Author: Kristen Neilan, RD, LDN

**LINK TO 50% OFF: SCROLL DOWN**

We have two amazing dogs- Knox [he is a 7 year old German Shepherd/Terrier mix] and April [she is a one year old German Shepherd/Catahoula mix]. Our pups are not just “dogs” they’re absolute family. So of course, their health matters a great deal to us. I’m a dietitian and my husband is a doctor after all- so we know the importance of nutrition + health! Unfortunately, real food for dogs is looked at as kind of an “elite” or “exclusive” or “fancy” thing. When really, whole foods for dogs is just as important as whole foods are for humans and there is a way to make it easy.

We stumbled upon The Farmer’s Dog and it completely changed our life. The Farmer’s Dog is a service that delivers balanced, freshly made pet food with simple recipes, guided by science, and truly driven by love! Meals provided are vet-developed, which we find AMAZING! But before we go into the Farmer’s dog – some more background first! We had always known we really wanted to look into better nutrition for our pups but didn’t know where to begin and often ignored the idea because it seemed like “one extra thing” or just “too much work”.

HOW IT WORKS. Then, The Farmer’s Dog came along. How it works? You take a quiz on their website so they can learn more about your pup and all the specifics [it was so fun]! Then, you pick which kind of meat you would like them to use and that’s it! All ingredients are specific to YOUR dog’s needs- right down to their calorie and protein needs. Easy ready-to-serve meals are pre-made and pre-portioned. Just open and pour. TALK ABOUT THE HAPPIEST DIETITIAN EVER! I loved this. It took the stress off me. I may know what humans need nutrition wise but dog wise- I know zippo, so homemade dog food has always felt overwhelming to take on on my own. Ingredients are Human-grade USDA aka less processing, natural nutrients, and higher safety standards. Things we believe every pet deserves. The other great part- Your food is delivered to you within days of cooking. Never deep frozen. Never stored on a shelf for months aka you don’t have to worry about mold of food doing bad!

THEIR STORY. Farmer’s Dog is amazing for all dogs but ESPECIALLY those with food allergies! That is actually how The Farmer’s dog started. I had the amazing opportunity to speak with the folks at The Farmer’s Dog on the phone and their mission/how the company started. So now, I will share it with you! The owner’s pup had an issue with allergies- and lots of tummy issues. Their vet had recommended a high end food product (kangaroo meat etc) and it helped symptoms but overall, was not a solution.  The owner of the company looked closer at the dog food and the number of ingredients [as we all know] was insane. Are these brown little burnt looking balls really the best for our pups? He thought no! He started making homemade dog food for his pup and saw more of an improvement than he did with the fancy brands of dry dog food from the store! Then, The Farmer’s Dog was born!

OUR EXPERIENCE. First off, Knox is a GREAT eater and will have anything but he has GERD [so he sometimes throws up foam early in the morning from too much acid build up- meal timing is important for him to avoid this]. April is a very picky eater and when we adopted her she was VERY thin. We often pour her [dry] food and she will walk away. When we started The Farmer’s Dog, from DAY ONE I can’t tell you how much they both loved it. April gobbled it down every. single. day and was SO exciting every time she saw me opening the package. Knox’s GERD issues completely resolved. They both maintained their weight well and their poop was exactly as it should be [much improved from the dry dog food]!! I won’t go into details, but we noticed a big difference.

POST FARMER’S DOG. After two weeks of The Farmer’s Dog. We had figured, well we really need to get rid of our two gigantic bags of dry dog food [The Science Diet]. So lets do that and then we will go back to homemade dog food. ALL OUR PROBLEMS [which aren’t even really problems but even the healthiest dog – we think – should have homemade dog food, you don’t need a health condition as a reason! It’s all about prevention! Same with nutrition for humans. You want to prevent so that you hopefully don’t have to “treat” in the future] but yes, all of our problems came back. April wouldn’t eat her dry food [same as problem prior] and Knox was throwing up some mornings from acid reflux. We even tried adding blueberries, carrots, peanut butter to their food to try and compensate [just to get rid of the dry food] and it didn’t work!

