Fresh Food Perspectives

#MakeHealthyEasy

You guys, I've got a great idea to share with you today! I'm so excited about it that it can't even wait till September 1st to be part of my blogiversary month. I just have to tell you about it now. 

Yesterday, I posted this picture on Instagram as I was preppring produce for future smoothies, I used the hashtag #MakeHealthyEasy, because this is a way that I am making smoothies easier for me. Then this morning, as I posted this picture of breakfast, I used the hashtag again because a couple of my breakfast items were pre-prepped, making a healthy breakfast pretty easy this morning. And then, I had a few people comment and like it, so I got to thinking....maybe I'm on to something.

Wouldn't it be really helpful if you could look up a hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram and get all these tips and tricks for making healthy living easier? BAM! (Yes, like an Emril BAM!) I have to do this.

Well, really, WE need to do this. 

Let me back up just a second to give you some context on my life. 

I now have a three year old and a one year old, both boys, and my daily life feels like a circus. A circus with lots of stunts and dirt and tears and laughs and lots of dishes and not enough cleaning or extra time. Mix that in with a hubby that works long hours and me balancing working and household management. I've got a lot on my plate. I'm sure you do too. 

Ever since Ben was born a year ago I fell like I've been scrambling to try to find the motivation, energy, or resources to live the healthy life I like our family to live. My old, pre-second child strategies, just aren't panning out anymore. For example, I still do not have a regular day or time that I go grocery shopping as we do not live close to any stores. Sometimes we go a while without staples that I hate to be without. But going to the store is quite a production and time committment. It's just hard. I don't like this but it's how it is, for now. 

All of this is to say that I need ways to #MakeHealthyEasy just as much as anyone. Some weeks it's easy and other weeks it is hard. Do you feel that way too? 

So what I'm proposing is a way to connect all of our brilliant ideas, even if it's just one. Together, we might come up with some really good ideas of how we can individually #MakeHealthyEasy.

 

Here's how I envision this hashtag being used across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest:

• Tag pictures of foods or meals that were easy and healthy (and of course, delicious).
• Tag a workout, exercise or accidental fitness occurence that made being active easy and fun.
• Tag a motivational phrase or quote that inspired you to be healthy today.
• Tag a friend that helps you be healthy or has a tip they need to share.
• Tag a recipe you found that everyone needs to know about. 
• Tag a great article or book that inspires healthy living. 
• Tag a restuarant that makes healthy eating out easy and tasty.
• Tag a location (hotel, store, park) that makes being healthy easy. 

Really folks, the skies the limit.

Let me also put in a disclaimer that this effort is not about perfection in eating or healthy living. I don't think there is such a thing. It's about sharing the little tiny successes with one another that add up to great, big things together. 

What do you think? Will you join me in creating an incredible gallery of tweets, pics, pins and posts to help us #MakeHealthyEasy??

Here are the links to help you get started: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest 

You don't have to wait on anything. Start tweeting, pinning, instagram-ing, and posting now and just include the hastag #MakeHealthyEasy. Share the image in this post. Then follow along to see what others have to say.

Don't forget to spread the word to others who would enjoy participating. Let's see just how great this could be. 

Blog Brûlée

{Disclosure: My attendance at the Blog Brûlée is partially funded by Sponsors of the Blog Brûlée, and I received a discounted registration to the event in exchange for writing this post. Opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for my time.}

Next month, September, is FFP's blogiversary. I have been blogging for 7, yes SEVEN, years. It's so hard to believe. For kicks and giggles, check out my first ever blog post here, posted on September 2nd, 2007. 

I first started blogging because I needed a place where I could answer questions from friends, family and clients. I found I was getting the same questions over and over again and long return emails were becoming common.

Now, I'm no blog historian, but the way I remember it back in 2007, blogging was a fairly new thing. In fact, I remember thinking, isn't it a little nerdy to have a blog? Who would actually read it anyway? But hey, it was free to sign up for Wordpress, so why not? I had no game plan, no long term vision, no blogging skills or knowledge; I just started writing about topics people wanted to know about or what I wanted to research.

