Ground bison is leaner than most types of ground beef, a good source of zinc, and, of course, high in protein. If you can't find ground bison, use grass-fed ground beef or ground elk instead. Top this quick and easy low-carb chili recipe with dairy or dairy-free sour cream, green onions, cilantro, and sliced serrano chili peppers for a satisfying evening meal!
This easy recipe is perfect for weeknight family dinners, especially when you don't have a lot of time to cook. In fact, the chicken can be prepped on the weekends and then reheated a few days later for a family taco night! Serve chicken with corn tortillas or grain-free tortillas, shredded green cabbage, sour cream, sliced avocado, grated cheese, and extra salsa!
This grain-free and meat-free lasagna uses sliced raw butternut squash instead of lasagna noodles! It's actually easier to put together than traditional lasagna because you don't need to pre-cook anything before assembling it. I like to use cottage cheese in vegetarian lasagna, but, of course, ricotta cheese works just as well.
If you need to add a variety of antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory leafy greens to your diet, try this recipe! Radicchio and kale are both very bitter and will help stimulate proper digestive functions, especially when the salad is served at the beginning of a meal. The flavors of this salad are well balanced in order for the bitter vegetables to blend in and not overpower the rest of the salad.
Having readily available nutrient-dense snacks on hand is important in order to help stave off cravings for junk food snacks! Keep a jar of this healthy anti-inflammatory trail mix with you in the car or at work. Be sure to use a good quality dark chocolate here. Look for an organic brand that contains 70% or 85% cacao. Darker chocolate contains less sugar! I used a salted dark chocolate bar in this batch which really balances the flavors nicely.
Meal prep a batch of these flaxseed muffins on the weekend to have on hand for quick breakfasts throughout the week! Flaxseeds are high in pre-biotic fibers that feed beneficial microbes in the gut. This may improve gut health, insulin sensitivity, weight management, and immune health. You can grind your own flaxseeds in a coffee grinder that is dedicated to grinding seeds and spices, or use a pre-ground flax meal such as this one from Bob's Red Mill.
How is it that food has such a profound effect on health and happiness? Nourishing whole foods contain nutrients that build neurotransmitters, promote detoxification, and feed beneficial microbes. Nourishing foods have thousands of chemicals that stimulate healthy gene expression. We rely on foods to build, repair, and replenish every single cell of our bodies. If we want to change who we are, we need to change what we eat. Today is the perfect day to upgrade your diet.
A Clean Eating Diet is a simple yet powerful way to reset your plate—and your health. It centers around fresh, whole foods rather than processed items from a box or can. All real, nourishing foods are included: fresh vegetables and fruits, grains, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, quality meats, dairy, eggs, healthy fats, and natural sweeteners. If you’re ready to eat better but aren’t sure where to start, this foundational way of eating helps you reconnect with cooking, flavor, and vitality. It’s a practical, sustainable path to feeling better in your body—one meal at a time.
Rooted in tradition and backed by decades of research, the Mediterranean Diet is a sustainable, long-term approach to optimal health and longevity. It emphasizes fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, and antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil. When animal protein is included, the focus is on omega-3-rich fish and seafood. This nourishing way of eating supports heart health, balances blood sugar, reduces inflammation, improves gut health, and promotes metabolic resilience. It’s not just a diet—it’s a lifestyle built on simplicity, seasonal food, and daily nourishment.
Every day, your body works hard to neutralize and eliminate toxins—but modern life can overwhelm these natural detox pathways. A Detoxification Diet gives your body the nourishment it needs to do this work more efficiently. By removing common dietary toxins and increasing foods that support liver function, cellular repair, and daily elimination, this plan helps reduce inflammation, restore energy, and promote optimal health from the inside out. It’s a gentle yet powerful reset designed to help you feel lighter, clearer, and more balanced.
