Strawberry Sauce

I got this recipe from Ellie Krieger, she's a nutritionist and cook. I found out about her from watching Food Network and Cooking Channel, she has some amazing recipes. This is definitely one of them. This strawberry sauce is so versatile and delicious. My favorite way to eat it is with some fluffy buttermilk pancakes. You can use fresh or frozen and thawed strawberries so this can be used all year-round. It's also very fast!

Back to Basics 28 - Herbed Veggies

This is a great vegetable side to make when you're in a hurry or too lazy to cook. All you need to have on hand is some frozen vegetables and herbs, ANY herbs!

BBQ Sauce

I got this great BBQ sauce recipe from Skinny Taste, it's an awesome blog! This sauce is thick, sweet and a little spicy. Perfect for pulled pork. Then, while you're at it why not make some coleslaw too? You can also put it on pizza dough and make BBQ chicken pizza. I just want you to eat really really well ok? That's what friends do. This sauce is really easy to make, let me show you.

Back to Basics 26 - Spicy Broccoli

I'm always looking for sides recipes. I can make grilled chicken breast and I know right away what grains I want to make with it (Quinoa with pine nuts, brown rice, farro with pistachios). Same goes for steak, fish or meatloaf. But I'm at a loss for the veggie side. Well, this recipe has saved many dinners! It's quick, nutritious, delicious and easy. I always have everything in my pantry, including the broccoli which I keep in my freezer. You don't even need to defrost it, just pull out the amount you need and add it to the skillet. Just omit the chicken stock or add a tiny bit.

Back to Basics 24 - How to Cook Chickpeas

"Why would you cook chickpeas when you can buy canned?"-you ask
Well, #1 it's fresher. Who knows how long those chickpeas have been in that can? Plus the can might contain BPA which we don't like.
#2 it's cheaper! You can buy organic chickpeas, or any bean for that matter, and it will be cheaper than the organic canned beans or maybe even the conventional ones!
#3 you get to choose the consistency you want for your beans. You can cook them for longer, or add different spices and herbs to flavor them.

Plus it's really not that hard! You barely do any work. I'll show you.

Better Onion Bagels

Soooooo I've given you guys a recipe for onion bagels in the past (click here). This one is infinitely better. It's softer and chewier and it has the perfect amount of onions. It was taken from this awesome book called "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter", it teaches you how to make all this great stuff at home and answers the questions: is it worth it? Is it cheaper? So, give this a try! It's really not that hard to make!

Back to Basics 20 - Roasted Brussels Sprouts

If you're not sure about Brussels sprouts, this is the recipe you want to try out. Roasting makes almost anything taste better. And adding bacon and garlic will make rocks taste good! Not that I would know from experience. Ew. Anyway....recipe!

Lighter Hummus

I love hummus. SO MUCH. It's good with pretty much anything. It makes vegetables taste better and crackers seem healthier. You can add it to a sandwich or eat it straight up. It's pretty magical.
I have another hummus recipe on the blog that is a sort of basic recipe that you can go to when you want hummus. This is exactly the same but made a little lighter. We use a little bit more olive oil so we get the health benefits from that but less tahini and we skip the liquid from the can, which has a little bit of sodium in it.

Back to Basics 17 - Stuffed Peppers

There are a ton of stuffed pepper recipes out there, and that's the beauty of stuffing peppers, mushrooms or tomatoes. You can stuff them with anything you want. This is a pretty basic one using just a few ingredients and a very secret one. Keep reading and you'll see!

Health Benefits of Farro

So....what exactly IS farro? It originated in the Middle East and was used everywhere during the Roman Empire, and has since played a vital part in Italian cuisine. It has a nutty, earthy flavor, and a supple texture that's chewy on the outside, with a firm center. It's also awesome for your health:

Health Benefits of Quinoa

You've heard of it, but do you know what it really is? And how good it is for you? This is what quinoa looks like before you cook it:

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

This is a recipe adapted from Hungry Girl. She uses an extra cup of water to make the oatmeal grow. I like to add some flaxseed meal or chia seeds to make it even healthier. At one time I was so obsessed with this oatmeal that I had it for breakfast and dinner a week straight. That's love.

And today, I won't have any pictures because this is actually the first time I've made a video for you! It's kinda ridiculous and terrible quality, I was using my iPhone to film so please ignore all that and just focus on the deliciousness that is this oatmeal.

Also, let me know either on the blog or the video if you'd like to see more videos or any suggestions for me.

Here's the video:

Butternut Squash Risotto

This is a picture from the Eating Well website, where I got the recipe

I love cooking seasonally. Not only do you get food that's fresher and cheaper, but it also gets you in that holiday mood. It makes me feel more involved. Like I'm participating in a nationwide party. Or something....?

Anyway, the word "risotto" might make you feel like you want to skip this and go on to a different recipe because it's going to take you forever. You might think I'm culinarily gifted because I can make RISOTTO. That's what I thought whenever I heard the word risotto. But trust me, there's nothing to it. All you need is patience and a LITTLE time, and by the end of one hour you will have rich, creamy, delicious, hot risotto.

Back to Basics 3 - Classic Hummus

I used to HAATTEEE hummus when I was younger. My dad loves it, and I just did not see what all the fuss was about. But as I started eating healthy, getting older and developing a more complex palette, I started to become pretty obsessed with it. I'm also very into making my own..everything! Started with cookies, moving to almond butter, bread, pizza, etc. So I had to make my own hummus, but I thought it was the hardest thing on Earth to do. That is, until I googled it. SUPER easy, you only need a few ingredients and a food processor. Or a blender.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

I like to keep my cookie jar constantly full, so when my boyfriend and I ate all of the cookies in it yesterday, I started scrambling trying to think of what to make next. I saw this recipe for coconut cookies, but I had to leave my butter out to come to room temperature and that would just not work for tonight, I needed a cookie NOOWWW. Sooooo I went to the cookie I always go to when I just want soft, chewie, chocolate-packed, simple goodness. I love that this isn't just an excuse to eat sugar, it actually has healthy stuff in it like whole wheat flour, olive oil, almond milk. You can even put in dark chocolate chips for antioxidants. Bonus: it's also dairy and egg free! Which means it's vegan, wohooo!!! Although if you're being strict you should make sure your chocolate chips are also vegan.

Anyway, let's get started!