Top 6 Foods for Women

When I started my health journey 5 years ago, I had to escape diet culture, embrace nourish culture, and figure out what to eat so my body could heal and thrive. I had suffered a freak roller derby accident that went undiagnosed for four months, then when it was finally diagnosed, it took four more months to rebuild my digestive system so I could eat all foods in all forms again.

Other lifestyle choices were hindering my full recovery, and when I finally figured out how to approach my health from a whole lifestyle perspective, I started to (and continue to) feel the best I ever have in my body. I started Feliz 3 Health to help women fast track their health journey to full vitality, eliminating the trial and error I went through. 

In becoming a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach I learned about key vitamins for women found in everyday foods and beverages. I transformed my food relationship from fear and negativity to fun and positive through getting creative in the kitchen and elevating these foods. There’s a lot of joy to be found in playing in the kitchen. One of the ways I get creative and playful is not measuring anything, I just taste as I go until it’s something I like and want to eat or drink. So just to warn you, my recipes are more like guidelines, your taste buds are different from mine, you might like different amounts of the ingredients, but overall, these flavor combinations are delicious. 

Here are my favorite vitamin rich foods and how to enjoy them on the go.

Vitamin A – Spinach

Vitamin A boosts the immune system and fights off free radicals (tiny particles in your body) that try to tear apart your cells. I’ve always been a huge spinach fan and could probably write a book of just spinach recipes. It is easy to add to almost anything at any meal time. When I’m busy and on the go, I really like building a delicious green smoothie with spinach as the star.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ish of spinach (or eyeball it, you can’t really mess this up)
• A handful of blueberries
• A half of a large avocado or a whole small avocado
• Dash of honey
• Almond milk (start with less and keep adding until you get to the smoothie consistency you like)
• 1 large spoonful of Greek Yogurt (I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Greek Yogurt options, Original with no added flavors)
• Optional: Ice for a colder beverage

Cooking Guidelines:

1. Put it all in a blender. If you don’t love the taste, add what will make it taste better for you: almond milk, more honey, more blueberries, Greek yogurt –  the kitchen is your oyster.
2. Put in your tumbler of choice and enjoy!

Vitamin C – Broccoli

There are so many health benefits to Vitamin C. I personally love that it helps us heal faster and boosts our concentration. I’m one of those rare cases where I loved broccoli growing up and never fought my parents on eating this vegetable. I’ve become a huge fan of the quick boil broccoli to accompany any dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 whole head of broccoli
• Black pepper, oregano, basil, garlic and a pinch of pink salt to taste (I often leave out the salt)
• Ghee butter , organic grass fed butter, or Olive Oil (½ to 1 tablespoon, pick your taste preference)

Cooking Guidelines:

1. Wash your broccoli while you boil a pot of water
2. Put the broccoli into the boiling water with the florets fully submerged and the stalk sticking out of top of the pot
3. Boil for 2-3 minutes until soft (check with a fork to get to softness level you enjoy)
4. Bring to a cutting board and with one cut, remove the florets from the stem
5. Put florets in a mixing bowl and coat with Ghee butter, organic grass fed butter, or olive oil 
6. Add in your spices to taste (you can go with whatever spices you love here. Sometimes I just go with black pepper or garlic, other times I’m feeling adventurous and pile on different spices for unique flavor combos)
7. Plate and serve with your favorite protein for dinner!

Vitamin E – Sunflower Seeds

While you don’t want to overdo it on Vitamin E, it is a powerhouse for cell health and anti aging (it’s a great topical oil for your skin as well, added beauty bonus!). I like using sunflower seeds as a quick crunchy snack on the go, toasted topping when I bake bread, and a burst of flavor and texture in my salads. You can pretty much add sunflower seeds to any salad, but here’s one of my favorite salad creations lately.

