Foodtrainers' Fancy Food Show Finds

Yesterday was our annual summer trip to the Fancy Food show. Basically, the Javitz Center is filled with a million food booths, some healthier than others. I have to give us a little credit and say we have become pros at the food fair thing. We didn’t eat ourselves into complete food comas or sample any more ice cream. Plus, we hit our 10k steps right away. It was great to see many Foodtrainers’ friends – Banza, Organic LivingSuperfoods (love the new look) and Grady’s cold brew . As always, we were on the hunt for new products too. Here are a few Fancy faves we’ll fill you in on, others we’re keeping a secret for our September Squeeze program and the Foodtrainers’ shop.

Super Sauces: do you believe in love at first bite? Filfil garlic hot sauce was my first taste of the day and my favorite. With over 20 cloves of garlic per bottle you may not want to consume this before a date or important meeting, but I  promise you’ll fall in love with this spicy new Brooklyn based brand. We are also all about Primal Kitchen’s paleo Avo-mayo which now comes in chipotle lime   And you might know The New Primal from their super spicy jerky  but they have a new, clean bbq sauce line  – sweetener from pineapple juice which also helps tenderize meat before you BBQ.

Alternative flours: Almond, cassava and chickpea oh my. We love seeing these gluten free alternatives in wraps, snacks and yup even pizza. Our faves go to Cappello’s pizza and pasta, Siete cassava wraps and Simple Mills crackers. 

the far right had basil, wow

Chocolate: we are so happy that chocolate isn’t going anywhere - we are forever Eating Evolved and Hu faithful (Hu  assured us single serves are coming) but the beauties from Moonstruck and the drinking chocolate from Treehouse Chocolate caught our eyes and tastebuds too. 

There wasn’t a ton of new kombucha but we did dig Revive, which uses alternatives to black tea for some fermenting… coffee kombucha anyone? That was Lauren’s pick of the day and we also loved their white tea with cucumber and mint. 

We have some ideas for summer travel snacks and our next September Squeeze. Make sure you are signed up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. Have a wonderful long weekend!

Which of the items mentioned are you most curious about? What do you see as the current trends in healthy eating?

Bananas For Boobies

A few years ago, we had my friend Shari and her family staying with us in Vermont. As I prepared breakfast she looked at me and said “I can’t believe you’re making waffles from scratch”. I was confused “Shar, I’m not- I’m using mix I said pushing the Arrowhead Mills bag in her direction.” “Well still, you’re actually making them”

I wish I had really had the chance to know and cook with Judy

Later that day, Shari told me about her plans to start a blog. Shari had recently lost her beautiful mother Judy to breast cancer. After Judy’s funeral, I recall Shari was so touched with strangers approaching her with tales of Judy’s kindness. Some of this kindness was expressed through food. Shari tells of a home-cooked meal on the table every night. There was always an invitation and place setting for whomever would drop by. Shari knew she and others could benefit from Judy’s recipes and approach even if Judy wasn’t here to do the teaching.

Fast forward a few years, Shari can cook. Her blog is a huge hit (as ventures from the heart often are) and Shari and her sister Stacy decide to launch another venture. Enter Bananas for Boobies. I chuckled too but here’s the deal. You bake Judy’s Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf or as the campaign says “bake it happen” post your finished loaf to their FB page, you’re entered to win an iPad and money, via an anonymous corporate donor, goes to breast cancer research.

I love the idea of using cooking and community to make a difference. However, my nutritionist hat is always on (and my crazy desire to tweak I talked about Monday).

So I checked with Shari and she said I could make my own version. I wanted a loaf that was gluten free and sugar free (cancer cells can use sugar as fuel), I also wanted to add some of my “screw yourself breast cancer” ingredients green tea (in this case matcha) and turmeric (don’t be scared). My only problem was that as much as I cook, I don’t bake. At first I found a handful of interesting recipes and combined them- I ended up with a loaf that was wet in the middle and the conclusion that cacao nibs aren’t that enjoyable in banana bread. I then focused on Slim Palate’s version adding my own twist. The result? Green and delicious, the whole family enjoyed it. I just hope Judy wouldn’t be mad at me.