COST. If we had a small dog, we would 100% use the Farmer’s Dog but we have two large dogs and for us it’s too pricey at the moment. The great part about their company is they also have a DIY program. We have been using the vet-developed plans and making the food at home ourselves. They also have nutrient packs that you can purchase through them to ensure your dog is getting everything they need! Recent research found 95% of recipes online to be lacking in crucial nutrients for dogs. Serious complications from nutrient deficiencies (and, more commonly, overdosing) could arise if a recipe hasn’t been properly calibrated. The Farmer’s Dog provides recipes formulated by their veterinary nutritionists. Here is the link: https://www.thefarmersdog.com/diy.

We are SO excited to offer you 50% off your first order, especially towards a cause we love SO MUCH!! Cheers to happier + healthier pups, that we consider family!

Link:The Farmer’s Dog 50% Off

Photo’s of Knox + April with The Farmer’s Dog:

I adore this sauce SO much! If you guys like creamy as much as I do but want to skip the heavy dairy additions that most white sauces call for, THIS IS THE RECIPE FOR YOU!

Idea: Swap out the mushrooms for peas, broccoli, etc! If you don’t love mushrooms – no fear, switch it up!

ingredients

• 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil [you can also use 1/4 C of butter if you’d like it more creamy]
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup flour OR 4 Tsp Arrowroot OR 2 Tbsp of cornstarch [whichever you have on hand to thicken]
• 3.5 cups almond milk
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

recipe

1. To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in flour [or arrowroot or cornstarch] until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
2. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and nutmeg until fragrant, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. We of course, always sprinkle some red pepper on top!

recipe adapted from: damndelicious.net

That’s it! We hope you love!

The Neilan Family

Sometimes you just need a rich, comfy and cozy meal! CUE LASAGNA! This recipe makes my little Italian heart so happy. I love lasagna to pieces but oddly enough marinara sauce isn’t my favorite to have all the time. So I whipped up this delicious lasagna with a light white sauce. Typically the moment you hear white sauce you think: heavy whipping cream, cheese etc. Not the case! The sauce we used for this recipe had neither! Patrick and I did add cheese to the lasagna so although the sauce is plant based the entire recipe is not; however, you can omit the cheese and add nutritional yeast should my vegans wish to give it a try!

We separated the sauce + lasagna recipe because the sauce is SO amazing- you can use it with plain pasta too.

ingredients

• whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 (15-ounce) package ricotta [we used part skim]
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained

recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
3. Spread 1 cup mushroom sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles, 3 dollops of the ricotta cheese on each lasagna noodle, sprinkle spinach + broccoli, as well as mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. Repeat with a second, third and fourth layer if you have enough space, ingredients, and noodles. [we had 4 layers]
4. Place into oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbling. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until top is browned in spots. Let cool 15 minutes.
5. Serve, garnished with parsley, if desired.

recipe adapted from: damndelicious.net

Enjoy!!

– The Neilan Family –

Looking for a meatless monday idea? We made this chickpea meatloaf with a side of mashed cauliflower, green beans, peas + snow peas. It was delicious and 75% veggie based aka fiber and antioxidant goals.

We love all kinds of meatloaf but this is an absolutely delicious plant based option!

Recipe from: connoisseurus veg

ingredients

Sometimes, we do include meat in our diet. I have talked many times about how we try to focus 80-ish% of our diet on plant based meals; however, we do include turkey, fish, chicken etc now + then. This is one of our FAVORITE recipes. The jalapeños give it such a delish kick.

ingredients

• 1 pound of lean ground turkey or chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2-3 jalapeños [diced]
• 2 cup spinach [package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed in paper towels to remove excess moisture]
• 1/2 large yellow onion [diced]
• 2-3 fresh garlic cloves [chopped/minced]
• red pepper [to taste- we add about a 1.5 tsp but we LOVE spice]
• salt + pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese [we didn’t have any and left this out]

recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, diced jalapeños, spinach, yellow onion, garlic cloves, red pepper, salt + pepper, and Romano cheese in a bowl [I use my – clean- hands]
3. Spray baking sheet with olive oil
4. Roll mixture into balls
5. Bake meatballs at 400 for 30 minutes

Recommend over banza pasta for an extra fiber + protein boost!

We love, love salmon and this has quickly become one of our top 5 favorite recipes! We typically make Salmon with an Asian seasoning or some lemon/garlic/pepper; however, this weekend was super hot in the swamp aka Gainesville, FL so we wanted something SUMMERY! The chia seed jam summer salmon was born. Talk about a meal loaded with omega-3s (heart eyes)!

