I love curry, especially Thai curry. It’s heavy on veggies and has so much flavor! Making veggie curry from scratch can be time consuming, and eating out can be tricky for those of us with dietary restrictions, allergies or watching or sugar and salt intake. Plus it’s just way healthier and less expensive to make your own food (if you need some encouragement, check out this post).

So, this week I did something I don’t usually do. I cooked with store bought curry paste. Thai Kitchen makes green and red chili curry paste, and they’re actually delicious and made with real ingredients. The ingredients for the green curry paste that I used for my veggie curry are galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, green chili, garlic, kefir lime, salt and shallots. There are no preservatives or sugar and it’s vegan, paleo and gluten free. Not bad! It’s great to have around the house for those days when you want a hit of intense flavor without putting in a ton of work.

I also love this recipe because it’s so satisfying after a long day. The veggies in this dish provide about 14 grams of fiber, or 7 grams per serving. Similar to coconut oil, coconut milk is a great source of healthy fat. And, fiber and fat are a magical pair. Together they keep us full and satisfied. The sweetness of the coconut milk and carrot in this veggie curry also satisfies my sweet tooth, while the heat from the ginger and chili revs up digestion.

Keeping pantry items like coconut milk and curry paste on hand is also a great way to be able to make a quick, healthy and flavorful meal when you don’t have a lot of time. As a health coach, I always encourage my clients to keep some fun pantry items stocked up for days when getting to the grocery store isn’t going to happen. Having a few quick meals you can make with whatever you have on hand is a great way to avoid the temptation to order out. And our bodies and pockets will thank us.

And remember, recipes are great as guides, but don’t need to be viewed as a rule book. This recipe would be great with collards instead of kale, or with some bell peppers and broccoli. Frozen veggies also work well, just adjust the cooking time so they don’t get soggy. Tofu, beans or chicken could also be added for some extra protein. The most important thing is to have fun with it and enjoy!

Samantha’s Super Simple Veggie Curry (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, paleo)

Ingredients

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 inch ginger peeled and diced
• 3 cups green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups kale, torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 whole dried red pepper pod
• 1-2 tsp green Thai curry paste
• 1/2 lime, zest and juice
• 1 carrot, cut into rounds
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Put coconut milk, chili pepper, Thai curry paste, salt, red pepper and ginger in a pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to bring liquid to simmer.
2. While coconut milk mixture is heating up, chop your veggies (I use pre-chopped kale, don’t worry, it’s not cheating).
3. When ready, add the green beans and carrots. Cook about 7 minutes.
4. Add kale, cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until done.
5. Add zest and juice of the lime, adjust seasoning and serve.

Serve over rice or quinoa.

Enjoy!

One of my clients posted this photo with the following comment on her Instagram today:

Today I had the pleasure of standing in front of a fridge packed with healthy food thanks to the genius meal planning of @simplysamanthanyc, so I’m replenishing with this lovely plate of goodness. My body says thank you.

Woohoo! You know I love a meal planning victory as much as the next person. And, it got me thinking, there are so many things we can all do to make a difference for ourselves and our bodies throughout the week. I know I’ve been slacking lately, but I’m about to go remedy that now 🙂 If you want to join me, here are some tips that work really well.

Before You Begin Meal Planning

Before you even try to start getting organized around your food for the week, you’ve gotta create some space. Everyone’s fridge tells a story. There’s the old condiments that no one uses, or the olives that expired in 2007. Get rid of it. All of it. You’ve gotta make room for the new, and the only way I know to do that is by cleaning out the old.

Besides, you want to feel good when you open the fridge. The longer you avoid something, the harder it is to tackle. Clutter in the fridge is not your friend. You want your fridge stocked with healthy foods that are easy to get to and easy to see.

What To Put In or Meal Planning Reductionism

I love a good recipe, especially when it’s new flavor combinations that I wouldn’t have thought of naturally. Recipes are great, and so is meal planning. And, there’s a time and a place. A new recipe just isn’t going to cut it when you’re tired and hungry (or hangry, as I like to say). Laying out a super specific meal plan also takes a lot of time, and when you get to the market and they’re out of something, it can throw you for a loop. Sometimes, you just need a quick fix of healthy and nutritious food, and that’s what this post is about. Meal planning reductionism 🙂

Below is a list of 5 foods you can have ready for the week that will ensure that you have food ready whenever you need it.

Eggs. I always suggest that people who eat eggs hard boil a bunch of them in the beginning of the week. They’re great on their own as a snack or breakfast on the go, or you can add them to salads for some extra protein. Plus they will last all week. Can’t beat that!

Root Veggies. Root veggies are very grounding and satisfying and make a great addition to almost any meal. You can bake a bunch of sweet potatoes in the beginning of the week, or chop up and roast a variety of root veggies. You can add them to salads, bake them in frittatas, eat them on their own or with a protein side, make them into a pureed soup or make a hash. There are tons of options and since you already did the hard part (chopping and baking), it will take you no time to do the rest.

Greens. I always recommend that my clients buy a bunch of salad greens in the beginning of the week. If it’s there, most people will eat it. Plus greens are a great base for any meal. I also recommend buying at least one cooking green like kale, Swiss chard or collard greens. Saute with garlic, olive oil, ginger and/or onion for a great side. You can also add cooking greens to soups or stews for some color and added nutrients.

