Think, Eat, Be Healthy

What The Healthy Chef Cooks

healthy chef

This healthy chef wears black on the job.

About my job

As the executive chef at Crystal Bay Hotel and Wellness Spa, I design and cook healing and health promoting meals for all of our guests. The menu is based on whole foods and tailored to each guest’s individual needs. Mostly gluten free and dairy free, the menu at Crystal Bay focuses on anti-inflammatory foods for whole food health.

Crystal Bay is a small hotel and not all of our guests participate in the wellness/healing program, but everyone gets a good start on the day with our “heavy” continental breakfast. Program guests also get lunch and dinner along with advice about cooking, shopping and specific food choices. Recipes are supplied whenever requested. We want our guests to experience how delicious and satisfying a healthy whole food diet is and to continue on that path after they leave the hotel.

As a healthy chef, on any given day I might be preparing meals for a few vegans and/or vegetarians, an individual following the paleo diet and a guest recovering from cancer chemotherapy who is trying to regain weight and strength. This can mean three or four different plates at each meal. It is always an interesting job.

Crystal Bay Hotel

Crystal Bay Hotel and Wellness Spa in Saint Petersburg, Florida. This is the home of the healthy chef.

It is all about the food

Any healthy diet is based on whole foods: foods our great grandparents would recognize. Any long term healthy diet must be delicious and satisfying. These are the things I bring together for our guests at Crystal Bay.

The following is some of the food served at the hotel. These recipes have been developed during many years of personally refining the healthy whole food diet and all its permutations. This is food from a healthy chef.

healthy chef food

Red chile turkey salad stuffed tomato with avocado and fresh fruit.

healthy chef food

Raw plate with green salad, vegetable crudite and hummus for dipping.

healthy chef food

Vegetable pot pie for a dinner entree.

healthy chef food

Starting the day with scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, avocado, tomato and fruit.

healthy chef food

Three sisters: corn polenta with tomato sauce, cowboy beans and sauteed squash.

healthy chef food

Don’t deprive yourself of dessert: the best gluten free chocolate in the known universe with tropical fruit compote.

healthy chef food

Roasted vegetable sandwich on sprouted grain bread with garlic mayonnaise and carrot slaw.

healthy chef food

Lima bean cakes with roasted tomato-red chile sauce, braised cabbage and steamed carrots.

healthy chef food

Pork loin stuffed with corn-black bean salsa, polenta and buttered broccoli and cauliflower.

healthy chef food

Turkey mushroom picatta with oven sweet potato fries and roasted zuchini squash.

healthy chef food

Quinoa salad with greens and avocado.

healthy chef food

Chicken breast with fruit chutney, curry roasted cauliflower and garlic smashed potatoes.

healthy chef food

Fruit compote for dessert.

healthy chef food

Blueberry walnut spinach salad with grapefruit vinaigrette for lunch.

healthy chef food

Fresh apple almond tart in a gluten free crust.

healthy chef food

Black bean burger with red chile sauce, quinoa on roasted cabbage and sauteed snap peas and sweet peppers.

healthy chef food

Pear cashew cream with coconut.

 

2 thoughts on “What The Healthy Chef Cooks

  1. Jan Golden

    Your food looks delicious John, and so healthy, too. Crystall Bay Hotel and Wellness Spa is fortunate to have you! I am sharing this post all over the place so others can hear about this.