Health is more than what we eat and how much we weigh. Sure, our physical health is important, but what about our emotional health? Does it really matter if we cut out sugar, run marathons and consume dark leafy greens by the bunches if we dread waking up every weekday morning because our career is unfulfilling or we feel stuck in a dead-end relationship? The people we choose to surround ourselves with and how we spend our waking hours is just as important for our health and wellness as what we put into our bodies. It’s all connected.

Sure, it’s a little more complicated in reality, but the right balance between diet and lifestyle (career, relationships and spirituality) is what real health is all about. The hard part is finding that balance, right?

It’s been a few weeks (34 days to be exact) since our wedding and I’ve had some time to let the dust settle and normalcy to return. I am so grateful for the experiences that I’ve had the privilege to share with my friends and family over the last 16 months. It’s crystal clear that I have kick-ass people in my life. Not that I ever doubted it before.

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I hope that I will often think of my wedding day when I need to fill my cup with happy thoughts. As for now, I’m very content basking in the post-wedding glow that all newlyweds should be lucky enough to experience. I am so excited to begin this new chapter with an incredible partner.

We love the way our photographer documented the celebration.

12 days until my wedding day! Just 12 days. After a 16-month engagement it’s hard to believe my wedding day is actually almost here.

During the last few months, adding new posts on this site has been irregular at best and lately nonexistent. In between clients and my other health coaching commitments, my days have been packed with wedding planning, especially during the last few weeks when we officially hit the homestretch. From start to the almost-finish, I’ve honestly had a blast and I know many brides might not say the same about their own experience. Mainstream media tells us that planning a wedding includes smiles, laughter and love accompanied by anxiety, tears and arguments.

When Ryan and I decided to celebrate this milestone in our lives with our friends and relatives, I made a resolution to myself that I was not going to let this major event consume my life. We would keep logistics as simple as possible, keep stress to a minimum and remember everyday what we were actually doing, which was making a commitment in front of our family and friends to spend the rest of our lives together. A wedding should be beautiful and magical, and I’m sure mine will be, but to me, the marriage is more important. Among other things, a wedding is a celebration, a dance party and a happy occasion so it should be fun from the early planning stages through the last dance.

This doesn’t mean I never felt stressed or anxious while planning my wedding. I might be a health coach, but I’m still human. I just tried to keep things in check as often as possible and to the best of my ability. I’m naturally an anxious person and I think these 5 things have helped me keep my cool these last 16 months.

1. Limiting/Avoiding caffeine and sugar – It doesn’t matter if it’s tea instead of coffee, or sucanat instead of raw white sugar – my body is sensitive to all of it and any food that makes my body perk up unnaturally always makes me more anxious.

2. Being realistic about what I can accomplish each day – I set realistic goals every morning of what I want to complete. I love making lists, but what I love even more is crossing items off of my to-do lists!

3. Exercise most days of the week – This is a great outlet for me for any stress I’m feeling. A Bikram yoga studio near my house offers a great deal for first-time students and I’ve been able to go to a class 2 or 3 times a week for a very reasonable price. The heat totally clears my head because all I can focus on is my breathing and keeping sweat out of my eyes. My body is exhausted but relaxed after each class. On days that I can’t find time for a 90-minute yoga class, I make sure to get to the gym for a good cardio workout, stretching and occasional weight lifting.

4. Following a sensible diet – I’m not spending as much time as usual creating new recipes, but I am making sure that what I am eating is still clean, whole and delicious food.

5. Having a good support system – My mom and I have worked together side by side from day 1 of planning. I have also leaned on my sisters, cousin and girlfriends for good ol’ fashioned venting as well as guidance and advice for many things ranging from wedding bands, tuxedos and hairstyles.

So what does a soon-to-be bride eat? Usually a big bowl of greens, vegetables and beans topped with a homemade sauce, hummus or avocado. My family fondly nicknames these bowls of wholesome goodness “bachelorette bowls”. Like I said, simple but clean and naturally delicious food.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (compliments of http://www.myrakornfeld.com/)

Ingredients:

2 heads garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus a teaspoon for the garlic

4 roasted red ball peppers or 2 cups roasted peppers from a jar

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon

salt

black pepper

cayenne

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375  degrees. Peel away the excess paper on the garlic. Cut the top fifth off the heads and place garlic on top of a piece of foil. Drizzle about a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt over the exposed area. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until softened. Let cool a few minutes. Squeeze the garlic into a blender jar.

