Category Archives: Healthy Body

Sugar-Free, That’s Me!

About two years ago, I was facing a whole lot of craziness that included moving, chasing a toddler, pregnancy with my second child, buying our first home, finishing up with Tucson Food Day, running Lilly’s Table and dealing with some totally frustrating health ailments. There was not a lot I felt I could do to really get myself out of the drama that was then my life. I was just in survival mode.

After the birth of my little guy, I started to come out from that dizzying cloud and realized there were certainly some strategies that would help me dust off the madness. I am a wee bit obsessed with food, so I started to notice some things happening in my diet that made me less than excited. Since I was breastfeeding, I was eating a ton (for those unaware, you need more calories when breastfeeding than while pregnant) and had little interest in any type of severe cleanse or diet, but as I considered the ‘treats’ that were so common in my house I found myself wanting to let go of the golden sweet caramelized handcuffs sugar seemed to have on me and my loved ones.

I have never really been drawn to traditional ‘diets’, but if I find myself feeling a bit too reliant on anything that isn’t packed with nutrients (such as coffee, alcohol, meat, dairy, and more) I often take an extended break. I recently read the most lovely book Gratitude Works! and at one point he talks about how many religions include fasting in their rituals and how eliminating something for a period of time gives you more opportunity to reflect and feel gratitude towards it. If you LOVE sugar, taking a break is a great way to make desserts, treats and any sweetness that much more enjoyable.

I could certainly tell you all of the terrible things about sugar, but let’s just agree, it is not that great for you. Kind of terrible, in fact. But, really, with all of the research out there comparing it to other white addictive substances and how it is in just about every processed food, the best way to really dive in, to truly understand your own personal story about the sweet stuff and investigate it for yourself, is to simply: TAKE A SUGAR BREAK!

This is what happened to my family and I. When we stopped the sugar madness, we started to notice how much was present in every other thing we consumed. We were aware of how the evenings, the midday slump and even the rush out the door seemed much easier with sugar. But without our sweet buddy running through our bodies, we started to notice that we did not crash and burn as quickly. Also, my husband and I became annoyingly aware of how often we were bribing our child into the behavior we desired with promises of sugar. We weren’t daily offenders, but it happened more often than we wanted to be bribing at all, must less with sugar. And our eyes were widened to how often other people gifted sugar to our child– usually people we barely knew. It is so deeply engrained in our culture.

All in all, giving up sugar raised our awareness and we realized how much we were relying on it, rather than enjoying it as a treat. After the first initial days we were figuring out other ways to enjoy food. And all sorts of goodness happened:

Food tasted better!
We could even taste the natural sweetness of veggies.
We ate more at home.
We saved money (we sort of had an out of control ice cream shop habit at the time!)
We figured out different ways to end our evenings without dessert or wine.
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We dropped a few pounds and felt a bit slimmer.
My typical low-blood sugar crashes vanished.
We re-strategized the sugar bribes for our kiddos.
Stress was less. It still existed, but it was less overwhelming.

I wrote this post in the midst of that past cleanse, if you are curious about how we were feeling at the time.

Sugar, as it so often does, found its way back into our lives. What can I say, the sweet stuff brings smiles & joy that we manage to justify despite all of the good stuff in the list above that happens when it isn’t part of our daily diet.

I am always happiest when the treats of sugar are simply that… a rare, precious occasional treat. If you were covered head to toe in diamonds would you really appreciate another? In order to get to that state again, my family knows we have to take another sugar vacation. When it is ever present in your diet, you are more likely to NEED it- (yup, just like a drug) rather than ENJOY and treasure it- like the treat it actually is. We are looking forward to taking another break. This time we are joining a greater group effort and signing up for the Winter Community Dump that will include community support and knowledge from nutritionist Sara Bradford of Nourish Real Food and much more.

I recently wrote a list of Top Five reasons to go sugar-free, another Top Five reasons to sign up for Sara’s 10-day Winter Community Dump and another Top Five reasons to do her 8-week Winter Community Dump. If you are on my mailing list, you already saw it. If you are not, sign up for my mailing list! In the meantime, here is a peak at that email for you!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously sugar-free. Live well,

Chef Lilly

I love these Seattle days. Refreshing. Rejuvenating. Peaceful. Despite the sleepy weather, Zed had an “awake day” but blessedly did not cry much throughout. It was challenging because he seemed tired, however refused to sleep.

