How to Reduce Stress: Make your own Chai & Get Out In Nature

Folks. I promised you some recipes (Martha's Kale Salad and Roasted Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs) and I have not delivered. They are still in the cooker (ha! pun intended) but I am honoring my need to sloooooow down this week. Big things are happening in my personal life, and that means I need more time for processing, which means less time for writing blogs, and taking great food pics. 

To tide you over, I offer you this simple recipe to make your own soothing, naturally decaf chai. It is making a major difference in my world this week, and I hope it can help you too! 

Golden Chai

Ingredients:

• Fresh Turmeric Root (2 pinky-finger sized pieces, or the equivalent)
• Fresh Ginger Root (twice as much as Turmeric)
• 8-10 Cardamom Pods
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• honey (optional)
• milk (optional)
• Black tea (optional if you want to add caffeine it--I used PG tips)

What you need:

• Mesh Strainer
• Soup pot/sauce pan
• Knife & cutting board

Directions:

• Dice Turmeric and ginger root. Don't worry about peeling them, you will strain it later
• Put Turmeric, Ginger, Cardamom pods, and Cinnamon Sticks in your sauce pan, and add 6 cups of water
• bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to med/low so the tea enjoys a nice bubbly simmer. 
• Simmer for at least 10mins, longer will yield you deeper flavors from the spices. 
• Pour through a mesh strainer directly into a large a preferably beautiful mug. Add a generous splash of whole milk, and a teaspoon of honey. (Can add black tea bag at this point if you wish, and allow to steep in your mug for 2 minutes. 

This recipe has lots of room for variation. I'd love to hear what you add/subtract in the comments, as well as anything you wish I had included in the recipe. 

Asian-Inspired Salad & Chicken with Peanut Sauce

I love Thai food, but my current plan to save money doesn't allow for ordering take out. This conundrum turned into a new creative challenge: cook with asian flavors! So far I've been amazed how well my experiments have turned out. We have been getting a bunch of carrots every week in our Imperfect Produce box (if you live in Oakland and you don't subscribe to this service you are missing out - it's a great deal and they deliver to your doorstep--say I referred you!). This week we also got a beautiful bunch of cilantro, and some red bell peppers. I figured we could plow through a bunch of those carrots if I grated them and put them in some sort of slaw, so I loosely followed this recipe, with some key tweaks. 

Asian-Style Salad & Roasted Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce

What you need:

Peanut Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 5 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

Chicken:

• 2-4lbs Chicken Thighs - bone in, skin on (organic, hormone-free is ideal)
• 7-2-1 Seasoning (7tbs sea salt, 2 tbs black pepper, 1tbs garlic powder. Optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne i added this and it is the perfect amount of heat without being too spicy, highly recommend)

Salad:

• 1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 6 carrots, grated in cuisinart
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 3 T Rice vinegar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1 T tamari soy sauce (gluten free) 

what i did

1. Get your oven preheated to 425. 
2. Make the peanut sauce. Put all ingredients into a medium pyrex bowl and microwave for 20 sec to melt the PB and coconut oil, then stir it like you mean it. The ginger and garlic infuse the sauce beautifully the longer it sits, so you want to do this early. Can even be done a day ahead. 
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels - this ensures you will get crispy skin. trust me, you want crispy skin. Season all side of the chicken thighs liberally with your 7-2-1 seasoning, then set them on the wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch the drippings. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, then test with a meat thermometer. Internal temp should be at least 180. If it's not there yet, put them back in for another 10 minutes. 
4. While the chicken is baking, get your salad ingredients prepped and mixed. I used my Cuisinart to do the carrots (grater blade) and the red cabbage (mandoline blade), and chopped the green onions, cilantro, bell peppers and napa cabbage by hand. It makes a lot, I had to use my two largest salad bowls to contain it all! Luckily this slaw keeps and works well as leftovers, as long as you add the dressing right before you eat it. 
5. Make your slaw dressing. Whisk together rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, and tamari in a bowl, or shake them up in a mason jar so you can easily save for later. 
6. Dress only the portion of slaw that you plan to eat immediately, save the rest for lunches or quick meals throughout the week. 
7. Allow the chicken to cool 10mins before serving. 
8. Dip your chicken in peanut sauce, enjoy the crispy crunch of your salad,  and congratulate yourself for making a cheap, delicious, nutritious meal. 

