I never heard of okra before moving to the south. It’s popular there, where it grows easily because there is little frost. The first time I brought it home I thought that my okra was spoiled because it was very slimy and sticky when I cut it open. Turns out, that’s just how okra is. Not exactly appetizing, to say the least, but you get used to it.

Putting up with a little slime is worth it, if you ask me. Okra packs in the health benefits – it’s a great tool to stabilize blood sugar, maintain a healthy gastro-intestinal tract and prevent constipation, gas and bloating.

It’s common to pair okra with acidic vegetables, like tomatoes, to reduce some of the slime. Or you can use the slime to thicken soups. So clearly a little slime goes a long way – drama-free digestion, lots of nutrients and thick soups – not too shabby.

At the Farmer’s Market this weekend, I picked up some okra at the request of my fiancé. I figured I would roast it with some tomatoes and call it a day. Easy. Simple. Real Food. Why over-think it, right?

I spent most of the day studying so I was grateful when Ryan took a break from football to help me get our meals ready for the week. He came up with an okra red lentil combination that was both creative and tasty. Yes, I know I’m a very lucky girl.

He modified the recipe found on this website.

Ingredients:

Okra with onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

4 dried red hot chilis, sliced with seeds

1 cup okra, sliced into 1/4′’ slices

dash of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Red Lentils

1 pound dried red lentils

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 garlic clove, sliced

1 dried red chili, chopped with seeds

pinch of salt

water to just cover lentils

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pan. Add onion, garlic and chili. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add okra and spices. Cook until is soft and dries out. Set aside.

Pour olive oil into large pan on medium heat. Add onions and spices for lentils. Cook for 5 minutes.

Pour water and lentils into pan with onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are cooked – about 30 minutes.

Add okra mixture to lentils and mix with spoon.

Serve warm. It pairs well with brown rice or pita.

Juicing and I have had an on-again-off-again relationship for about 5 years.

I bought my first juicer before juicing went mainstream – well may be it’s still not as mainstream as say, the gluten-free industry is today, but I think it’s safe to say that the juicing industry is definitely gaining traction. Now, I’m not saying this to brag at all. My health coach that I worked with after my diagnosis had mentioned the benefits to me one day (which I will get to shortly) during a session so I bought a relatively cheap juicer and gave it a try. I found the clean up exhausting and annoying so juicing didn’t exactly become a daily activity.

A few years later I moved to Asheville. Two local grocery stores had juice bars. Prices were reasonable and the options were endless. Stop in to pick up juice after the gym, on the way to work, or sip it while grocery shopping? Yes. Please. No clean up involved. Now that I could do. And I did. Happily. About three times a week. I felt good.

Since moving to Cincinnati, I admit that juicing and I called it quits again. The juice bar at Whole Foods is hardly impressive. I didn’t want to juice at home so I started drinking green smoothies every day to compensate. It felt good, but it’s been 7 months and there is something about fresh vegetable juice that I can’t find in a green smoothie.

It was time to make a change. I need to juice. I know I do.

Now I have a juicer that I enjoy. It doesn’t take up a lot of counter space, is super easy to clean and the price is reasonable. If you’re interested – I’m talking about the Breville Compact Juicer for about $100. In the interest of transparency – I’m not getting any rewards for mentioning this juicer to you all – I just like it. It works for me. That’s all.

So juicing and I are back on again. I hope for the long haul because it sure does make me feel pretty great.

Freshly made vegetable juice, not the prepackaged stuff, is the easiest way for your body to absorb the highest quality nutrients. It’s a straight shot of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein and oxygen. I drink it on an empty stomach and then follow it up with a meal about 30 minutes later. It gives my digestive system a little break, which it needs sometimes. Now it can focus on other things like cell repair and recovery.

I like to use cucumbers or celery as a base and go from there. I always add dark leafy greens and the rest depends on what I have and what is in season. I usually throw in a small apple or pear as well, but the majority of the juice comes from vegetables.

I find that clean-up is easiest if I do it immediately, before the leftover pulp dries. All I have to do is run each part under warm water to rinse everything off and put it aside to dry. The whole process from start to finish takes less than 10 minutes. Not too bad at all, I think. And my body feels so grateful!

Do you juice? What are your favorite juicing recipes?

While I personally choose to refrain from eating animal protein on a regular basis, I realize that we are all different and that for some, eating meat makes them feel better compared to how they feel if they don’t eat meat. I am the opposite. I feel best when I don’t eat animal protein.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page – “animal protein” means any food that comes from an animal – eggs, cheese, milk, chicken, turkey, veal, lamb, you get the idea.