Since it is a bit cooler, cooking indoors has been easier. I am lingering over the stove with less of a sense of urgency. I was even able to sit in between dinner duties. I found myself staring into Zed’s eyes and repeatedly saying”I love you” and joyfully responding to any gurgle back that had an “L” sound in it. Clearly he is reciprocating my affection, no?

I am typically one of those people who puts on an outfit and rarely deviates from what I throw on. When it comes to cooking though often I will start with one combination of ideas or ingredients and then end up with a totally different dish than I intended.

Tonight the strangest thing about dinner is how I started out making tacos:

Caramelized Onions
Hatch chile strips
Green Beans
Shredded Carrots

Then I added a splash of braggs aminos for a bit of salt.

The soy sauce flavor was just enough for me to start craving a stir-fry. Suddenly I was making a faux Pad Thai with steak and these Red Rice Noodles that I saw on sale today at King Soopers. How could I resist? I have cooked red, purple, black rices… putting them into noodles seemed the perfect next step.

In the spirit of pad thai, I added lime and a handful of torn basil. Then we piled up leaves of cabbage in order to roll up dinner into wraps.
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Somewhere in there I managed to overcook the noodles and they became a bit gummy, but we inhaled it and fought over the last few bites, so it was at least relatively successful.

Originally, I thought the evening would involve pesto, but we started the day with a delightful cherry tomato, pesto and feta stuffed omelette. For lunch, we followed up with a Pesto & Cherry Tomato Omelette Pesto Cucumber Sandwich.

I spent the day sharing most of my meals with Juliette, so when we considered having a snack I looked in the fridge and realized all that I wanted was the Hot Dog and Whole Wheat bun staring back at me.

I feel one of the initial successes with this sugar fast is how I managed to convince Juliette to not have ketchup. Actually, I offered her mustard and mayo (not exactly traditional, I know) and when she asked about ketchup I simply told her it had sugar in it. She was okay with that response and happily settled on the mustard & mayo.

Speaking of the sugar fast, I did pretty well avoiding it all day, but if someone offered me dessert I probably would have to say “Yes, with sprinkles on top, too, please!” Actually, as I type this I am day dreaming of how I am going to devour a peach very soon. I am looking forward to these intense cravings to subside.

May you have peachy sweet dreams tonight,

Chef Lilly

The book Bottomfeeder by Taras Grescoe is worth devouring and licking the bones & fins clean. Probably my greatest disappointment was I checked it out from the library and eventually was forced to return it.

The truth is we are incredibly disconnected from the sea. Technological advances have given us the opportunity to scrape the bottoms clean with no regard for the creatures who might need those environments to actually grow & reproduce… so we can of course continue to eat them.

I appreciate that Grescoe is a devout seafood lover, giving this book a feel of the Omnivores Dilemma under the sea. He explores the world Bourdain style enjoying some of the rarest and most expensive fish, but questioning every bite along the way.

I feel converted. Like many of us, I care that catching my tuna does not kill dolphins or contain mercury. I easily avoid gourmet specialities, such as monkfish, bluefin, and shark, fins & all. I carry and distribute SeafoodWatch cards. I always attempt to purchase fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. But, now instead of playing it safe with fish I feel more adventurous. The author gives license to not feel dismayed by the increasing list of seafood to avoid, but rather explore a world of possibilities we culturally refuse, such as sardines and jellyfish.

When eating out, I find myself willing to inquire about their seafood if only to inform favorite restaurants of what they probably do not know: their beloved fish may not always be around if they continue to serve it. Consuming fish used to seem a safer option in a world of CAFO, antibiotic bursting beef & chicken. Today, if I see jellyfish salad on any menu- I promise to try it. Especially since, if we are not careful, this may be one of the only seafood options left.

With my new incites, I found myself buying a fish whole to cook up and even indulged in the crispy skin. After purchasing a can of sardines I anticipated a smelly, slimy, eyeballs and all affair, only to be shockingly surprised and now newly obsessed with one of the most omega-3 rich foods we could consume.

It is a rare book I consider buying after checking it out from the library, just to be able to lend it to friend’s to borrow, then to read again in two years to brush myself up on the details. But, it is certainly on my wish lists.

In the meantime, I wrote a list of the top seafoods I will avoid and the new ones I will be seeking out regularly and thought you might like to enjoy my list, too:

Shrimp

I will no longer purchase shrimp in restaurants unless I know the source is from the US or Canada. While there are some farms in Thailand sustainably farming, more of them throughout the world farm shrimp in toxic manners. Unless stated, I will now cook and eat my shrimp at home purchased from North America.

Salmon

Being from the Pacific Northwest, I avoided farmed salmon for as long as I can remember, mostly because it tastes terrible and is a sad interpretation of an otherwise delightful fish. Culinarily organic farmed salmon has been less than impressive. I will continue to enjoy and love up Wild Salmon, especially from Alaska or during the Chinook runs. In recent days, news of the probable FDA approval of the first ever Genetically Engineered protein is coming out. This certainly could pose threats to the wild salmon populations.

Calamari

Apparently, right now these happy little rubber bands are in safe supply and caught sustainably, so I will continue to love them as an appetizer and cook calamari at home more often. If you are a subscriber to Lilly’s Table here is my Coconut-Ginger Calamari.

Tilapia, Catfish & Pollack

These vegetarian fish are farmed sustainably and tilapia is my go-to for a simple white fish. Catfish makes less frequent visits to my plate, but I intend to change this. Pollack is a cheap and often overlooked fish. I am also excited since I just found out my favorite fish taco joint serves pollack!

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It is true, I am now ready to sign up for the Sardinista club. Especially, after enjoying it with avocados and garbanzo beans. This will make regular appearances in lunches, salads, and road trip snacks as it is simple and tastes charmingly of the sea.

Rainbow Trout

Steelhead or Golden Trout farmed in the US is my new go-to-fish when I want a whole fish since it is easy to find. The farms are typically far away from wild sources making it unlikely to be introduced into existing populations. Occasionally, I will consider wild sources if someone catches it for me in a safe, sustainable location.

Oysters

I will be mindful of their source, but seek these shooters out more frequently.

There is quite a long list of fish to avoid, but I am going to just list the ones that are readily available at the restaurants and groceries I frequent.

Cod

No more fish and chips, unless made with halibut, turbot, pollack or some other not about to go extinct fish. Seriously. Pirates are all about this fish. Arghhh… Cod is not even considered an elegant fish by most chef standards. It is however considered the go-to white fish by pubs and chain restaurants. It is also increasing in popularity as Cod Liver Oil is rapidly becoming the next power supplement— be wary and get your Omega-3 vitamin’s from small fish sources such as sardines.

Orange Roughy

It is going through a rough-y time and despite its ever presence in freezer aisles it is borderline and not worth consuming.

Red Snapper

So many restaurants serve this, especially Mexican it seems, and many recipes call for it. Use Tilapia or Catfish instead. Or if you are able to find it apparently Yellow Snapper is doing just fine these days.

Tuna

I recently found sustainable canned tuna and will only buy this expensive stuff when the craving hits. Otherwise, no more chicken of the sea for me. Sardines are my new quick seafood lunch.

Chilian Sea Bass

I prepared this once for a client by request, but otherwise have not really enjoyed it myself. It is available enough to put on the list to avoid. I have seen it sustainably caught from Chile, but if I am so desperate to eat Sea Bass I will fly down there myself to eat it from a sustainable source. If I am wasting the carbon foot print, I’d like to at least do some hiking & site-seeing (especially in Patagonia) and wash it down with a Pisco Sour.

Which fish are you avoiding? Enjoying? Curious about? Before your next bite, double check the seafoodwatch.org, better yet grab Bottomfeeder and learn everything you wanted to know about eating from the sea.

As the diet world yo-yo’s between which maco-nutrient is the most evil: fat or carbs? It is time to consider when carbohydrates are actually good. The best way to examine this is to explore why they ever got on that bad list in the first place.

