Real Food Nutrition in a Fast Food World

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Fig & Maple Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)

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I know, I know cookies for breakfast?! Sounds ridiculous coming from a dietitian but hear me out. I struggle to eat breakfast most days of the week as do many of my clients. It’s not that I don’t like breakfast it’s just that I don’t love eating when I first wake up. Now, I’m not saying I need to be bribed with breakfast cookies but having something to grab and go that tastes good and doesn’t sit in my stomach like a brick is helpful.

Cookies for Breakfast?

There are no rules as far as meals go.  You don’t need to eat certain foods for certain meals. So, in that case, these cookies don’t even need to be eaten at breakfast. They could be eaten any time of day, frankly. I personally like them in the morning, but they go well as a nighttime snack as well.

I know some people don’t like to use the word cookie and equate it to health but let’s be honest, a cookie normally is loaded with sugar and not much else. These cookies are mostly oats and have other nutrients from sunflower seeds/butter & figs. Some may disagree, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say these are “healthy” or at least #sassyapproved

Sunflower Seed Butter 

While, yes, I normally use peanut butter, I’m not really biased as far as nut/seed butters go. One of my all time favorite seed butters is 88 Acres. They have 4 main flavors and I love them all in their own right. I find that their maple sunflower seed butter goes so well with both savory and sweet options. This time I went with sweet. My last recipe using it was this one (also amazing).

I had the pleasure of hanging out with 88 Acres while at FNCE and while you would think eating too much of something would be a bad thing, it just made me want more of it. When I got home, I wanted to find new ways to use it and for whatever reason, breakfast cookies came to mind. I mixed up a few ingredients and bam it was a match made in breakfast cookie heaven.

If you have any type of nut allergy you are in luck! 88 Acres is free of the top allergens but the best part is that their products taste so good even those without allergies can enjoy and won’t even know the difference. Try them out and let me know what you think.

Pro Tip: Feel free to add in any other mixins like dried cherries or pepitas to make these cookies your own!

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Fig & Maple Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)

Serving Size: 12

Fig & Maple Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup sunflower butter
  • 1/3 cup dried figs, chopped (about 4)
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roasted & unsalted
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter), melted
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Mix all ingredients together by hand or in stand mixer until uniform.
  3. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop 12 even scoops onto baking sheet and use back of scoop/spoon to flatten down the middle slightly.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through and outside is slightly golden.

Notes

*to make oat flour, grind rolled oats in a blender for 10 seconds

https://thesassydietitian.com/fig-maple-breakfast-cookies-gluten-free-dairy-free-nut-free/

Would you eat cookies for breakfast?

xoxo,

Sassy

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breakfast cookies

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Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

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I have to admit, to my knowledge, I have never had green bean casserole before. Every year I have looked it up and thought “why would I want that?” I guess my background serves me well in that case because I think processed non-enjoyable dish when I think of a traditional green bean casserole. Now, I’m sure many of you will argue that it’s delicious and I have no doubt that it is, it’s just not something I want to eat in the normal way it is made, end of story.

gluten-free green bean casserole

Thanksgiving Side Super Stars

As I showed you the other day, Thanksgiving can be healthy AND delicious, even if indulgent. I’m all for having my cake and eating it too, especially on Thanksgiving. What I’m not about? Eating food that isn’t delicious and doesn’t make me feel good. I’d rather pass on a food that may seem good now to forgo later digestive upset. It’s taken me YEARS to get there, so I don’t expect you all to be there yet. For many, it’s not a big deal, but for others, it can make all the difference in their health.

You should know that when you do find foods that don’t make you feel good, there is ALWAYS a way to make it in a way that serves you. If you can’t make substitutions, you can also swap it for something comparable. You just have to be creative and open to something new. This green bean casserole may be my new favorite side dish, and frankly, wish I could eat it year round….which I may do because what are food rules anyway?!

gluten-free green bean casserole

Classic Green Bean Casserole

I’m pretty sure I’ve never had green bean casserole before because I’m more into fresh ingredients than canned ones. When I picture the traditional casserole I think of onions from a package, condensed mushroom soup from a can, and soggy green beans. I mean, I know I’m exaggerating, but that’s what I think about!

Here are the ingredients of a traditional green bean casserole:

  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 dash black pepper
  • 4 cups cooked cut green beans (frozen & canned recommended before fresh are, by the way…)
  • 1-1/3 cups French’s French Fried Onions (yeah, no).

Hard pass.

gluten-free green bean casserole

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

While, once again, I’m sure the above tastes good, it’s just not that appetizing from me. I decided instead to make all parts of the recipe from scratch. You get fresh green beans, fresh onion topping, and your own easy-peasy condensed mushroom sauce.

