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Dietitian Spotlight: Taylor Johnson

December 22, 2017 by Wendy Leave a Comment

1. Tell us a bit about yourself? Hey there, I’m Taylor! I am making my way through my twenties, the business world, and life, one superfood latte at a time – perpetually in search for new healthy things to make (and eat of course), new fun ways to sweat, and better ways to connect and impact others. In short, food is what I am all about. It’s a universal language that brings us all together to a table. It can make you feel good, it can heal, and it can even extend your life. Food is amazing. I nerd out just researching the medicinal properties of food in the latest nutrition journal, or get pumped when I capture an awesome up-close- and-personal photo of spiralized rutabaga twirled around my fork, but I truly feel fulfilled when I can make an impact on others with food. Food is important and I love educating others on why food matters, and not just to me! This is why I started my tele-nutrition business, Roots Reboot – to help individuals reset, recharge,and reboot the way they eat, move, and live.

2. What’s your favorite part about being a dietitian? Perhaps you’re reading this as a friend, a follower/client of Roots Reboot, or a dietetic intern who’s stumbling across Food Heaven RD Spotlight to see if you’ve made the right career path. Regardless, I can say with confidence that words can’t describe the feeling of being a dietitian and helping someone else succeed in their goals. Whether it’s dropping a dress size for their wedding, lowering their A1C to get off of medication, or helping another dietitian be successful in their own nutrition business, supporting and helping others, big or small, has brought tremendous purpose to my life. Yes, behind my devoted coverage of lox + almond cream cheese bagel sandwiches and daily superfood lattes on Instagram, the journey of being a dietitian has given me real relationships not only with my nutrition clients but also with other dietitians. It has been the best part of what I do.

3. Describe what your typical week looks like? I am your typical type A planner (proudly!), mapping out my day to day. Since leaving my job as a Clinical ICU Dietitian and fully pursuing my private practice and business at Roots Reboot, using task management programs, like Asana, to help prioritize my week has been life changing! If I’m not seeing clients for one-on-one nutrition counseling appointments or direct messaging them on their most recent food diary photo, I am recipe developing and photographing my creations, recruiting other dietitians to join the team, or putting together a training program to help RD’s grow their nutrition passion into a successful business! Being a business owner, you wear many hats and I love it! However, with that, I have come to realize your days never work out as planned. This doesn’t always fly with a type A gal like me but, that’s really the beautiful thing about entrepreneurship! As an entrepreneur, there are endless opportunities for participating in new projects. Some examples are, menu developing at a plant-based restaurant, hosting or attending fun nutrition events, meeting a like-minded business mentor, gaining life-changing connections through social media, or just randomly meeting your next client in the grocery checkout line (somehow, I always find myself there!). I can meticulously plan out my next move but recently, I have been embracing the unexpected, enjoying the process of starting a business, and love seeing where it evolves!

4. How do you find balance between work & personal? Finding balance between work and my personal life is something I definitely struggle with. When you do what you love, it’s hard to walk away from your computer or put down your phone. Sometimes I will work 7 days a week to make sure I accomplish all of my tasks but I admit, I love every second of it. While the days of topknot buns, tea, cozy sweaters, and a good movie are far and few between, as I build my business, I will always find time in my day for a little self-care! I am either catching up with my best friends over a delicious meal in D.C., listening to a Rich Roll podcast or going on a 6-mile run with my dog Bayleigh!

5. What are 3 foods you can’t live without? This is a hard one because like I said, I am all about food! My 3 favorite foods that top the list though are pasture raised eggs, avocado, and chickpeas (I will honestly eat these 3 things for breakfast every day!).

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Thank you SO much Taylor! We’re so inspired by all of the beauty and brains on your site, and can’t wait to see all the great things you’ll be creating at Roots Reboot. To learn more about Taylor, check out Roots Reboot, and make sure you follow her on the gram!

Savory Steel Cut Oats w/ Savory Mushrooms

December 21, 2017 by Wendy 10 Comments

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, but all opinions are our own.

We know what you’re thinking.

Mushrooms. Oatmeal. Really?

Yes, really.

It’s true. Mushrooms might not be something that comes to mind when you think about a bowl of oatmeal. But we’re here to make a case for why they should. This savory bowl of steel cut oats will make your mornings as dreamy as they should be. Weekdays included.

We sautéed the mushrooms in oil and vinegar to deepen the flavor, and added a bit of onions and jalapeño for an extra kick. The best part is the cheesy finish. Because (cornball alert) everything tastes beddah with a little cheddah.

