All posts filed under: healthy foods

Mind Set – Vacation, vacation, vacation

Published by

The last month has been the most stressful. Well, since a few months back for me that is. It seems stress is all we have these days, worrying so much about the faith of our nation, our children’s safety, health, financial stability, and even all things reshaping our planet earth – all while trying to keep a positive front so not to be judged by anyone. Who are we kidding. Everyone is looking for an outlet – to escape the madness even if for a few minutes. Who knew all fantasized films made about doomsday and corruption is becoming more real every day. Sorry, if I’ve brought you down this Friday. But occasionally it’s important for me to stay real. Last night, I sat on my bed and breathed out – for that instance – I felt a sense of temporary relief. The kind of relief where my body was not as tense at it normally is –  because I realized in a few days I would be on vacation – even if it’s just for …

Food: Honey Roasted Squash, Chicken and Pomegranate

Published by

This past few days I’ve been too busy to cook or even think about eating right – spending too many hours worrying about our upcoming vacation, our dog and the sitter we’ve arranged and all other things I need to take care of before we fly out in a few days. Pause that thought…because I did –  when I found this recipe – and decided that tonight I needed a good wholesome meal, and a bottle of wine of course 🙂  After all,  when life throws you nothing, you regroup by doing something you love – in my case cooking.  Happy Thursday everyone!  

Food: Something with Sweet Potato, Cheese, Cajun…Amazing

Published by

Last night I craved soup – considering how cold the city is THIS Indian Summer (eye roll). We had a sweet potato and ginger boxed soup from, you guessed it, Trader Joe’s. It was missing something I thought, so I added bacon bits, and a side slice of yogurt cheese, you guessed it, from Trader Joe’s :). A day later I discovered this recipe and as usual had to share with all of you probably the BEST sweet potato recipe ever – this site gets me for sure. I mean check this out for the drizzle… 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced or grated 1/2 cup milk + more if needed 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or smoked gouda cheese + 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt + pepper

Food: For The Love of Trader Joe’s Quick Meals

Published by

I used to dread grocery shopping before Trader Joe opened up in my neighborhood because I craved all things organic but couldn’t find it at my local grocery store.  Now I look forward to my grocery shopping day – Sunday early morning – when all the items are neatly stacked and the store is near empty of all the madness that usually happens mid afternoon to early evening. There isn’t much that’s changed in their products, and I couldn’t be happier buying everything organic and putting my meals together every day from scratch. But once in a while I don’t mind a quick pre-packaged option I keep handy for those days I factor in working out after work, or perhaps an errand I need to run. So I was glad to stumble upon these ideas just as well to add to my selection:  

Food: Chicken and Cauliflower Rice

Published by

I bought a package of cauliflower Rice at Trader Joe’s over the weekend, determined  to make a spectacular dish out of it. Because the last time I bought the rice variation, it didn’t turn out so well when I sautéed it with a bit of olive oil. So naturally, I turned to my favorite foody site here, and found the best recipe imaginable for Apricot (my favorite) chicken and cauliflower rice dish…and folks, I am on it. In the meantime, I figured I better share it with all of you, just in case we are all on the same page about the apricots, chicken, and cauliflower rice, and wine of course 🙂 {photo and recipe credit click here}

Food: Embracing Gelato

Published by

I am sure many of you will chuckle when I say, every person that’s ever been to Italy has certainly stopped at a Gelato stand or a shop or boutique gelato bar and downed a few scoops of gelato – my favorite, in case you ask, being pistachio, or espresso. So, since I’m researching at this moment about all things Italy, this article popped up, explaining why it is that I LOVE 🙂 Gelato.  Here’s the important points, the rest of the article you can read here: “First, traditional gelato has way less butterfat. About 4 to 8 percent of gelato is butterfat, compared to 14 percent for ice cream in the United States. That means gelato freezes less solidly than ice cream (and it’s actually served about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than ice cream), so it melts in your mouth faster.” “Second, gelato has a much higher density. To make ice cream, producers mix cream, milk, sugar — and then add air, which increases volume, and water, which increases weight. But all that …