Connectedness in a Time of Uncertainty

This year, each week feels like an accomplishment, and the holidays are no exception. If anything, this pandemic has taught us how to embrace creative solutions to daily life, connection and our health. We are able to visit our health care providers through tele-health, stores are offering curbside pick-up, and schools are providing learning opportunities in various platforms! Many days I feel like a pinball bouncing from one bumper to another, just to get through the day. The one constant through all these changes is nutrition. More doctors, therapists and educators are learning the importance of plant-based nutrition, not just passionate health coaches on a mission!

This time of year, the challenge is finding recipes that are warm and comforting and also whole-food based and nourishing for the soul.   Eating seasonally connects us to our home, and the present. Connection and groundedness is something we can all use right now! This recipe features locally available whole foods and tastes even better the next day as leftovers. 

Hearty Tomato Cabbage Soup

By Jane Robrahn

-Olive oil

-2 large locally grown carrots or 3 smaller ones, chopped

-2 stalks organic celery, chopped

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-½ organic onion, chopped

-1 small head organic cabbage, chopped

-1lb organic, grass-fed beef or turkey

-2 cans (14.5 ounces each) organic diced tomatoes

-1 can (8 ounces) organic tomato sauce

-½ Cup water

-1 tsp black pepper

-1 tsp sea salt

-2 TBSP local, organic honey

-2 TBSP organic apple cider vinegar

1-2 TBSP Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to taste, optional

-Good Karama sour cream, homemade cashew sour cream, and/or organic tortilla chips, if desired

In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, garlic and onion and cook, stirring until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. 

Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, salt, honey, vinegar, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. 

Serve with non-dairy Good Karma sour cream, homemade cashew sour cream, and/or organic tortilla chips, if desired. 

Six Weeks of Bowl Meals: Harvest Burger Bowl

Everyone is overwhelmed. Laundry, responsibility, work, a million school papers flying out of kid’s backpacks. The garage. Voicemails. Emails.

Then there’s meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking healthy meals.

The difference between those who can handle the overwhelm and those who allow it to paralyze them is basic: Healthy-striving people prioritize and plan. Successful people prioritize and plan. Less stressed people prioritize and plan. They listen to their intuition and trust it. They ignore that which is not important and focus on all that is to them.

What does it even mean to prioritize and plan? For some it’s a detailed planner, for others it’s utilizing Apple technology, google calendar or an app. For my grandpa it was always a notepad and golf pencil stashed in the breast pocket of every shirt he wore. It means saying “no” more than “yes” even if it hurts someone’s feelings, makes the kids cry or the neighbor annoyed. It’s taking action, one priority at a time.

Yup, without disclaimer or explanation. It’s a “no”.

Week four of six weeks of bowl meals is the perfect salad to add to next week’s meal plan. It follows all the balanced nutrition guidelines for ideal blood sugar control—a high healthy eating priority. It just so happens eating balanced, nutrient dense meals aids in the effort to feel less overwhelm. Blood sugar control is related to hormone regulation. Hormone regulation is responsible for balanced cortisol which aids in calm, clear, focused thinking, sleeping, and moving. It’s crazy how everything is connected.

Suddenly the emails and garage have bumped to the bottom of the list.

Harvest Burger Bowl

By Audrey Byker Health Coach

serves 4-6

FOR THE VEGGIES FAT AND PROTEIN

-2-3 head of romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and spun in the salad spinner

-1lb ground beef (know your farmer)

-1-2 Tbls. non chili spice blend(burger blend). I can’t get enough of this

-1/2 medium onion, chopped

-1 cup pecans, roasted and salted

for the carbs and flavor

-4 med/lg sweet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1in. pieces

-1-2 Tbls avocado oil

-salt

-pepper

-1 apple sliced or diced(optional for garnish)

Creamy Avocado Dressing(or this):

-1/2 large avocado

-1/4 tsp sea salt

-One lime, juiced

-1/4 cup olive or avocado oil

-1/2 Tbls raw honey(optional)

-1 clove garlic, minced

-1/4-1/3 cup water, as needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add sweet potato to a large bowl and stir to coat with oil then sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbls spice blend. Add salt if spice does not contain it. Add to parchment paper covered sheet pan and add to oven to roast for 30 min or desired doneness, stirring 1/2 way. Set aside to cool slightly before adding to bowl.

While sweet potatoes roast add ground beef and onion to pan over med. heat. Add 1/2 Tbls spice blend. Cook through and brown. Remove from heat until sweet potatoes are ready.

Prepare bowl and dressing. Layer romaine coated in dressing, sweet potato, ground beef and pecans. Drizzle a bit more dressing on top as desired.