Clean Eating Made Simple and Tips for Busy Lives

The Maria Liberati Show

The episode features two distinct segments focused on wellness and personal growth. First, Sara Ecklin provides practical tips for clean eat

Key takeaways

• Sara Ecklin recommends prioritizing seasonal ingredients like pumpkin, apples, and butternut squash during the fall months.
• Homemade granola is presented as a simple, healthy alternative to store-bought versions that often contain excessive additives.

Main topics

• Seasonal clean eating
• Fall recipe ideas

Notable quotes

The more ingredients, typically the more highly processed it is.

Conclusion

The episode offers a blend of practical nutritional guidance for the a

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Hey, it's Maria, and welcome to the Maria Liberati Show, your weekly escape into the flavor stories and simple joys of the Italian lifestyle. This is where we slow down, gather around the table, and remember what really matters. So wherever you are in the kitchen, on a walk, or easing into Speaker 2 (0:22) your day, I'm grateful you're here. Let's begin. Speaker 3 (0:27) And my special guest today is Sarah Eglin, and she's the founder of Clean Plate Mama. She focuses on whole and clean and fresh ingredients in her recipes. Sarah, thank you so much for being here. Well, thank you so much for having me, Maria. So fall is here, and there are certain ingredients that are more prevalent, obviously, or easier to use in the fall. And I know you have some great recipes you were going to share with us, but what ingredients, because we want to use local or seasonal rather, because you can't always use local, but seasonal definitely ingredients. What ingredients are the ones to use for or look for fall? Speaker 1 (1:15) Yeah, so right now I'm on a huge pumpkin kick. So I think September rolls around, October rolls around and pumpkin everywhere. Luckily, it's easy to buy canned pumpkin. You don't have to roast your own pumpkin and puree it yourself. I always say look for pure pumpkin. Do not look for pumpkin pie filling. Apples. I'm from the Midwest, so apple orchards are everywhere right now. And that's a very common weekend outing is to go to the apple orchard and get local apples. Also butternut squash. I love baking with butternut squash, throwing it in salads, actually putting it in pastas. So I would say those are the three that I... really lean towards this time of the year. And I know you were going to share with Speaker 3 (1:57) us recipes. I think you had a pumpkin. I'm sure you have a few pumpkin recipes, but I think you have, I know you're a home cook, so your recipes are clean, but they're also not complicated, right? So that people can go and try them themselves, which is great, especially for home cooks to be able to do that. But what, I know you were going to share a home. Not home. I'm sorry. I'm on this home cooking. That's okay. A pumpkin recipe. Yes. Speaker 1 (2:27) So one that we actually just made this weekend are my pumpkin breakfast cookies, which are a family favorite. We make a batch of them, kind of food prep for the week. They're great to grab for breakfast. They actually are great for an afternoon snack with your coffee. They are made with whole grain oats. I use peanut butter. I add in flax seeds. The flax seeds are just such an easy way to add an extra new. nutrients into baked goods. Obviously uses canned pumpkin and yeah, it's just a great way to add just like a seasonal flair. I do throw some chocolate chips in for my kids, but you can definitely, you can change it. You can add in walnuts, you can add in pecans, you can add in pumpkin seeds, change it to your, your liking or who you're serving it to if it's for kids or adults or whatnot. That's definitely one of our favorites. We also really love pumpkin granola. I always tell people if cooking at home is new to you or baking is new to you, homemade granola is one of the easiest things you can make. It is surprising how easy it is. It takes less than 10 ingredients, less than 15 minutes of prep to get it into the oven. And once you start making your own homemade granola, it's amazing how different store-bought will take and you'll just want to keep making your own homemade because it is so much better than anything from a bag. Speaker 3 (3:45) How do you make pumpkin granola? Speaker 3 (3:49) Yes. Speaker 1 (3:49) So you add the pumpkin. So you have your dry ingredients, which is your oats, your pecans, your pumpkin seeds. And then you mix your wet ingredients, which would be your, I sweeten it with pure maple syrup. So pure maple syrup, a little bit of oil, and then it's not quite a full can, but then you mix in the pumpkin puree with your wet ingredients. And because you are adding in a little bit more moisture there, you do have to cook it a little bit slower. Cook it a little bit longer. Be careful it doesn't burn. There are a few tricks to keep it really crunchy and crispy as granola should be. But yes, you just mix the pumpkin right in with your wet ingredients. cook it a little bit lower, cook it a little bit longer. You're really pressing down the granola while you're baking. When you mix it and you press it to try to keep those clusters together. Leaves your house smelling amazing. It lasts for up to two weeks on your counter. It is just a phenomenal little snack to have handy in the kitchen. Speaker 3 (4:42) Yeah, I was going to say it sounds like a great after school or after work snack because you can just grab it. When you come home, if you're hungry and tired and you just want something to snack on and it's so good for you also. Speaker 2 (4:54) So that sounds like a really great. What Speaker 3 (4:57) about, do you have any recipes for that are like people can have for dinner or lunch or something like that? Speaker 1 (5:05) Yes. Another really popular one I have is a fall quinoa salad. So something less sweet, more on the savory side. It uses a roasted butternut squash. And then it's quinoa, spinach, kale. There's pepitas, pumpkin seeds, whatever you wish to call them. Pomegranate seeds. And a very simple maple vinaigrette. I think the dressing is less than five ingredients. It holds up really well in the fridge. So whether you want to have it for dinner. If you're having it for dinner, I usually say bake up or cook up some chicken so you can have some protein on the side or a steak, whatever you want for your main protein. And then the salad keeps really well in the