The Sickler's Table

Ever since I started making my own granola this past summer, I’ve almost stopped purchasing boxed cereal entirely. My friend’s mother introduced me to her quick and easy recipe and I’ve since added a few ingredients of my own at the suggestion of this Buzzfeed article. 

I buy raw nuts and seeds so that I can mix everything together and make sure they all get coated in the spice mix. Trader Joe’s has a great selection of inexpensive raw nuts/seeds that come pre-chopped or sliced. It takes about 20 minutes to measure and mix everything and another 40-60 minutes to bake at 300-315 degrees. Flat baking sheets work best so you can spread the mixture out in a thin layer and make sure to stir every 20 minutes or so.

3 cups of plain rolled oats 

1 - 1 1/2 cups raw nuts (I like a combo walnuts, almonds, pecans)

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds aka pepitas

1/2 cup raw flax seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger and nutmeg

1/2 cup of honey

1/4 cup of melted salted butter mixed with 1/4 cup olive oil 

1 cup raisins (added after you bake)

Before anyone attacks me for using butter, the debates continue over it’s good/bad properties compared to other oils. I, personally, like the taste component it adds to my granola and if you decide to use butter, read the labels on the kind of butter you buy to make sure it DOES NOT contain trans fats! 

(The Hematologist)

A little Sunday stir-fry with fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, snow peas, onion)! 

I’ve been under the weather recently and wanted something quick and healthy so I defrosted some shrimp, chopped some vegetables, and made a sauce with things I luckily had in stock. I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves in these trying times! 

If you live in an area where “winter” means cold weather, then you’re usually thankful for warm meals like soups and stews. I recently had one of those moments and after a Google search involving things in my pantry and fridge and came across this Real Simple recipe for a lentil stew. It’s a very easy one-pot meal and you can omit the sausage if you want to make it vegetarian. Lentils alone are a great source of protein as well as folate, iron, and magnesium which are all good for blood flow.

My substitutions/changes: 

I didn’t have Italian sausage on hand so I made my own with some ground pork I had in the freezer. All Recipes is a great site because of the rating system and you can also adjust your serving size so the measurements are accurate. 

I used kale instead of Mustard Greens, but kale cooks pretty quickly so maybe add this last when the sweet potatoes are almost done.

I omitted the extra salt since the sausage has it’s own added salt. 

I took a short video on my phone after I’d added the broth and kale (I did this on a whim so pardon the small size). After this, it simmered for about 35-40 minutes until the lentils and sweet potatoes were soft. Enjoy right away but don’t burn your tongue!