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THE PRESIDENT’S PLATE MAKEOVER

February 20, 2017

Overloaded with all things politics? We are too, but we couldn’t let Presidents’ Day go unnoticed. So Mr. President, we’d like to treat you to a food makeover in honor of this historic day. We’ve been keeping tabs on some of your menu favorites, and you might want to consider swapping out a few items…

Goodbye, Diet Coke. Hello, green tea and sparkling water. President Trump proudly states that he doesn’t drink coffee or tea, but he should reconsider. Antioxidant-rich green tea would be a better choice than artificial sweetener and artificial color-laden Diet Coke for his caffeine fix. Or is it the bubbles you love, Mr. Trump? If so, give Fruit-Infused Sparkling Water a try. It’s cold and refreshing, and fresh fruit gives you a bit of sweetness too (and better bragging rights).

Adios, KFC and McDonald’s. A good-quality cheeseburger every once in a while isn’t going to kill you, but constant consumption of Big Macs, fried chicken, and fast food might. A diet with less meat and more vegetables helps lower your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and helps counteract climate change. And fast food is typically highly processed—packed with bad fats, chemicals, salt and added sugar. If it’s chicken you’re after, try these Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs. Or if you’re jonesing for a burger, go for Eggplant BLT Sliders or Blackened Barramundi Sliders.

Ditch the chips. Sorry Donald, Lay’s potato chips and Doritos corn chips don’t count toward your daily vegetable intake. Instead, grab some Roasted Chickpeas for when the salty crunchy craving hits. They’re high in fiber and nutrients without any bad fat from the fryer.

Switch out ice cream bars for Banana “Ice Cream”. Store-bought ice cream is packed with added sugar and saturated fat. Making Banana “Ice Cream” at home in your food processor is equally as sweet and creamy, no added sugar required. Plus, it’ll help with your fruit intake.

WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK

Our health should be the ultimate nonpartisan issue. Congress is out of session so our members of Congress are in their home states for the week, and they would love to hear from you. Pay a visit to your Senators and Representatives, attend a town hall meeting, and tell them why protecting your health, the health of our communities and our planet is important to you.

Have an opinion on Sonny Perdue for example, President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Agriculture? Or the President’s pick for the Food and Drug Administration Secretary? Dislike that the proposed 20% tax on imported goods from Mexico to fund the wall would dramatically increase the price of your fruits and veggies? Or are you concerned about the effect a mass deportation would have on farming, our food economy, and the undocumented workers who grow America’s crops? Speak up for your health and your food!

And if your diet needs a makeover too, check out Foodstand’s Avoid Soda, Eat Less Meat, Avoid Fast Food, Eat Real Food, and Avoid Sweets Challenges to take your health into your own hands. And tell you friends so we can enact change together.

Features Recipes

Eat Healthy With 10 Minutes + $10 Per Day

January 5, 2017

10-min-10-dollars-graphic

You know you need to eat more healthfully, but doing so when you’re short on time and on a budget is NOT easy. Which is why we’ve come up with delicious and nutritious, easy-to-execute, minimally-processed, affordable meals so you can ditch the frozen dinners and cheap, bad-for-you snacks. With a little Sunday night prep, each of these meals can be made with less than 10 minutes of prep time. Budget < $10 per person per day

Track your healthy, home cooking habit by joining the Cook Dinner More Often Challenge on the Foodstand app. Happy cooking!

DAY 1

frittata-muffins

Breakfast: Frittata Muffins

Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein, and can be a key part of a balanced, no-added-sugar breakfast when combined with your favorite veggies. Bake them in muffin cups so you can grab one in the morning on your way out the door. They travel well, and can be eaten fresh out of the oven or cold out of the fridge.

Give your chopped veggies a quick stir fry (1 minute) while you whip up your eggs. Stir in the veggies, season with salt and pepper to taste, and pour into greased muffin cups. Bake on 400 until golden brown. Eat fresh, or store them in individual reusable containers in the fridge for a grab-and-go breakfast.

Avg Price: $2.00
Prep time: 3 minutes

 

Lunch: Protein Salad

Assembling salads can be time-consuming, but if you plan ahead with the right ingredients, you can put this together in a jiffy. Combine baby kale, lentil sprouts, sliced mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, chopped cauliflower, chopped cabbage, a couple of slivers of smoked salmon and a heaping spoon of hummus in a to-go container. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If your mushrooms, cauliflower, and cabbage are pre-chopped, you can assemble this in a matter of minutes. Adding hummus to your salad gives you extra fiber and protein, and acts as a dressing without wilting your salad during the day.

