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Tag Archives: Pamela Salzman


Back to School – Tried and True Breakfast Ideas for Everyone!

Posted on August 2, 2017 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has 2 Comments on Back to School – Tried and True Breakfast Ideas for Everyone!

Summer break is soon coming to an end, and I’m already anxious about how to keep my kids nourished (thinking of breakfast ideas) and my sanity intact as schedules start to ramp up. Staying ahead of crazy hunger is the name of the game, whether it be for breakfast, snacks or dinner.

In this three part series, we will share quick and easy ways to feed your kids and yourself.

First up, breakfast ideas!

Without question breakfast is the most important meal of the day … for brain development, daily energy levels, and our ability to focus. So make it a priority! Discover our top tried and true breakfast ideas below.

Keys to a successful morning:

  • Be prepared.
  • Shop for the week.
  • Buy in bulk – Organic lovers, meet Costco!
  • Get a jump start – Set the table and put ingredients together in the fridge the night before. Place vitamins in little ramekins at their place setting. Plan to get up at least 10 minutes earlier. It makes all the difference.
  • Think protein, fiber and good fat.

Our Super 7 Breakfast Ideas

  1. Self Serve Oatmeal Bar. So cute! Just add hot water rolled oats and wait two minutes. Arrange toppings in small bowls:
    • Maple syrup, organic brown sugar, cinnamon
    • Blueberries and Bananas
    • Hemp or Chia Seeds
    • Coconut Butter, Organic Peanut butter or Almond butter
    • Coconut flakes & Cacao nibs
    • Toasted Pecans
    • Tip: Cook steel-cut oatmeal overnight in your crock pot the night before so it will be ready in the a.m. This will keep for a week in the fridge!
  2. Breakfast burrito/wrap – Fresh, whole wheat tortillas – not “MISSION” – or try my favorite, Siete Almond Flour tortillas!!, mixed with pastured eggs and pico de gallo. Drain a can of black beans the night before and add those in the mix too. Protein and healthy fats are crucial for brain function and keeping blood sugar levels even. Try your eggs scrambled in coconut oil.
  3. Fresh smoothies made with frozen berries, bananas, raw almonds/water, Epic Vegan Protein. Stock up on your ingredients from our GEM at Home Collection. Keep cacao and dates on hand too. Try this Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie. My family so loves this with additional chocolate protein added.
  4. Healthy Smoothie Bowl. Here’s a secret: Bowls are just smoothies with less liquid! Top yours with berries, hemp seeds, Marge’s granola. Another secret: Our FOYO Parfait is a smoothie bowl … in a travel ready cup! Need instruction? Check out this video on how to make the prefect bowl. YOU WILL BE A MORNING ROCK STAR!
  5. King Arthur GF Pancake Mix with blueberries. This gluten-free brand is amazing!!!! They really are fantastic when cooked with coconut oil. They need almost no syrup! Combine with scrambled eggs to balance with protein or wrap up a Applegate Farms Chicken Sausage Link.
  6. PB&J: Ezekial Bread toasted with almond butter and your favorite jam (not the kind with food coloring and lots of chemicals. Read your labels! I adore Avocado Toast!!
  7. Get ahead of the game and make a Breakfast Casserole!! This Hashbrown and Spinach Egg Casserole is amazing. Even better, pour the mixture into muffin tins for quick on the go breakfast bites or protein snacks! Another recipe here.

 

And hey, remember: The time in the morning is precious and can be a great way to take a moment to set your intention for the day, spend a moment with your kids and practice your own self-care.

Want more great cooking instruction?

Check out our dear friend Pamela Salzman’s new Kitchen Matters Cookbook. In Kitchen Matters, she shares the recipes that have won the praise of Nicole Richie, Rashida Jones, Audrina Patridge and other mega-fans. Both practical and elegant, Kitchen Matters offers a road map for new and busy home cooks to begin including more wholesome foods every day, for meals as nourishing as they are unforgettable.

Want more?

