nutrient dense – Michelle Marie Health & Wellness

EASY Recipe Alert: Dinner in 15 minutes

Ground Turkey (or Chicken) & Veggie Scramble

I love this recipe because it can be made in 10 or 15 minutes and is super EASY (and the cleanup is easy as well!) It packs protein, veggies and good fats into one perfect dinner dish. This recipe can easily be adapted and changed by switching different vegetables and greens for a different flavor.

To make this recipe vegetarian swap turkey for tofu or two different types of beans.

Ingredients:

1 package of 99% lean ground turkey or chicken
2-3 handfuls of spinach or kale
2 tbs of sundried tomatoes
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
garlic powder & rosemary for seasoning
1 handful of mozzarella or shredded parmesan cheese

Optional: add diced onions or garlic

Directions:

Heat stove to medium heat – spray skillet with coconut or olive oil.

Add ground turkey and cook about halfway through on one side before using a spatula to separate the turkey into smaller pieces.

Add in the mushrooms, kale or spinach, and sundried tomatoes and cook the turkey all the way through.

Turn up the heat a notch to brown the turkey and add the seasonings and cheese – mix around until you have a nice scramble.

Serve over greens or with a side of roasted vegetables or simply enjoy as a full meal 🙂

Spotlight on Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes, one of my favorite foods!

Here are 5 facts on why you should ditch the white potato and swap this superfood in:

Beta Carotene – essential nutrient which aids in growth & development as well as improves immune function.
Fiber and Complex Carbohydrate – you know the drill with fiber which helps with digestive function and complex carbs take longer to digest which means they fuel your body much longer.
Vitamins galore: high levels of Vitamins A, C, manganese, calcium, potassium and iron!
Low Glycemic – this means that your glucose levels do not increase after eating (aka you do not have a sugar spike).
Named one of the Clean 15 produce – this means that they have been deemed to have little to no traces of pesticides meaning they are safe to consume in non-organic form.

There are tons of sweet potato varieties as well – even sweet potatoes that are purple, garnet and white but pack the same nutritional value. My recent favorite discovery is the Murasaki variety (thanks to Trader Joe’s); it is purple skinned sweet potato on the outside and a cream color on the inside. This variety is just as sweet but also has a slight chestnut flavor – perfect for fall!

What is my favorite way to eat sweet potatoes? Check out this easy recipe below – satisfies that sweet potato fries craving 😉

Cubed and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes – adjust number based on # of ppl serving
Coconut Oil (easier in spray form)
Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place the sweet potatoes (whole) inside. Cook for about 15-20 minutes just so they are soft enough to easily cut through.

In the meantime, place some tinfoil on a baking tray and spray with coconut oil.

Pull out the potatoes and cut into small cube sized pieces and lay out on the tray. Spray again with coconut oil and then sprinkle on garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for another ten minutes then switch to broil for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are golden brown and crispy.

Serve and enjoy!

Meet a Great Whole Grain: The Wheat Berry

My boyfriend has recently fallen in love with wheatberries after trying them at the Whole Foods Market salad bar. Since he became hooked, I decided to buy a big container from the bulk section and begin experimenting with recipes for great salads and dinner side dishes.

What are wheat berries?

Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels in their most natural form. Wheat berries contain the bran, germ, and endosperm of the wheat kernel, which means you are getting the maximum nutritional benefits. Wheat berries are an amazing whole grain and healthy form of a carbohydrate.

What are these nutritional benefits?

Very high in fiber – great for your digestive health
Loaded with B Vitamins which increase metabolism and support a healthy nervous system
High levels of magnesium and phosphorus which are essential for regulating blood pressure and supporting strong bones.
Contain plant estrogens or phytoestrogens that combined with the minerals found in wheat berries (magnesium, selenium, copper, and manganese) help reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancers.

This recipe I am sharing with you today is a perfect transition into fall. It is easy to make and incorporates many seasonal ingredients.

Fall Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups of wheatberries
½ butternut squash peeled and cubed
½ cup of diced figs
½ cup of walnuts or pecans
1 bag of kale

Directions:
1. Cook the wheatberries by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil and letting the berries cook on medium for about 50 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with olive oil. Place the squash on top and spray again – cook in the oven on 375. After about 20 minutes, pull out the baking dish and add the bag of kale. Place back in the oven for the remaining 10-15 minutes. Take the squash and kale out of the oven and let cool.
– option to add the chopped figs in the oven at the half way mark to roast them as well
3. Once the wheatberries are finished cooking, add them to a large bowl – drizzle with olive oil and toss.
4. Add in the cubed squash, kale, figs, and nuts then mix thoroughly.
5. Serve as a side dish or on top of a green salad.

Enjoy : )

Behind the Scenes at Thirst Juice Co.

Thirst Juice Co

I had the pleasure of heading into downtown Boston this past weekend and get a private taste testing experience of the Thirst Juice Co menu. I brought my sister along for the experience after we got a serious butt kicking at a BFX studio class that morning – what a perfect way to refuel!

Thirst recently opened in Boston this past year and just announced it will be expanding to a second location, out in my neck of the woods, in Wellesley, Ma. Thirst Juice Co was founded by Heather Stevenson and her husband Chris. Both of them ditched their corporate jobs in New York City and came to Boston to share and promote their love for health and nutrition. Thirst Juice Co really prides itself on the fact that EVERYTHING on their menu is healthy. Heather and Chris work very hard to experiment and combine the perfect ingredients for each of their menu items. Everything on their menu is raw, gluten free and vegan.

I have really fallen in love with this company because of Heather and Chris’s vision and strong passion to share with Boston how important healthy eating really is. Heather and Chris are all about staying local and can easily be found at any fun fitness event taking place in and around the city! I am super excited to team up with these two for future events (especially in Wellesley, keep your eyes open for some fun things!).

So let’s get into the good stuff…

The first item I tried was the “Field of Dreams” juice. This is a green juice made with escarole, cucumber, apple and jalepeno. I gravitated towards this juice because I love spicy and was also totally intrigued by the escarole. This juice was light, refreshing and packed a little heat from the jalepeno! Next we tried the “Buddhabeet” juice. This is a beet based juice with carrot, pear, pineapple and ginger. This was a fan favorite because of its sweet but slightly tangy taste. Lastly we tried the “Kale-Idoscope” juice which was comprised of kale, spinach, carrot and pineapple. This juice was super light and the carrot gave it a more mild taste which I loved.

Next it was time for a smoothie; I chose the Vitamin “G”reen. This is the usual for me – I always pick a green smoothie so I decided to put this one up to the test. This smoothie was out of this world. The flavoring from the mango and pineapple combined masked the strong “green” taste which made it creamy and delicious.

Okay now on to my favorite; the Peanut Butter Acai Bowl. This bowl blended acai berries, peanut butter, cacao powder, blueberries, banana, and almond milk; then is topped with gluten free granola. This gluten free granola is a combination of oats, almonds, and pumpkin seeds – and within one bite, my sister and I literally fell in love.

I cannot say enough great things about Thirst Juice Co; between their mission and vision for the city of Boston and soon to be suburbs and the passion from the co-founders to make a difference is something to support! Definitely run (not walk) to Thirst Juice Co to try one of their amazing menu items!