1. Home
2. Blog
3. Food
4. Sensing a theme

Sensing a theme

Written by Julie Kelly

Aug. 27, 2014

I’ve been knee-deep in client food diaries all summer. It’s the most interesting, frustrating and inspiring thing about my job. On one hand, I get a sneak peak into the lives of hard-working people trying to do the best they can to feed themselves and their families. On the other hand, I also get to see just how confusing “eating well” can be. For the most part, the clients that find their way to us at Nourish Balance Thrive have already done a lot of self-experimentation with their diets, generally know the guidelines, and only need a little tweaking to get better results. There is one theme that emerges with EVERY client. No one is eating enough vegetables. No one is eating enough fat.

To clearly demonstrate what an adequate amount of veggies and fat looks like, here is how I make dinner almost EVERY night.  

1. COOK SOME VEGETABLES (enough for 2 cups cooked, per person)

Hmm what’s in the fridge? Looks like broccolini, red cabbage, and some onion. Perfect. Chop chop, chop, heat the pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or lard, or bacon grease, or ghee, or butter), and saute said vegetables. In this medley, it was onions first, then cabbage, then broccolini added last, so it stays a bit crunchy and doesn’t get too soft. Here, I used one bunch of broccolini, one whole yellow onion and half of a medium head of red cabbage. About 4 cups of veg cooked.

2. PUT SOME FRESH SALAD ON THE PLATE (1-2 cups of lettuce/baby greens)

I always buy a mixed bag of lettuce and baby greens from the farmers market, so making a salad is literally grabbing a handful of leaves, throwing them onto the plate and--if I’m feeling fancy--I add 1-2 other tasty veg like green onions, radish, and some fresh herbs. The key here is to take an opportunity to increase your veg intake by 1-2 cups.

3. PICK AND COOK YOUR PROTEIN (should not usually exceed more than 30g per serving)

Here it was a lamb burger. I had made a batch of burgers and meatballs to last a few days so this was a simple addition. When I cook the protein fresh, I often add the cooking juices to the cooked vegetables during cooking or when plated because I don’t want to waste the fat or the juice! Don’t forget to top your finished protein with a little extra fat before serving (a pat of butter, a tsp of MCT Oil or maybe just ghee.)

4. SALAD>>COOKED VEG>>PROTEIN>>MORE FAT (LOOK HOW PRETTY!!)

Now, all you have to do is assemble! Top the 1-2 cups of salad that you’ve put on the plate with 2 cups of the cooked vegetables. Then, add your protein. Next, add some more fat to the dish. I usually add half an avocado, avocado oil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some MCT oil, butter, more coconut oil, or ghee. It adds up to about a tablespoon or two over the top of the whole meal.

I’m also excited to announce that we are very close to releasing a short e-book about the way we ‘really eat’ as a family, how I shop and how I put together meals to make sure we are never guilty of skipping the veg or fat. Stay tuned and make sure to sign up here so you don’t miss it!