"It's Just Better. . . " (Book Review)

Debra Abeling's recipe for healthy eating is as simple as her recipe for a life of purpose, relationships, exercise and savings.  The ingredients include whole foods, chemical free, without unnecessary fats and sugars.  The meal plan is familiar with fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins, dairy and healthy fats.

The author emphasizes 100% whole grains, full fat dairy, grass fed meats and wild caught seafood.  There is emphasis on planning, first for protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables- then picking out recipes, shopping and some chopping and cooking ahead.  The equipment is simple.

Why serve in a bowl?

• It stimulates appetitie when food is beautifully crafted.
• It's less messy.
• There are fewer dishes to wash
• It keeps the food hotter.

There are guidelines for full meal bowls and recipes for side dishes.  I quickly picked out recipes to test.

 Autumn Slow Cooked Apples and Beans

Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Millet Fruit Porridge 

Red Potato Salad

Brown Rice Pudding

 Main Dish Salad Bowl

 Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Oat Bowl

Pictured at top is Soba Noodle Bowl.

All recipes tested were tasty.  The instructions were clear.  The time necessary to prepare was minimal.  Ingredients were familiar and readily available.  

The servings sizes were large for this petite senior citizen.  I had some waste and would produce less of the stews, porridge and stew recipes in the future.  The salad bowls prevent waste, as ingredients can be used in many dishes.

The book was easy to navigate, taking about 2 hours to study and pick out recipes to try. Thank you Life Rich Publishing for the review copy.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chef and author Debra Abeling shares her nutritious and delicious recipes for healthier cooking in "It's Just Better...in a Bowl!"

FONTANA, Calif. –  Eating meals out of a bowl comes with many benefits such as aiding in portion control, easier to create balanced nutritious meals, and is comforting to eat from. Author and chef, Debra Abeling, has released her latest cookbook, “It’s Just Better…in a Bowl – Cooking Real Food for a Healthier You,” that not only provides wholesome and tasty recipes, but also includes information on what real food is, why use a bowl, and how to stock a healthy kitchen.
Abeling, also an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, utilizes her expertise by teaching readers about healthy substitutions, ingredients for building a healthy bowl, along with meal prepping ideas. There are many recipes using simple real ingredients to make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert bowls.
“Cooking real food has many health benefits for the entire family and it’s just better when eaten out of a bowl,” said Abeling. “Choosing better and eating better will make you feel, think, and perform better.”
Replacing processed packaged foods with fresh wholesome nutritious foods is not about dieting but about making a lifestyle change, and this easy-to-follow cookbook will educate readers how to do it one step at a time.
Debra Abeling
“It’s Just Better…In a Bowl! Cooking Real Food for a Healthier You”
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1226-4 (Softcover), 978-1-4897-1227-1 (Hardcover),
978-1-4897-1225-7 (ebook)
Available at LifeRich Publishing, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
About the author
Debra Abeling has an extensive background in the culinary and nutrition world. She is the author of several cookbooks, has owned and operated a catering business, completed a chef’s training program from Westlake Culinary Institute, and worked as a personal and corporate chef. Abeling completed a year-long Health Coach program with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a two year-long life coaching program with Cloud-Townsend Resources. She has a passion for cooking, creating good simple dishes made with real food, and a desire to pass this on to others. Abeling resides in Fontana, California with her husband Michael and is a mother of three wonderful daughters. To learn more please visit http://www.debra-abeling.com/.

General Inquiries and Review Copies:
LAVIDGE – Phoenix                                                                                     
Lauren Dickerson                                                                                        
480-998-2600                                                                                              
ldickerson@lavidge.com

Power Cooker Rice Pudding

The multi-functions of the counter top pressure cooker proved to be a perfect vessel for making rice pudding.  This one, made with whole grain rice, skim milk, raisins, local cage free eggs and just a little local maple syrup prooves to be a nutrient dense dish perfect for breakfast or dessert.  

Brown Rice Pudding

6 Servings

Combine rice and water in pressure cooker pot.  Tighten lid and close pressure gauge.  Press rice and time 20 minutes.  After the count down is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.  After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure and remove lid.
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup long grain brown rice

Stir in 1 cup milk, maple syrup and buttery spread.
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon buttery spread

Whisk together eggs, remaining milk and vanilla.  Add to cooker bowl.  Saute;  when boiling begins cook 2 minutes, stirring continually.  Remove bowl from cooker and turn off.
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in lemon, cinnamon and raisins.  Cool and refrigerate.
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins

Serve with yogurt and a teaspoon of maple syrup.

