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Green Detox Smoothie

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I LOVE HALLOWEEN.

But I HATE the day after Halloween. My kids’ behavior is atrocious, I’m tired and the house is a mess. It’s only once a year that my kids get to have “real” sugar, as they call it. And it’s enough. They have to go through withdrawal like a drug addict and it’s super unpleasant.

And of course, who doesn’t sneak a 3 Musketeers or a Reese’s cup on Halloween? I know I do.

So here’s a great smoothie for breakfast, lunch or a snack to beat back bloat and decrease inflammation.  Your body will thank you!

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Green Detox Smoothie

Prep

Inactive

Total

Yield 1 smoothie

Dark leafy green vegetables and celery have potent health benefits. 

Celery alone has been shown to reduce blood pressure as well as bloating and increases hydration. But be careful to ALWAYS buy organic celery as conventional celery is one of the "Dirty Dozen". For more about this, visit EWG.org. 

Healthy fats in hemp seeds and avocado help keep you satisfied and help balance blood sugar. Avocado also makes this smoothie creamy and thick! 

Ingredients

  • 1 apple, chunked
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 T hemp seeds
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 stalks organic celery
  • 1 large fistful of organic romaine lettuce, spinach or kale
  • 1 coin of fresh ginger, optional
  • 1 scoop collagen protein powder (omit if vegan)
  • 1/4 avocado

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingedients in high-speed blender. 
  2. Blend (add more water if necessary). 
  3. Enjoy

Courses Any time

Cuisine Healthy

5 THINGS TO DO TODAY FOR BETTER HEALTH

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Let’s face it, when it comes to better health many of us know what we should be doing.

So why don’t we do them?

I would argue that we don’t do these things because they aren’t connected to our daily lives in a meaningful way.

I know I need to exercise and eat well. Who doesn’t? But the key to actually making things happen lies in how we form daily habits.

Here are 5 things you can do TODAY to start building habits that will lead to greater change.

  1. Drink water upon waking. No, it’s not a fancy or complicated habit. Drink a large glass of water first thing in the morning before coffee or tea or matcha. You can add fresh lemon or a shot of apple cider vinegar if you wish (these both aid in liver cleansing). By making water your “first thing” you are not only getting a boost of needed hydration in the morning, you are starting your morning with wellness. You are telling yourself “I am a person who values health.” And, voila, you are!
  2. Eat S-L-O-W-L-Y. That’s right. Chill the F out on the fork, please. Actually put the fork down between bites and breathe. Don’t look at a screen while you eat (and make sure your kids aren’t either!).  Practice mindful eating by just slowing down and savoring the food that you are grateful to have. And when you have had enough, put the fork down. Save what you didn’t eat for later when your body tells you to nourish it again.
  3. Change up your routine. Take a different route to work. Take a Citibike to work or school. Drive a different route. Listen to a new radio station or a great podcast. Notice what feels different and what you like about it. Look up, take a breath. Eat lunch outside instead of at your desk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. We all get stuck in a rut and our brains and bodies thank us when we introduce something new and novel. It brings us back to the present, and to our awareness of our surroundings.
  4. Schedule your exercise. Look at that cool calendar on your phone! Use it to your advantage and actually set days and times to move your body. WALK THE DOG- 5:30 pm-6:30 pm is going to be in your phone. Maybe you don’t need a full hour, but what if you did actually throw on your sneakers and run the dog around for an hour with no intention of anything but the joy of playing with your dog? And if you don’t enjoy the movement you are getting, find a different way to move. Some days I go to a SOULcycle class, some days I walk a ton just getting where I am going, some days I use AAPTIV app to get some strength training in. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as 1. you actually DO it and 2. you enjoy (most) of it. So go ahead and sign up for that cool yoga class you keep walking past.
  5. Get in bed 30 mins earlier. That’s right. Get in bed a full 30 minutes before you intend to sleep. Don’t look at screens. Or buy these cool glasses if you do need to look at screens. Read an old-fashioned book just for pleasure, with your kids or just with yourself. Find a way to wind down at the end of the day. Maybe a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine or a quick chat with a friend or hell- get in the bath with a glass of wine and call that friend! Most us aren’t getting a good 7-9 hours of sleep a night, which can wreak havoc with our hormones, moods and overall health. So even if it’s just for today, make an effort to get in bed 30 minutes earlier. You’ve earned it.

That’s it.

Start doing these things TODAY and watch your health improve.

And if you are interested in working with a health coach, contact me for a free health consultation.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Nursing Cookies

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Nursing Cookies

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Total

Yield 40 cookies

My beautiful neighbor Monica just had her third baby! I can't wait to snuggle the little guy but I know from experience how special and especially tiring those first few weeks are. Nursing while also trying to pay attention to your other two kids can take it out of any mom. So I made her a batch of these cookies that have three key ingredients for nursing moms: Brewer's yeast, flaxseed, and oats. All are known galactagogues (meaning they help support your milk supply!). Plus, they are just a deliciously moist and nutty gluten and dairy-free treat! 