Add the peppers to the garlic along with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and a pinch cayenne.

Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Place in a small pot and heat just until warm.

Delicious on top of greens and other steamed veggies.

Mini Banana Muffins (sugar free)

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

3 very ripe bananas

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease mini muffin pan

Combine all ingredients and use electric mixer to blend thoroughly

Use large spoon to fill each muffin space ¾ of the way full

Bake for 30 minutes until tops are brown and firm

Cool before removing

Simple steamed veggies

Fresh vegetable juice

Life will be back to normal in May. Until then, wishing you all a wonderful start to Spring! Thanks for your patience and love.

It’s the end of a long week. Ryan was in Germany all week for work. When he travels it usually takes a few nights of sleeping in an empty house before I can actually sleep soundly. It doesn’t matter how old I get – this is just how it is and it makes me miss my tiny studio in NYC where I could see the door from my bed. Not that our house is huge – it’s just bigger than my tiny NYC studio and it’s an old house that makes funny noises sometimes.

After one sleepless night I found myself checking out the beverage counter at Whole Foods while I was grocery shopping. Chai latte? Sure, why not? It sounded like just the pick-me-up I needed.

And it was.

Until I was up again that night. Sigh.

I know caffeine is not my friend. I feel so much better without it, but getting there 5 years ago was not easy. How do you know if it’s time to ditch caffeine?

Do you:

* get tummy aches regularly?

* battle with anxiety?

* feel moody?

* can’t make a #2 without it?

* feel sluggish or struggle with drops in energy?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then it might be time to reevaluate your caffeine intake. Depending on your symptoms I would recommend tapering slowly instead of going cold turkey. Eliminating my one to two cups of Joe every day five years ago was the most difficult dietary change I ever made. It was a rough couple of weeks, but it was without question, totally worth it.

Now when I do have caffeine it’s always tea, never coffee. I prefer my tea naturally caffeine-free. Like ginger tea. It’s warm, full of flavor and great for digestion.

In addition to its digestive and anti-inflammatory benefits, ginger helps clear mucus and calms nausea. Ginger helps promote healthy sweating, which not only assists detoxification, but may also help fight off infections. Research suggests that sweat contains a germ-fighting agent called dermicidin. It is secreted by the body’s sweat glands, and when it is transported to the skin’s surface, it protects against bacteria and other invading microorganisms.

Note: Ginger is a blood thinner so if you take blood thinner medication, please make sure you talk to your doctor before using ginger.

Peel a 2-inch piece of ginger root and cut into thin slices. Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the ginger to the water once it is boiling. Cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain and add honey and lemon if desired.

Most, if not all health food stores that I’ve been to over the years have a refrigerated section for specific supplements whose temperature needs to be regulated. This usually includes probiotics, fish oil and flax oil. Flax seed and flax oil haven’t received the same hype from media and social networking sites as other foods like chia seeds and goji berries, but I think flax is just as, if not more, deserving.

Flax seed is probably most popular for its promotion of healthy digestion, bowel function and regularity. It’s like the modern-day prune but without the added sugar from dried fruit. Plus it has way more health benefits. Ok, Penina. Like what?

Lignans are phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogens) and are important for maintaining healthy bones, normal heart function and hormonal balance. Flax seed happens to be an excellent source of lignans. Some even say it’s the best. Research suggests that lignans also reduce the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers like breast and colon cancer.

To maximize your lignan intake and the other health benefits of eating flax seed, I strongly recommend grinding the seeds instead of eating them whole. The outer layer is very difficult to digest and can pass right through the digestive system pretty much completely intact unless it’s chewed really really well. We store a small Pyrex container of ground flax seed in our freezer for easy access during meals. It has a relatively neutral but slightly nutty flavor so sprinkling a tablespoon or so on top of your meal is an easy way to boost your fiber and lignan intake. We use a small coffee grinder to get the job done.

Next benefit: flax seed and flax oil are great sources of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), also known omega-3 fatty acids. Other vegan sources of omega-3’s include chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, soybeans and walnuts, but flax oil has the most.

Flax oil is a great addition to homemade salad dressings and smoothies. I don’t recommend using it for cooking or in anything involving heat because heat destroys the omega-3’s.

Want to learn more about how flax seed and flax oil can help you reach your health goals? Lets chat. Click here to get started.

A few weeks ago I shared with y’all my first attempt at a homemade face mask made with raw honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. It was a huge success – so much so that my sister and I applied the mask together last weekend while she was in town. Good times.