For our oats, we used Quaker’s Steel Cut variety, which, as we highlighted here in our Quaker Mill Tour Recap, provides the same nutritional values as Old Fashioned Oats. The only difference is the way they are processed. Steel cut oats are cut with steel, while old fashioned oats are rolled between two circular flaking rolls to flatten them out.

We love oats because they are an affordable nutritional powerhouse. As a whole grain, oats provide a whopping 4 grams of fiber per serving. They also contain vitamins and minerals like thiamine, phosphorus, and magnesium. The fiber in oats may help support digestive health, and the soluble fiber specifically, may help slow digestion.

Ready to shake up your mornings with this delicious oatmeal twist? To make this recipe, you’ll need vegetable broth, Quaker Steel Cut Oats, garlic powder and shredded cheddar cheese. For the browed mushrooms, gather vegetable oil, a jalapeño, a small red onion, button mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper.

In a medium pot, bring the veggie broth to a boil. Then add the oats and cook on low heat for 25 minutes, without the lid, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the garlic powder and cheese, then set to the side. In a separate pan, heat the vegetable oil, and add the jalapeño and onion once the pan is hot. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, and then add the mushrooms and vinegar. Top with the lid and allow to cook with for 2-3 minutes.

This recipe makes two servings, so grab a couple bowls and divide the oats. Top with the browned mushrooms and finish with cracked black pepper to taste!

Now, we want to hear from you! Do you feel excited to try this mushroom oats combo? Have you paired oats with anything else that was less conventional?

Let us know in the comments below. If you make this recipe, make sure to comment and tell us how you liked it.

Until next time!

Xo, W+J

Savory Steel Cut Oats w/ Savory Mushrooms

Servings: 2

Ingredients

3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup Quaker Steel Cut Oats
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

Savory mushrooms

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 jalapeño, de-seeded & chopped
1/2 small red onion, sliced in rounds
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Black pepper

Instructions

In a medium pot, bring the broth to a boil
Add the oats and cook on low heat for 25 minutes, without the lid, stirring occasionally
Stir in the garlic powder and cheese, and set aside
Heat the vegetable oil, and add the jalapeño and onion
Sauté for 1-2 minutes, and then add the mushrooms, vinegar, and allow to cook with the lid on for 2-3 minutes
Serve the cooked oats into 2 bowls, and top with the browned mushrooms. Finish with cracked black pepper, to taste, and enjoy!

How To Practice Intuitive Eating During the Holidays

December 20, 2017 by Wendy 3 Comments

With the holidays in full swing, we thought it would be a perfect time to introduce the concepts of intuitive eating. Do you ever wait until you are “hangry” to eat a meal? Or do you ever eat until you are uncomfortably full (ie. the holiday food coma)? Or do you have foods that are “off limits” or have complete food groups that you have cut out, but make an exception since it’s the holidays?

As dietitians, we often have clients come to us who are exhausted and feeling completely defeated from the constant dieting. They’ve tried everything from paleo to keto and are not feeling confident in themselves or their bodies. Once the holiday season comes around, they may come to us with feelings of shame and disappointment because they “overdid it” or perhaps they binged on their favorite foods. This is when we like to introduce the concepts of intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is an anti-diet approach to health and wellness focusing on respecting your body and trusting your own instinct when it comes to hunger and health. The concepts of intuitive eating were first introduced by two registered dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

The main objective of intuitive eating is to reject the diet mentality and achieve a healthy relationship with food through trusting yourself and listening to your internal cues. Eat when you’re hungry, eat until you are satisfied, and choose foods that make you feel good.

This may be a lot easier said than done because our society has taught us that we cannot trust our bodies…that we must control ourselves in order to control our weight. But ultimately, we can trust our bodies. We were born with the intrinsic signals to know when we’re hungry and full. Think about infants. They cry when they’re hungry and they will push the bottle away when they have had enough. When we grow up, we lose sight of those internal cues.

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating can help getting you started on the path to trusting your body through that next holiday party:

1. Reject the diet mentality – For most people, diets do not work. Bottom line. Get rid of the mentality that you need to lose weight or be thin to be healthy. You can achieve health at every size, and your weight should not be an indicator of how you feel about yourself.

2. Honor your hunger – Listen to your body and eat when you feel a sensation of hunger. Many diets teach to you to do the exact opposite. By honoring your hunger, you’ll decrease your chances of reaching that hangry stage. If you don’t fuel your body when those hunger cues hit, you may find yourself overeating during the next meal. Honor your hunger and eat when you’re hungry.

