Guacamole
Guacamole, as with many other avocado-based recipes, is one of those foods that is as delicious as it is healthy. The avocados contain monounsaturated fats which are good for your heart, and the dish is full of other fibrous and nutrient-rich veggies. In college, my guacamole recipe was popular with my roommates, which is amusing because it included garlic powder and no cilantro. Thankfully my recipe has grown up over time and is still a crowd pleaser.
Dairy-Free Pesto
If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know that I look for creative ways to get my greens because salad can be a drag. Pesto to the rescue! It’s highly nutritious, as evidenced by its lovely shade of deep green, and it can be made quickly with just a few ingredients. It’s hard to go wrong with a pesto recipe, but I like to think mine is especially delicious.
Chocolate Cherry Trail Mix
A balanced trail mix can be a well-rounded, healthy, and versatile snack. This simple recipe lacks the processed ingredients you’ll often find in store-bought trail mixes, so long as you use high-quality chocolate. And while it does have some sugar, the sugar content in the chocolate and cherries is balanced by the fiber, protein and healthy fat in the nuts.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie
Who doesn’t love a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on white bread with a bag of salty potato chips? Unfortunately this meal, a staple of American childhood, isn’t very nutritious. So I’ve elevated PB&J into a smoothie that maintains its nostalgic flavors but has roughly 30 grams of protein, fewer processed carbs, and more nutrients and fiber from frozen fruit.
Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup
Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup was a winter staple growing up in my household, and I imagine many of us have comforting memories of the classic soup. But it doesn’t offer much in the way of nutrition, and since I’m now gluten-free, I’ve started making my own soups from scratch. This one is chock full of vitamin- and fiber-rich veggies.
On the Hunt for Healthy Food in Cleveland, Ohio
My healthy eating wins began when my cousins, Steph and Kim, invited me to dinner at Sage Karma Kitchen in Downtown Willoughby. If you’ve never been to Downtown Willoughby, it’s a tiny strip of trendy cuteness 25 minutes east of Downtown Cleveland—a little bit hipster, a little bit Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. I have fond memories of my Aunt Denise living there when I was a pre-teen, in a one-bedroom unit with a clawfoot tub and checkered floors, in a century-old building that seemed delightfully haunted.
Eating well in NYC: A foodie’s love affair with Manhattan
I had the pleasure of visiting NYC for a work conference this September. My coworkers and I stayed near the event in Times Square and, since it was my first time in the city, I soaked up all the experiences I could in the 48 hours I was there. Manhattan impressed me with its fantastic food and charmed me with its rich culture and history, so I knew I had to share my experiences with other travelers planning their first visit.
What’s in my bag: beach vacation
I’ve been itching to get out of the house after a year and a half of pandemic isolation and, by early July, had already taken two beach trips this summer. The first trip was a long weekend on North Padre Island, a sliver of land in South Texas between the Gulf of Mexico and the Corpus Christi Bay.
What’s in my bag: Santa Fe
Here are some of the wellness & beauty road trip supplies that worked well for me in Santa Fe, plus a few that I wish I would have brought with me. As always, my recommended wellness and beauty products are “mostly” natural and free of harmful chemicals.
Poblano and black bean Chili
Chili is one of those foods that is as nutritious as it is delicious, and there’s nothing more homey than the smell of chili that’s been cooking in a crockpot all day. I love making it on Sundays—looking forward to a hearty chili dinner helps beat the Sunday scaries that come with knowing I have to return to work the next day.