it be a nice lunch to catch up, making dinner together or watching your favourite show together. Why not go for a nice long walk with family over the holidays with those you love to show you care. 

Acts of Service - Just helping with the dishes does really go a long way for some people who language of love is acts of service. Do you know someone who is always helping out in the kitchen, or making you cookies, or making sure your car is clean? Return the favour for them and they will know you care. 

What is your love language?

You can even take a quiz online to learn what your dominant love language is. Before taking the quiz, I assumed mine was acts of service but I was wrong. Instead my primary love language is quality time, followed by physical touch - which I now completely understand as the holidays for me are a lot about spending quality time with my family! 

What is yours? How can you incorporate that into this holiday season? Let me know in the comments below. 

Happy Holidays!

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

Most of the time I do a lot of batch cooking on the weekends, as I am at work late or have activities to get to, leaving me little time to cook a nice dinner during the week. However, having quick easy meals for weeknight dinners that taste delicious and are healthy, really come in handy! Lucky for me (and you!) I came across this wonderful family friendly meal from my favourite nutritionist from Nourishing Meals.  The ingredients may seem a little unusual if you aren't used to gluten free cooking, but they are easy to find and come in handy for future baking. You can find arrowroot powder and coconut flour in the health food section at grocery stores or Bulk Barn. I had everything on hand and the whole meal only took me 15 minutes to prepare (and about 5 minutes to devour!). This dish obviously has a coconut flavour to it, which adds a little sweetness to the dish. I served mine with homemade honey dijon mustard, some sweet potato, and cabbage and brussels sprouts salad with a lemon-tahini dressing. Yum! I would advise eating these all at once, as the crispness is no longer there with leftovers, unless you sautéed again. Alternately you can bake these, creating a little less mess. They won’t be quite a browned but they are better for leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound organic chicken breast, pounded

• coconut oil, for cooking

Bowl #1:

• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder

• 2 tbsp coconut flour

• 1/2 tsp Herbamare, or sea salt

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram (or extra thyme or other spice of choice)

• 1/2 cup water

Bowl #2:

• 1/2-3/4 cup finely shredded coconut

• herbamare (or sea salt) and finely ground pepper)

Directions:

Pound the chicken breasts with the smooth end of a meat pounder to tenderize them. Then slice into strips. Whisk together everything for bowl #1 in a shallow, wide bowl. Place the shredding coconut into another bowl with a pinch of sea salt and pepper, and stir. 

Place half of the chicken strips into bowl #1 and coat well. Then toss each into the shredding coconut. Place onto a plate then repeat with remaining chicken strips. 

Heat a cast iron skillet for approximately 5 minutes on medium heat (wonderful tool to have in your kitchen - I ordered mine off Amazon but you can even find them at yard sales.). Add a couple tbsp of coconut oil to the skillet. Place some of the chicken strips into the skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side. Be sure not to overcrowd the chicken to ensure they cook properly and crisp up. Place cooled chicken strips onto a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining uncooked chicken, adding more coconut oil in between batches. Serve immediately with a dip of your choice and enjoy! 

*Alternatively, preheat oven to 400F. Lay chicken strips once coated on a parchment lined baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through, until cooked through and slightly browned.

Let me know what you think. 

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Immune Boosting Smoothie

Whenever I feel a little run down or my body is trying to fight something off, I get out my handy blender and whip up this concoction to boost my immune system. Last weekend, it did the trick (I actually made it 3 times!). This smoothie is packed full of vitamin C from the pineapple, orange and lemon. Pineapple also aids in digestion and by now we know that 70% of our immune system resides in our gut. Ginger helps to boost our immune system as well with its diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, the cayenne adds a little more punch and works as an anti-microbial and gets your blood moving. You could even throw some turmeric powder in there as well to combat inflammation. So try this out next time you are feeling a little run down and remember to take your vitamin D and your favourite cold busting formula as well. 

Pineapple Orange Immune Boosting Smoothie:

• 1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice (or frozen pineapple) 
• 1 small/medium orange, peeled
• 1 small nob ginger (to taste - I like mine spicy so I know it is working!)
• juice of 1/2 lemon 
• pinch of cayenne
• 2-3 ice cubes (if prefer cold) 

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender and enjoy! Feel the powers of food working to fight off any colds & flus. 

Need a little extra support for your immune system? I'd be happy to meet with you to discuss other options to help you feel your best. Check out Get In Touch to send me a message or learn about my free 15 minute complimentary consults. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen 

(This recipe was adapted from OhSheGlows.)