Food & Recipes Archives - Page 7 of 18

Let’s Get Minty: A Refreshing Green Tropical Smoothie for Spring

4 Comments / Food & Recipes / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

On most days, I wake up craving something warm like hearty oatmeal, eggs and avocado on toast or a good ol’ fashioned veggie omelet. Being a Vata body type, I naturally crave warm meals. But lately, most likely due to the change of seasons, my body has been asking for a little something greener and cooler; that is, a green smoothie of course.

Although to tell you the truth, I still enjoyed an egg sandwich on a gluten free english muffin about 2 hours later because that’s what I wanted…that’s what I needed. Dare to dig deep and listen to YOUR body.

Egg sandwich or not, this green smoothie totally kicked off my day on a fresh, healthy note! Enjoy this minty concoction on those mornings you want to refresh and reset, or as an afternoon treat. Go ahead…get a little minty.

Get Minty Green Smoothie for Healthy Chicks

In the Mix:

1 c. coconut milk (you can also use almond milk or water)
large handful kale, organic
2 stalks celery, organic
1/4 c. cucumber, organic
1 medium banana
1/4 c. frozen pineapple
1 TB ground flax or hemp seed* (I used both)
3 organic mint leaves, fresh

Coconut Curry Tempeh Tacos with Creamy Garlic & Ginger Tamari Sauce

6 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

I am not a vegan, nor am I a “meat-eater.” I am not Paleo, Macrobiotic or Carb-Free. While I try to eat gluten and dairy-free most of the time based on experience with my own body, sometimes I “give in” and want a piece of good-quality sourdough bread or cheese from the local farmer’s market. (Um, the cheese thing happens more than sometimes.) I avoid red meat for the most part, but I won’t say no to a good-quality, organic grass-fed burger every now and then…when I’m in the mood that is. My body knows what it can handle, and I listen to it 99% of the time.

The thing is, I don’t like to define myself, or my diet. I like to think of food as food, and load up on as much food that makes me feel good inside, reducing those things that make me feel not-so-good. It’s as simple as that. As you learn to listen to your body and treat it with lots of love, you’ll come to realize your own recipe for happiness and contentment in your body.

One of the many things that make my body feel really darn good is loading up … Read More!

Coconut Curry Tempeh Tacos with Creamy Garlic & Ginger Tamari Sauce Read More »

Be Green: St Patty’s Festivities Plus Buckwheat Veggie Pasta with Pesto & Chicken Sausage

5 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon ladies! Hope you all had an amazing weekend, and a happy & green St. Patty’s Day. I spent the weekend catching up with old friends, eating good food, wining, and roaming the packed streets in South Boston. (I even got to catch some of the parade this year!)

[Ladies’ night apps: green grapes, herbed goat cheese, When Pigs Fly sourdough]

[The Boy & I] [best friends]

While I didn’t get around to Green Eggs ‘n’ Ham or dying our milk green (boo to artificial coloring), I did make a delicious green pesto pasta the other night that I’ve been dying to share with you ladies. Even better, it’s both gluten and dairy-free!

Buckwheat Veggie Pasta with Pesto & Chicken Sausage (Dairy & Gluten-free)

Makes 4 large servings

8 oz. bag of buckwheat pasta
2 links all-natural chicken sausage, sliced into thin circles (We used garlic-flavored)
1 c. frozen green peas
Half a bag frozen spinach
2 c. frozen broccoli
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TB cold-pressed coconut oil (for cooking)
salt, pepper & seaweed gomasio to taste

For pesto:

About 2 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Kitchen Mishaps & Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette

4 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon ladies! Hope you are all having a beautiful start to your week so far, remembering to relax and take time for YOU (something we forget to do far too often).

I’m happy to finally be back in Boston, as I feel like I’ve been living out of a bag for the past week with my trip to DC and last-minute visit to my parents in CT this weekend.

On the other hand, I have to admit it was quite lovely being home for a couple days. I spent the last few days celebrating a good friend’s birthday with mimosas & brunch (the eggs with smoked salmon and asparagus were to-die-for), getting pedis with the ladies, cooking in my parent’s brand new gorgeous kitchen, and lots and lots of unplugging.

Speaking of cooking, I always have a blast cooking at my parents’ house, since The Boy and I pretty much have a box for a kitchen and no, I’m not joking (Think: zero counter space, no dishwasher, etc). The problem is: we both love to cook and do lots of it, which leads to knocking elbows, silly arguments and unnecessary stress. Not to mention, we also both love … Read More!

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Roasted Beet, Toasted Cashew & Arugula Salad

11 Comments / Food & Recipes / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Confession: I used to be afraid of beets. The color and texture just freaked me out. I was afraid of beets in the same way I was afraid of mushrooms and tomatoes: I didn’t think I liked them so I simply steered clear. My grandmother would constantly ask me growing up, “How do you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?” And so I would. I’d try everything.

I owe much of my appreciation for food to my grandmother, who taught me to be willing to try new things and appreciate the different flavors. Now there are only a handful of things I don’t like: salami, most beer (shocking, I know!), and chopped liver. That along with most packaged/microwavable meals because they simply freak me out.

This weekend, inspired by a recipe I found in Clean Plates Cookbook, I decided to play with the ingredients I had on hand and crate a fun salad full of color and fresh produce. And the star ingredient is, you guessed it, beets. Beautiful, glorious, naturally sweet beets. Think of ’em as nature’s candy!

Roasted Beet, Toasted Cashew & Arugula Salad

This salad was adapted from Clean Plates Cookbook’s “Mustard … Read More!

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A Special Valentine’s Day Tea Tasting With Flowering Rock Tea

4 Comments / Food & Recipes, Lifestyle / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

This Valentine’s Day, we celebrated with love letters, sushi lunchboxes, Pad Thai takeout, red wine, Cacao Covered Strawberries, and most special of all: a private tea tasting with Flowering Rock Tea.

A former boss and professional colleague of mine introduced me to this Boston-based startup, as he knows how much I adore speciality, all natural products. And if you read my blog, follow me on Instagram or have looked inside my kitchen cabinets, you know how much I’m in love with tea.

Flowering Rock Tea is not your everyday household tea, as they produce all-natural herbal Botanical collections inspired (and sourced) in Greece. After our lovely sushi lunch in Brookline, The Boy and I head on over to their pop-up location at 70 Charles Street in Beacon Hill (where they’ll be until the end of the month) to check it out for ourselves!

When we walked in, we were greeted by the lovely couple and Founders of the company, Natasha and Konrad Makowski. Immediately, we were drawn in, not only by the fresh herbal aromas but also by their warm, welcoming nature. Seriously, we could have stayed all evening chatting with these two. (In fact, we pretty much … Read More!

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Sneak Peak Inside My Kitchen Pantry: NuttZo Omega 3 Seven Nut & Seed Butter

10 Comments / Food & Recipes / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon lovely ladies and Happy Sunday! Hope you all stayed warm & safe during the Blizzard. As for me, I escaped to our condo in Waterville Valley, N.H with the family for a weekend of snowshoeing, card-playing, unplugging and wining & dining.

New Hampshire is one of my favorite places to unplug, relax and simply appreciate the beauty in nature. I also love spending quality time with my family and The Boy without any distractions from the outside world. Oh, and one of our favorite activities: eating good food. Last night, I enjoyed Salmon Oscar-style from the Woodstock Inn Brewery, which was topped with asparagus and a decadent Béarnaise sauce, served with mashed butternut squash and steamed broccoli. I have no words!

