Tracey Grant

IN THE KITCHEN WITH TRACEY:
Efficiency & Flavor!

Tell us about yourself:

Hi! My name is Tracey Grant, and I’m a registered dietitian living in San Diego. I have a full time job working in weight management as well as a private practice specializing in digestive health and meal planning. I have truly seen the impact of nutrient density and good quality food in healing the gut and the body, both in myself and in my clients, and I love helping those around me make healthy lifestyle changes!

How did you get involved in cooking:

I didn’t grow up cooking much at all, though I did do quite a bit of baking! I really started teaching myself how to cook when I lived in Seattle and finally had my own kitchen after getting married. It was around that same time that I started getting to the root cause of some long-standing health issues that I had been dealing with for years, so cooking was both for pleasure and necessity!

Describe your cooking style:

I do love a beautiful, complex dish with multiple unique flavors, but in reality, I’m much more of an efficiency-oriented cook. I tend to prep all of my food for the week over the weekend due to my work schedule, and as such, make a lot of one-pot meals and batch cooked foods that freeze well. I like easy dishes with lots of flavor!

How did you learn about grass-fed meats:

Back in 2015 I was diagnosed with SIBO and Hashimoto’s, and in my research to figure out how to heal my gut and my body, I discovered the paleo diet. I began to focus on nutrient density and quickly learned the differences between conventional and grass fed meats. I immediately switched over to grass fed and it is still one of the highest priorities in my food budget, primarily because of the health benefits, but also because of the flavor!

What is your favorite recipe featuring grass-fed meat:

My favorite recipe is probably the humble meatball! Meatballs are so easy and versatile, and also a great staple to batch cook and freeze for later. My go to recipe is here, on my blog.

Top 5 ingredients and a kitchen tool:

I stick with the basics most of the time, so that’s what I’d bring! Himalayan salt, good quality olive oil, fresh herbs (especially parsley, cilantro, and basil), cinnamon, and aged balsamic vinegar. I pretty much cook all of my veggies with oil and salt, dress up dishes with balsamic or fresh herbs, and I love the sweetness that cinnamon draws out of food! As for my one kitchen tool (assuming that a good knife is already available), I would bring my food processor. I use it constantly for anything from making homemade green flatbread, veggie puree, nut butters, pate, and the list goes on!

Best cooking tip:

Don’t be afraid to try something new! I have made plenty of dishes that were flops (and I almost always eat them anyway, because I hate to waste), but if you don’t get in the kitchen and start trying for fear of failing, you’ll never learn!

Favorite quote/song for culinary inspiration: Food is medicine.

Anything else you want to share:

A lot of people think that healthy eating is boring, but I think that couldn’t be farther from the truth. There is so much diversity in vegetables, fruits, good quality proteins, and healthy fats, and so much you can do with them! When in doubt, add some oil, a hearty sprinkle of salt, and roast away!

If you’d like to follow along on my kitchen adventures, you can find me on Instagram at @wholedailylife (www.instagram.com/wholedailylife) and on my website, www.wholedailylife.com. I also wrote an e-cookbook that is a collection of my 20 favorite easy meals that I come back to time and time again. It’s called Weeknight Paleo, and you can find it here: www.gum.co/weeknightpaleo! Lastly, I send out my weekly meal plan, as well as coupon codes and discounts, through my weekly newsletter. You can sign up at www.wholedailylife.com!