½ cup coconut flour (used Nutiva)

½ cup almond flour (used Bobs Red Mill)

1-cup ripe bananas (works fine even if they are not black)

½ cup coconut oil, if not already liquid melt it,  (used jungle Products) plus additional to grease

1 Tbs matcha (powdered green tea)

½ tsp. cinnamon

Dash of turmeric

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ tsp. liquid stevia (used NuNaturals)

4 omega 3 eggs

½ tsp. organic vanilla extract

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Preheat oven to 350

1. Use coconut oil to grease small 8.5 x 4.5 loaf and cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom on the pan

2. In a large bowl combine flours, matcha, cinnamon, turmeric baking soda and salt mix with a fork.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, extract, and stevia. Then add bananas to this mixture and whisk again.

4. Pour the egg/banana concoction into the flour/dry ingredient bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix. 

5. Add the melted coconut oil and mix again.

6. Pour into the pan, making the top respectable and smooth.

7. Bake for 45 minutes and do the toothpick test.

8. Run a knife around the edges and flip the loaf out. Let it cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition (based on 1/8 of loaf) 260 calories, 4g sugar, 6g fiber, 7g protein per slice

Please go to the Bananas for Boobies site for Judy’s Chocolate Chip Loaf (the real deal).

Have you heard of Bananas for Boobies or Shari's blog? Do you bake? Ever tweak recipes to make them healthier?

Food Matters Breakfast Inspiration and Healthy Donuts

This summer I met with Tricia Williams the founder of Food Matters. We share a handful of clients and a similar sensibility when it comes to nutrition. Tricia came to the Foodtrainers’ office and covered my desk with the most amazing array of dishes for us to sample (my job is rough sometimes). She had already thought of each question I lobbed her way. More importantly, with Tricia’s cooking background she has incredibly creative ways of preparing food that’s so far from “diet food” she could convert anyone, yes anyone.

First, can you tell readers a little bit about Food Matters? Who seeks out your services? Is it on ongoing basis or pre or post events? Food Matters is a highly customized meal delivery service. First, I take a look at clients’ health history and health goals along with their food preferences and then design a menu specifically for them. We deliver to a lot of celebrities when they are getting ready for roles but also cater to individuals with very specific health conditions. We see clients with cancer, thyroid concerns, fertility issues, sleep problems etc. In this case we use the kitchen as pharmacy.

We have investigated many meal services but you seem to have dotted all your healthy i’s. I love that everything is gluten free but it’s also well sourced, can you elaborate? Everything we use is organic and local as much as possible. We don't use gluten, dairy, refined sugar or grain of any kind. All the seafood we use is wild and the animal proteins are pasture raised. All the food comes package in tiffins and pyrex so there is no heavy metal or plastic contamination of the food, and no garbage!We cook in alkaline water and even bottle it for clients.  We also focus on the glycemic index of all our meals and snacks. We try to keep our clients blood sugar balanced all day.

Wow that's impressive and something I aspire to with my own cooking (although I'm not there yet with alkaline water). I loved everything I've tasted from FM but was blown away by your take on breakfast. It tends to be a grain fest for many people, what are some of your ideas for mixing it up?

Ditch the grain flours. Explore some paleo based breakfast recipes. I love almond flour and chia seeds. They make great pancake ingredients. As far as gadgets. I love my vitablender and also my donut maker from Target.

Your food is so beautifully presented, even berries in the little bento box look so appealing. I think we blow off presentation when it’s for ourselves- what should we think about? People eat with their eyes first.  At FM we want people to fall in love with healthy eating . Try to use as much color as possible, this will encourage a variety of veggies on your plate.

Any breakfast foods you feel everyone should swear off?

Processed packaged cereals,  I love telling kids that there’s no fruit in Froot Loops!

I'm with you on cold cereal, they are a "break up food" in my book (LBT). What do you have for breakfast? During the week I’ll make a smoothies with seasonal fruit, almond milk, chia and brown rice protein.  On the weekends I cook a lot with my family. This weekend we made peach and almond meal pancakes with blueberries. Sometimes I prefer savory porridges like oatmeal with spinach, onion and shiitakes!

Savory oatmeal, love it. And finally, I’ve been dreaming of serving your donuts to ski guests in Vermont (and pretty much everyone I know), can you spill the breakfast beans?

Combine all ingredients (specific recipe coming later today) in donut maker.

How can our readers reach you?

Via email, the website or twitter
Readers, what do you have for breakfast? Have you experimented with almond or quinoa flour? Do you like the idea of a healthy donut? Have you ever done a meal delivery service?