Six Weeks of Bowl Meals: Grain-Free Thai Bowl

Telling someone addicted to food to “just eat mindfully” is like giving an alcoholic a fifth of whiskey as a gift and saying “enjoy one glass a day”. Mindful eating is to an infant what living on autopilot is to an adult. As much as I believe in my clients far more than they believe in themselves a lot of the time, there is a point, typically in the beginning of Health Coaching program, where I just have to put it bluntly and show a bit of tough love. Awareness of denial, blame and shame is essential to beginning the process of living a mindful life. Mindful living and eating is freedom.

I am here to help you help yourself, trust me, and time is on your side.

My story includes too many years of battling an incredibly disordered relationship with food. It was as if I had myself convinced I was born with a weight + calorie chart in one hand and measuring cups in the other. Can you even picture that? First comes the head, the shoulders then…Wait for it…measuring cups and spoons! Awe! Now this child will always know how to stay healthy and love herself!! Yay!

Learning how to retrain my mind-body connection to “just eat mindfully” was a process. It took time. One of the important health discoveries I made along the way was the crappy physical feeling that resulted from junky food choices. Mindful eating means making well-thought out nutrition decisions based on the mind-body connection and love for oneself. It means fully enjoying the eating experience and slowing down with every bite—a helpful practice for life overall.

This week’s bowl meal makes eating mindfully simple. Every nutrient-dense ingredient not only forces taste buds to dance, but continues to fuel and support everyone living a healthy lifestyle. The balance of macros and micros will satisfy the largest of appetites! The dressing can be used as a sauce and is drinkable on its own! I’m so so so pleased with it and cannot wait for you to try it!

Grain-Free Thai Bowl

By Audrey Byker Health Coach

Serves 4-6

for the veggies and protein

-1lb. boneless chicken tenders, chopped into 1 in pieces(make it vegan and omit)

-1 pint baby bella mushrooms, sliced

-1 pint shiitake mushrooms, sliced

-2 cups shredded carrots

-1 large bundle of broccoli, chopped

-Sea salt

-Black pepper, fresh ground

-1 Tbls avocado oil(or any healthy oil)

-1/2 tsp sesame oil

for the carbs fat and flavor

-2-3 cups jasmine rice, brown rice, brown rice noodles, cooked(optional if grains are desired)

-Sunflower seeds, roasted and salted(optional garnish)

-Green onion, sliced(optional garnish)

FOR THE THAI SUNFLOWER SEED DRESSING/SAUCE:

By Audrey Byker Health Coach

-1/2 cup sunflower seed butter, unsweetened and unsalted(or any other natural nut butter)

-3 Tbls Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos

-2 Tbls raw honey(optional—omit for vegan)

-Juice of 1 lime

-1 Tbls rice or white wine vinegar

-Water to taste

Add both oils to a large wok or nonstick skillet(with a lid if you prefer veggies to be cooked through) then add chicken, salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through, remove from pan, set aside and immediately add mushrooms to the pan. Sauté over med-high heat, stirring frequently for 5 min. Add remaining veggies(broccoli and shredded carrots) and sauté over medium heat until cooked al dente(or add the lid and steam until desired doneness is reached). Meanwhile add all dressing ingredients except for water in a small mason jar with a blender ball, add lid and shake until fully combined. Add water to thin to desired consistency, one tablespoon at a time. Add chicken back into pan to heat through, just before serving. Serve in bowls layered with noodles or rice(optional), dressing, green onion, and sunflower seeds. Eat leftovers cold or reheated, in a salad, alone or with grains.

Audrey Byker is a skilled and experienced Health Coach in West Michigan. She specializes in supporting busy people on their wellness journey through one-on-one coaching which can take place in person at her private office, in home or virtually from anywhere in the world. If you are looking for guidance and support to improve your health and quality of life, click here to set up a free consult today! She accepts HSA/FSA as payment!

Gut Healing Chicken Soup and Bone Broth

You know that feeling when you didn't quite get those 7-9 hours of sleep your body begged for, or your stress and anxiety level was a bit too high for a bit too long?  Then it happens, either out of no where (stomach flu) or a slow onset (scratchy throat and swollen glands), you get sick.  

Way back when I constantly abused my body through overexercising, under eating, and placing far too high of expectations on myself, I was sick often:  My poor gut was in shambles.  All the talk we hear today about gut health and the immune system is absolutely true, I am living proof.  Thankfully, I heard about Juice Plus and the research proving the power of whole food nutrition, before suffering more.  3 months into eating the fruits and veggies in capsules 7 years ago, a very bright light bulb went on in my head due to my immune system balancing, digestion improving and energy skyrocketing.  The one simple change led eventually to my passion and becoming a holistic health coach.  I traded dieting, antibiotics, steroids, inhalers and OTC meds for fruits and veggies.  No looking back!

It turns out, there is far more that goes into healing a damaged gut like I had. My training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and working alongside Naturopathic Drs. has taught me, a healthy lifestyle, along with specific whole foods that rebuild and restore, help heal what was lost and damaged. One of those foods happens to be delicious, cheap and easy to make: Chicken soup with homemade bone broth!  If you don't have 40 minutes to spare to sit down and watch my live Facebook video, pull up this recipe and give it a try before illness strikes (and yes, it works for prevention too!).

Gut Healing Chicken Soup

by Audrey Byker, Health Coach

Serves a large crowd and a sick neighbor or two

For the broth:

1 3-4lb Chicken, humanely raised**

Salt and pepper

1 splash of apple cider vinegar

1 handful of various veggies scraps and peels (optional-save from the following)

For the soup:

1-2Tbls avocado or olive oil. Cold pressed.

1 large onion, finely chopped 

4 large stalks of celery, finely chopped

3 Jumbo carrots, peeled and chopped 

A few pinches of sea salt and pepper

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

Chicken leftover from broth or 2-3 cups cooked(boneless/skinless or rotisserie from the store)

6 cups of bone broth (or organic chicken/veggie stock)

1 1/2 cups of brown rice*

2 tsp. all purpose, salt-free seasoning (optional, my favorite is Kirkland brand)

1 day before making the soup, sprinkle salt and pepper on and roast the chicken in a large roasting pan or dutch oven, covered, at 350 for 2 hours.  Don't forget to empty the cavity!  Cool/chill then take all the meat off the bones.  Toss skin and bones/pieces and juices into a large stockpot.  Cover with water, about 6 cups.  Add the splash of apple cider vinegar and vegetable scraps and pieces.  Cover. Add pot to the stove and bring to a boil on high.  Once boiling turn to low and simmer for 2-4 hours.  Pour into a large pot through a fine mesh strainer.  Discard the chicken bones and pieces.  Reserve bone broth for soup:

Chop all veggies.  Add oil to bottom of large stockpot/saucepan and turn heat to med-high.  Add onion, celery salt, pepper and carrot.  Saute' until onion is translucent and soft.  Add garlic and saute' a bit more until fragrant, like 1-2 min.  Turn heat to med-low.  Add chicken, brown rice, seasoning, and cover well with broth.  Add lid and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and continue to simmer on low, covered for 45 min. to cook the rice.  Serve immediately or leftover for a week. Freeze in wide-mouth mason jars leaving a few inches from lid to allow for expansion.  

*For a Paleo, SCD, GAPS and grain-free option, sub brown rice for peeled, chopped parsnips and cook until fork tender, around 15-20 min.

**If a conventional chicken is the only option, skim off the fat once broth cools