Ingredients:

• Cup ish of Spinach chopped or whole
• Cup ish of Kale chopped
• Cup ish of purple lettuce chopped
• 1 stalk of green onion sliced
• Half cup ish of chopped raw broccoli 
• Fresh parsley chopped
• Fresh basil chopped
• Handful of sunflower seeds
• Black pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• Any other spices you love to taste
• Olive Oil to taste
• Balsamic vinegar to taste

Cooking Guidelines:

Throw it in a bowl and mix it up. I usually leave the olive oil and balsamic vinegar separate so people can add to their salad directly however much they want. Then, if there is leftover salad, I can bag it up and eat more later without it getting soggy from the oil and vinegar. 

This is so easy to pack for a lunch or starter salad for dinner. If I’m using this as my base for lunch I always make sure to have chicken, steak or protein of choice in a separate container. I like to heat up my protein, add it to the top of the salad after mixing in the oil and vinegar as a dressing, and chow down. This also makes a great side salad at lunch to a half sandwich or soup. All easy and quick to eat between work meetings, and energy boosting for my afternoons. 

Vitamin B6 – Bananas

We need Vitamin B6 to actually turn the food we eat into energy. The best way to get your Vitamin B6 is through eating Vitamin B6 rich foods. I love bananas and used to eat one every morning for breakfast. That got old after two years and I took a banana break. Then a friend from college and I learned about flourless banana pancakes. I became hooked and prefer these over regular pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 2 eggs
• Cinnamon to taste
• Vanilla extract (just a splash, less than a teaspoon)
• Local honey in replacement of syrup

Cooking Guidelines

1. Mash the banana in a mixing bowl
2. Mix in 2 eggs until smooth
3. Add cinnamon to taste and a dash of vanilla extract (or real vanilla bean)
4. Heat griddle or pan on the stovetop to medium (or level 4 or 5 heat)
5. Coat pan with grass fed butter (or olive oil) to easily flip the pancakes
6. Pour mix into pan (half makes a medium sized pancake for 2 pancakes)
7. Flip once edges are slightly golden brown (use the spatula to peak)
8. Cook the other side for 30 seconds ish, peak to make sure slightly browned 
9. Top with honey and your favorite fruits and enjoy

This is a fast nutritious breakfast. I also always have eggs and bananas in the house, so it is such an easy go-to when I want something sweet in the morning to get my day started instead of savory. In under 15 minutes I can be fed and out the door with a coffee tumbler in hand, energized and full from breakfast. 

Vitamin B12 – Yogurt

Vitamin B12 is necessary for red blood cell production and turning food into fuel. This one can be tricky to get enough of if you don’t eat meat, so consult with your doctor to ensure you are getting enough B12 if you are vegan or vegetarian. One of my favorite on the go snacks or afternoon energy boosters is veggies and dip. I LOVE dips. I was not a yogurt fan growing up, and I’m not huge on just eating yogurt straight, but I have learned to use yogurt as a base for most dips, creamy salad dressings, and bursts of flavor in my protein power bowls. My most versatile dip is my take on Tzatziki. I can put it on anything.

Ingredients:

• Plain greek yogurt – 1-2 cups depending on how much dip you want
• Finely chopped cucumbers – ½ – 1 cup, or however much you want. I’m a fan of a decently chunky dip, and the cucumbers bring the chunk
• Finely chopped herb of choice (I like using mint, or dill, or parsley) – handful or to taste
• Fresh chopped garlic – 1-3 cloves to taste
• Lemon juice – to taste, I like to squeeze a half lemon for 2 cups of yogurt
• OIive oil – to taste, about half a tablespoon does the trick

Cooking Guidelines:

1. Finely chop the cucumber and dry by patting with paper towels
2. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir away until combined and smooth

I like dipping fresh bell pepper slices, tomatoes, carrots and almost any vegetable into this dip. When I’m not in a salad mood, this is one of the easiest components of a lunch to put together or have as a snack in the afternoon. Put it in a Tupperware container and it’s your dip on the go for wherever your day takes you. This is particularly refreshing on warm Spring and Summer days. 

