Have you ever had one of these days: you roll home at 6:00 pm with no plan for dinner. Your kids return from practice, hungry and asking “What’s for dinner, Mom? I’m starving!” Is your answer “I don’t know” or worse, "Takeout, again"? I have been there so many times that now I always make sure I have a few key items in my kitchen. It allows me to respond to my hungry teenage son this way: “We’re having lasagna”. Now everybody is happy -- who doesn't love lasagna? Typically, when you hear the ...
Gluten-Free Pantry
Amy's admiring her pantry this week. Come see what she's doing right! -- Denise My family recently celebrated our gluten-free anniversary. Looking back at the changes we have made during the past year has been pretty awe-inspiring. The idea of keeping our home completely gluten-free was daunting at first but now it seems like the “same old, same old.” And having two celiacs who are symptom free? Awesome. What were our tricks to success? 1. Get a clean start The most important thing we ...
Detox Day One
Curried Butternut Squash Stew I have always loved food and cooking. I still remember my very first Peanut's Cook Book and making Lucy’s Lemon Squares for my dad every Father's Day. When I became a nurse, I started learning more about the link between food and health. But it wasn’t until I became a mom that I started thinking of food as medicine. We lead such busy lives that committing to healthy habits can be a real challenge. Believe me, I know first-hand! To stay consistent, I created ...
Meatball Blitz
Do you have trouble finding the dinner “sweet spot”? Are you torn between healthy and delicious, gluten-free and family-friendly, all while trying to get dinner on the table after a long day of work, school and extra-curriculars? Me, too! One of our favorite meals has solved that problem: meatballs with tomato sauce, buckwheat noodles and oven-roasted broccoli. Tasty, kid-friendly, quick to the table and rich in iron, vitamin C, B vitamins and fiber. Perfect for a weeknight or any ...
Reclaim Your Hearth Health
It’s easier and tastier than you think! February is Heart Health month and you have probably heard some of the startling statistics: Someone dies from heart disease every 39 seconds; Someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; and Heart disease and stroke cost patients over $173 billion annually. Yikes! I certainly don’t want to spend my hard earned money or time in a doctor’s office and on medications. Do you?? I believe in living life to its fullest. My parents died at a young ...
Gluten-free Brownies
February is chocolate month here at the Energized Body. Amy’s got a great take on gluten-free brownies this week. Enjoy! -- Denise In our house, brownies aren’t optional. Every batch is devoured, usually in hours, not days. When we had to go gluten-free, it was one of the first baked goods I worked to remake. Our favorite recipe just didn’t seem to work as well gluten-free. My research turned up a master recipe by Alice Medrich, a well-known chocolate baking expert. I swapped out the gluten ...
Gluten-free isn’t always healthy
When people first hear my household has gone gluten free, they almost always say the same two things: 1. “I’m so sorry -- that must be hard!” and 2. “At least you’ll lose weight!” People who haven’t shopped for gluten-free food assume that the hardest thing about going gluten free will also be the best for your waistline -- no more bread or pasta will mean less you on the scale. But in fact, there are lots of carbs available to those who keep gluten free. And just because an item is ...
Spiced Lentils with Grilled Fish
Karina is here with a delicious and elegant way to celebrate good breast health. I'll be back next week. Enjoy! -- Denise This one is for the ladies; October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in support of that I have the perfect recipe that is full of ingredients that help boost the immune system, aid the body in absorbing nutrients, have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and have lots of omegas, vitamins and minerals. This is a light dish, very low in fat and warming; a perfect fall ...
Fall is Apple Picking Season!
Crunch! There is nothing better than biting into a crisp apple just picked from the tree. Each fall, I soo look forward to our family fall ritual of apple picking. Our new favorite apple orchard is Honey Pot Hill Orchard. It is a beautiful setting and well laid out, so you don’t realize the crowds. For the little kids there are animals, a hedge maze and their famous hot fresh cinnamon-cider donuts! I have to say that apples are one of my favorite fruits. They are simple, inexpensive, portable ...
Broccoli & Kale Millet Croquettes
This month I’m all about millet. A small yellow grain, millet is the unsung hero of the ancient grain world. Not only is it one of the very oldest cultivated grains, it is also one of the most nutritious, delicious & flexible of cooking grains. Yet few people have ever eaten it. Millet hasn’t enjoyed the fashionable resurgence that quinoa has, yet it has so many fantastic qualities tucked inside. It is naturally gluten-free, a great source of protein, high in fiber, iron, B vitamins & ...