Could the foods you eat every day be keeping you stuck? When your body reacts to certain foods, even healthy ones, it can trigger a cascade of inflammation that disrupts digestion, hormones, mood, and energy. An Elimination Diet helps uncover these hidden sensitivities by removing common triggers and allowing your body to reset. As inflammation calms and gut function improves, symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, skin issues, and brain fog often begin to lift. This is more than a diet—it’s a powerful path to clarity, healing, and lasting food freedom.
A cortisol-balancing way of eating isn’t about special foods or strict rules. It begins by removing foods that drive inflammation or immune reactions, prioritizing anti-inflammatory nourishment, and balancing blood sugar throughout the day. From there, it’s about how meals are structured and spaced so the body doesn’t have to compensate with stress hormones. Cortisol responds best to predictable nourishment. When meals are skipped, overly restrictive, or overly sugary, the body fills the gap by releasing cortisol to maintain blood sugar and energy. When meals are balanced and consistent, cortisol can rise and fall naturally—supporting steadier energy, calmer moods, deeper sleep, and overall resilience.
When the body has been under stress for a long time, it doesn’t immediately relax just because the stressor is gone. Cortisol rhythms can remain disrupted, keeping the nervous system in a low-grade state of alert. This is where gentle, consistent signals of safety matter. Tulsi (holy basil) tea is one of those signals. Tulsi has been revered across cultures for centuries, not only as a medicinal herb but as a plant associated with protection, balance, and daily nourishment. Traditionally grown close to the home and prepared as teas or simple extracts, tulsi was used to support resilience—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This long history of everyday use reflects what modern research now confirms, tulsi gently supports the body’s ability to adapt to stress.
If digestion feels unpredictable—bloating one day, discomfort the next, reactions to foods that should be fine—it’s easy to assume the problem is the food. However, digestion doesn’t begin in the stomach. It begins in the nervous system. Digestion is a parasympathetic process. When the body feels safe, relaxed, and supported, digestive secretions flow, motility is coordinated, and nutrients are absorbed efficiently. When the nervous system is under stress—whether from inflammation, blood sugar instability, poor sleep, or ongoing emotional or relational strain—digestion downshifts in favor of survival. You can’t digest well while running from a lion.
Cortisol often gets labeled as a “stress hormone,” but in a healthy body, cortisol is not the enemy. It’s a guiding hormone. One that helps regulate energy, blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and the sleep–wake cycle. When cortisol follows its natural daily rhythm, mornings feel alert, energy stays steady, and sleep becomes deep and restorative. When the rhythm is disrupted, the body can feel wired at the wrong times and tired when energy is needed. The good news is that cortisol rhythm responds quickly to daily habits—how you eat, sleep, move, manage stress, and expose yourself to light. Small, consistent changes can help bring this rhythm back into balance.
Join Nourishing Meals® today to get access to over 1800 nutrient-dense member-only recipes and our easy-to-use meal planning tools. Get inspired to cook again and take control of your health using the power of real food! Add meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or use our system to only plan your evening meals. It is completely customizable to your unique needs!
This quick and easy vegan Thai food recipe is a spinoff of the chicken version I make that's quite often called Pad Krapow Gai. Before I start chopping the veggies and tofu, I like to start a batch of white basmati rice or brown basmati rice in my Instant Pot so that it's done by the time the stir-fry is done.
This easy Instant Pot bean soup recipe is ultra creamy and satisfying, especially on a chilly autumn, winter, or spring evening! Serve it with a crusty sourdough bread or this gluten-free focaccia bread recipe.
Sunbutter is a delicious peanut-free nut butter alternative; it is simply made with roasted sunflower seeds and a touch of salt. We call these healthy snacks "Frogs on a Log." They are an easy and nutritious after-school snack idea for your children! Use any type of nut butter if you are not following a nut-free diet.
This hearty stew recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly—perfect for weeknight family dinners! I am using gluten-free orzo here but you can use regular wheat-based orzo if you are not on a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free orzo is made from corn flour and rice flour, and it can be found in the pasta section of your local grocery store. If you can't eat corn or can't find this type of gluten-free pasta, then you can substitute it with an equal amount (a heaping cup) of white jasmine rice that has been rinsed well in a fine mesh strainer under cool running water.