In 2009 I blogged my first recipe. Go figure, it was a smoothie recipe. At this time, the food photography craze had not started (or I didn't know about it) so it was totally exceptable to post a normal 'ol point and shoot pic of food (sigh, I miss those days sometimes) or not even post a picture (gasp!). I still have a lot of great recipes on my Wordpress site and I almost get a little emotional looking back through them to write this post. Each recipe is a memory created in my tiny townhouse kitchen, back in the "early years" of being married and a professional. Those were sweet times...

My blogging life turned a very significant corner in the summer of 2012. I found myself at a restaurant dinner table in the company of the very talented and kind Regan Jones and Robin Plotkin. These two registered dietitians had been working in the culinary and internet world, on what I would consider, the cutting edge. They graciously shared their knowledge and experience with me and I remember leaving that meal having a much clearer idea of where I wanted to go as a nutrition professional.

The other important result of that dinner was joining The Recipe Redux, the monthly healthy recipe roundup created by Regan and the ladies at Teaspoon of Spice. Through my connection with this incredible food blogging community, I've learned so much about blogging. I'm really grateful. 

But I still have a lot to learn. A lot. I'm nowhere near where I want to be as a blogger nor is FFP reaching it's full potential. With my training being first and foremost in nutrition, this blogging thing has stretched me to learn skills I NEVER thought I would need, or rather, never knew I would need. 

When the opportunity came my way to apply for a food focused blogging retreat with some of the same ladies who first guided me, I had to go for it. So next month, I get to celebrate my blogiversary at Blog Brûlée in beautiful Vermont with a stellar group of nutrition and food focused bloggers. Yes we will be laughing and eating delicious food, but I'll also be learning about how to improve my writing and photography. I'm so excited! 

So thanks to the founders of Blog Brûlée for including me in this exciting weekend. I really can't wait. And to those who have been to Vermont in September, what the heck is this Florida girl supposed to wear? ;)

{Easy} Coconut Orange Poached Salmon

From many years of professional and personal experience, it seems that fish is the protein that strikes the most fear in cooks. I know I am often intimidated to try anything outside of my normal bake or sear in pan method. I confess that I have royally screwed up many attempts at cooking fish. 

Well, it's time to fear no more. Thanks to a recipe contest hosted by Vita Coco coconut water, I have figured out an EXTREMELY simple, fool-proof way to cook juicy, flavorful fish. FFP friends, it's time to learn to poach. 

Let me back up a bit for some background. The Recipe Redux often hosts contest for us participants outside of our normal 21st-of-the-month challenge. (If you recall from the fall, I actually was a runner-up in the tofu contest with my Cocoa Cupcakes.) This time we are working with Vita Coco, a company I have worked with a couple of times before on my TV segments, and we are challenged to "Get Culinary with Coconut Water". The more I work with their coconut water, the more I like it. 

Coconut water has gained a lot of value in the healthy eating world because it provides potassium naturally (in fact more per serving than a banana) as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and calcium. Many use it as an all-natural sports drinks. It's also low in calories at only 45 per serving in the unflavored form. 

I've always had this hunch that coconut water would make a great cooking liquid for something. It seemed like it would infuse coconut flavor and the above mentioned electrolytes into a food. While I can't measure the electrolytes in this salmon dish, I can tell you that flavor is wonderful! 

This dish took a total time of about 20 minutes to prepare and cook. You can use any white fish or even chicken as a substitute for the salmon. I found that the salmon flavor was minimized (as in less fishy) with the coconut-orange flavor. I used fennel bulb here and it worked really nicely. I don't really ever cook with fennel so I like the challenge of a new ingredient. 

Give this easy fish dish a try and you will discover a great way to use coconut water too!

