Favorite Healthy Cookbooks

Salad Happy

On Sunday I decided to turn over a new leaf after an unbelievably indulgent holiday (think cocktails and champagne and appetizers every night mixed in with a few nights of pizza and caviar). Oh yeah, we did it up at the Berner household. My favorite diet to date to feel tighter and lighter in just a few days is paleo. It's a lot of eggs and protein and veggies. I  like to focus on the things I can eat rather than the things I can't (dairy, gluten, grains, beans, soy, added sugar, corn, alcohol...). Yeah, it's a lot but I swear it works and my skin is better, my bloat goes away and I sleep like a baby. Well, I always sleep like a baby but the other stuff is good! I'm going to the Turks and Caicos in 2 weeks with Riley (I know, tough life) so I want to look extra trim. To jump start my health kick, I went with a meal delivery program called paleo delivers. It's expensive but I'm on the second day and so far so good. Next week I'll continue my diet but I needed to ease into the cooking after a long vacay with my mom prepping every meal (thanks mom!).

 

For those of you wanting a complete lifestyle change, check out the Whole 30 program. It's a little stricter than paleo as it doesn't allow you to make things that are "subs" for things like paleo pancakes and treats. There are some absolutely amazing transformation stories on their site.

 

Anyways, no matter what diet you're on, I bet you salad is allowed (unless you're doing phase 1 of dukan or atkins). I am extremely uncreative when it comes to prepping my greens so I turn to pinterest for help. Below are a few that look amazinggg that I am definitely going to try. I also found a line of salad dressings, sauces and marinades called Tessamae that is approved for Whole 30, which basically means it's good stuff and very natural and healthy. And they taste delicious! (link) I got the southwest ranch to make a take on chicken salad. I'd love to hear about your new year's resolutions, diet tips and favorite salads!
 

 Kale, Avocado, Tangerine and Sesame Salad



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Kale Rainbow Detox Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries & Toasted Almonds

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Bistro Salad with Roasted Vegetables

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Triple Berry Kale Salad with Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette

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Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls with Lime Quinoa

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Kale and Fig Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing and Hemp Seeds

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Honey Crisp Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Cider Vinaigrette 

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Raw Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing

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Tasty Tuesday: Chia Pudding

I have been loving chia pudding recently. I love yogurt so when I am on my paleo kicks, I have been turning to this wonderful recipe to satisfy my creamy, sweet breakfast pang. This recipe does require the ingredients to sit overnight but it is super easy. For those who are not inclined to wait that long, check out chia pods in whole foods. Vanilla bean, coffee and banana are my favorite and they have built-in mini spoons for girls (and guys!) on the go. They are also under 200 calories and keep you super full.

 

 

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

(makes 3 servings)

2 cups of almond milk

1/2 cup of chia seeds

2 tsps of pure organic vanilla extract

1 tsp of cinnamon

2 tsp of pure organic maple syrup

 

Let the concoction sit in the fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning with fresh fruit or shaved coconut!

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Treats: Paleo Pancakes

As many of you know, I go through paleo phases where I'll go a week here or there or a day here or there following the paleo diet guidelines. I am a huge foodie so paleo for life just doesn't work for me. Burrata and fresh baguette is just too delicious to give up forever! I came across this recipe for paleo pancakes the other day and am hooked! They are so easy to make and require few ingredients. They are the perfect, balanced breakfast or snack. I like to put almond butter on mine for a meal complete with protein (eggs, almond butter), good fat, omegas and carbs (banana). I'd love to hear from you guys about your favorite healthy recipes too!

 

 

 

Makes 4 (I usually cut this recipe in half and make one big pancake)

- 1 banana

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- 1 pinch of sea salt

 

1. In a medium bowl, mash the banana to a smooth texture. Add the eggs and whisk thoroughly until the "batter" is fully combined. Add chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt

 

2. Heat a pan over medium flame and grease with coconut oil or other paleo approved method. Ladle the batter into the pan and cook for approximately 60 seconds per side ( I like to keep them on a little longer)

 

3. Serve with almond butter or vanilla agave syrup and berries

 

Recipe via

 

 

 

 

Açai Bowls

Açai bowls are the hottest new breakfast trend. Similar to pitaya bowls, this superfood packed meal is the perfect thing to get you started in the morning. If you live in LA, you're probably familiar with the look of açai bowls from numerous instagrams. There's even a food truck called "Amazebowls" that serves them all over LA. If you're not, I've included a recipe below so you can get into the healthy Cali mode from home. I love putting chia seeds, ground flax, cut bananas, strawberries and blueberries on mine but there is not shortage of healthy ingredients you can but on top. Think of it as a healthier, dairy-free version of a yogurt parfait.

