Power Breakfast: Green Egg Burrito

October 15, 2017 in Nourished Recipes

Move over green eggs and ham, there's a new dish on the breakfast menu: Green Egg Burrito! Today we're excited to share with you quick and nutritious breakfast recipe that is super easy to customize and is sure to fill you up!

We've likely all heard someone say that breakfast is most important meal of day, but is it really? Does it really make a difference if we take a moment to pause and "break the fast" to eat breakfast?

The truth is yes, breakfast really is important, especially for those who want to maintain or lose weight: "The decision about if and what to eat and drink at the start of the day has been shown to have some profound effects on our health, well-being, and cognitive performance" (Spence, 2017). I vy (2017) also provides an excellent summary of the current research on why breakfast is important. He reports that "breakfast is the most satiating [hunger satisfying] meal of the day. This satiating-effect can impact food consumption for the entire day...Therefore, eating a larger breakfast and reducing the blood cortisol level lowers appetite and reduces daily caloric intake."

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Potage Parmentier (Potato Leek Soup) Recipe

September 17, 2017 in Nourished Recipes

Everywhere I look the leaves are turning colors and there is a refreshing crispness in the air. Oh how I love autumn! Playing in the leaves, drinking hot apple cider, and trips to the apple orchard, all favorites of this time of the year. With the chill in the air, I love to wrap up in a cozy sweater or blanket with a warm mug of soup in my hands.

Here is one of my favorite soups to make in the fall. This soup is modified from one of Julia Child's classics: Potage Parmentier soup. There are so many ways to vary this soul-warming soup! Here's my favorite combination. I would love to hear how you like to adapt this recipe--comment below or on our social media sites!

The Days of Boring Lunches are Gone!

August 20, 2017 in Nourished Home, Nourished Recipes

It is full-on back to school season for many of you: buying supplies, checking out class schedules, planning curriculum... it's a busy season! We know full well how peace and rest can seem nonexistent during these times. Living Wellness is committed to giving you encouragement and strategies for maintaining balance during busy, and may we say stressful times, such as this season. Check out this post on rest and stayed tune for an upcoming post on peace during these seasonal transitions.

Does your back-to-school prep include planning lunches? For those of you who are not in the back-to-school whirlwind, keep reading! Lunch prep tips are valuable to anyone who, well, eats lunch!! In today's post we're giving you tips for lunch time content and what contains that tasty lunch. Happy lunch-ing!!

Need A Little More Spice in Your Life?

August 14, 2017 in Nourished Home, Nourished Recipes

If you were to walk into my kitchen and ask me what my favorite thing was in it, can you guess what it is? Drum roll please.....my spice rack. In the midst of Marc and I wielding our scanner guns around Macy's, I paused and saw this beautiful stainless steel swivel spice rack. I lined up my scanner gun, hit the button, and added that beauty to the list! Five years later, our spice rack is still holding up well; however, the contents of that spice rack have changed dramatically.

A few years ago it donned on me that I had no idea what quality of spices lie in my spice rack. How long have those herbs been sitting on the Macy's shelf before I bought them? Are they organic? Where are those herbs from?

My first impulse was the dump out off the herbs, but thankfully my husband reminded me replacing all of those herbs would be pricey, So one by one over the next year or so, we replaced the herbs with freshly dried, organic herbs. As we did so, we also realized there were herbs in there we never used and ones that were not in there that we used frequently. Here enters the wonder of a label maker to change that spice jar from nutmeg to chives :)

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Sunday Morning Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

August 05, 2017 in Nourished Body, Nourished Recipes

One of my favorite memories of Sunday mornings as a kid was waking up and seeing my dad walk into the kitchen with a box of delicious pastries from the bakery for us to eat before church. He'd slowly open the lid to reveal the delectable, flaky goodness. He always remembered to get my favorite...a chocolate croissant. Mmmmmmm.

Now that I have a family of my own, I want to carry on some of the traditions I cherished in childhood. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a bakery that serves delicious treats that are safe with my new food allergies, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to recreate some my childhood memories.

My toddler son loves bread-y products (apple didn't fall far from the tree!) and I was determined to find/create a recipe we could all enjoy that would remind me of those Sunday morning treats. Prior to changing my diet to gluten free for medical reasons, I was quite the banana bread connoisseur, so when I found a gluten-free banana chocolate chip recipe I was thrilled!

Pizza for a Lifetime

June 24, 2017 in Nourished Recipes

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

I was recently asked this question and had to laugh at my response. Pizza. Pizza is truly my favorite food. The doughy crust, melted cheese, endless toppings...what's not to love! Well, as I've shared before, that doughy crust does not love me. It's been two years now since I needed to remove gluten from my diet for medical reasons (please see disclaimer at end of post regarding diet changes). As I shared in this post, these past two years have been really challenging but also very rewarding. I've had to re-learn how to cook, grieve the loss of favorite foods and often eating at many restaurants due to my inability to eat foods that have been cross-contaminated with gluten, but I've also had the amazing opportunity to share my story and recipes with others. This has been such as blessing.