The combination of low cost and great results is the perfect motivation for me to continue exploring the world of homemade beauty products.

Up next: hair.

Like most brides I know, I’ve been growing my hair out. It’s longer than it’s been in years. I finally have gotten used to it and actually love it, but keeping long hair looking shiny and healthy sometimes feels like a challenge, especially in the winter.

After a little research I determined that there are a couple of different options for homemade hair masks. It seems that any natural food that is either fatty and/or oily is beneficial to restoring shine and moisture and repairing damage. That makes sense. The trick is not making your hair too greasy or oily. That would suck.

I decided on avocado, mayonnaise and coconut oil. I think quantity might vary depending on hair length and thickness, but I used half of an avocado, about1 tablespoon of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. The mask should be thick and not too oily or else it will drip down your neck and face. I threw everything into a small pot and applied medium heat until the mask was slightly warm. You should be able to touch the mask with your hands without burning yourself.

I placed the pot in my bathroom sink and scooped it out with my hands, coating all of my dry hair from scalp to tip. I recommend placing a towel over your shoulders and back – better to be safe than sorry, right? Once my hair was coated in the mask I twisted it on top of my head and covered it with a plastic bag from the produce section at the grocery store. A shower cap would work just as well, but I don’t own one. Covering your head is essential – the idea is to generate enough heat to really get things going under there.

I left the mask on for 2 hours before hopping into the shower and rinsing it out. I used my everyday shampoo and conditioner. I’ll admit that even after shampooing twice, I wasn’t entirely convinced I had rinsed it all out, but I decided against shampooing a third time. Post shower, I proceeded as usual. I like to let my hair air dry as much as possible before bringing out the blow dryer.

Shampooing twice appeared to be a good decision. I wasn’t excessively oily at all and I didn’t find any, um, surprises while blow-drying either. My hair definitely felt silkier and looked shinier too so I would call this experiment a success and will definitely be adding this into my regular hair-care regimen. I’m thinking once every two weeks.

Hydrating hair masks at the hair salon by my house cost $15. While that isn’t as expensive as I expected, this homemade hair mask cost significantly less. Ulta sells hair masks for even more than my local salon and I can hardly pronounce half of the words on the ingredient list. Yea, I will definitely be repeating my homemade hair mask made with 3 ingredients for less than $3.

My diet is plant-based. While I’m not 100 percent vegan or vegetarian, the majority of the food I eat comes from plants. Yes, tofu is plant-based, but soy is also one of the few plant-based foods that get mixed reviews from doctors and other “experts” in the health and wellness industry.

Since soy is a bit controversial, I use moderation. Soy makes up a small percentage of my diet. With all soy products including tofu, I make sure I buy a non-GMO, organic brand. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 93 percent of all soy cultivated in the US is genetically modified. Yikes. Corn and canola oil are also among the most common genetically modified foods.

Research suggests that soy can play a role in lowering cholesterol and the risk for heart disease. It also contains two groups of phytochemicals; saponins and isoflavones. Generally speaking, phytochemicals are good. Phytochemicals are produced by plants and are promoted for the prevention and treatment of many health conditions like high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes. Good stuff.

However, research suggests that isoflavones, a type of phytochemical found in soy, mimic the actions of estrogen. This is where the controversy begins. Some research suggests that the estrogen-like effect is beneficial, especially for women and breast cancer patients. Other evidence suggests that soy is harmful for the same groups of women.

While soy is not a super-food, like kale for example, I believe that it is more likely that a moderate amount of unprocessed (edamame or soy beans) or lightly processed (tofu or soy milk) soy will neither significantly increase my risk for health issues or provide substantial health benefits. I eat it because I like the way it tastes and because it is a good source of protein. It is important to eat a variety of foods and tofu is an easy, affordable and minimally processed option.

As for the tofu-turkey, soy cheese, soy hot dogs and other heavily processed soy products out there, I steer clear. Not so much because of the soy but because they are heavily processed. Those products are obviously soy-containing processed foods. What about isolated soy protein – a common ingredient in some energy bars? Gotta read those labels!

I like this baked tofu as a snack (pictured below) or as part of a meal (pictured above).