 

The first time I made this I put in too much almond milk and it became more liquid and less of a "mash" so be sure to follow the directions and guess and check until you get the consistency just right for your liking. Some apparent health benefits of this superfood include aiding weight loss, keeping your heart and skin healthy, promoting good digestive health, anti-aging effects, energy boost, and promoting overall mental function (amongst other things). Have you guys tried an açai bowl yet? Share your recipes if so!

 

1 packet of Smabazon Original Açai Smoothie Packet

1/8 cup of almond milk

1/2-1 banana

 

via cleanfooddirtycity instagram

 

via

 

 

 

NYC Healthy Meal Delivery

I've tried every diet in the book but have recently settled on Paleo, which has been life-changing. I give myself 4 cheat meals a week but the rest of the meals are dairy, grains/gluten, beans, corn-free meals. It doesn't feel like a diet anymore except when I'm out to dinner or wanting to order something creamy/deliciously bad on Seamless. I am a huge fan of meal delivery programs but many are extremely expensive and not exactly what you want. I tried the Chef's Diet once and while I like the food, it seemed like a bit too many calories and carbs.

 I recently saw a promotion on Gilt City for a program called Provenance Meals. The food looks amazing and you can order just dinners or do the  whole shabang and you get to pick which food you get (a huge plus for me). All of the ingredients are organic and they follow a paleo-esque food plan. Hurry to Gilt City because they are still running the promotion here. I sometimes pay more than that for that for an unhealthy seamless delivery so ordering was a home run in my book. I signed up for 3 dinners and they come next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I will let you know how it is but it looks delicious. Some of the amazing (all gluten-free) options include chicken pad thai, chipotle and cider rubbed pork and pan roasted bass filet with fennel and a white wine sauce. YUM. 

Even if you miss the Gilt promotion, take $25 your first order if you enter code PMINTRO at check out on the site.

Speaking of seamless, Hu Kitchen now delivers to my area but the delivery minimum is $55 dollars. All of their food is dairy and grain-free and they use local and all organic ingredients. Try the chocolate chia pudding for an amazing dessert, the chicken fingers (to feel like you're not on a diet) or the delicious vegetable "bread." I also love their kale salad with goji berries and, if you go in person, they have a full bar with fun cocktails and gluten free beer!

Sakara Life is a vegan, gluten-free, organic meal delivery program that delivers to NYC and now to Greenwich, CT and Westchester. All of the produce is sourced locally when possible and they have a great blog and newsletter with healthy recipes.   

You can choose 1, 5, or 20 days or even 3 months (which is discounted). You can select to have all three meals, just breakfast and lunch or just a "lunchbox." Their food looks amazing but I do love my meat...

Sample Menu below

Finally, Food Matters NYC is a program that does meal delivery and even catering. Before  you sign up, you fill out all sorts of information about yourself and then you talk to owner Tricia about your preferences. You can pick how many meals you want a week and the meal-plans are totally customizable.The food is made fresh every day and a typical menu looks like the below:

Farm Egg Crepe
Packed with Ten Vegetables
Morning Zinc Brittle
Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Brown Rice Syrup
Healthiest Chicken BBQ Ever
Red Cockerel Chicken, Oven Baked Quinoa Hush Puppy, Probiotic Collard Green Slaw, Baked Adzuki Beans
Afternoon Green Soup Shot
Kale, Romaine, Cucumber, Celery, Avocado, Cumin, Lemon
Turkey Meatloaf
Loaded with Quinoa and Vegetable, Oven Baked Curry, Sweet Potato Fries, Sautéed Baby Spinach
Power Packed Chocolate Chip Cookie
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Almond Flour, 70% Chocolate

This option is a little more expensive but the food looks incredible and it is completely up to you how many meals you want and what food you get.

I will let  you all know how Provenance Meals goes but I have a feeling I'm really going to like it. I also ordered their paleo pumpkin muffins... just to try....

Eat, Drink...