The recipe is based on Debra Abeling's "It's Just Better. . . in a Bowl!".  

 
   

"The Organic Heart" (Book Review)

Breeana Pooler's cookbook is full of nutrient dense and appetizing recipes.  Each full page recipe has an adjourning full page photo with easy to follow instructions.  The photo often includes the entire meal with accompaniments.  The recipes include readily available seasonings and ingredients found in many homes.  Some recipes are low in calories;  all are nutrient dense.  The recipes are not expensive and even the price of the hardback cookbook is reasonable  ($19.99).

I love the use of eggs as the protein source.  Neither the egg in acorn squash slices nor the egg in hash brown cups were hard to make.  These recipes would be good at any meal.

The meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the sloppy joe in baked potato meals make great family meals.  Neither require much preparation.

The spring rolls with shrimp required more preparation and were not as filling.  I fell in love with the peanut sauce, which was also a sauce in this Thai Chicken Pizza.

I eat all grains and do not follow a gluten free diet.  I have a flour mill and experiment with many different whole grains when making bread.  For this yummy pizza, I followed The Candid RD's oat flour crust.  Breanna's Peanut Sauce, Chicken, Mung Bean Sprout Pizza was very creative and very tasty.

Breeana's husbands diet prescription was designed for him by his health care team.  It is not necessary for everyone to follow a gluten free, dairy free diet.  I do agree that it's best for all to use whole foods found in their natural state for meal preparation.  The more fresh, locally grown foods with lots of variety, the better.   

The meal pictured at the top of the page was for Blackened Halibut Tacos.  The seasoning for the fish is one I want to remember:  1/2 teaspoon each paprika, chili powder and garlic powder with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and fresh ground sea salt.

ON SALE NOW

 

An Inspiring Story Combined with Easy, Healthy Recipes That Prove Food Can Truly Save Your Life

 

THE ORGANIC HEART

A Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Clean Food Cookbook

By Breeana Pooler

 

At the age of twenty-six, Breeana’s husband, Jason, was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with severe heart failure. Following his diagnosis, she set out to regain his health—which she succeeded in doing by completely revamping their diets. In these pages is the story of how Breeana cured her husband, and seventy-five of the clean and delicious gluten- and dairy-free recipes that helped her do so. Recipes include:

• Sweet Potato Breakfast Sliders

• BBQ Chicken Zucchini Noodle Bowl

• Mango-Mint Salsa with Cucumber Chips

• Honey Cornbread with Jalapeños

• Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus Dip

• Shrimp and Kale Fettuccine in a Cauliflower Cream Sauce

• Sloppy Joe Stuffed Baked Potatoes

The first step was to throw out everything in the refrigerator, go grocery shopping, and dedicate 100 percent of her time, energy, and passion. She wanted to create healthy, nutrient-filled recipes to heal her husband’s heart but that would also taste gourmet and savory. She created an Instagram account to document their journey and share with others who might be struggling with their own healthy issues—it was then Breeana realized she could turn what some would consider a tragedy into something truly positive.

Flash forward one year and her husband not only no longer needs a heart transplant, but also is healthier than he has been in his entire life, and his heart is within normal range—the results are tried and true! Food had truly saved his life.

About the Authors:

Breeana Pooler is the creator of the popular Instagram account @the_organic_heart and the food blog, www.the-organic-heart.com. She combined her love for food and culinary skills to create healing, healthy, and delicious recipes that aided her husband in a complete recovery after being diagnosed with heart failure. It is Breeana’s mission to show others the importance of using food as medicine and how easy it is to create healthy meals so you never have to feel deprived. She and her husband Jason reside with their fur-babies Dexter and Sansa in Fullerton, California.

 

James LaValle is a nationally recognized clinical pharmacist, board-certified clinical nutritionist, founder of Metabolic Code Enterprises, Inc., educator, and industry consultant in the field of integrative health care. He is the author of twenty books and hundreds of articles, and American Druggist magazine named him one of the “50 Most Influential Pharmacists.” He resides in California.