Coffee is great to give you that high and you feel like you can take on the world and do anything... until the crash comes after and you either need to hit yourself with another cup of caffeine or some sugar to get your energy levels back up. It's an endless rollercoaster of energy highs and lows leaving you feeling exhausted by the end of the day and in need to do it all again tomorrow. What if you could have more energy without the coffee? Green smoothies are my go-to and t

We are talking all about ovulation this week in our #selflovejanuary sequence. Ovulation is the peak period of your cycle where you feel extremely energetic and you will want to eat in a way that nourishes your body during this energy-high. Try not to just live on coffee :-). Your estrogen is at its peak during ovulation phase and it has some fun side effects you can check it out here. We need estrogen for a healthy cycle but sadly we often have too much of it in our system a

After all these sweet recipes I have posted over the last few weeks, I thought it was time for a refreshing fall salad. Millet is a grounding grain that resembles couscous. The grains are small and very fluffy. The millet is combined with fall veggies and fruit to make a salad that fills you with goodness. You can toss the chopped zucchini in some olive oil in a pan for a few minutes if you prefer a warm element to the salad (and it also makes the texture a little softer). Th

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

Have you hopped over to Instagram or Facebook yet for the daily #selflovejanuary rituals? Today I am talking all about digestion and how to make sure you don't waste all of your body's energy on digesting food. Check it out before it goes away in 24 hours! To get your mornings off to a lighter start try this yummy green smoothie. It's a little bitter with the arugula which helps amazingly with supporting your detox pathways. This makes a really big serving or two medium sized

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

My first potatoes are coming out of my veggie garden, and that makes me soooo happy. Even though there are never enough for a full meal, the few that I get to add to a dish like this make all the difference. To me our veggie garden is not about feeding our entire family, although we do have lettuce for the whole summer. It is about showing Baby Zand where food comes from, how long it takes to grow, and then to pick it, clean it, and prepare it. She loves watching her strawber

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

Let's be honest, it looks a bit like swamp water :-). But don't let the look fool you! This is a refreshing summer green smoothie with fruity raspberries and fresh mint. It comes together even quicker than other green smoothies because there is no chopping involved. Peel banana, add other ingredients, blend, done. It could not be easier! Give it a try for breakfast before berries go out of season. Preparation time: 2 minutes Makes 1 big serving or 2 small ones: 1 banana (if y

Last year I had a little survey, asking you to let me know what you wanted to see more of. So at the beginning of the year I vowed to bring you more super simple recipes that you can whip up in a few minutes, as well as giving you more ideas what to do with all those superfood powders stashed in your pantry. I've really been trying to walk that thin line between easy-to-find ingredients, but also giving you yummy ideas for those really yucky tasting powders. So far these seem

If you have been following me on this blog or over on social media for a while, you know that I can't live without my green smoothies every morning. It's like my body is addicted to them. Even when I travel, I make sure that I can either find a cafe close by that can whip one up for me or that I can blend a simple one in my hotel room. The leafy greens give me so much energy for the day, the fiber keeps my digestion happy, and the vitamin and mineral bomb that hits me with ev

I just got back from a very quick trip to Hong Kong - a wonderful sister weekend to chat non stop, to eat, to wander the streets, and to reminisce about our childhood in this crazy city. We realized the first time we arrived in Hong Kong was 26 years ago! That made me feel so old, when I feel like 15 most days. Being on ground for just a bit more than 48 hours meant that there was a huge mess up of my inner clock. Coming back and immediately taking over the household, Baby Za

I know, I know. Last Thursday I said I was posting the last Valentine's Day recipe with the love bombs. I lied. There is one more. This is a super simple recipe that does not require any special superfood powders that may be hard to get for you. This is a super simple smoothie bowl made from strawberries, banana, spinach, and kale that you can serve tomorrow for breakfast, and everyone will love it! It's basically a green smoothie disguised as a full breakfast bowl. It's supe

The first recipe of #selflovejanuary clearly has to be one I write most about: a green smoothie. I am obsessed with leafy greens for a good reason. The majority of people could handle their energy problems simply by adding leafy greens to every meal. This does not mean boring, limp lettuce leaves, but exciting green leaves in stews, veggie bowls, crunchy salads or in green smoothies. Leafy greens grow towards the sun, which means they accumulate the sun energy and make it ava

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, you will already be knee deep in shopping, cooking, and hosting mode... unless you are lucky enough to be invited to someone's house and can just show up ready to eat :-). Either way I think a little extra leafy green nutrition is due this week when we are all sure to go overboard with our foods and drinks. And if you are busy cooking, why not take some of those fresh cranberries meant for your cranberry sauce, and throw them in the blender with

Have you overdone it with the Halloween candy, and now you feel a bit slow, down, and lethargic? But probably most of all - guilty? No need to feel bad about yourself, because when has that ever helped you?!? Let's jump into fix and re-energize mode. I hope you followed my tip of the day on Instastories yesterday: throw away all Halloween candy. There is no point in keeping it around, the temptation is just too much. Who wants to work so hard convincing themselves they don't

This sour bitter salad as been my go to all summer long, and I can not believe I haven't shared it yet!!! Dandelion greens have been my absolute favorite cleanse helper these last few months. I stopped nursing Baby Zand earlier this year. So after two years of either being pregnant or nursing, I just really felt like I needed to cleanse my body. While I do eat very mindfully on a daily basis, I just felt like there was a lot of stuff accumulated in my body. It was never about

The day is finally here! The 4th edition of the free Summer Popsicles eBook has landed on the blog with six new popsicle recipes. Looking for a very grown up popsicle? Try the Spicy Mango one. Need an elegant dessert? Rosy Watermelon isn't just beautiful, but also tastes like a little holiday. And my absolute favorite? The Kids' Superfoods Fun with basically anything good you can find in your pantry thrown into a popsicle. Baby Zand can't get enough! This 4th edition also con

Since I am spending the beginning of the new year in New Zealand with my family, I only thought it appropriate to make a green smoothie recipe with some of my favorite local ingredients. I am sure you can find these in a well stocked supermarket or farmers market anywhere in the world! Since I want to share more healthy habits this year, I thought it only right to make a green smoothie my first recipe of the year. Green smoothies are my favorite way to include more leafy gree

Everywhere I look at the moment, it's peach galore. I can't get enough of them after years of living in Asia with hard-as-a-rock peaches. Yes, I loved the array of tropical fruit: sunny mangos, fruity pineapple, and gorgeous melons... but oh my love for peaches is high this summer! And in order to celebrate them, I whip up this green smoothie. I have written about my love for green smoothies before, and why I think everyone should drink one a day. This green smoothie is defin

Hemp seeds are one of my favorite vegan-vegetarian protein sources. They are small in size, nutty tasting, and go well with pretty much anything. You can sprinkle them on salads, soups, stir fries, porridges, smoothies… the list is endless! In this version, they get processed into a deliciously creamy pesto. It’s not an oily kind of pesto you may find in supermarkets for pasta. It’s more of a creamy pesto that doubles as a dip or a creamy salad topping. Give it a try! And don