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 individually unique. As Dr. Jeff Bland always says: "The food of one can be the poison of another" or something to that effect. As we age and become wiser, hopefully we listen to the cues of our bodies, and consume foods which will truly nourish us....as individuals.

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.

This delicious Thai-style sauce can be made in about 20 minutes from start to finish. Use this sauce to create a simple green curry! Sauté a variety of veggies (add meat or tofu if desired) over medium-high heat for a few minutes (starting with the veggies that take the longest to cook) and then add the veggies to the sauce and simmer for just a few minutes until tender. Serve with white or brown rice.

Cold and flu season is upon us! How can you support your immune system so it can function at its best? Your immune cells, like all other cells, require good nutrition and lifestyle habits to function properly. A nourishing whole foods diet, strong digestive system, good sleep practices, good hydration, blood sugar control, and the addition of supportive nutritional supplements all work together to promote a strong and functional immune system. Large amounts of nutrients are needed to run your immune cells so they can do their jobs. During cold and flu season, there is an increased need for these nutrients.

Serve these spicy gingerbread-like teff cookie bars with vanilla coconut ice cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon for a delicious gluten-free and vegan treat! 

This incredibly easy cheesy rice and beans recipe can be made in the morning and packed in stainless steel thermoses for your children's school lunch! It also makes a great side dish for any type of Tex-Mex themed meal. I've also made this recipe with leftover meat! Just stir in chopped or shredded cooked chicken or beef with everything before you cook it. Serve the rice and beans with salsa and chopped cilantro if desired. 

Serve this grain and bean salad over fresh lettuce leaves, or place a spoonful of salad in each leaf and eat "wrap style." Try adding diced cucumbers, red bell peppers, or any other vegetable you desire to this recipe. Garnish each serving with toasted sunflower seeds. Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you are a buckwheat lover then you will to enjoy these gluten-free and vegan muffins. Many years ago I started grinding my own buckwheat flour from raw buckwheat groats and discovered that it made a wonderful replacement to wheat flour in baking! This was one muffin recipe was one of my earliest creations, and is also featured in the first edition (2006) of my cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Try adding more carrots, raisins, some shredded apple, or any chopped nut for a denser, more nutritious treat. These muffins work great as a quick breakfast.

This mandarin almond flour cake is a variation of the classic Italian orange-almond cake, only without the sugar! The mandarins are blended whole with the wet ingredients to create an exceptionally moist and citrusy cake. Serve with a cup of spice tea for a nutritious winter dessert.

Use this sauce to brush over chicken breasts, ribs, tofu, or as a simmer sauce for cooked beans. I use organic strained tomatoes from the company, Bionaturae. I like this product because it comes in a glass container thereby eliminating the use of the BPA-lined cans so often used for tomato products. Store any unused sauce in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 14 days or freeze for longer storage.

Serve this nutrient-dense kale salad with baked salmon and cooked quinoa for a balanced meal. You can vary the ingredients in this recipe to what you have on hand. Replace the currants with raisins and the oregano with fresh basil. The pine nuts could be replaced with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to save money (pine nuts can be a bit pricey). This salad serves 2 adults and a few small children. You may want to double it if serving to a larger number of people.

This antioxidant-rich sorbet is the perfect healthy treat to round out a nourishing meal. I like to add about a tablespoon of raw blue spirulina powder to this sorbet recipe to deepen the color and add more phytonutrients!

This ice cream needs to be made in an ice cream maker. It can also be made into popsicles. If your ice cream maker container is too small to fit the strawberry-coconut cream, pour the remaining into popsicle molds. Serve ice cream with sliced fresh strawberries and fresh mint leaves for a cooling summer dessert.

These refined sugar-free cookie bars are so quick and easy to prepare! They make a great after-school snack for hungry children or can be packed in school lunch boxes as part of a balanced lunch. The sunflower seed butter can be replaced with either peanut butter or almond butter if nut allergies or histamine intolerance is not an issue. This recipe makes one 8x8-inch pan of bars, or 8 cookie bars. Double the recipe and use a 9x13-inch pan for 16 bars. The chocolate topping is optional!

