Recipes
Healthy, delicious recipes that I've created through trial-and-error. In addition, these recipes have substitution ideas, fit special diets, and kitchen gear recos. 😃
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…
15 Red, White, & Blue Food Ideas
Even if you’re not at the park watching fireworks or gathered in a backyard with 50 of your closest friends, there are still ways to get festive with food! Favorite 4th of July Festivities We all want something to look forward to. In the summer, I always look forward to the 4th of July. Independence Day brings parades, fireworks, swimming pools, and barbeques – all good stuff! My family usually attends our city’s “Pet Parade”, then we walk to the town park for an old-fashioned festival – complete with funnel cakes and three-legged races. In the evening, we cook-out with friends and try to stay awake long enough to watch…
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,…
Make Easy, Delicious Peanut Sauce and Dressing in 5 Minutes
Do you want to be able to make restaurant-quality peanut sauce – or a nut-free version – at home, and in less time than it takes to read a take-out menu? Nothing beats a creamy, coconut peanut sauce – for Pad Thai, on salads, chicken satay, tofu – it’s delicious on almost everything. Recently, I was mixing up some peanut coconut sauce to go with Pad Thai, and had a “lightbulb” moment. What if I used the extra coconut milk from my peanut sauce to make a salad dressing?! If you have one can of coconut milk, you can make an amazing peanut coconut sauce AND peanut coconut salad dressing.…
Make The Ultimate Comfort Food This Winter – Chicken Vegetable Soup
Have you ever told your family that you’re making Chicken Soup, and they respond with a sad-faced sigh? I don’t know why husbands and kids think soup is boring – that’s crazy! When it’s cold outside, nothing says “warm and soothing” like an ultimate comfort food like Chicken Vegetable Soup, and this is a recipe that got rave reviews from my picky eaters. How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup Exciting Chicken soup has a reputation for being bland. After all, it’s what you’re supposed to eat when your stomach is upset, right? With a few creative ingredients and some unexpected toppings, chicken vegetable soup is transformed from “just OK” to…
Amazing Super Bowl Party Dips That Aren’t Guacamole
Sick of guacamole? Me either – I could eat it forever! Still, if you’re looking to change up the dips you serve this superbowl, here’s a roundup of non-guacamole options that are healthy and delicious. There are options for every dietary restriction – all are gluten-free, most are paleo, and some are vegan and dairy-free as well. I’ve included helpful labels to let you know which categories they fall into. Easiest – Homemade Ranch Dip Gluten-Free, No Sugar Added Ranch Dip – it’s a crowd-pleasing classic, not to be underestimated! Mix a cup of sour cream with 1 – 2 tablespoons of these dried herbs and spices and a few…
