The "healthy" in "healthy coping"

Woo hoo! Two blog posts in one night!


Now to the healthy part:


I feel like there are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who eat to deal with stress...AND those who don't.  Let me tell you, I EAT!


In the spirit of Lent, I disciplined myself not to turn toward the strawberry ice cream and chocolate sauce in my Frigidaire and went to Whole Foods instead to load up on fresh veggies.


The chopping of the veggies in and of itself was therapeutic, however, the eating part was a million times better, and I could actually feel good about what I ate after.


You may turn up your nose at brussels sprouts but DON'T until you've tried this! (NOTE: I'm not much on measuring when I cook, so these are guesstimations!)


1 C Broccoli Florets
3 Medium Carrots - in big chunks
1 C Brussels Sprouts cut in half
1/2 C Asparagus Spears cut into large pieces
1/4 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Small Meyer lemon: Juice & Zest
              OR Juice of 1 lemon & 1/2 Orange - more or less        
              depending on the size of your fruits




*(really the amounts of juice and seasoning should be to taste and depending on how much of the veggies you use - remember some will get soaked up and some will evaporate during roasting!  Additionally, you could also substitute the juice of a ruby red grapefruit - they are usually sweeter and are DELICIOUS!  If you find your grapefruit juice is a little bitter, coconut sugar is an excellent way to balance out the bitterness and it's much healthier for your body to process as well as low in calories!)


Mix all together in glass pyrex dish - whatever size is appropriate to the amount of veggies you use - and make sure all are in one layer.  Roast in 425 Degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  At this point they should be soft with a little bit of bite.  My favorite way to prepare them, however, is to let them go a little bit longer, maybe 10 minutes longer, so that the broccoli and brussels sprouts really caramelize and get a little crispy on the edges.  OH-SO-GOOD!


NOTE: this recipe DOES NOT need salt!  Don't do it!  Trust me!  All that citrus with even the littlest bit of salt will escalate it and make the dish WAY too salty.  This would also be really good tossed with some quinoa for a healthy protein kick :-)


I'm telling you - this is an EXCELLENT healthy coping mechanism - you get to nosh on something that tastes so decadent and tantalizing yet it's healthy: low in fat & calories!




XO