BetterBody Foods Recipes That Are Nutritious and Delicious

Like many others, I filled my quarantine time with baking goodies, making ice cream, and binge-watching all my streaming subscriptions. However, with school starting in a month, I’ve decided it’s finally time for me to start working out and eating healthy again. Luckily for me, summer is the best time to explore new recipes because many fruits and veggies are fresh and packed with flavor. However, while I am enjoying the best vitamins and nutrients from fresh produce, I also want to be mindful of the ingredients in staples like flour, sugar, oils, and more. By using organic, natural ingredients, I learned that I can make food taste great and still be good for the body.

BetterBody Foods

Online health food store, BetterBody Foods sent me some samples of their products to try, including their Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, Organic Coconut Flour, Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, and Organic Quinoa. The following contains my genuine experiences and opinions about the products.  

BetterBody Foods was founded by Stephen Richards who saw the devastating consequences of diabetes on his family. He wanted to make healthier food choices with “better for you” ingredients that he could share with his friends, family, and community.

I too wanted to explore how I can transform my everyday cooking into healthier alternatives with BetterBody Foods sustainable and organic products. By choosing to use natural and nutritious ingredients, I was able to still make great tasting food and meet my health goals. 

Breakfast: Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

I typically wake up hungry and ready to eat, so I decided to make a big breakfast of buttermilk blueberry pancakes. Using BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Flour, Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, and Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, I was very curious as to how these ingredients would affect the taste and texture of the pancakes.

Healthy alternatives that can be a staple in any dish you make!

Pancake Ingredients

Even though the coconut flour created a thicker batter than normal, once cooked, the pancakes came out surprisingly fluffy. The coconut oil added a delicious coconutty flavor that was offset with plump and juicy blueberries I added. The pancakes also had a subtle dried coconut texture, so you know the coconut flour is made from natural ingredients. Finally, the coconut palm sugar has almost half the glycemic index as regular sugar – this means our bodies digest and absorb it more slowly which reduces our risk for diabetes and heart disease. These yummy pancakes are gluten-free and vegetarian friendly. Therefore, we can enjoy them guilt-free!

Crispy, fluffy pancakes that are guilt free too

Fluffy Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients:

  •  2/3 cup light coconut milk, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Flour, sifted
  •  2 Tbsp BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
  •  2/3 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  •  3 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp BetterBody Foods Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • BetterBody Foods Virgin Organic Coconut Oil for frying
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
betterbody foods

Steps 1 – 4

betterbody foods

Steps 5 – 6

Instructions:

  1. To make the buttermilk, mix the apple cider vinegar with the coconut milk and let it sit for a minimum of 5 minutes.
  2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the sifted coconut flour, coconut palm sugar, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut buttermilk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Make sure your coconut oil is in a liquid state but still at room temperature. This is very important, otherwise your coconut oil will clump together!
  4. Mix the dry ingredients in small batches into the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and make sure that the coconut flour is thoroughly mixed in. The batter will be thick because of the coconut flour.
  5. Heat up your pan at a low/medium heat and add the coconut oil. Pour your batter in and slowly circle the pan to help spread the batter. Drop blueberries on top of the batter.
  6. Once bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, flip and continue to cook until they’re golden brown. Continue until you’ve used all the batter.
  7. Serve with fresh blueberries and maple syrup or honey.

Lunch: Crispy Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Hobak Jeon)

betterbody foods
Homemade Hobak Jeon using Betterbody Foods ingredients

Kimchi, Squash, and Zucchini Korean Pancake

For lunch, I tried my hand at Korean pancakes that I learned how to make from Chef Jiyeon of Heirloom Market BBQ. She partnered with Go Eat Give in a live cooking demonstration during lockdown. You can find the recipe and the recorded video on Go Eat Give’s Facebook page. My first attempt was not particularly successful – my pancakes weren’t crispy and they reeked of vegetable oil. I was on a mission to improve my Korean pancakes!

I knew I had to change my oil. So I replaced the generic vegetable oil with BetterBody Foods Avocado Oil because of its neutral flavor and health benefits. To create a very crispy texture, I had to use a LOT of oil. This makes it even more important to use an oil that is good for you. Since avocado oil is a monounsaturated fat, it can help reduce the bad cholesterol levels in your blood. Next, the oil must be very hot, since we’re pan frying the pancake to make it crispier. Another great benefit of avocado oil is that it has one of the highest smoke points at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, I spread out the batter to make the pancake super thin – this allows the pancake to cook through without burning.

Making each of these changes, I was able to make perfectly crispy Korean pancakes.

Watch as Chef Jiyeon Lee teaches us how to make amazing Korean pancakes!

Dinner: Citrus Quinoa Salad 

betterbody foods
A easy yet healthy meal for anyone to make at home

Fresh Citrus Quinoa Salad

At the start of quarantine, my friends started an old school recipe exchange to inspire ideas for new dishes. Quinoa was a popular ingredient, likely because of its versatility and health benefits. One of the recipes I received was a fresh and healthy citrus quinoa salad, which I wanted to make for dinner.

Since BetterBody Foods Organic Quinoa includes 6g of protein and 11% of the daily value of fiber per serving, I could have a salad that was light yet filling. Here’s a salad recipe, that’s simple and customizable to your personal taste.

