Food and The Natural Gourmet Institute

Food has such a great impact on our health. Food and healing truly fit hand in hand. The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts was founded by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.; a leading figure in the natural foods and the holistic health field.

The school was founded on the principle that what we eat significantly affects our physical, mental and spiritual well being.

With these principles in mind, The Natural Gourmet has created a framework for healthy food selection based on specific criteria for high quality ingredients and concepts of eastern and western nutrition.

The amount of invaluable knowledge gained has fully equipped me to improve the lives of many in pursuit of healthy eating. The program's main focus is "Food and Healing." Many of the program’s lectures were based on, nutrition, food and the immune system, medicinal cooking for: cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Various cooking methods of food also play a big role in our health. As a personal chef and meal plan consultant, I can teach you how to cook with alternative ingredients and gluten/wheat free recipes that are healthy for you.

Please ask me about preparing meals in your home and catering your next special event!

Do you often question, what can I eat if I can’t have dairy, wheat, corn or soy? The answer is there are plenty of nutrient dense whole foods that nature provides for us to eat. Whole foods are foods that nature provides with all their edible parts intact. The key factor is eating the way nature intended for our bodies to digest food. Nature is so amazingly beautiful and intelligent. For example, a kidney bean resembles a kidney. Kidney beans are rich in dietary fiber which helps reduce cholesterol and sugar in our blood stream. They also detoxify sulfates, which can lead to irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, both of which are dangerous to the kidneys. Kidney beans are rich in iron, protein and vitamins of the category B1, B6 and folate which help boost memory and immunity in the body. Another example of nutrient dense whole foods which are rich in calcium are spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, white beans, okra, beet greens and Chinese cabbage. Nature has fully equipped us for health and survival.

In addition to food, water plays a very big part of our eating regimen. Think about it, we can survive longer without food than without water. Once we are dehydrated, we often mistake thirst for hunger. It is extremely important to stay well hydrated throughout the day.

Chicken Thigh Braise Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of organic chicken thighs
• sea salt (to taste)
• dried herbs used- Herbed sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and oregano
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the pan)
• 1 clove of fresh minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of fresh minced shallots
• a generous splash of white cooking wine or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of organic chicken stock

Directions:

Heat large pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Also, set oven temp.at 375.

Make sure chicken is patted dry and seasoned with the sea salt and dried herbs.

Add the minced garlic and shallots to pan and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes making sure garlic does not burn.

Add the chicken bone side down first and let cook for 5minutes.

Turn over and cook the other side for another 5 minutes.

Add white cooking wine or you can use white wine vinegar. This will deglaze the pan and create a richer sauce base.

Add the chicken stock, cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven to finish cooking can range between another 15 to 20 minutes.

The chicken will be done once juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink inside.

3 Simple & Low Calorie Quinoa Recipes

A few years ago, I hadn't even heard about Quinoa. Its one of those things that you ignore unless someone or something forces you to look at it with a different perspective. For me, the search for feeding something healthy and nutritious to my toddler is exposing me to a wide variety of foods which I would otherwise fail to notice! And Quinoa is one such recently discovered gem. [Image via Wikimedia]

Filled with protein and other nutrients good for brain development, this easy-to-cook this super-grain is a great addition to any healthy diet plan. I have to admit, it wasn't especially appealing in taste. However, like any other healthy recipe, you have to compromise on taste a little bit - but who knows, it might easily strike a chord with you! Luckily, there are plenty of versatile ways to enjoy it. These 3 simple recipes with Quinoa, courtesy of Australian Lifestyle Fitness, has made it easy for me to incorporate Quinoa into our daily diet. These are all very nutritious and tasty recipes; I especially like the Breakfast Quinoa, as it suits kids well. The Bean & Capsicum curry is more for adults, and will go well as a great main or side dish.

1. Quinoa with Spinach and Feta
This is a light and tasty dish that can be used as a side or as a main meal. Each serve has only 239 calories, but it’s packed with 7.4 grams of protein- a perfect healthy addition to your diet!

1/2 cup raw Quinoa, washed
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups spinach, washed and chopped
40 grams light feta cheese
1 tsp olive oil

Put the quinoa and water in a pan and bring to boil. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Heat a fry pan with the olive oil, and gently cook the garlic. Add the spinach to wilt. Add the cooked quinoa to the pan. Roughly crumble the feta and add that as well. Gently mix together and serve as a healthy side dish!

2. Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa
Start your day out right with this healthy and delicious breakfast quinoa. With only 228 calorie and 8.9 grams of protein, it’s a guilt free treat that will keep you feeling full and energized all throughout the morning.

1/2 cup quinoa, washed
1 cup natural apple juice
1 cup light soy milk
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup raisins

Bring the apple juice and quinoa to boil in a medium pan. Let simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Add the soy milk, cinnamon and raisins. Cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla essence. Serve hot or cold!

3. Quinoa with Beans and Capsicum
For a more exotic twist, try this spicy bean mix. Make it hotter by adding in more spices to your taste. This meal has 317 calories and 11.5 grams of protein, making it a great filling meal for lunch or dinner.

1/2 cup quinoa, washed
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 medium red capsicum, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can black beans or kidney beans
1/8 cup chopped cilantro

Bring the quinoa and 1 cup of the broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Cook the garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper and cumin over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the onion and capsicum and cook until tender. Stir in the beans and the remaining 1/4 cup of broth. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve immediately.

Garlic & Lemon Escarole Recipe

Garlic & Lemon Escarole

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of escarole, trimmed, washed and chopped
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• Zest of half of lemon
• Juice of 1/4 of lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:

To make the dressing, blend the following in blender: olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sea salt.

In a skillet over medium-high heat add a 1/2 of the dressing mixture let heat about 1 minute, add the escarole until wilted.

Add the remaining dressing to the escarole, heat through 1 more minute and serve.

You can use less of the dressing depending on the yield of escarole once wilted.

Healthy Thyme Catering Flyer

A Few Photos of My Family Garden

Here are a few photos of my family garden.  You can view many more on Facebook or the Healthy Thyme Cooking website.

Acorn Squash

Basil and other herbs

Boston Lettuce, Arugula, Baby Romaine Lettuce, Swiss Chard and Escarole

Fresh Thyme

Nut Butter Recipe

Nut Butter

(with walnuts) yields about 10 ounces

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw walnuts
• Sea Salt

Directions:

Set food processor on high speed setting, add walnuts through food processor shoot. At first, the mix will be dry and dusty. Continue processing until walnuts release oil and texture becomes smooth and creamy. This can take about 10 minutes for the oils to release. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor as necessary to make sure all walnuts get blended well. At the end, add sea salt to taste.

*Optional to add cinnamon or a little pure vanilla extract. Keep in the refrigerator.

Welcome to the Healthy Thyme Blog!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Marcella Guglielmo and I am the owner and caterer of Healthy Thyme Catering, which specializes in healthy lunch menus, authentic Italian cuisine and baked goods.  I am also a Personal Chef and Meal Plan Consultant at Healthy Thyme Cooking.  

The purpose of this blog is to share recipes, chit chat, tips, photos and anything else that may enter my mind when it comes to healthy cooking.  Feel free to visit my websites to learn more about me and my endeavors and join me on facebook.   I'm looking forward to sharing my world of cooking with you and I hope you will visit 'thyme' and thyme again! 



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