Book Signing Monday, August 21

Join us at our Forest location August 21st, 10 a.m. – noon, for a book signing AND demo at 11 a.m.!!


This Fall Food will Give Your Insides a Warm, GEM~my Hug

Posted on November 7, 2016 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has 1 Comment on This Fall Food will Give Your Insides a Warm, GEM~my Hug

Our desire for warmer, more grounding, fall food starts to increase now that cooler weather is upon us. fall foodYour body craves the comfort of roasted veggies, rich stews and robust soups.

Inside The GEM, folks start to line up for our famous Lentil Soup, Sauteed Arugula and Mushroom Salad and Turmeric Lattes. SHAZAM! Those things are good and they give your insides a warm hug.

While you are ALWAYS welcome at our door for your daily dose of fall food goodness, we think you should branch out and try some new things at home. This Black Bean Chili was inspired by Pamela Salzman’s Turkey Chili recipe (also amazing). Look for her new cookbook coming next year!

In the meantime, try this on a lazy Sunday afternoon or at your next tailgate party. You won’t even miss the meat!

 

BLACK BEAN CHILI – A Fall Food Fav

 

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped red onion

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

1 poblano pepper chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup organic masa harina

2 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

2 teaspoons sea salt (or more to taste)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 cups veggie stock, divided — OR WATER, just adjust salt content!!

3 cups frozen organic sweet corn

3 15-ounce ounce cans cooked black beans (drained and rinsed)

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oil to a large pot. Add the onion, pepper, celery, carrots, peppers and garlic to the pot and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the masa harina, spices, salt and pepper to the pot and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
  3. Add 5 cups stock, 1 1/2 cup corn and the beans to the pot. Take the remaining 1½ cups of corn and puree with the remaining ½ cup stock/water in a Vitamix.
  4. Add the pureed corn to the pot. Mix well and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
  5. Top with condiments like chopped onion, cilantro, avocado and Bearitos corn chips.

 

Enjoy! And, remember, you are welcome at our door for your daily dose of happy and healthy.


Breakfast Ideas for Healthy Teens [Part Four in Four-Part Series]

Posted on March 2, 2016 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has Comments Off on Breakfast Ideas for Healthy Teens [Part Four in Four-Part Series]

You asked for it and here it is: breakfast ideas for healthy teens.

Remember what I said in the second blog? “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Healthy Teens

Without question this is true. For brain development, daily energy levels, ability to focus. Sugary meals give their brains nothing to function with, and the sugar spike and drop makes them sluggish and cranky. Not a good way to start the day.

If you are prepared, breakfast only takes 15 minutes in the morning. It can be a great way to spend a moment with your child and treat your family like the royalty you are.

