I love fish, but sometimes having the confidence to cook it stops me from actually going through with it. That's a darn shame because it's sooo easy to make and cooks in less than ten minutes. Once I played around with it a few times I figured it out, and I'm sure you can too. Not only is it an easy protein source, it's an excellent source of omega-3 fats that are so hard to find these days. A healthy person should be getting about 1,100mg of omega-3s every day. Those with certain health conditions may need up to 4000mg daily! Omega-3s are uber important for a million reasons including (but not limited to) brain support, immune support and anti-inflammatory support. Be sure to try and get your fish wild caught if possible to ensure the best possible nutrition is in them.

Most of us are deficient in this vital nutrient so try to eat a good source every day. Here are some ideas on how to get your 1,100mg daily: 

I made this easy recipe using salmon but honestly you can swap in any fish you like and it'll be just as amazing. 

Mix together 1.5 Tablespoons of garlic powder and 1.5 Tablespoons of dried basil in a little bowl. Rub it all over the fish!

Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a non stick fry pan over medium heat. Once the oil looks shimmery and moves around the pan like water, place your fish in it. If your fish has the skin on it, place it skin side up first to get a nice crust on the top. Either way, cook on the first side for about 5 minutes. If you are using salmon you'll start to see the fish turn color as it cooks through. See in the pic below how the middle is a darker pink? As the fish cooks that'll go away and it'll be the same color all through it. Also once it is just about done you'll start to see a white goo start to come out. Technically it's a protein called albumin, but we'll stick to calling it goo.

So once you've cooked it on one side for about five minutes, flip it over and cook for another five minutes. You'll know it's done when it's one solid color all the way through, the white goo is coming out and it flakes away pretty easily when poking at it with a fork. 

Pair this with your favorite veggies and go eat! I always squeeze a little lemon on it for fun. But no pressure... ;)

Nutrition for a 6oz salmon filet:
300 calories, 32gm protein, 0 carbs, 0 fiber, 18gm fat, 555mg potassium, 88mg sodium

Cooked tomatoes are an amazing source of an antioxidant known as lycopene. This nutrient is one of those that actually become more available to your body as it's cooked. This is pretty cool because most nutrients tend to degrade as we cook them. Cooking tomatoes and then adding in a little healthy fat, like olive oil, increased the amount of lycopene we absorb by somewhere around 164%! 

So why do we care about lycopene? We care because it's been shown to help reduce PSA levels (associated with prostate cancer) by about 20% after only three weeks of consuming a half cup of tomato sauce daily. That's amazing! It has also shown to stunt renal cell carcinoma too. Aside from being simply amazing for cancer, it also has incredible benefits for your skin, brain, eyes and can help neuropathy. I can go on and on about how wonderful this antioxidant is. 

Do not try and simply take a pill for this one kids. What research shows us is lycopene supplements taken on their own may actually increase cancer rates by promoting oxidation within the body. Basically rusting from the inside out. There are many other compounds found in tomatoes that work in harmony with the lycopene that give it such a powerful effect. Synergy is a beautiful thing. So it boils down to eating real food. HUH.. who would have thunk?!

I made this on a Sunday as part of my weekly meal prep. It makes more than enough for one meal so I decided to put most of it into mason jars to freeze for weeks when I am just too busy. Be sure to leave a good few inches at the top of the jar so it doesn't crack the jar as it freezes. I've done that more times than I'd like to admit ;)

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
2lbs grass fed beef
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 28oz cans no salt added crushed tomatoes
2 Bay leaves
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots and saute until softened, about 3-4 minutes. 
2. Add the beef, breaking it up and stirring occasionally until completely browned.
3. Add the white wine and cook for 3 minutes, allowing it to reduce and concentrate the flavors. 
4. Mix in the crushed tomatoes then add bay leaves, salt and pepper. 
5. Bring up to a boil then cover and turn the heat down to low/medium-low. Allow to simmer on the stove for an hour to an hour and a half. Add the parmesan cheese and serve over your favorite whole grain noodles or zucchini noodles!

This can be made vegetarian by subbing in tempeh or black beans for the ground beef. The wine adds a wonderful flavor but can be left out if you want to avoid it. The result is still super yummy :)

Nutrition
Yields about 5 servings. 1 cup each
Calories 130, Fat 5g, Sat Fat 3g, sodium 250mg, Carbs 8g, Fiber 2g, Protein 12g

In my opinion eggs are just about the world's most perfect food. They are loaded with 13 essential vitamins and minerals known to promote health. One nutrient of note is something called choline. Choline is important for the processes in your body that support building DNA, exchanging signals in the brain and detoxification in your liver! Very cool stuff! Eggs are also an amazing source of zeaxanthin and Lutein, which are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts as well as macular degeneration. They contain vitamin D too! Vitamin D deficiency is very common and can be hard to find in foods. Aside from being little nutrient powerhouses they are also one of the most affordable sources of protein in the market these days and all while only containing 70 calories per egg. Winning. 

I'm one of those people that like to prep as many of my meals on the weekends as possible so my Monday-Friday is as easy as possible. One thing I've started doing recently is baking them in muffin tins! As you can see from the picture, they come out in these perfect little rounds all ready to go. 

These are super easy to make and all you need is a muffin pan. Take some non stick spray or olive oil and spray the inside of your muffin pan really well. Then crack an egg into each hole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minute or until they are set. Allow to cool for a few minutes and pop them out! Viola! Eggs to go! 

