‘Clean Eating’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise {Whole30}

January 10, 2020 · Narrative

The smell is heavenly, the taste is light, let’s make some Roasted Garlic Mayo!

You likely have heard me extol the virtues of homemade mayonnaise before … it’s so light and lemony and downright delicious that after the first time I made it, I never had store-bought again. Plus it’s so much healthier! Since you’re making it yourself, you KNOW the ingredients that are going in it, and it’s clean eating at its finest, and Whole30 and Paleo to boot. Now we’re “kicking it up a notch,” as Emeril used to say (is he still around and cooking?), with this divine Roasted Garlic Mayo.

First let’s talk about the health benefits of roasted garlic all on its own … to name a few, it’s nutritious, has been shown to reduce blood pressure, it can reduce the length of the common cold, lowers the risk of heart disease, and improves bone health (and so much more!).

Oftentimes, if the oven is going to be on for half an hour, I’ll pop in a bulb of garlic to roast, squeeze out the roasted cloves and keep it in a container in the fridge so I always have some on hand (put in small container and cover with olive oil and they’ll be preserved for about two weeks). You can spread some with butter or ghee on a toasted baguette, add to a veggie stir fry, and pop into the mayo recipe below. I also sometimes it eat just straight up! I used to frequest a restaurant (and even got engaged there!) called The Garlic Rose. Garlic was, as you can imagine, infused in some way into every dish they served and it was as amazing as it sounds. What YOUR favorite way to use roasted garlic?

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Recipe: Beef & Potato Hash with Jammy Eggs and Avocado {#NationalEggMonth}

May 19, 2018 · Narrative

Comfort food is something we all crave at one time or another, but comfort food that is clean eating and guilt-free? Count me in! Let’s make this delicious Beef and Potato Hash with Jammy Eggs and Avocado!

A million years ago, when I was a newlywed, my then husband loved Hamburger Helper. Can’t say I blame him. Total comfort food, easy to make, and downright hearty.

But, I’ll be honest. Back then I didn’t know a ton about cooking, nor cooking and being responsible for someone else’s meal regularly either. And while I had lived on my own and cooked and entertained, it certainly wasn’t daily, and I still resorted to a box of this and a can of that sometimes.

But … know better, do better, right?

Over the years, through cooking shows and cookbooks, cooking classes and just your basic trial and error, my kitchen has evolved into having very little in the way of boxes and cans, and the focus is on clean eating that is easy and delicious, with a strong lean on fresh and healthy food.

So when a new client, NestFresh Eggs, wanted some recipes developed to help celebrated #NationalEggMonth, my mind immediately went to a comfort dish that we could eat guilt-free.

And, tbh, who doesn’t like meat and potatoes? Neither of my kids will eat mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, and barely eat french fries, so roasted potatoes are pretty much a regular fixture in my house. So when I was brainstorming for this recipe, I knew I wanted to do a riff on comfort food that used roasted potatoes.

As for eggs … well, we go through a ridiculous amount of eggs in this house. Because it’s kind of like the easiest epitome of clean eating. Hungry? Make eggs. And just like potatoes, our house is very divided on how they’ll eat the eggs. My son will eat them scrambled, sunny side up, hard boiled, and deviled. My daughter will eat the whites of hard boiled, and deviled. She’s a work in progress.

Neither will eat “jammy eggs,” but it’s kind of my favorite, and I thought a slightly runny yolk would be perfect for this dish.

And avocado. Well, I pretty much add avocado to any recipe I can. It’s a good fat, and when it’s smushed, it makes a great condiment … and slicing it up and mixing it with the jammy eggs, and the roasted potatoes and beef … that’s a winner right there (or at least I hope it is!)!

And speaking of winning… NestFresh Eggs asked that we submit our recipes to a contest that they’re running. You can vote once a day, every day, for the month of May, and this recipe was, of course, my entry. You can find the other recipe submissions here … go vote (your entry might also win you a pretty sweet gift basket!). I won’t tell you to vote for MY recipe, but if it happens to speak to you, I’d be much obliged if you did!