Ingredients:

14-ounce organic, extra firm tofu

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil for pan

Directions:

Remove tofu from container and wrap in kitchen towel

Place heavy object on top of wrapped tofu to drain excess water for 30 minutes

Mix soy sauce, ginger and rice vinegar in small mixing bowl

Remove tofu from towel and slice into equal sized squares or whatever shape you desire – about ¾’’ thick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Soak tofu in marinade while oven preheats – I use a large 8x6x2 Pyrex container

Flip once

In a large pan, pour about 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Use your fingers to spread it evenly around the pan. The bottom should have a tiny coat of oil

Place tofu onto pan – tofu can touch, but do not overlap the pieces

Place pan in oven

Flip tofu every 12 to 15 minutes.

Bake until tofu is firm on the outside – about 60 minutes

Remove pan from oven – serve tofu warm, room temp or straight from the refrigerator

Back in December I posted a recipe for whole wheat blueberry muffins. Although my body does not tolerate wheat, my fiancé does not appear to have any issues with this whole grain so I find myself experimenting with whole wheat every now and then. These muffins quickly became a breakfast staple and I was thrilled because that meant fewer store bought granola and cereal bars. My fiance leaves for work fairly early in the morning to beat rush hour traffic so his breakfast needs to be easily transported.

Every time I was in the kitchen I saw these muffins. They looked so delicious, but I knew even one bite would make me miserable. After a few weeks I had enough. It was time to come up with a blueberry muffin recipe that was “P-friendly” (my fiance’s label for foods that agree with me).

This is what I came up with. I haven’t made any whole wheat muffins since. We both happily enjoy the “P-friendly” version.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup sucanat

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease muffin pan

Combine all ingredients except for the blueberries in medium mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to combine ingredients thoroughly.

Pour in blueberries and use a spoon to mix into batter.

Use a spoon to pour batter into muffin pan. Fill 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. The batter will rise.

Bake until the tops are firm – about 24 minutes.

May be it’s the cold weather, I don’t know, but lately I’ve been eating more grains than usual. Sure, they’re whole grains and all that, but too many grains and I start feeling heavy. No, I’m not talking about my weight. This isn’t about weight at all. I’m talking about my energy. I feel more sluggish. I snack more often. I just feel out of sorts. Just because I’m a health coach doesn’t mean I don’t have to make tweaks every now and then. I’m still human.

Anyway, in an effort to cut back on my daily whole grain consumption I came up with this delicious breakfast. I made a big batch of cabbage earlier in the week and have been eating it throughout the week. For me to eat well on a regular basis, I have come to learn that I need to cook in larger quantities and reheat leftovers. I simply don’t have the time or desire to cook 7 days a week.

But I digress -

This morning I pulled my Pyrex container of cabbage out of the refrigerator. I chopped ¼ of an apple and tossed it in a small pan with a little bit of water to help it cook. When the apple was soft, I drained any extra water that remained and added the cabbage to heat it up and then everything went onto a plate. I used the same pan to fry and egg and added it on top. The whole thing took about 5 minutes and I had a sweet, nutritious and filling breakfast to enjoy. Not a bad way to start the day!

This is the recipe I used for the big batch of cabbage. I use the word “recipe” very loosely here. You can add as much as you want to your plate for breakfast.

Ingredients:

½ medium green cabbage, chopped into large pieces

1 small onion, chopped into large pieces

1 cup cooked or canned Cannellini beans

A couple of shakes of Balsamic Vinegar

Grapeseed oil or water

Directions:

In a large skillet, add a little oil or water to create a thin later on the bottom of the pan.

On medium heat, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the cabbage. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add oil or water as necessary.

Add the beans. Drain any remaining water and add a few shakes of balsamic vinegar.

Once the cabbage is soft enough to insert a fork, remove from heat and serve or put aside to cool and store for breakfast.

What are your favorite breakfast foods? How do they make you feel?

Winter is a rough couple of months. Keeping warm in an old house can be tricky business. Drinking tea, eating warm foods and wearing multiple layers of clothing helps, but I’m also guilty of occasionally using space heaters for instant relief. Unfortunately, too much time with space heaters and my skin gets really dry. It’s a difficult balancing act.

I’ve read about the benefits of raw honey and decided now was as good a time as any to see first-hand what raw honey can do for my skin. Raw honey is full of enzymes, one of the must-have ingredients in any effective skincare product. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties – also great for skin. Raw honey is a little coarse, making it perfect for exfoliating and removing dead skin cells.  Awesome stuff.

Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it is absorbed into our body. It makes sense to put onto our skin only what we can also put into our mouth. Easier said then done. Well, for me anyway. But we all have to begin somewhere.

A simple face mask made with raw honey and a few spices seemed like a good and affordable place to start. I realize the picture above isn’t exactly um, glamorous or flattering, and yes, there is a chunk of honey on my cheek, but I’m keepin’ it real with you.

