My love for food, nutrition, and cooking
Well we started out wanting to make chicken lettuce wraps from a recipe we saw in my new book I got for xmas from a good friend, "true food" written by Andrew Weil, MD which I highly recommend. The book is seasonal, sustainable and really simple. When looking in the freezer I realized I still had a present from a good friend in Mexico.. I had been waiting for a good group of people to indulge in this special treat with me.
Read MorePears ripen off the tree, so most of the fruit you’ll find at the market will need a few days to soften at home. Buy specimens that are smooth, free of bruises, and firm. An unripe pear has a bright and shiny skin; a ripe one looks matte. Common varieties include Anjou, which is egg-shaped with a green, rose-tinged green, or red skin; Bosc, which has a slender neck and a brown skin; Bartlett, which has a red skin or a green skin that yellows as it ripens; and Comice, a short, green to brown variety.
Read MoreI love me some huevos. Egg for breakfast or dinner; hardboiled, fried, poached, on a pizza, sando, burger, salad and I could go on. A huge plus about eggs is that they are a great clean source of protein that is great to incorporate into your healthy lifestyle! I have always been into eggs for breaky and now that I learned about baked eggs, (thanks to Megs), these are my new go to. They are very easy, you can put anything in them, and they are especially for groups, brunches, etc. Their presentation is clean and very presentable.
Read MoreIs it too late for squash recipes? I know winter is over, but they are still technically in season! Plus they are delicious and most importantly HEALTHY! You can easily make this a vegetarian dish by taking out the chicken. There is definitely potential for more ways to eat acorn squash as well. Stuffing it with lots of good stuff is my favorite. You can also make soup with it, put it on a salad, serve it as a side dish like I did HERE or eat it with maple syrup and cinnamon as a dessert.
Read MoreThis soup is great to make when you are sick or even when you just feel like having a light healthy meal. The broth is both soothing and spicy, rich in flavors. I finally had an appetite after being sick so I decided to add chicken to mine.
Read MoreGrandma says to eat your brussels sprouts. Most people think of these vegetables as something they had to eat when they were young, boiled with no seasonings and force fed by their grandmothers. It is not a surprise that most people have such bad feelings towards these nutrient dense vegetables.
Finally this vegetable is the back and is the new trend to be on most restaurant menus. Thanks to chefs who figured out amazing ways to cook up these mini-cabbages and thanks to doctors, nutritionist and researchers who added them to the top of the superfoods list.
Read MoreThere is a large variety of beautiful squash to choose from during this wonderful season. They range in all different shapes, colors, and sizes and most importantly ways to eat! No offense to zucchini or summer squash, but the health benefits of fall-harvest squashes far surpas their summer friends.
Like all members of the gourd family (pumpkin, melon, and cucumber), squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds. Cut into its pale, yellow-beige hard skin, though, and you'll discover a vibrant flesh that's much denser than that of its relatives. Many of the winter squash have thin edible skin, which not only lessens your prep time, but adds a nutrient boost.
Read MoreI just recently had a cooking class to start off this amazing Autumn season. There are so many wonderful things too cook with right now that are packed with healthy nutrients. I am full of a ton of fall ideas that will be posted ASAP. The recipes to all the food you see below will be posted by the end of the week.
Autumn Cooking Class Menu • Whisky Chai • Goat cheese with Glazed Fig (gluten free) Pizza • Roasted Acorn and Delicata Squash with a Lemon- Tahini Sauce • Shaved Kale Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and a Lemon- Bragg's Dressing • Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Umami Glaze • Roasted Free Range Mary’s Chicken Thighs with Lemon Slices and Oregano Sprigs • Pumpkin and Pear Crumble topped with Strauss Frozen Yogurt
Read MoreThe difference between blending and juicing.
Unlike juicing, blending these fruits and vegetables in their whole form creates a more of a smoothie type of juice then your would get when using a juicer. The blending process breaks the fiber apart (which makes the fruit and vegetables easier to digest ) but also helps create a slow, even release of nutrients into the blood stream and avoids blood sugar spikes which you get when you juice. Smoothies tend to be more filling, because of the fiber, and generally faster to make than juice, so they can be great to drink first thing in the morning as your breakfast, or for snacks throughout the day.
Read MoreI made this recipe with my 89 year old Italian Grandpa we call pops as some of you know. He is a perfect example of how significant an influence our genetics have on us... He also proves most doctors, nutritionist, and people in my field WRONG. Smoking 2 packs of non-filtered Camel cigarettes a day for over 50 years, eating 2-3 eggs a day, not exercising, consuming large quantities of alcohol, and eating most food that comes out of a package, bread, pasta, and cured meats... an Italian should ;) This legend reads a book a day and has not lost any of his memory and continues to expand his intelligence as each day presents itself. I am not saying that any of the above things he does are something any of you should do, but damn I hope he passed me down some of these genes to live to be old, wise and "healthy".
Read MoreYesterday was a beautiful Indian summer day in sunny San Diego. A good friend of ours dropped off some local spotted prawns he had caught that morning. We decided to BBQ them along with some veggies and of course the famous green sauce. This sauce will be something you love to make and can be used on almost anything. Honestly, most people want to drink it by itself!
Read MoreGood morning everyone and happy Friday! Let's start this weekend out right with a healthy and simple meal! My sister just asked this question, "What's the difference between a frittata and a quiche?"
Basically, a frittata is Italian and quiche is French. A quiche often has a pastry base, whereas a frittata does not. They both can be filled with cheese, vegetables, meat, seafood and/or herbs. Similar to a quesadilla (one of my favorite foods), they can be eaten warm or cold, with a salad, or simply with a spicy salsa fresca!
Read MoreAs you can see, I am back... Being in the health/weight loss/ fitness industry New Years resolutions are "in" to say the least. I decided to make mine a little different and do what I started over a year ago... Share my recipes, nutrition and ideas with the people I love. Even though I have very little free time right now, I WILL find time to blog. Here is a little something I threw together with my parents on this lazy, rainy, Sunday. Hope it finds you well.[puregallery]
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