Managing Stress Archives - Page 5 of 10

Green Bean Fries

April 24, 2018/0 Comments/in Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance vegetable, side dish paleo, whole30, vegetarian /by Stacey Isaacs

All fries are good… and these green bean fries are awesome!

If you could see the talk-bubble above my head whenever anyone asks me what my favorite food is, you’d see a picture of a huge plate of french fries. Next to that would be a puddle of ketchup and a bowl of gravy. My all-time favorite food has always been french fries with gravy… preferably from a greasy diner. That’s what I’m thinking when I get asked that question. But, it’s been many, many years since I felt good eating that way. Nowadays, I make my “fries” baked, not fried, and they are not always made with potatoes.

That doesn’t mean that I am depriving myself at all. Mainly, because I truly don’t believe in depravation. Baked fries, if you make them correctly, taste just as good as the fried version (okay… maybe not the greasy diner version…). But, …

Paleo Beefaroni

April 16, 2018/2 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation pasta paleo, comfort food, beef, meat /by Stacey Isaacs

If you liked beefaroni when you were a kid, you will love this healthy grownup Paleo Beefaroni!

Sometimes people who don’t know me really well tell me they are intimidated to cook for me. The prevailing thought is that I only eat gourmet, chef-y kind of foods. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m going to admit something to you now: my all-time favorite go-to comfort food is a bowl of pasta with ketchup. I know… gross, right? Granted, I use chickpea or almond pasta and sometimes I use homemade ketchup, but still… pasta with ketchup. I love it… don’t judge me…

When I was a kid, I ate lots of food from cans. My siblings and I loved it. Our cupboards were filled with canned raviolis, beefaroni, spaghetti-O’s, and more. I remember coming home from school, opening up a can, and eating straight from the can with a …

White Bean And Kale Soup

March 28, 2018/3 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Increased Athletic Performance, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management /by Stacey Isaacs

This healing White Bean And Kale Soup is light and comforting at the same time… it’s so delicious!

It’s the middle of the week and that means it’s about time for me to make a big pot of soup. On Sundays and Mondays, oftentimes I feel like creating more complex dishes. You know the kind… the ones that have separate sauces and lots of different components. The one’s that make your kitchen look like a bomb dropped on it. But, come mid-week, I’m all about the one-pot meal. And today, it’s a soup kind of day.

I find all soup comforting. Maybe it’s because it’s served in a bowl. Or maybe it’s because I love the great aroma of all of the things cooking together in one big pot. Or, maybe it’s because I love hot food. I guess it really doesn’t matter why… but it’s a good thing.

And, …

Baked Lemon Cod

January 29, 2018/5 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance fish, cod, baked, simple American, seafood, paleo, Whole30 /by Stacey Isaacs

I used to cook fish all of the time. I knew the fish monger by name, and we had an understanding — he let me smell the fish before I bought it, he always told me which variety was the freshest, and I in turn would tell him great ways to cook the different types of seafood. Then I moved. Ugh. Now I don’t make my beloved fish recipes as much anymore because I haven’t developed a relationship like that yet. When I do buy fish, I make it as simple as possible (because sometimes the more complex recipes make my apartment smell like fish a tad too much…) and I’m finding that sometimes I end up loving these new simple recipe creations as much as I used to love my old recipes. This recipe for Baked Lemon Cod is really simple and it’s a winner!

You would think since …

Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Apple Salad

December 19, 2017/3 Comments/in Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management salad, side dish, vegetables American /by Stacey Isaacs

Shaved Brussels sprouts are awesome. I’ve been using them for everything. My true favorite thing to make with them is Caesar salad. Yes, it sounds weird, but don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. I like to mix these shaved sprouts with kale or Romaine lettuce, slather them in my fav Caesar dressing and I’m a happy camper. This recipe for shaved Brussels sprouts & apple salad is a kicked-up version of my traditional Caesar recipe. I say kicked up because it also has apples and bacon in it. Really, what could be bad?

