This quick and easy anti-inflammatory slaw can be served with any type of main dish. Leftovers are also delicious the next day tossed with leftover grains, beans, or cooked meat!
This is a great snack to take with you on a long hike or a long day at work. You can also add one to your child’s lunchbox for a sweet, nutritious treat. This recipe can also be found in my first cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. The almonds in this recipe can easily be replaced with raw walnuts if desired.
A high-powered blender is essential for breaking down the greens to create a smooth and creamy smoothie! Use whatever spring greens you have on hand. Sorrel, kale, collards, nettles, and fresh mint leaves all work very well! Add less fruit if you need to reduce the amount of fruit sugars in your diet.
Serve this anti-inflammatory soup with toasted pumpkin seeds and micro-greens for a nutritious lunch! Since this soup will be pureed you don't have to worry about chopping things nicely and evenly. The smaller you chop the less time it will take to cook! Use your favorite homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth in place of the water for richer flavors.
One of the most powerful things you can do on a daily basis for your long-term health and well-being is to cook most of your meals at home with whole food-based ingredients. The second step in taking control of your health and using food as medicine, is to remove the foods or food groups that are irritating your immune system. Gluten and dairy are two of the largest dietary contributors to immune system over-activation.

Apple Walnut Cake (grain-free + dairy-free)
One of the most powerful things you can do on a daily basis for your long-term health and well-being is to cook most of your meals at home with whole food-based ingredients. The second step in taking control of your health and using food as medicine, is to remove the foods or food groups that are irritating your immune system.
Cupcakes that are grain-free and egg-free, yay! Serve these cupcakes for birthdays or holidays. They are best served warm, with warm ganache. You can also serve them with Whipped Coconut Cream and fresh berries for a festive treat! I used Dagoba organic cocoa powder which is gluten-free, but any type of organic, gluten-free cocoa powder or raw cacao powder will work. I also use full-fat organic canned coconut milk for both the frosting and cupcakes.
Serve this easy-to-make gingered split pea stew over cooked brown rice or quinoa along with a dollop of coconut yogurt on top.
This classic creamy tomato-basil soup is so quick and easy to make! I use Jovial brand jarred diced tomatoes. Serve each bowl of soup with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated parmesan cheese, extra basil, and freshly ground black pepper.
Filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef available. If you are not accustomed to eating meat, and would like to incorporate more of this nutrient-dense food, I would suggest going to your local butcher or market and looking for pasture-raised or pasture-finished filet mignon. It is very easy to cook and incredibly flavorful and tender. Serve with a simple dinner salad and roasted winter squash for a nourishing, balanced meal.
These cookies are a perfect, nutritious snack to take on outings for your toddler or child. They can even be frozen for later use. Serve with a cup of warm herbal tea for an after school treat.
This anti-inflammatory rice and kale salad is great to make on a meal prep day; it lasts in your fridge for days and is perfect for a quick, nutritious lunch! If you can't find unsweetened organic dried cherries then either replace them with raisins or currants, or omit them altogether.
These vegan and gluten-free cranberry bars are tart and sweet, and full of citrus flavors. Serve them as a healthy holiday dessert or make a batch on the weekend so you can have a healthy snack to pack in your child's lunchbox for the week.
This easy chicken stew is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken from a whole roasted chicken or Poached Chicken Breasts! Feel free to vary the vegetables to what you have on hand. Green beans and chopped kale also make excellent additions! This recipe isn't finicky, it works just about any way you do it. Any type of potatoes can work here—russet, red, or yellow potatoes!
These zucchini fritters were developed for the low-oxalate diet, but are also perfect if you are following a low-FODMAP or gluten-free diet! They work best cooked in a cast iron skillet. Watch the heat carefully so they don't burn! Serve fritters with a green salad for dinner, or serve for breakfast over a bed of baby arugula.
Serve this spicy dairy-free sauce over bean and rice bowls, Fish Tacos, or Scrambled Eggs with Kale! It pairs well with many recipes. If you'd like the sauce spicier, add a second jalapeno pepper.
