Who wouldn't want to wake up to these warm, delicious and healthy muffins on Sunday morning? These muffins are very simple and quick to make and best of all they have healthy rolled oats, greek yogurt, honey, fruit and nuts and very little sugar or flour!
Read MoreThe list of transitional foods I’ve shared with you today were not at all difficult or time consuming to prepare. I often prepare foods like the yogurt drops or teething biscuits in the spare time I have during the day (which is extremely limited). The yogurt drops can be prepared in about 5 minutes and I usually make a batch on the weekends that will last all week. I usually double or triple the biscuit recipe and freeze most of them so I only make them about once every couple of months, which comes out to maybe 2 or 3 times during the time that your baby would be eating teething biscuits anyway. And the smoothie pops, steamed veggies, steamed fruits, cashew cream, waffles and eggs can be made as part of a meal for your entire family so you aren't cooking extra foods for one person.
Read MoreThis recipe for Coconut Cream Chocolate Mousse with Cashew Cream and Cacao Nibs is a delicious dessert and can be whipped up in just a few minutes, provided you have presoaked the cashews and refrigerated the cream. Nowadays, I almost always have a can or two of coconut cream in the refrigerator and cashews soaking in a ball jar. The coconut cream is high in good fats, protein and iron. The cashew cream is high in good fats and protein. The cacao nibs are high in fiber, magnesium, iron and antioxidants. Combine all these super foods together with a touch of sweetener and you have a nutritious, low sugar, high protein dessert!
Read MoreHow to Make a Tasty Christmas Themed Platter with Healthy Broccoli Bites and Carrot Crackers:
How to Make Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Puff Pastry Crust in Less than 1 Hour and 15 Minutes
Read MoreI don't know about you, but now, only a month into the school year, I've completely lost all the steam I had the first couple weeks of school trying to make healthy, unique lunches everyday. I started out the school year like super mom baking cookies and crackers and creating school lunch bento box works of art and now I'm like; here's some cheddar bunnies, a box of raisins and some apple slices, lunch is served...
Read MoreWeekends around our house have been so good lately. There is seriously nothing like lazily preparing dinner on the grill while our daughter plays in the backyard and mom and dad sip on a little bit of the summertime sauce. And the peaches. Dear lord. The peaches. It's like biting into a ray of sunshine (sorry to be so trite, but is there any other way to describe it?). So of course peach fizz cocktails were our relaxation liquid of choice this weekend. And, our salad of choice: Grilled Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Goat Cheese. Delicious.
Read MoreThe way the smoked trout mingle with the beets in this salad turning the edges of the trout a beautiful magenta color and then mix with creme fraiche and red onions turning all of the salad bright pink like a summer sunset is just plain magical. It's also magical how the pairing of the sweet beets with the smoky, salty trout and creamy tangy creme fraiche creates a medley of flavors that will turn your dinner table into a fine dining experience. I picked up my smoked trout from the local farm stand in upstate New York where trout is abundant. But, if you don't have access to local trout, most supermarkets have package smoked trout in the same section that you can find smoked salmon. Promise me you will try this salad. It is seriously one of my finest culinary accomplishments.
Read MoreI'm going to have to blame the accidental making of these decadent chive and herb biscuits and the 3-4 pounds I gained after inhaling the entire batch on my southern husband. One morning he was like- hey, I bought all this breakfast sausage and I don't know what we should make with it. And I was like- oh, I know. Let's completely ruin the last couple trips I made to the gym by making buttermilk biscuits and then putting pork sausage and fried eggs between them. Real smart. Also, real, real effin good. So, maybe it wasn't exactly worth it in the health department, but totally worth it in the delicious southern cooking, butter laden, flavorful herb biscuit department. I plucked the chives and herbs straight from my back deck, used some buttermilk and butter I got from the farm stand down the road and spent the morning crafting the most delicious biscuits I've ever made. These are perfect to take to a summer BBQ or just to eat on the back deck on a warm summer morning with your family.
Read MoreI would basically describe these potatoes as a mashed potato encased in a crispy, ranch flavored outer shell that will explode in your mouth with the force not unlike a cool ranch Dorito chip. Now we don't eat Dorito's in our house, (not at all saying I'm immune to the deliciousness of a Dorito, just merely trying to keep our house free of processed foods) but we definitely like to eat a crispy, ranch-y potato now and then. I've been making this roasted potato recipe for a while now, which is NOT AT ALL like a regular old roasted potato. Boiling the potato first so it gets all soft and then baking it in vegetable oil and corn starch creates a magical effect that is probably a little unhealthy, but unhealthy in a way that is crispy and divine thereby making it totally worth it. Adding in the ranch seasoning has taken the recipe to a whole new level. A level that is definitely going to make everyone freak out the next time I make them for a dinner party, which is the goal of my entire life.
Read MoreGrilling watermelon is not a new thing for me. It was something I discovered last summer when my husband mentioned it to me and about lost my brain thinking about the amazing possibilities that grilling watermelon could bring to my dinner table. My first attempt at using grilled watermelon was the thai inspired Grilled Watermelon and Shrimp Salad which came out AMAZING and seriously wowed my dinner guests. This time around I wanted to make something that featured the watermelon so I created this salad. The warmth and sweetness of the cubed grilled watermelon is the star of the show in this arugula, feta and mint salad and the balsamic vinaigrette plays nicely off the sweetness of the melon, rounding out the flavor of the dish.
