Get out that Grill for Skewers!

I love the ease of grilling - No pans, hardly any prep tools = very few dishes! YAY!

PLUS - you can grill just about anything. 

Today I've featured an easy way to provide a balanced meal, skewers! 

Using skewers, you can mix and match vegetables, fruits, and meats. 

These skewers are amazing tasting and pretty easy to put together. If you like em, let me know!

Thai Chicken Skewers & Rice

1 small can coconut milk
1 ½ tsp curry paste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1” pieces
1 orange bell pepper
2 green zucchini
12 small white button mushrooms
1 cup dry basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour minimum

You’ll want to be sure you have skewers, wooden ones should be soaked in water before using.

In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk and curry paste. Pour a small portion into another container to brush on vegetables. Place chicken cubes in first bowl, tossing to coat all chicken, set aside.

Begin rice by straining then adding 2 fresh cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes – until all water is soaked up. Remove from heat, fluff, and set aside.

While rice is cooking, cut all vegetables into skewer size chunks, about 1”. Try cutting zucchini into coins, then cut coins in half, mushrooms leave whole, and peppers, simply remove seeds and cut into cubes.

Begin to fill your skewers, alternating vegetables and chicken. Each skewer should contain more vegetables than chicken.  Brush with remaining coconut and curry mixture.

Cook on grill medium to medium high heat until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Serve on a bed of rice.

Serves 4

In vibrant health and happiness,

Tammi Hoerner, CHHC, AADP, MH

The Nourished Life

Veggie Tostada

I have been having a blast getting into my kitchen and concocting creations for my family and clients. I'm not sure if it's Cinco De Mayo or spring, but I've been really craving Mexican food. A native Coloradan, I find I crave Mexican food frequently. I love the smell of roasting green chili that seems to hovor over our community in the fall and always look forward to getting a bushel or two out of my own garden to roast and use all winter.

There are many ways to include Mexican flavors in your cooking, even a few that don't add spice!

• add fresh Cilantro
• season with Cumin or Chili Powder
• add roasted green chilies to a soup or stew
• top a baked potato with roasted green chilies and cumin

Here is a fun and easy recipe for your family to enjoy straight from my latest meal plan matrix! 

Veggie Tostada

1 package baked tostada shells

1 can organic refried beans with green chilies and cilantro1 organic tomato 
½ lb assorted olives, pits removed, thinly sliced 
2 cups washed organic super greens salad mix 
2 green onions, sliced into small coins 
1 jalapeno, sliced into coins 
1 ripe avocado 
Your favorite salsa

Over medium heat, heat beans through until quite warm, stirring frequently. If they start to dry out, you might add 1 tsp coconut oil. Remove from heat. Allow everyone to dress their own tostada by setting out the cut options on the table. Spread beans in a thin layer on each tostada shell and top with desired ingredients. 


As you learn to experiment with Mexican flavors and foods, you'll learn which are more spicy and which are mild and more diverse. I'd love to hear about your own experiences with these flavorful foods! 


In Vibrant Health and Happiness,
Tammi Hoerner, CHHC, AADP, MH
Founder and Director,
New Beginnings Health & Wellness
dba
The Nourished Life
Back2Basic Nutrition

B2B

Back To Basics

Starting out the journey toward eating well can often turn awry when all the recipes that make their way into your hands seem to have 35 hard to find ingredients and take 2 hours to chop and 4 hours to cook. Experiencing just this when I attempted to change how I ate in my 'prior life', I know how easy it is to return to old patterns of eating from a box or drive thru. 

Over complicating things seems to be natural behavior for people. Why? 

My curiosity surrounding this concept is never ending, and I find I too can take something simple and make it very difficult to accomplish. Over complicating our lives reaches far beyond recipes. We over complicate our relationships, our daily to do tasks, even exercise can quickly become an overwhelming and complicated activity. 

Some reasons why we might create complication in our routines could be: 

1. Safety of staying in our present situation.  (It's just easier to stay put)
2. Fear of what success might mean in our lives (If you reach your health goals, will it change your relationship? Your career?)
3. Fear of the unkown (What will your life be like if you are so healthy and vibrant you have energy to whatever you like?)
4. Predetermined concepts around what we fear we might become (what messages have you heard about people who are thin, beautiful, and successful? Are they consistently good or do you associate bad things with such goals?)

This experience is my inspiration to create a New Approach and More Options in working with my clients to reach their goals. 

My approach is highly focused to help you deconstruct and remove the clutter from your current habits, altering your approach and helping you to simplify your routines around food and working with you to create this approach fluidly throughout your life.

The new tools are including meal plans within the program that detail 7 days worth of meals, recipes, and shopping lists during your 6 month program, with the option to continue to subscribe to the meal planning for an ongoing basis (annual subscription).

While I've learned to deconstruct and make my own habits and routines simpler, thus easier to accomplish, I have gained many tools to offer to you! I'm excited to share these tools and to continue to support you on your journey toward a healthy and dynamic life! 

For more information about these offerings, visit my website at: http://www.thenourishedlife.net

In Vibrant Health and Happiness,

Tammi Hoerner, CHHC, AADP, MH