This rich, dark chocolate cake is high in protein and nutrients like zinc and essential fatty acids (linoleic and oleic fatty acids). Because of its richness, serve it with a light, fruity sauce or sliced fresh strawberries. Watch the baking time closely. Test for doneness after about 35 minutes. If the top of the cake feels jiggly to the touch it needs more time, if not, pull it out.

I have been asked a number of times for ideas to bread chicken breasts, fish, and vegetables - gluten-free.

Tonight I thought I would offer some ideas on this topic, some of my own and some gleaned from my fellow foodies.

Keep a jar of this dressing stocked in your refrigerator so you can create nutritious salads daily! I place all of the ingredients into a wide mouth mason jar and use my immersion blender to make this dressing, but you could also use a regular blender. This dressing will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for about 2 weeks.

This delicious, nourishing casserole makes the perfect fall or winter plant-based meal. I initially created this recipe to utilize the fresh turmeric I had on hand, but it also can be made with dried. If you work during the week, then try making this recipe on the weekend to have available for the week. The long baking time may not make this suitable for a quick weeknight meal. I use a stone casserole dish for this recipe. Portions can also be frozen into small containers for future use. Enjoy!

This easy Instant Pot rice and beans recipe comes together quickly once the beans have finished soaking. Serve rice and beans with sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for a delicious and easy plant-based meal!

Rhubarb’s beautiful, rosy stalks poke up out of the ground in spring before any other fruit making them the quintessential “fruit” for this season. The tart, tangy flavor that rhubarb offers to baked goods is unequivocal. These little gems won’t last long after being baked!

Serve these delicious curry roasted potatoes with baked fish, steak, roasted chicken, or a curried lentil soup. Be sure to cut the potatoes so each piece is relatively the same size. This way the potatoes will cook evenly and perfectly.

Serve this nourishing winter kale salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas! The walnuts can be replaced with either pecans or hazelnuts. Add fresh pomegranate arils for more color, flavor, and antioxidants!

The phrase "Be a Yocal, Buy Local" still rings in my head from my Bozeman, Montana days. Yes I used to live there and loved it! The co-op there had stickers with the above phrase that I had plastered on my Nalgene water bottle. (No, I do not use a Nalgene bottle anymore....stainless steel for us now!).

Greens, greens glorious greens are the local veggies that are available at our Farmer's Market right now. Last Saturday we bought loads of fresh kale, arugula, mixed baby greens, sorrel, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, green onions, and baby garlic.

These flour-free blender pancakes are so quick and easy to make! Just add the buckwheat groats and rolled oats to a high-powered blender along with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth! Serve these nutrient-dense pancakes with scrambled eggs or sausages for your children's breakfast.

What you put on your skin is equally as important as what you put into your body. This homemade body lotion, or body butter, is incredibly easy to make and will deeply nourish your skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and absorbs much of what you put onto it. It’s so easy to make your own skincare products using simple, unprocessed ingredients. Shea butter is the foundation of body butter and what makes this lotion so nourishing for the skin. Shea butter is a rich source of fatty acids that hydrate, protect, and soften the skin, as well as soothe inflamed or cracked skin. Stearic acid and palmitic acid are the two main fatty acids in shea butter responsible for these benefits. Shea butter is excellent for dry, cracked hands and feet, and for helping to heal skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.

Simply making sure you have a good lunch can be a challenge sometimes, but what about your child? I know mornings can be frenzied and kids may go to school with less than optimal lunches. Or you may be the type that packs a super healthy lunch everyday only to find most of it uneaten in the lunchbox at the end of the day.

There is a solution.

Have your child pack his or her lunch in the morning! This way they pack what they want within the realm of healthy options and you have more time for other things in the morning.