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Plant Chat: Michaela Ballmann MS, RD, CLT

Sharon Palmer

I’m so glad to have Michaela Ballmann, MS, RD, CLT on my blog today! Michaela is a registered dietitian, nutrition consultant, podcast host, and blogger who is enthusiastic about guilt-free eating, whole person care, and nourishing food. Her main interest is in helping people to love food, their bodies, and themselves. She hosts the Nutritionally Speaking podcast to broadcast the truth about nutrition and interview experts in the field. Her blog features plant-based recipes, intuitive and mindful eating, and diet-free living. In 2016, Michaela launched Nibblee Bits, a grain-free, paleo and vegan cookie mix to make healthy baking fun, easy and tasty too! Continue reading to learn more about Michaela’s diet philosophy and her company!

 

 

What inspired you to become a dietitian? 

My original major was International Relations and Spanish, but in my first semester of college I took a nutrition class that changed my life. I attended Southern Adventist University and was taught a plant-based approach to nutrition, health and the prevention and reversal of chronic disease. I realized the incredible power of food and lifestyle. After studying abroad the following year in Spain and China, I changed my major and received a B.S. and M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Loma Linda University.

What is your unique nutrition philosophy for optimal health?

I think freedom is absolutely key to true wellness and wholeness – freedom to choose what, when and how much to eat. So many people follow diet books full of rules and have lost touch with their own body and its needs. Diets really wreak havoc on the mind and body, so I help my clients detox from the toxic beliefs, behaviors and effects of chronic dieting.

It’s not a very common career path for dietitians to launch a food product; what was your path to developing this new food product? 

I work with food sensitivities in my practice and noticed many clients not being able to tolerate gluten, grains and dairy. My business partner Delyn and I both do CrossFit and found that people were looking for paleo goodies that also packed a nutritional punch. I decided to go to work developing a delicious treat with super powers for people on a special diet who need or prefer to avoid gluten, grains, dairy and soy. Hello Nibblee Bits!

I discovered TigerNut flour which is a tuber packed with resistant starch. It acts as a prebiotic to feed our good bacteria and provides 4 grams of fiber per cookie. There are antioxidants from cacao nibs and 85% chocolate chips, and a light sweetness from organic coconut sugar. It is a yummy and satisfying cookie with impressive ingredients and nutrition. It’s also really easy to make – just add 1/3 cup coconut oil and 2 eggs (or 2 flax eggs for vegans or those with an egg allergy), scoop onto a baking pan, flatten gently, bake for 10 minutes and nibble!

 

As a dietitian, what do you think is most important lesson for health and wellness that you can share with people? 

Enjoy your food. Our tagline at Nibblee Bits is #nibblehappy! Eating should be a happy experience, one nibble at a time.

Slow down, savor, and notice how foods make your body feel. I find that when clients are able to do this, they become more in tune with what they actually want to eat (which ends up not being refined carbs and cheap snacks), are able to eat to satisfaction, and feel so much better as a result.

If I opened the door in your refrigerator or pantry, what would I find? 

Lots of produce! Our fruit and veggies fill half of the fridge. I try to have on hand a cruciferous vegetable like cabbage or broccoli, a green leafy like kale or rainbow chard, and salad fixins. I rotate through different types of berries and really enjoy seasonal fruit from the farmers market. I also have different sources of protein – seitan, tempeh, tofu, legumes, and sometimes eggs from our neighbor’s hens. There’s coconut milk, beans, grains and a bounty of flours and ingredients for baking in the cupboards along with special treats from our travels like Norwegian chocolate, chestnut spread from Paris and tea from Salzburg. You’ll also find my diy experiments like kombucha, water kefir and kimchi.

What are you absolutely passionate about? 

My passion is for lasting healing and abundant living through food, nutrition and lifestyle. I get extremely excited about freeing people from a lifetime of diets, being a slave to the scale and a restrictive, deprived mindset around food. I help women who have been dieting their whole lives and hate their bodies to help them become normal eaters, achieve lasting weight loss and be happy in their own skin.

Michaela shares one of her favorite plant-powered recipes with you today on the blog.

 

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Chana Masala (Vegan, Gluten-Free)


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian

Description

Indian food is so amazing with the incredible use of spices and aromatics! Chana masala is a perfect weeknight meal and is even better as leftovers.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil 
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon chana masala spice or more garam masala
  • 1 28 ounces can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
  • 1 15 ounces can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic and onion until translucent. Add cumin seeds and stir.
  2. Wait until you hear the seeds popping, then add the turmeric, garam masala, and chana masala spice mix, and stir well.
  3. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Finally, add the garbanzo beans and salt and cook for about 3-5 more minutes. Add more spices or salt to taste. Mix in the cilantro directly before serving.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

 

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