Back to the basics!

As many of you know, I have not made this journey to health over night. I am also aware that many of you are just now joining this journey, and I'm so grateful to be apart of that. And as I have several years under my belt now, it has been brought to my attention that some of my recipes and ingredients are a little intimidating and/or unfamiliar. Unfortunately, blogger does not allow me to better organize and file my blogs...It only organizes them in my blog archive by date. So many of the "essentials" and "beginners" posts that I posted in the beginning (that are oh so important for your success) get lost because they are from almost a year ago. The only way to find them is to use the search box on the top left corner, or to search tediously through the months in the blog archive on the right hand side.

So as a refresher I'm bringing back the basics, and then some...because, as many of you also know, my diet has continuously progressed since beginning this blog. However, I also understand that many of my followers do not have the goal to be "Vegan", and I hope this post will help make my blog more relateable, and doable for all of my readers. My recipes here can be modified or can be used as a side dish to perhaps something more animal infected (ewww, jk jk, kind of).

My previous post Define Clean outlines (and still holds true) what I avoid, and contains a few staples and replacements that can get you started on a clean whole foods diet so I highly advise thoroughly reading it. When I personal train, I have a broad array of clients, with a broad array of goals, from the elderly to the athlete, that is more or less what I advise to everyone modified slightly to incoorperate allegries, medical conditions, and preferences. Obviously on that list, I now avoid any animal products, organic-free range, or not, I choose not to consume it- however, if you do consume it, lean, organic, free-range is the less toxic way to go (but, yes, it is pricey)! Even way back when I wrote "Define Clean", my goal was to consume and create healthier alternatives using whole foods opposed to prepackaged highly preserved junk...and that is still my goal, and still what I strive to have my recipes do. I do this by purchasing lots and lots and lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, clean oils, nuts, and seeds. These, along with a broad collection of seasonings which can be obtained at any grocery store, are what make up my primary ingredients list in my recipes. 

Now a more thorough introduction and explanation of my pantry staples, that again, many of you are unfamiliar with. For those of you that are familiar with these products, please, bare with me because I want to make the transition as comfortable and convenient for everyone! I do shop at a health food store about twice a month for a few rare ingredients and supplements, but those stores can be entirely overwhelming for someone who has never been in one and is unfamiliar with the products, what, and where to look. Not to mention, they can be insanely expensive depending on the product...but I very rarely use the goods that I buy from there in the recipes that I share on here, and if I do there is almost always a possible substitute. The remainder of my ingredients (because they are simple foods produce and such as listed above) are easier to get a hold of then you may think. So let me familiarize you a bit with the commonly used and easily found ingredients. 

A few of my more recent posts include the occasional tofu, veganaise (vegan mayo), or alternative "cheeses", but I try to use these products sparingly because they are processed- and whole foods is definitely the way to go. But if you are unfamiliar with tofu but are trying to replicate one of my particularly "vegan" recipes, like my scrumptious pumpkin pie, tofu is commonly found at your local grocery store (even Walmart) in the produce section. There are a few expensive suppliments I may have mentioned in a few smoothie recipes and such like maca, hemp or rice protein, or cacao powder, these are just supplemental and can be taken out completely or replaced (example: cacao can be replace with cocoa or carob). 

Coconut oil and olive oil are pretty much my go-to butter and oil substitute, and are used in just about every recipe I post. These are both easy to find everywhere (again, even Walmart) in the baking isle. Coconut oil is a touch pricey (I've seen it anywhere from 8-13 bucks for a 16 oz container) but remember you will probably only need to budget this purchase in once a month. I bake and cook a lot more than the average Joe, pretty much 3 meals a day and for 4-7 people on average, so I budget in the 54 oz jar found at Costco for $27, and that lasts me at least a month, if not two. 

Moving right along, sweetener replacements that I use regularly are stevia in the raw, agave in the raw, raw honey, and occasionally Grade B maple syrup. Stevia in the raw comes in a very large 9.7 oz green bag in the baking isle of Walmart for $8, and will last you a life time. I might go through a bag every, hmmmm, 4-6 months, maybe. I use stevia in my tea, and some baking dishes when I need just a little sweet but want zero calories. Next, agave in the raw, is low glycemic and rich in nutrients, and is also found in the baking isle in Walmart for about 5 bucks. This, and raw honey is what I buy and use most frequently. When I can't purchase my raw local honey in bulk through my produce box, I am able to find it in the health food section or syrup section of a few of my local grocery stores out here in the west- It's not exclusive to a health food store. Depending on where you live though, prices may vary significantly, and it might not be at every store (I have not found RAW honey at Walmart). BUT, that's okay, because you can ALWAYS substitute honey with agave. Last sweetener, is Grade B maple syrup, this is the priciest and hardest to find alternative, so I rarely use it...Grade A can be found everywhere but it's more processed than I prefer. Agave can be substituted for maple syrup as well...agave is what I typically use to top my kids pancakes. 

On my previous staples list in Define Clean I didn't mention flax, chia, or hemp seeds. These are absolute staples in my house (due to their high protein and omega 3 content) especially since I adopted an all plant-based diet. Now that I don't use eggs, you've probably seen a lot more flax in my recipes. 1 tbsp of flax (or chia) seed added to 3 tablespoons of water is equivalent to 1 egg. It's generally a necessity in my recipes, not optional, unless you substitute an egg. Luckily, flax seeds are the easiest seed to find though, and can be found in any grocery store (I've even found it at Walmart), however it's not always in the same section. It's usually in the baking isle, cereal isle, or healthy/organic isle (just ask someone). Chia and hemp seeds I have found in some regular local grocers that have a larger healthy foods section but not Walmart. I use flax and chia for baking so those you will find in my blogged recipes. Hemp seeds are a complete protein that I use for supplementation to my smoothies, salads, wraps, pastas, and so forth but they have little to no taste and are completely optional.

Quinoa is becoming more popular by the day, thus it's becoming easier to find. It's an awesome complete protein that is so versatile so it'd be a shame not to spend the money on adding this to your pantry. Again, check your local grocers health food/organic section, or pasta, baking, or cereal isles. Or  make your life easy by just asking- you might think that they won't know what you're talking about, but they will- pronounced KEEEN-WAH;)! Expect to pay about 10 bucks for what seems like a tiny bag, but it holds more servings than you'd think. It expands a lot, and is very satiating. 

Aside from these few majorly important staples, the remaining ingredients are a VERY LARGE VARIETY of fresh produce, whole grain flours, rices, pastas, and beans...again, found everywhere with average prices. Hopefully, this simplifies things a bit. Don't be intimidated, eating clean can be easier than you think. And I'm here to help, feel free to ask me your questions, especially if you are curious about certain substitutions. The more you cook and explore with these ingredients, the easier everything becomes. Practice makes perfect. I didn't get here over night. I was that girl that refused (literally, refused) to cook anything that didn't come out of a box or package, and now I own that produce section and refuse (literally, refuse) to walk down the frozen "foods" section (unless it's for frozen fruits and veggies). I was so uneducated, and so unfamiliar with the kitchen...but I did it! SO I KNOW YOU CAN TOO! It becomes so rewarding when you start realizing you can create tasty and healthy meals on your own. 

In the future I will be hosting cooking shin-digs, where you can join me in the kitchen to learn and explore these products first hand. So all you Floridians, get excited, and start thinking of things you'd like to learn how to recreate from wholesome healthy ingredients!

I'm sure I left out something, or perhaps I left you with more questions than maybe you had going into this post. I'd be happy to expand further. Feedback is always welcome!

There is no better day than today to get started! 

~xoxo~

Simply, Healthy, Nikki