The luteal phase is the last phase of your cycle and the one where PMS hits you. It's the time you might be craving chocolate - check out this video to learn why that is. Every craving has a reason. I go super in-depth on this cravings topic in the 4 Week Health Kickstarter Online Program with an entire week dedicated to cravings. So we don't just deal with a craving by ignoring it but by understanding what it is our body actually needs. Chocolate cravings tell us two things:

2020 has felt like a marathon and even if the actual year is coming to an end, the effects of it will linger for a long time for me. So much has shifted, so much has changed, and I have stretched myself to limits I never knew were possible. I wouldn't change any of it though! I have grown as a person and I definitely wouldn't want to go back to January for anything. Onwards we dance! Just before we went into lockdown I had set myself very strict social media rules. Get it all

Yes, that little number is a 4 on the side. I can't believe Baby Zand is already 4 years old!!! Where has the time gone? I can tell you where: to endless hours of cuddles in the middle of the night, time spent in the kitchen together making energy balls (these are by far her favorite), and so many moments of "I can't do this anymore" ... and then I soldier on and continue being a mother to this wonderful bundle of joy. Every year for her birthday I make a big raw cake (check

I am kicking off my birthday week with a delicious sticky date pudding. This recipe is so easy - inspired by the amazing Nigella Lawson. Pouring boiling water over a sticky dough? Only she can pull that off, and come out of it all with a sticky toffee sauce that is to die for. I have taken her original recipe that I found 15 years ago (in her cookbook Nigella Bites), and have made it into a plant based and gluten free version that will not disappoint! Come and join me for bir

Tahini and sesame are some of my favorite ingredients to give a recipe an interesting, almost bitter flavor, but I know not everyone loves that. I do hope that with these yummy energy balls I will change your mind though. The very subtle sesame and tahini flavor make these balls more than just sweet little treats. Sesame is actually a fabulous seed us women should really eat more of. In a world that is so estrogen dominant with pesticides, plastic's BPA, ingredients from our

Easter is almost here, so it's time for yummy carrot cake. Even though carrot cake sounds healthy - carrots are a vegetable after all, right? - most are filled with processed vegetable oils, refined sugar, and gut inflaming flours. And as you may know by now, I set out to make every holiday a little healthier because it should never just be bland, boring food for you while everyone else enjoys treats. I take this approach with my daughter, too, making sure she has access to s

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I came back from our holiday with hives all over my body. I am not sure if it was stress, jetlag, sleep deprivation, pollution, exposure to other chemicals or pesticides or whatever else. Either way, I have been scratching myself bloody every night - not the most pleasant thing in the world! As soon as we landed, I knew what I had to do. I had to cut back on a lot of foods to just give my body some time to heal itself. And that mea

We have been traveling like crazy these last couple of weeks. Asia will always have a special place in my heart, and coming to Singapore and Shanghai with Baby Zand has truly been a dream come true. I have loved showing her where she was born, where we lived, where her cousins go to school, and so much more. We have been enjoying dumplings, noodles, cakes, cookies, and so much yumminess. To make sure we still get plenty of fruits and veggies to keep us strong and healthy, we

All I want at the moment is creamy comfort food that brings a little heat. Thai food can be quite cooling because it is hot in Thailand, and you want freshness from your meals. But when you combine the heat of chili and ginger with the freshness of lime and the density of peanuts, you've got a winter Thai inspired dish! You can also use this delicious, creamy sauce on any other meal such as with a grain like quinoa, a marinade for veggies and meat for BBQs, as well as a base

As I mentioned last week, snack things that can come with me all day and even tide me over a missed lunch break are my go-to right now, as I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I honestly don't know how to do this working mama thing plus keep our house tidy, make three healthy meals a day, commute to Baby Zand's school for 30 minutes (one way), do laundry, go on fun adventures with Baby Zand, tend to our veggie garden, have something that resembles a relationship

Who are the most important people in your life? Your partner? Your children? Your parents? Your best friends? For me, that list includes our baby sitter. She is a big part of our family. Baby Zand is in love with her, and often randomly asks if auntie can come over to play. As a parent, it is such a relief to have a babysitter you love and trust. But having a babysitter who just fits in and gets you and makes you feel better than being around family is unicorn status. Serious