3. Make peace with food – Give yourself permission to eat! Give yourself permission to enjoy. Food is meant to be an enjoyable experience. Ditch the guilt associated with indulging in decadent and delicious foods. By getting rid of the “good” food, “bad” food rules, you can satisfy your cravings and reduce binges.

4. Challenge the food police – Rid yourself of the mentality that you are a better person for eating “good” foods or a terrible person for eating a “bad” food. All foods have a place. Remove the restrictions and food rules that you and others have placed on certain foods and food groups.

5. Respect your fullness – Listen to your body and eat until you are satisfied. Your body will tell you when it has had enough, so listen! What does pleasantly full feel like? Pause while you’re eating and ask yourself how the food is tasting to you and assess how full you are feeling. Use the scale below to help you answer these questions.

6. Discover the satisfaction factor – Do you enjoy those plain, steamed veggies? When dieting, we often lose the sense of enjoying our food. Make it an experience to be savored and enjoy every bite. Spice up those vegetables, add some salt, garlic, and onions, and enjoy them with your favorite pairings!

7. Honor your feelings without using food – Finds coping mechanisms for anxiety, stress, sadness, and even happiness and joy that do not involve food. Food will not fix any of your feelings. Learn to adapt new techniques like journaling, exercise, meditation, or other hobbies that help you deal with the emotions.

8. Respect your body – Accept your body. Accept your shape. Accept the weight that is healthy for your body to be at. Learn to love your body just the way that it is.

9. Exercise – Feel the Difference – Find movement that your body enjoys. Get active and feel the difference. Focus on how movement makes you feel. Do you have more energy? Are you sleeping better? Ditch the mentality that exercise should be gruesome process to achieve external results.

10. Honor your health – Eat foods that will nourish your body and promote good health and wellbeing. Make food choices that make you feel good.

During the holidays, give yourself permission to enjoy those holiday foods. Satisfy cravings and eat until you are full. Don’t try to “save” calories by not eating all day and binging at the holiday party. Continue to feed your body according to what you are needing throughout the day. Choose foods based on what seems appetizing to you at that meal time. Take the time to enjoy your food but also make space to enjoy the company around you.

To get started with intuitive eating, ask yourself some introspective questions. How would your life change if you stopped obsessing over food? How would your outlook change if you no longer felt guilty for eating certain foods? Would you be more satisfied if you allowed yourself to fulfill your cravings?

Intuitive eating helps to improve your relationship with food and bring the joy back into eating, especially during the holiday times. How many of you have ventured into the world of intuitive eating? What are your thoughts about these concepts? Any tips for intuitive eating during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments below!

Turmeric Vegetable Fried Rice

December 19, 2017 by Wendy 4 Comments

We’re taking a spin on the traditional fried rice with this Turmeric Vegetable Fried Rice!

We added turmeric for an extra anti-inflammatory kick. It also makes the rice look really pretty and yellow. Turmeric is a multi-purpose spice. It’s rich in curcumin, which has been shown to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. Turmeric also has powerful antioxidant properties, which can help fight cancer-causing free radicals. In India, it is commonly used for treating a variety of skin ailments, including acne, eczema, and rosacea.This flavorful spice is incredibly affordable! It also lasts for long periods of time in the food pantry.

Let’s get this one going. When cooking your brown rice, add 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, and cook as per package instructions. Set aside once done. In a large pan, heat the sesame oil, and add the onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add in the eggs, and scramble for 1-2 minutes. Then add in the mixed vegetables, cooked turmeric rice, cabbage, and the soy or tamari sauce

Cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and mix in the sprouts. Add salt, to taste, and top with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

For the mixed vegetables, we got the frozen pack of green beans, carrots, corn, and peas. You can get any frozen vegetable mix you enjoy though! How do you spice up your fried rice? What do you think of our Turmeric Vegetable Fried Rice? Let us know in the comments below!

5 from 1 vote

Turmeric Vegetable Fried Rice

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 cups cooked turmeric brown rice* (made with 1 cup uncooked rice)
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/2 red onion chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup thawed frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, corn, peas)
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
3/4 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Salt to taste
Optional: chopped scallions, sesame seeds

Instructions

When cooking your brown rice, add 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, and cook as per package instructions. Set aside once done
In a large pan, heat the sesame oil, and add the onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium heat
Add in the eggs, and scramble for 1-2 minutes
Then add in the mixed vegetables, cooked turmeric rice, cabbage, and the soy or tamari sauce
Cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes
Turn off the heat, and mix in the sprouts. Add salt, to taste, and top with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*When cooking your brown rice, add 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, and cook as per package instructions.

