Boosting Energy Archives - Page 7 of 15

Creamy Vegan Baked Pumpkin Pasta

October 25, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Youthful Appearance /by Stacey Isaacs

It’s pumpkin season! I know everyone gets so excited to go out and grab their pumpkin lattes, but not me. Don’t get me wrong — I love all things pumpkin too, but give me pumpkin comfort foods and I am the happiest ever. And this creamy vegan baked pumpkin pasta blows your favorite pumpkin latte out of the water.

I never met a pasta I didn’t like. Especially a creamy pasta. Add in the fact that this is a hot and comfy baked pasta dish with a great crumb-topping, and you’ve got me drooling. So, when I saw a recipe for a baked pumpkin pasta by the amazing and inspiring Candice Kumai, I had to go for it.

What’s better than eating a delicious dinner with pumpkin in it while looking outside at the beautiful fall foliage? Nothing! Come on, look outside. Watch the leaves blowing around, smell the …

Sweet Potato Apple & Swiss Chard Stew

October 17, 2017/7 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance stew, soup, paleo, whole30, vegan, vegetarian recipe inspired by: [url href="http://www.contentednesscooking.com/vegan-sweet-potato-soup-with-kale/" target="_blank"]Contentedness Cooking[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

The second that it started to feel like fall was finally in the air, I started clicking through all of my favorite blogs and sites and I happily flipped through my favorite beautiful cookbooks looking for inspiration for what kind of soup or stew to make. This sweet potato apple & swiss chard stew was the perfect choice.

I can sit on the couch with cookbooks surrounding me and lose all track of time. Same thing with sitting with my laptop perusing food blogs and recipe sites. Yup, I can be a couch potato to the max — it’s one of my best talents!

But, whoever said couch potatoes are not productive, has not seen some of the results of my expertise in this area. Because I come up with my best recipe ideas when I’m in full-on couch potato mode (maybe even with a cheesy romantic movie playing in …

Peruvian Chicken With Green Sauce

September 26, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation chicken, paleo, whole30 recipe adapted from: [url href="https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/peruvian-style-roast-chicken-with-tangy-green-sauce" target="_blank"]Epicurious[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

Roast chicken is comfort food. Kick your comfort up a notch with this Peruvian chicken with green sauce…

I am a huge proponent of eating whatever works for your particular body and circumstances at this particular point in time. Sometimes I eat vegan and at other times of the year, I feel my body does best with a little grass-fed organic meat. That’s how I roll… I feel a plant-based diet coming on, so before I go all veggie on you, I want to post one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes. This Peruvian Chicken With Green Sauce is amazing on so many levels…

There’s an awesome little Peruvian restaurant a few blocks from my apartment. It’s so good… and reasonably priced… and the chicken is cooked perfectly. But, their green sauce is way too spicy for me — and I am a spice-lover… So, when I saw a recipe …

Chocolate Banana Dairy-Free Fudgesicles

September 13, 2017/2 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance dessert, frozen, sweets, ice pops, popsicles paleo, vegan, vegetarian /by Stacey Isaacs

These chocolate banana dairy-free fudgesicles will take you back to your childhood…

Summer may be almost over, but ice pop season never ends. At least not in my house. Every few weeks, I make a new batch of ice pops. I love to try out new flavor combinations and new textures, mix them up, and pour them into my retro ice pop molds. These chocolate banana dairy-free fudgesicles were an experiment that came out great!

Do you have any foods that when you taste them bring you right back to your early childhood? For me, food is responsible for a lot of deja vu moments. And fudgesicles are one of those foods. I’m right back on the lawn under the fireworks on the 4th of July. Or at a BBQ, running through the sprinklers and laughing.

I will admit that sometimes when I experiment, the end result is… well… ummm… …

Grain Free Banana Bread

August 23, 2017/2 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Reduced Inflammation, Youthful Appearance dessert, snack, paleo, vegetarian, gluten free Recipe adapted from: [url href="http://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-banana-bread-no-sugar/" target="_blank"]Paleo Running Mamma[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

The other day I was on a hunt for grain-free, unsweetened desserts. I know, sounds pretty unappetizing. That’s why I needed to hunt. When I came across this recipe for grain free banana bread, my expectations were fairly low. But, I must give kudos to Michele at Paleo Running Mamma because that’s where I found the original recipe, and it’s genius.

I’ve made grain free cakes and breads before and more often than not, they don’t rise enough or they are really dense. But not this recipe. This grain free banana bread is delicious. And it rose. And it turned golden on the outside. And it tastes unbelievable — it’s sweet with no added sweeteners.

