chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothie recipe
Most of the time we just call this the Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie.  Mr. Picky says it's his new favorite and he is usually the one to make it.  You should see how many bananas I have to buy to...

savory muffins with spinach, roasted peppers and feta recipe
If you read my last post, you know that we haven't gone out for Mother's Day in several years and this Sunday will be no different.  Truth be told, I couldn't be happier for several already mentioned reasons....

banana “ice cream” sundaes recipe
Although I recently became dairy-free, I haven't been able to eat ice cream for quite some time.  It's a pretty hard-to-digest food even if you make it from scratch, and not one that has agreed with me in many...

chocolate banana almond flour muffins with chia seeds recipe (gluten-free & passover friendly)
There's a new (but not really new) diet in town which everyone is talking about called the Paleolithic Diet or Paleo, for short.  Sometimes it's referred to as the Caveman or Hunter-Gatherer Diet and it focuses on the foods...

baked berry oatmeal recipe
My favorite thing about the weekends and vacations is lingering over breakfast.  Weekdays are (sadly) so rushed that we don't really have more than 10 minutes to sit down and enjoy our morning meal.  Not only are we lacking...

kiwi salsa recipe
Have you ever looked at recipe and thought there was an ingredient that could be omitted no big deal?  But then afterwards you realize that maybe it was there for a reason.  I swear I don't think I zested...

spinach pizza quesadilla recipe
When I am hungry, I am not picky.  I can find a lot of different options in my refrigerator or pantry that will do the trick.  Give me last night's roasted sweet potato or a couple dates stuffed with...

gingerbread cookies recipe
Mr. Picky asked me the other day if I would make cookies with him and I was this close to saying "Not today, sweetie.  I'm too busy."  That would have been absolutely true.  We're all so busy.  I don't know...

provençal goat cheese gratin recipe
If you don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you might have been wondering this week if I fell off the face of the internet.  Believe it or not, I went back to Europe!  Except this time,...

trail mix cookies recipe
Having teenagers is a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, it's kind of cool that my girls are old enough to have adult conversations and share clothes with me.  On the other hand, it bums me out that they...

vanilla and chocolate chia seed pudding recipes
Have you ever bought something that you heard people talking about, that you thought you should start eating and would figure out how to get it into your diet soon but never did, only to have that something sit...

kale, mushroom and brown rice bake recipe
Daughter #1 is my 15-year-old who used to turn her nose at her plate if food groups were touching.  So you can imagine how very satisfying it was for me when she sighed, "I could eat Kale, Mushroom and...

blueberry spelt muffins with flax recipe
I have to say, so far our family vacation is going really well!  I have to give much of the credit to my husband who enjoys planning and executing trips like this.  Unlike him, I don’t have the knack...

grilled banana s’mores recipe
I had my first s'more on a girl scout camping trip when I was 12 and I thought it was genius.  I loved that crispy graham cracker paired with a smooshy, slightly burnt marshmallow and the way the...

homemade graham crackers recipe
There are some things that I just don't think are worth making from scratch (like puff pastry) and then there are some things I can't believe can be made from scratch and taste good, like graham crackers.  Wait, not...

acai bowl recipe
  I am a little bit of a skeptic, I'll admit.  When a new food comes onto the scene claiming to save your life, I have to raise an eyebrow.  One food can't do it all.  If you've noticed, I...

how to make pita chips
One of our favorite snacks is chips, whether it be tortilla or pita.  We enjoy them alone or more often as a dipper for spreads like hummus, white bean dip, tapenade, or my favorite -- "Greek...

whole wheat carrot cake with dairy-free frosting recipe
I was married almost 17 years ago, so I guess it's not crazy that my husband would have forgotten what flavor our wedding cake was.  I'm just surprised, because he was very involved in all decisions.  I know you're...

no-sugar, no-egg, no-flour breakfast cookie recipe
Most people are not mind readers, so if you have a wish for the perfect Mother's Day, you may need to drop a few hints.  I used to dream of a day where I could relax in my bed...

