At the Table: with Ashley
Once you’ve walked through Full Ride’s front doors, it won’t take you long to figure out that we’re about how it feels, rather than how it looks. We can think of few better advocates for this philosophy than Ashley Gaines, one of FRC's Front Desk Coordinators.
This week we sat down with Ashley to talk about all things wellness – both on and off the plate. Pull up a chair and stay awhile…
About Ashley
Hi, I’m Ashley! Some may know me from behind the front desk at Full Ride, but I’m so glad to introduce myself in a new way! I recently finished my education to become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach because I’m passionate about helping others find joy in cooking nutritious meals to fuel their bodies. I want to teach others that living a life full of health and wellness is attainable for everyone!
Throughout my life, I’ve had a super sensitive stomach. One day I was just tired of feeling awful when I ate certain foods that left me bloated and unwell. I knew I had to do something about it, so I started testing out other alternatives to common food sensitivities like dairy and gluten in recipes. It became a fun challenge for me to figure out how I can keep meals delicious, without common ingredients that would upset my stomach.
Fast forward to today, I am on a mission to share balanced recipes and wellness tips for anyone wanting to take small steps towards their health. Remember change doesn’t happen overnight, but small, consistent steps are what matters along your journey. Follow along on my Instagram @ashleyygainess and be on the lookout for a revamped and refreshed website coming soon! ;)
Peach Arugula Walnut Salad
Serving Size: 2 (Multiply the ingredients to serve more!)
Ingredients:
4 Cups of Arugula
1 Cucumber
1 Onion
1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts
1 Grilled Peach
1 Pack of Sugar-Free Bacon (this will be more than enough)
1 Lemon
1 Tbsp. Honey
Instructions:
Bake the sugar-free bacon as instructed on packaging. Let cool and then chop bacon into pieces. Set aside.
Cut a peach into slices, and place on the grill for a few minutes. (I just placed them onto my small George Foreman grill and it does the job!)
Toss arugula into a bowl. Top with sliced cucumbers + onion, chopped walnuts, grilled peaches, and chopped bacon pieces.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, or dressing of choice! I made my own simple lemon-honey dressing. To do so, take a fresh lemon and squeeze a tablespoon of juice, mixed with a teaspoon of honey. Whisk it up and add water as needed to get it to a liquid dressing. Super light and yummy!
5 Ingredient Salmon Bowls
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients:
3 Wild-Caught Salmon Filets
1/4 Cup of Teriyaki Sauce (Paleo + Whole30 Friendly)
1 Broccolini Bunch
1 Avocado
Brown Rice
Instructions:
Cut your wild-caught salmon into cubes.
Toss the cubes in a bowl with your teriyaki sauce of choice. This brand is a good one, because it has no added sugar and clean ingredients!) I try to marinate the salmon in the sauce for 20 minutes in the fridge prior to baking.
Heat the air-fryer to 400 and place the teriyaki salmon cubes skin-down on the air-fryer tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Once done, use tongs to take the salmon cubes out of the air-fryer. Use a knife to slice off the skin.
While the salmon is baking, steam your broccolini. I use the Ourplace pan tray and add a little water to steam my broccoli just right! I top it with lemon pepper + salt.
Then prepare your brown rice. I use the easy 90 seconds organic brown rice that is perfect when I don’t have cooked brown rice ready to go.
Once salmon and broccolini is done, start to assemble your bowls. Put the brown rice at the bottom of your bowl. Then place your broccolini on one side, and your salmon bites on the other. In the middle slice your avocado, and tada! You can also top with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, or Cilantro if you’re feeling fancy.
Healthy Burger Bowl + Fries
Serving Size: 4
Ingredients:
For the Burgers
1 Lb. of Grass-Fed Beef
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp. of Salt + Pepper
For the Fries
2-3 Russet Potatoes
1 Tbsp. of Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. of Thyme
1 Tbsp. of Old Bay (do less if you want it less spicy)
1 Tbsp. of Salt + Pepper
3 Tbsp. EVOO
For the Bowl (Optional)
Spinach
Onion
Tomato
Green pepper
Avocado
Sriracha
Instructions:
For the Burger Bowls
Take your ground beef and mix well with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make them into 4-5 patty shapes.
