Category: Health tips

We recently had a Ruben, a fourth year naturopathic student, in the clinic, so we’ve got an extra name on the roster for our behind-the-scenes lunch coverage. 🙂  -Tara

Shelby:

• “Big colourful salad” – kale, spinach, red lettuce, red pepper, broc, sunflower sprouts, sunflower seeds.  Topped with “Gil’s dressing”. (vegan, gluten-free)
• Grilled veggies and azuki beans with sea salt and Indian spices. (vegan, gluten-free)

Kendra:

• Roasted root vegetables, beets and turkey (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Ruben:

• Homemade hummus and carrots.  Roasted potato and leftover roast beef. (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Tara:

• Lentil, feta cheese and sun-dried tomato salad with short grain brown rice. Topped with roasted seeds and avocado.  Served over a bed of greens. (gluten-free, vegetarian)

The “What We’re Having For Lunch” posts have been a big hit, and we’ve been getting requests for healthy lunch ideas for kids, too. Here are a few, including links to recipes from previous posts and our newsletter.

Enjoy – if you’ve got any ideas to add, leave them in the comments!

-Tara

1. Organic blue corn chips – kids love the colour!
2. Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Plain, salted or in sweet clusters at the Bulk Barn.
3. Sliced apple with cinnamon. (So the apple doesn’t brown.)
4. Kiwi. Cut one in half and let your kids scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
5. Black bean dip.
6. Hummus. (SummerFresh makes individual containers.)
7. Popcorn with nutritional yeast.
8. Quinoa chicken nuggets.
9. Meatballs with dipping sauce.
10. Lentil crackers (or other bean crackers).
11. Black bean corn chips.
12. Stir fried rice or rice and beans (Thermos).
13. Wraps with avocado and other vegetables.
14. Quiche or frittata.
15. Hard boiled eggs.
16. Cold pancakes – especially a protein pancake.
17. Baked beans (homemade or Eden organics canned).
18. Roast your own turkey breast and cut into slices for sandwich, wraps or to eat on its own.
19. Quesadillas (make them with corn tortillas and they’re gluten-free)

A sampling of the naturopathic lunch fare floating around the staff room this week. 🙂

-Tara

Kendra

• Vegetarian Curry Stir-Fry: PC’s Tikka Marsala sauce and all kinds of vegetables and chick-peas. Served with a quinoa and wild rice combo that can be bought at Costco. (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

Tara

• Turkey chili:  1 lb ground turkey browned with 1 onion and garlic. Add 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 can mixed beans and 1-2 tbsp chili powder. Cook on low in crock-pot overnight. Served with ½ avocado diced and handful of chopped parsley. (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Shelby

• A visit to the local Café Chartreuse here in Collingwood for the 3-salad combo: Roasted Brussels sprouts, navy bean and artichoke salad and grilled veggies. A truly great place for a homemade, healthy lunch!

One of the most common questions we get from our patients who need to go on gluten-free, dairy-free, or other restricted diets, is “What do you eat for lunch?”

This is particularly common for those on gluten-free diets. As a culture, we eat a lot gluten. Sandwiches, wraps and pitas are built on wheat. Most restaurant and fast-food choices contain gluten in abundance.

When I look around the lunch room at StoneTree Clinic, though, gluten is almost never in evidence.  Most of our meals are not only gluten-free, they are dairy-free, egg-free, yeast-free and sugar-free as well–meals that give us energy, help us maintain a normal body weight, keep our skin looking great, and get rid of those pesky mid-afternoon cravings.

To be clear, though, we didn’t always eat this way. We’ve had a lot of support and practice over the years. We’ve had to learn to see and prepare food differently.

To help you do the same, we’re going to start sharing what were eating for lunch to give you ideas, strategies and tools to help you make change.

We hope you enjoy it!

Yours in good Health,
Tara, Shelby and Kendra

Tara:
(Gluten free, diary free, egg free, yeast free – vegan)

• Brussells Sprouts and Navy Bean Salad – 4 cups roasted Brussels sprouts (with olive oil and salt) – 400F for 20 minutes, 1 cup cooked navy beans (could use one can).  Combine both with diced sun-dried tomatoes, 1 can of artichokes diced and topped with balsamic glaze.
• Eaten over 2 handfuls of mixed greens.

Shelby:
(gluten, dairy, egg, yeast, sugar free – vegan)

• Tofu & veggie curry – you can find the recipe (and many more!) on Shelby’s extensive recipe page here.
• Chopped raw veg – red pepper, celery and carrot.

Kendra:
(gluten, dairy, egg, yeast free – vegan)

• Green Smoothie – vegan protein powder with kale, carrot, celery, apple, berries, chia seeds, hemp hearts, raw cacao.
• Baked Beans