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I went to Boston to watch Tory in the Fall play and then rushed back to watch Riley play at Nassau Coliseum (they won so it was a success!). Tory and I had an amazing brunch at Gaslight (an adorable French Brassiere) on Saturday morning. I used this as one of my four "cheat meal," which was wise considering I had some of the most delicious, fresh baguette EVER (or maybe it just tasted like that because I haven't had bread in over a month??). Either way it was great. Speaking of cheat meals, I successfully finished my 30 day paleo challenge and have decided to keep going with it. It hasn't felt like a diet at all but more like a lifestyle change (in a good way). I've decided to give myself 4 cheat meals a week and eat paleo the rest of the time. For anyone considering, I highly recommend trying the challenge. It's tough for the first week but it is a breeze after that.

The weather was perfect (we have been so spoiled this Fall!) but it was a little chillier this morning. I have a feeling we'll be getting more crisp "real" fall weather and less of this amazing Indian Summer weather. No complaints though, I have a new fall jacket that has been waiting patiently in my closet to be debuted! Have a wonderful week everyone!

(Images via 1 2 3 4 5 )

Recently

I haven't given many updates recently so I wanted to post a few photos of my life lately. First and foremost, a very special birthday shoutout to my wonderful, beautiful, great mama! Love you so much!

We have three fall birthdays in my house so we've had lots of cake (luckily 2 were before I started paleo!)

My dad, Lu, Olive and I on my dad's bday in September

Speaking of paleo - I made the most amazing gluten-free/grain-free/rice-free/dairy-free bread. I have to say I was unbelievably proud of myself. Thanks to Danielle from Against All Grain for the wonderful recipe. Even Mr. white bread himself, Billy Berner, was trying to get his paws on it and he loved it! I made my own almond milk too, which was a lot easier than I thought it would be and so tasty! I've been spending a lot of time (and money) at Hu Kitchen, which if you're in NY and trying to eat healthy, I recommend going. They even serve organic wine, beer, gluten-free beer and some amazing looking cocktails.

Kale salad, turkey meatloaf, brussel sprouts and amazing curried sweet potatoes from Hu Kitchen

I had a lot of great weekends in New York in September with friends and family but the next few I'm gone. This weekend I'm heading to Raleigh for the Hurricanes season opener (and to see Riley, of course) and then DC the weekend after for a birthday and Boston the weekend after to see Tory as the lead in the BC play! I'm happy that I got a few NYC weekends in before a hectic (but amazingly fun) few weeks of travel.

Tuesday Treats - Day 2 of 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Day 1 of my Paleo challenge in the bag and I feel great. I've done gluten free/low carb diets before but the extra discipline of no processed food, no dairy, no corn and no legumes will definitely be a challenge. Some things I'm excited for:

This Book

Is phenomenal - like, best gluten/dairy free cookbook I've ever read. Danielle Walker has really hit the nail on the head with this one. All of her recipes look delicious and not too too hard to make. I bought it on my iPad and it was worth every penny. She also has a fantastic blog also named Against All Grain.

Some recipes I'm dying to try

Carmel Glazed Donuts

Crepes…or Tortillas…or Lasagna noodles

Paleo Fish Tacos

Other things I'm excited about (going with the paleo theme...)

Steve's Paleo Goods Sauce Sampler - I'm a hugeee condiments girl so one of the hardest parts about Paleo is giving up my ketchup! These are Paleo, look delicious and have awesome reviews. The sampler comes with Ketchup, Steak Sauce, Wing Sauce, and Sriracha. YUM! They also have awesome salad dressings on the site. 

 Other helpful sites:

Nom Nom Paleo

Whole30 (not a paleo website per se but very similar concepts)

The Paleo List

and, of course, Pinterest! There are awesome recipes on there. 

These 30 days are going to be a breeze (fingers crossed...)! Have you guys tried Paleo or any similar diets? Any helpful hints for me??

P.S. This made me happy : )

Happy Friday! (and some changes)

Hi everyone! This week really flew by (not complaining!) I had a great weekend last weekend with Riley and Lauren and my friends who were in town for my bday. We had a fantastic dinner Friday and the weather for wonderfulllll (pics below).

So tomorrow I impulsively signed up for Baci di Sole, courtesy of De Beradinis Salon, and am so so nervous but excited. I've never colored my hair before and even made an appointment last summer for ombre but chickened out. Baci di sole is a specialty of de beradinis where they basically just put a "touch of sun" in your hair (watch the video here). It's supposed to make you look like you just spent a month or two in the Mediterranean in the sun and swimming in the ocean. It's super low maintenance and they don't touch your roots so if I decide I don't like it I can literally just get a haircut in a month and it will be pretty much back to normal. Friends - do not talk me out of this! I'm doing it! I also signed up for a keratin (got an awesome groupon for the same salon!) next weekend, which you're supposed to do after coloring and not before because the dye strips out the keratin. Some hair inspiration below. 

