Oh my goodness! I am in love with Avocados and Guacamole! In fact, my kids know I love avocados so much that they point them out whenever they see them! So of course I had to include a Guacamole recipe in our “No cooking required” healthy recipe series! Like all the recipes on Mindfulness in Faith and Food, this Guacamole is super easy to make!
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I love recipes, like this super simple guacamole, that require no cooking! A delicious source of healthy fats! A perfect healthy and quick appetizer!
Ingredients
3 Avocados (HASS!, Dark and slightly soft)
¼ cup cilantro
1/3 cup red onions
1 tsp. jalapenos, chopped
¼ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 tsp black pepper
1/3 tsp garlic, minced
To make:
Slice the avocados in half.
Remove the avocado peel.
Mash the avocados until your preferred consistency. (I like a few small lumps in mine)
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir unitl the guacamole is well mixed.
Healthy Chips and Crackers: Perfect for your Guacamole Dip!)
Like all the recipes on Mindfulness in Faith and Food, this healthy Vegetable Pizza is super easy to make! In fact, it’s another great recipe from the “No Cooking Required” series!
Why I Love This Recipe
Lots of healthy vegetables!
Great source of probiotics and Fiber!
No Cooking Required!
Perfect for parties!
Cold Vegetable Pizza: Lots of healthy vegetables! Great source of probiotics and Fiber! No Cooking Required! Perfect for parties!
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This mouth-watering salsa dip is super easy AND super healthy!!!! This healthy salsa dip is a hit at parties, and is a fantastic source of probiotics, fiber, and vegetables!
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Delicious, Healthy and no-cooking involved! This loaded creamy salsa dip is a huge hit at parties and socials!
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
16 oz. jar of salsa
2 cup yogurt
1 can refried beans
1 cup cheese
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup black olives (optional)
A dollop of guacamole (optional)
To
Make:
Mix the salsa and yogurt together in a medium bowl.
In a medium casserole dish, layer the ingredients in the following order: refied beans, salsa-yogurt mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomato, scallions
Top with a dollop of guacamole and olives.
For best results, cover and let the dish sit in the fridge for about an hour.
Serve with healthy chips! See healthy chip ideas below!
Healthy Chips and Crackers: Perfect for your Healthy Salsa Dip!)
To make your perfect healthy salad, pick from the toppings list! The possibilities and salad combinations are endless! This toppings list would work great for a salad bar at a party or social as well!
Oh man do I love food (and healthy salads), but with work and kids I don’t have much time for cooking. That is why I write about healthy and EASY ways to get food on the table. At home, I do this in a few ways:
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I make a month of freezer meals in one day! For real! I cook once a month, and I am done. During the week I can just throw my freezer meals in the crockpot or microwave and I am done! I wrote a book on how to efficiently shop and cook once a month, and let me tell you the recipes are delicious!
I love to buy HEALTHY packaged on-the-go foods, and I am kind of obsessed with finding healthy packaged snack ideas in a sea of processed-empty-calorie snacks. In fact, it is part of my job as owner of a healthy mindful vending company called Mindful Vending. Mindful Vending is a dietitian (that’s me : ) ) owned and operated vending company!
Along with making freezer meals and healthy on-the-go products, I also like to make absolutley no-cooking-involved meals. A salad is one of those no-cook meals I love to make a salad. I love that you can have such variety with salads. No one salad has to be just alike. Use this ultimate list of salad toppings to make a completely new salad every night!
Build your Perfect Salad
To make your perfect healthy salad, pick from the toppings list below! The possibilities and salad combinations are endless! This toppings list would work great for a salad bar at a party or social as well! I did a healthy salad bar a friends baby shower, and it was a huge hit!
To make your perfect healthy salad, pick from the salad toppings list! The possibilities and salad combinations are endless! This toppings list would work great for a salad bar at a party or social as well!
Blanched Asparagus (Place Asparagus in a colander in the sink. Meanwhile boil water on the stove. Then carefully pour the hot water over the vegetables in the colander.)
I have to give credit to my mom for inspiring this particular recipe because my mom makes an amazing healthy broccoli salad for family cookouts just about every summer. And every time she makes it, we devour it!
And just like the other recipes in this series, this broccoli salad requires absolutely no cooking!
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Just like the other recipes in this series, this healthy broccoli salad requires absolutely no cooking! Perfect for parties and picnics! Great source of probiotics!