Avg Price: $3.60
Prep time: 3 minutes
slow-cooker-chicken-stew

Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Despite its name, the slow cooker is your best friend for speedy meals. Before you leave for work, toss your favorite veggies, grains, and protein in a slow cooker with water (or stock) and seasonings. Turn it on low, and by the time you get home, dinner will be ready! My favorite combination is lentils, chickpeas, tomato, organic chicken breast, farro, cauliflower, bell pepper, and garlic. Seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and fresh rosemary (which doesn’t wilt), or chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander. On a cold winter night, this stew is filling, warm, and fully balanced for a nutritious meal.

Avg Price: $3.00
Prep time: 4 minutes

 

sweet-potato-crisps

Bonus Snack: Sweet Potato Crisps

Thinly slice a sweet potato (with a knife or a peeler), toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary, and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees. Flip them once about halfway through the baking process. Snack on these instead of chips or french fries.

Avg Price: $1.00
Prep Time: 4 minutes

 

 

DAY 2

overnight-oats

Breakfast: Overnight Oats in a Jar

The McDonald’s Dollar Menu has got nothing on this delicious, healthy breakfast. Jars give the ultimate convenience, but if you definitely need to discard your brekkie container, make it in a recyclable solo cup. Start with a base of plain rolled oats, then top with almond milk, nuts, cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey or coconut nectar for a bit of sweetness. By the next morning, you’ll have a DELICIOUS and filling breakfast that is ready to go when you are.

Avg Price: $1.17
Prep time: 2 minutes

 

avo-egg-toast

Lunch: Avo Egg Sandwich with Sprouts

Assembling a sandwich is one of the easiest things to do in the morning, but ensuring it holds up until lunchtime is the trick. This avo egg sandwich can be prepped in 5 minutes if you follow the right order of operations. First, heat oil in your egg pan. Put 2 slices sprouted whole grain bread in the toaster. Crack 2 eggs in the pan, season with salt and pepper, give it a quick stir, and turn the heat to low. Slice half of the avocado and sprinkle it with lemon juice. Grab the toast, flip the eggs, and slather one piece of toast with avocado. Once cooked, place the eggs on top of the avocado, top with sprouts, close your sandwich, and wrap it up. You’re done!

Avg Price: $2.20
Prep time: 4 minutes

 

chana-masala

Dinner: Butternut Squash Chana Masala

Butternut squash is quite surprisingly affordable this time of year since it’s in season, and is a great source of carotenoids and vitamin A. The squash seeds can also be scraped out and toasted for a yummy snack (or most grocery stores sell pre-chopped squash, saving you a ton of time). Making chana masala is pretty simple—in a large saucepan, start with a base of tempered cumin seeds followed by sautéed onion, ginger, and green chili. Add in spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, and turmeric), toss in the squash, chickpeas, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste, and wait for it to cook. Top with lemon juice, and serve like a “stew” with a whole grain like quinoa, barley, or farro for a well-balanced, filling meal.

Avg Price: $3.39
Prep time: 4 minutes

 

crunchy-roast-chickpeas

Bonus Snack: Roasted Crunchy Chickpeas

Rinse and pat dry canned chickpeas, toss in your favorite spices (our favorites include chili powder and curry powder or rosemary and lemon zest), salt and pepper to taste, and olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. There you have it—a delicious, crunchy snack for the week.

Avg Price $0.75
Prep time: 5 minutes

 

DAY 3

Photo credit: Nutrition Stripped

Photo credit: Nutrition Stripped

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Toasts with Almond Butter and Pumpkin Seeds

Swap sweet potato slices for your morning toast (they toast up in a toaster using the high setting for several cycles, or a total of about 15 minutes in a regular oven), and top with almond butter and pumpkin seeds—this is Mother Nature’s pop tart! You’ll get a healthy dose of fiber, protein, and hunger-fighting goodness with this hearty breakfast. If you’re on the go, sandwich two slices of sweet potato together and eat it on the run.

Avg Price: $1.15
Prep time: 4 minutes

 

baked-eggs

Lunch: Baked Eggs in Portobello Caps

Baked eggs are a perfect lunch to make before you head out the door in the morning. They take 2 minutes to prep, and bake to perfection while you’re getting ready. Lather two portobello mushroom caps in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a greased baking sheet. Crack 2 eggs in a bowl, whip, and stir in your favorite chopped veggies like broccoli, spinach, or thawed frozen edamame. Carefully pour half the egg and veggie mixture in each mushroom cap. Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Place them in a reusable container (preferably glass for easy reheating), and out the door you go!

