Healthy Chicks

Did you know you can create your own vegan “cheese” using cashews? I love how simple this recipe is, and that it’s free from dairy, gluten and any sketchy additives. It’s just real, pure ingredients made with love from my kitchen to yours. The fresh basil gives this version a nice springtime kick that I know you’ll absolutely love. Enjoy!

Springtime Basil Cashew “Cheese” 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. cashews (ideally soaked in water for a couple hours)
• handful fresh basil
• few generous shakes nutritional yeast
• 1 TB. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 c. water (you won’t need as much if you soak the cashews)

In a food processor, combine the cashews, basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice,  and garlic. Pulse. Pour in water slowly, pulsing until the consistency of your liking. Add sea salt to taste. Serve over salad or as a side dish with gluten free crackers and fresh veggies. Note: I love using Organic Living Superfoods “Sour Cream & Chive” Cashews for extra flavor!… Read More!

Lately, I’ve become quite obsessed with authentic Thai food. I love the warming spices, coconut milk and citrusy notes incorporated in the recipes. To me, that’s comfort food at its finest. This recipe is a fusion between Thai and Italian cuisine. It has the flavors you know and love from Thai food, and a familiar taste of shrimp scampi (without all the extra carbs and butter). With spiralized zucchini and carrots instead of pasta, this recipe is free from gluten, dairy and soy. Enjoy! 

Coconut Shrimp Scampi with Carrot & Zucchini “Noodles”

• 2-3 large zucchini
• 3-4 carrots OR bag of frozen “carrot noodles” (I found them at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 pound cooked fresh of frozen shrimp
• 1 c. grape tomatoes
• 1 can artichokes, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 TB olive or coconut oil
• ~ 1/2 can coconut milk
• juice of 1 lemon
• ~2 TB fish sauce (add more if needed)
• handful fresh basil
• sea salt & black pepper to taste

1. Sauté garlic in a little olive or coconut oil on low heat. Add in lemon juice, fish sauce & coconut milk, and stir.

2. In the meantime, thaw your cooked shrimp or if fresh, peel and de-vein. You … Read More!

I don’t know about you, but I love to eat. I absolutely adore food, and love filling my body with the foods that work for me.

When you really tune into your body, you’re able to notice which foods work well for you (your “humming foods”) and which bring you down or suck your energy. It’s also important to note that this may change over time, with the seasons or in different chapters in your life!

One food group that doesn’t mesh so well for me (and hasn’t for a while) is gluten. Therefore I’ve adapted a mainly gluten free diet for many years now, and a few months ago made the decision to go 100% gluten free for health reasons. You can learn all about my journey with Hashimoto’s & optimizing my diet here!

Anyway, when I first began eating gluten free in college I wasn’t very smart about it. Let’s just say I ate a lot of “gluten free” junk food at the time, and didn’t really understand the fact that ingredients matter…like a lot.

I now know that the QUALITY of your food is so extremely important, and just because something is “gluten … Read More!

I am not a big spender. I’ve always been attracted to a very simple life, and tend not to spend lots of money on material things. However, when it comes to good food, I will splurge. I’m obsessed with fresh, local organic veggies and for some reason, it seems I can never spend less than $50 at Whole Foods even if I go in there for like 2 things. Hey, they don’t call it “Whole Paycheck” for nothing. 😉

And ever since I took out gluten 100% & started a Paleo-like way of eating due to my autoimmune thyroid disease, my food bills have gone way up. After all, I’m not going to eat all of that “gluten free” junk food or products packed with sketchy ingredients.

So when I learned about Thrive Market — an online marketplace offering wholesale prices on quality, natural, healthy goodies — I was intrigued. After putting it off for a couple months, I finally asked myself “Wait, why haven’t I joined already?” and so last weekend I finally hopped on the bandwagon.

I absolutely love what the company stands for, and the brands that they represent (from food & beauty care to … Read More!

Good afternoon, beauties! I’ve got some super exciting news for you all. Yesterday, my article was published online in SHAPE magazine. Seriously, how freakin’ cool is that? In the post, I dig into why I ditched meal planning in order to discover joy & freedom around food. Head on over to Shape.com to give it a read!

As I mention in the post, instead of Meal Prepping I prefer to listen to my body & go by how it feels in the given moment. After all, it’s quite impossible to know what I’ll be craving ahead of time, let alone a week in advance!

With this mindset, I’ve found such joy around cooking & experimenting in the kitchen! With my recent Hashimoto’s diagnosis & AIP lifestyle, I’ve had to get real creative when it comes to trying new recipes. No nightshades! No grains! No dairy!

However, instead of thinking about what I can’t have, I like to load up on the stuff I can have while prioritizing the things that nourish my body.

That’s how I came up with this fun & flavorful zoodles creation featuring ground turkey burger, garlic, lemon and cilantro. This easy dish totally … Read More!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Whether you’re celebrating with your sweetie or gal pals, I firmly believe that nothing trumps the power of self-love.

I wanted to share a quick & easy recipe with you for my Raw Coconut Cacao Truffles! These little bites of joy are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with only seven ingredients. Oh, and they’re chock-full of love. Lots and lots of love.

Raw Coconut Cacao Truffles 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. raw cashews
• 8 pitted dates, soaked
• 2 TB raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. shredded coconut
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 TB chia seeds

1. Add everything other than the coconut to a food processor. I love using my Nutri Ninja Duo. Pulse until all the ingredients are well combined. (Note: if you’re using the Ninja, just simply choose option “Fusion mix.”) You may want to add about a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too dry!

2. Form “dough” into small balls & roll in shredded coconut until coated. Refrigerate & enjoy!… Read More!

If you’ve been following along on my journey, you know that I’ve been following the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol to help support my sluggish thyroid & Hashimoto’s Disease through diet and lifestyle. I won’t lie, when I first started, it was difficult. I mean, like really’ freakin’ hard.

My husband has been a true saint! I may or may not have had several fits over the past 30 days like the time I called him on his way home from work shouting “I’M F*C*ING STARVING!” while demanding a burger without the bun. Not one of my proudest moments.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the protocol, it’s essentially a much more strict version of Paleo, in which you remove common allergens & inflammation-causing foods from your diet for a minimum of 30 days, and then slowly re-introduce to see which foods are causing issues for you. A life without eggs, cheese & coffee aint easy, my friend.

While I don’t have a sweet tooth, after starting this way of eating, I began craving baked goods big-time. I think part of this has to do with the frigid temps in New England right now! Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to … Read More!

Are you a meal-prepper? It’s come to my attention that meal prep Sunday is a new thing lately, you know kind of like Football Sunday but for chicks who cook. I’m not against it or anything, but personally I’m not a fan of meal prepping on Sundays.

I think part of the reason is because in a way it reminds me of my years of dieting, calorie counting and meal planning. I’d dissect every last bite and was so mathematic when it came to my food. It made me stressed, guilty & anxious. I always knew exactly what my next meal would be, when I would eat it, and how many calories I’d be consuming. In fact, it’s all I thought about.

When I quit dieting, I decided I deserved to feel JOY around food. I didn’t want it to feel in any way like it once did in college. I wanted to associate food with family, love and nourishment. I wanted cooking to be fun, sexy and experimental.

Nowadays, I’m super chill around food. I buy the ingredients I love (and that my body loves!) so my fridge is stocked up, then go by how I feel during the … Read More!