1/2 cup Free Range, no nitrate/nitrite added Turkey Jerky (broken into small pieces) or Grass Fed, no nitrate/nitrite added Beef Jerky (I like Think Beef Jerky)
Have you noticed there is a theme to all the recipes on our blog? We are all about finding stress free, easy ways to eat healthy delicious food. Whether its cooking and freezing a month of meals all at once; keeping healthy packaged on-the-go snacks on hand; or throwing together no-bake healthy appetizers (like this Black Bean Hummus) to take to a party, Mindfulness in Faith and Food has got all of your stress-free and healthy cooking needs covered!
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Take this Black Bean Hummus, for example…
This Black Bean Hummus recipe is another A-mazingly easy, no-bake, no-fuss recipe. A crowd pleasing favorite healthy appetizer perfect for parties and picnics
This no-bake, no-fuss Black Bean Hummus recipe is a crowd favorite, and is a perfect healthy appetizer for parties and picnics!
Plus Tips on How to Make Deli Meat Sandwiches Healthier
Avocado Turkey Sandwich with Greek Yogurt Spread plus tips on how to make deli lunch meat sandwiches healthier!
The Scoop on Heavily Processed Meat
Sometimes you just want a good old fashioned deli sandwich (my favorite is a turkey sandwich), and yet you wish you could eat a healthier version.
After all, luncheon meat is often heavily processed, and limiting processed foods has been shown to promote gut balance; and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, some cancers, and inflammation.
Moreover, heavily processed foods may reduce cognitive focus and attention and immune function.
Highly processed luncheon meats include pepperoni, salami, and bologna, just to name a few.
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Healthier Lunch Meats
One way to make a healthy sandwich is by purchasing fresh chicken or turkey and cooking the meat yourself. But if that is still not going to satisfy your deli meat cravings, then keep reading because many healthier deli meats are currently available. When you are shopping for lunch meat, choose:
Below is one of my favorite Deli Meat Sandwiches Recipes!
Avocado Turkey Sandwich
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
8 organic Nitrate/Nitrite Free Turkey Slices
4 slices brie cheese
4 spinach leaves
1 tomato, Sliced
8 slices of whole wheat bread
4 Tbs. yogurt spread (See below)
Yogurt Spread Ingredients
Yogurt Spread
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs. Extra virgin olive oil
To Make
First, make the yogurt spread by combining and stirring yogurt, garlic, black pepper, ad extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl.
Next place four slices of bread side-by-side on a clean surface.
Spread the yogurt spread onto the four pieces of bread.
Add two slices of avocado to each piece of bread.
Now add two slices of turkey to each piece of bread.
Add a slice of Brie onto each piece
Next add a slice of tomato.
Then add the spinach leaves.
Place the other pieces of bread on the spinach leaves to form a sandwich.
Make it a Wrap
You can also make a wrap instead of a sandwich using whole wheat wraps. My favorite wraps are The Ole’ Xtreme Wellness!
Want Your Sandwich Toasted?
You can also make a hot sandwich. Simply add the turkey and brie to your bread, and place the bread into the oven set at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Add the cold ingredients to the bread after the bread has finished toasting.
Hummus is such an easy, quick, versatile, and healthy meal or appetizer! In fact, this recipe has exactly ONE step and requires NO cooking!!! You can add hummus to whole grain tortillas wraps and in minutes, you have a no fuss lunch. Or you can pair this delicious spread with raw veggies or whole grain crackers to make a crowd pleasing side!
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Check out the recipe below!
Easy No Bake Healthy Cooking: Easy Homemade Classic Hummus
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
2 tbs water
Directions
Slowly blend ingredients in the food processor until well blended. Done!
Serve in a wrap with lettuce and your favorite veggies or as a dip with raw veggies or whole grain crackers, pita, or chips.
Hummus Variations
Once you know how to make classic hummus, you can add your favorite ingredients to make new hummus creations. Some of my favorite hummus toppings include:
Like all the recipes on Mindfulness in Faith and Food, this healthy ranch dressing is super easy to make. This Healthy Ranch Dressing is perfect paired with a whole grain or bean chip, salad, or even better some crispy raw or blanched vegetables.