Folate – Asparagus

Folate is vital to our health because it makes DNA and RNA. For women in particular, it helps with pregnancy and preventing birth defects. Once again, this is a vegetable I have always loved. There is just something about the earthiness of asparagus and I love them cooked or raw. I’ll happily add them to a salad for crunch factor or use as a veggie stick for my dips. One thing I absolutely love making though is a quick stir fry dinner when I need a well rounded vegetable and protein plate. 

Ingredients:

• 5-10 asparagus spears – each sliced into 3 or 4 pieces
• Broccoli florets – about a cup
• Mushrooms – about a cup sliced of your favorite mushrooms (easy ones are cremini and white)
• White onion – half or whole white onion (depending on how much you love onion) diced or sliced
• Garlic – 3-5 cloves finely chopped
• Whatever other vegetables you want to add and like
• Chopped Chicken breast – 1-3 breasts
• Black pepper – to taste
• Pink Salt – optional, to taste
• Low sodium soy sauce – to taste
• Sesame Oil – to taste

If you like hot, throw in your favorite hot peppers or spices to taste. I like adding red pepper flakes or spicy fermented asian peppers

Cooking Guidelines:

1. Use a large pan on your stove top, heat it to medium/medium high (5-6) covering the pan in sesame oil
2. Add onion and garlic, let them sweat (they start to get soft and brown a little, this will smell amazing)
3. Add in chicken and vegetables
4. Season to taste with soy sauce, black pepper, and whatever spices you want to have fun with
   1. Obviously you can’t taste until the chicken is cooked, so you can always start with less and keep adding. I go lighter on the hot spices and soy sauce to get started
5. Stir everything together, then put the lid on the pan for 2 ish minutes
6. Stir again and add more oil, spices, soy sauce or hot peppers if needed
   1. Everyone has different taste buds here. You can always reheat and add more flavors based on your flavor preferences or go a different direction next time you make it. At the end of they day, you are throwing veggies and meat in a pan, giving it an Asian flare, and making sure the meat is cooked through. Don’t overthink it. 
7. Make sure the chicken is cooked through by cutting the biggest chopped piece in half. It it’s all white with no pink you are good to go
8. Give it a taste and see if you want to add anymore flavors through spices
9. Serve nice and hot

Since large chopped vegetables and meat sautéed together always looks pretty, this is a very fast filling dinner to whip together in 20 minutes or less. Everything can be rough chopped and thrown in the pan. The juices from the stir fry taste delicious on top of brown rice, Udon noodles, or steamed white rice. I tend to skip the carbs at dinner and just eat the stir fry from a giant bowl. I also only have one pan to clean after everyone is done eating since I wash the cutting boards and knives while the stir fry is cooking. We do a stir fry at least once a week because the flavor combinations are endless. This one gets more fun the less you follow a recipe and the more you put your favorite things together in one pan and create.

Have fun in your kitchen!

I was raised in a home where my mother was passionate about health, but not a fan of cooking. The idea of cooking never excited me, we were a “eat to live household”. Until I had my injury, I never found joy in cooking (baking is another story entirely). When all my go-to foods were taken away due to injury, I had to start learning my way around the kitchen and making meals I would want to eat with a limited variety of ingredients. I fell in love with cooking, learning new techniques, and just figuring out things as I went.

I started watching Chopped and a lot of cooking competition shows. I love playing sports and games, and in watching competitive cooking shows I saw that Chefs were doing 3 things at once: creating something  new and delicious out of mismatched ingredients and racing a clock and competitors. They were artists and “athletes” in the kitchen. That was something I could get excited about. It completely changed my mindset about cooking and food. In learning new ways to eat for my health, I was learning an entirely new and fun skillset. 

At Feliz 3 Health, that is what Meals Remixed is all about. Helping you tap into a love for food and cooking, and helping you get creative in the kitchen. Food is such a dominating (and daunting for most people) aspect of our health, and when it’s a chore, and a negative experience daily, it works against us and our health goals. We can always flip the food script and build a healthy relationship with food and our kitchens. If this is an area you struggle in, you are not alone. Check out the completely customized plans Feliz 3 Health offers and start your personalized health journey today.