Haven’t heard of NestFresh before? They are a humane and sustainable egg producer with a focus on happy and healthy hens. There’s a movement we can all get behind!

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Recipe: Turkey Bolognese {Cucina Antica}

March 27, 2018 · Narrative

A light take on the traditional heartier Bolognese sauce, this Turkey Bolognese, served over Zucchini Noodles, is filling, guilt-free, and quick to table. Let’s get started!

I’ll be honest. When Cucina Antica first reached out and asked if I wanted to be a Brand Ambassador for them this year, even though I was currently on Whole30 (and have now morphed into Food Freedom Forever), I didn’t inspect their ingredient list too carefully.

Because, well, I’m Italian and they said sauce, and I was there.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when the first shipment arrived of sauce and I turned the jar around so I could read the ingredients and found out that it was, in fact, Whole30-complaint.

Whoop!

When it comes to developing new recipes for clients, I tend to keep my own family’s needs close to heart … in that, I usually create recipes that would actually appeal to us and would hit our everyday dinner table. As an on-the-go family with young children, but one that still places a great deal of importance on family dinner time, that means healthy recipes that are easy to make, delicious, quick to table, and use commonly sourced ingredients, and I think this is something that appeals to a lot of people.

And this Turkey Bolognese recipe hits those notes easily.

My daughter will eat pasta seven days a week if I let her, and my son, well, much less. As for me? Since I’m following most of Whole30’s core principles, I’m not eating pasta at all. So for my first recipe with Cucina Antica, I focused on a meal that I could make but adapt so we could all enjoy it … but not keep me in the kitchen feeling like a short order cook. That means spaghetti for my daughter, zucchini noodles for me, and half and half for my son … and bolognese sauce all around!

Because the Cucina Antica sauce line is all natural, it has no added sugar, no preservatives, and is gluten-free. It uses imported tomatoes (no tomato paste here!), and the ingredients are all completely pronounceable and clean, and a jar of their Tomato Basil made a delicious simmer-all-day flavor for my bolognese.

I started by cooking onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and then the ground turkey. Once that was done, I added a jar of the Tomato Basil sauce, warmed it through and served it over the noodles.

Which means a healthy dinner that we all loved was on the table in under thirty minutes.

Take that, Rachael Ray!

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Recipe: Roasted Tomato Salsa {Whole30}

March 19, 2018 · Narrative

Fresh homemade salsa is one of those things that is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought it from a grocery store shelf. Let’s talk about this Roasted Tomato Salsa – delicious, simple, and Whole30-approved!

Would you buy a cookbook based on just one recipe? I mean, like, it’s kind of akin to buying it based on just the cover photo, right? You get hooked, and that’s that.

That’s kind of where I am right now. I happened to catch an episode of ABC’s The Chew last week, and boxer Laila Ali was the guest. Given how focused she and her family are on athletics, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that she’s also very into eating a clean and healthy diet. She was talking about her new cookbook, Food for Life, and shared the recipe for this Roasted Tomato Salsa. Once I saw how easy it was, and that it was Whole30-compliant, I googled for the recipe and here we are.

And honestly, it could not be simpler to make. Roasting the vegetables, seriously, makes a world of difference. Just a little bit of time in the oven, and then the blender, and you’ll be rewarded with the most delicious, fresh salsa ever.

It tastes great when accompanied with plantain chips (homemade, if you’re doing Whole30), as a side with eggs, or even as a topping for grilled chicken. After it’s made, it will last in your fridge for about a week … you know, if you don’t polish it off beforehand!

I haven’t bought the cookbook … yet.

Hungry for more Whole30 recipes?
This zucchini recipe is seriously one of my favorites and is so quick to make.
These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are in a weekly rotation in our home.
Just thinking about these buttery, warm Avocado Fries is making my mouth water.

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Recipe: Shrimp Ceviche

December 11, 2017 · Narrative

Fresh, tropical, healthy, and so easy to make … let’s talk Shrimp Ceviche.

