Happy New Year. I am so ready for 2020, are you? For the past four years I have been curating clean-up plans for all of you. Due to life happening the past month and, to be honest, during the last year, I have not been able to produce the level of plan that I typically like to share. That being said, I have four years of plans readily available for your cooking pleasure (not to mention a website full of simple, whole food, plant-forward recipes.) There are over 80 original recipes for you to choose from in the clean-up plan tab that take you from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to snacks and desserts. My clean-up plans are not about detoxing, diets, or restrictions, but about gently encouraging you to get back into your cooking routine and focus on real whole foods that make you feel your best.
Read moresomething healthy and a little sweet for the new year
When the Radish first asked me to work on a recipe for Rosh Hashanah, I was stumped. As a Hebrew school drop-out, I remember the meanings behind most holidays but, for my family and me, high holidays have come to mean a time for us to gather together, celebrate our heritage, and carry on family traditions that, let's face it, usually revolve around eating.
Read morecrunchy radish clean-up: day three
Kick off day three with a warming protein and complex carbohydrate-filled porridge. Raw or toasted walnuts, chia seeds, and tart dried cranberries create a balanced and delicious way to start your day.
Integrating breakfast into your daily routine is critical for optimal weight management, sustained energy, and is an achievable goal for 2016. It is the meal that breaks your overnight fast. For all of you breakfast skippers out there, you could be going ten to sixteen hours without adding any fuel to your system - enough time to put your body into starvation mode and slow down your metabolism.
Read morecrunchy radish clean-up: day two
Welcome to day two. Today's menu features a little repetition and a vegetable-filled frittata. Repetition and limiting choices make integrating healthy eating habits more feasible. Yes, eating leftovers can be a little boring, but in terms of practicality, cost-effectiveness, and time management, nothing can beat meal prep.
Read morecrunchy radish clean-up: day one
Kick off day one with a nutrient-rich and filling green smoothie. How clichéd. Not quite. Smoothies as opposed to juices contain the whole fruit and vegetable, adding fiber and reducing the amount of waste that is generated from juicing. Continue day one with a completely vegan menu that includes a creamy nutritious turmeric cauliflower soup followed by a fortifying spaghetti squash with kale pesto.
Read moreHappy New Year! Don't Use the "D" Word
Happy New Year Vegheads! You may be expecting me to say, "Let's get the detoxes and cleanses going." Wrong blog, my crunchy friends. I do not believe in juice cleanses, detoxes, sustaining yourself on processed protein powders, or consuming fruit and vegetable juices for seven days straight. My philosophy has and will always will be rooted in EATING real whole foods. I love the positive momentum generated by healthy eating on January 1, but how do you sustain that enthusiasm past the 31st and continue eating and living well into February and beyond? To help you get the year started on a positive and properly nourished note, I will be launching a plant-based, carefully curated meal plan, full of REAL food to get you recalibrated for 2016.
Read morehow to live a healthier and a happier life-small shifts for big change
Hanging out at Tierra Patagonia
Typically, once January 1st rolls around, most people become invigorated about making big substantial change. You try a new workout, do a juice cleanse, cut gluten, but are those changes long lasting? I enlisted Harper Spero, a certified professional coach, and Tracey Lemle, a certified holistic health coach, to provide some simple, yet hearty tips to help you make radical shifts for the most healthiest and happiest year yet!
Read moreCrunchy Radish x Birchbox | Best Month Ever
Happy January Vegheads! I am excited to be teaming up with Birchbox for their January Birchbox Challenge. Every day this month Birchbox will be sharing thirty-one ways of how to make simple and healthy changes to your day to make 2015 your healthiest and happiest year yet! Check out the challenges here to see what I dare you to do! Let's GO!
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