Labor Day weekend means it’s the end of summer :( Although it was fantastic, I have to confess that I am looking forward to September. I actually think it’s one of my favorite months - the weather, sense of a fresh start, and the overflowing bounty of fruits and vegetables found at the farmers market. Right about now, you may be tired of the burger and potato salad scene and ready to try something new. Is the crazy schedule of getting everyone ready for school making it hard to plan for your ...
Prep A Lasagna Dinner in 15 minutes!
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 ...
Why I Eat Goji Berries
And Why You Should, Too! Ever wonder how I came up with my recipe for Dark Chocolate Goji Bark? As you may know, I don’t like to eat anything unless it is jammed with healing nutrients and delicious. Why waste the time and calories if it’s not going to benefit my body? At the time, I was trying to create a healthy sweet, just a little something for the end of a meal. Dark chocolate is a sweet you want to eat because it contains potent antioxidants called flavanols. These flavanols help to ...
A Holiday Fondue Tradition
The Christmas holiday for my family is about celebrating the birth of our Lord and gathering family around the table with food and cheer. It is a joyous occasion, but for those who have recently lost a family member, it can be difficult time. I lost my parents within 8 months of each other. They were in their early 70’s and healthy, so it was quite a blow to our family. The first Christmas without them was very painful, sitting at the dining room table gazing at the two empty chairs. The ...
Let’s Detox Together!
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year to set new goals for my body, mind and spirit. For me, the best way to get started is to do a cleanse which will detox and rid the body and mind of bad habits and bring on new energizing thoughts, patterns and foods. Here are two of the delicious smoothies you will be drinking - Beet Treat and Raspberry Smoothie. Here’s a preview of What’s in & What’s out: The Simple 7 Foods What They Are & Why You Need Them: 1. ...
Think outside the Strawberry Short Cake!
Strawberries are still in abundance and I can’t stop eating them. So let’s do some culinary exploring! Most people use strawberries as a dessert or just sprinkled in their cereal. That’s all good, but with the health benefits that they offer and deliciousness, I like to find other creative ways of getting them into my day. Not to mention, they make anything beautiful with that pop of red! Here are some recipes to get you thinking about strawberries in a different way. And since both of ...
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day has always been a favorite of mine. Wearing green, sipping a Guinness, and sharing a traditional Irish meal with the family. It’s all fun, but what is the day really about? March 17this a day that we remember the remarkable St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who actually had good reason to despise the Irish. This is a story of a 16-year-old boy taken by Irish pirates from his family in Britain around 387 AD. They brought him to Ireland as a slave, and it was 6 ...