This warming and deeply flavored alfredo sauce is made with pumpkin purée and gruyère cheese. The sauce is gluten-free and is delicious tossed with any type of noodle. Try zucchini noodles, cooked spaghetti squash, or cooked gluten-free noodles. Serve with an autumn salad for a balanced meal.
Our meal planning system is designed to support you on your health journey. Whether you are a family of five wanting to eat healthier or a single parent working to recover from an autoimmune disease, our recipes are designed to work across a spectrum of diets, from vegan to paleo and everything in between.
Nutrient-dense foods activate pathways that promote longevity and anti-aging. Antioxidants and phytonutrients in whole foods neutralize free radicals, protect cells from damage, and trigger anti-aging genes, fostering cellular repair and regeneration. Additionally, nutrient-dense foods help stabilize blood sugar—reducing inflammation and lowering the risk of chronic disease. Together, these actions lay the foundation for a longer, healthier life.
Whole foods support the body’s detox pathways by supplying antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals that aid liver enzymes in breaking down and eliminating toxins. Fiber further supports this process by binding toxins and promoting their excretion. Together, these actions reduce oxidative stress and inflammation—preserving cellular health, boosting energy, and promoting longevity.
A well-balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods reduces all-cause disease risk by optimizing metabolic function, reducing inflammation, enhancing cellular communication, and strengthening the immune system. These interconnected benefits lower oxidative stress and help prevent chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders, enhancing overall well-being and longevity.
Nourishing Meals® was founded on the premise that Food is Medicine. We understand that food is the foundation of vitality. Our expertly crafted recipes are designed to help you crave nourishing foods, keeping you aligned with your highest self.
To show up as your best self and make a meaningful impact, you need energy, clarity, and vitality! The right foods don’t just fuel your body; they unlock your full potential by supporting your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. With Nourishing Meals®, you’ll discover delicious, nutrient-rich meals tailored to your needs—so you can crave what truly nourishes you and stay aligned with your goals.
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✔️ Encourages Sustainable, Long-Term Habits – Supports a realistic and adaptable approach to healthy eating, making lasting change possible.
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A Nourishing Meals® membership is more than a tool—it’s a steady companion on your path to wholeness. Stay inspired with meals that heal, save your favorites, and return to them again and again. Because real healing doesn’t come from quick fixes—it comes from showing up for yourself, one nourishing choice at a time.
Join Nourishing Meals® today to get access to over 1800 nutrient-dense member-only recipes and our easy-to-use meal planning tools. Get inspired to cook again and take control of your health using the power of real food! Add meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or use our system to only plan your evening meals. It is completely customizable to your unique needs!
Red rice is an aromatic, antioxidant-rich whole grain rice. Look for it in the bulk foods section from your local food co-op. If you can't find it, use black rice or long grain brown rice instead. Serve this flavorful, nutrient-dense recipe as a light main dish, or as a side dish with this recipe for Spiced Chicken and Sweet Potatoes.
This savory beet and beef stew is similar to traditional borsht, which is typically made with slow cooked meaty beef bones instead of ground beef, and includes potatoes and tomatoes. This nightshade-free version uses ground beef and beef bone broth. If you don't have a good homemade beef bone broth on hand use chicken stock or water. If you use water you may need to increase the salt to boost flavors.
Homemade coffee cake is a lovely treat on a holiday morning. This healthy coffee cake recipe calls for blueberries; I have been using frozen blueberries from my summer harvest. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, pitted cherries (chopped), or diced fresh granny smith apples!
This easy Instant Pot bean stew recipe is an updated version of an old recipe I have made for many years on my stovetop. This pressure cooked version is so much faster to prepare! Serve with a crusty whole grain bread for a nourishing plant-based meal.
The aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, and melting chocolate chips makes this grain-free bread feel like a warm embrace on a fall day. It’s simple to prepare, naturally sweet, and deeply nourishing for those following a gluten-free or grain-free lifestyle. Bake a few mini loaves to share, or pour the batter into a muffin pan for quick, tender pumpkin muffins.