Let’s dive a bit into the basics. Whole grains are made mostly of the starchy delicious endosperm, wrapped in a bit of bran with a tiny dollop of germ in it, just to keep things in balance. When ground, the germ’s fatty acids are exposed and with time become rancid causing the flour to taste bitter and unpleasant. Yuck. Fortunately, it takes several months before flour becomes inedible. During the Industrial Revolution however, this was not fast enough to effectively transport flour. It would simply become rancid too soon. Therefore, removing the germ became essential and soon everyone was enjoying wheat a little bit ‘whiter’. Little did they know at the time, many of the nutrients were taken out with the germ.

Our appetite for the bitter-free white flour grew and soon peroxides were bleaching it into an angel white addiction. This hardly helped our insulin levels. The rise of diabetes keeps growing, as do waistlines. The lack of balanced fiber in the whole grain means the flour is processed more quickly, as sugar, and our body’s insulin levels spike. The more ‘whole’ the grain the longer our body takes to process it.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember a ton from my high-school Chemistry class, but I have this strong memory of our teacher giving us a saltine cracker to place on our tongues. She asked us to slowly chew it and process it in our mouths. Very quickly it was apparent that it was quite sweet and tasted almost like sugar. Her lesson on simple starches clearly stuck with me and has had an interesting impact on the amount of white flours I feel able to consume before I consider the flour a treat, not a real food.

Enriched Flours

It is common to find Enriched Wheat Flour listed as one of the first ingredients on your bread. The word enriched seems as if it must be doing great things. Pumped up with vitamins like an iron man– how can that be wrong? The problem is, the flours have been striped of their nutrients and recharged with whatever scientists believe to be the ones worth adding back. This is whether or not there is balance in those nutrients or whether our body is able to recognize them as worth saving. Also, the loss of fiber means we digest the flour faster, therefore causing a quicker blood sugar spike. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is good for you. It is simply white flour wrapped in a vitamin labeled.

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Recently there is an obvious rise in Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Often, I hear the debate as to whether a gluten-free diet is somehow healthier. It certainly is healthier to avoid gluten if you are unable to digest it, but simply eliminating wheat and other gluten products from your diet will not make your diet ‘healthy’. If anything, the dramatic rise in awareness of gluten intolerance has lead to an increase of food products made without the culprit. These products often contain high levels of sugars, starches such as tapioca, potato, and cornstarch and refined gluten-free flours such as white rice flour. While these bread products are a welcome change for those who have become sick from eating gluten, the lack of whole grain and the increase in starch makes them far from a ‘healthy’ option.

When enjoying a gluten-free food product know it is a treat and do not be confused into believing it is somehow better for you than a regular sweet treat. Do your best to find whole grain gluten-free products that are reliably tasty. A few of my favorite brands include Udi’s for baked goods and Tinkyada for pasta. What I love is how many local bakeries have started offering gluten-free selections. If you have Celiacs disease seek out a bakery that will not have any cross contamination. Next, be sure to ask these specialized bakeries what flours & starches they use in their mixes and if they offer any whole grain selections. If you have any gluten-free brands that you are quite fond of, please comment and list them below.

Interested in more ways to eat well? Join the 30-Day Healthy Body, Healthy Planet Challenge. This post about whole grains is one of many that are part of the tips & ideas you will learn throughout the challenge.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Unlike many parts of the world, we may have access to clean water but we often prefer to drink our liquids sweetened and flavored with promises of energy and fun. These substances are more of a dessert or a drug (as Dr. Lutig states in his talk Sugar: The Bitter Truth) than a beverage as they are packed with chemicals, additives, colors and sweeteners. A twenty ounce can of soda or energy drink is equivalent to eating about 16 sugar packets. Whether in the form of high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar or organic cane syrup- remember they are all sugar and one is not ‘healthier’ than the other.

Artificial sweeteners are not much better for our health and the endless supply of those paper packets is hardly doing a service to the planet.

Tips… for drinking more of the good stuff

There is this standard rule to drink eight 8-ounce glasses or shall we say 64 ounces everyday. This standard seems to ignore the weight of the individual, climate, exercise, and other conditions. This handy hydration calculator offers some nice guidelines for how much you may need to drink considering your circumstance.

