I want to just come right out and thank my family for knowing these times require patience, teamwork, and a shift in expectations.  I want to thank my readers, students, social media followers, and community members for showing up here, on my social accounts, to my Instagram lives, and via email with a positive attitude, a generous heart, and the encouraging words that have been keeping me hopeful and my spirits lifted.  Of course, we still pray for all those who work in essential industries like healthcare, grocery stores, and more.  Thank you!

This Monday will complete 3 weeks of daily Instagram lives at 12 pm PST.  I post the videos on IGTV and I am trying to post them all to Facebook as well, but I am behind because uploading videos takes a long time.  I am committed to continuing for as long as I am providing value.  Tuesday I am doing a FREE live webinar at 9:00 am PST.  If you subscribe to my website, you received information about it.  You can register here if you’re interested.

Tuesday for my IG live, I am cooking with my friend and supermodel, Molly Sims.  Should be fun!  Thursday at 10 am PST I am doing an AMA on Reddit. And next Friday I will film the April online cooking class!!  This would never happen if I had toddlers at home.  Props to all you parents who are working from home AND taking care of your children.  I bow down to you.  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

Hello, dear friends.  In these confusing and uncertain times, there are bright spots.  For me, I am enjoying the quality time with my family, especially meal time where we are connecting in such a special way.  I am also blown away by the community that I have between my social media channels, online and in-person cooking classes.  I am inspired by how resilient you are; how supportive you have been with each other; how much you are willing to share ideas, suggestions, resources.  I am proud of all the healthy cooking you are doing for your families and loved ones, and how you are showing your communities that cooking healthy food is not as hard as it seems; and that it’s worth it.  You are leaders in this space whether you know it or not and I am so encouraged by your words and actions.  Thank you for being a positive force in my life right now.

This week I posted more of a round up of recipes categorized by food group.  You can check that out here.  I am still going LIVE every day at 12 pm PST on Instagram.  All the live videos since March 16th are posted on my Facebook page if you want to watch them there.  Stay healthy and strong.  Sending you all my love.  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

If we don’t have our health and safety, we have nothing.  We will get through this, I am sure. I am looking for the positive in all this and not looking too far forward.  I am trying not to overthink the “what ifs” because that will cause me to lose sleep and that’s going to do the opposite of help me.  I am avoiding anyone on my social media feed whose posts cause me stress.  I am not reading op-ed pieces forwarded by family or friends that detail hypothetical worst-case scenarios.

I am following the rules and I am in lockdown mode with my husband and children.  I am enjoying teaching my younger daughter how to cook.  I look forward to my Instagram LIVES everyday at 12 pm and to connecting with my community.  I am not trying to get in the best shape of my life, but I am finding time for exercise at home or outside most days because it boosts my mood and gives me more energy.  I am not starting a new business, but I am trying to help my community virtually the way I know best – through teaching.  See the bottom of the post for a special offer on my online cooking classes.

Here’s your dinner planner for the week which includes flexible recipes that can make use of your pantry staples.  Please don’t hesitate to ask me about swaps and substitutions if you don’t have an ingredient!  If you need to vent or share anything outside of your family, use this space.  I love and care about all of you.Continue reading

Oh, friends.  This too shall pass.  BUT, we all have to do our part so this passes quickly.  Doing our part means social distancing, trying to stay healthy, not hoarding resources at the stores and generally taking this seriously.  I am taking the position that if I don’t need to go out, I’m not going out.  All my professional bookings have been canceled for the rest of the month, social functions, too.  We have enough food, but I’ll have to get creative as many of you will need to do, too.  I did a combination of shopping in stores and online.  I focused on as much fresh produce as I could fit in the crisper drawers, and then bought frozen veggies like broccoli, cauliflower rice, mushrooms, mixed vegetables, peas, and spinach plus frozen fish.  I upped the quantities of the staples I always keep on hand: onions, garlic, olive oil, beans of all kinds (canned and dried), lentils, rices, pasta, barley and quinoa.  Plus jarred tomatoes, marinara sauce, canned fish, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes.  I always have nut butters, nuts and seeds, dried fruit.  If you have a recipe that calls for an ingredient you do not have, leave me a comment here!  I am happy to help you!  We are truly all in this together.

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

I figure you might need a dinner planner more than ever right now!  Many people I have talked to are limiting travel, going out to restaurants and events with large numbers of people.  Let’s cook at home!

For my online cooking class students, I am going live on our private FB page tomorrow (Saturday) at 9:45 am PST and I promise to discuss boosting your immune system, among other hot topics!

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

March already!!  My mother has been visiting me this week and I told her, “you’re almost out of the woods!”  Which means, winter is almost over for those who have a winter.  It’s an East Coast thing, I guess.  She said, “don’t jinx it!”  She’s quite right since there have been plenty of snowstorms in March and April.  But I don’t believe I will jinx anything by starting to incorporate some lovely spring foods like leeks, peas, strawberries and asparagus.  They come into season at this time of year no matter what.

Later this week I will attend the largest natural foods show in the country called Expo West.  I’ve skipped it the last couple years, but I’ll be there on Thursday and possibly Friday.  Watch my Instagram stories to see what’s new and exciting in the world of packaged health food! 😉

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

This week is the beginning of Lent.  My mother used to make us give up something for the 40 days of Lent.  We thought we were funny by saying we’d give up liver (ugh, she actually made it!) or boiled Brussels sprouts. After a lot of back and forth, my mother would ask us to give up bickering with each other.  Ha!  Fridays during Lent, I will post a fish or vegetarian/dish.

On another note, I have done an Instagram Live the past few Mondays at 5:00 pm PST.  I think that is a good time, so join me if you’re free.  We have a lot of fun!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

It’s Modernism Week in Palm Springs – my husband’s favorite week of the year.  So Mr. Picky and I are accompanying him for the long weekend.  My son has been going to house tours, lectures, and vintage shopping with us in the desert for the past 6 years.  He’s such a trooper.  The weather seems to be good this weekend, so we’ll have a great time, I’m sure.

Online cooking class students, your class has been uploaded if you didn’t see the email or Facebook post.  I’ve been getting photos already of chocolate-hazelnut cookies and cod “acqua pazza.”  Love, love, love it all!

Valentine’s Day just happened and although I usually (when we’re in town) make a nice meal for my family, it’s just a silly day, in my opinion.  Every day should be about love – love for each other and ourselves.  Decisions made from a place of love result in better actions.  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading