Healthy Chicks

When I was on vacation with my family in Clearwater Beach, Florida I pretty much ate the same thing for lunch every day: the Spinach Berry Salad served pool-side at our hotel. It was light enough for a sunny dine-in-your-bikini lunch but hearty enough to tide me over until dinner. Plus, it had crunchy BACON in it. Not too much….just enough. Some days I enjoyed as is, while others I topped with fresh grilled grouper, chicken or shrimp.

Seeing as though I’m a salad fanatic (especially when it comes to making my own) I knew I needed to come up with some sort of variation to take with me back to Boston. And so I did. Enjoy this Strawberry, Avocado & Bacon Spring Greens Salad when you’re looking for a little sun-shiny boost.

In the Mix

Makes 2-3 large servings

For Salad:

• 5 oz. package mixed greens of choice (I used Oliva’s Organics Spring Mix with Herbs)
• 6 large strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin circles
• 1/4 c. chopped green onions
• 1 hardboiled egg, chopped
• handful of alfalfa sprouts
• 3 strips crispy all-natural bacon, chopped

For Dressing:

• 1/4 c.

It’s no surprise that The Boy and I like to make our own creations in our tiny box kitchen! We’re always playing with different greens, oils, herbs, meat, seasonal produce and garlic (lots and lots of garlic) to tantalize our taste buds.

Then we have our classic dishes, our staples if you will. The Boy’s include soup (particularly his heart-warming Potato Corn Chowder), Breakfast Frittatas and his famous meatloaf (which he literally won’t stop talking about…he keeps telling all my friends and family to “Ask Rach about my meatloaf!”)

Classic Rachel dishes include Almond-Crusted Coconut Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries/Mashed Sweet Potatoes, fancy salads, and an apartment favorite: Warm Quinoa & Veggie Bowls which The Boy just dubbed “The Bowl of Goodness.”

The original inspiration came from our favorite local organic cafe Live Alive, as we are absolutely addicted to their warm grain bowls. That’s when I decided to get my experimenting — and my apron — on!

I never make one bowl exactly the same, but all are vegan and free from gluten and dairy ingredients. Sometimes I add in raisins or curry powder, while other times I load up on the garlic and create a more … Read More!

The Boy & I have been trying to severely cut back and/or eliminate both gluten and dairy from our diets. While gluten is something I’ve learned to eliminate over the years (due to personal digestion issues and bloating), I occasionally indulge in a tasty snack or fresh-baked slice of bread made with real ingredients. I know my limits, and I’ve pretty much learned to live without it. I guess I’m lucky because I’ve never really had a sweet tooth so fresh bread is really my only temptation.

However, dairy is a completely different beast. You see, I love cheese. Nothing beats a slice of fresh mozzarella, hard cheese paired with fruit, or local feta from the farmer’s market. That being said, this past year I’ve also come to the conclusion that my love for cheese may have some sort of connection  to my skin issues. So I’ve been trying to cut back as much as I can to experiment. Again, this is just my own personal experiment and I’m not saying everyone should give up dairy for clear skin. After all, we are all different and what works for one may not work for another (see: bio-individuality).

I’m … Read More!

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

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!

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

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!

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!