When I consider the many ounces of water I need to consume after using the calculator, I am often tempted to strap a water pack on my back with a little tube to sip as often as possible throughout the day. But, there are a few other strategies that could help as well.

First, start with a hefty glass of water as soon as you take your first sip of the day. Starting with a tall glass of water will give you more energy and the boost you need to effectively get going.

Next, figure out your system. In my home, we each have our own personalized glass that we keep nearby ready for sipping and refilling. It is a great way to drink more, but also keeps us from doing as many dishes. The environment thanks us for that, too.

There is also the lemon slice method. My grandfather had been sick in the hospital and I went to help out. Doctor’s orders included drinking more water, which my grandfather loathed. So I cut a lemon into 8 slices and gave him a new piece of lemon for every new glass. It was a great way to keep track of his intake and he liked the lemon essence more then plain water.

Set aside the water you need for the day. I live in the desert and on those 100+ degree days we all suffer through warm glasses of water as we burn through the ice in our freezer. Filling up large mason jars or pitchers of my water and sticking it in the fridge, keeps me on track with my water needs throughout the day and it is perfectly chilled when I want it.

Bottled Water

For our ‘convenience’ an entire industry of bottled beverages has developed. Whether we are drinking water or something sweet, the plastic bottle is purchased and discarded almost as quickly. This high use of plastic is rather unfortunate, especially since we use finite resource, oil, to make this plastic and have not created the best system for recycling it.
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If you spend any time on the go, find an easy bottle to take with you such as Klean Kanteen.

Still not in love with the seemingly plain taste of water?

Jazz Up Your Water

Add seasonal fruit and herbs, such as cucumber & lime, strawberries, citrus, mint or lemon balm. If you love the sparkle of soft drinks and beer, switch to a glass or two of soda water during the day mixed with fresh squeezed citrus juice.

There is also a whole world of delicious, health-packed beverages out there. If you haven’t had a chance yet, try out coconut water, kefir and kombucha for a refreshing twist. These are also not a substitute for water, but they do not contain processed chemicals, sugars, colors, or additives.

This post is part of the Healthy Body, Healthy Planet Challenge. Join the FREE 30-day challenge to receive more details, tips and email support.

What are your tips for staying hydrated? What changes are you planning to take to increase your water intake? Please comment below!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

This is my daughter & husband on her first day of pre-school this week. She seemingly adores every moment of her darling school and I am enjoying the consistent time in the week to work. We have already discovered a few of our challenges, the first is a regular bedtime. The second is coming up with delightful, healthy snacks and lunches that do not require a lot of packaging or preservatives. I am always excited about a food challenge and so compiled this list to help me stay focused. Feel free to comment on the bottom to add your own suggestions for homemade snacks that do not require disposable packaging.

Slice vegetables into sticks or rounds
Slice apples, keep them from browning by soaking briefly in lemon water or spritzing with lemon-water.
Whole fruit such as oranges, clementines are great for small hands, bananas or small apples
Homemade & gluten-free Almond Herb Crackers
Ak-mak, which are one of my favorite low ingredient whole grain crackers to buy

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Serve any of the above with a homemade spreads & dips, such as:

Nut butters, make your own buy tossing raw almonds, peanuts or cashews in a food processor or vita-mixer, blend for about 5 minutes until smooth
Greek yogurt with lemon zest, juice & honey, to taste
Yogurt with fresh herbs & lemon, for a more detailed recipe try Lilly’s Table’s Yogurt-Herb Ranch
Minced Veggies blended with cream cheese
Fruit jam blended with cream cheese or Greek yogurt
Homemade bean dips such as mexican Black Bean Dip OR
Hummus

Fill small individual containers with:

Plain yogurt with low-sugar jam, local honey, dried or fresh fruit
Applesauce with cinnamon or other ground spices such as ginger
Granola, nuts and seeds… Here are a few favorite granola recipes from Lilly’s Table: Seeduction Granola, Peanut Butter Banana Granola, and Molasses Pumpkin Granola
Granola Drops
Make your own trail mix, packed full with your favorite nuts, seeds & dried fruits
Hard-boiled eggs with a dollop of mayo & mustard mixed
Cubes of cheese, also lovely with a handful of fresh grapes & nuts
Dates stuffed with nut butters, mascarpone or blue cheese
Whole-grain tortillas filled with nut butters and fruit
Date bars- Lara Bar and Vixi Bars are our two favorite brands because of their low-packaging and they are each made with only a handful of ingredients.
Alternatively, we love to make these Lemon Date Bars and package them ourselves.

