How to Make Jerk Marinade and Dressing in 5 Minutes
In a perfect world, dinner at home would be delicious, nutritious, exciting, and effortless. In this post, I’ll show you how a jerk marinade marinade can turn proteins, veggies, beans, and grains into – you guessed it – a delicious, nutritious, and exciting meal. While I can’t totally eliminate the effort part (I’m not a magician!), I’ll simplify this meal into three easy steps. Because that’s what we want, right? A crowd-pleasing, tasty, and healthy dinner that doesn’t require 47 ingredients and a half day of prep. Another thing I love about jerk seasoning is that it’s a skosh unexpected. Cinnamon and allspice pair beautifully with umami soy sauce, garlic…
Don’t Like Turkey? Here Are 6 Alternatives For Thanksgiving
So you don't like turkey. Here are 6 holiday-worthy alternatives for Thanksgiving, including gluten-free and vegetarian ideas.
Pumpkin Power! Easy Gluten-Free Muffins to Energize Your Fall
It’s not quite fall, but I’m already seeing Pumpkin Spice everything. Advertised in coffee shops and stores, pumpkin spice is like a retail cue of the fall season. Have you seen the Pumpkin Spice ads yet? Lattes, coffee creamers, nail polish (not kidding). While some new pumpkin spice products are questionable, I know Pumpkin Muffins are a winner. Honestly, I think Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or “PSLs”)) are kind of disgusting-tasting, even though I love pumpkin. 😝 And, if you’re trying to reduce sugar intake, PSLs are something you might not want to drink. Pumpkin itself, spiced or not, is an amazing vegetable packed with nutrition and flavor. What I also…
Make Your Own Vinaigrette in 2 Minutes
One of my favorite things to make at home is salad dressing. You may have read my past post about my all-time favorite Magic Sauce dressing recipe. While I love Magic Sauce, it has a lot of ingredients, and I don’t always feel like getting the blender out to make it (no matter how much I love my blender). Thank goodness for vinaigrette. No matter what the situation, if you have oil, vinegar, and a bottle to put it in, you can make this tangy and delicious dressing or marinade. I’ll be the first to admit that store-bought bottled vinaigrettes are super convenient and come in all kinds of creative…
Best Breakfast Bowl for Special Diets
If you’ve read my original Best Breakfast post, you probably know that I love a big bowl of nutritious goodness to start my day. But what if you’re vegan, or doing the Whole30? If you’ve read some of my other content, you know I’ve practiced and respect many special diets. So,this post is meant to demystify and lay out your perfect breakfast bowl, no matter what your food preferences or restrictions. Gluten-free: You’re in luck-the original Best Breakfast Bowl is already gluten-free! 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (eg, Fage Total 5% Greek) 1 banana, sliced 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon no-sugar-added peanut butter, nut butter, or chopped…
The Best Breakfast for Sustained Energy
What’s your ideal breakfast – black coffee, biscuits and gravy (I heard recently that’s Portland’s signature breakfast), a granola bar on the way out the door? Breakfasts range from zilch to 1000-calorie sugar-and-fat bombs, and everything in between. My “historical” breakfasts have been high-carb, medium protein, and low fat. Think pancakes with strawberry jam (made with love by my mom), Frosted Mini Wheats with skim milk (a 90s favorite), and many derivations of oatmeal … As I’ve gotten wiser (ahem, older) and more aware of how breakfast impacts my energy levels, I’ve observed that these common and carb-forward breakfasts, although delicious, left me feeling super lethargic – and starving –…
Favorite Diligent Indulgence – The Mocha Smoothie
This creamy, chocolatey treat can be whipped up in your blender in less than five minutes. Gluten-free, vegan, and dairy free. What has under 250 calories, plenty of protein, some healthy fat, and tastes like a chocolate dream-come-true? I’m so excited to introduce you to Mocha Smoothie. I developed this recipe when I was an e-campus student taking all my courses from home. It was summertime, so hot outside, and I wanted to have a healthier, lower calorie alternative to a Frappuccino. Oh … and I wanted to be able to make it at home to save time and money. Plus, I made extra coffee every morning, and I did…
Make a Plant-Based Dinner Meat-Eaters Will Love
Are you looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, but are not sure where to start or afraid your family won’t like it? Believe me, I’ve been there! When I was a vegan for a few years, I constantly tried different dinner recipes, hoping that they would be easy, use “normal” ingredients, and – most importantly – be edible. Not just for me, but also for my kids and husband. After many fails, complaints, and even ridicule from my meat-loving family, Fiesta Pasta is one plant-based dinner that even has the meat-eaters going back for seconds. Goal: Plant-Based Dinner That’s Easy and Delicious The goal here is to…
How to Make a Gluten-free, Whole30 (or Vegan) Dinner in Under 30 Minutes
Want dinner on the table in 30 minutes – a main dish that takes one pan, has no gluten, and can be either Whole30 or vegan? Oh, and one that your kids and husband will eat too? I know how insanely challenging it can be to accommodate multiple dietary preferences (For example, Is your husband is not eating grains? Asking for a friend … 😉 ) in one household. It feels almost impossible to make a single meal that everyone will eat and no one will complain about! That’s why, when I find a recipe that fits all these criteria – tasty, healthy enough for adults, modifiable for special diets,…
How to Make Better & Cheaper Protein Bars at Home
Tired of spending money on protein bars that look (& sometimes taste) like a piece of you-know-what? With the help of my taste-testing family (and lots of failed attempts), I’ve learned how to make protein bars at home that taste better and are a lot cheaper than prepackaged ones we buy. Have you ever been in an airport or grocery store looking for a healthy and convenient snack and wandered over to the protein bar aisle? There are dozens of carefully-concocted bars that have just the right “macros”, are shelf-stable, and come in mouth-watering flavors like “chocolate chip cookie dough” and “peanut butter pie.” Follow-up question: How many times do…
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