Over the past two years, I have been searching far and wide for an amazing gluten-free and nutritious gluten-free pizza. Time and time again, I've tried new recipes thinking that this is going to be "the one." Let me save you a little heart-ache...I have not found a pizza crust to match the amazing doughy texture of gluten, but I have found some pretty great alternatives.

Momma's Roasted Chicken

May 14, 2017 in Nourished Recipes, Nourished Home

Today I want to celebrate mothers everywhere. As my son would say, "it's momma's day!"

I want to celebrate the mommas that have many children and those who have few. Those who have alive children and those with angel children. And I want to celebrate those women with a strong momma heart but for one reason or another do not have children, your momma heart deserves celebration.

You are all beautiful and beloved.

You are all captivating.

"Cheesy" Lentil Macaroni

April 08, 2017 in Nourished Recipes, Nourished Body

Have you ever needed to remove a food from your diet for a season or forever? If you have, I'm guessing you went through a process similar to me: initially you felt overwhelmed & the diet change felt all-consuming, then you started to get your groove with some days that were easy/some were hard. At some point, this change started to become your new norm, but every now and then (or sometimes every day) you miss the food(s) that you no longer could eat. Sound familiar?

Yesterday marks two years since I needed to remove gluten from my diet as a result of a diagnosis of an auto-immune disease. I remember that meal planning felt all-consuming to me those first few days/weeks/months that I started the gluten-free diet. It was hard to imagine at that time that I would ever figure out this diet change. Fast-forward two years and eating gluten-free is no longer stressful or consuming; instead, I'm celebrating that it feels normal. I'm celebrating that eating gluten-free no longer feels like something has been ripped away from me and left stress in its place.

Nature's Secret Weapon: Roasted Garlic Recipe

March 05, 2017 in Nourished Home, Nourished Recipes

I don't know about you but lately every time I hear a sneeze or cough, I'm tempted to run and hide until cold and flu season is over! It seems like everyone is getting sick this time of year.

(Cue Mission Impossible theme song)

Today I want to share with you what I believe to be Nature's Secret Weapon...My tried and true Roasted Garlic Recipe (initially created by my dear mother). Anyone that has been to my kitchen knows you will likely smell garlic when you walk in. I love garlic, but I especially love garlic to keep me from getting sick and to shorten the duration of an illness.

Don't Put that Slow Cooker Away!!

February 05, 2017 in Nourished Recipes

Waaaaittt!! After you wash out your slow cooker from your Super Bowl potluck, don’t put it away! I want to share with you a super easy and healing bone broth recipe from my new book Living Wellness for Growth Groups (p. 227).

What’s bone broth? Bone broth is broth make from slow cooking chicken, beef, pork, venison, or turkey bones with a few other ingredients you likely have in your kitchen. Slow cooking extracts the amazing vitamins, minerals, and gelatin from the animal bones and releases them into the broth leaving you with an immune boosting broth. This broth is delicious by the mug or in place of traditional broth or stock in a variety of recipes.

Share in the comments below your favorite ways to use bone broth and any other ingredients you like to add!

Ashley's Easy Soul-Warming Chili

January 08, 2017 in Nourished Recipes

If you haven’t looked at the weather for this week, let me quickly summarize it for you: it’s going to be cold and snowy. Have no fear! Our hearty and soul-warming chili will chase away those winter chills.

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Need A Little Spice In Your Life?

December 12, 2016 in Nourished Body, Nourished Home, Nourished Recipes

As promised in our Mouthwatering Buttermilk Ranch Recipe post, I'm finally releasing my world-famous Harissa & Cilantro Chicken recipe for you to enjoy. In the words of my toddler "Okay, okay, slooow down". This recipe is world-famous in the very small world of my home and a handful of others that have dined in my kitchen :)

We like to make this chicken to pair with a freshly tossed salad and topped with my Mouthwatering Buttermilk Ranch Recipe of course; paired with Danielle Walker's amazing Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes; or for a protein packed breakfast--paired with buckwheat, fresh mozzarella, cubed sweet potato, and avocado.

Did you catch that??? I actually eat this every day for breakfast! I know, super weird and definitely not the typical American breakfast, BUT this breakfast has done wonders for keeping my blood sugar stable throughout the day. Plus it's AMAZING!!

Mouthwatering Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe

October 03, 2016 in Nourished Recipes, Nourished Body, Nourished Home

Looking for a healthy dip or dressing to top your veggies from your CSA or farmer’s market trip? Here’s a creamy and delicious buttermilk ranch recipe that will have you reaching for more veggies.