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Easy and Healthy Ranch Dressing made with Greek Yogurt; Great source of probiotics
Ingredients
¾ cup Greek Yogurt (I like Fage)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon
1 avocado, pealed and mashed
½ tsp white vinegar
1 tsp parsley
½ tsp dill
½ tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp chives
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp sea salt
To Make
Slowly Blend all ingredients in the food processor until well blended.
(When you are in a rush, you can even simply mix one ranch packet with 1 cup of Greek yogurt)
Serve with whole grain or bean chips or crunchy raw or blanched vegetables. See recommended chips below.
Below is a collection of health and nutrition books that discuss diets for specific medical conditions. Topics of these books include diets that reduce the risk, alleviate symptoms, or treat specific conditions including diabetes, pre diabetes, Alzheimer’s, IBS, Pregnancy, Cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia, Crohn’s, Celiac, Gluten sensitivity, Digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, inflammation, poor immunity, and poor gut health.
I hope you have found this series an invaluable resource of nutriton information.
This is the fourth post in the series…
Best Books Written by Registered Dietitians
(Note: At the top of each post in this series, I have provided a description of what a dietitian is; therefore, if you have read any of the other posts in the series, you may want to skip down to the list portion.)
You may be asking…
So what exactly IS a Registered Dietitian, and why do I want to take note when a health and wellness book is written by a Registered Dietitian?
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A registered dietitian, by definition, is considered the expert in the field of nutrition science. The term Registered Dietitian is actually different than a nutritionist. In fact, the term nutritionist is not a regulated term and has a more general meaning. The term registered dietitian, however, is regulated much like the terms doctor or lawyer. In other words, you are not allowed to call yourself a doctor unless you are a doctor, and you cannot call yourself a registered dietitian unless you have completed all the academic and professional requirements.
Requirements for Registered Dietitians
So what are the requirements? Is there some kind of certification you need to be a registered dietitians?
Actually, you cannot just get a certification to become a registered dietitian. Whereas there might be certifications available for nutritionists.
To become an RD you must:
Complete a Bachelors Degree at a college accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Dietetic Education. Some of the required courses generally included are:
Microbiology
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Biology
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Anatomy and Physiology
Evidence Base Nutrition
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutrition Counseling
and more
2. Complete 1200 hours of a competitive internship (The internship is usually completed in hospitals, community service agencies, medical clinics, etc)
3. Pass the CDR Exam
Just like a lawyer can’t practice law without passing an exam, an RD cannot become a registered dietitian without pasing the CDR.
4. By 2024, all register dietitian will be required to have a master’s degree as well. Many RD’s already do.
5. Complete Continuing Education Units throughout their career to keep their registered dietitian credentials.
So you can see why it is a plus when a health and nutrition book is written by a registered dieitian. I want to preface here that just because an RD is considered the expert, doesn’t mean you can’t get great nutrition information and advice from non-dietitians. People who have a passion for nutrition or people who have discovered something that works for them can write insightful nutrition books.
Many health and wellness enthusiasts have done extensive research on their own and have valuable information, but if you are getting advice from non-dietitians, I would recommend looking for the following:
Are they getting their information from a Registered Dietitian? Are they seeing what multiple registered dieitians have to say about the topic before giving advice?
Do they know when it is time to refer their clients to a registered dietitian? Many informed people have general nutrition knowledge, but when a client or customer needs medical nutrition therapy; then, a dietitian may be needed. Dietitians are trained in nutrition as it relates to diseases, drug-food interactions, tube feeding, enteral nutrition (nutrients through the veins), and various other medical conditions. These topics can get complicated and even be dangerous if incorrect information is given.
For example, someone may tell a client to eat more bananas because bananas are healthy, after all, BUT if a person has kidney failure and is on dialysis, too many bananas could put someone in the hosptial or worse!
One Final Note..
So one final thought before we move on to the book lists. If a book is written by a non-RD, you may want to see if a registered dietitian has written a review about the book, recommended the book, or even written a forward for the book.
Nutrition books written by non-dietitians are not a deal breaker, by any means, but you can see why seeing that RD beside an author’s name in a nutrition book is a plus.
Okay now for the good stuff…
The third post in this series is…
Nutrition for Specific Conditions: Books by Registered Dietitians
This is an excellant book for anyone who has been diagnosed with prediabetes! The book includes everything from meal planning, eating away from home tips, recipes, and even grocery lists! Yes! This is definitely a complete guide for anyone with pre diabetes.!
