Join us for an interview with Amie Valpone at The Healthy Apple – Once a Month Meals blog partner. Her goal is to revolutionize the way you live and eat.
New Menu and Book from Amie!
So I am super excited to share more with you from Amie Valpone at The Healthy Apple – Once a Month Meals blog partner! Her recipes are healthy, filling, and full of flavor. I had the chance to cook through our Healthy Apple Mini Menu and have been looking forward to meals more than usual! My favorites are the Gluten Free Almond Quinoa Breakfast and Brown Rice with Sun-Dried Tomato ‘Pizza’ Sauce! Amie’s sweet and encouraging disposition makes me think that even I can eat clean! Her recipes are so easy, freezable, and delicious that I had to order her latest cookbook, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body, for myself.
We all want to eat healthy, and feel better, but why is it so hard? Why is it that when we feel like we can’t eat clean on a budget, have the time to prep fruits and veggies, or that food that heals our bodies won’t be as delicious? I can’t answer for everyone, but for me, it’s because I’m not sure where to start. Working from home with a toddler, a busy schedule, and a budget – thinking my family can revamp the way we eat can be debilitating so I never take the leap. This is why freezer cooking is so amazing! You can do all those things – cut costs, eat healthy, and make time for what matters most!
Amie says….
Amie is so supportive in beginning your journey to eating clean, she says,
“Getting healthy (and staying healthy) may take some serious shifts in your daily habits, but don’t worry about revamping your lifestyle overnight. These changes take time. Start when you feel ready and take a deep breath.”
Amie’s “aha” moment came when she was chronically ill but she shares,
“You don’t need to go through something that dramatic. Funny thing is that before I got sick, I cooked my own meals, brought my lunch to work, and never ate fast food. I thought I was eating healthy, but I had no idea how toxic seemingly healthy food could be.”
What are ways you save money while living an organic lifestyle?
I shop at the farmer’s market and the frozen section at Whole Foods Market. Their 365 brand is so inexpensive; it’s cheaper than the regular food stores, so I buy all my condiments and frozen foods there because they taste amazing and they’re inexpensive.
How do you freeze food?
I have lots of tips on how to freeze foods in my new book, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body, but I’ll let you know a few of my favorites here. I put leftover fresh herbs in an ice cube tray with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt and freeze them to use before the herbs go bad! I also love freezing all my veggies (except cucumbers), leafy greens, and a few others. I chop up my fruits and veggies (such as strawberries and zucchini) then I lay them flat on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until frozen (flash freezing!), then I transfer them into a sealed glass jar in my freezer.
How do you eat clean from the freezer?
It’s easy to eat clean from your freezer! Don’t buy any processed frozen foods and eat whole, one-ingredient whole foods, which is my philosophy in my cookbook and on my website, TheHealthyApple.com. What’s in an apple? An apple. What’s in a melon? A melon. You can base your entire day, all your meals and snacks around whole, one-ingredient foods such as a stir-fry made from quinoa, bell peppers, almonds, chickpeas, fresh basil, scallions, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Those are all whole, one-ingredient foods that can be combined to make an amazing (and super healthy meal). These foods can all be frozen so you can pull them out of your freezer and just grab n’ go for a quick and super clean meal! (Did you know that Once a Month Meals curates new Real Food menus each month?)
Favorite quick prep dinner?
A handful of veggies sautéed in coconut oil on the stovetop for 5 minutes. Then I add slivered almonds, cashews, avocado and a bunch of fresh herbs. So simple and easy!
Where do you find inspiration?
At the farmers market. I don’t look at food magazines or blogs or websites – I like to let the ideas and inspiration come to me when I’m among a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I’m also inspired in my kitchen when I’m in front of my dried herbs and spices. I toss a bunch of ingredients together and call it a meal or snack and add fun flavors like fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs, drizzle them with creamy almond butter and really high-quality sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
As a final boost in confidence, Amie shares with us a sneak peek of some of the tips in her new cookbook, Eating Clean, that are dedicated to making the transition relaxed and fun.
Be a Minimalist. If your fridge is overstuffed, it’s hard to see what you have. Organize what’s left over from your initial pantry clean-sweep, and then take inventory of your fridge every week so you don’t forget about certain foods when they’re pushed to the back.
Get a Better View. Put nutritious foods on the middle shelf so they are at your eye level.
Slice and Dice Right Away. Make veggies and fruits more convenient to eat by cleaning and cutting them up so they’re ready to go the next time you raid the fridge.
Remember, “Getting healthy isn’t just about buying healthier foods—you actually have to eat them!”
Thank you kindly, Amie, for sharing with us!