This bright and flavorful turkey meatball soup will warm you up on a chilly evening. Use other vegetables if you would like. In the springtime, fresh spinach and peas would be a lovely addition. In the summertime try using green beans, kale, and diced zucchini. Ground chicken can also be used in place of the ground turkey.
When you have been out of balance and not feeling well, smoothies, homemade broths, fresh juices, and pureed soups can help to bring you back into balance. This recipe doesn't contain anything that may be a gut irritant, and includes easily digestible protein powders, anti-inflammatory superfoods, and pectin-rich apples, all of which promote gut health and reduce inflammation.
If you are just starting out with a new healthy eating plan, remember that the healthiest meals will be those that are prepared with basic real food ingredients, instead of anything packaged. This easy rice pilaf recipe is a great way to ease into simple made-from-scratch meals. If you don't yet own an electric pressure cooker, I highly recommend you pick up an Instant Pot today! It will allow you to get healthy, delicious meals onto the table in much less time.
I created this recipe over a decade ago, and I’ve been making it every year since—using all the hot peppers I grow in my garden. Each year, I make 8 to 12 quarts of lacto-fermented hot sauce, which lasts us all year in the refrigerator. I usually run out just in time to make another batch! You can use any variety of hot chili peppers—cherry bomb, serrano, habanero, shishito, cayenne, poblano, or Thai chilies. Just be sure the peppers are fully ripe (red or orange) before making the sauce.
Whether you’re eating healthier, following a healing protocol, or managing food sensitivities, Nourishing Meals® provides the recipes, tools, and support to help you thrive. Join thousands of members who’ve simplified mealtimes with our personalized meal planning platform.
Quickly filter recipes to fit your unique dietary needs by combining diets and allergens—so you only see the meals that work for you. Use our intuitive meal planning tools to create weekly plans in minutes, then generate organized grocery lists with one click. It’s everything you need to eat well, save time, and feel better—day after day.
I created Nourishing Meals® to make it easier for people to find healing meals that truly support their unique dietary needs. Behind every recipe and tool is a deeper intention—to ease overwhelm, transform your relationship with food, and support a return to balance.
Simple, nutrient-dense meals become second nature when you have the right tools. Nourishing your body becomes joyful and sustainable when it's aligned with your dietary needs. Let this be your new rhythm—consistent, nourishing meals that support how you want to feel, every day.
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Nourishing Meals® gives you powerful meal planning tools that take the stress out of following a new diet—so you can focus on feeling better.
“In any given moment we have two options: To step forward into growth or step back into safety.” ~Abraham Maslow
✔️ Create your own customized diet profile
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A thoughtful, personalized plan helps to reduce overwhelm, keep you nourished, and supports lasting healing.
Making your own lacto-fermented hot sauce is a wonderful way to naturally preserve your hot pepper garden harvest! Once fermented, the hot sauce should last for about 9 to 12 months in your refrigerator. Use this tangy and spicy hot sauce to top scrambled eggs, stir-fries, soups, and all types of Thai food! Each time you use it, you are consuming a wide variety of beneficial bacteria that help to promote gut health. I make a few gallons each year after I harvest all of the peppers growing in my garden. The sweet red bell peppers balance out the spiciness in the hot peppers to make the sauce tolerable and enjoyable—not just all spice! Each batch I make is a little bit different, depending on how many bell peppers I include and which variety of hot chili pepper I use most.
Making your own lacto-fermented hot sauce is a wonderful way to naturally preserve your hot pepper garden harvest! Once fermented, the hot sauce should last for about 9 to 12 months in your refrigerator. Use this tangy and spicy hot sauce to top scrambled eggs, stir-fries, soups, and all types of Thai food! Each time you use it, you are consuming a wide variety of beneficial bacteria that help to promote gut health. I make a few gallons each year after I harvest all of the peppers growing in my garden. The sweet red bell peppers balance out the spiciness in the hot peppers to make the sauce tolerable and enjoyable—not just all spice! Each batch I make is a little bit different, depending on how many bell peppers I include and which variety of hot chili pepper I use most.
