Tag: diet

Spaghetti Squash Shakshuka

If you’ve been following me on Facebook or Instagram, you probably know that I’ve been doing the Whole30 diet. Ever since I had baby #4 back in October, shedding the pregnancy pounds has not been easy. My go-to weightloss plan has always been The South Beach Diet, but it just wasn’t working for me this time around. I guess as we get older, our bodies change and what may have worked for us in our twenties, just doesn’t cut it during the big 3-0.

I had been seeing the Whole30 plastered all over Instagram and I was curious to see if it would work for me. My friend Melinda of Kitchen-Tested was raving about the diet, and after pushing it off for some time, I finally took the plunge! I chronicled my Whole30 diet via social media, sharing my meals for everyone to see. It held me accountable and made me feel like I had to stick to the program, or else I had a lot of people to answer to!

One of my biggest rules of dieting is to eat well. If I munch on salad greens every day, I feel deprived, miserable and hungry! On the other hand, when I take the time out to prepare a satisfying meal, I feel full and I don’t end up with cravings. Three meals a day becomes more than enough and I don’t feel the need to snack in between.


And so, each day, I challenged myself to come up with exciting recipes and dishes. Omelettes certainly became boring over time, so I turned to one of my favorite dishes – shakshuka. I prepared jalapeno shakshuka, marinara shakshuka and even meat shakshuka! But I really hit the jackpot with this incredible spaghetti squash shakshuka. The strands of spaghetti squash coated in runny egg yolk is so spectacular, you feel like you’re eating something so indulgent – and you are!

Dishes like these carried me through the Whole30 without a single mistep. I originally went on the diet to lose weight, but I never imagined the amazing after-effects that 30 days without sugar, dairy, carbs, legumes or alcohol would bring. Yes, I lost 8 lbs, but even better than that was that my sugar-cravings all but disappeared and I never feel the need to snack anymore. I eat when I’m hungry – and I eat well, but that is all! I feel so in control of my eating habits, and I don’t crave that added drizzle of honey or the teaspoon of sugar that I once did. In fact, just a few days after I completed my Whole30, I spent Shavuot with friends where I was surrounded by dairy delicacies and delicious dishes of all kinds. When I tried to eat a salad that had a sweet salad dressing, I was so overwhelmed by it’s cloying nature that I literally could not swallow it. There is no question that the Whole30 changed my taste towards food and my attitude as well. I much prefer savory to sweet now, in fact I plan to continue following the Whole30 diet until I lose another 20 lbs. After that, I will transition to a Paleo diet (the Whole30 is based on it, it just has more restrictions).

One of the other great outcomes of the Whole30 diet, is something I could have never imagined. When I began posting photos of all of the delicious meals I was preparing, the requests for recipes poured in. At first, I shared the recipes under the photos, but after a few days I realized, why don’t I just compile a 30-day meal plan? And so, without much ado, my Paleo ebook was born! Writing a cookbook has seemed so far away for the longest time – and a real, physical, turn-the-page kind of cookbook might be. But this ebook has allowed me to share over 100 recipes without nearly as much work as a hardcover book would be. I am still working on the last bit of edits and recipe testing, but the ebook should be available within the next 2 weeks! Stay tuned for more details in my upcoming posts and look out for the #Paleoebook hashtag via social media. I think I smell a giveaway.

 

Related Recipes:

baked portobello shakshuka
quick and easy marinara shakshuka

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Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad

The best salads happen at the salad bar. It was Chanukah, and my sister in law and I made a run for Bagels & Greens to sample some of their amazing donuts. They had incredible flavors like Rosemary crunch, sweet basil, Oreo crunch, strawberry cheese cake, dulce de leche and even passion fruit. They were selling out fast so we made our way, babies in tow, and sat down for brunch.

To deguiltify our donut binge, we decided to start with a salad. We packed in some roasted veggies, beets, and quinoa with a drizzle of honey mustard dressing. I was used to eating quinoa salads where the quinoa was the main attraction, but I loved how the healthy grains coated my greens and stuck to the veggies. I decided to bring the idea home and roast up some veggies for a healthy lunch that’s packed with color and flavor.

I start by roasting up some veggies – there are so many to choose from! Keep it simple with zucchini and onions or add in some eggplant, peppers or mushrooms. A hint of oregano and balsamic add amazing flavor – and your house will smell incredible too.

I love topping my greens off with a poached or soft boiled egg. The creamy yolk coats the greens in a rich sauce that’s better than any salad dressing. Although, if you do want dressing (what’s a salad without a good dressing, right?), I’ve got plenty of options for you too!

1 year ago: nut omelette
2 years ago: Bubby’s challah kugel
3 years ago: perfect pareve french toast

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Green Goddess Salad Dressing


I have a confession to make. The hamantaschen got the better of me. If you’ve been following my dieting journey on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve seen all my healthy foodie posts and you’re probably wondering where I’m holding. Well, I completed Phase 1 of South Beach, lost 5 lbs, went on to Phase 2 and fell off the wagon.


Yup, I’m human. My healthy hamantaschen could only take me so far! I caved on Purim and had some of my mom’s mouthwatering corned beef, potato knishes and a couple of other goodies for dessert (they shall remain unnamed). So, here I am, 1 month till Passover renewing my commitment to my diet.


One of the things that makes dieting easier for me, is having a sugar-free salad dressing that can double as a dip for cut up veggies. Having a container of the stuff in my fridge, makes preparing a salad less of a chore, and I’m less likely to cave into my cravings.

 

Related Recipes:

apple celery veggie dip (low sugar)
balsamic dressing (very low sugar, can leave it out)
poppy seed dressing (sweetened with honey)
apple & honey vinaigrette (sweetened with honey)
lemon garlic dressing (no sugar)
sriracha caeser dressing (no sugar)

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Pear Ginger & Oat Smoothie

I’m always so inspired when I see people posting pics of their green detox smoothies and drinks. It makes me want to go out and buy a juicer. Today, my sister in law took me to an amazing smoothie bar on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk. They make a mixture called Thank God Juice which includes a combination of spinach, kale, collard greens, parsley, celery, fennel and romaine. You can add Thank G-d juice to any other juice flavors, or drink it straight-up. I’m the type that needs to hide the greens in my smoothies so I added apple, beet and carrot juice.

Since I don’t yet have a juicer, blended smoothies are all I can make – but they can be just as healthy and delicious! I love adding oats to my smoothies – they turn a fruity drink into an all out breakfast. Ginger adds great flavor and brightness, not to mention various health benefits.

What are some of your favorite juice or smoothie combinations? Share it with me in the comments below!

Other Smoothie Drinks:

pumpkin pie smoothie
tropical fruit smoothie
persimmon yogurt smoothie
banana, dates, milk & honey smoothie

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Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

Ahh, za’atar, a delicious spice blend of sumac, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and salt – there’s nothing quite like it!

When my grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter was recently featured in a lineup of za’atar recipes on The Huffington Post, I knew I had to reach for the Middle Eastern spice once again.

People are always asking me for healthy snack recipes that they can make on a whim. And I always suggest my go-to diet snack – roasted chickpeas. I give lots of savory & sweet ideas in this old post, but it’s buried deep into my blog, and it doesn’t get much attention. So here we are again with this new za’atar variation – my favorite flavor of all!

Other Za’atar Recipes:

honey roasted za’atar chicken with dried fruit
grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter
malawach cheese pastries with dipping sauce

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