Grains.  One of my mantras is “never cook one meal at a time”. If you’re already going to dirty a pot and get some water boiling, you might as well double the recipe and save yourself some time. Making a large pot of grains in the beginning of the week is a great way to ensure balanced and filling meals for the week. I like quinoa or brown rice, but there are tons of other options. You can make them into grain salads, add herbs to liven them up or cook them with some coconut milk or other milk, cinnamon, sweetener and raisins to make a rice pudding for breakfast or dessert. If you make too much, you can always share with a friend or freeze them 🙂 Grains actually freeze really well in an airtight ziplock.

Protein. For vegans and vegetarians who eat legumes, making a pot of lentils or beans in the beginning of the week is a great idea. You can season them simply and then add new flavors to them throughout the week. Some spices that go great with beans or lentils are cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne and chili powder. I like bean or lentil salads with fresh diced veggies and herbs. I also love stews made with root veggies and beans. With the base already made, putting these dishes together is so much quicker.

Now what?

Based on this list, you have a bunch of stuff you can add to your weekly shopping list each week to make sure that there’s always something ready to eat in the fridge without having to spend a ton of time in the kitchen. It will save you time, money, and your body will thank you! Plus you can keep the same ingredients interesting over time with a few of my tricks.

1. Eggs
2. Salad Greens
3. Cooking Greens
4. Lentils or beans (any variety)
5. Root Veggies (sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, squash…)
6. Grains (quinoa, brown rice, millet…)

I love hearing from you and seeing what you’re creating! If you make something new based on this post, I’d love to see it. You can send me a photo or tag me on Instagram or Facebook @simplysamanthanyc.

For more info on meal planning, download my free guide here. You can also read about my 6 kitchen essentials here.

With love,

Samantha

Hey there! Ever heard of a nutritarian? Even though spellcheck doesn’t agree, it’s a word and a diet! A nutritarian’s goal is to eat the foods that are the most nutrient dense, or nutritious.

Nutrient density looks at the nutritional profile of a food item and the calories it contains. The higher the nutrient density, the healthier the food is. For example, 40 calories from a cup of kale and 40 calories from a cookie are not the same (sorry folks, a calorie is not just a calorie!). Kale will provide you with tons of vitamins, minerals and fiber in those 40 calories that the cookie lacks. Make sense?

Some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet are green leafy vegetables. Can you guess why? They are super high in fiber and nutrients like vitamin C, K, A. And they also contain  minerals like magnesium, iron and calcium and virtually no calories.

Kale and Thin Mints, an Unlikely Pair

Besides the green packaging, kale and thin mints don’t really have much in common.

1 cup of cooked kale has 36 calories and over 800% of the daily recommended value (RDV) of vitamin K, plus almost 100% of the RDV for vitamin C and A. 36 calories of kale also contains 5-10% of the RDV for calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, fiber, vit E and B6, B3 and B1. Not bad!  36 calories and a ton of nutrients!

In comparison, one thin mint girl scout cookie has 40 calories and 1.5% of the RDV for iron.

You can see from this example that the nutrient density of kale is way higher than that of a thin mint. But that’s a kinda obvious comparison. Even certain vegetables are more nutrient dense than others. Here’s a cool graph from the CDC rating 41 different vegetables in nutrient density (scroll to the bottom of the link to see the chart.). I also like Dr. Furman’s chart which you can see below. A rating of 1000 means you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Here you can see that leafy greens have the highest score and the most nutrients per calorie.

What’s the bottom line?

Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutrient Density Index

Nutrient Scoring Method*
To determine the ANDI scores, an equal-calorie serving of each food was evaluated. The following nutrients were included in the evaluation: fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, vitamin A, beta carotene, alpha carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, choline, vitamin K, phytosterols, glucosinolates, angiogenesis inhibitors, organosulfides, aromatase inhibitors, resistant starch, resveratrol plus ORAC score. ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measure of the antioxidant or radical scavenging capacity of a food. For consistency, nutrient quantities were converted from their typical measurement conventions (mg, mcg, IU) to a percentage of their Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).

Sweet potato, kale and chickpeas are some of my favorite foods. And this stew is a great way to eat them all at once! Plus, you get a complete meal in one pot – your starch from the sweet potato, protein from the chickpeas and your veggies from the kale. Not bad! This recipe also makes 9 dinner sized portions. That means you can feed your family for a few days, or you can freeze half of it and save it for another day. If you want to make a smaller amount, just halve the recipe. Also, feel free to make any adjustments you like. If you don’t like heat, skip the red pepper flakes. If you don’t have garam masala or ras el hanout, you can use a mix of cumin, coriander, cinnamon and a little bit of clove.

Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Stew

Makes 9 dinner sized portions – feel free to halve the recipe or freeze half!

4 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups chopped onions*
1 tablespoons ras el hanout or garam masala (add more or less depending on personal taste and the strength of your spices – older spices tend to be weaker)
2.5 tablespoons minced ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
9 cups diced sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 cups water
2 cups (1 can) full fat coconut milk
3 cans chickpeas
11 cups chopped kale – prechopped and prewashed are great!
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat the coconut oil, then add the spices, salt and onion. Cook onion until translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Add sweet potato and two cups water, cook 10 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas, coconut milk and almond butter (mix almond butter and coconut milk together first so the almond butter integrates).
5. Cover and cook 10 minutes, until sweet potato is tender.
6. Add kale, don’t worry about mixing it, just cover the pot and it will steam and shrink. Once kale starts to wilt, mix together and cook until kale is tender.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa, or eat on it’s own!

*no need to measure the onions or anything else! 1 medium sized onion is about 1 cup. Once small sweet potato is about a cup, and a handful of kale is about one cup. You can also measure tablespoons by using a regular spoon, just make it a heaping spoonful. And the good news is that all the ingredients are delicious, so adding a little extra won’t hurt!