I scooped about a tablespoon of raw honey into a small bowl and added a couple of shakes of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

Cinnamon and nutmeg are also both anti-inflammatory – perfect for soothing red marks and puffiness. I mixed it all up and used my fingers to spread it across my face. I think I put it on too thick because after a few minutes it started dripping down my face and droplets were plopping into my lap. At least it tasted yummy when it dripped down my lips.

I removed some of the mask and left a very thin layer on my face. There, problem solved.

I left the mask on for 30 minutes before rinsing it off. Damn, my skin felt awesome. And it looked good too! Clean, moisturized,

During my “research” on face masks, some raw honey users suggested raw honey as a daily cleanser. While a high raw honey frequency is certainly out of my beauty supplies budget at this point in time, I think a handful of times a month is reasonable.

Do you have a home-made beauty product that you love? There are so many products that I’ve been curious about. Up next, I think I will try coconut oil.

It’s that time of year! Baking time! No matter what holiday you’re celebrating this holiday season, I think we can all agree that we’re spending more time this month compared to other months baking sweets or eating someone else’s baked sweets. What a fun time of year!

Indulging during the holiday season is all fine and dandy, but if I’m going to be eating more sweets than usual, they at least have to be made with real ingredients like whole grains and natural sweeteners. Oh who am I kidding – that’s my rule of thumb year round.

Baking with ingredients that aren’t white flour and sugar took a little while for me to figure out. Let’s just say there were some issues with texture and consistency. It wasn’t pretty. But that was a few years ago. I’ve grown since then.

So why the change? Why was it important for me to upgrade the quality of my ingredients?

White flour is pretty much a big loser when it comes to nutrition and flavor. Sure, it’s great at holding stuff together and getting that texture just right, but that’s about it. The same goes for white sugar – it’s a shock of sweetness to your taste buds that doesn’t last long and only leaves you wanting more, and more, and more. The taste of honey or maple syrup – now that’s real flavor.

Here are some gluten free baking ingredients that I’m crushing on right now in a big way.

Quinoa Flour

Why I love it – it’s loaded with protein (all 9 of the essential amino acids), zinc, iron, calcium and other wonderful essential nutrients, is easy to digest, and gives a subtle and delicious sweet and nutty flavor to foods.

Tapioca Flour

Why I love it – It’s a starchy white flour with a sweet flavor. It helps baked goods have a good texture and consistency because it can be used to thicken batters and soups.

Sucanat

Why I love it – It is whole cane sugar. It’s minimally processed – the natural molasses is still intact, giving sucanat a deep brown color and natural molasses flavor. Why the weird name? Sucanat stands for Sugar Cane Natural.

Raw Honey

Why I love it – Great flavor and it’s sticky which is great for holding the batter together. The real stuff, not the highly processed runny honey that comes in the bear-shaped jar, is full of enzymes that aid in digestion, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

Coconut Oil

Why I love it – It can withstand the heat of cooking, unlike most oils. An oil’s smoke point is the temperature that decomposition and oxidative damage begin. Refined oils have higher smoke points than their unrefined counterparts, but they’re also refined and highly processed, making them a poor choice anyway. Yes, coconut oil is made up of mostly saturated fat, but not all saturated fats are created equal. The fatty acids in coconut oil are mostly medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), not long-chain triglycerides found in other fats and oils. Research suggests that MCTs improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol so it’s actually health promoting. Coconut oil is also known for its hair and skin benefits. I love it for its sweet and delicious flavor.

Happy baking and happy holidays!

This chocolate chip cookie has great texture and a very subtle sweetness. I love the addition of quinoa flakes for a soft crunch!

Ingredients: (makes 2 dozen)

¾ cup quinoa flakes (I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes)

½ cup quinoa flour

½ cup tapioca flour

½ to ¾ cup sucanat

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 eggs

2/3 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 ounces high quality dark chocolate (I am currently loving Scharffen Berger 82% Cacao), chopped – size of chocolate chunks is up to you

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease cookie sheets

Combine all ingredients except chocolate in medium-sized mixing bowl

Use electric hand mixer to blend ingredients thoroughly

Add chocolate and use spoon to evenly distribute chocolate throughout batter

Use spoons to place dough balls on prepared baking sheet. Cookies will expand a little bit in the oven so allocate space on the baking sheet accordingly.

Bake until cookies are firm – about 20 to 25 minutes.