Coconut Orange Poached Salmon

4 cups (or 1 liter) Vita Coco unflavored coconut water

1 cup water

1/2 large orange, thinly sliced

1/2 fennel bulb, sliced into thin half moons

1 small yellow onion, sliced into thin strips

2-4 pieces of salmon (depending on the size of the crowd)

2 tablespoons fresh, chopped dill

Directions

1. In a deep, flat-sided skillet, pour in coconut water and water. Add fennel, onion, and orange slices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add salmon and gently submerge in cooking liquid. Return to a very gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes covered. 
3. Plate slamon on top of veggies and orange slices. Garnish with fresh dill. 

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Vita Coco and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time. 

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How to Brine Your (Hopefully Local) Thanksgiving Turkey

Are you planning on roasting up a free-range, happy turkey from a local farm this Thanksgiving? I hope that you are. You won't regret your decision for all the social, enviromental, and ethical reasons that go along with supporting local agriculture. But you will certainly not regret it from a flavor standpoint either IF you brine your turkey first. 

See, most of the mainstream turkeys you find in the grocery store have some added ingredients beyond just "turkey". Here is what you will find on one particular major frozen turkey brand:

Ingredients: Turkey, Water, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavorings.

Hmm, not what I really want for a holiday that celebrates our founding roots and the natural gifts from the harvest. So for this reason, I strongly recommend you buy a free-range, local bird. To find one, you can visit Eat Wild, a wonderful source for finding grass fed and humane meats and eggs. They have a button on their home page right now that directs you how to find a Thanksgiving turkey.

A natural, free-range bird has not had anything done to it, which is a good thing. But it needs a little help to get nice and tender/juicy for your big meal. This is where brining comes in. Last week, I posted on the Black Hog Blog about brining. Check out this article for more reasons why you brine and for a basic brine recipe. 

Last year I started using a "kit" for brining that includes the brining salt mix and a large brining bag. This made the process so easy and I am definately doing it this way again. In fact, my friends at Snazzy Gourmet sent me their Gourmet Complete Gobbler Brine and Rub Kit and I'm really excited to try it. If you need a brine kit, I recommend you order this one. Remember to use the code FRESHFOOD at checkout for 10% off. 

Here's a couple of pics of last year's bird brining in the fridge and my 2010 turkey out of the oven. (I am the official turkey maker in the family and I love it!)

What are your turkey plans this year? Do you have a favorite recipe, method or secret to the perfect bird? I'd love to know.

Disclosure: Snazzygourmet.com provided me with their brine kit free of charge. I was asked to blog about it. I was not compensated for my time and the opinions are my own. I have not used their brine kit yet (as it is before Thanksgiving) so I can't say exactly how it will work for you, yet. I do NOT receive any kickback from your orders at www.snazzygourmet.com.

Is Soy Safe?

Last month I had the opportunity to write for 904 Fitness magazine. I chose the topic of soy and its connection to breast cancer and enjoyed diving into the research. I've been putting off writing about this topic for a while but now I am so glad that I put the time in.

Please take a minute to check out my article here in the October issue.

Do you love Greek yogurt? Read on...

Greek yogurt has picked up a huge following over the past several years due to it's high protein content (double that of regular yogurt). I often use it as my protein source in my lunches or snacks. But the uses for Greek yogurt go way beyond just a granola topping. Check out this great website of recipes that incorporate Greek yogurt into ALL kinds of recipes, therefore reducing the fat and increasing the protein content.

Let me know what you think and if you try any of these delicious looking recipes.

Being at Peace with Yourself & Food

(Stick with me on this one. It's not a post about my child. It's about you.)

With my son just turning one, I find myself reading my first parenting book to prepare for the toddler years. One of the main points this particular book drives home is that I am the parent and will ultimately make the best decisions for my kid despite what any pop culture, scientific "study" or Facebook comment may say. The book continues to encourage you to say to yourself "I am the parent!" and I love it. It's so empowering to quiet the many other noisy sources I look to confirm that maybe I'm doing something right or my fears that I'm totally screwing up my child.