Fun fact: I was going to use breadcrumbs for the onions but found a few bags of 4505 Pork Rinds in my cabinet from Expo East and thought, huh, I wonder if these will do?!

The flavor of the pork rinds was amazing and I’m so glad I decided to experiment. If you don’t have any pork rinds, or can’t find any, feel free to use bread crumbs instead, just reduce the amount probably in 1/2. However, I highly recommend trying something new 😀

gluten-free green bean casserole

Pro tip: Make this dish ahead of time and allow it to cool & set so that the mushroom sauce thickens and the dish becomes a bit more robust in flavor & texture.

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Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1-1/2 lbs green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into thirds
    • Onion Topping
  • 1 Tbsp butter/olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, sliced thin
  • 2 cups pork rinds, crushed
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Mushroom Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp butter/olive oil
  • 24 oz. mushrooms, sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup broth or water
  • 2 cups milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Crushed red pepper, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, grease a large baking dish, set aside
    2. Green beans
  2. Bring a medium pot of water to boil, place green beans in water for 3 minutes (to blanch), remove from heat & drain, add ice & water and allow to cool/stop cooking for 3 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and place in greased baking dish, set aside.
    3. Onion Topping
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat add butter/oil, add onions and saute for 3-5 minutes or until onions start to become translucent. Remove onions from skillet and toss in a bowl with pork rinds, parmesan cheese, & salt, set aside.
    4. Mushroom sauce
  4. Return skillet to heat, add remaining butter/oil, add mushrooms and saute for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms start to sweat.
  5. Add in garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  6. Add cornstarch, cook for 2 minutes
  7. Add broth, milk, parmesan cheese, and salt/pepper, stir and allow thicken for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Add mushroom sauce to green beans and toss to evenly distribute.
  9. Top with onion mixture (spread evenly) and bake in oven uncovered for 30 minutes or until heated through.
https://thesassydietitian.com/gluten-free-green-bean-casserole/

Have you had green bean casserole before?! Do you love it or hate it?

xoxo,

Sassy

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green bean casserole

 

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I MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST AND ON THIS SITE. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. COMPENSATION HELPS WITH ANY EXPENSES NEEDED TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.

Sweet Potato Apple DIY Protein Pouches

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I was at the gym the other day and was looking at the food we had on hand. I love what we offer at our gym because it’s pretty simple to grab & go, and real food-based. However, I’m always in the camp of “can I make this myself?” I looked at the Fuel for Fire in the fridge, and thought “huh? I wonder if I could make this myself.” Turns out, yes, in fact, I can (and you can too).

I wanted to try it out because, while I love the brand and the product they have, I also love to make things for myself. It’s also much cheaper to make them for yourself if you pay some upfront costs for the reusable pouches.

Cost-effective Copycat Fuel for Fire

Anytime I eat and/or see food, I always wonder if I could recreate it and/or make it better. I feel like that’s a very cocky thing to admit. I’m not saying it to sound cocky, instead, it’s just a challenge I like to give myself. I love food and I love cooking, so it’s a hobby of mine.

The other day when I looked in the fridge, I saw the Fuel for Fire and looked to see what they were selling for. They go for $3/pop. That’s about average for what you can find something like this for. So I did the math and figured out what I could make something like this for, here’s what I came up with:

8 reusable pouches: $14.99 (only for 1st batch)
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (@99 cents/lb): $0.99
2 cups applesauce (@~ $5/48 oz.): $1.65
2 scoops protein powder (@ $42 for 27 scoops ): $3.00
1/4 cup peanut powder (@$4.64/6.5 oz.): $1.25

1st batch: $3.65/pouch
2nd batch and beyond: $1.15/pouch

Now, I’m not saying you HAVE to make these yourself because there is something to say for convenience. I just want you to have the option should you want to make them yourself!

Pre/Post Workout

So many people on Instagram asked what I was making these for. No, this is not baby food. Sure you could probably feed this to your kids, but these are not meant for infants. Instead, these are meant for adults and teens for pre & post workout snacks.

I get asked all the time what people should eat pre & post workout. My usual response is “real food”. However, for those who are struggling to find food that is convenient and/or easily digestible, I have recommended Fuel for Fire. I still recommend the brand! However, if you want to make some for yourself during meal prep, here is your option to do so. I’m going to be freezing some of these to ensure that they can last in the freezer. If so, I’d recommend making a large batch all at once and then you have snacks for days!

