Great if you’re short on time but still want to eat healthy! These are meant to be ideas for quick recipes with whatever you have in your kitchen.
Kristen’s Basic Roasted Veggies
Great for:
- Sweet potatoes
- White potatoes
- Butternut squash
- Celery root (celeriac)
- Carrots
- Pumpkin
- Rutabaga
- Turnips
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Chop veggies into about 1-inch cubes.
- Toss them in a large bowl with a few drizzles of your preferred cooking fat (olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, bacon fat, etc.).
- Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt. Also add sprinkles of pepper or any other herbs/ spices you’d like. Get creative and try different combinations!
- Arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet (they cook quicker if they don’t touch).
- Roast about 25-30 minutes. Should be tender and lightly browned.
Kristen’s Basic Sautéed Veggies
Great for:
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Onion
- Red pepper
- Green pepper
- Chop whatever vegetables you’ve chosen into about 1-inch slices (or smaller, which will help decrease cooking time).
- In a medium pan, add about a tablespoon of your preferred cooking fat (olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, bacon fat, etc.) on medium to med-high heat.
- After about 2-3 minutes, add one piece of a veggie to see if it sizzles when it goes in. If it sizzles, the fat is hot enough for you to add the rest of the veggies to sauté.
- Sprinkle with salt every once in a while.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Veggies should be soft but not mushy.
NOTE: if using a mixture of the above, add onion first and cook for about 5 minutes before adding anything else.
Kristen’s Basic Sautéed Greens
Besides a salad, probably the quickest way to get your greens in!
Great for:
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Kale
- Dandelion Greens
- Collards
- Chard
- Watercress
- Wash and dry your chosen greens.
- Cut leaves into 2-3-inch pieces, if they aren’t already small.
- In a medium pan, add about a 1-2 teaspoons of your preferred cooking fat (olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, bacon fat, etc.) on low to medium heat.
- After about 2-3 minutes, add a piece of a leaf to see if it sizzles when it goes in. You need a gentle sizzle rather than a loud sizzle or pop.
- Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until greens have wilted.
- Sprinkle with salt (if desired).
Kristen’s Basic Roasted Chicken
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
- Add your seasonings, etc. I prefer to add ghee just under the skin on the breast and then sprinkle liberally with salt.
- Roast in a roasting pan in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.
- Then decrease temperature to 350F degrees and roast for 20 minutes per pound. So for a 5-lb bird, the total time in the oven would be 110-115 minutes (1 hour and 50-55 minutes). Juices should run clear.
- If you’d like crispy skin on the top, broil on high for just a few minutes – you have to stand right next to the oven and look at it every minute or so because broiling could cause it to burn if left in the oven too long.
Kristen’s Basic Baked Salmon
I buy a pack of 5-6 frozen wild-caught salmon filets from Whole Foods.
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- In a small oven-safe glass dish, drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the bottom to ensure the fish doesn’t stick to the dish.
- Place the thawed filet into the dish.
- Sprinkle liberally with sea salt.
- Herbs: next, I like to squeeze half a lemon onto the salmon and sprinkle liberally with dried basil. Feel free to experiment with garlic powder, lemon and thyme, or anything else you find in your spice cabinet.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake 11-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet. Thin filets will require less time, of course. The salmon is done when you take a fork and easily flake out a small chunk from the middle – the inside should be very close in color to the outside. If it’s darker, it still needs a little time in the oven, so try another minute or so.