This magnetic meal planner/grocery list keeper has been a lifesaver for our family.
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One of the hidden benefits of exercising in the morning is that it makes me want to eat better the rest of the day. Why would I want to negate my hard work by eating junk the rest of the day? This morning, I went to my first spin+boot camp class. It was a small…
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If you've ever forgotten to cook a bulb of garlic and noticed the green stem sprouting from the cloves, then you've seen a garlic scape in its earliest stage. If planted and left to grow, the scape will collect air and sunshine to help the garlic plant grow. As the plant matures, the scape will…
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I usually eschew made-up holidays, but today, the first Wednesday in June, I will be celebrating the fifth National Running Day by doing a loop of my neighborhood park, maybe even two. For me, running is a complement to healthy eating. Sometimes it's compensation for less healthy eating, too. Running is a low-cost activity that can be social, meditative,…
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Grilled Vegetable Kebabs: so easy and so good for you! I live on the top floor of a brownstone building, and my kitchen gets so hot in the Summer that even turning on the stove feels like torture. In other words, we do a lot of grilling this time of year. Where I grew up, grilling…
Read MoreAs a dietitian, I usually help people figure out how to less. Today, I am asking you to help people to eat more. Hunger and food insecurity remain persistent yet largely invisible in this country. One way that millions of low-income people are a little bit less hungry is through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),…
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I would totally walk by these if I saw them under a tree. Ramps have been the hot Spring food for the last few years, here in New York. Come April, it seems as though every food writer in the tristate area can do nothing but extol the virtues of ramps, also known as wild leeks…
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’m writing this on a cold, rainy, gray day with an equally dismal forecast for the Memorial Day weekend. This weekend is usually the start of outdoor eating season. If you’re lucky, it already is where you are. Maybe you’re planning a picnic or you’re taking some food to a barbecue. Perhaps you’re packing snacks…
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February is American Heart Month, so I've been thinking about some of the confusing recommendations about keeping your ticker ticking. Do you drink? Do you drink because it's healthy? Are all alcoholic drinks healthy? How much is a drink anyway? This month, I've tried to abstain from alcohol as much as possible, book club nights…
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Can you think of any savory recipes that don't begin with "Saute your chopped onions in some olive oil or butter..."? Cuisines all around the world rely on this bulb to bring a rich, sweet depth of flavor when cooked or a sharp pungency when used raw. Food historians and archaeologists do not
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Is anyone else doing Free February? I've been practically wheat-free all month. I went to The Meatball Shop with a friend for lunch yesterday, where I suspect there were breadcrumbs in the delicious meatballs. Last night I felt achy and tired. Coincidence? Possibly. Otherwise, I've resisted pizza, pasta, and bread. At the…
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Somehow, I spent 18 years in Michigan, home to a large Polish population, and never consumed a single Pączki. Now that I live in Brooklyn, which also has a sizable Polish community, I still haven’t tried them. I keep forgetting to travel to Williamsburg to seek them out because Mardi Gras always…
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Four different kinds of potatoes from the farmers' market Do you remember the Atkins days when potatoes were beyond passé? “Too starchy!” “Carb bombs!” Poor, maligned potatoes. Like everything, potatoes can be very good for you in moderation. Did you know that potatoes have a moderate amount of protein and vitamin C? Spanish colonizers noticed…
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I was researching and preparing a post about gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, but today's New York Times has a great article that says just about everything I was going to say. Check it out at; At the last two big dietitian conferences I've been to, there have been hundreds of companies marketing gluten-free…
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Have you gotten tired of oranges yet? This time of year, it seems like the only fresh fruit available in the dead of winter that doesn't cost as much as a year's college tuition are mealy apples, hard pears, and citrus. When I first moved to New York, I was obsessed with clementines, which are
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Welcome to Free February! Because it is the shortest day of the month and so many people have slowly relinquished their New Years resolutions by now, February seems like a good time to buckle down and focus on reinforcing healthy habits. For probably the first time, my brother-in-law has inspired me. Every February, he eschews…
Read MoreAre you a meal planner? Do you make a grocery list on the weekend and coolly and calmly get dinner on the table each night? I wish. Every few months, I start out with the best of intentions, poring over my cookbooks and bookmarked web pages, listing everything that I want to make, eliminating the…
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Better late than never..... I'm really trying to resist calling them "magical," but mushrooms really are a nutrient powerhouse. These fungi are low calorie, low fat, low salt, yet high in fiber. Mushrooms have even more potassium than bananas and are rich in copper, selenium, riboflavin, and niacin. Mushrooms are purported to be vegetarian sources…
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From here on out, just a picture of my produce rainbow. Please share your rainbows or suggestions for completing mine in the comments…
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There's a tiny grocery store a block from the hospital where I work that sells produce at amazing prices. Like $1 for more than a pound of green beans or 4 large red peppers. Their selection is constantly changing, and every visit is an education in Caribbean and Latin foods. I'm still working up the…
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