Local Produce that's in Season: My article on Philly.com

How to: Add more seasonal local produce into your meals this summer

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Easy One Pan Chicken Dinner

This article appeared in the last Wayne Living Magazine Resident Recipe Section:

The thing I stress with all my clients is that, to be healthy, you must take the time to grocery shop and prepare your food, as well as take the time to be active throughout the day. There is no way around it, no magic bullet.  However, I realize that not everyone has several hours each day to cook, which is why I always encourage clients to cook in bulk at least once a week. Below is one of the easiest dishes to prepare, that will provide you with several meals worth of food and all the flavors combine to make the veggies taste delicious with no added fat! I make something like this at least once a week, and the leftovers last me quite a few meals. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 cups chopped mixed  [non-starchy] vegetables (I often use a bunch of kale and slice up zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccoli- frozen vegetables are okay to use)
• 5-6 chicken breasts (I use Wegman’s individually wrapped family pack chicken breasts)
• 3 large sweet potatoes (poked with knife or fork to allow steam to escape)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Herbs to taste (I often dust with parsley, garlic, turmeric, and/or cilantro)

DIRECTIONS:

Lay mixed vegetables to cover the bottom of a 13” x 9” pan (or larger if you want to use more veggies). Place chicken breasts and sweet potatoes on top of vegetables. Pour the chicken broth over all the ingredients, then season accordingly. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are soft. 

TO SERVE: 

Take ½ - 1 chicken breast (depending on size) as your protein for the meal and serve with ½ a sweet potato and lots of veggies. Enjoy!

Picture Source: https://therealfoodrds.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Sweet-Potato-Broccoli-Chicken-Bake-3-e1447878920589.jpg

Satueed Swiss Chard

This recipe first appeared in the March 2017 issue of Wayne Living Magazine:

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One of my favorite leafy greens to recommend is Swiss Chard because it has an unbelievable nutritional profile while also aiding in blood sugar regulation and it has many anti-inflammatory benefits as well. This green is not as bitter or thick and fibrous as others (ie: kale), and works great in stir fries, soups, and omelets. The recipe below is perfect for those who have not worked with Swiss Chard previously.

Ingredients:

3 bunches Swiss Chard

1 tbsp olive oil

2-3 tbsp chicken or vegetable broth

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic gloves, smashed and chopped (roasted even better!)

Pinch of salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

1) Wash the Swiss Chard and cut off any dark parts of chard and last 1” of the stalk. Slice into fine pieces.

2) Heat oil, broth, onion, and garlic cloves on pan on medium-high heat.

3) Add chopped chard to the oil mixture in pan and mix together.  Add lemon juice.

4) Cover the pan with a lid until chard is wilted down.

5) Once chard is cooked down, salt to taste and serve. I recommend serving with salmon and a whole grain like farro, kamut, buckwheat, or quinoa. Hot sauce or red pepper flakes go well on the chard too!

Nutrition Info: 4 servings

Per serving: 75 calories, 3.5 g fat (3 g MUFA), 2 g fiber, >100% DV Vitamin A

Analysis performed by Diet Analysis Pro software

Picture Source: http://media.pennlive.com/life/photo/swisschardbrightlightsjpg-a31be7c6bb811421.jpg