Health Factors:

There are so many great things going on in this meal. 

1. You're eating a lot of colors. When it comes to vegetables, bright/deep colors indicate high nutrient density. You can easily ensure that you are getting a good variety of healthy vitamins and minerals by making sure you "eat the rainbow"
2. You're crunching on cruciferous cabbage. Cruciferous veggies are often called "super veggies" check our more on that here. 
3. You're getting high quality protein. Protein-dense foods should be the cornerstone of your meals if your goal is energy, health, fat loss, improved athletic performance, or any combination thereof. 

If you give this recipe a go, please Tell me how it went in the comments... 

Simple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Rough on the outside, sweet on the inside. 

Lately we have been getting a bounty of sweet potatoes in our Imperfect Produce delivery box, so I decided to whip up a big batch of cubed roasted sweet potatoes. They are amazingly delicious fresh out of the oven, and they play well as leftovers: 

• Beef up a salad by sprinkling them on top of your favorite mixed greens and adding protein like grilled chicken breast, leftover steak slices, or chick peas. 
• Whip up a killer breakfast hash by heating some coconut oil or bacon fat in your skillet (cast iron is the bizness), toss in a handful of sweet potatoes chunks, sprinkle seasoning (paprika, fresh thyme if  you have it, garlic powder) and toss every minute or so until they are crusty and crisped on at least 1 edge. Top that with 2-3 fried eggs and some hot sauce and life is good. Also you have just made a hearty breakfast that will keep you full for hours in under 6 minutes. 

Food that works well as leftovers is GOLD in my house, because I generally don't have much time for cooking during the week. My key strategy for making sure my nutrition is on point involves cooking a big batch of protein and a few veggies sides, usually on Sunday, and then reheating and recombining throughout the week to make easy, fast meals.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Lots of sweet potatoes (5 or more) - peel 'em if they aren't organic
• onion or garlic (optional, but adds to the awesome)
• Fat (something that is naturally occurring and has a high smoke point like coconut oil or bacon fat--NOT olive oil which will burn and leave your taters tasting funky)
• salt and pepper
• 2 large baking sheets
• parchment paper (optional, but makes for easy clean up and nicely caramelized sweet potato bites

WHAT TO DO:

PREP: Preheat your oven to 425. Cut your parchment paper to fit your baking sheets. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Cut your onion (I used a red onion, but yellow is just as good) into 1 inch "cubes" which will inevitably fall apart and that's ok--it just means more crispy delicious onion bits for you later! Plop some fat on the parchemnt. If you're using coconut oil or bacon fat, those will be solid at room temperature (unless you live somewhere very warm) so you'll want to dollop some on each pan in the center, and then stick those pans in the oven for a minute to melt the fat. 30 seconds to a minute it plenty. 

Now you're ready to rock. Pull the pans out, dump half of the potatoes and onions on each pan and toss with a spatula to coat in the fat. Don't add salt yet! Spread the sweet potatoes and onions in an even single layer on the baking sheets. Space between the chunks will ensure that they don't get soggy/mushy and they DO get nicely caramelized--you want this, trust me. 

Stick the pans in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. 

At the 20 minute mark, check to see if your potatoes are getting  nicely browned on the underside. If yes, stir with your spatula and bake for another 7-10 minutes, until they are soft and compress slightly at the touch. If no, put them back in unstirred for another 5 minutes, then check again. 

When they are done, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and stir. The potatoes will be warm enough still to make the seasonings adhere. Adding salt BEFORE you back will make your potatoes tough, which is why we skipped it earlier. 

ENJOY! Add a comment and let me know how you recombined your leftovers this week. 

Summer Vegetable Ratatouille

OMG you guys. How are roasted veggies, balsamic vinegar, cannes tomatoes and herbes de provence THIS DELICIOUS? You know I'm a huge fan of simple, whole food, minimal ingredient meals, but MAN is this one of the best. I loosely followed this recipe from Whole Foods, my own substitutions/improvisations are in bold below:

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence 
• 1/4 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
• Pepper to taste
• 1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 2 small zucchini or summer squash, cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and set aside in a paper-towel-lined bowl while preparing the other vegetables.

Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, oil, garlic, herbes de Provence, chile flakes and pepper in a small bowl. Put the bell peppers, onions and zucchini into a large bowl and pour the oil mixture over them. Pat eggplant dry with another paper towel and toss with vegetables, coating everything thoroughly. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until golden and very soft, 30 to 35 minutes.

Put tomatoes into a large bowl and break them up using your hands or a spoon. Add roasted vegetables and vinegar and stir well. I added fresh basil at this point because our basil plant is going nuts and needed to be trimmed. And also because fresh basil is the ish and makes everything more awesome. 

They say: Cool to room temperature before serving, or cover and refrigerate overnight. We did no such thing, and instead at it hot with some chicken sausages. 

Bonus: It tastes even better the next day, hot or cold. We tried both!

Double Bonus: This dish is rich in flavor, and very filling. It is packed with a variety of nutrients, and you can pair it with your favorite protein for a satisfying, low-carb meal. 

Procrastination Pumpkin Spice Granola

It's amazing how quickly a 2 hour Study Session can turn into Making Pumpkin Spice Granola. This post is brought to you by the letter "P" as in "Procrastination." 

Here's the thing. Since the weather turned slightly chilly, I've been wanting to make granola. So that's been on my to do list. Also a top priority right now is studying for my Precision Nutrition Certification exam (which is happening December 19th!) There. I said it.  On the interwebz. So now you can all hold me accountable. 

Even though I block out study time on my google calendar, for some reason as soon as I sit down and crack open that fatty delicious text book, a million things pop into my head from my back log to-do list. Clean the house! Organize the closet! Reply to that email from 3 weeks ago! Call your mom! Do all the laundry! 

One such afternoon, I gave in to the call of procrastination temptation and it yielded delicious results, so I'm sharing those with you today. I was inspired by this recipe but since I hadn't actually gone shopping for ingredients, made use of what was already in my pantry:

• Gluten Free Organic Whole Oats 
• Slivered Almonds
• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spice (use LIBERALLY. I wish I had added more than the recipe called for)
• Dried Cherries (I added these in after baking so they wouldn't get hard/chewy)
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Pecan pieces
• Maple Syrup (instead of honey)
• Kerry Gold Grass Fed Butter 

Enjoy with almond milk (like cereal), atop yogurt, or just by the handful. However, it is important to remember that even though this granola is a waaaaaay better option for you than processed store-bought cereals, it is still a treat! If getting lean is your top priority, even healthy treats must be enjoyed in moderation and at the right time of day. 

So now you know my big goal (Precision Nutrition Certification December 19th there I said it again) and you know one of my avoidance tactics (what? I'm making home-made nutritious food I'm being productive I'm totally not wasting time). On the journey to achieving a sizable goal, it's really easy to convince yourself that you are taking steps that move you toward that goal, when you are actually dancing in circles. It's especially easy when you are all by yourself. Now that I'm sharing this story with you guys, it's clear to me that my granola caper was a fun distraction dance, but in the moment, I totally justified the choice. That's why accountability is so important to goal acquisition. You need a village, folks.

What is your biggest health goal? What steps are you taking to move towards it? More importantly, have you shared your goal with anyone else? Please share in the comments, or post your favorite avoidance tacits on instagram with #procrastinationboogie and tag me @hannahhusband

In the meantime, enjoy your granola! 

Paleo Chili (Slow Cooker Style)

This is my first summer back in Northern California in almost 10 years. I forgot how wonderful it is to be free of humidity! Definitely a perk. I also forgot how cold it can be at night, or on a foggy day. Given that combo, it's nice to come home to a warm meal for dinner, which inspired today's recipe for Paleo Slow Cooker Chili.

There are many amazing things about using a slow cooker, including setting your ingredients in the morning and coming home to a hot and ready meal that night. The slow cooker also doesn't emit much heat while it's in use (compared to the oven or the stove), making it a perfect choice for those summer days when your apartment is already warmer than you might like. 

