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Food Heaven Made Easy

Black Registered Dietitian Nutritionists | Intuitive Eating Dietitians

    • Wendy

    What Is the Best Time to Eat Dessert?

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    For some people it might be better to eat dessert before dinner.

     

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard nutrition recommendations for the best time to have dessert — or even whether or not it’s okay to have fruit after meals. As a dietitian, I am always left questioning these blanket recommendations because they don’t take into account factors like medical history, unique health needs, medications and physical activity. While it’s not my philosophy to give patients hard-and-fast rules like “Eat dessert no later than 5pm,” so many of the patients I worked with tell me about their dessert guidelines. Many of these guidelines are self-imposed rules associated with dessert, like it can only be enjoyed after having a “healthy meal” or they require physical activity after eating sweets to “balance things out.”
    In my experience, restricting desserts or seeing them as special treats can lead to an increased urge for that food. Giving yourself unconditional permission to eat helps to normalize dessert and eventually helps you tune into which desserts you enjoy the most, how much is enough to satisfy you, and what time is the best time to enjoy that dessert. That process looks different for everyone, which is why I would never recommend time restrictions around food. With that being said, there are some general nutrition guidelines that can be helpful in figuring this all out.

    Head on over to SELF to read the full article! What Is the Best Time to Eat Dessert?

     

    Easy Almond Scallion Basil Pesto

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    Here’s my go-to pesto recipe for when I want to switch things up. Instead of pine nuts (because my god, $$) I use roasted almonds and instead of just basil, I sub 1/2 of the basil for scallion tops. Perfect as a spread, dip, with pasta, & on pizza.

    I enjoyed this batch with pasta, and froze half of the batch for later.  When you’re ready to enjoy, just thaw in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy! Recipe below

    Print
    Easy Almond Scallion Basil Pesto
    Ingredients
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • ¼ cup almonds
    • 2 cups fresh basil leaves OR 1 cup of scallion & 1 cup basil
    • ½ cup grated Parmesan
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    Instructions
    1. In a food processor, process all of the ingredients until coarse and consistent. Enjoy tossed with pasta, fresh bread, or drizzled on fresh vegetables.

    Photo by Caroline Attwood on Unsplash

    Mediterranean Kale Salad

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    This Mediterranean kale salad is super simple and SO filling! The ingredients work really well together, and the feta and hummus seal the deal. I love making it ahead of time to take to work or to prep when I need to eat on the run!

    The best part about this salad is that all it takes is some slicing and dicing. Feel free to try different greens that you might like better.  Spinach is another green that offers a multitude of nutritional benefits. From there, you will need to chop your red onion, black olives, and tomato.  Then we are going to toss everything together including all of your vegetables, cheese, olive oil, hummus, and pepper.  You can neatly arrange the ingredients for a beautiful display, add to a jar, or you can savor the chaos and mix everything together.  

    I’ve had my hesitations with jarred meals, because how do you actually eat it? There was one time I felt like my wrist was fighting with the jar to get a bite of food hahaha  Well the key is to make sure you have jars with wide openings so you can easily pour into a bowl. This salad can be pre-prepped in less than 10 minutes and keeps well in the fridge for 3 days so you can make it in advance. Just drizzle the olive oil into the jar the day you’re ready to enjoy. 

    Print
    Mediterranean Kale Salad
    Servings: 2
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups of kale, finely chopped
    • 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas
    • 1 small tomato, cubed
    • 1/2 small cucumber, chopped
    • 1/4 red onion, chopped
    • 6 black olives, sliced
    • 2 ounces of feta cheese
    • 1/4 cup of hummus
    • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
    • Black pepper to taste
    Instructions

    1. You can either organize the ingredients neatly on a plate, add to jar, or throw everything in a bowl, mix it up, and enjoy.

    PSA: POC Have Eating Disorders Too w/ Dr. Marcella Raimondo

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    There’s this idea, especially among people of color, that eating disorders do not affect us and is an affluent skinny, white girl issue. Aside from not being true, this type of thinking is dangerous and harmful to people of color living with an eating disorder. It creates additional barriers to recovery, and erases the experiences of people who don’t see themselves in that stereotype. Today we’ll be unpacking this with Dr. Marcella Raimondo, a psychologist specializing in social justice and eating disorders. 