What snacks do you love to take on the go that do not require too many preservatives or layers of plastic covering?

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Jamaican Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

After about 10 years of avoiding meat, I found myself craving it, wanting it, needing it. There were major lifestyle changes happening at the same time as I was starting my first Personal Chef business and developing a new, almost daily dedication to the hot & steamy Bikram Yoga. Not long after, I met my future husband who was a semi-but-mostly-vegetarian just to add to the irony of my new fond love of meat. After we traveled to Argentina and indulged in a whole lot of grass-fed beef and pastured pork & chicken we came back fully dedicated to the omnivore life, but neither of us were quite happy with the environmental impact of our meat consumption in this country. Over the years we have reduced the amount of meat we eat, just as many more people throughout the world are becoming more conscious and mindful of their meat consumption whether or not they are full-time vegans or vegetarians.

If you have considered these possibilities, let me be the first to welcome you to the delightful Flexitarian lifestyle. Oh yes, we all need a fancy dietary name, right?

Meatless Mondays
Take the pledge and declare your vegetarianism for just one easy day per week.

Mark Bittman’s Strategy
The author of Food Matters follows a philosophy of being vegan every day until 6pm. After that, anything goes for him. This is perfect for anyone who eats out frequently or prefers to cook roasts and more hearty meals for dinner.

By my hands alone
There is an interesting movement that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook subscribes to. They only eat the meat they kill themselves. Honestly, I am not quite ready for such action myself, but I do follow the philosophy of only eating meat that has been produced locally, from a source I trust. The cost of these beautiful pasture raised meats means that many of my meals are actually vegetarian. I just cannot afford to eat that much grass-fed beef or pasture raised pork & chicken.

Our way…
As I stated above, my husband and I eat a relatively vegetarian diet and occasionally, as a few extra dollars are available, we indulge in grass-fed beef, pastured pork or chicken. We raise our own chickens for their eggs and get plenty of meatless protein otherwise, but we love the treat of eating locally raised meat.

If we buy a chicken, we buy it whole (as it is cheapest per pound) and we are sure to make the bones into a hearty broth after it is roasted, poached, or cooked however we like. Ideally, during my pregnant/nursing/raising toddler lifestyle I would prefer to have a chicken, beef or pork at least once per week, but that is not always possible and that is okay, too. We eat a ton of beans, whole-grains, nuts and seeds, our own chicken eggs, yogurt and cheese. We also treat ourselves to restaurants with local meat options, too. Otherwise, we choose to eat vegetarian when we are out.

What are your meatless strategies? Are you ready to get on board with reducing your meat consumption? Please comment below and share the strategies that work best for you!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

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For dedicated meat eaters a common concern about reducing meat consumption is the lack of protein. In truth, when eating a well balanced diet with plenty of vegetables you will receive an adequate amount of protein. But, for those of us who are used to adding chopped chicken to salads for an extra boost or consider a sandwich pointless without the meat, you will most likely need some tips for resupplying your non-meat proteins.

Nuts & Seeds
Grab a handful for a quick snack and protein boost. Sprinkle on salads or cooked vegetables. During the low-fat craze, nuts got a bad reputation, but in truth they are little nutrition power houses containing not only protein, but fiber, folate, Vitamins E & B-2, essential fatty acids and more. Soaking nuts is a method that is becoming more popular as a way to sprout them and increase their nutritional content. While we all have our favorite nuts or seeds, keep your diet interesting and diverse by mixing up your options.

Nut & Seed Butters
Spread nut or seed butters on crackers, bread or veggie sticks such as celery and carrots for a snack. Mix into soups for more flavor, texture and protein. Whisk into sauces for stir fries, such as Thai Peanut Sauces. Try new flavors such as almond, cashew or my latest favorite, sunflower butter. Subscribers to Lillys Table can try the Thai Almond Broccoli, too.