Obviously this recipe is not vegan, because…. well… umm… I’ve used bacon in it. But, I can honestly tell you that I’ve eaten this so many times, in so many ways, and there is so bad version. You can leave out the bacon or use a vegan bacon or a smoky mushroom to easily veganize this …

Zoodles With Creamy Avocado Pesto

December 12, 2017/1 Comment/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance zucchini noodles, faux pasta, simple vegan, vegetarian, paleo, whole30 /by Stacey Isaacs

Pasta is my favorite food in the world. Give me a big bowl of spaghetti, and just leave me alone. But, I feel so much better when I don’t eat grains. Ugh. Now there are some awesome grain-free faux pastas available today I am sooooooo happy. BUT, when people tell me that zucchini noodles/zoodles or spaghetti squash noodles or any vegetable that’s been turned into noodles will satisfy my pasta craving, I think they are crazy. That being said, these zoodles with creamy avocado pesto are really awesome…

I know, now I’ve kind of talked you out of making them. I really stink at marketing sometimes. But, I am honest — sometimes to a fault. Really, what I should have done is compared these to other vegetable recipes, not to my beloved pastas. Because — and this is so true — this is one of the best vegetable recipes around. …

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

December 1, 2017/1 Comment/in Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress appetizer, dip, vegan, vegetarian recipe adapted from: [url href="https://veganheaven.org/recipe/vegan-spinach-dip-with-artichokes-super-creamy/" target="_blank"]Vegan Heaven[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

Spinach artichoke dip is one of those weird things that almost everybody seems to love. I say weird, because even people who don’t love veggies or think they hate artichokes or spinach, seem to dive into a bowl of spinach artichoke dip whenever it’s around. This vegan spinach artichoke dip is no exception. I had people diving into this dip the second it was plopped down on my coffee table.

My kids used to order this dip (the cheesy original version) every time we went to a restaurant that had it. It always came out steaming hot and creamy and it smelled so good! It’s one of those things that I could never eat because of all the dairy. Well, this vegan version finally gives me my turn!

This dip is warm and creamy. It may be vegan, but it tastes so similar to the cheese-laden original, that nobody will …

Raw Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

November 16, 2017/5 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Brain Functions, Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Youthful Appearance dessert, chocolate, paleo, simple, tart recipe adapted from: [url href="http://www.wifemamafoodie.com/no-bake-chocolate-pomegranate-fudge-tart/" target="_blank"]Wife Mama Foodie[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

I was going to a friend’s house for dinner the other night and I wanted to bring a dessert. If you know me, you know that while I can cook just about anything, I am not a great baker. And that’s saying it very kindly… I’ve been known to burn slice and bake cookies. So, when I tell you that this raw chocolate pomegranate tart is the best dessert I ever made, that’s another way for saying this recipe is idiot-proof.

One of the reasons — and I can’t stress how important this reason is — that I was able to achieve such perfection with this dessert is because the original recipe is just genius. All of that genius-credit goes to Joscelyn at Wife Mama Foodie. I just love when I can take an existing recipe and have it come out perfect the first time, so a big thanks to …

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… …

Crispy Smashed Potatoes With Pesto

September 8, 2017/0 Comments/in Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Youthful Appearance side dish, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, potatoes, vegetables recipe adapted from: [url href="https://minimalistbaker.com/crispy-smashed-potatoes-with-garlic-pesto/" target="_blank"]Minimalist Baker[/url] /by Stacey Isaacs

I am always testing new recipes and playing with different preparations of foods. I love to create new dishes — this experimenting has always been what de-stresses me. There’s just something about the kitchen itself and the fresh ingredients and all of the possibilities that puts me in my happy place.

While this sounds good to many people, it makes my family crazy. Even if they love a dish, they rarely see it again the same way because I’m always tweaking and changing and experimenting.

But, this recipe for crispy smashed potatoes with pesto is different. I make it the same way every time. Because it’s awesome. And, it it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…

There’s no better side dish than these potatoes. They are the perfect compliment to chicken or fish or steak. But honestly, I love them best served alongside a great bowl of soup. And, last week …