    Marcella Raimondo, PhD, MPH is a passionate and spirited clinical trainer speaking from her heart on social justice and eating disorders since 1995. In 1997, Marcella worked with About-Face, a nonprofit organization that addresses media impact on body image serving as the Director of Media Literacy until 2005. Today she is on the About-Face Board of Founders and a consultant. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Association of Size Health and Diversity (ASDAH), on the Board of Eating Disorder Recovery Support (EDRS) as Past President. and serves as Co-Chair of the Academy of Eating Disorders Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee. Marcella received her B.A. from UC Berkeley, and Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

    Marcella’s desire to address eating disorders drove her to pursue her doctorate in clinical psychology, receiving her PhD in 2012. She completed her post- doc internships at an eating disorder outpatient program and an eating disorder residential program for adolescents. Marcella currently serves as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY # 27037) in Kaiser Permanente’s eating disorder clinic in Oakland and runs a private practice. Marcella herself recovered from anorexia nervosa over 20 years ago. Marcella trains in Kajukenbo at Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center in Oakland. 

    In This Episode We’ll Cover:

    • How Marcella got into this work and her lived experience with an eating disorder (ED)
    • The prevalence of eating disorders within POC communities 
    • How poverty and/or immigration can create unique challenges for people with eating disorders
    • How to incorporate cultural competence when working with people that have ED’s 
    • Helpful things you can do if you think a loved one has a ED + MORE! 

    Resources

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    DIY Vegetable Stock

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    My farmers market stopped accepting compost because of COVID guidelines, and so I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with all my leftover food scraps. Finally decided to make vegetable stock as a way to reduce waste and save some money. I use it often for soups, stews, cooking grains, and making ramen. This one is SO much more flavorful than the store-bought kind, and can be easily customized. 

    I  made it with the vegetables I happened to have on hand. Leek tops and the stems of herbs and greens, which I usually toss. Vegetables that were struggling in the fridge also got thrown into the mix, like tomatoes and carrots. You can really experiment with whatever, but just note that vegetables with strong flavors, like broccoli and cabbage, may throw off the flavor. I added @loisafoods sazon spice mix for additional flavor (they were featured in my POC spices lineup also on reels), but you can use whatever favorite spices you have on hand (including some suggestions below!) Store it in the fridge up to a week or freeze in small batches, and thaw when you’re ready to use! Let me know if there’s any tricks that have worked well for you when making stock.

    Recipe below xoxo

     

    Print
    DIY Vegetable Stock
    Ingredients
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 onion, roughly chopped
    • 1 jalapeno, halved
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • Parsley stems
    • 5 carrots, roughly chopped
    • Stems from a bunch of leafy greens
    • 3 leek tops
    • Mushroom stems
    • Butternut squash
    • 2 crushed tomatoes
    • 1/2 tablespoon of your favorite spice mix (paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic/onion powder)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    Instructions
    1. In a large pot, heat the oil and add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
    2. Saute until golden, and then add the vegetables and 10 cups of water.
    3. Simmer for an hour over low heat with the lid slightly on, stirring occasionally.
    4. Drain out the stock, discarding the cooked vegetables, and mix in the spice mix and salt.
    5. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze stock you won’t be using. Enjoy!!

    Savory Roasted Tomatoes w/ Ricotta Toast

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    Rollin into Monday like ????????????

    For those of you looking to switch up breakfast, today is your day. I know for some, eggs, smoothies, and oatmeal can get repetitive, so I enjoy whipping this up once in a while. Just roast a bunch of tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and enjoy on toast with ricotta and pesto!

    Schmancy, basic, and SO SO flavorful. I store the remaining tomatoes to use throughout the week on toast, pasta, salads, everything. Recipe below!!

    Let me know if you have other exciting and not-too-complicated breakfast ideas for those of us looking to change it up a bit. Also, this recipe is more intuitive (is intuitive cooking a thing? lol) so there’s no exact measurements. You’ll do great! haha

    Print
    Savory Roasted Tomatoes w/ Ricotta Toast
    Ingredients
    • Cherry tomatoes
    • Olive oil
    • Balsamic vinegar
    • Salt & pepper
    Instructions
    1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Add the tomatoes to a skillet or baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Enjoy with ricotta, pesto, red pepper flakes, and flaky sea salt.
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