I originally ran across this recipe when I went to make chili in the winter, and realized we were out of chili powder. Turns out you can sub hot sauce for chili powder. Since we ALWAYS have hot sauce on hand (it is an essential breakfast component, more on that later) this was a great solution. The man and I liked the hot sauce variation so much, we have been tweaking this recipe ever since! 

Poor TrashCat--she thinks the can opener means TUNA! Sometimes it's just tomatoes. 

Think of these ingredients as a suggestion. The main idea is to start with a ground protein source, add in some hearty vegetables that will hold up for leftovers and be filling in the way that beans are, and then season to your taste with hot sauce, cumin and S&P. Here's what I did:

• 2lbs Grass Fed Ground Beef
• 1 head of Cauliflower
• 2 Cans crushed tomatoes
• 1lb mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can kidney beans (optional)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tb Cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Generous dousing of Trader Joe's chili pepper sauce (or other hot sauce of your liking)

Start by browning your beef with a little salt and pepper. When all the pink parts disappear, take it off the heat and put in in the slow cooker. Put the lid on. Dice up your veggies. 

Saute the cauliflower pieces, garlic, and onions until the cauliflower is al dente. You don't want it to be too soft, because it will cook and soften more in the slow cooker. At this point I added some smoked paprika to the cauliflower, because yum! And it looks pretty in the pan. 

Dump everything into the slow cooker, I added some extra hot chilis here, again partly because I wanted a little extra heat, and also because garnish makes a pretty picture! 

Douse the contents of your slow cooker with chili pepper sauce.

Signature ingredient!

 Mix well, put the lid on, and cook on low for 4 hours. I was really happy with how this chili came out. The mushrooms added a lovely depth of flavor, the cauliflower made it filling, the seasoning made it spicy/sweet/tangy/smokey. And it held up well for leftovers and re-heating. My general strategy for keeping my nutrition on track is to make a big batch of 2 different things on Sunday that we can eat for lunches and some dinners for the week. I am all about efficiency cooking. This recipe will definitely stay in the rotation.  

Try this recipe and this strategy and let me know how it works for you. 

Cheers! 

Efficiency Workout with a Twist

You guys. I'm tired. Like really tired. 

We have been going furniture shopping every weekend--and let me tell you, IKEA on a Saturday will test the best of us. It might be where humanity goes to die. But we go. Because we have stuff and you need somewhere to artfully store your stuff. Right? 

I started a new job at a Pilates studio in El Cerrito--which is awesome! But there is a lot to learn: getting to know new clients, and completely different equipment than I am used to. Who knew a Pilates reformer could differ so much from brand to brand? 

With all of this energy output, it has been hard to get my own workouts in. All I want to do is sleep. And let me tell you, my workout buddy provides NO help. 

Sleep all the sleeeeeps

Today, I resisted the urge to just snuggle TrashCat and nap forever, and instead worked out! I opted for efficiency and simplicity. Here's what I did:

8 TRX Single Leg Squats (per leg)

10 TRX Low Rows

15 Kettlebell Swings with my trusty 35lb KB (her name is Maureen!)

5 Pushups to Down Dog

3 rounds

And then I did something weird. I decided to take a savasana. For those unfamiliar (which I'm betting is not most of you, but just in case) a savasana is a short rest, where you lie on your mat in meditative stillness, usually found at the end of a yoga class. It is a chance to honor your body for what it has just done, reflect on your practice, and quiet your mind. 

I went to an incredible yoga class at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco last Tuesday, and was reminded how much the right kind of mindful exercise can help calm your nerves and ease your mind.

Grace Cathedral - 600 people attend the donations-based yoga class on Tuesdays!

I left that class feeling renewed energy, but not the frenetic over-caffeinated kind I had been running on since we landed in California a month ago. It was a quiet, balanced, grounded energy. And my mind was clear. I could easily follow one train of thought, rather than flitting from one to another. And it got me thinking--why can't every workout help bring that kind of renewal?

So I'm experimenting! I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Do you exercise for mental health? Please share any strategies that work well for you in the comments. 