Patrick and I like to try and have some kind of low-mercury/high omega-3 fish (90% of the time salmon, sometimes tuna) twice a week. The American Heart Associate recommends consuming 8oz of fish a week (12oz a week for pregnancy). Research has shown that regular consumption of seafood rich in omega-3s reduces the risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent. Heart disease, as mentioned in Can you include red meat in a healthy diet?, is the number one cause of death (both men and women). That’s why its super important to include an adequate amount of omega-3s in your diet! Heart + brain health!!

If you’re typically not a fan of salmon and/or just want to switch it up for summer- THIS IS AN AMAZING recipe. We promise you guys will not be disappointed.

recipe adapted from: publix

ingredients for salmon

• 3 tablespoons chopped pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumb
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 salmon fillets [about 1 lb]
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, we used Himalayan [has lighter taste]

ingredients for chia seed jam – this takes only 5 minutes to make and is so worth it!

We hope you guys love + enjoy this delicious summer salmon recipe!

-The Neilan Family-

Can Red Meat be a Healthy Part of Your Diet?

The answer is yes; however, there’s much more to the story! I am a Registered Dietitian working alongside my husband who is a Senior Resident Physician at the [same] hospital. So, we get asked this question a lot.

A lot of the time our patients ask us, “what do you do?” [in regards to our diet and including/excluding red meat]. So before we get into the research of red meat and why you can have it in your diet in moderation, we will touch on this first. Patrick and I follow a plant based diet 80-90% of the time. On average, we have red meat probably 6-12 times a year [this is a complete estimate]. This is about once every month or every other month aka we do not have it often. Processed meat is even more limited in our diet, we probably have this 3-6 times a year. Some people call this a “Flexitarian Diet” which is very similar to Mediterranean. We follow this diet for organ, mental and physical well being and weight maintenance, not for weight loss.

So then the question is – why? Well thankfully there has been an abundance of research on this topic.

The World Health Organization, a specialized agency focused on public health of the United Nations and The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified processed meat as a carcinogen, something that causes cancer. And it has classified red meat as a probable carcinogen, something that probably causes cancer. Processed meat includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, and some deli meats. It refers to meat that has been treated in some way to preserve or flavor it. Processes include salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, and goat.

“Twenty-two experts from 10 countries reviewed more than 800 studies to reach their conclusions. They found that eating 50 grams of processed meat every day increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. That’s the equivalent of about 4 strips of bacon or 1 hot dog. For red meat, there was evidence of increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.” – The American Cancer Society. Having processed meat daily, increases your risk of colon cancer about 1%. This is why having processed meat occasionally, is absolutely ok. You don’t want to have it often, not only because it increases cancer risk but also for heart health. All meat, and most animal products, are high in saturated fat. This is the kind of fat that you do not want a lot of in your diet because it increases risk of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. 1 in every 4 deaths is caused from heart disease.

So how much saturated fat should you have? You should be aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat. For example, if you need about 2,000 calories a day, no more than 120 of them should come from saturated fat. That’s about 13 grams of saturated fat per day. – American Heart Association

The purpose is not to fear food. You don’t need that kind of negative energy towards food in your life. When Patrick and I do have red meat or even processed meat to be honest we don’t think twice about it. We enjoy it while we are having it because we know this is not something we have often. So it is truly unnecessary to fear it. Never fear your food. Focus on portion sizes and moderation vs restriction.

The great part about including more plant based meals and swapping out meat a few nights a week is that this typically means you are including more vegetables, beans, fruits etc! This is fantastic. More fiber, more antioxidants and less inflammation- YES PLEASE! Patrick and I have a goal of consuming 10 cups of fruits and veggies a day! Why? Research shows the greatest benefit from including 8-10 cups per day to avoid cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

References:

https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/world-health-organization-says-processed-meat-causes-cancer.html

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/11/03/report-says-eating-processed-meat-is-carcinogenic-understanding-the-findings/

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp?appName=MobileApp

Vegan. Delicious. Easy. Going to be perfectly honest with you guys. This sauce was 100% accidental. It was a Tuesday after a long day of work and I was whipping up a sauce based off of what we had around. I was topping it off with some red pepper and the cap fell off! Making it SUPER spice and also our favorite sauce yet! If you don’t love spice, decrease the amount and if you do love spice, you’re in for a treat.

