A Healthier Hoppin’ John Around the world, people will be celebrating the New Year with their own special, symbolic foods, which they believe will bring them good luck in the New Year. Here are some of the foods enjoyed around the world in celebration of the New Year. Interestingly, these traditional New Year foods also…
Healthy Light Holiday Recipes
Spiced Apple Cider and Chai Tea Recipes
Chai Tea With a bit of a break between Christmas and New Years, it seemed like the perfect time for a warm cup of Spiced Apple Cider or Chai Tea. I love warm spiced beverages as they provide pure and simple comfort.What could be better than cozying up on the family room couch with a…
Persimmon Pomegranate Salad and Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad
Persimmon Pomegranate Salad and Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad are delightful winter salads. Salads are a nice addition to any holiday meal, served as a starter or a light side dish. Whether you’re entertaining or being entertained, why not make either a Persimmon Pomegranate Salad or Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad. Both salads have fresh fruit, making…
Healthy Dinner Ideas for the Holidays
Coq Au Vin Is An Elegant Dinner Idea During the holiday season, I often find myself looking for dinner ideas that are elegant, healthy and easy to make, without much fuss. One classic French dish that I love is Coq Au Vin, chicken braised in wine, onions, mushrooms and bacon. Although not difficult, the traditional preparation…
Orange Beet Dip Recipe
This Orange Beet Dip is a light healthy recipe that’s festive enough for the holidays. The Holiday Season is a tough time to keep things in check when it comes to eating. There are so many tempting appetizers at holiday parties, many of which are loaded with butter, cream and cheese. It’s easy to over…
Pomegranate Poached Pear Recipe
Pomegranate Poached Pear is an elegant, healthy dessert for the holidays. I have been wanting to try my hand at red wine poached pears, an elegant and beautiful dessert. However, many recipes call for a substantial amount of sugar and an entire bottle of red wine. Fortuitously, as I was grocery shopping one day, I…
Meg Wolff’s Glazed Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Cookbook Review and Recipe from A Life In Balance: Delicious, Plant-Based Recipes for Optimal Health by Meg Wolff. I first came across Meg Wolff at the Huffington Post where she writes regularly, featuring stories about the positive impact of a plant-based diet on health, as well as anticancer recipes. A Life In Balance is Meg…
Fresh Berry Salad and a Creamy Raspberry Dressing Recipe
This Fresh Berry Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing is bright, beautiful and so good for you. Salads are a great way to incorporate fruits, vegetables and nuts into a daily meal, especially berries, which are high in cancer-fighting phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid and pterostilbene. Recently, a friend invited me over for lunch and…
A Day of Thanksgiving and Reflection
Thanksgiving is a day of reflection, a day to stop and ponder all that I am grateful for despite the many challenges of this past year. A year ago, this blog did not exist. Instead, I was nursing my 17-year old son back to health after he suffered a horrible football concussion. Locked in the house…
Chili Spiced Almonds Recipe
Chili Spiced Almonds, a quick and easy last minute snack If you’re looking for a last minute snack or appetizer recipe for Thanksgiving, here are a few quick and easy ideas, including a recipe for Chili Spiced Almonds. All of these snacks and appetizers are super quick and easy to make: Assorted Tartine from Jeanette’s…
Dorie Greenspan Inspired Tartine Recipes
I had the most fortunate experience of meeting Dorie Greenspan, a James Beard Award-winning author, several months ago at a BlogHer conference. Dorie is someone I have admired from afar for many years. I was immediately struck by Dorie’s down to earth, approachable, sweet personality. This past week, Dorie was signing her new cookbook, around…
Coconut Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Coconut Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole is a tropical twist on traditional sweet potato casserole. One of my childhood favorites for Thanksgiving was sweet potato casserole topped with toasted mini marshmallows, so when I came across a recipe that used a meringue topping instead of marshmallows for a sweet potato casserole, I knew I had to…
Festive Clementine Avocado Salad Recipe
Festive Clementine Avocado Salad I came up with this Festive Clementine Avocado Salad recipe as I was thinking about healthy and beautiful side dishes for Thanksgiving. Each ingredient in this elegant salad contributes health benefits as well as flavor and texture. Oranges contain significant quantities of phytonutrients, which are believed to inhibit inflammation and interfere…
Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
This Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup is naturally sweet and rich tasting, aromatic with kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, and has the added bonus of a bright, beautiful orange color. Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup This weekend I made Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup, inspired by a Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup…
Soy Sauce Glazed Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Winter Squash
Brussel Sprouts can conjure up bad memories of mushy, bitter vegetables. Once I learned how to roast brussel sprouts, however, brussel sprouts actually became one of my favorite vegetables. Roasting brussel sprouts brings out the sweetness in this vegetable, and watching the cooking time prevents overcooking so there’s no “mushy” factor. Brussel sprouts are cruciferous…