Gluten Free Vegan No-Bake Brownie Bites

Let it be known: I am not a vegan. 

I am not even a vegetarian. And as perviously established, I don't bake. But I am a self-professed glutard, and as such birthday parties tend to be lacking in dessert options for me. My best gal friend turned 30 this week, and threw a birthday picnic potluck by beautiful Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA. The man and I are still getting settled in to our new apartment in Oakland, and our kitchen is in a questionably useful state of unpacking and organization. But I wanted to bring something homemade because 1) a friend of 18+ years deserves only the best, and 2) selfishly, I wanted to a bring a dessert that I would be able to enjoy. These brownie/fudge bites fit all my criteria: real food, no refined sugar, naturally gluten free, no baking required.  Best of all they only require one piece of kitchen equipment: a food processor. Which I happen to have. And which I happened to have unpacked. 

I loosely followed this recipe, extra points for the Eminem reference in the title! I totally didn't follow the measurements, because who has time for that?

Here's what I did:

2/3 bag of Trader Joe's (TJ) raw walnuts 

1.5 bag TJ's dried unsweetened cherries (not in the recipe, inspired by my friend Kat)

1 package Mejool Dates from TJ (minus 5 that had been eaten at an earlier date haha) 

2 Capfuls Vanillia Extract

3 (?) Heaping table spoons Cocoa Powder (who'd counting? Just keep tasting to see if it's chocolatey enough)

1/2 Tsp sea salt (optional) 

PULSE in your food processor until it resembles dry brownie batter. 

Before and after

Now, at this point you are supposed to roll them into balls. Mine weren't sticking together because I didn't get the nut to date ratio right, but I was out of dates. So I put a big scoop of raw honey and a small dollop of coconut oil in a mug and microwaved it. That looked a little runny, so I added a heaping spoonful of cocoa powder and mixed it together. Note to self: this smelled AMAZING and would make a great frosting-like glaze for other items. 

I put the brownie "batter" back in the food processor and added the mug's contents. The added sticky helped them adhere into balls, but they were a little sticky to the touch, so I rolled them in coconut flakes! Yum on yum. 

Fudge bites pre-coconut flakes. So chocolatey. Nom. 

The end result was delicious. Rich, fudge-like, and satisfying. They were a hit at the picnic, and I will definitely make them again. Next time I may try making a Mexican hot chocolate version with cinnamon and cayenne. 

Leave me a comment and let me know what variations you come up with!

Cooking vs. Baking

Confession: I love to cook, but I never got good at baking.

Baking is scientific and exact. It requires precise measurements. Exact (and consistent) oven temperatures. Perfect balance of wet to dry ingredients. 

Fooyoh,com

And worst of all, you have to mix all the things together, put them in the oven, and then just wait and hope you did it right. For an HOUR. Who has that kind of patience? Not this gal. 

Now, cooking on the other hand, is much more my style. All you need is a recipe to use as your blueprint, an adventurous spirit, and to trust your taste buds and your nose. 

For example, take this quick and easy stir fry recipe from MealPod.us:

You can pick whatever delicious vegetables YOU like best: don't like green beans?  Add more broccoli instead. The recipe called for onions, but you only have shallots in your kitchen? Throw 'em in! It's still gonna be awesome. Unlike baking, you can smell and taste as you go, adding more of whatever flavor is missing (more salt, more tangy, more sweet.)

Best of all, dinner is ready in 30mins. TOTAL. 

But Hannah, you're a trainer, not a chef. What does all this culinary nonsense have to do with FITNESS? 

Well, kiddos, it's a metaphor. Many people think that getting fit is like baking: scientific, complex and exact. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be. Your path to fitness can be as quick, easy and fun as cooking up a delicious stir-fry dinner. All you need is a solid blueprint, a little creativity, and to listen to what your body is craving today. 

My goal with all of my clients is to help them learn how to confidently improvise on a workout "recipe," so that they can adapt to whatever the day throws at them and still stay on track with their fitness goals. 

Interested in learning how to become the head chef of your own fitness? Contact me to set up a consultation (in person or via video chat!)

Happy cooking!