If you aren't a nursing mom, keep the flax in but omit the brewer's yeast for a delish cookie.  

 

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1)
  • 2 1/2 C gluten-free old-fashioned or quick oats
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 1/2 tbsp brewer's yeast (available at natural health stores)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 tsp. ground flaxseed
  • 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 c. smooth peanut butter
  • 1/2 c. coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 c. coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 c. pure maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 bag dairy-free chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life brand)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix dry ingredients except for oats in a large bowl. Set aside. 
  3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut oil and peanut butter. Use a hand mixer to blend well. 
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined. Add in oats and stir. Add in chocolate chips and mix. 
  5. Spread tablespoon-size balls on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. 
  6. Bake for 8-10 mins, until just turning golden on edges and middle still soft. Take out of oven, give a nice bang on countertop and let cool. 

Will keep for 10 days or more in refrigerator.

Notes

Note: Brewer's yeast can have a strange and bitter flavor (which the peanut butter helps mask!). Look for the least bitter kind you can find at the store. 

To make vegan: Substitute flax eggs for the eggs!

Courses Snack

Miso-Lime Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes & Cabbage

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Miso-Lime Curried Lentils with Sweet potatoes & Cabbage

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Yield 4 servings

The weather is turning crispy here in New York and I'm craving stews and warming spiced dishes. But some times we think cozy stews have to take a long time and I'm here to tell you they don't!  I made this lentil dish this summer when it was raining and it was perfect. Once you are done chopping, it's really just throwing ingredients into two pots. This 2-pot plant-based meal is ready in under thirty minutes, thanks to the quick-cooking red lentils. Chopping the sweet potato into a small dice speeds up the cooking!

Double it and have lots of leftovers for the week or freeze for a meal when you don't feel like cooking. I encourage you to play around with the spices and flavors too! I even had time to roast a head of cauliflower and made a pot of forbidden black rice to go with it (I knew my kids would eat the rice and the lentils, but wouldn't touch the potatoes!) 

The sweet potatoes and cabbage would also make a standout side for pan-roasted salmon or pork tenderloin. 

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

For Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes

  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small head napa cabbage, chopped
  • 1 shallor or 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 Thumb-sized piece of ginger root, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 TBSP ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 TBSP curry powder
  • 1 TBSP white miso paste
  • 1/2 cup or more vegetable broth
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Fresh squeezed lime juice
  1. Heat oil or ghee in a large saute pan over medium heat. 
  2. Add potato, onion, garlic and ginger 5 mins or until onion is translucent. 
  3. Add curry powder and cook, stirring about 2 mins. 
  4. Add cabbage, miso, broth and a pepper and cover. 
  5. Cook 6 mins or until cabbage is wilted. 
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add lime juice if desired. 

MEANWHILE

Miso-Lime Curry Lentils

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. white miso paste
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt and pepper
  1. Heat coconut oil in saute pan. Add curry powder and cook 1 min. 
  2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 15 mins until lentils are soft. Adjust seasonings. 

Serve with a squeeze of lime.

Courses Main Course

Cuisine Indian/Vegetarian

Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Cook

Total

Yield 12 muffins

I had three or four super ripe bananas and I knew no one was going to touch them. Two options: freeze them for smoothies or nice cream, or make banana muffins. We were headed out of town for the weekend so I threw these together in about 15 mins and they were a major hit!  Not too sweet, moist and a nice subtle chocolate flavor. They are gluten and dairy-free, and use only raw honey as a sweetener. If you want to get more chocolate flavor add 1/2 bag of dairy-free chocolate chips at the end for a super treat. They are also nut-free so make a great option for bringing to school! 

 (Also really good smeared with farm butter!)

 

A great and easy way to get the kids into baking! My little guy loved mashing the bananas!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1)*
  • 3 T coconut flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 T raw cacao powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 3-4 ripe bananas
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 can coconut milk (stir to make sure it's not separated!)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or spray (or use paper liners!).
  2. Mix flours, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and cacao powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Mash bananas (I use a potato masher) and add wet ingredients until well incorporated. 
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined and not lumpy. 
  5. Use a 1/4 cup measuring spoon or small ice cream scoop to add batter to muffin tin. 
  6. Bake at 350 for 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Cool and serve. Keep refrigerated. 

Notes

*There are many different kinds of GF flour mixes on the market. Bob's Red Mill 1:1 (blue packaging) is my favorite. But if you are looking for one to make I recommend this one. Just careful of nuts if that's an issue!

Courses Breakfast, Snack, Dessert