Who says you can’t have ceviche when it’s thirty degrees outside and the middle of December? Certainly not me! If you’ve been a regular reader, you know that I don’t always do things according to the calendar. I might make a hot soup in the middle of the summer, not share Thanksgiving recipes until after the holiday passes … and get a craving for ceviche in December.

But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Just maybe not always practical.

When my ex-husband and I were together, we used to go to a Hispanic grocery store some forty-five minutes away, and one of my favorite things to get there was a super fresh ceviche from their seafood department. We used to get two containers of it, one to eat in the parking lot before we made our way home, and one to actually bring home. I’m pretty sure that was the first time I ever had ceviche, and I promptly fell in love. Ceviche, for those that don’t know, is a seafood dish, usually served as an appetizer, that is popular in Latin America, where the main ingredient of raw fish is “cooked” or “cured” by accompanying citrus juices.

Despite my love for ceviche, I have, surprisingly, only made it once in my entire life, and it wasn’t a true ceviche. I think I have avoided making it more often likely because the whole “the seafood ‘cooks’ in the citrus juices” thing makes me a little uneasy, and, well, so many recipes, so little time.

But last week, ceviche popped into my head and all the sudden, I wanted some. Weird, I know. Maybe because cold weather was coming, and I really hate the cold and was trying to think of warm, tropical vibes. Who knows, but here we are.

Ceviche is seriously the most crazy simple thing to make, I really should make it more often. And so should you. Simple, healthy, refreshing. What more could you want?

Just a few simple ingredients and very little hands-on time, and you’ll be rewarded with delicious bites of seafood punctuated by fresh lime juice and flavorful cilantro. Although typically served as an appetizer, I made this my lunch for a few days. Shrimp works well, but you could also substitute a firm white fish like flounder or tilapia.

Enjoy!

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Recipe: Slow Cooker Pot Roast

July 25, 2017 · Narrative

A tender, juicy, and delicious pot roast that will be the star of your dinner table.

Now that we’re knee-deep in July, you might be in the throes of I CAN’T BEAR TO TURN ON MY OVEN. Normally, I would feel your pain, but New Jersey is in this weird phase of mid-70 degree weather. As usual, Mother Nature is pretty confused. But I’ll take it!

If you happen to be experiencing normal summer heat, using your slow cooker is a great way to still feed your family a delicious dinner without breaking a sweat. And since we’re coming up on a busy Fall season for our family, meals that I can literally throw together are at the top of my list.

I spied this recipe on Instagram last month and I saved it because, besides being easy, it fell pretty neatly in the “clean eating” box I love to check. And with a teenage boy, and not only his growing appetite, but also his love for pot roast, I figured I had a slam dunk.

And I was right.

Just a few simple ingredients, and a couple of hours in your slow cooker, and you’ll be rewarded with pull-apart-tender meat with a delicious flavorful sauce. The tomatoes are juicy and burst with every bite. After our first dinner with this recipe, I couldn’t wait for leftovers the next day, and it made for a perfect week’s worth of lunches for me.

It’s delicious as is, but could also be served over mashed potatoes, quinoa, or mashed cauliflower. I made a garlic mashed cauliflower, and it was to-die-for. You can’t screw this one up, and whether the summer temps are making you dread your kitchen, or you’re just looking for simple and tasty meal, you won’t be disappointed.

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Recipe: One Pan Steak and Roasted Vegetables

March 26, 2017 · Narrative

A simple and delicious dinner that is whole family-approved.

Although I mostly work from home these days, that still hasn’t resulted in having scads of “free” time, surprisingly enough. So when I can make a dinner that is a one dish meal, which means less work and less dishes, well, I’m a happy camper.

My kids are pretty fickle about steak. Sometimes they’ll seriously inhale it, and sometimes they’ll swear up and down how much they hate it. Frustrating for sure, and that basically means I’m rolling the dice any time I’m making steak for dinner.

And here I am, rolling the dice.