For pre/post workout, you generally want easy to digest carbs & protein sources. This fits the bill and should be consumed in conjunction with real food in a meal prior to the snack pre-workout (1-2 hours prior) and/or after the snack for a meal within 1-2 hours post-workout.

Sweet Potato Apple DIY Protein Pouches

I had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Fuel for Fire at FNCE. He was awesome and I’m loving what the company is doing. Since I cannot digest banana well, he gave me their Sweet Potato Apple flavor to try. I compared the two and they are very similar in texture, however, the taste was a little different. The Fuel for Fire is a bit more citrusy and fresh and mine is a bit more mellow & peanut buttery.

I will be working on more flavors because I feel like I’m on to something for my athletes. Stay tuned and please let me know if you’ve tried these and enjoyed them!  I had one today and I don’t love eating a lot pre-workout. I felt like I had a lot of energy and no digestive complaints, win-win.

Pro tip: add more water as needed to make the consistency thick but easy enough to eat! You can also try adding more protein powder, which will require more water!

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Sweet Potato Apple DIY Protein Pouches

Serving Size: 6

Sweet Potato Apple DIY Protein Pouches

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or until uniformly mixed.
  2. Distribute evenly into pouches, seal and refrigerate up to 7 days or freeze until ready to consume.

Notes

Per serving Calories: 129 Protein: 10.5g Carbohydrate: 20.4g Fat:1.2g

To make your own mashed sweet potatoes: peel potatoes, wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for 6-8 minutes (flipping once)

https://thesassydietitian.com/sweet-potato-apple-diy-protein-pouches/

This was my first go into a protein filled fruit & veggie pouch, I’m hoping to continue to try new flavors and combinations but would love your input:

What flavors are you hoping to see next?!

xoxo,

Sassy

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protein pouches

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I MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST AND ON THIS SITE. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. COMPENSATION HELPS WITH ANY EXPENSES NEEDED TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.

Holiday Apple Cider Punch (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic)

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This post is going to be a hard left from yesterday’s post, ha! But, my friends and I had a  wine night this past weekend and this Holiday Apple Cider Punch turned out too good NOT to share. So, I have a special treat for you today.

I’m usually a dry red wine or dry cider girl if you’re asking but every once in a while I’m up for a good mixed drink. I don’t like when they are overly sweet or when the alcohol completely overpowers the drink (I guess that makes me somewhat picky). This drink is both not that sweet and not-that alcoholic which made it absolutely delicious to drink.

Holiday Apple Cider Punch

At our party, we made both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of this punch so all could enjoy AND so that those who were driving home felt like they had a nice beverage but didn’t need any alcohol to enjoy themselves. After all, a party is far more than just about the alcohol, am I right?

I cannot wait to make this drink again. When I do make it again, I want to make it in a punch bowl because I personally love getting the fruit in my drink so it’s kind of like a grown-up fruit salad. You can certainly use something like this but then you may need a spoon (or a cup) to get the fruit out and enjoy it!

Pro Tip: Make a day ahead of time to save time when prepping for your party.

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Holiday Apple Cider Punch (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic)

Holiday Apple Cider Punch (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups apple cider
  • 1 liter setlzer (use 2 liters if non-alcoholic)
  • 1-750mL bottle champagne/sparkling white wine (omit if non-alcoholic)
  • 1 cup apple pie flavored liqueur (I used a local Apple Pie Moonshine)
  • 12 oz. fresh cranberries
  • Pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
  • 2 apples, cored & chopped
  • 3 Cinnamon sticks
  • Ice

Instructions

  1. Combine all in a large pitcher and fill with ice as needed. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
https://thesassydietitian.com/holiday-apple-cider-punch-alcoholic-non-alcoholic/

xoxo,

Sassy

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Easy Egg Salad Sandwich

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Sometimes you just need a recipe with a lot of pictures, am I right?! That’s what you are about to get here, an easy egg salad sandwich with some pretty photos, you’re welcome. I spent the day making a lot of new recipes and I cannot wait to share them with you. Until then, enjoy one of my go-to lunches, an egg salad sandwich.

If you know me, you know I’m an egg-thusiast and could probably eat eggs every day. However, some days I don’t have time to make myself an over-easy egg or my favorite, poached eggs, so a hard-boiled egg and/or egg salad sandwich have to do. This is one of my favorite lunches, and hope it helps give you an idea for lunch as well!