Another first - I'm trying an intro Cross Fit class tonight and signed up for 3 weeks of elements classes. I promise I won't become one of those people who starts blogging about how many squats and deadlifts I did that day but I can promise to share with you how it goes (how my body feels, any changes I see, pros/cons, etc.) I am also starting my 30 day paleo challenge, which is my own version of this. I did paleo for Lent and felt amazing. I've really been off the wagon since then so hoping to really get motivated. Many crossfitters eat paleo because they work really well together and I'm excited to get started. To learn more about paleo, read my post on it here. A typical day's food below:

Tuesday Treats

I always feel a little more motivated to cook when it doesn't get dark at 5pm and a little more motivated to look good when I'm walking around in a bathing suit. I recently invested in a Blendtec blender and I haven't looked back. Although expensive, this wonder is as good as the Vitamix yet doen't take up as much precious counter space. If you are in the market for a Vitamix or a Blendtec, my recommendation is to get the 20% of coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond and buy it there (you can get it online by signing up for emails and then obviously unsubscribing or from multiple magazines). My two favorite things to make with my new high-powered blender are salad dressings and smoothies/juices. 

I've also been loving Kale this summer and am admittedly obsessed with Gwyneth's new cookbook. It is perfection. A week ago, I had the same lunch for a week straight: kale with Gwyneth's Green Goddess Dressing, rotisserie chicken, Gywn's quinoa with mushrooms, almonds and carrots. I never got sick of it. This week, I decided to substitute the GG dressing for a yummy and healthier dressing, the apple cider vinegar one featured in her cookbook. Both dressings can keep in the week for a week or more and they are so yummy. Below are a few recipes I'm excited to try!

Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Yields 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chopped kale
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

 

For the Meyer lemon vinaigrette:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave

 

DIRECTIONS:

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Meyer lemon zest and juice, and agave in a small bowl; set aside.

To assemble the salad, place kale in a large bowl; top with avocado, quinoa, pomegranate seeds, pecans and goat cheese. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately. (recipe from Damndelcious.net)

Shredded Brussel Sprouts Salad

Yields 12-16 oz.

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients 12 to 16 oz. fresh Brussels Sprouts, very thinly sliced (about 4 to 5 cups) 2 large kale leaves, ribs removed, and finely chopped (about 2 to 3 c.) 1/2 c. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped 1/4 c. sunflower seeds 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 T. extra virgin olive oil 1 T. pure maple syrup 1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice 1/2 T. whole-grain mustard Pinch salt
Read more at http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2013/07/shredded-brussels-sprouts-salad.html#imovtLJm023u3iud.99

Fresh Brussels Sprouts, very thinly sliced (about 4 to 5 cups)
2 large kale leaves, ribs removed, and finely chopped (about 2 to 3 c.)
1/2 c. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. pure maple syrup
1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 T. whole-grain mustard
Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.      In a large salad bowl, combine the sliced Brussels sprouts, chopped kale, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and crumbled bacon. Toss together.  

2.      In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Whisk with a fork until well mixed. 

3. Pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.  

(Recipe from http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/)

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Avocado, and Pesto 

 

INGREDIENTS:
For the quinoa and vegetables


2 cups cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt

2 cups dry quinoa

1 avocado, cut into chunks

1/3 to 1/2 cup diced mozzarella (about 3-4 ounces)

3/4 cup chickpeas, more if desired

For the pesto vinaigrette


1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

1 cup basil leaves

pinch cayenne

1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4-6 tablespoons olive or canola oil or a mixture of the two

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. 
2. Make sure the tomatoes are completely dry, then drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat them all. 
3. Bake the tomatoes for about 35 minutes, flipping once, until they are brown and poufy. They will deflate when you take them out of the oven. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Make the quinoa: Combine the quinoa with 4 cups of water in a small, lidded saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, give it a stir, put on the lid, and turn the heat down as low as possible. Cook for 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat but leave the lid on for 5 more minutes. Then, spread the quinoa out onto a baking sheet to let it come to room temperature and dry out a bit so it

(Recipe from Laurenconrad.com)