This month, I’ve been on an elimination diet. I’ve been indulging a tad too much since I moved into Manhattan. I mean, it’s just so easy to eat and drink way too much here. I …

Creamy Mint Avocado Pasta

August 11, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Youthful Appearance pasta, simple, sauce, vegan, vegetarian, paleo recipe inspired by: Always Order Dessert /by Stacey Isaacs

Avocados are good for hot flashes!

I’m going to be honest: most of my life I was not a big mint fan. I could never understand how people liked mint chocolate chip ice cream so much — to me, the mint ruined the deliciousness of the chocolate chip. Mint tea?… ewww…. And, I would always choose any other candy over the pretty red and white candy canes of winter. Funny how things change. And boy have they ever! Mint is awesome! And it’s recipes like this creamy mint avocado pasta that make me wonder what was wrong with me all of those years ago…

When I first started studying Chinese medicine and I fell so in love with all of the herbs, Mint (Bo He) quickly became a go-to healing herb for me. It is amazing in it’s abilities to fight colds, boost the immune system, and settle your stomach. …

Buckwheat Ramen Soup

August 2, 2017/2 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance soup, ramen, lunch, dinner, main course Asian, vegetarian, grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy /by Stacey Isaacs

What is it about ramen that makes it so good that I will eat it even on a hot summer day? I mean, usually, if you told me I was going to have hot soup for dinner in August, I’d run the other way. But not with ramen. It’s just so good! And this buckwheat ramen soup is one of my all-time favorite recipes.

I like to eat grain-free whenever possible. I also love pasta and noodles of all kinds. Now, I could make this soup using all different types of vegetable noodles, like zucchini, carrot, parsnip, etc. This recipe from feedfeed is awesome if you want to give the veggie noodle ramen a try. The buckwheat ramen noodles that are available in stores now are amazing, so I say give this a try! It’s close to real, authentic ramen noodles.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, buckwheat (despite its …

Blackberry Kombucha Ice Pops

July 14, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance dessert, frozen, fruit, berries vegan, vegetarian, simple, ice pops /by Stacey Isaacs

Blackberries are great to reduce intestinal inflammation… and, they will make your skin luminescent!

I love ice pops. I love kombucha. Oh, and fresh berries… well, they are divine! So, these blackberry kombucha ice pops have become my new favorite dessert.

If you are one of those people who craves sweets after dinner (or after lunch, or after anything…) then you are the perfect candidate for these ice pops. I mean, think about it. If these were in your freezer now, you could just grab one anytime you want one. With no guilt. Yup, absolutely none.

These ice pops are made with no added sweeteners. But they are sweet. And tangy. And have a bit of a pop from the fizziness of the kombucha.

I made 6 of them several days ago and I have been slapping my own hand away so that I don’t eat them all before someone …

Beet Hummus

June 20, 2017/6 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Elevated Mood, Increased Athletic Performance, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Weight Management appetizer, dip, hummus vegan, vegetarian, simple /by Stacey Isaacs

Beets are good for endurance and digestion!

I used to make homemade hummus all the time. I don’t know why I stopped, but stop I did. I think I forgot how easy it is to make it and how much better it tastes than those store-bought containers. But, let me tell you, it is easier to make homemade hummus than it is to go out to the store and buy it! And when you can add in your own flavors, there’s no need to ever buy it. Hmmmm…. I hope I remember this next time. Anyway, this Beet Hummus is delicious! And, look how pretty!

Long, long ago, when I would be preparing for a dinner party, I fixated on the appetizers. I would put out pretty platters of way too many finger foods and dips. I loved to make them and I loved the idea of eating all of …

Kale With Tomatoes And White Beans

June 10, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management side dish, kale, simple recipe adapted from [url href="http://www.eatgood4life.com/caramelized-tomatoes-white-bean-kale-salad/" target="_blank"]Eat Good 4 Life[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

A few nights ago I was rummaging through my fridge trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Nothing caught my eye. I opened all of my cabinets, hoping that something would jump out at me there. That’s when I realized that I have so many cans of different kinds of beans, it’s a little embarrassing. My embarrassment was the start of this kale with tomatoes and white beans side dish.

Usually, when I cook with beans, I end up with something very warming and better suited to a cold winter night than one than a warm summer night. My daughter was flying in for a visit and I knew she’d be hot and starving and there was no way I would be able to sell a hot chili or Mexican-y dish… ugh… I was just drawing a blank.

So, I started looking through recipes on some of my …