Citrus Quinoa Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup BetterBody Foods Organic Quinoa 
  • 3-4 cups of spring mix
  • 3 fresh mandarins, peeled
  • 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed mandarin juice
  • 1/3 cup BetterBody Foods Avocado Oil
  • 2-3 tbsp BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
  • Sea Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Thoroughly rinse the quinoa to remove any residual bitterness. Following BetterBody Foods instructions – combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes. Fluff and set it aside to cool.
  2. While the quinoa cooks, prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a mason jar. Add the salt and black pepper to your taste. Close the jar and shake to mix the ingredients. Put the dressing in the fridge to cool while you prep the salad.
  3. In a large bowl, add the salad mix to the quinoa. Add the mandarins, pistachios, and feta cheese. Shake the dressing before pouring it over the salad. Add fresh salt and pepper to taste. Keep the salad and dressing separate if you don’t plan on eating the entire salad in one sitting.  

Final Thoughts 

Between diet and exercise, changing what we eat is most important to being healthier. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I never want to sacrifice the taste of my food. But with BetterBody Foods, I was able to make simple substitutions to improve the nutritious value of my meal while still keeping the delicious flavor. Try your hand at creating your own meals with BetterBody Foods or follow them on Instagram to see the fun and healthy recipes they’re cooking up. 

Go Eat Give Recipe Contest With Betterbody Foods

Are you interested in eating healthier and cooking more nutritiously? Go Eat Give is hosting a BetterBody Foods recipe contest from August 1-10, 2020. Tag #GoEatGive in your public Facebook story or post with a photo of a healthy dish you made for a chance to win the following BetterBody Food products:

PBfit Protein Peanut Butter Powder

Oatsome Organic Oat Milk

PBfit Protein Peanut Butter Spread

PBfit Protein Almond Butter Spread

Be sure to be on the lookout for our Facebook announcement of the start of the BetterBody Foods recipe contest! 

~By Melissa Ting, Marketing and Communications Intern at Go Eat Give. Melissa is an MBA student at Georgia Tech. She has a passion for discovering new foods and exploring new countries. 

What will you eat in Greenland? Part 1

Research shows that 50% of travelers chose a destination based on the food. That may be true when you are planning a trip to countries that are globally renowned for their food – Italy, Spain, India, Mexico, Japan and many more. But Greenland may not make it to the list of foodies travels.

It was actually quite a challenge for me to research what I should expect to eat in Greenland before I headed there. A few wiki articles indicated towards the fishing and hunting bounties, warning me that availability of fruits and vegetables would be limited. Surprisingly, Greenland turned out to be a food paradise! Yes, supply is limited as many ingredients are imported from Europe, but there is also an abundance of local products. Greenland actually exports seafood such as shrimp, halibut, cod, redfish, seal. Hunting consists of reindeer and musk ox; and lots of vegetables are now being cultivated in south Greenland.

More on farming in Greenland…coming up.

Here are some of the dishes that you can expect to eat when touring around Greenland. The first of the two-part post focuses on breakfast, which always included lots of freshly baked bread, cheese, homemade jams, tea and coffee. Many different kinds of bread are made with rye, seeds, wheat, poppy seed, etc. Some are quite hearty in flavor.

Greenlandic Breakfast –

Greenlandic pastries for breakfast
Assorted savory pastries at Hotel Arctic

homemade jams served for breakfast
Homemade jams and jellies at Hotel Arctic

fresh cheese with slicer
Fresh slice your own cheese served at every restaurant

breakfast buffet at Hotel Arctic
Buffet breakfast at 4-star hotel

Greenlandic breads for breakfast
Different kinds of bread loves, served self slice style

bed and breakfast

at B&B Hansine
Breakfast at B&B Hansine (private home) in Nuuk

Read part 2 of What will you eat in Greenland?

Pancakes round the world

My favorite thing to eat for breakfast is a homemade, fresh of the griddle pancake. I don’t particularly like the ones at restaurants and hotels. In my opinion, they probably have a lot of butter or oil that make them taste very rich and leaves me with an overstuffed belly.

I try to make my pancakes as healthy as possible, by adding fat free milk and frying with Pam (vegetable spray). Here are recipes for three versions of pancakes that I make at home. These are great for breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert.American pancake

 

 

American – These are classic American, fluffy and thick pancakes. Use low-fat Bisquick to make the job easier and serve them with low-calorie maple syrup. Take it a step further by using whole wheat flour (instead of white) and serve the pancakes with lots of fruits and berries.

Another twist is adding mashed bananas or a cup of fresh blueberries into the pancake batter. It takes your ordinary pancake to “gourmet” and everyone loves it.

swedish pancake

 

 

Swedish – Prepared almost the same way, but much thinner and lighter. Swedish pancakes look almost like mini crepes but are soft and have a slight saltiness to their taste. Stack up 3-4 pancakes and serve on a warm plate. These savory pancakes can also be served for lunch. I use the Lund’s mix, but a runny pancake batter would do too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hungarian – When I first tasted Hungarian pancakes (Palacsinta) served in a rich creamy sauce as dessert in Budapest, I felt like I died and went to heaven! Once I returned home to the US, I recreated this recipe with my own inspiration. The pancakes themselves are extremely thin, thinner than a crepe, so you need to make 8-10 for each serving. Add a teaspoon of Nutella and sprinkle poppy seeds between each layer. Finally, top it all with a Bourbon sauce. I have to warn you this dish is far from health but worth every calorie!