One egg will reheat in the microwave in about 20 seconds. I'm a fan of toasting an english muffin, putting on of these babies on it and taking it to go. I'm very guilty of eating in the car first thing in the morning. You can add a lot of different vegetables to yours to change it up and add even more nutrition into your morning. Try adding pepeprs, onions and spinach to yours before you bake them. Delish. 

This amazing masterpiece was inspired by my low carb, ketogenic, vegan, gluten free, paleo, anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting clients out there! This smoothie bowl has it all and then some. Super packed with antioxidants from 100% cocoa nibs and blueberries this creation will reduce inflammation without causing any sugar spikes. Aside from snuffing out the inflammatory fires that rage within, those two ingredients have also been shown to reduce blood vessel formation in cancer cells (angiogenesis). It's magical I tell ya. AND since it's also pretty darn high in fat and fiber, this should keep you seriously full for a long time. Many smoothies are way too sugary to keep your energy up and hunger at bay. If you are struggling to keep weight on or are having a hard time getting in enough nutrient dense foods, try this out. Sure, you can totally drink this with a straw if you wanted but sometimes it's more satisfying to eat it with a spoon. 

Ingredients: 
.75 grams (1/2 cup) frozen blueberries
1/2 Hass avocado
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 Tbs raw cocoa butter
1/2 oz raw cocoa nibs
1 cup unsweetend almond milk
unsweetened coconut flakes to sprinkle on top

Directions:
1. Set aside a little bit of the blueberries and cocoa nibs to sprinkle on top, the texture and sweetness from the blueberries is amazing on the finished product (trust).
2. Blend the remaining ingredients together until well combined. If using fresh berries i'd recommend adding a few ice cubes to help thicken this up and make it nice and cold. 
3. Pour into your favorite bowl and top with the extras. 
4. EAT and fight disease :)
​
*If you don't have cocoa butter you can totally omit without affecting the deliciousness. It makes this recipe keto friendly and is a way to increase calories if you're struggling to eat. 

Nutrition: 389 calories, 27 carbs, 16gm fiber (WOW!), 32gm fat, 7gm protein

This is my new favorite dish of the week! Pulled together in less than 20 minutes and I only had to dirty one pan?? Yes, please. I love the seasonality of the ingredients here. As we are rolling in to October soon the weather should start to cool and something like this is just soothing to the soul. (As I write this though, we are having record breaking high temperatures and the humidity is killing my hair!) 

While I made this using ground turkey, you can absolutely swap in chicken or even tempeh for a vegan option. Another great idea would be to use leftover turkey or chicken from another meal in this. Just add the meat at the end to warm through and voila! You have an even simpler version of this recipe. This dish will freeze very well so feel free to make extra and stash it away for those days where you're not going to want to cook. Not in love with the picture but I never claimed to be a photographer ;)  

Makes 4 servings​
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 lbs ground turkey (or chicken)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ of an onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk
1 sweet potato, diced
1 tbsp Ground black pepper
A small sprinkle of red chili flakes
½ cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. In skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
2. Add ground turkey and garlic. Use a wood spoon breaking up the turkey while it cooks. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add onions and peppers and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the sweet potato, celery, chili pepper, and black pepper.
5. Cover the skillet and cook until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water (1 tablespoon at a time) to cook the sweet potato faster.
6. When the sweet potato is tender, add shredded mozzarella cheese. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese 

 
Nutrition Information
Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 286, Total Fat: 12g, Carbohydrates: 15.8g,
Protein: 30g, Sodium: 170mg, Potassium: 559mg

Avocados are probably one of my more favorite foods. They are very mild in flavor but are so silky and full of healthy fats that it feels oh so decadent to eat one. Avocados are about 77% fat and an average sized Hass avocado contains around 11 gm of fiber! That's just about half of what you need in a day all wrapped up in that little green dinosaur looking skin. These fruits (yes it's a fruit) are also very low carb friendly. For my low carb and keto people- an average 100gm serving contains around 2 net carbs, making it an excellent vegan addition to a low carb diet. 

This chocolate pudding recipe does NOT taste like anything other than amazing. So don't be judgy and give it a try. This made it past a group of picky older men with the only comment being, "Wish there was more..."

Ingredients: 
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave)

Directions:
Put everything in a blender or food processor and combine until it looks like pudding. Should only take a minute!

I topped mine with strawberries, graham crackers and cocoa nibs just for fun. Try topping yours with another fruit like bananas or berries. I liked using the crackers and cocoa nibs for the texture. I imagine shredded coconut would also be amazing. 
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition per serving without added toppings: 236 calories, 11gm fat, 3gm protein, 38gm carbs, 8gm fiber 

When the days start getting colder, I start craving warming soups and stews. Lately I've been on a bit of a curry kick at home. I love using curry and turmeric not only for their disease fighting properties, but for how they seem to warm my soul from the inside out. I wasn't sure where this soup was going when I started making it. I started out knowing I needed to use that sad little acorn squash on my counter and then decided I needed to bulk it up a bit more. I was loving the orange color so stuck with it and threw in a sweet potato as well. Hit it with a dash of some classic Indian spices and a bit of coconut milk... amazing things happened! This soup is loaded with beta-carotene which will help to fight inflammation, heal your gut and protect your eyes. Since it was inspired by curry flavors I decided to name it "BetaCurryTene" soup... nutrition humor ;) I hope you like it as much as I did.