My fiancé prefers meat – not for every meal, but at least a few times a week. I get that. However, he has significantly reduced his intake these last few months – he’s lost weight, feels good and our monthly food budget is looking better than ever. I like it.

When we first moved to Asheville together I started cooking meat for the first time in a few years. I had completely forgotten what raw meat felt and looked like. I didn’t like it at all. In fact, at the very beginning I had to buy meat already seasoned and marinated from our grocery store (don’t worry, still high quality meat and ingredients because that’s just how Asheville rolls), plop it onto the pan without touching it and walk away. But I did it. Man, that’s love.

Well it got easier over time. Much easier. Sort of how most doctors will tell you how nauseous or ill they got the first time they ever saw a live surgery and within no time how they completely became immune to the idea of what they were actually looking at, cutting into, etc. Yea – it was definitely like that – minus the whole saving lives thing.

So anyways, now I don’t mind cooking meat at home. Anything and everything. As long as it’s good quality stuff, of course. I’ve always been curious by pulled meat and decided to give chicken a try. I didn’t taste it (I did however, dip my pinkie in a few times once the chicken was cooked to see how the sauce tasted), but my fiancé gave it excellent reviews – which is good, because there’s a few meals worth of pulled chicken in our refrigerator!

I paired it with a raw kale salad (recipe below) that was inspired by a segment I saw on TV earlier that day.

Ingredients:

Round 1 in the Slow Cooker:

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

3 tomatoes, diced (keep seeds and juice)

1 – 1.25 pounds boneless chicken breast

1 cup broth of your choice (check out my homemade bone beef broth)

Round 2 in the Slow Cooker:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

Directions:

If the chicken is thick, cut into thinner pieces – about 1’’ thick or less.

Place all ingredients from Round 1 in the slow cooker. Use a spoon to mix in the vegetables and seasonings evenly around the chicken.

Cook for about 3 hours or until chicken is white and cooked.

Strain.

Remove chicken and use 2 forks to pull it apart into strings.

Place ingredients from Round 2 in slow cooker. Mix evenly.

Pour pulled chicken into slow cooker.

Add tomatoes and any other ingredients still in your strainer back into the slow cooker. Most of it should still be there except the broth.

Use a spoon to mix everything together.

Cook for another hour.

Serve warm or chilled.

The pulled chicken can be eaten on top of a salad, as a sandwich or with this raw kale salad featured below. Whatever sounds good to you!

Ryan takes a huge salad to work everyday with whatever veggies we pick up at the Farmer’s Market. Today I topped it with pulled chicken.

Raw Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of kale (I used the curly kale)

1 lemon

2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar

1 avocado

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

Wash kale and use hands to remove leaves. Tear leaves into bite size pieces. Pat dry with towel before placing in large mixing bowl.

Add lemon juice and raw apple cider vinegar.

Add avocado. It helps if you cut the avocado into cubes first.

Use your (freshly washed) hands to mix all ingredients together. Feel free to mash the avocado.

Season if necessary.

Place in refrigerator and let the acidity do its thing for at least 1 or 2 hours.

Serve chilled.

I admit it – I was spoiled in Asheville. Spoiled rotten, in fact. Mom-and-pop shops and restaurants offered endless supplies of local produce and menu items that were both delicious and could accommodate any dietary preference. Even the grocery stores in Asheville, Earth Fare and Green Life (semi-recently bought by Whole Foods) offered an abundant amount of local produce and products. Being kind to my body and to the environment was practically effortless! Ok, may be that was a stretch – there were still plenty of fast food joints and the like around town, but my point is that Asheville was a wonderful and exceptionally beautiful place to live for two and a half years. The food culture alone is the perfect incentive for anyone looking for a romantic getaway or a girl’s weekend destination.

The changes that I experienced by moving to a new part of the country without my tight-knit community that I had grown accustomed and even dependent on, forced me to grow. Change isn’t easy, in fact, it’s pretty darn uncomfortable, but I can honestly say that I am a stronger, more independent and happier person today as a result. Thank you sweet and stunning Asheville, for making me uncomfortable and forcing me to grow.

Today marks day 7 that I moved into my new home in Cincinnati, Ohio. I honestly never thought I’d be back in the Midwest after ungrad, but that’s the funny thing about making plans – sometimes your plans go out the window and that’s ok. I can’t control everything, and besides, if there were no more surprises then I think life would be pretty boring, don’t’cha think?

I love my new neighborhood. I love my new home. I love being in a bigger city and the opportunities that come with it. I love the people I’m meeting. So far, so good.