ingredients 

• 1 1/4 cups raw ground cashew (I put them in a small blender without liquid and mixed until it turned into a fine powder)
• optional: 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
• 3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast or 1/4 C parmesan cheese
• 2-3 cloves fresh, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 C combo of fresh basil + parsley (we always do more basil than parsley)
• 3-4 Tbsp red repper
• 1-2 cups (240-480 ml) your milk of choice (we used cashew)

recipe

1. To food processor, add arrowroot starch (for thickening), ground cashews, nutritional yeast or parmesan, garlic, sea salt, red pepper, and 1 cup milk.
2. Blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more garlic for kick/zing, nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, or milk if too thick.
3. Transfer to a skillet and cook over medium-low to medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking frequently. The sauce should thicken and bubble. Add more dairy-free milk as needed to thin. Then it’s ready to serve!
4. Enjoy with zucchini noodles or your favorite pasta (we use Banza aka chickpea pasta for extra protein. Should you try Banza pasta DO NOT FOLLOW BOX FOR BOILING INSTRUCTIONS. You will have mush. Boil for 5 minutes only). It could even be enjoyed layered in lasagna! Top with additional nutritional yeast or Parmesan Cheese and/or Roasted Tomatoes/green veggies for more flavor.

Enjoy Guys!

-The Neilan Family-

I’m not writing this post to drill you or hate on sitting or relaxing. I’m a believer that relaxing is important too BUT the focus of this post, is why we sit too much, research on how it effects us and simple ways to include more movement.

If this was back in the day- we wouldn’t have to go to the gym or take breaks to make sure we walk at work because we would be using up enough energy to catch and hunt our food. We would use enough energy to find water or to locate our families; however, these days, that is of course- not the case!

We have A TON to be thankful for- we have made a zillion advances in health care, in astronomy, in engineering- the list goes on. With all of our advances; however, we have made our lives very easy [lets be honest]. We walk two steps and there’s probably a vending machine around the corner. We drive a bit, and we have fast food everywhere. We can accomplish SO much work – just from merely turning on a computer. While it’s great for mankind, it also means we have to WORK to include movement in our day.

Some of us are lucky and movement is included in our jobs but a lot of us have 9 to 5 desk jobs and our bodies. are. not. designed. for. that. Our bodies are designed to move. The best kind of movement – is the kind you enjoy.

Lets go through some research on tips on how to easily include more movement.

research

• We’re averaging 9.3 hours a day, compared to 7.7 hours of SLEEPING. Yes, we are sitting more than we’re sleeping.
• After 1 hour of sitting, the production of enzymes that burn fat declines by as much as 90%
• Extended sitting slows the body’s metabolism affecting things like (good cholesterol) HDL levels in our bodies.
• Research shows that this lack of physical activity is directly tied to 6% of the impact for heart diseases, 7% for type 2 diabetes, and 10% for breast cancer, or colon cancer.
• You might already know that the death rate associated with obesity in the US is now 35 million But do you know what it is in relationship to Tobacco? 3.5 million.
• Moving the body throughout the day is crucial to the maintenance of metabolic and musculoskeletal health and mental well-being
• Researchers feel that future generations will look back at our sedentary work place practices the same way we now view smoking
• Women who were inactive for 11 or more hours a day fared the worst, facing a 12% increase in premature death
• It is not enough to work out an hour a day- that DOES NOT make up for 6-8hrs of sitting daily per Harvard Health + Mayo Clinic. Continuous movement is key.

what you can do to increase movement

• purposely park further from work, grocery store, etc (I do this!)
• take more water breaks and instead of sitting while you drink- STAND and WALK (just for 2-3 minutes)
• download the free app “Stand Up”. It reminds you to stand up every so often. You set how often you want it go off and the hours of the day you want it on. I do every 30min from 8am-5pm.
• try a standing desk- we have one at home!
• take the stairs
• use the restroom above or below your floor at work
• do jumping jacks on commercials while you watch TV or do chores around the house
• walk while you talk on the phone
• take the scenic/longer route when you can!

Get up and get movin!!!