Change gears to healthy eating -- lately I've been wondering if I'm doing enough to be a "healthy" eater. Yes, even I doubt myself and efforts just like you. I find I want to compare myself to other friends and moms and then feel like I'm falling short on the health-o-meter. It's an awful feeling. Guilt, fear and inadequacy haunt my thoughts.

Now, let's put these two story lines together. You, my friends, are the expert on your body and I am the expert on mine. You know what promotes health, vitality and energy in your life. You feel the positive and negative consequences of your decisions.

Listen to yourself. You know what to do.

There are a lot of good sources for true evidence based nutrition. There are also many "methods" of eating that make everyone else feels like losers, sometimes intentionally but usually unintentiontally. It's time to start blending your own strategies.

So start by asking yourself, what's working for me and what's not? You are the one that is going to be the best author of your healthy eating plan. Take everything you know about yourself and your personality into consideration. Sew in the good foundations of health-promoting eating. Tweak with principles that work for you and help you reach your goals.

Then, don't look back and don't compare.

Certainly keep your eyes open for new good ideas. It is ok for your eating to change through your life as you find new principles that work for you. But don't berate yourself for not eating like the Jones'.

Be at peace. Be yourself.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Healthy Airplane Food on our Way to Cali!

I am currently in the air, flying over the beautiful Rocky Mountains. They are breath taking! As a born-and-raised Florida girl, the mountains are so majestic to me. I'm totally distracted for this flight. 

Anyways... you may be wondering where I am headed. My hubby and I are off to Northern California to celebrate my 30th birthday year, becoming parents and our 7th anniversary. We are so excited to be returning to this beautiful part of the country. (More on this in a minute.)

First, let's talk about traveling, which can make it pretty tricky to eat/feel healthy. We have a long day of traveling and not much time in between flights to really hunt out a good spot to eat; so I came prepared.

My rule #1 of traveling is always bring food with you. Even if you think you will be fine because it's a quick trip, still bring food. The few times where I have failed to bring snacks, delays or problems left me stranded and hungry (or scarfing down the first food item I can find). 

Here is what I brought along for us on this trip.

 

As usual, I ate a few things before I remembered to take a picture. The ziploc bag did contain fresh veggies and the green Fiberful was delish! I also brought along some Cliff Builder bars for a good source of protein. The Fiberful fruit leather is from Trader Joe's. Unfortunately we do not have one anywhere close to where I live so that is a special, and healthy, treat. The Justin's individual almond butter pack is from Whole Foods. A friend of mine introduced me to this fun product just recently. I know it will be great with my apple. To top this all off, I brought my water bottle and have been trying to stay hydrated. 

I hope this gives you some tasty ideas for your summer travels. Never go unprepared again!

Now, on to our trip. We will be traveling and dining our way through wine country and San Francisco over the next week. My inner foodie will be out in full force. I plan to "bring you along" for the ride by posting throughout my trip. You can expect pictures and juicy food details from the fabulous restaurants we visit.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter (@jbraddockrd) and Instagram (jbraddockrd) to see even more happenings during the day. 

And if you are wondering, I am trying to keep up my #SaladADay challenge. I hope you are too!

Meal Plan Monday...on Tuesday...again

I have blinked and May is over. What just happened. I thought this month was going to be slow paced as I'm not teaching at UNF right now. Well that didn't happen. Yes, there have been several low-key days but it still seems like a whirl wind just happened. 

We just got back yesterday from visiting my family in St. Louis (thus no Meal Plan Monday). We had such a great time. My sister in law indulged me with a trip to Trader Joe's, which made me so happy. I hear we are getting some more stores in Florida in the next year. That would be awesome!!! 