Plant-Based Monday: Chard

December 18, 2017 by Wendy Leave a Comment

Center stage for this week’s plant-based Monday is the outstanding and most colorful of the leafy greens: chard! Chard is one of our faves for its versatility, gorgeous colors, and hearty flavor.

Chard originated in the Mediterranean. Its vivid and distinct hues among the stems are attributed to a compound called betalains. Betalains are a phytonutrient that are a powerful house of antioxidants, characterized by their yellow and reddish colors. Betalains are more commonly identified in beets, a well-known cousin to chard. Antioxidants may help to prevent the oxidative processes that may increase risk for many chronic diseases.

Chard is just as beautiful nutritionally as it is in appearance. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and K, as well as a good source of vitamin C. Chard is best during the late summer, early fall months; however, however most grocery stores do carry it year-round. The three most common types of chard are rainbow chard, Fordhook Giant, and Ruby Red. Rainbow chard is known for its colorful red, pink, or yellow stalks. Fordhook Giant has crinkly leaves and thick, white stalks, while Ruby Red chard has thinner red stalks and slightly different flavors. Be sure to wash and store chard as you would other greens like spinach or kale.

And be sure to try out our top 3 chard recipes!

What are your favorite ways to use chard? Drop us a comment and let us know below!

(PS: We love chard so much, that we even have tees in honor of this green…check em out here)

Dietitian Spotlight: Jessica Kelley

December 15, 2017 by Wendy 3 Comments

1. Tell us a bit about yourself? I consider myself a nontraditional dietitian as I have my hand in a variety of different areas of work. I’m the founder of Nourished by Nutrition, my recipe blog, which I’m rebranding into a wellness website that focuses on a whole person approach to wellness. My goal is for Nourished by Nutrition to become a resource for individuals to make lasting changes that will optimize their health, while letting go of perfection and finding a balance that is unique to them. Aside from Nourished by Nutrition, I am one of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionists for HUM Nutrition, a supplement company that focus on health and beauty from the inside out, as well as the Community Manager for Nutrition Simply, the website and wellness community founded by Registered Dietitian and Business Coach Shannan Monson.

2. What’s your favorite part about being a dietitian? Being able to use my passion and knowledge for helping others become the best version of themselves! Every time I am able to help someone shift their mindset towards creating a balanced lifestyle rather than focusing on restriction and diets, my heart explodes with joy. Touching the lives of others and building community are things I value, so being able to have jobs that allow me to do that on a daily basis is more than anything I could ever ask for!

3. Describe what your typical week looks like Very flexible. Since I work from home, I am able to shift my time as I please. However, I’m really trying to get a more concrete schedule in place. The majority of my day is spent providing nutrition and supplement recommendations, and responding to nutrition-related emails for HUM. I also work daily on launching new campaigns for the Nutrition Simply hashtag project (#nutritionsimply), sourcing content from contributors and building up that community. On Mondays and Thursdays I grocery shop and meal prep for one of my clients. Since I prepare all of her meal and snacks for the week, this takes a good part of the day. I try to meet with clients on Tuesdays, but this doesn’t always happen. Wednesdays are “me days”. I focus on writing content for Nourished By Nutrition, testing and photographing recipes, and working on any freelance projects I have going at that time.

4. How do you find balance between work & personal? Finding balance is something I try to help others achieve on the regular as well as something I work on daily. I truly believe balance is a practice and takes tuning into your needs at the present moment and making shifts as needed. Since I work from home, the line between work and personal can get a little blurry. However, there are some non-negotiables I have in place that helps me stay grounded and connect with fiancé daily. I have a morning routine that allows me to practice gratitude, be creative, source inspiration, and exercise first thing. Since I wake up extremely early naturally (and LOVE it!), I am able to get things I want to do out of the way so I’m ready to settle into work by 9.

Evenings and weekends are my time to wind down and recharge with my man and two fur babies. I usually end my work day with a evening walk with the pups before dinner. There are times when my fiancé is working late or is out of town, and I can dip into some work if it’s needed or if I want to work ahead. I try my best to stick to this work-free evening time, but if there is a pressing timeline or I want to work ahead so I have more free time the next week, I give myself permission to work into the evening or on the weekends. For me, balance means ebbing and flowing with what I have going on in life while working towards my goals. Thankfully, I get an immense amount of joy from the work I do so it’s hard for it to feel too much like “work”.

5. What are 3 foods you can’t live without?
Almond butter – by the spoonful!
Sweet potatoes / winter squash
Frozen raspberries

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Jessica, thank you so much for being a part of our Dietitian Spotlight! To learn more about Jessica, and check out her beautiful recipes, visit Nourished by Nutrition and make sure you go follow her on the gram! xo