post

Eat Clean With A Grill Pan

April 6, 2012 By 8 Comments

Months ago I saw Rachel Ray using a “grill pan” to cook burgers on her in studio stove.   I thought it was a cool idea, but then I thought nothing could beat my beloved George Foreman.

Then tragedy struck…. my George Foreman died.

After proper mourning I headed to Amazon to look into getting either a new George Foreman or try out a Grill Pan.   I ended up getting the latter and I absolutely could not be happier.

I chose the Cuisinart Green Gourmet 11″ Square Grill Pan.  (PS – its cheapest on Amazon) I was stoked when it arrived just 3 days later, and have been cooking on it almost daily ever since.

Cuisinart® is leading the way in eco-friendly branded cookware with our new GreenGourmet™ line. Exclusive Cuisinart Ceramica™ nonstick technology is ceramic based instead of petroleum based, helping to conserve existing oil supplies and the coating is applied at a temperature one half that of conventional nonsticks. And it’s completely free of PTFE and PFOA. The cookware’s hard anodized construction provides high heat conductivity, which requires less energy to reach desired cooking temperatures. Riveted stainless handles stay cool on the stovetop and are made from 70% recycled stainless steel. Today, more and more home cooks are going green… and so is Cuisinart® cookware!

Part of “Eating Clean” is adding as little as possible to whole foods.  My diet consists of all meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts – which can get boring after a while if you do not change it up from time to time.  With my Grill Pan I put just a bit of cooking spray on the pan, and a bit of dry seasoning to my meats and grill – just like I do on my outside grill!  For veggies I do the same thing – only with no seasonings at all – and it tastes just exactly like I slaved over a grill.

We use the Cuisinart Grill Pan almost daily for lunch.  It is so easy for Mike and I to throw on a chicken breast and some veggies and in 10-12 minutes have a healthy, tasty, economical lunch for us both.   And in a quarter of the time it would take us to go out, and half the time to fire up the big outdoor grill.  It is large enough for me to cook a meal for all four of us as well, which is nice, and clean up is a breeze – I just pop it right into the dishwasher.

I absolutely love this thing and have cooked chicken, steak, fish, veggies – and even a London Broil on this thing.  It cooks up perfectly and I never have to walk outside.   Between the Grill Pan and my Westbend Food Steamer, Eating Clean is not only easy, but incredibly tasty!

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated in any way for this post – I just absolutely love this thing and wanted to spread the word with my fellow Eat Clean friends!

post

Guest Post: Five Easy Ways to Eat Clean

January 11, 2012 By 2 Comments

This year I have resolved to “Eat Clean” and not fill my body with any more over processed junk and chemicals in an attempt to not only lose weight, but just feel better in general.  I have succeeded through 10 days so far and I can already tell an amazing difference.   Here is a great article from Veronica Bosgraaf, Fitness and Lifestyle expert and creator of Pure Bar, that can help you with some easy tips for how to Eat Clean.  Enjoy!

5 Easy Ways to Eat Clean

When I think of clean food, I think fresh, simple and chemical free.  It is surprising to me that in our American culture we have somehow been convinced to eat old, complicated and chemically altered foods much more often than fresh, simple and chemical free!  Isn’t that crazy?

The good news is that eating clean is very simple.  And I believe cost effective too because real food fills you up, meets your nutritional needs and doesn’t lead to cravings.  Here’s how we can do it:

Shop the produce aisle

My Grandma always said “Eat food as close to its natural state as possible”.   Food is designed to be perfectly balanced for us nutritionally.  So instead of buying juice that has been fortified with vitamin C, buy oranges!  Buy onions and potatoes and fresh spinach, pomegranates, bananas and more!  By shopping the produce aisle, you can feed your family foods created perfectly for their nutritional needs and it’s effortless!

Shop local farmers markets, bakeries, coffee roasters, beer/wine makers

The farther food travels, the older it gets and the more it needs chemical preservatives.  This is a great reason to buy local food.  Bread baked fresh from the local bakery doesn’t need preservatives, local coffee roasters create the best coffee you’ve tasted, and often they work directly with farmers to import coffee beans so you know where it came from.  I even try to buy local beer and wine.  I like to know the source of my food and to know that my food is fresh!

Understand every ingredient in a packaged food

When I created the Pure Bar for my daughter, I wanted every ingredient to be healthy and functional.  If you read the ingredient list you will see that.  I live by that same principle when I buy other packaged food.  I read the ingredients and make sure I can understand what every ingredient is.  If I can’t, I find an alternative product whose ingredients I do understand!  It’s that simple.

Make your own juice

I feel like juice is one of the worst culprits.  We grew up thinking it was healthy and now so many companies put high fructose corn syrup and flavoring into juice that they market as healthy.  A juicer changed my life!  I love my Greenstar juicer and now can barely tolerate juice from a store.  Freshly squeezed apple, pear, orange, and grape juices are leagues above the store counterparts in taste and nutrition.  The best part is you can add kale, spinach and ginger for health without changing the great taste.  Another huge bonus is that fresh squeezed juices are not pasteurized (boiled) like all juice sold in stores which means their nutrients and enzymes stay intact.

Buy organic when possible

Producing a certified organic product has opened my eyes to how stringent the process of organic certification is.  I know first-hand how clean food has to be to be certified.  From the ground the seed is planted in (tested and chemical free for 3 years before it’s allowed) to the special way a piece of equipment has to be cleaned (only natural cleaners no synthetic detergents), and every rigorous requirement in between.  I know that when I buy a certified organic product it is free of harmful chemical pesticides and herbicides, it has not been treated with sewage sludge or been showered in radiation among other things.  Looking for the organic symbol is an easy way to eat cleaner food.

——

Whether you are looking to make a complete lifestyle change, or just “clean things up” a bit any of these tips can help you get started right away!  Thank you to Veronica and be sure to check out PureBar.com for a quick, great tasting healthy snack you can take with you on the go!  Also check out Pure’s Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/thepurebar – for recipes, product specials, healthy lifestyle tips and more!