If you are a big tofu fan like I am, add this recipe to your weekly meal rotation today! As an athlete, I strive to create balanced meals that are rich in protein without sacrificing flavor and creativity. When made with high-protein tofu, this stir-fry accomplishes just that! Serve over a scoop of white or brown rice for a very satisfying meal.
This bread is dark and rich with a full-bodied flavor. It is excellent toasted and spread with almond butter or pumpkin seed butter.
Great wraps can be made with any type of "tortilla." Try collard greens, kohlrabi leaves, homemade Injera (from gluten-free sourdough starter), or your favorite store-bought gluten-free tortilla. Pictured here are Siete brand Grain-Free Burrito Size Tortillas.
Teff, a very small Ethiopian grain, is now cultivated in Idaho. These gluten-free and egg-free pancakes will give you staying power until lunchtime, especially if combined with a green smoothie. For more banana flavor, try chopping up a small banana and fold it into the batter.
Serve this beautiful egg-free and gluten-free cake as a birthday party treat with the vanilla frosting, topped with gluten-free sprinkles. This recipe can also be baked in a 9x13-inch pan, or even made in a bundt pan.
Brussels sprouts are in season during the fall and winter. Roasting them is a simple and delicious way to add more vegetables to your meal! You can create variations to this basic recipe by adding a few dashes of balsamic vinegar and a dash of maple syrup during the last 10 minutes of cooking, or try adding dried or chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or sage when you are preparing the recipe. After baking, you can garnish them with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of freshly grated lemon peel is desired.
Persimmons are only in season during late fall and early winter, and they make a perfect addition to a holiday salad! Be sure to use fuyu persimmons in this recipe. There is no need to peel them if they are ripe enough. The combination of spicy arugula, bitter radicchio, the sweet and creamy persimmons, all paired with maple roasted cinnamon pecans and the cider vinaigrette is truly incredible. If you eat dairy, crumble about 4 ounces of feta on top of the salad.
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas since I was a young child, my father would roast a very large turkey to perfection. I've since learned over the years how to perfect his techniques to create moist and tender meat.
We love making this nourishing vegan breakfast on chilly autumn mornings. Try making a double batch of the apples (use a larger pan) and save some in the fridge for the next few breakfasts. You can also add fresh or frozen cranberries to the apples or dried fruit such as raisins or currants. Try using other fruit in place of the apples such as fresh or frozen peaches or plums. Make a double batch of quinoa as well, so you can have leftovers for the next few days.
Serve this easy low-carb brussels sprout casserole as part of your next holiday gathering. Everything can be prepped ahead of time and then baked just before you are ready to serve it. A 12-inch cast iron skillet works best to go from stovetop directly to the oven!
Nori is a mineral-rich sea vegetable that has been dried and pressed into thin sheets, commonly used for making sushi. It can also be crumbled and sprinkled over salads, cooked vegetables, or soups for added flavor and nutrition. In addition to being a great source of essential minerals, nori contains lignans, plant compounds known for their cancer-protective properties.
This pie requires a food processor, a blender or Vitamix will not work. First the crust is made, then you rinse out the food processor and make the filling. It just needs to be chilled for a few hours before serving. Then top each slice with a simple fresh raspberry sauce or fresh, organic berries!
This incredibly flavorful chicken broth recipe is made with vegetables that are low in oxalates. The broth is also great if you are following a low-histamine or low-FODMAP diet. Once cooked, you'll have tender chicken that can be removed from the bone and used for other recipes. Freeze some of the chicken covered with broth in glass mason jars or glass containers, and then reheat the broth and chicken with chopped fresh cabbage, bok choy, and cilantro for a very easy soup in minutes!
Banana bread is a great way to use up those extra bananas that are too ripe to eat! You can use any type of granulated sugar in this recipe. I prefer to use coconut sugar or maple sugar in baking recipes because they contain more nutrients compared to ordinary cane sugar. Use a finely chopped dark chocolate bar, mini-chocolate chips, or regular dark chocolate chips, or replace the chocolate with chopped walnuts!