Beans
Canned beans are easy to mix into spreads, dips, soups and main dishes. If you are interested in soaking and cooking your own from scratch, here is a nice bean guide to help you along. Cooking your own is a great way to save a few bucks, control the sodium content and leftovers freeze beautifully for a quick meal on another day.

Grains
Often you will see beans & rice paired together in various international cuisine. The combination of beans and brown rice actually provides a complete protein. Pile the vegetables high and you have a delightful vegetarian dish that can evolve with the season’s produce. If you want just a single fast cooking grain, quinoa offers the highest amount of protein, it is easy to prepare quickly and tastes great tossed in salads or topped with vegetables.

Tofu & Tempeh
Soy has had its fair share of controversy over the years, but it still remains a good protein option. Seek out non-gmo Tofu and Tempeh. Your favorite marinades work well to flavor them. Edamame or non-processed soy beans are also an excellent choice.

Dairy & Eggs
Find the best quality, sustainable options for your egg and dairy sources. We raise our own chickens and are a bit obsessed with the golden-orange yolks they produce. If you can find grass-fed dairy, wonderful, but if not we prefer organic dairy in our homes for the taste and the overall environmental benefits. Of course, this is only for the ovo-lacto vegetarians. As you can see vegans still have plenty of good protein options.

Avoid Soy Products
As a vegetarian for almost 10 years, I indulged in the occasional Tofu Dog, but for the most part I limited the soy products in my diet because they were a bit pricy and they just seemed wrong in some way. Keep in mind soy products are a processed food with often long lists of crazy ingredients. Stick to GMO-free tofu or tempeh and liven them up with your favorite flavors.

What are your favorite vegetarian proteins? Can you help us expand this list or share why you prefer one over the other?

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Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

My brother and I were chatting a few years ago and he said the secret to every fad diet is to eliminate certain foods and encourage one to eat a high quantity of another. Diets have always had little appeal to me as I am basically a vegetable junkie, but I find I disregard any diet that encourages one to avoid vegetables of any kind.

If you are considering starting some sort of fad diet, instead try increasing your vegetable consumption, as much as possible. When your plate is abundantly full of produce it is a challenge to eat too much of the extra stuff.

Here are a few ideas to get you on track:

Veggie Breakfasts of Champions:

Most of us skip the veggies for breakfast and opt for a grain based start. Here are a few tips for incorporating more nutrients, even if they are coming from fruit, to start your day.

The Breakfast Scramble: Saute a few vegetables, add beaten eggs or crumbled tofu with nutritional yeast & a few spices. Cook through, until hot & steamy. Here is a recipe at Lilly’s Table for a simple tofu scramble with carrots.

Veggies in your Smoothie?: If you like a sweet start, but want a boost of chlorophyll try tossing in a handful of greens into any morning smoothie. My favorite is the Kale Date Smoothie. But, don’t stop with green smoothies. Red Velvet Beet Smoothie or the Carrot Cake Smoothie sound decadent, but they are boosting with nutrients.

Vegetable Juices: A vita-mixer or vegetable juicer will get the job down easily and you can start your day with more energy than any cup of joe could possibly serve. Mix and match your favorites with a nice balance of sweeter (fruit, carrots, etc.) and the stronger vegetables (greens such as kale, beets, ginger, etc.).

Veggie Packed Lunch:

Thinly slice a ton of vegetables to quickly grab and toss into salads or layer into sandwiches.

When making Sandwiches always try to add at least two to three different vegetables. Some of our favorites include: lettuce, sprouts, shredded carrots or beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and more. What are your favorites? Comment below and let me know!

Make homemade Hummus blended with vegetables such as this Beet Hummus.
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Herb Dressings with yogurt are perfect for dipping any combination of sliced vegetables.

Chop up a ton of vegetables as in the photo above. This can be added to leafy greens for a bigger salad, tossed with seeds, nuts and finally your favorite dressing. This will last a few days to keep you supplied with vegetables. This will be a great side for dinner, too.

