Healthy Chicks

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!

I love everything about fall, especially the fact that pumpkin pretty much goes with everything these days. Now that the weather is getting crisp, healthy comfort meals have pretty much become a staple in our home.

Last night, I experimented with Trader Joe’s new Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce to create this savory, heart-warming fall dish. Made with pumpkin, butternut squash, carrot, fall spices & some cream, this sauce embodied everything the season has to offer. Go ahead, give it a go!

Autumn Pasta with Turkey Harvest Meat Sauce

serves 6-8

• 1 box gluten free pasta (brown rice or quinoa)
• 1 package turkey burger
• 1 bag fresh or frozen organic spinach
• 1 container Trader Joe’s Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce
• nutritional yeast, optional for seasoning

Cook pasta according to directions, being careful not to over-cook. In the meantime, cook the turkey burger in a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Once cooked through, add in the sauce and spinach. Combine with pasta, and serve with a dash of nutritional yeast on top.

… Read More!

Late-summer is such a beautiful, magical time. The air starts to become a bit more crisp, and the sun goes down a little earlier. The harvest changes as well, with seasonal favorites like eggplant and figs coming into play.

So what do you do when you’ve got 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes hanging out in your fridge? You make gazpacho, of course!

Late-Summer Gazpacho

recipe inspired by Holli Thompson

• 3 c. cherry tomatoes
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 1 red pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 shallot
• 3 tsp. coconut vinegar (or vinegar of your choosing)
• 2 tb. olive oil
• sea salt for seasoning (to your taste)
• spicy seasoning blend (we love “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun Seasoning)
• fresh peaches, tomato or sprouts for a topper

1. Soak all of the produce in water for 5 minutes, then train. Transfer to a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix).

2. Blend on high until mixture is smooth. Then add in vinegar, sea salt, and seasonings. Blend on low for another minute. Feel free to taste as you go to get the flavor just right!

3. Pour into mini shooters or cups, and top with fresh chopped peaches, sprouts or tomatoes.

Enjoy!… Read More!

During my days as a chronic, obsessive dieter, I knew my relationship with food was not normal, but I just couldn’t stop. It was like being in a toxic relationship — you know the dude’s not right for you but for some reason you stay. Meanwhile, all your friends are like get the eff out of that. Then years later, you look back and say “What the hell was I thinking?”

That was me with food!

When I was in college, I so envied my friends who could eat normal. They’d nonchalantly order a pizza after a long night out, get a salad whenever they felt like eating salad, and be able to have a bagel on a Sunday (with all the fixings!) without guilt. I wanted that. But instead, I sat there drooling over their meals, as I anxiously counted calories, picked apart my sandwich and ordered what I thought was “healthy.”

Years later when I decided to quit dieting once and for all — cold turkey — I subconsciously began to develop the mindset of what I referred to as a “normal eater.” I realized right then and there that it wasn’t about what or how … Read More!

As a child, I absolutely adored food. I was lucky to grow up in a household that valued good food, and sitting down for family dinners. My mom’s chicken parmesan, shepherd’s pie and chicken devan were absolutely to-die-for, and I cherished each and every bite.

I have fond memories walking into my grandmother’s house to the comforting aroma of a fresh pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. I loved helping my grandma cook, plopping celery and carrots into the boiling water ever so carefully to assure I wouldn’t get burnt. She taught me how to make pierogies (making sure to pinch the dough juuuust right), and that there’s nothing sweeter than a tomato picked fresh from the garden with just a pinch of salt.

Food was love. And we all loved to eat.

Somewhere along the way, that all changed. I learned that food was “bad” and would in turn make me fat. And so the self-depricating, fat-shaming deprivation began. Food consumed me for a solid 6+ years of my life. It was always on my mind, and I completely let it dictate my life. I’d skip out on dates, dinner with friends, and fabulous opportunities all because of my … Read More!

Fall is hands down my favorite season. There’s something about it that’s purely magical…you can even smell it in the air. It’s fresh, crisp and the perfect amount of cozy (think: leggings, boots and an over-sized sweater).

Along with the weather shifts also comes a bounty of delicious in-season fruits and veggies. Here are a few of my favorites, along with must-try recipes to go along with them!

Cauliflower: There’s lots you can do with cauliflower. You can mash it (for a delicious mashed potato substitute), but my absolute favorite way is roasting. It cooks up really nice & crispy, and goes well with a number of herbs and spices. Try this Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower recipe, a house-hold favorite!

Brussels Sprouts: Brussels sprouts are probably my favorite fall veggie, and my man will 100% agree. Lately, I’ve been going to town with sweetgreen’s Roasted Turkey + Brussels Sprouts Salad on their fall menu (hot tip: I like to add goat cheese) but it also frequently makes an appearance at home. When it comes to brussels sprouts, keeping it simple is best. These oven-roasted brussels from Whole Foods totally do the trick!

Pears: Once … Read More!