January, ahh, that post-holidays month. Definitely one of my favorite months to eat clean. In this first post of 2018, I share thoughts on January eating and a few of my favorite simple recipes to keep you cozy in the January chill.
Hello Winter! Of course in the Northern California Bay Area, I'm not sure we can call our winter as such because we still get doused with ample sunshine almost daily! Our December blog is inspired by Aarika Chileson, master mistress of beets, who run a website (www.justbeetit.com) devoted solely to beets! Yes, there's that much about beets worth knowing, and more so, worth eating (on a regular basis, I might add). Why? Because the beet is one of our most powerful superfoods, super charged to support your energy as a potent blood cleanser and blood builder.
Well, Hello There! Likely you won't get to this post until after Thanksgiving... I really wanted to get these recipes out to you all earlier this month however, I'm just now sitting down to write them up and hopefully, pumpkin isn't boring to you yet. If you're anything like me, pumpkin and squash are almost never boring.
As a Natural Chef and Health Coach, I'm always thinking about what new recipes, meal prep ideas, and food processes would inspire people to improve their eating habits and experience more vibrant energy. My focus is on simple, delicious, health-supportive and seasonal rather than complex, multi-step, and exotic because I want you to actually do it and experience the powerful benefits of clean eating. Enter The Sexy Salad -it's seasonal (so you're not bored), highly nourishing (so you feel great), and super delicious (so you're satisfied).
Happy August Everyone! My how the summer is flying by! Recently I've been exploring eating grain-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. (Enter this Summer of Chia Pudding post.) The results have been great! I feel stronger and healthier with more steady energy overall. I was skeptical at first (and still am) about giving up grains, but the summer seemed like a good season to try that so I went for it. Surprisingly, it has been easy, way easier than I imagined. Does that mean I'll stick to it? Not necessarily. One of the most important principles of health and eating that I live by is bioindividuality -meaning, each person has a unique biology and set of best practices that support and build health. Additionally, what may be right at one time in our lives may shift and change as we do, and it's our job to pay attention to that. Listening to our bodies and eating in accordance with our body's intuition is key to achieve this kind of conscious flexibility with ourselves, our diets and eating patterns.
Hey, hey there everybody! It's that time of year again -Summer! Who else besides me is in the mood for cold, sweet creamy desserts? In moderation of course, remember we've got to keep our foods in balance and our organs happy so they love us back! :-) This recipe was inspired by the lovely Beet Boss Aarika Chilson, creator of Just Beet It (www.justbeetit.com), who asked me to come up with a Nicecream recipe incorporating beets for her July 4th recipe share. Thus... Pink Peppermint with Beet Brownie Bites Nicecream -so creamy and delicious!
Soooo...It's officially Summer now and you're in that Summer Mood or getting into it depending on your local weather and how your Spring season was... It's suddenly July -oh my- and Summer will go by, so let's make the most of it while it's here, right?! Enter Raw desserts and especially the Raw Key Lime Tart -yay!
So, it's June...Summer arrived so quickly! My blogging has been terribly neglected however my intent with today's Strawberry Full Moon is to write a blog at least once a month because the truth is, I'm almost always cooking up some new thing in my kitchen and I absolutely love to share delicious, healthy food with people and celebrate seasonal eating. Really, the two go hand-in- hand so naturally. Please have faith in me to keep these blogs coming... :-)
So, let's talk about #JERF....#just eat real food...How hard is that, really? What do we mean by real? First thing, no artificial preservatives, no refined sweeteners, nothing processed, right? ...When it comes to dessert it can seem difficult to take out all the processed and "fake" foods because we have come to rely on them as staples (refined sugar and white flour are perfect examples). Refined sugar and white flour, both highly processed and bleached, are the backbone of the cupcake industry, along with products like Crisco for frosting or the perfect flaky crust. Sugar and flour are highly addictive, of course, and learning how to bake and eat without using them is worth the time and investigation. Other artificial additions -like rainbow sprinkles can make food really fun for kids, but there are so many natural ways to decorate that can add dimension, nutrient-dense nutrition, and flavor (some of my favorites in the decorating category are cacao nibs, coconut flakes, and goji berries) -the creative use of ingredients and combinations are endless.
There's nothing like a good warm spicy soup when it's cold outside -and it only took you 30 minutes to get it on the table! Here's one such soup...a sure bet when you're pressed for time and trying to clean out the refrigerator.
Much of my ingenuity and creativity in the kitchen simply comes from WORKING WITH WHAT IS ALREADY THERE and right in front of me. This may be one of my favorite strategies in cooking and in life -the practice of using what is already there/here. ...
Ok, early morning recipe writing happening now...because I want to get this out to you for the weekend! Dreaming up this recipe in my head was a lot of fun and whether your seasoned at cooking or still green, I recommend that you follow your feeling about the foods, flavors, and visuals that will bring you the most satisfaction and leave you feeling nourished and energized.
The Golden Cauliflower Flatbread recipe caught my eye on Dr. Mercola's blog: http://recipes.mercola.com/cauliflower-turmeric-flatbread-recipe.aspx. I bought the cauliflower at the beginning of the week (when I do my shopping) and then thought about making it for three days (this often happens...) On the third day, I reread his recipe and realized it called for 2 cups or riced cauliflower not 2 pounds -oops! (I had carefully weighed the cauliflower in the market to be sure I got the proper amount :-) ) SO when I had oh, about 6 cups more riced cauliflower than needed, I got my creatives on and the whole pizza just built from there.
It's been raining here in Berkeley for days...a welcome wet grey raindrop symphony for our Northern California soils. I'm a lazy baker at best, so take baking cues from me with a grain of salt. That being said, if I try or create a recipe and it works out, I'm confident it will also work out for you! So, I'm taking cues from my friend Nancy @UrbanKitchenApothecary -who's all the way across the country in NYC-it snowed, she baked..I figured the Bay Area version of snow is rain...it's raining here...so I'll try baking. Tahini Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread....