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joyfalzone
smoky chili with quinoa & tortilla chips
No CommentsRead moreThis is my favorite vegetarian chili recipe and it’s super easy! Perfect if you are hosting the Super Bowl and need to feed a bunch of people. I’ve been using canned beans lately since it’s just less hassle. Look out for BPA-free lining and preferably no salt. I also love serving it with tortilla chips which makes it fun for littles (and adults) to dip!
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joyfalzone
weeknight sweet potato dal
No CommentsRead moreI honestly can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe yet! It is one of my all time favorite, super easy weeknight meals. Packed with plant protein from the lentils and so many other benefits like cancer fighting, blood sugar lowering, and stroke reducing properties! The high fiber content in lentils prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal as well as lowering cholesterol levels! I’ve doubled the original recipe from Laura because my husband and I are big eaters and we like to have leftovers. If you’re wondering if you can skip the leeks, DON’T, they really make the dish! Plus, leeks are great prebiotics which feed the good bacteria growing in our guts!
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joyfalzone
arugula soup
No CommentsRead moreI’ve been making this soup for probably a decade and it’s still just as delicious and comforting every time. I know, arugula in a soup may sound weird. You’re probably thinking it will be too bitter. I promise it’s not! The leeks and potatoes balance it all out! Occasionally, like once every 2-3 years occasionally, I will get an incredibly bitter batch of baby arugula that ruins the soup, and I buy arugula ALL THE TIME so the chances of this happening to you are very slim. I really hope it doesn’t! This soup is one of my all time favorites and I hope you love it too!
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joyfalzone
healthy take-out options & a giveaway!
No CommentsRead moreWhen you don’t feel like cooking… hitting up your local pizzeria, Chinese place or drive-through are no longer your only options! Finding plant based, whole food take-out options is easier than ever (and will only get better)! Today I’m sharing local places in central New Jersey where you can get healthy take-out and the down low on what a health coach (me!) and a personal trainer (my husband) orders. Make sure to head over to Instagram or Facebook for an awesome giveaway!
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joyfalzone
pasta with butternut squash & sage
No CommentsRead moreToday I’m sharing a simple weeknight family friendly dinner… pasta! Not white pasta of course, not even whole wheat pasta (bleh), instead pasta made with beans and lentils. If you know me, you know I talk bean and lentil pasta up all the time. It is actually a pretty close second to your regular white semolina pasta, except loaded with protein and cancer fighting nutrients instead of giving you a blood sugar high followed by a crash and taxing your pancreas. If you haven’t tried it yet, do it now!
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joyfalzone
spaghetti squash with kale & chickpeas
No CommentsRead moreSpaghetti + squash + no spiralizer needed! Yes, you read correctly! If you’ve never experienced the A M A Z I N G N E S S of spaghetti squash, you need to try it STAT. All you have to do is roast it for an hour, scrape it with a fork, and you have sweet buttery spaghetti! It is packed with antioxidants in that bright yellow color. 1 cup of squash will provide you with 59% of your daily vitamin A and 26% of your daily vitamin C.
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joyfalzone
spring quinoa salad
No CommentsRead moreAs I’ve mentioned before, quinoa salads are one of my favorite dishes to bring to family gatherings or parties because they are easy, filling, healthy and delicious! If you are unfamiliar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), it is a gluten free grain-like seed that originated from South America. I love that it is versatile, easy to prepare and best of all is a complete protein; meaning it contains all nine of the essential amino-acids that our bodies need to thrive. Quinoa is also considered a valuable source of heart-healthy fats as well as packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.
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joyfalzone
shaved asparagus salad
No CommentsRead moreOne of the very first spring vegetables to emerge on the east coast is one of my favorites, asparagus! One cup of asparagus provides you with 100% DV of vitamin K and 67% DV of folate, both super important for women who want to become pregnant or are pregnant. It’s also an excellent source of copper, vitamin B1, selenium, vitamin B2, vitamin C and vitamin E. Asparagus is sensitive to heat so to get the most nutrition out of it, it’s best to eat it raw or steam it only for a few minutes. The first time I heard of shaving asparagus and eating it raw was probably six years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since!
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joyfalzone
roasted spring vegetables & brown rice
No CommentsRead moreI like the motto “cook once, eat twice.” Making a large batch of roasted vegetables and quinoa or brown rice and using it for multiple meals makes eating healthfully a whole lot easier. We are all busy people and if there’s not something healthy easily available, we’re much more prone to go without eating or buy something unhealthy on the go. Eating whole foods is as simple as chopping up a variety of seasonal vegetables, sticking them in the oven while your whole grain of choice simmers away on the stove, and there you have a handful of meals all ready to go!
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joyfalzone
comforting french lentil soup
1 CommentRead moreWith the cold winter weather on the east coast I thought it would be appropriate to share my favorite lentil soup recipe. Like most soups, this one is much better the next day, so much so that I always make it a day in advance. I also thought it would be a good time to weigh in on what I think about the popular Paleo/Whole30 diet since those diets do not allow you to eat beans or legumes (and therefore lentils).