Dinner with Vegetable Bonus:

Plan to enjoy two vegetable side dishes, cooked if your lunch was raw. Your body will get bonus points if your main dish has veggies in it as well.

Plan to always have a simple salad with dinner. Get creative with your greens and go beyond lettuce with Creamy Ginger Kale Salad. It is easy to shred in or slice vegetables to go with any salad.

Make vegetables the star of your main dish. Too often we center our meals around the meat or protein. But, if you start with the available vegetables first the meat is easy to add as a garnish offering you plenty of protein in the process and a greater nutritional punch with the veggie abundance.

Fruity Sweet Dessert:

Try a bowl of fresh seasonal fruit. Try it baked with a crumble of granola on top. Alternatively, toss a salad of fresh fruit and splash with lime, sprinkle of fresh mint, crumble of nuts, drizzle of yogurt or granola

If you enjoy snacks, challenge yourself to incorporate at least one vegetable and fruit. Veggie sticks with yogurt dip or nut butters is a great place to start.

One final thought… as renowned nutritionist Marion Nestle states: “What we know about diets hasn’t changed. It still makes sense to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, balance calories from other foods, and keep calories under control. That, however, does not make front-page news.” Just remember the best path to health is through an abundance of produce.

What are your own tips and tricks for incorporating more veggies into your diet? Please comment below and help expand this list of possibilities!

Trying to decide what produce to eat these days goes beyond choosing a particular type of fruit or vegetable. There seems to be endless controversy about whether you should go local, conventional, organic or what?! In my home, we keep to a basic set of guidelines about what we choose to buy on a regular basis.

1. Seasonal

Starting in season means local or organic are actually more affordable and abundant. Organic tomatoes out of season are not going to melt in your mouth the same way they will if sun-ripened on the vine. And it will cost more for that disappointing quality, too. Most groceries meet consumer demand by providing zucchini, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers and more all year long. Determining what actually is in season can be a challenge. Many groceries have the seasonal items on display in large quantity at a discount, which helps. If you are stumped, Lilly’s Table is designed to keep you cooking and eating seasonal produce through recipes and weekly meal plans.

2. Local

Just as the seasons effect when produce is available, location can open up a new world of possibilities. Support your local economy and get to know your farmer. The easiest way to buy local is through a CSA (community supported agriculture) Farm Box where you buy into a share in exchange for locally produced, beautiful vegetables & more on a weekly basis. Another option is to purchase food from your Farmers Market every week. I do both as the CSA is a magical surprise of goodness every week, while Farmers Markets allows me choice and an opportunity to chat with my farmers.

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This is a great next choice when you are not able to get close to your farmer. Keep in mind, organic produce traveling from South America or elsewhere has a huge environmental impact. Also, other countries are not met with the same stringent organic labeling standards as American farmers. Getting produce from another part of the world in a different season means it is traveling quite a distance, making the carbon foot-print larger than buying conventional. When selecting produce with the organic label, do your best to find out where it was originally grown.

4. Conventional

There are times when buying in-season conventional produce makes sense especially if it means eating vegetables instead of eating processed food products. I personally would choose to eat conventional produce over organic food products. Fresh fruits & vegetables, whether or not pesticides are used, are better than not eating them at all. An easy aide for deciding when to buy conventional or organic is the Dirty Dozen. Print out cards or download it to take with you when you are at the store and stumped about which is best. This guide let’s you know the produce that is safest to eat conventionally with the Clean 15 list as well as the Dirty Dozen to avoid.

Extra tip: Check your PLU code stickers on all of your fruits & veggies. If it starts with a 9, it is organic. An 8 is a GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), although this labeling is not required so it is rare to see it. Any other number, often just 4-digits, are conventional. I have seen fruit with a big sign declaring it was organic only to notice the PLU stickers on each fruit was conventional. I am sure it was just an employee stocking error, but it is nice to know what you are getting.

We each have an opportunity, several times per day, to vote with our dollars about the types of food we would like to be available. The choice is yours, but when you demand the highest quality produce, while supporting your local economy you are letting the food industry know what you would like to see more of. Together we can all make a beautiful impact on our food system.

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