From there you can either make them on the grill (always best this way!), but when I’m in my apartment I will just toss them on the stovetop in a pan over medium heat. I cook each side for about 5 minutes (total of 10 minutes) to get it a little pink in the middle. This can vary depending on how well you like your burger cooked.
Once your burger is cooked, I assemble my burger bowl by placing spinach at the bottom of the bowl, and then filling in onion, tomato, green peppers, and sliced avocado. Top with your burger and drizzle sriracha to spice it up if you’d like! I drizzle with olive oil too, however you can add whatever salad dressing you like best!
For the Fries
Cut russet potatoes into slender shape-like fries.
Pat the fries dry and put them in a bowl.
Drizzle fries with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, old bay, garlic powder, dried rosemary and dried thyme. Mix well in the bowl.
Put in the air fryer at 400 for 12 minutes and shake halfway. (If you don’t have an air-fryer you can put the fries in the oven at 425 for 45 minutes!)
BBQ Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
Serving Size: 5-6
Ingredients:
2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Primal Kitchen BBQ Sauce
Pineapple
2-3 Green Peppers
1 Onion
1 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt + Pepper to Taste
Instructions:
Cut your chicken breasts into cubes and toss in 1 cup of BBQ sauce. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour or two if you can.
Start dicing up your other ingredients into cubes/slices: green pepper, onion, and pineapple.
Once chicken is marinated, start making your skewers, alternating ingredients so it is even on a kabob.
Once kabobs are ready, drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
Heat your grill to 400. Once heated, place your kabobs on the grill. Depending on the size of your kabobs, your skewers should take a total of 10-12 minutes to make. Halfway through (at either 5 or 6 minutes) flip them to the other side. As always, check to make sure there is no pink in the middle once they’re done. If there is, just toss them on the grill for a few more minutes.
Serve over brown rice, and voila you have bbq chicken pineapple kabobs!
Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan
Serving Size: 4-5
Ingredients:
1 Pack of Italian or Apple Chicken Sausage
1 Pack of Sugar-Free Bacon
1 Sweet Potato
1-2 Russet Potatoes
1 Pack of 12 oz. Green Beans
1/4 Cup of Coconut Aminos
3 Tbsp. of EVOO
1 Tbsp. of Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. of Thyme
½ Tsp. of Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
Start by prepping your bacon first. I usually bake the bacon by itself on 400 just for 12 minutes. For this recipe, you want to make sure your bacon is cooked just a little the first round, so then it gets nice and crispy with your other ingredients when it’s baked the second round.
While the bacon is cooking, I prepare my other ingredients in a large bowl. Start by cutting your potatoes into cubes, and then slicing your green beans into easier to eat slices. Then dice your chicken sausage into rounds. Toss all the ingredients into a bowl with your olive oil, coconut aminos, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Once bacon has been cooked for 12 minutes, chop your bacon pieces into inch-like cubes, and toss into the bowl with your other ingredients.
Pour your bowl of ingredients onto the same pan the bacon cooked on, and spread so it is laid evenly.
Bake your sheet pan on 425 for 25 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes once it’s done, and then serve in bowls!! (This makes for great meal prep and leftovers!)
There’s an underlying pressure to be perfect right away or make all the changes at once. This either prevents people from trying or deters them from continuing when they feel like they “failed.” The best way to set yourself up for success, however, is to take the next right step. Your goal is to start cooking more meals? Do one meal a week. Want to work out? Start with one workout per week, then two, then maybe two workouts/week and a walk/day. Health is always evolving and changing in every phase of an individual’s life; it’s important to evolve and change with it – even day by day. Be patient, stay hopeful, and have fun!