Maple + Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

I’ve caught the meal prepping bug.

My work from home lifestyle is great on so many levels, but I find that it’s SO easy to forget to eat lunch. This isn’t good. Hanger isn’t cute, especially my hanger. It’s usually outfitted with a scowl and tears. This is not the face that my husband likes to come home to. Ol’ Scowly Tears. No. I do not like that nickname. Let’s prevent that from becoming a thing. […]

Grain-Free Chocolate & Orange Scones

It’s been unseasonably warm here in California.

I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes and about to bite my head off about snow and ice and wool socks and one very real Polar Vortex. I get it. It’s obnoxious that it’s warm-ish here. I know I’m supposed to be all brag-a-saurus about how I’ve been getting away with the occasional tank-top or how there isn’t a cloud in the sky today. It’s sunny. Like really sunny. Like “the sun is streaming in through my window as I type this and assaulting my computer screen and giving off a terrible glare” kind of sunny. But, I’m just not that jazzed about it. The usually lush hills surrounding my home look thirsty and haggard. It’s surpassed the awesomely golden shade they turn in summer. It’s just dead. Everything is an even shade of brown. What’s the opposite of a Polar Vortex? Because this feels like that. Dry. Drought-y. Calm. Thirsty. […]

Delicata, Pomegranate & Avocado Kale Salad {Gluten-Free, Paleo & Vegan}

Recently I completed a ten day cleanse. I needed a reset. My body was feeling sluggish, tired and heavy. I consulted a holistic nutritionist and off I went. Shakes. Veggies. Supplements. Repeat.

I didn’t talk about the cleansing process on here. I didn’t really want to trouble you all with my inevitable “EHRMAGHERD, ALL I WANT TO DO IS EAT MY ARM OFF AND YELL LOUDLY” attitude. That happened around day seven. Detox is a funny thing. It can make a usually jovial human being into a crazy, wonky-eyed monster, willing to sell their first born child on the black market for half a steak and a glass of bourbon. Perhaps this is dramatic, but still… it’s a thing. One night I cried into a bowl of Brussels sprouts. Just sobbing and eating. No big deal. I asked my husband to ignore me, as this was all just “part of my process”. He kept his eyes to himself like a gentleman as I tried to choke down sprouts through light sobs. This is no easy feat. Did you know you use a lot of your cry muscles to swallow? No? You don’t cry when you eat? Oh, ok… […]

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Pasta With Chard & Sun Dried Tomatoes {Gluten-Free, Paleo & Vegan Option}

Have you ever tried to recreate a food memory? We all have them, right? Things that were simmering or baking during significant moments in our lives. Certain dishes that remind us of someone or something special. They can also go the other way on you… for example, I will most likely never again put a Sun Chip in my mouth — Thank you windy road to the beach for all the memories #nope.
When I was making this dish, I wanted to recreate what I ordered on my first date with my husband. The smell of pesto always brings me back to that evening. I wore a denim skirt that in hindsight was gloriously too short. He wore a button down that looked just like the checkered table cloths at the Italian restaurant. He was nervous. He wiped his mouth incessantly with his napkin. We joked. We laughed. Our waitress was totally drunk and boisterously exclaimed “You’re such a beautiful couple! When’s the wedding?!” Perfect for a first date. After the date, I asked him if he wanted to come over and meet my cat, Gunther. Smooth, right?  I made out with his face. The rest is history. Some might consider Gunther our Yenta (Fiddler On The Roof reference, anyone? )  Classic love story, right? Totally.  […]