The first room that I unpacked and got up and running was the kitchen. I’m sure you’re not surprised. In the handful of days between the time we moved out of Asheville and closed and moved into our house, it didn’t take long before I started noticing the changes to my body from eating restaurant and prepared foods for every meal for consecutive days. My cravings changed. My energy levels changed. My body didn’t feel as light and vibrant as it did a few days ago. Even my mood changed and I noticed that I was more anxious than usual (and I even accounted for the additional stress that moving can bring).

Even though I was making “good choices”, I never knew for sure what I was putting into my body. I could taste salt in everything, even plain, steamed vegetables. In one restaurant I ordered a plain baked potato with a side of steamed vegetables and baked beans. The waitress looked at me sideways and double and triple checked that I did not want anything on my baked potato. My potato still came with a thick coat of salt on top – apparently even “au natural” includes salt. Geesh!

Since I have spent the last couple of years eating out only once or twice a week, the dramatic increase was very noticeable – both to my body and my wallet! My food budget almost tripled – what I usually spend in a week I spent double times that in only four days. Needless to say, I am grateful that my kitchen is unpacked and fully functional.

How often do you eat out? Do you notice a difference in how you feel when you eat out less frequently and eat homemade goodies?

Over the last two years, since I moved to North Carolina from New York, I have learned a lot about southern living. Sometimes it really feels like a different country down here, but I love it! Just a few weeks ago, my fiancé and I were shopping for Christmas presents for our angel tree child, a 17-year-old boy that enjoys hunting, at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Boy did I learn a lot about camouflage clothing (also known as “camo”), deer calls and pocketknives that day. Woah.

But I digress. Black-eyed peas (the food, not the band) is another example of something that I only heard of back north, but southerners love them down here.  There is a tradition of eating black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread in the south on New Year’s.

Health, prosperity and good fortune are common wishes and hopes in the New Year. Those of you that are superstitious might want to pay attention. Black-eyed peas swell when they cook, symbolizing prosperity. Collard greens ensure plenty of greenbacks (money) in the new year and the cornbread signifies a wealth of gold.

So for the second time in my life I spent time in the kitchen with black-eyed peas. We’ll see if this year brings prosperity, greenbacks and gold. Any meal loaded with greens, vegetables and legumes is guaranteed to bring easy digestion and good health, that I know for sure.

Happy new year!

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

1 ½  cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

3 cups water

1 cup vegetable broth

1 head collard greens, stems removed and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 head celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

14.5 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 ½  teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Optional for a little kick:

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Directions:

Soak black-eyed peas in water for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 hours. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and apply high heat.

Bake until beans are fully cooked, about 8 hours.

Some days call for dining out. Typically, most of my meals are homemade, but when my mom drove 11 hours from my hometown in New York all the way down to Asheville, I thought it would be fun to introduce her to the local bakery around the corner from my house.

With an emphasis on locally grown produce and organic products, the West End Bakery and Café is hardly your traditional bakery. For starters, there are plenty of options for customers avoiding gluten or dairy. Everything is made from scratch and made with the freshest ingredients available.

This local neighborhood spot is perfect for brunch with friends or warming up with a cup of tea and a good book. The bakery has an unpretentious and very relaxed vibe, just like the rest of West Asheville! The staff is friendly and very helpful.

So next time your in West Asheville, check out the local bakery at 757 Haywood Avenue. There is a lot to choose from!

We picked up a gluten free blueberry muffin, a spelt blueberry and almond muffin and a local favorite (and their specialty) – cinnamon buns!

Call me crazy, but this summer I was fortunate to have my youngest sister live with me for about six weeks. It was the first time the two of us lived under the same roof for an extended period of time in about ten years. I’m sure many of you reading this really do think I’m crazy, but I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family, that the six weeks flew by too quickly and now I miss not seeing her every day. She loves to cook and would frequently bring home fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden where she worked. One of the last treats that she brought home was a bag full of green beans.

Growing up green beans were one of my least favorite vegetables, which was strange because I never considered myself to be a picky eater. Then I realized that I wasn’t eating green beans when they were in season. Even though green beans still don’t rank at the top of my “favorite vegetables” list, I enjoy them when I eat them in the summer, which is when they are in season. They are so crisp, cooling and delicious – perfect for the summer heat!

Eating seasonally means that the food is going to taste its best because it didn’t have to fly half way around the world and ripen in the back of a truck. Instead, the produce ripened on the tree or bush or in the ground where nature intended it to ripen in order to maximize flavor and nutrients.