Now, I am gearing up to travel to California in a couple of weeks. I am so stinkin excited! My husband and I are returning to San Fransisco and the Napa area with some friends to celebrate a year as parents and my big turning of the 3-0. We have been planning our restaurant tour and it it makes my heart sing. Every place, just about, boasts a menu of local and sustainable fair. It's going to be awesome. If you have any suggestions for must-visit places and restaurants, please post below. 

In light of our travels, we've decided in the next 2 weeks to try to conserve as much money as possible. Therefore my meal planning is going to be from the pantry, freezer and farm deliveries exclusively (as much as possible). 

Last week I picked up a magazine that I need to just bite the bullet and subscribe to: Fine Cooking. To me, it's a cross between my favorite Every Day Food and Gourmet magazine; meaning that there are fun, new ideas that are feasible for my life. I got a couple of inspirations for this week's meals from it. I highly recommend picking up a copy. 

Meal Plan for week of May 28th 

Tuesday: Sweet and spicy shrimp, corn on the cob, roasted califlower and garlic

Wednesday: Bunless burgers with cheese, zucchini, salad

Thursday: Roasted chicken and vegetables

Friday: TBD - We have an event that night so I'm not sure what dinner will look like. 

 

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup Tequila (optional - can substitute white wine or chicken broth)

2 limes - grated for about 2 tsp of zest and then juiced for about 1/4 cup juice

1 tbsp fresh, minced ginger

1 tbsp fresh, minced garlic

1 tsp hot sauce (I used Tobasco but choose yoru favorite and use cautiously)

pinch of Kosher salt

1 1/2 lbs fresh shrimp, deveined, shelled, tails on

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

 

1. In a large skillet stir together honey, tequila, lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic, hot sauce and salt. Turn on heat to medium and bring sauce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add shrimp to sauce and toss to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes per side.
3. Transfer shrimp to a serving bowl. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the sauce to a boil. Add any juice from the shrimp. Reduce till syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.  
4. Pour the sauce over the shrimp. Sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!

Have you Ever Wondered About Juicing?

If you are a healthy eating, the answer is probably yes. Juicing can be a great way to include a lot more fruits and vegetables in your diet. The documentary, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, has also brought a resurgence of interest in juicing.

But you may  have questions like what's the best equipment? How expensive is it? How often should I juice?

Well tune in tomorrow afternoon for a free webinar on juicing by my colleague,Tara Gidus, RD. See below for all the details. Don't worry if you can't join in. I will be listening and sharing the juicy details with you later in the week. 

About the Webinar: Juice Everything
With the popularity of juicing as an option for better health, many still face confusion and frustration when trying to juice at home. This webinar will review the health benefits of juicing and review the most popular fruits and vegetables that make delicious fresh squeezed juices. With the various juicing devices in the marketplace, and perhaps even the ones accumulating dust in our cabinets, this webinar will make crystal clear the best juicing devices for different types of fruits and vegetables. From the 10-piece juicer gifted a decade ago as a wedding present that has never been used, to the hand held juicer buried in the kitchen drawer, this webinar will help demystify and simplify the juicing process so that you and your readers can increase your fresh-squeezed juice intake and in turn increase the vitamins, nutrients, and overall health for you and your family. This webinar is brought you by Jamba Juice, who wants everyone to juice everything!

What: Juice Everything Webinar
When: Wednesday, May 2 at 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Where: http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=86441 
How: Live over the Internet -- Simply log onto our Web site listed above.

During this webinar, we will discuss:

• Juicing for beginners, including which juicer you should start with and which fruits and veggies are best for beginners
• The health benefits of juicing
• The various and sometimes confusing juicing tools that are available to us (sometimes in our very own kitchens!) and how to use them effectively
• How to juice the most common fruits and veggies effectively, as well as some rare options
• Recipes you can try at home, including kid-friendly options!

Moderator:  Celia Sepulveda, Vice President, PR Strategy, Neighbor Agency

Presenter: Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, Nutritionist to Orlando Magic and Jamba Juice