-The Neilan Family-

A lot of my favorite Instagram friends have asked about the smoothie that I make before Patrick heads into the ICU for a 12hr+ overnight shift. First off. Why do I make him a smoothie? His schedule for meals and what he craves is all off and whack when he works overnight. Also he is supppppperrrr busy in the ICU and I can’t tell you how many times he forgets to eat [he will oftentimes bring home whatever I give him to bring to work when he’s in the ICU, even finger foods]. So I try to give him something SUPER nutrient and calorie dense while he’s home- to be sure he’s still getting our goal of 10 cups fruits + veggies a day. Plus, goodness knows the man needs a well functioning bod + brain in the ICU.

Note: Even when he forgets to eat he still has the smoothie, plus a normal meal before he goes in and when he gets home in the morning [so no worries, I make sure he doesn’t starve- bahaha NOT IN THIS RD’s HOUSE].

If you take out the peanut butter, this will decrease the calories considerably. I know we don’t all need a super calorie dense smoothie daily, so that’s any easy way to lessen up the calories. When I make it for myself, I don’t add peanut butter unless I’m super hungry.

Ok for the recipe. This changes often [depending on what we have around, so feel free to play with it]. Also, the smoothie sometimes comes out an ugly dark brown or green color and I always tell people – BE PROUD OF YOUR BROWN SMOOTHIE! That means you did a fantastic job of mixing your fruit + veggies. Own that ugly lookin smoothie friends!

ingredients

• 1/2 C Broccoli [frozen, right from the bag- you don’t have to cook. If you have a blender that is a little finicky then I do recommend just boiling plain broccoli so you don’t kill your blender. Otherwise, frozen right from the bag is best].
• 1 C Spinach or Kale [we keep our bag in the freezer and toss it in from there]
• 2 scoops Patrick’s protein concoction aka a mix of both hemp + whey protein powder
• 2 Tbsp of sunflower seed butter/or peanut butter/or PB powder [recommend omitting if you aren’t super hungry]
• 1 Packet frozen Acai
• 1 C berries [we have used strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries – literally whatever fruit you have and love- throw it in!]
• 1 whole banana
• 1/2 Tbsp Flax
• 1/2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 1/4 Tsp of Spirulina [to check out the benefits of spirulina, visit our post! The Magic of Spirulina]
• 1 Tsp Matcha Powder
• Ice per preference [we start with about 1/4 C]
• 1/2 C liquid [our favorite is coconut aloe water as a base but we also have used nut milk and even tea as a smoothie base] Note: as we blend depending on how thick it is, we typically add more liquid
• 1 Tsp of cinnamon [we are obssesseddddd with cinnamon]
• 1/2 Tsp Golden Milk [this is a turmeric/date powder mix]
• A few drops of vanilla and/or maple extract
• ADAPTOGENS:  if you follow us on instagram, I post about these a lot and I typically rotate through adaptogens in our smoothie. What is an adaptogen? I will post about this soon but in the mean time, an adaptogen is a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. — Common adaptogens we rotate through in our smoothie [1/2 Tsp of the following]: ashwagandha, maca, ginseng, mucuna pruriens etc.

tips:

• Don’t feel like you have to buy all the above OR add all of the above. We mix it up often.
• We have used cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, beets…the things you can try are endless + all delish. The fruit truly masks a majority of veggies very well! One of my fav additions is CHICKPEAS- definitely give that a try!
• When I  make smoothies for myself, I typically omit the protein powder and peanut butter and add hemp hearts + nuts and/or chickpeas to provide protein in smoothies.
• If there’s a taste in there that you don’t love it’s likely the spirulina [very earthy! we love it but know it’s not for everyone]
• This smoothie makes A LOT. Especially as you add more liquid SO we freeze what we can’t finish [if we are too full] and save it for the next day- SO YUM!

recipe

Blend everything in a blender!

blender tips:

• If your blender is touchy, I recommend cooking veggies beforehand just so you don’t kill your blender! Otherwise frozen/raw is perfect!
• We often stop the blender half way through, mix with a spoon and continue.
• Frozen acai is hard as a rock, if your blender isn’t strong- I would maybe let this melt a little before you make the smoothie. Just leave it on the counter for a bit beforehand.
• Matcha: the best way to have matcha is with water or with very little protein to absorb the goodness [EGCG]. We add the matcha to smoothies for caffeine and because we love the taste. Your body will still absorb a lot of the antioxidants even in the smoothie, so the matcha is by no means wasted BUT we know it’s expensive so if you’d rather have it in a latte or with less protein to absorb it to the utmost – we understand/wanted to make you all aware!

Hope you guys enjoy!

-The Neilan Family-