Are you following along with #selflovejanuary over on my Instagram? We are talking about the menstrual cycle all month long and this week is all about menstruation, what your body is going through, and how to support your body through food, movement, and lifestyle choices. Today I shared this quick little video on what foods to avoid. Now let's talk about what foods to focus on to help your body build blood back up. All of these foods are super nutrient-dense and great to fee

If there is one thing I have been very grateful for these last few months of lockdown, it is that I have a filled art box that we used to pull out about once a week for Baby Zand to do a fun project with. Now it's pretty much a daily occurrence. What else are we going to do while stuck at home for months and months? Well, this week we used up the last paint and we took a trip to Michael's to stock up for the next months of homeschooling. And guess what, Christmas decorations

BBQ season is in full swing and sometimes all you want is a burger! So... let me introduce this juicy roasted mushroom and black bean burger to you. Don't get put off by the list of ingredients, it actually doesn't take that long to make! And I highly suggest you make some extra patties and keep them cooked in the fridge (or frozen raw) for the rest of the week as a topping to salads. This burger has several components that all come from this blog, but you can totally replace

Last week I did an entire week of BBQ tips over on the daily Instagram stories. If you missed them, they are saved to the highlights and you can go back all summer long to watch them again. I talked a lot about cancer-causing particles and how to avoid the negative side effects of BBQing. I also mentioned the Balanced Plate (don't I always?!) and to focus on adding more veggies to your BBQ so you have an easier time digesting the meal. Which brings us to these amazing veggie

In these times of complete chaos around health I find it soothing to go back to the basics; taking care of myself and my family with the healing foods I cook. The ancient health system of Ayurveda is 5000 years old and they got so many things so right. Using spices such as turmeric to boost our immune system is genius and super easy! Turmeric is featured a lot on this blog (in the Golden Quinoa Muffins, Turmeric Coconut Latte, and the Holiday Nuts) but this "Butter" Cauliflow

Sometimes the easiest way to get dinner on the table is to cook up some quick pasta - and Baby Zand as most kids love it. I usually get the quinoa and brown rice pasta from Trader Joe's and I also love the chickpea pasta from Banza. During the 4 Week Health Kickstarter I highlight why it is so important to rotate your grains and not just rely on white, processed wheat all of the time. While you don't have to be completely gluten-free, wheat is definitely a crop we tend to ove

Welcome to Day 11 of the Stress Less Holiday Advent Calendar. Today we are going to cook together to nourish your body from the inside out. I know this is a busy time and cooking nourishing food often gets neglected. The easiest thing you can do is to make the same or very similar meal every day for the meals that you do have at home using some prepped ingredients. This way you can throw together a nourishing bowl in less than 10 minutes. Watch the video and cook along. All y

So this has been an interesting week for us. Our power was cut again due to high winds and this presenting a huge fire danger. Honestly, I am a combination of really pissed off and annoyed, but also very very grateful that so far we have been spared from a real disaster. After 30 hours of no power we decided to pack up puppy Haigo, Baby Zand, and grandma who is currently visiting, and head down to South to Monterey for a few days. Fresh air, hot showers, and real internet hav

Originally I wanted to call this corn bread cheese cornbread, but I know that is misleading. I never use real cheese in my recipes and I would be lying if it tastes exactly like the real thing. So over the years I have tried not to call recipes by their inspiration, and instead take them just for what they are: delicious foods that nourish my body from the inside out. For this recipe I do use a plant-based cheese. I have linked to my favorite kind below, but you can use any y

This salad is the perfect fall companion at the table. It makes you feel full and comforted while also filling up your plate with goodness. You can even serve it warm if you prefer a warmer dish at this time of the year. The key to this recipe is that each component gets used again, so you keep meal preparation time to a minimum. I mention this in all my programs, but you never want to cook a grain or bean for just one meal. That's way too much effort and no one has time for

Fall is officially here, but I am not quite ready to throw on the boots and cardigans just yet... well also it is officially heat wave weather here in the Bay Area, so we are definitely still enjoying the last of our delicious popsicles. Just a quick reminder to download your free copy of the Summer Popsicles ebook now. It is going away in October, and won't return until next summer! Instead, the Warming Breakfasts ebook is here within a week - IF you are subscribed to this b

Living in Asia means that I have come across some fun veggies and fruits over time. Buddha's hand is a citrus fruit, that is shaped more like a claw than an actual hand. Dragonfruit is still by far the most beautiful fruit to me. And then there is bitter melon, which has nothing to do with a melon, isn't sweet, and actually works really well in South East Asian curries. But then I moved to Berkeley, and who knew I could still find something fun and new to me, that I would ins

I have been working non stop on my next ebook all about detoxes and cleanses. I am writing all about the fad cleanses out there, how our body works, and what we can do to truly support it... which always comes back to eating real, whole foods. There is no magical formula, no pill that will undo all the damage we have done in our lifetime, no bar that we eat every day to make up for unsupportive food choices the rest of the time. There is only one way to support our body: to c

Ok, Thai and quinoa in one recipe doesn't seem very traditional. It's not. But it is the coolest creation by one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area: Daughter Thai in Mont Clair. I have to say, having lived in Thailand for 3 years, I have become somewhat of a Thai food snob. The majority of Thai restaurants are just satays and pre-made curry sauces thrown together with whatever meat or vegetable you want with some bland rice on the side. Most of it is uninspired and do

Stews and soups are my go-to recipes right now. I make them in big batches, then eat them for days. Plus, there is no reason you can't reinvent them for new meals, so it doesn't get boring. For example, one day I serve this chili with the cornbread, then I mix it with quinoa the next day, and on the last day I top it with mango slaw. Delicious and easy! This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, but you can easily double the recipe for more leftovers :-) Preparation time: 1 hou

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

Cold days call for creamy, warming soups, and this mushroom bean one is definitely my favorite at the moment. I personally find white beans and mushrooms an amazing combination, super satisfying and delicious. I often use them in stir fries, salads, and dips together. The mushrooms really give this soup a deep umami flavor, the kind you get from frying up bacon - but without the bacon :-). I shouldn't have said that, because now you expect bacon and you might be disappointed

The next gift idea is here: homemade spice mixes. They are unique, delicious, super useful to anyone who wants to throw something together in the kitchen. You can give them all at once or just make one that you enjoy the most. Also feel free to stock your own pantry with them :-) I like to use Ikea spice jars for gifts like this, but you can fill them into little bags or other small jars, too. Be creative, add a cute label, and maybe even a little wooden spoon. Mulling spice

After all the treats from various Halloween parties, let's nourish our body with a comforting, grounding bowl filled with goodness. And the best part: it only takes 15 minutes to throw together! Perfect for a busy evening when dinner needs to be on the table ASAP. In case you are new to the blog, welcome! As you will notice in many recipes, I never just cook a grain or a bean for one recipe. I prepare these in bigger batches for the week, so that then throwing together wholes

Even though we are still blessed with beautiful summer sunshine here in the Bay Area, the rest of the Northern hemisphere is quickly gearing up for colder temperatures. And so my favorite soup season begins! Soups don't have to be complicated, and they also don't need to be filled with lots of cream to get the creamy texture you love. Often just using a little coconut or almond milk can go a long way, and I even have soup recipes that don't require anything more than your veg

I love summer and all the fresh produce! I can't get enough of the artichokes, asparagus, berries, and stone fruit available at the market right now. We have asparagus almost every day in many different variations (have you tried the super easy blended vegetable soup with asparagus yet? It's a game changer!!!). Asparagus is such a tender vegetable when cooked, but also works as a crunchy component in a nice summer salad. And have you tried roasting it yet? I recently roasted