  1. Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats. Just add hot water and wait two minutes. Add maple syrup and cinnamon, even berries for a sweet treat. You can also cook steel-cut oatmeal in your crock pot the night before so it will be ready in the am.
  2. Vital Farms or Cunningham pastured eggs. It is very important to get GOOD quality protein in them, keeping blood sugar levels even. Eggs are SOOO fast and easy to make. Try one over medium cooked in coconut oil. Serve them boiled with salt and pepper. Scramble them with spinach if your kids are open to the next level. And why pastured?
    • 2/3 more Vitamin A
    • 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
    • 3 times more Vitamin E
    • 7 times more beta carotene (according to my friends at Vital Farms)
  3. Applegate Farms Chicken Maple Sausage, scrambled egg and whole wheat English muffin–or try a Van’s GF waffle with it, like a wrap! No nitrates ever.
  4. Fresh smoothies made with frozen berries, bananas, almond milk, pomegranate juice, raw protein like Amazing Meals. Stock up on your ingredients. Keep cacao on hand too. Try the Blueberry Brain Boost Smoothie. Sneak in hemp seeds for extra protein.
  5. Make a SMOOTHIE BOWL! This is basically a smoothie with lots of other good stuff in it that you eat with a spoon not a straw. Check out this video and recipe from my friend Pamela Salzman.
  6. Vigilant Eats Oat Cereal if you are in a super rush. Just add cold or hot water and go. Spoon is already in the cup! Eleven grams of protein to start your day. Come get yours at The GEM!
  7. Healthy granola, like Hail Merry’s Cherry Almond Hemp with Malk’s vanilla almond milk. Add it on top of an extra thick smoothie for a Parfait!!
  8. Ezekiel Bread toasted with avocado, sea salt, lime and cayenne pepper.
  9. Organic peanut or almond butter and raw honey on a whole grain Van’s waffle.  Heavy on the organic nut butter.
  10. Breakfast burrito–whole wheat tortillas–the fresh ones from Central Market or Whole Foods, NOT the Mission ones with a gazillion creepy ingredients–mixed with scrambled eggs and pico de gallo. You can drain a can of black beans the night before and add those in the mix too.
  11. For the weekend: KING ARTHUR gluten free pancake mix with blueberries. This gluten-free brand is amazing!!!! The pancakes are really fantastic when cooked with coconut oil. They need almost no syrup! They make GREAT waffles too. Combine with #2 or #3 to balance with protein.
  12. Clean junk for the weekend: Cinnamon Rolls by Immaculate Baking Company: just like the Dough Boy, but without the chemicals!! They also have crescent rolls—make them with Applegate Farms chicken maple sausage links for a clean “pig in a blanket.” Winner!

And remember this important detail for breakfast: if it comes from a box, read the label. If it has a mascot, it is NOT an acceptable breakfast. Read your labels! If you don’t know what the ingredients are or how to spell them, toss it.

And as for YOU, dear parent, plan your mornings accordingly: get up early, revel in your morning routine and simply enjoy a few moments with your kids.


A MUST READ Before You Plan Your Thanksgiving Feast

Posted on November 20, 2015 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has Comments Off on A MUST READ Before You Plan Your Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There is no giant, commercially obnoxious build up with pressures to give more, do more … and no depressing let down when it’s over. It really is a time to BE GRATEFUL. Grateful for your friends, your family, your health. Take some time everyday between now and Thursday to list three things you are thankful for. It will change your perception, add to your contentment, boost your mood, lighten your load. FIND THE JOY.
Family Thanksgiving
And while you still might be fretting over whether you have enough crystal for the table, or the fact that Uncle Buck is a drunk, your son’s girlfriend is sub-par, or that your mother-in-law secretly wants to destroy you, we can help you with the other stuff. The good stuff. Let’s talk about FOOD!

Every year we hear folks lament over how they are dreading the over-consumption of unhealthy foods that bring nostalgia and comfort, but they can’t bring themselves to change things!!

You CAN fill your table with classic favorites like sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and cornbread dressing–but do it without the creepy canned cream of everything soups and the bad Lipton seasoning packets filled with MSG/GMO/WTF. Come towards the light!

There are amazing gurus like Pamela Salzman (one of our favorite GEMs), who has a Thanksgiving menu to die for! Check out her sweet potato casserole and just about everything else she does. She also helps you plan and organize every step of the way ~ a great way to be a master of the Thanksgiving celebration.

But maybe this STILL doesn’t get you in the mood to bring a healthier dish because you simply don’t want to cook. We’ve got that covered too.

Thanksgiving2015Order your sides from us! Start off with our Celery Salad and bring a bowl of the badass 3 Bean Salad, Hummus always delights (don’t forget the Sami’s chips). I plan to puree and serve our Lentil Soup on Thanksgiving night. You cannot believe how yummy that soup is with a dollop of the jalapeno pesto. Even Martha Stewart would be impressed. Take a look at our catering menu and we can have it ready for you. Salads come dry so you can mix them right before you are ready to serve.

So you still dig into that pumpkin pie, that’s cool. We love it too. We will be waiting for you on Monday to get back on track. Cleanse with a friend and you both enjoy 15% off. Because everyone loves a holiday sale.