This month's energy balls are green - not to scare you but to add a nutrient boost with the help of spirulina. Spirulina is a blue green algae, that grows in freshwater lakes and rivers. It can be found in a powdered form in health food stores or online (see below). Spirulina is a superfood in the truest sense. This powder contains over 100 nutrients that help build our immune system, grow muscle, nourish the brain, boost our energy, detox heavy metals out of the body, and so

I know that some of my raw chocolate recipes can be overwhelming and difficult. Using a double broiler to melt cacao butter is not everyone's favorite pastime (definitely is one of my top 10 ;-)). So this recipe is for those of you, who still want healthier chocolate alternatives, but also don't have time or patience to watch the cacao butter melt. This recipe is super simple, so easy to make, and a huge hit with your loved ones for Valentine's Day ... or really any other day

Let's kick of February with pink, fluffy lattes, perfect for Valentine's Day. Now before you click away because you hate the commercialism of Valentine's Day - I get you! I don't enjoy paying triple the price for a mediocre meal or buying roses as much as our mortgage (just kidding, we live in the Bay Area :-)). Please don't tell me the story of how Valentine's Day was invented by the chocolate and greeting card industry. I don't care. I still love Valentine's Day, and the fe

Somehow most people think I never eat anything sweet, and just live off leaves and beans. Have you ever checked out the dessert and snack section in the recipes? There is a reason these are longer than any other section here on the blog: I have a big sweet tooth. If love cookies, muffins, chocolates, cakes, and candy. When I was in college studying throughout the night, I would live on chocolate bars - like 20 in one night. I know, how did I not fall into a diabetic coma? Wel

Sweet drinks during the holiday season are my downfall! I used to love everything holiday flavored at Starbucks. I hate coffee, but I would endure it for the sake of all the holiday cheer. Of course once you start to look into it, you are shocked at the synthetic ingredients of most holiday flavored products - not just drinks. High fructose corn syrup, refined oils, artificial flavors and colors are pretty much everywhere. That clearly does not make for a healthy or happy hol

Who doesn't need more energy in this time of holiday stress? I know how crucial this time of the year is to all my clients, I wrote an entire eBook about surviving the holidays. Check it out here. These balls are a life saver when it comes to needing quick energy on the go. I don't often suggest this as a healthy habit, but let's be realistic here; all of our to do lists are endless, and we don't have enough time to eat and get things done. So make these balls ahead of time f

For over a week now we've been celebrating Baby Zand's 2nd birthday. Her wish for her birthday was chocolate. So I delivered! We had chocolate almond butter raspberry chia jam cups (that's a long name for something so delicious!), and banana chocolate chip muffins, and chocolate pancakes, and this super creamy raw raspberry chocolate cake. The recipe is inspired by the gorgeous Buffy over at Be Goods Organics. I have modified it slightly to leave out the coconut because my hu

Oooh, we received our first oranges in our organic food box delivery this week, and I am sooooo excited! Orange and tangerine season is here. It is the delicious pre-season to Christmas treats. Pair the orange with cardamom, and you have got yourself a fabulous little fall/ wintery snack! Preparation time: 15 minutes Makes 20 balls: 1 cup raw almonds (bonus point for soaking and drying them first, but who has time for that?!?) 4 Medjool dates zest of 2 oranges 1 ½ Tbsp orange

These bars will forever be my "I finally got my green card bars". It took 18 months, but I finally feel like I can now call the USA my new home. The day my green card arrived in the mail, I was standing at the kitchen counter in tree pose (as you do), taking a big bite out of these gorgeous slices, and thinking I had hit the jackpot with the ultimate combination of lavender and lemon. My husband walked into the kitchen, and brought me the true jackpot: this ever elusive card

I am taking all the sunshine I can get at the moment, before we start to hibernate again in front of our fireplace all winter long. Summer means tropical fruit, even if you are not in tropical paradise. Mango and pineapple are naturally so sweet and delicious, they can stop most sweet cravings right away. When I hear people going on diets that are low in fruit, I just don't understand it. Yes, we should not be eating so much sugar. Processed sugar that is. But fruit?!? Fruit