NuttZo: A Jar Full of Love

Speaking of good food, I’ve totally been loving NuttZo, an Omega-3 packed Seven Nut & Seed butter. If you didn’t already know, I’m totally nuts about nuts, nut butters and seeds for that matter (love my flax!) So when I received a jar of NuttZo to sample myself, I was ecstatic to try a new brand of one of my favorite “condiments.” There’s no better time than Valentine’s … Read More!

Sneak Peak Inside My Kitchen Pantry: NuttZo Omega 3 Seven Nut & Seed Butter Read More »

Feeling Bloated? Make a Post Superbowl Party Green Smoothie

4 Comments / Food & Recipes / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Indulge a little much during yesterday’s Superbowl partying? First of all know that It’s OK because Healthy Chicks Eat Burgers Too (and chicken wings, pizza, nachos, you name it.)

At our house there was a lot of chicken wings, beef stew, greasy Chinese, chips, beer and wine to name a few. Fortunately, I made a healthy Kale & Avocado salad to add a little green balance, but only a few people ate it (ha!) I guess the other stuff looked a little more appealing on Game Day…

If you’re feeling a little bloated from all that excess sodium and greasy food, you can start fresh today because “Tomorrow is a New Day” after all. One of my favorite ways to refresh is by chugging a ton of water, and my favorite way: green smoothies! I made this for my mom and I this morning (I took a trip to visit the ‘rents for a few days), and she absolutely loved it! I’d have to agree.

Post Superbowl Party Green Smoothie for 2

In the Mix:

1 c. unsweetened almond milk
2 large carrots
3 celery stalks
small handful parsley
large handful of each spinach, mixed greens and kale

A Vlog: Healthy Chicks Eat Burgers Too (Or Insert Your #1 Indulgence)

12 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Happy Superbowl Sunday ladies! Today’s post is a Vlog (my second Vlog EVER actually) because I wanted to share with you something that I get questions about all the time: how to handle “over-indulging” without all the guilt that comes with it, or feeling like you “ruined everything.”

I was inspired to create a Vlog after chatting over coffee yesterday with the lovely Cait from Cait Plus Ate at Daybreak. (Side Note: If you don’t know Cait already, you should totally check out her blog especially if you are a fellow foodie or live in the New England area.) She just did her first Vlog (and totally rocked it) and she gave me the courage to give it another shot!

After all, I am very passionate about this topic and want to reach as many readers (or shall I say viewers) as possible. Plus, I feel much more confident this time around, judging by my last video where I was a tad nervous.

OK, 1, 2, 3…ACTION!

What are your favorite indulgences? Do you let guilt get the best of you? … Read More!

A Vlog: Healthy Chicks Eat Burgers Too (Or Insert Your #1 Indulgence) Read More »

Healthy ChickLit: Have Fun With Your Veggies & Vegetarian Marinara Spaghetti Squash

Leave a Comment / Food & Recipes / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Of course people scrunch their noses and roll their eyes at the thought of “eating healthy” when they think of it as bland, cardboard-tasting, flavorless meals (think: a pile of iceberg lettuce with fat-free, calorie-free dressing).

And up until about five years ago, that’s what healthy did mean to me: boring salad bars, diet sodas, sugar-free everything, low calorie, processed-fake-food-crap. Blah.

Then I discovered how much fun I could have in the kitchen cooking healthy food, how creative I could get with my veggies, and how utterly delicious green “healthy” foods could really be.

Most days of the week, The Boy and I craft up wholesome, healthy dishes together in the kitchen and more often than not it’s an exciting experiment. We use what we have in the fridge, creating innovative recipes and award-winning concoctions (at least according to us.) In fact, while I am pretty skilled in the kitchen, The Boy is really the Master Chef of the two of us which makes life a little easier.

No matter what we concoct, we typically (most days) aim to make most of our meal veggie-based with healthy fats, nutritious proteins and wholesome grains added in.

Last night, we had lots … Read More!

Healthy ChickLit: Have Fun With Your Veggies & Vegetarian Marinara Spaghetti Squash Read More »