Read MoreMy family and I just settled into a two week vacation at our country house in Woodstock, NY and I am loving the summer weather complete with fresh summer fruits and vegetables. I was just starting to feel nice and relaxed when I realized that I had promised myself I would do the three day potty training bootcamp with our 2 year old this week. Ugh. What a pain in the diapered butt. So now I'm one and half days into being stuck in my living room doing a touch down dance every time a drop of pee makes it inside the potty. Lord knows, Mama needs a tall glass of medicine right about now. Cue the fresh blueberries I just picked up at the farmer's market, the basil growing on the back deck and a bottle of vodka. Ahhhh... that's nice. So now I'm happily sipping on a delicious Blueberry Basil Smash and perfecting my celebratory potty dance and song. One and half more days to go. I'd better send the hubby out for more vodka
Read MoreA Brandy Alexander is a terrific early 20th century cocktail. It is a take on the Alexander, which was made with Gin instead of Brandy. This sweet and creamy cocktail is an after dinner drink and a dessert all in one. Watch this video to see how to make the perfect Brandy Alexander and impress all of your friends.
Read MoreIt really doesn't get any better than a cast iron roasted chicken with a side of roasted vegetables on a cold wintery day. I think it's my favorite dinner to make not just because it tastes like warmth and love and cozy cabins, but also because it takes so little effort to prepare. We have a cabin in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York where we spend our weekends recuperating from the hectic city life and in our freezer we almost always have 2-3 organic whole chickens on hand. We can pick up the chickens from our local butcher, Fleisher's, who sources organic local chickens year round. The farm stand down the road keeps all the root vegetables that you can still get in the winter like squash, potatoes and onions. So on any given winter weekend, you can pretty much count on the Miles family eating this dinner in some variation or another.
Read MoreThis honey cake with banana cream and dark chocolate drizzled all over it has been dancing around in my head for months. I've been measuring cups of honey and pureeing bananas in my sleep trying to come up with just the right ratio of sweetness. I finally decided to give it a try this past weekend because I wanted to take my best friend, Emily, a cake to celebrate the birth of her new baby girl. It also happened to be my birthday weekend, so I made some extra cakes and cream and my husband and daughter built a beautifully wonky tribute of cake for my birthday celebration. All the cakes, perfectly sculpted and otherwise, tasted amazing.
Read MoreHoney powder! WHO KNEW?! I saw this cool stuff called honey powder last time I was at Whole Foods, and though it was stupid expensive (Whole Foods ain't cheap!), I had to buy it because I just knew I could do something really cool with it. I pondered the honey powder until I came up with the perfect use: Honey vanilla buttercream frosting! The cupcake batter for these scrumptious vanilla honey cupcakes is super easy to make and comes out really soft and buttery despite the lack of refined sugar. So that problem was solved pretty easily. But how do you make honey buttercream frosting without sugar and not end up with a sticky, gooey mess? I'll tell you! Just use honey powder which you can buy for a whole lot cheaper than Whole Foods online here. Substitute the honey powder for the powdered sugar, add a little raw honey and, viola, delicious honey vanilla buttercream frosting! I'm taking these cupcakes to a toddler Valentine's Day party this afternoon. Now the toddlers can have their sugar induced tantrum free cupcakes and eat them too!
Read MoreWhen I started down the gluten free trial path, the first thought that went through my head was "what am I going to do without a baguette for two months! I'd rather die!" Somehow life just doesn't seem worth living when faced with the reality of not eating another chewy, moist, crusty baguette again. So I immediately began combing the internet for gluten free baguette recipes. I tried several of the recipes I found, tried my hand at coming up with my own recipe and even tried a couple of gluten free bread mixes. Out of all the baguettes I made, I found that the absolute best baguette can be made from Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix. It is really simple to make, and although it doesn't taste exactly like it's wheat counter part, it has it's own unique flavor that I found just as appealing. The best part about using the mix, is you don't have to trouble yourself with buying a whole bunch of different flours and gums to whip up a couple of hot and delicious baguettes. Just use the mix and and in less than two hours, you have delicious, warm homemade baguettes just waiting to have butter or olive oil smeared all over them and be devoured.
Read MoreI'm a snacker. Around 2pm I start raiding the pantry for a tasty treat to nibble on. Yes, I know I should grab a banana or an apple or some carrot sticks. But, I still have the mentality of a 7 year old most of the time and "I don't wanna! Nah nah nah!" I want something sweet and savory, crunchy and filling to eat. So I feel like I'm making a healthy compromise between nature's whole foods and a Snickers bar with these chocolate peanut butter bars. Plus they are so handy dandy to throw in your purse or diaper bag for an energy boosting fix. With ground flax seed, chopped nuts, puffed rice and no refined sugar, they are healthy enough to pass as an energy bar. But, the raw honey and peanut butter and carob chips will satisfy those inevitable sweet cravings. Make some up today and put them in your children's lunches or stash a few in your desk and keep the evil candy bars at bay.
Read MoreThese cookies may look healthy, but they taste oh so sinful. They are plenty sweet with the coconut sugar and maple sugar and the chocolate taste is perfection. My husband is a major carob cynic and he could not believe how good they tasted. When cooking gluten free, it is really important to add something to the flours to help with the binding process. Gluten does all of the binding in wheat flour baking. I added xanthan gum to help bind these cookies, but if you can't find it or don't want to make an extra trip to the store, you can use corn starch instead. You should be able to find all of the ingredients I've listed at health food store or Whole Foods. If you don't live near a good health food store you can also order all of the harder to find ingredients online.
Read More
