The Next Stage: The Holistic Approach to Transitioning
When your muscles feel sore, you have a banana. When you feel backed up, you consume chickweed. When you feel lost, you meditate. But what do you do when you are spiritually a man but assigned female...
View ArticleFood First: A Recipe to support your Fall Activity
The fall is always full of activities and so I look for recipes that are going to be easy to prepare, full of nutrients and ready to eat when needed. I created this recipe with a variety of beans for...
View ArticleFood First: A Frittata to Relish All Day Long
I love breakfast foods and enjoy them at any time of the day! This frittata recipe works great as a breakfast, brunch or paired alongside a green salad at dinnertime. Frittata recipes are great in that...
View ArticleFood First: A Holiday Smoothie
The holiday season is here and with it comes a variety of food and drinks that may not be on your normal menu. If you are feeling stuffed, bloated and know that you’ve made some questionable choices,...
View ArticleFood First: Warm Soup to sustain You in 2017
The New Year is a great time to assess where you are at in your life and determine what seems to be working (or not). It offers us an opportunity to expand, grow, stretch and move more into the life...
View ArticleFood First: Show Yourself some Love with Healthy Snacks
Every year when February rolls around I think about Valentine’s Day and I think about love. I send gratitude for all of the amazing people I get to work with and I think about ways to nurture and love...
View ArticleHealthy Life Expo returns to Minneapolis this month
The largest health, wellness and fitness show in the Upper Midwest — the Healthy Life Expo — returns to the Minneapolis Convention Center this month. The event is February 4-5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m....
View ArticleFood First: A Quick, go-to Bean Dish for Protein, Fiber
Are you looking for some new inspiration for dinner? This is a simple, quick, go-to recipe that works great as a main dish or on the side! It’s a tasty combination of beans, greens and herbs that will...
View ArticleFood First | A Spring Cleansing for the Body
As spring arrives, I am always thinking about cleansing and preparing my body for the warmer upcoming months. It’s like a spring cleaning for your body! Check out this smoothie recipe that I have...
View ArticleFood First: A go-to salad for greens, fiber
Spring has sprung and everything is coming up green! This is the perfect time to take a cue from Mother Nature and get more greens into your daily eating. I love to sneak them into smoothies, salads...
View ArticleFood First: Eating Lighter with Simple Summer Meals
I love quick, simple and delicious meals in the spring and summer months! It’s a great time to eat lighter and enjoy all the fresh produce from you garden or from the Farmer’s Market. This recipe takes...
View ArticleFood First: Celebrating the Pineapple in July
Summer is a great time to have lots of fresh fruit, veggies and leafy greens on hand! One thing I hear often from people is how hard it is to keep fresh produce in the house and use it before it...
View ArticleFood First: Simple, Cool Treats for the Summertime Heat
Looking for some cool treats as the summer heats up? Look no further than these two simple recipes that are easy for anyone to make! The Cherry Vanilla Sorbet is a fruity, non-dairy treat and the Nutty...
View ArticleFood First: A Satisfying Gluten-free Meal
Want to go gluten-free, but still crave the texture of pasta? Want a satisfying meal that is also dairy free? I’ve got you covered with this very fresh dish that you can make with a few simple...
View ArticleWhy I am Vegan
It was unbelievable for my family and friends to digest the fact that a crazy meat-lover who once relished eating roasted Chicken Drumsticks, Hakka Chilli Chicken or sautéed Tilapia fish quit eating...
View ArticleVegan vs. Vegetarian
I have, only recently, begun eating a more vegetarian diet when I decided to break up with my prior food relationship to begin a new one. I realized the former food relationship was dragging me down....
View ArticleOur World as a Soup Bowl
A battle of comments ensued under my recent Facebook posting: Hate crimes got you down?! If you still eat meat, then you are part of the problem. My vegan friends understood the post and added...
View ArticleWhy I Am Vegan
My idea of living with a vegan lifestyle is that I don’t consume any dairy or animal products. As someone once said, “If it has a face or a mother, I don’t eat or drink it.” We can eat healthy without...
View ArticleConscious Consumerism: Responsible Choices As We Ascend
An incredible amount of evidence exists for the support of a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. We could go into living a life free of animal cruelty, the health aspect, or the humanitarian route. We could...
View ArticleNot Missing the Meat
Did I ever imagine I would become a tree hugger? Someone who talks about energy and stuff? A person who considers disease your body’s way of communicating discord? Ten years ago, never in a million...