Although I think I overcooked the meat by a minute or two (I tend to like it more on the pink side), they surprisingly ate it. They didn’t want to see it the next day, but, well, that’s the breaks.

Because you are basically throwing everything onto a pan and letting the oven do most of the work for you, this is a crazy simple recipe to make, and bonus points for not requiring any hunt-all-over-town ingredients. And I’ll tell you, the marinade … it’s seriously slurpable. Like I would totally make it just to roast the vegetables alone with it next time. It’s making my mouth water just thinking about it, so even if you’re vegetarian, skip the steak and make the rest of the recipe just to get your taste buds on the marinade.

Yeah, it’s that good.

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Recipe: Rustic Tomato Soup

February 2, 2017 · Narrative

A clean-eating, tummy-warming soup that is a perfect lunch or, when coupled with grilled cheese, a comfort food-style dinner. This Rustic Tomato Soup has been making repeat rotations in our kitchen.

I was at Costco a few weeks ago, and spied Oprah’s new cookbook, Food, Health & Happiness. They’re not really her recipes, but rather recipes from her favorite six chefs and, since she’s on Weight Watchers right now, they are, of course, all Weight Watchers friendly.

I am not on Weight Watchers, and have seriously pared down my once-crazy cookbook collection, but despite this, the cookbook ended up coming home with me nonetheless.

Apparently resistance is futile.

It was hard not to be drawn in by the photography, the smell of the printed page (some paper used for printing have a distinct smell), and the rustic theme of the recipes. Also, after a quick scan of the various dishes throughout the book, I noticed that I could make many of them Whole30 or clean-eating friendly, which is kind of what sold me, because that’s where I’m at these days.

Focusing on continued clean eating with the occasional treat day.

And so here we are with this Rustic Tomato Soup. So simple to make, and so good for you. It’s absolutely the way tomato soup should taste. Like the tomato soup of your dreams. Now if you’re not eating clean, this begs to be topped with thick cut crispy croutons or eaten with grilled cheese dippers. Just sayin’.

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Recipe: Asian Quinoa Salad

January 17, 2017 · Narrative

Light, healthy, and super easy to make, this Asian Quinoa Salad makes a delicious lunch or side dish.

Last week, I ran a kids’ workshop where we focused on Chinese New Year. We did two crafts (more details on those coming soon), and we made this Asian Quinoa Salad.

Any time I can get the kids shredding and chopping vegetables, they are happy campers, and feeding them a healthy, clean salad is most definitely a bonus at the end of the class.

This recipes makes a HUGE bowl, so safe to say it serves six as a salad, or me if I feast on it for the week. You can add grilled chicken or shrimp to it and really make it a more hearty meal, or keep it as is for a light salad, snack, or side item. It takes less than 25 minutes to make, which means it’s an easy weeknight choice, or make it on Sunday and keep the dressing on the side and you’ll have lunch for the week.

I love how colorful it is, and how guilt-free it is. It’s kind of like Spring on a plate, despite the gloomy grey skies we’ve been seeing out of our window lately, and it’s got a great crunch to it.

*That gorgeous plate comes from Suite One Studios, and the beautiful wood background comes courtesy of my Saturday morning dumpster diving adventures as seen on Snapchat (I’m cateomalley on snap).

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Recipe: Two Ingredient Pancakes {Whole30}

October 20, 2016 · Breakfast, Narrative

Two ingredient pancakes that come together lickety-split AND are super healthy? I’ve got you covered.

Even though I make pancakes for my kids fairly often, I’ll be the first to admit it … I don’t really like pancakes. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had pancakes over the past ten years, and I’d still have fingers leftover.

Just not my thing.

But what IS my thing is changing up breakfast a little bit, especially while doing Whole30, so it’s not eggs every day.

Because a person can only eat so many eggs.

So when I spied a mention for two ingredients pancakes, I was intrigued.

Eggs.

Bananas.

That’s it.

They take just a minute or two to mash and mix, and before you know it, you’re already putting them on your hot griddle to cook.

Sidebar: If you’re doing Whole30, you’ll want to use ghee or coconut oil in your pan, to keep compliant. Everyone else can use straight-up butter.

