healthy and beautiful

photo via Smitten Kitchen, mine never as pretty As much as we like tradition, there's nothing wrong with poached wild salmon, roasted asparagus or sweet potatoes or other simple recipes. Make sure to balance out your holiday menus or bring one of the following to your gathering. Here’s a mishmosh of Passover and Easter inspo. Gluten free “matzoh” ball Asparagus Stuffed Eggs  I use ghee or plain Greek yogurt Skinny Matzo Brei - we like Yehuda brand Gluten Free/fiber enriched (wink wink) Horseradish Brisket Carrot Kugel  (I use local honey not agave) Homemade Sauerkraut Zoodles (Zuchini Noodles) , we love the Veggetti Homemade, nastiness free, Peeps lauren’s Favorite Lamb Chop Recipe (use grass fed lamb available on Fresh Direct or at Citarella)  Ina Garten Lemon Chicken - no recipe roundup complete without Ina. What are your favorite Passover or Easter foods? Where will you be? What are you making or bringing?  I actually made Cat Cora Lamb Chops (#9) last night

I don’t really respect that many people. In terms of nutrition, I could rattle of a dozen RDs whose work I applaud but I am picky.  love nothing more than people who are smarter than I am, know more and when they pair that with passion? They’ve got me. Enter Stefanie Sacks culinary nutritionist, radio show host ( she hosted me with Little Book of Thin ) and now author.  I asked Stefanie a few questions and we’re giving away 2 copies of her fantastic, new book Whatthe Fork Are You Eating ? IF you think you know a lot about food, I promise you this book will tell you more. How did this book come about? Who would you say it’s for? What The Fork embodies roughly 30 years of my learning: first as a kid trying to get well, then as a culinary student, nutrition student and ultimately a culinary nutrition professional and impassioned food warrior. What The Fork is meant for the food and nutrition neophytes as well as the mavens. There is something in it for everyone (hopefully). Even...

Simple is Healthy! Simple is Healthy ~ Food, Part 1 YES…I have lots to say about keeping it simple and being such a chatter box, and trying not to jump too hard on the soap box, I knew this was going to become a series of SIMPLE.   I came across a quote that struck me “90% of people avoided obesity and diabetes long before anyone knew what a calorie was let alone counted them…let’s make “healthy” healthy again” and it ended with the word…SIMPLE. WOW, I thought on that and realized just how dynamic and powerful this statement was to me and how true it is for my life.   As a child, my parents modeled living from the land in our back yard and boy do I ever remember how my weekends were spent…pulling weeds from the garden.   Talk about a bitter sweet chore as a child…dirty hands, dirty knees, blisters…and the smell of tomato leaves so strong it could choke you…anyone relate?   Fruit trees adorned our backyard, and my Dad was a master grafter trying to create the perfect...

What is the first thing that comes to mind…money…right?   Well, that is part of the “Cost of Living”.   I see this phrase in a whole new way as in the choices I make with my life.   What I choose to think, feel, how I act, respond, do or not do all determines my “Cost of Living”.   Happiness comes at a price and so does stress and struggle.   I know that when I feel at my best and happy about how things are going, the cost for me is a great day, feel on top of the world, confident, and just all together fabulous…right?   Just as allowing some injustice that has been thrown my direction to take over my whole persona, well the cost would be stress, anxiety, and just an overwhelming YUCK feeling in my life bank.   Sometimes, it is difficult to always pay the right cost all the time in life to receive the right result.   Look at how the “Cost of Living” affects health and I will speak personally here…If I choose to sit around and do nothing active, t...

My Daughter ~ My Friend My daughter sent me a text to let me know she was having a “Friendsgiving” tonight and the more I looked at the words on my phone, the more I thought about the meaning of the words. My mind started reeling with ideas of how I would write about this and a quick call to my girl to get her insight was in order.   Well, my daughter and her friends have been meeting every Tuesday for girls dinner night, where they take turns preparing the meals, and enjoy a special sharing of their lives…talking, laughing, comparing stories, and eating the meal prepared with their own hands…no orders in…these gals are serious about their food, their lives, and their friendship. Sounds somewhat like “Sex in the City” gone REAL and how FABULOUS is that! I think about that and am proud of the special bonds that my daughter has with these very special ladies…I have had the privilege to meet a few of them.   They celebrate their year anniversary of “Girls Dinner” night for Fri...