FOOD

When it comes to food, making it at home is always better. Yet we all need a little outside help sometimes, and so we have put together a little list of favorite store-bought items that are good to have around when we find ourselves pressed for time (meal planning makes a big difference here, so talk to me), caught by surprise (unexpected guests, anyone?) or having a party. Combine these with fresh vegetables and greens, and homemade items like pesto and hummus, and voila! You can mix and match to have a meal in under 15 minutes.

You can find these at most major stores (in here they are mainly from Whole Foods or Costco):

Vegan Cashew Cheese from Myoko’s – a delicious spreadable option to have a number of veggies (and take a break from cheese). My favorite combo: Myoko’s Chive on Radishes.

 

Organic Chicken Meatballs – although we keep processed meat to a minimum, these are great to have in the freezer for party situations, or tossing over zucchini noodles in a pinch.

Almond-Based Gluten-free Tortillas (this brand also offers a cassava-coconut and a cashew option) – we cook them in a little bit of grass-fed butter and fill it with homemade pesto, avocado and sauerkraut. So delicious! If you eat cheese, you can make a perfect quesadilla with these. They are not organic, unfortunately 🙁

Coconut Aminos for a sweet-ish soy sauce flavor without any soy! I love spraying this on cooked greens and on mushrooms. It rounds out the umami flavor, and turns any bowl of plain ol’ brown rice into plain yum.

Eden Canned chickpeas: This brand of beans actually soaks them before cooking, which is how we would make them at home. Having it on hand means you can roast chickpeas with some coconut aminos and cumin for a nutrient-rich side or put them on a processor to make hummus in no time.

 

SUPPLEMENTS

Protein Powders: Vital Whey Grass-Fed 100% Proserum; Designs for Health Whey Cool; Garden of Life Raw Organic Fit Plant-Based Protein. While I am a fan of whole foods, having a handy source of protein you can add to smoothies, homemade bars, and even to a bowl of granola or oatmeal is a life-saver. You can find all of these at my online dispensary.

Vitamin D: Designs for Health Vitamin D Ultra 10K for adults; Ortho Molecular Vitamin D with K2 liquid for kids and adults.

Probiotics: Innate Response Flora 20-14 (20-14 means 20 billion active cells with 14 strains. They also offer a maintenance dose of 5 billion, and a clinical dose of 50 billion); Ortho Molecular Kids Probiotic with S. Boulardii.

Fish/Algae Oil: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega; Pure Encapsulations DHA Liquid (vegetarian)

Women’s Daily Multivitamin: Innate Response Women’s One Daily

Men’s Daily Multivitamin: Innate Response Men’s One Daily

Digestive Enzymes: Designs for Health Digestzymes

Winter Workhorses: Immunoberry by Desings for Health; Vitamin C by Innate Response; and Imu-Max by Ortho Molecular (great for kids, and contains echinacea, propolis and vitamin C).

Meet all of your supplement needs with a 20% discount here.

MOVEMENT

Shadow Yoga: After reconnecting with the Shadow Yoga practice in December, Nick and I have maintained a daily practice, which has brought more ease to our bodies, presence, and clarity to our lives. This practice can be done at home, and although I highly suggest finding a teacher such as Scott Blossom, anyone can begin by learning through the videos available on the Shadow Yoga website. This practice focuses on breath, bone integrity and strength, without forcing flexibility.

INSPIRATION

As for food for thought, I wanted to share the inspiring and exciting resources we have been reading and listening to:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Collins 2015. This book has provided me with great perspective, and lots of really interesting and startling information about our history as a species.

The Doctor’s Pharmacy with Mark Hyman – listen to the podcast here. Favorite episodes include The Awakened Family with Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Is Bone Broth Worth the Hype? with Marco Canora, and Why Cholesterol May Not Be the Cause of Heart Disease with Dr. Aseem Malhotra.

 

This is enough to fill your plate for a while. More to be served next month 😉

Thais Harris, BCHN