Vegan Macaroni And Cheese

Yes, you can have creamy mac and cheese and stay healthy… try this vegan macaroni and cheese… it’s so good!

I have been pretty much dairy-free for too many years to count. And, for the last several years I eat mostly grain-free too. And, honestly, there’s not too much that I feel I’m missing. That is, except creamy pasta dishes.

When I serve something that looks like this vegan macaroni and cheese, anyone who knows me backs up and asks what it’s made of. I can’t say I blame them because I’ve tried to replicate dishes like this with some pretty strange ingredients.

I experiment with lots of creamy pasta recipes. I mean, I do this a lot. Because pasta is awesome. It’s always been my favorite food. It’s the food that I find to be the most comforting food around.

I don’t post most of my experiments because …

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

It really is true what they say about an-apple-a-day, so you need to try this apple cinnamon smoothie!

I ran out of frozen fruit!!! I always have bags of frozen fruit in my freezer! Ok, clearly not always, but it’s such a rare thing for my freezer to be bare in this department, that it startled me a bit. My Vitamix was on the counter ready to go. My big glass was right next to it and my favorite glass straw was at the ready. I really wanted a fruit smoothie… so I searched the fridge. Apples! Now, I had a plan…

I make juice with apples a lot, but I couldn’t remember ever making an apple smoothie before. Sometimes, you just get lucky the first time… this is really good!

It’s tastes a bit like apple pie filling. And it’s really, really creamy. Something about this apple cinnamon smoothie …

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

This vegetarian shepherd’s pie tastes even better than the traditional version!

I go through different food phases all the time. Sometimes I’m in a vegan phase or a vegetarian phase or a pescatarian phase… that’s why when I’m asked to label how I eat I usually say I am a flexitarian. To me, this means I eat healthy, but I like to switch it up depending on how my body feels at a particular time or in a particular season.

Right now I’m in a vegetarian phase. I’ve been eating vegetarian, but without the cheese. It’s kind of in between vegan and vegetarian. So, I’ve been saying no to meat and fish, but yet to eggs and butter. And I feel good… I don’t know if this will be a long phase or a quickie, but I like it!

This vegetarian shepherd’s pie recipe is awesome. Instead of being …

The World’s Best Nut Butter Recipe

This truly is the world’s best nut butter recipe!

I don’t think I’ve ever called any of my recipes “the world’s best”. I mean, I love a lot of my recipes, but I try not to be cocky about any of them. And it’s pretty easy not to be cocky when I have so many kitchen fails… and I do. Way too often. You just don’t see them…

But this recipe calls for some kind of special treatment when I talk about it. When I started blogging as a means of sharing my recipes with my friends and family years ago, this was one of the recipes I first posted. Everyone wants this recipe. This nut butter used to go with my daughter to camp and now it goes to college with her. It gets re-made over and over again by my friends who don’t cook. It’s a staple in …

Simple Baby Bok Choy

This simple baby bok choy is the perfect side dish for everything!

I get yelled at all of the time for not sharing some of my simplest recipes. Okay, yelled may be a bit strong. I get questioned a lot as to why I don’t share some of my simplest recipes.

I’m always so mindful of not talking down to people. I mean, there are just so many things that I don’t do well and I would hate it if someone made me feel bad about those things. So, I don’t post some of my easiest recipes because I never want anyone to feel that I think they are not on the ball.

Anyway, enough rambling… here’s how I make my simple bok choy. And I make it a lot. It’s one of my favorite vegetables. This simple baby bok choy goes so well with so many things. And you …

Acai Bowl

You are going to like this acai bowl better than the ones you buy!

Yesterday, I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw an article about Gwyneth Paltrow and her favorite superfoods shake. I was excited to read this because, well, I just am a sucker for anyone’s superfoods shake (especially someone who looks like Gwyneth). So, I clicked on the link and I was taken to an irate blogger talking about how all of the ingredients in this shake are made-up and fake and that no one could ever really make this “fantasy” shake. Boy, was I annoyed. I use almost all of these ingredients on a daily basis and I think everyone would benefit from their use!! And now, so many people think they don’t exist!

So, here’s my love-letter-to-Gwyneth-Paltow’s-smoothie. It’s my favorite superfoods non-fantasy smoothie bowl. And, if you have trouble locating any of the ingredients, just …

Slow Cooker Corned Beef And Cabbage

This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage is so good you’ll make it more than just on St. Patrick’s Day!

I know St. Patrick’s Day comes every year, but this is the first time I’ve ever made corned beef and cabbage. For my virgin time I used an amazing recipe from Foodie Crush as a guide. So, a big thanks goes out to Heidi for creating this awesome recipe! This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage recipe is a keeper!

Not only is this recipe delicious, but it’s so easy because the slow cooker does the work! I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve ever made this, because it really is so good.

So, here it is a few days before St. Patrick’s Day and I’m sitting in my kitchen drooling over the aroma in my apartment. Should I wait to serve this in a few days for …

Baked Chicken Tacos

What’s better than baked chicken tacos that can be made in advance… it’s not just for taco Tuesdays!

I’m always ranting about eating healthy, so when I post a recipe like this one, people are often surprised.

Yes, I eat tacos. Yes, you can eat tacos too — and still be healthy!

And, tacos are awesome!

These tacos are made with chicken (and you can cheat a little like I did by shredding up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken; I was lucky enough to find an organic one…) I used non-dairy cheese and organic taco shells. They are filled with lots of healthy ingredients, taste really decadent, and OMG, they are so good!

One of the best things about this baked chicken tacos recipe is that you can make them in advance and reheat them in the tray right before you want to serve them. The recipe that inspired me to …

Chicken Potato Tomato Skillet

This chicken potato tomato skillet is made and served right in the skillet!

There’s just something about food that’s served in a skillet that makes it look so appetizing. I’m a sucker for any menu item that is described as a “skillet”. I love a breakfast “skillet” and no matter what the ingredients, I will think about ordering it before any other menu item. Does this make me weird?

This is one of those recipes that is perfect for those nights that you just don’t know what to make. It’s versatile enough so that you can substitute whatever meat you want, whatever veggies look good, and whatever type of potatoes are lying around your kitchen.

I made this dinner even easier by using leftover tomato sauce that was in my freezer. You can make it even easier than I did by using your favorite store-bought sauce.

So, here’s a dinner …

Hot Chocolate Smoothie Bowl

This hot chocolate smoothie bowl is my favorite breakfast of all times! It’s deliciously healing and energizing.

This is my favorite breakfast of all times!!!

I know I say a lot of things are my “favorites” but I really mean it this time…

Many mornings I make a healthy superfoods packed shake for breakfast. I adjust the ingredients depending upon what my body needs on that particular day. I use herbs, superfoods, fruit, vegetables… you name it and I’ve blended it up for breakfast.

If you’re looking for a whole list of great breakfast ideas, there are some great  recipes here: 10 Breakfasts To Boost Your Energy.

Last week, on a cold windy morning, Steve wasn’t feeling great and asked me to make him a shake to make his sore throat and emerging cold feel better. Now, I’ve done this many times before so I started pulling out the …