Healthy food substitutions: what worked for me

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, there’s no possible way you could’ve missed social media and news messages of the universal need to start eating a healthier diet. Without question, this means that healthy food substitutions are a must. However, substituting unhealthy foods for equally bad, or (UGH!) even WORSE foods will never promote…

Black beans in brownies?

I’ve been a vegetarian for 20-plus years; and I’ve followed a dairy-free, low to no processed food, plant-based eating plan for the last two years – and I’ve seen black bean brownie recipes in passing but I was skeptical about trying to create them. It wasn’t the black beans. I love them! Black beans were…

No to Keto; I’d rather run!

I was curious about the pill. I bought the pill. I took the recommended dosage. I dropped the pill. What pill? Keto Rapid Max. I had no proof that it wasn’t working. I didn’t feel any negative effects from it to make me want to stop. So why did I stop taking the pill instead…

Zoodles, zandalas, and zoll-ups oh my!

When I was a kid, the only squash I knew about was the yellow squash my Dad would pan fry with potato and onions. I don’t recall him ever making zucchini and since my cooking style mirrored his, I didn’t raise my daughters with zucchini in my house either. Frankly I’m not sure when I…

Nix bread – Leafy green works!

Lately, I’ve been a bit obsessed with raw collard greens – washing them, trimming the stem, experimenting with flavors to fill them and then rolling them up. It’s my neurotic need to keep sandwiches in my life – without the bread. I love mixing flavors. When I was younger, I’d do some ccrrraaaazzzy flavor mixing:…

Vegan or vegan wannabe?

When I stopped eating meat in the mid-1990’s (ANCIENT!:)), I had NO idea what a vegetarian or vegan was; I’d never heard of the terms and I wasn’t even trying to fit into a global lifestyle – I just wanted to poop without struggling. These days, as people are searching for healthier eating solutions, the…

Cashew Creamy Veggie Blend

I’m a blender. Eating one food at a time is booorrrring to me. When I used to eat eggs, I’d usually prepare grits too and they usually wound up in one buttery, blended glob. A peanut butter and jam sandwich with banana on the side – what fun is that? The banana sliced and nestled…

Freeze for diet success

Chinese food – General Tso’s Tofu in particular – is one of my favorite indulgences. During the weekdays I follow a plant-based, dairy-free, meat-free, low processed food life plan. On the weekends I sometimes add an indulgence as long as it stays within my core program, such as Sunday morning waffles made with oat flakes…

Dirty Dozen Diet Decisions

This beautifully green breakfast smoothie was made with collard greens, frozen bananas, and the vegetable that ranks number two on the Dirty Dozen list of foods that retain the most pesticide residue: SPINACH. And it was delicious. By now, I assume most of us are aware that the Dirty Dozen I’m referring to here isn’t…

Creamy Spiralled Sweet Potatoes

   When I was younger, living in my parents’ home and  then in my  own, I ate sweet potatoes in one of three ways: sliced and pan-fried; sliced, seasoned and drizzled with sugar then baked in the oven; or peeled, boiled and mashed for sweet potato pie. Back then, extra sodium and fat seemed to…