Thyroid issues are a problem for many so I am so glad this very specific cookbook is available. Did you notice that this book has over 100 recipes!!!! Wow, that is a lot of awesome recipes!
I am so thankful that there is a book written by a dietitian available for women wiht PCOS. PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is characterized by irregular or no periods, weight gain, and acne. Women with PCOS may find it harder to get pregnant. This helpful book includes 100 recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists!
I acutally included this book in my cookbook as well because this book is a cookbook for a specific condition. This book not only includes 150 recipes but also provides a nutritional guide as well.
The next book written by dietitians is part of the well known “For Dummies” books. This book has all the details and recipes for one of the healthiest diets around, the DASH diet. The DASH diet can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and may be just the diet for people with heart disease.
This is another great book for people with diabetes. What makes this book unique is the yoga aspect of the book. Yoga can benefit someone with diabetes by calming the nervous system and improving circulation throughout the body. Yoga (like any exercise) can increase insulin sensitivity and improve glycemic control as well.
If you have Celiac disease or are gluten sensitive then this is the book for you. This book is full of information and includes easy meal plans and over 140 recipes!
This book is for people with Crohn’s and Colitis and has over 175 amazing recipes for you to try.
If you have IBS or other digestive disorders, you may want to give the FODMAP diet a try, but you are going to need some help. That is where the next three books come in. All three of these books are full of helpful information. And talk about fantastic recipes! With these books you will be able to still enjoy amazing meals while on the FODMAP diet!
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.
Created by a registered dietitian, The Nourishing Meal Builder and the included Nourishing Meal Builder Cards take the stress out of cooking nourishing, healing meals! Motivated by her son’s illnesses and her own symptoms, Lacy Ngo (that’s me!) became passionate about providing an easy strategy that busy families could use to implement research-based nutrition into their daily lives.
After incorporating these strategies into my own life, I was even more convinced that nutrition can change lives: -My mood improved -My seasonal allergies no longer developed in the fall and spring -My energy improved -My acne resolved -My son’s behavior and anxiety improved
What’s included in The Nourishing Meal Builder? -Lists of nutrients and foods that boost mood; promote cognitive function, focus, attention, alertness, and memory; support the immune system; aid in weight loss; and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, joint pain, and even seasonal allergy symptoms -A simple Meal Plan Checklist -A faith-based mindfulness and mindful eating guide -Printable Meal Builder cards
Did you know that certain foods can enhance brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimers and dementia? How wonderful is that! This book includes a list of brain-healthy foods as well as a list of foods that are not so healthy for the brain. “The Mind Diet” includes Brain-healthy recipes too!
Did you know that there is a connection between gut health, brain health, immune function, and inflammation? So since it’s all related, eating gut healthy foods could reduce the risk of memory loss, reduce inflammation and pain, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, improve your mood, alleviate depression and anxiety, and promote a healthy immune system. This research truly is astounding and so is this book!
Just like the book above, an anti-inflammatory diet can benefit your body in multiple ways. Poor gut health can cause inflammation AND inflammation can cause poor gut health! Moreover, a healthy gut can improve immune function as well. There is also a link between cronic inflammation and conditions like diabetes, heart disease, Crohn’s disease, some cancers, and IBS. See how it is all related? Because it is all related, many of the same foods can prevent or alleviate symtoms in multiple conditions. The recipes in this book and the ones above include many of these amazing foods!
Here is another fact that may surprise you. What we eat could affect our mood! And guess what? The gut is related as well!!! So gut healthy and anti-inflammatory foods can help with anxiety!!!! I can’t even begin to describe the detailed information provided in this book, but I can tell you that along with vast information, the book includes a big collection of delicious recipes too!
Okay one more gut health book recommendation. I actually included this book in my “Healthy Living Books Written by Registered Dietitians” post as well. As I said in that post, I devoured this book in two days! What a fascinating read! This book is a detailed explanation of nutrition as it relates to gut health, mental fatigue, IBS, Diarrhea, Constipation, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, mood, fatigue, immunity, and many other medical conditions. This is definitely worth the purchase!
A collection of health and nutrition books for medical conditions written by dietitians. Topics include diets for diabetes, prediabetes, Alzheimer’s, IBS, pregnancy, cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia, Crohn’s, Celiac, gluten sensitivity, digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, inflammation, PCOS, immune function, gut health, and more.