Serve this antioxidant-rich potato and kale curry with a few other curry recipes for an Indian-inspired meal. Palak Aloo is an Indian potato curry made with spinach. This version uses kale, but you can use fresh or frozen spinach instead.
Serve this classic Indian-inspired salad with a chicken curry or lentil dal and rice for a balanced meal! Use a whole milk or greek yogurt for this dressing to keep it thick and creamy!
If you are on a low-histamine diet and can tolerate dairy, then try this delicious tomato-free recipe! When its baking, the aromas will remind you of pizza! Serve with a simple green salad and a low-histamine dressing.
This simple cranberry sauce is full of flavor without all of the sugar! Use a microplane grater for finely grating the fresh ginger. Serve cranberry sauce with a whole roasted turkey on Thanksgiving.
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Serve this easy anti-inflammatory rice dish with a Moroccan-style main dish such as this Instant Pot Moroccan Chickpea Stew, or this Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken. It also pairs well with any type of Indian-style main dish recipe such as this North Indian Chicken Curry.
This easy Instant Pot lamb stew will help you feel rejuvenated and nourished. Lamb is something I always turn to when I am feeling burned out and exhausted. The Instant Pot quickly cooks the stew meat, and the high pressure allows it to become very tender during the short cooking time. I always cook the meat first, then quickly release the pressure, add in the veggies and bring back to high pressure again. This helps the meat get tender and not overcook the veggies.
Sheet pan meals are great to make for dinner when you don't have a lot of time to cook a meal. You can use whatever veggies you have in your fridge that need to be used up! Leftovers can be stored in a glass container and served cold on top of salad greens for lunch the next day! Serve this easy sheet pan chicken dinner with steamed green beans or braised collard greens.
It can be daunting to live a whole foods lifestyle in today’s busy world—even more so to prepare plant-rich, allergen-free meals that’ll get the whole family around the table. Nourishing Meals includes recipes that are free of the most common allergens: gluten, soy, and dairy, as well as refined sugar. And these dishes are designed to appeal to everyone, including vegan, vegetarian, seafood, and meat-eaters.
In addition to wonderful food, Nourishing Meals offers easy, doable steps to help you change your family's health, tips for making the transition easier, and ways to get the kids excited about wholesome foods. Ali maps out the best foods and recipes for every stage of having a family, from pre-conception and pregnancy through each year of a child's life. And she explains in accessible terms what makes her recipes so effective for achieving optimal health.
Nourishing Meals explains the key contributors to building resilience in your children. You'll learn how to raise a healthy eater, which foods help to increase breast milk production, how to introduce solid foods to your baby, and much more!
“[A] comprehensive, enthusiastic guide to whole-foods living… [and a] rousing call to parents trying to raise healthy kids. What follows are 365 appetizing and practical recipes for nutritious meals and snacks that put the authors’ philosophy into practice. Readers will find a persuasive argument for adopting this lifestyle and plenty of advice to get started.”
"There are many good cookbooks available today in the gluten-free world. There are a few excellent cookbooks. And then there are the 'Great Ones'. Nourishing Meals is in the latter category-incredibly delicious, wholesome and easy to prepare, this cookbook is destined to be dog-eared and stained from use in no time flat. Ali Segersten, I would sit at your table any and every day to eat your nourishing meals."
"Tom Malterre and Ali Segersten write, without a doubt, the best cookbooks for people and families who want healthful, nutritious and allergy-free cooking. Nourishing Meals, 2nd edition is their newest assemblage. Whether you actually need to be dairy, gluten, or soy-free, you'll find the recipes to be delicious and expand your ideas about cooking in the 21st century. Whether it's the meals, the smoothies, or the deserts you'll say YUM!"
I like to buy an extra bunch of bananas while grocery shopping and let them ripen on my counter until they are overripe, just to make banana bread and banana muffins for my children. These muffins make a great after-school snack or lunchbox treat for your children!