So next time you think you don’t like a fruit or vegetable check to see if you are eating it when it is in season in your area. This might make all the difference.

Ingredients:

4 heaping handfuls of green beans, whole

½ large red pepper, chopped

½ large yellow pepper, chopped

½ large onion, chopped

1 cup black beans, cooked or canned

Sauce:

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons balsamic vingarette

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon water

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

In large pan add ¼ inch of water and add medium high heat

Add green beans, onions and peppers

While this is cooking, mix sauce ingredients in small mixing bowl and whisk together

Add black beans

Cook until onions are translucent and peppers and green beans are tender on the outside and crisp on the inside

Strain

Add sauce and coat evenly

The other day my new next door neighbors left a basket of tomatoes on my back porch. They had too many in their garden and they didn’t want any to go to waste. Lucky for me that I live next door. Now I had to decide what to do with them – the pressure was on!

I left the cherry tomatoes for snacking, but I wanted to try something new with the larger ones. I came up with a light sauce, perfect for summer to go with my basic meal formula. Seasonal and delicious, you can use this antioxidant-rich dressing as a substitute for salad dressing or as a light sauce for white fish.

Even though most grocery stores sell tomatoes year-round, they are staple at the Farmer’s Markers in the summer. They are known for their lycopene content, a carotenoid notorious for its antioxidant qualities. To maximize lycopene in your produce, buy organic.

The picture above starts with a bed of steamed Swiss chard. Then I piled on a mix of steamed and sautéed vegetables including zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms. I topped it off with white beans, a sprinkle of quinoa and my tomato dressing.

Ingredients:

2 cups tomatoes

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

½ teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon MatoZest

1 clove garlic

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend completely

I first heard about An Apple A Day a few months after moving to Asheville, but it took about 1.5 years before I actually experienced what all of the buzz around this quaint mom-and-pop restaurant was all about.

Based on the principle that food and nutrition play an active role in the prevention or growth of disease, An Apple A Day serves salads, wraps, soups, juices and desserts made from whole foods. A wrap, for example begins with, well, a wrap and the choice of three different homemade non-dairy spreads bursting with flavor; pesto avocado, lemon red pepper or apple cider tahini. Yum! Then they toss in some greens, quinoa and a pearled barley grain mixture with some red cabbage, broccoli, sweet potato, carrot, kale, seeds and nuts. Top it of with your choice of a dressing and you have a very satisfying, not to mention, nutrient dense lunch.  I don’t know about you, but I have never seen a wrap on a menu filled with even half of these nutritious ingredients!

My favorite part about an Apple A Day, other than the food, is the complimentary water they serve. It’s green because it’s filtered with chlorophyll! How cool is that? In case you’re wondering, it tastes great and very refreshing. Chlorophyll is great for overall health – it’s an antioxidant that is benefits for your immune system, blood cells, cardiovascular system and energy levels.

So if you’re in Black Mountain be sure to stop by An Apple A Day for lunch (they are open Monday through Saturday, 11am – 3:30pm). The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the food is how food should be – made fresh with real ingredients. The restaurant is in the center of downtown Black Mountain so what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than walking around outdoors, supporting local businesses and eating real food.

My youngest sister, Arielle, is living with me this summer while she works in the garden at Warren Wilson College, about 25 minutes away from my home. Lucky for us, she brings home vegetables and other goodies from the garden a couple of days a week, providing us with delicious, organic, locally grown goodness. Zucchini and squash are very plentiful right now so we have made it our mission to come up with new and exciting ways to use this duo.

Here are two ideas. Both will make your home smell amazing in two very different ways!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

3 cups rolled oats, processed in blender to create flour consistency

1 large zucchini, grated with skin intact

1 cup honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

hand full of blueberries (optional)

hand full of chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease bread pan

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix well

Add honey and mix with spoon until ingredients are completely blended

Pour batter into bread pan

Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until top is golden brown and inside is fully cooked (stick a toothpick to test)

Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving

Rosemary Zucchini & Squash

Ingredients:

1 or 2 stems of rosemary

1 small zucchini

1 small squash

Other favorite spices

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Remove rosemary from stem and set aside

Cut zucchini and squash into ½ inch slices

“Thread” zucchini and squash onto rosemary stem and place in small bread loaf dish

Add about ¼ cup of water

Sprinkle rosemary onto zucchini and squash

Add any other favorite spices and a drop of extra virgin olive oil if desired

Cover with tinfoil

Bake until zucchini and squash are tender – approximately 20 minutes

Remove from stems and serve