spinach and avocado smoothie (aka “leprechaun juice”)
Are you having trouble getting your kids or significant other to eat green food?  If so, your big chance is coming up and I don't want you to miss out. Instead of looking at St. Patrick's Day as a...

cornbread (with quinoa!)
Let me just start out with a disclaimer -- I am not from the South.  I am a Yankee, which means I like my cornbread with half cornmeal and half flour and a drop of sweet and that's that....

overnight steel cut oatmeal recipe
We eat a lot of oatmeal in this house for so many reasons. It is nutritious, filling, inexpensive and incredibly easy to make.  Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber (the kind that helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol by...

creamy white bean dip with roasted garlic
Do your kids ask you for things at the last possible second even though they have known about whatever it is they need for weeks?  My husband does this, too.  "If you knew last Friday that you would need...

mini-empanadas with mixed greens
Well, like it or not, it's officially holiday season!  Even though there's so much to love about the holidays, I just wish it didn't all happen at once.  Do you ever have that feeling?  But one thing I truly...

snack on this
Snacks can definitely be a part of a good diet and can even help you lose weight, but only if you snack on healthful food.  A snack is really just a mini-meal, something to stave off hunger until your...

healthy granola bars recipe
Has school started in your neck of the woods?  We're back at it this week.  I get a little bummed when the kids go back to school.  I've really enjoyed spending more time with them and summer is so...

zucchini-blueberry bread
Have I warned you about planting mint in your garden?  No?  Ooops, sorry 'bout that.  I know I have told several people to only plant mint in containers since its root system will go crazy and you'll never be...

do-it-yourself almond milk — 3 versions
You saw from my Alternative Milk Guide that these non-dairy beverages are basically nuts/seeds/grains pureed with water and strained.  Although Mr. Picky drinks raw milk regularly, the rest of us don't and the non-dairy milk that is used...

red, not white and blueberry oat bars
Mr. Picky and I are chillin' on Long Island this week with my family and enjoying the sound of seagulls during the day and crickets at night (if only Daughter #2 would stop texting me to pick her up...

kale chips
My favorite line from "Modern Family" this season was when Mitchell returns from the farmer's market and declares, "Did you hear?  Kale is the new spinach?!"  Damn right, it is.  Even though kale seems to be the new "it"...

grilled corn and black bean salsa
I live in Southern California, where the seasons are like salsas, mild or hot.  No one is complaining here.  I love living in a place where the weather doesn't pose a challenge -- isn't life challenging enough?  But I...

cinnamon “nachos” with fresh fruit salsa
It was tense around here on Super Bowl Sunday as my husband's Steelers were getting walloped by the Packers.  Nevermind that I had just laid out a fresh batch of baked chips and guacamole, no one was really...

not microwave popcorn
I use my microwave oven for two things, as a back-up timer and to disinfect my sponges.  Killing anything alive is what a microwave does best, no?  When people find out I don't put food in the microwave, they...

almond butter and chia seed cookie recipe
Remember the commercials for Chia Pets, the clay animals with a green furry layer of sprouted chia seeds covering their bodies?  Did your parents let you have one?  I SO wanted a chia puppy!   I can't help but chuckle...

healthy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies recipe
A funny thing happens when people start cooking healthful food for family and friends.  They feel the need to announce that fact to everyone before serving it.  "Ok, guys.  Wait until you try this muffin!  It's made with flaxseeds and...

guacamole and baked tortilla chips
Do not be under the misconception that because I teach people how to cook healthful food that I myself eat only whole foods all day every day.  Didn't you read about my 90/10 plan?  90% of the time I...

date-sweetened banana bread
One of my pet peeves is when people label a dessert as "healthy," and not because that is grammatically incorrect, but rather because desserts have sugar of some form and that will never be "good" for you no matter how...

whole wheat pumpkin muffins
I prefer not to encourage too many desserts and sweets on this site.  There are so many reasons that sugar and refined sweeteners are bad for your health that I will devote an entire post to the subject in the...