Avg Price: $2.75
Prep time: 2 minutes

 

shakshuka

Dinner: Shakshuka

This Israeli brunch favorite can also be served as a one-pot dinner. You can customize it however you like by tossing in added veggies like broccoli or zucchini. This is also a perfect contender for chopped, frozen veggies to cut down on time. Start by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add in a can of chopped tomatoes and veggies, and season with salt, pepper, paprika, chili flakes, and cumin. Let it simmer until tomatoes are mostly cooked.  Make a few dents in the tomato sauce with a big spoon, and crack each egg directly into each dent in the sauce, leaving space between each. Cover, and let the eggs get poached in the stew and either finish on the stovetop or pop it in the oven for 2 minute bake. If you like, serve it with a slice of whole grain pita bread.

Avg Price: $4.25
Prep time: 5 minutes

 

Bonus Snack: Apples with Almond Butter

Apple slices with almond butter are easy to prep at home or at work (especially with an apple corer), and provide the perfectly sweet, juicy, and tart snack you’re looking for at 3pm.

Avg Price: $1.75
Prep time: 2 minutes

 

Now that you have a game plan, maximize your dollar and the clock by carving out a little time to chop your veggies on Sunday nights. Or if you’re in a serious pinch, start with frozen, pre-chopped veggies. Stock your pantry with nut butter, canned beans, and whole grains so you have some on hand. And keep nuts and seasonal fruits in sight so you have an easy snack always at your fingertips.

Features

5 FOODS TO START AND STOP EATING IN 2017

January 3, 2017

5_foods_to_start_and_stop_eating

Good health in the new year isn’t a get-skinny diet, or a miracle superfood. Instead, the best piece of advice we can give is to eat a variety of real, unprocessed foods. It’s that simple. Here are some of our top picks for 2017—both what to eliminate, and what to enjoy—to become your healthiest you. Happy New Year! And happy eating too.

STOP EATING…

  1. Sweetened fruit yogurt. Don’t be fooled by the fruit on the label—one small strawberry yogurt can make up over half of your daily added sugar allotment even before you walk out the front door. Try unsweetened plain greek yogurt instead, and add your own fresh fruit.

  2. Liquid sugar. Whether it be soda or freshly-squeezed orange juice, consuming sugar in liquid form delivers your body with a huge quantity of sugar without any fiber to help your body process it. Ditch soda entirely, and stick to whole pieces of fruit.

  3. Artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Sucralose, Sorbitol and others have been linked with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Plus, they reprogram your taste buds into thinking fruit and other naturally sweet foods aren’t sweet enough.

  4. Packaged snack foods. While they may appear harmless, even savory packaged snacks often contain high levels of added sugar, sodium, and even chemicals and dyes. Stick with whole-food snacks like a piece of fruit with almonds, or carrots with hummus.

  5. Processed meats. Classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, processed meats are said to cause colon cancer. On top of that, they often contain high amounts of sodium which can lead to heart disease, and nitrates which likely cause an increased risk of diabetes.

START EATING…

  1. Radicchio. With four times more antioxidants than romaine and a ton of disease-preventing polyphenols, dark red radicchio should make a regular appearance on your dinner plate. Counteract radicchio’s bitter flavor with fresh fruit and balsamic vinegar in a salad, or mellow its flavor by wilting it down with olive oil and sea salt.

  2. Butter beans (aka lima beans). They are high in protein which is great for blood sugar levels, and high in soluble fiber which helps lower cholesterol. Plus they’re a hearty vegetarian protein and taste delicious with almost anything (in stews, in tacos, sautéed with greens).

  3. Green moong dal flour. Another excellent source of protein and dietary fiber, green mung bean flour is a flavorful and nutrient-rich substitute for white flour that can be made into a wrap. Use it as you would a savory crêpe or breakfast burrito—our fave is scrambled egg, onion, chili peppers and fresh coriander.

  4. Fruit for dessert. Swapping added sugar for fresh fruit gives your body a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and may even help sharpen your taste buds. Try pairing with roasted pecans or almonds for a richer treat.

  5. 100% chocolate. Ditching sugar doesn’t have to mean giving up your chocolate habit. Many chocolatiers make a 100% cacao bar with no added sugar that is just as flavorful and high in antioxidants as their 70-90% dark chocolate counterparts. Try this François Pralus bar, and avoid lower quality unsweetened varieties you find in the baking section at your grocery store.

  6. BONUS! Kelp. You’ve probably seen the hype, and it is so real. This protein-packed, sustainable, plant-based, gluten-free, zero-junk ingredient should be added to your repertoire. Use kelp noodles to replace lo mein or spaghetti for a healthier version of your favorites. You’ll also be able to get your hands on some Kelp Jerky soon so you’ll be able to snack to your heart’s content.