This hearty, flavor-packed soup features protein-rich black-eyed peas simmered with warming spices and nourishing vegetables for a deeply satisfying plant-based meal. It’s the perfect dish to cozy up with on a chilly evening and makes excellent leftovers—many say it tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen.
These hearty vegan and gluten-free muffins remind me of those dark, sweet bran muffins I ate as a child. They are fast and easy to prepare, making them a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack. Try making them the night before and you will have a breakfast waiting for you on the counter in the morning! There are plenty of combinations for adding goodies into these muffins, but my favorite is to use grated carrot, chopped apple, currants, and chopped walnuts or pecans. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds can also replace the nuts in this recipe.
I recently received a birthday gift in the mail from my mother-in-law. It was a colorful apron that she picked up during her travels to Salt Lake City. On the pocket reads: "One World, Everybody Eats."
So what do you eat, I ask?
We are all so genetically, biochemically, and just plain old individually unique. As Dr. Jeff Bland always says: "The food of one can be the poison of another" or something to that affect. Tom and I eat very differently, what works for him doesn't work for me and what feels good to me makes him sick!
What's Your Ideal Meal?
I recently received a birthday gift in the mail from my mother-in-law. It was a colorful apron that she picked up during her travels to Salt Lake City. On the pocket reads: "One World, Everybody Eats."
So what do you eat, I ask?
Love your liver! This green smoothie is packed with detoxification-supporting vegetables and fruits! The sour fruits hide the strong sulfur flavors from the cruciferous vegetables. Raw cruciferous vegetables stimulate your cells to increase antioxidant and detoxification compounds. This helps to reduce systemic inflammation and support detoxification pathways. I like to add 1 to 2 scoops of a chelated magnesium powder to smoothies when I'm making them for my children.
My old college roommate always made a fantastic tuna salad using chopped carrots, celery, onions, parsley, raw garlic, and capers. Using this same idea with leftover cooked salmon works just as well! The raw garlic adds a nice kick, but can be omitted if needed. If you don't have leftover cooked salmon then use about 2 cans of wild salmon. I prefer to use homemade avocado mayo in this recipe as it pairs perfectly with the salmon! Yum!
When you are in need of an easy, nutrient-dense meal, make burger bowls! I use local, pasture-raised beef when I consume beef. This type of beef contains more of an anti-inflammatory fat profile compared to conventional beef. This recipe can serve two to four people, depending on everyone's preference for salad and burger size. I double this recipe to serve my family, as most of us prefer to have about a half-pound burger size and larger salads! If you would like to make quarter pound burgers and smaller salads, then this recipe can serve four people.
These muffins have the perfect touch of sweetness with big chunks of luscious red cherries. The allspice lends a subtle sweet, spicy flavor that melds nicely with the cherries. Pumpkin seed flour is also called pumpkin seed protein powder and is made from very finely ground raw pumpkin seeds. Store muffins in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days (if they last that long) or freeze for longer storage!
Use this stuffed bell pepper recipe as a way to use up leftover cooked turkey or chicken! If you don't like bell peppers, the filling can be stuffed into pre-baked delicata squash halves instead! Serve with a large romaine lettuce salad for an easy, balanced meal.
Serve this simple, classic salad over leaf lettuce leaves for a fresh summer salad. It pairs well with grilled chicken breasts or grilled chicken-vegetable kebabs when it's too hot to cook indoors!
The deep, earthy flavors of the mushrooms mingles beautifully with the nutty, creamy cashews. If you have a nut allergy then you could replace the cashew cream with coconut cream or heavy cream if dairy is not an issue. Serve soup with a vegetable salad for a light, nutritious lunch or dinner.
Serve these colorful, refined-sugar-free treats for your 4th of July gathering or a child's birthday party! Blueberries, cherries, and strawberries all work well for the filling. I also like to use a non-alcoholic vanilla extract when making the cashew cream because I find the alcohol flavor comes though too strongly. Kudzu is a white powdery substance that comes in white chunks. It can be found in the Asian section of your natural health food store or in the bulk spice section. It is very soothing and healing to the intestines.