View ArticleWhy I am Vegan
My mother adopted a 7-month old Yorkie a few years ago and I instantly fell in love with her. Before my mom brought this playful, cuddly, little fluff ball into our home, I had made previous attempts...
View ArticleTen Ways Specific Fermented Foods can improve Your Life
An excerpt from the book The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life The following are 10 ways specific...
View ArticleSpirit Leaves: Not Yet Vegan
Once, on a plane, a woman sitting beside me related how she lived on a farm in Wisconsin. Every morning, the sheep would come up to the porch to be petted as she and her husband sat in their rockers...
View ArticleFood First: Chocolate – a powerhouse of nutrition
Do you ever crave a little something sweet? How about chocolate? What kind of chocolate do you opt for? All chocolate is made from cacao beans (also known as cocoa beans). Raw chocolate is unprocessed...
View ArticleFood First: Got a Craving for Crunch & Salt?
Are you someone who craves something crunchy and salty? Then the “crunch” in this recipe is for you! Great on salads or all on their own, these roasted chick peas are a delicious, crunchy source of...
View ArticleFood First: Delicious, Nutritious Soup for Cold Months
Whether I’m concocting a new recipe or searching for a new recipe to try, I aim for one that is both delicious and nutritious! My family enjoys this simple soup and I hope yours will, too! Sweet...
View ArticleOptimal Health and Wellness for our Optimal Pets
Nutrition and exercise play such a huge role in health, not just for humans, but for animals, as well. Our pets rely on us to make the right decisions for their health throughout their lives, and when...
View ArticleFood First: Starting the New Year Off Right
The New Year is a great time to assess where you are at in your life, to look at what seems to be working and to acknowledge what may not be working so well. It offers an opportunity to expand, grow,...
View ArticleFood First: Here’s to Your Health
What do you like to have for breakfast? Are you stuck in a rut and ready for something new? Or maybe you are looking for an afternoon snack to give you some energy! In either case, my favorite solution...
View ArticleHealthy Life Expo featuring Strongman Competition, Martial Arts
As if the Super Bowl isn’t enough excitement for downtown Minneapolis this winter, Healthy Life Expo will showcase the U.S. Strongman Winter Assault Competition on Saturday, March 3, at the Minneapolis...
View ArticleFood First: Eat to the Beet!
I just love it when healthy meets yummy and that’s exactly what happens with this recipe! My friend Nathan spent some time living in the Ukraine and picked up this fabulous Borscht recipe from the...
View ArticleWhat does it mean to follow Vegetarian Diets when you are a Man in a Big City?
Last week for the first time after a year interval, I pulled myself together and went to a gym. I wanted to do everything right this time. That’s why I opened my wallet wide and paid for a private...
View ArticleFood First: Put a little Spring in your Step
There’s nothing quite like a plate of spring greens after the long cold winter months! They provide an uplifting energy and a natural detoxification that is in total alignment with the season. Arugula...
View ArticleFood First: Wrap your Veggies & Hummus
One of my favorite healthy food strategies is to “shop and chop” on the weekends. It’s a way to get lots of veggies into your week and set yourself up for success by doing a little bit of the shopping...
View ArticleFood First: A Super Spring Salad
One of my favorite healthy food strategies is to make a couple of “grab and go” salads for the week. I love this one because it has plenty of protein and veggies to give you lots of energy throughout...
View ArticleFood First: Summer Snacks from Basil, Peppers
One of my favorite things about summer is all of the fresh basil and peppers in the garden or at the local farmer’s market. It’s a great time to use these fresh garden ingredients to make simple, quick...
View ArticleFood First: Enjoy this incredible Veggie Bowl
One of the best things about late summer and fall is all of the lovely vegetables that are perfect for roasting! This recipe balances the warm, grounded earthy feeling of the fall veggies, with the...
View ArticleFood First: Quick and Easy, Saucy Cheesy!
This is one of the easy “go-to” recipes in my family. There are very few ingredients and you can either make it ahead of time and bake it later or make and bake all at once. Sorry my vegan friends,...
View ArticleFood First: Fall Harvest Time
Fall is my absolute favorite season for so many reasons: the cooler air, the colorful fall leaves, and of course, all the beautiful fall vegetables that can be found in the gardens and at farmers...
View ArticleFood First: Pumpkin Soup for Good Health
It’s Fall Harvest time and one of my favorite things to do is visit the local apple orchard with my family. While my kids are off looking for the biggest pumpkin to carve, I’m busy looking for the...
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