The 4 most popular diets...and what they have in common.

Hey all,

So, one of my favorite ways to share wellness tips and strategies is through my weekly, live Workshop Wednesday videos.  My most recent one was about the 4 most popular "lifestyle" diets at this time and what they all have in common.  


Yup, that's right!  There are 3 things you can do right now that will help you get the same health-promoting and weight loss results that people following these top 4 diets are raving about…without a million rules or a list of "good" and "bad" foods! Check out the video right here and start to tackle these today!

In good health,

Tara

EATING MORE for weight loss

January is almost over!

How are those resolutions coming along?

I recorded a video LIVE on facebook last week that may help you with your weight loss goals AND hunger pangs.  We got into macros, portion sizes, quality foods, and how to ADD more food into your day while crowding out the junk.  This won't just help your waistline, it will help improve your overall health!

Happy Saturday,

Tara

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Hummus

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Hummus (Servings 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes

• 2 tablespoons sea salt

• 1-2 cups baby kale leaves 

• ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes 

• 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

• Sea salt and cracked black pepper 

• 1 sweet onion, chopped

• 1 cup hummus

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 

2. Place the sweet potatoes on an baking sheet, pierce a few times with a fork and rub with salt. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until cooked. 

3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place the kale, chili, oil salt and pepper on a baking sheet with parchment paper and toss to combine. Cook for 8–10 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

4. Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp. of olive oil and add chopped onions.  Sauté until golden brown.  (about 15-18 minutes)

5. Cut the sweet potatoes in half, and top with the hummus, caramelized onion and crispy kale to serve.

If your family is anything like mine, hummus is an entire food group!  Sometimes homemade, usually store bought (because...time saver), but no matter what, there's always a shelf in the fridge dedicated just to our hummus.  An occasional container of salsa, dressing, or dip might try to sneak up there with the hummus, but that usually doesn't last long.

So, why not pair something warm, sweet, delicious, and colorful like sweet potatoes with one of the only foods that every person in our household eats?!

If you try the Baked Sweet Potatoes with Hummus recipe, drop a comment and let us know what you think!

In good health,

Tara

P.S. If you are enjoying these recipes and are looking for more delicious plant-based & gluten-free options, make sure to sign up for my email list!  I will hook you up.  ;-)

You can sign up right on my homepage at TaraAllenHealth.com

Oatmeal Bites

Full disclosure here...

Sometimes it gets quite tedious to feed Jagger (the baby) anything liquid-y and messy like oatmeal.  Often, his time in the highchair eating breakfast is when I like to chat about what we're doing for the day, eat my own breakfast, and/or load the dishwasher while no one is trying to crawl inside.

I decided it was about time to create another recipe that got in some healthy, breakfast ingredients in convenient, finger-food bites.

Alas, these oatmeal bites were born.

Jagger-dude polishes these off within minutes and Magnolia feels like she's getting dessert for breakfast.  I don't correct her - these could absolutely be used for a dessert at well!  

I've since experimented by adding and subbing lots of other mix-ins, and let me tell you, these bad boys are pretty versatile!  Feel free to get creative and let me know how they come out for you.

Oatmeal Bites

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of quick oats (we use gluten free)
• 1 cup pureed carrot (pumpkin or sweet potato work well too)
• 2 large & ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 medium & ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 T crushed walnuts (optional)
• 2 T raisins (optional)
• 1/2 large carrot, grated - save half for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
3. In a blender, mix the wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients.
4. Spread batter in a greased, 8X8 cake pan.  (Any baking pan with an edge will be fine, just keep a close eye and adjust cooking times).
5. Add grated carrot garnish to tops, if using.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and batter no longer jiggles.  
7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares (or triangles or dinosaurs…whatever will make your kiddo smile).

Enjoy!

In good health,

Tara