Egg Salad Sandwich

For a while, once I found out gluten was a big gut irritant for me, I just avoided bread altogether. I mostly did it because I couldn’t find any bread that tasted good or held up to literally anything. Someone then suggested I try Canyon Bakehouse, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

It’s a great go-to sandwich bread and it’s frozen so I find that it lasts so much longer. I don’t eat bread every day and would hate if it went to waste. This egg salad is very good on this bread To make it, all I do is take it out of the freezer and put it right into my toaster oven, toast for a few minutes, place about 1 cup of egg salad on the bread and add some lettuce. BOOM, lunch is served.

Pro Tip: swap avocado for mayo if you aren’t into mayo or don’t have any on hand.

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Easy Egg Salad Sandwich

Easy Egg Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 12 eggs, hard boiled
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil mayo
  • 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small apple, cored & diced
  • 1 dill pickle spear (1/4 cup), diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (leave seeds in if you like a kick!)
  • 1/4 tsp of each: paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder
  • Bread, optional

Instructions

  1. Mix all together with a fork and enjoy with lettuce between 2 slices of your favorite bread.
https://thesassydietitian.com/easy-egg-salad-sandwich/

xoxo,

Sassy

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egg salad sandwich

I MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST AND ON THIS SITE. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. COMPENSATION HELPS WITH ANY EXPENSES NEEDED TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.

Easy Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

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I don’t know about you but I love this time of year for food. It seems like some of the best foods are in season. I may be biased because I’m a foodie but man oh man am I loving all the apples, squashes, and other fresh harvest fruits & vegetables. I had so many apples this year that I had to find ways to use them and this apple crisp was so good it barely lasted 3 days.

gluten free apple crisp

Apples to Apples

I’ll never forget learning in undergrad how apples are in one sense a processed food. Now, don’t go running and screaming yet. They aren’t processed foods like the ones you’re thinking. They don’t come in a box/bag/package, just their own skin. But if I remember correctly it takes about 20+ steps for store-bought apples to get from the tree to your hands. TWENTY PLUS STEPS! That’s insane!

If you’ve ever been to an apple orchard, you know that getting an apple from the tree to hand is ONE step. You literally walk up to a tree, grab an apple and BOOM instant gratification. Unfortunately, because we want to have apples year-round, we must get used to the idea that for the apple to last long enough AND be safe enough to eat, the average apple touches 20 different steps.

The way to prevent this? Shop locally and seasonally. Go to the actual farm and pick the apple. If you are unable to do that, no worries, just do your best to buy apples from September-December and look for the label to say something close to where you live.

Count Memories, not Calories

Okay, so regardless of where you get said apples for this recipe, you shouldn’t be concerned necessarily about the calories. When I’m looking to make a dessert, I’m not thinking of the calories, I’m frankly, thinking of the memories that will be made with said dessert. Why? Well, usually when I’m making a dessert it’s for some occasion.

I made this apple crisp recently when we were having friends over for dinner. I didn’t once think about what calories were in there, instead, I was thinking about how my friends were going to get to enjoy the fruits of my labor, aka cooking. Remember that food and your health is so much more than calories in and calories out. IF we allowed ourselves to enjoy food more often, I think we’d have a healthier relationship with food and therefore a healthier outlook, end of story.

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

Dessert happens. Don’t have regrets, instead, have dessert and move on.

I love crisps because they are not as intensive as some other desserts. You can mess up the measurements of a crisp and still get a good end result. Last year I made a Pear-Cranberry crisp and this year I decided to stay traditional with an apple crisp.

I would recommend enjoying this warm topped with pumpkin or vanilla ice cream, but that’s just me! I’d also recommend getting yourself an apple corer of sorts to be able to enjoy the process of slicing the apple and so that you waste less of the fruit. You know what they say, waste not, want not.

Anywho, enjoy this with friends and make some memories over such a simple, yet delicious dish.

Pro Tip: Use any type of apple, especially those that are starting to go bad as the sugar will save them! Feel free to use regular flour if gluten-free is not necessary.

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Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

Ingredients

    Filling
  • 6 apples cored & chopped
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Topping
  • 1/2 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a large baking dish
  2. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (for filling)
  3. In the baking dish, add apples & sugar, stir to coat evenly, add in lemon juice mixture and stir to combine.
  4. In a medium bowl, add all ingredietns for topping and with two forks (or a pastry cutter) combine to form into crumbs.
  5. Once combined, top filling with topping and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and center is cooked through (sides will be bubbling)
https://thesassydietitian.com/easy-gluten-free-apple-crisp/

xoxo,

Sassy

ps. my friend Ashely over at MyWeeklyEats also recently posted an Apple Crisp (great minds think alike!) check it out here.

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I MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST AND ON THIS SITE. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. COMPENSATION HELPS WITH ANY EXPENSES NEEDED TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.

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