Because these pancakes don’t have the heaviness of their flour-filled counterparts, they cook up super quick. Like, just a minute or so on each side and you’ll be digging into a heaping plate of pancakes in no time flat.

And the taste?

Delish. I know it sounds weird, but they kind of taste like they have maple syrup inside them. Which, of course, they don’t.

They’re slightly sweet, and moist, and tender, and the perfect thing for when you just can’t look at another egg breakfast.

And because they have just two ingredients, they also satisfy the requirements if you are paleo, gluten-free, dairy free, grain free, or sugar-free.

Dig in.

Hungry for more breakfast ideas?
This Egg and Kale Breakfast Quiche is perfect when you’re looking for something a little heartier.
This Danish recipe that I created for Pillsbury is amazeballs.
Cinnamon Roll Muffins are a tasty, sweet bite that is perfect to pop into your mouth as you head out the door.
And these Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins will always be my kids’ favorite weekday breakfast.

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Recipe: Asian Inspired Baby Bok Choy and Portobello Mushrooms

June 9, 2016 · Narrative

A very quick-to-make side dish that is bursting with antioxidants and flavor. Let’s talk about bok choy…

The first time I had bok choy was, surprisingly, only two years ago, when I received a menu plan from a personal trainer. I don’t know why it took me so long to try it, because I love most leafy green vegetables, but now I’m making up for lost time.

I originally created this recipe for a new recipe development client, but she won’t be using it, so now I can share it here.

One of the best things about bok choy is that it cooks up super fast.

Like, blink and it’s done.

And who doesn’t need THAT type of ingredient or recipe in their dinner repertoire?

Even better that bok choy is a superfood.

Bok choy is part of the Asian greens family (which means you can get it super cheap at your local Asian grocery store) and the Brassica family, which also includes broccoli and brussels sprouts. Choy in Chinese refers to all leafy vegetables and the word bok means white, so bok choy is literally translated to “white leafy vegetable.” Originally from China, it is now grown for the US market mostly in California.

Bok choy is very low in calories and carbs, and it quickly takes on the flavors of whatever you’re cooking it with. Kind of like the principles of cooking with tofu, except it tastes NOTHING like tofu. It has high amounts of Vitamins A, C, K, and B, and antioxidants. If you want to learn more on bok choy, this page is a good resource.

I won’t lie. What you see pictured in the bowl above was exactly what I ate for dinner. That and nothing else. But this would go nicely alongside some grilled chicken or seat, or even with a runny egg on top of it.

However you serve it, make it. It’s too delicious to miss.

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Recipe: Turkey, Spinach, and Feta Sliders

March 22, 2016 · Meat and Poultry, Narrative

A delicious burger that takes twenty minutes from start to finish … and neatly checks that “ate my vegetables” box? Yes, please.

This could be titled: A Recipe That Got My Kids to Eat Spinach.

But I don’t want to make it out like they don’t eat vegetables, because they totally do.

Nick would eat salad every day if he could.

Madeline eats grape tomatoes like they’re candy.

And they both love artichokes and roasted broccoli with wild abandon.

So no complaints from me.

And quite honestly, they both will eat spinach in the Spinach Cheese Squares we make often.

So, #winning all around.

But if I can find a new way for them to kinda sorta like a vegetable they really don’t?

Even better.

And these cute little sliders are just that.

They take less than ten minutes to mix together and are super stuffed with fresh spinach, a few pantry items, and feta (get the good kind! Dodoni! Not the already crumbled kind).

Once the burgers were cooked up (I used a stovetop grill pan I got a few years back, similar to this one), everyone topped them differently.

Which is the great thing about burgers.

Add your own personality to them!

The kids just went for straight-up ketchup.

While I tend to subscribe to the “mo toppings, mo better” camp and topped mine with caramelized onions, homemade mayo, and a few homemade bread and butter pickles that a friend made for me.

So good … and dinner was completely ready to go in less than 20 minutes.

YES.

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