Tips From a Personal Chef – Top 10 Techniques to Make Food Last

It’s not easy: Meal planning, shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning take dedicated energy and clear focus. With the daily juggle of career, family and social life, we can only make the healthiest choices we can, and hopefully make the process as easy on ourselves as possible. One of the ways to go easy in the [...]

Apricot Braised Chicken or Tempeh

Serves 2-4 Chicken pieces are braised on the stovetop in a sweet apricot sauce. Tempeh can easily replace the chicken. This recipe is quick and easy: 1) Blend the sauce 2) throw it all in the pan and 3) let it cook. Any remaining sauce can be poured over steamed brown rice or quinoa, or [...]

Chicken Roll-Ups with No-Cook Cilantro-Walnut Sauce

Serves 2 A simple, powerful sauce is rolled up into flattened grilled chicken breasts. Extra sauce can be served on the side. The rolls make a great grab-and-go snack the next day. Cooking Tip: Since breast meat is low in fat, it tends to get dry and tough fast as it cooks. Pounding flattens the [...]

Everyday Tips for Healthy Living: Use a Rice Cooker for All Grains

Rice cookers are not only for rice. I use mine to cook other gluten-free whole grains like quinoa, millet and amaranth. A rice cooker allows for easy preparation that requires little (if any) attention. This makes it ideal for stress-free cooking. And it conveniently doesn’t take up any stovetop space. Sign up for Alison’s Natural [...]

Everyday Tips for Healthy Living: Setting Your Table

How are we able to truly relax into the pleasure of eating if the dinner table is drop spot for unread mail, unpaid bills, newspapers and magazines? Having this kind of clutter around while eating subliminally reminds us of our unfinished business and can unconsciously put us into a stressful mode. Make each meal at [...]

Morning Miso Cup

Serves 2-4 A warm cup of miso is a smooth way to transition from slumber into the activities of the morning. I use “blond” miso for my soup, but any variety of miso will work. Make sure to read labels (many have grains that could be allergenic for some people). This soup welcomes additions like [...]

Green Ginger-Peach-Lemongrass Smoothie

Serves 1-2 This Southeast Asian-inspired smoothie will get you out of the “same-old same-old” smoothie rut. Using sweet spices and roots adds flair and flavor, but also nutrition: Both ginger and lemongrass excel at boosting digestive fire and immunity. Cooking Tip: Although pricey, I recommend a Vita-Mix high-speed blender for making smoothies. My motto is [...]

3-Minute Scrambled Egg and Smoked Salmon Sushi Breakfast

Makes six 1-inch rolls Making your own breakfast sushi is a fun way to break up morning mealtime monotony. It’s actually easy and takes only minutes to prepare. Use any left-over veggies in the fridge. Cooking Tip: Nori seaweed sheets (sushi wrappers) are made by grinding seaweed and drying them into thin sheets. They can [...]

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