Cyd Notter

Nutrition Educator/ Author/ Coach

Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

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Guess what Santa delivered last month (via a gift from friends)? A brand new shiny Instant Pot!

A quick search for plant-based I.P. recipes revealed hundreds, of course, but this one from veganricha.com caught my eye: Instant Pot Lasagna Soup! I was in the mood for a tomatoey pasta dish, and this recipe seemed rather easy.

This was my first experience with an Instant Pot (I know, I know, I’m a late bloomer!) I’ve always used a Pressure Cooker (which is very similar), but I love the sauté feature with the Instant Pot!

Here’s what I did differently for this recipe: It calls for lasagna noodles broken into small pieces, or your pasta of choice. So I chose whole-wheat penne shells (5 oz., or about 1/3 of the 16-oz. box). I did not add the optional tomato paste (I’m sure it would be great), but I did add a bit more tomato puree than called for. I also added the optional fennel seed because I love its aroma and flavor.

Tip: This recipe comes together quickly, so have all your veggies chopped and ready to go.

Lasagna Soup turned out like a pasta dish rather than a soup, but you could add more broth if you choose. There are several variations/options listed on the recipe. Top with home-made Faux Parma, if desired. Easy and delicious!

Plus PACKED with fiber (11 grams), protein (14.5 grams), and is less than 10% fat!

 

Join My Book Launch Team

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Photo on VisualHunt.com

Let’s Do Launch!

I’m excited to announce that The “Plan A” Diet book is in the hands of the printer! It won’t be long now until I’ll have copies in hand, and the book will be available for pre-order on Amazon.

A Book Launch Team helps create momentum and plays an important role in the book’s initial “lift-off!” I’m looking for a great team of “Launchers” to help do that successfully!

Launchers are committed volunteers who read a complimentary copy of the book before anyone else (in digital form), and agree to post a review and share on social media.

For complete details and instructions on how to sign up, please click here.

Spots are limited, so don’t delay – inquire today 🙂 – Would love to have you on the team!

 

Artificial Sweeteners: not so sweet for your health

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        Photo credit: CME FISH on Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Artificial sweeteners seem like attractive alternatives to sugar because they’re intensely sweet and add no calories to your diet. Such sweeteners are widely used in processed foods such as soft drinks, candy, jellies, dairy products, puddings, and pretty much anything labeled “sugar-free.” The most popular fake sweeteners on the market today are Equal and NutraSweet (aspartame); Splenda (sucralose); Sweet One, ACK, and Sunett (acesulfame); and Sweet ’N Low (saccharin).

I notice a lot of people drinking diet sodas and adding fake sweeteners to their coffee, tea, and even food, just to save a few calories. But is that really a good idea? Consuming chemically altered, man-made products which are not found in nature DOES have it’s consequences. Fake sweeteners in general seem to have one thing in common – they all negatively affect our health, even in small concentrations.

Here’s a few reasons why we should take a pass on fake sweeteners:

  • Increased fat storage and the risk of obesity
  • Increased risk of metabolic syndrome
  • Induces glucose intolerance and affects A1c levels, contributing to type 2 diabetes
  • Linked to hypertension
  • Alters our gut bacteria (which has been observed to increase rates of irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease), and detrimental for those who already suffer these conditions

Artificial sweeteners made in a laboratory contain no nutrition and should be avoided. Stevia is the only packaged sweetener I’m comfortable recommending for beverages. To date, there are no known health issues when stevia is used sparingly. Other alternatives include date paste or date syrup, which are made using only whole dates, or natural sugars used sparingly as shown in my previous post.

To learn more, check out Dr. Greger’s videos:

Splenda side effects
Aspartame and the Brain
Does Aspartame Cause Cancer?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (GW)

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Sugar – In Reasonable Amounts?

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Many people struggle with sugar, after all, it’s one of the most highly addictive foods out there.

Perhaps your New Year’s resolution includes giving up (or reducing) the amount of processed sugar in your diet.

In this brief video, Dr. John McDougall discusses how to use natural sugar in small, reasonable amounts when consuming it along with starch (oatmeal, whole grain pancakes, and so on). Doing so is fine for most people.

Photo credit: Vinko HK on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

If you’re a sugar addict, however, all refined sugars are best eliminated totally. Fruit and dates are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth or sweeten recipes, too. Here’s a simple Chocolate Caramel Shake recipe – sweetened only with bananas – which is delicious, and satisfying:

1.5 cups unsweetened plant milk
2 small frozen bananas (peel bananas, cut into chunks, freeze)
2 TBS cacao powder (or cocoa)
¼ tsp. caramel extract

Blend all in a high-powered blender until smooth. To make the shake sweeter, add a few pitted dates . To thicken the shake AND add sweetness, add additional chunks of frozen banana. To thin the mixture, add a bit of plant milk. Tweak as you go.

It’s not smart to stuff yourself with sweets,
    nor is glory piled on glory good for you.

(Proverbs 25:27, MSG)

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Planning to diet this January? Do this first!

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Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash

The holidays and the leftover desserts will soon be behind us, which means that many Americans will once again be resolve to make some changes beginning January 1. Several statistical websites reveal that the top three resolutions typically include losing weight, getting fit, and living life to the fullest. Fortunately, all three of those goals can be achieved with one lifestyle change….namely, diet.

There are hundreds of diet plans on the market today. In addition to the mainstream diet plans we see advertised with their celebrity spokespeople, a quick google search reveals such things as the Cabbage Soup diet, the Cookie diet, the Leek diet, the Baby Food diet, various e-diets, and so on. Some people fall prey to these questionable, unhealthy diet plans as their unrealistic hunt for the next magic bullet continues. Then there are the more popular fad diets, including calorie restriction diets, blood type diets, keto diets, anti-grain diets and caveman diets, which are typically low-carb, high protein diets; these types of plans can be quite dangerous, as I’ve explained in previous columns.

Here’s the plan you need if you want to lose weight permanently and improve or REGAIN your heath while doing so!

Don’t dwell on past failures – instead look ahead to the fit, healthy person you’re designed to be!

 

But the Lord says,  “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened

long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do.

It is happening already—you can see it now!

I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.

Isaiah 43:18-19, Good News Translation (GNT)

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