Tag Archives: apple

Festive Cranberry Wild Rice Salad

Standard

FullSizeRender

Tis the season for hosting gatherings, sharing meals and savoring moments. I brought this simple salad to a holiday party recently and it was a hit. I knew I wanted to use fresh cranberries, but honestly didn’t really know how it was going to turn out. Well, it worked and I was asked by several guests for the recipe, so here you go.

I cooked some Lundberg Countrywild rice according to the package directions, but you could use any wild rice really. Then while the rice was still warm, I added chopped fresh cranberries so they would soften but not be too cooked. I chopped celery, apple and pecans to add. The whole thing was pulled together with a simple cranberry vinaigrette. I found the most amazing cranberry vinegar here in Houston at an oil and vinegar store called Vom Fass. If you can’t find that flavor, simply use a plain balsamic vinegar.

Read the rest of this entry

FYG Fall Breakfast Ideas

Standard
photo 1 (21)

Green Apples + Raw Walnuts

Now that it’s Fall, a busy time of swirling activity and change, I’m looking for a grounding seasonal breakfast to start my day. Don’t know about you, but I can get into a morning rut. Always having the same thing…usually some variation of raw or minimally cooked oatmeal, nuts and seeds.

As recent as five years ago, I was mostly eating boxed cereal for breakfast. I thought this was fine, even healthy. I’ve learned so much since then. I wouldn’t dream of eating that way now. First of all, boxed cereal is not a food, it’s a processed food product. There is nothing in nature that resembles a Cherrio or Fruit Loop.

Read the rest of this entry

Macrobiotic Bowl

Standard

Image

Food fascinates me. Well, clearly, I write a blog about it. Seriously, I love how I introduce some new thing about food into my life and then it leads to something else. Or I meet someone or go somewhere and learn something completely new.

Eating an amazing meal in Boulder, CO inspired me to transition to vegetarian eating. Reading the World Peace Diet during my yoga teacher training affirmed my commitment to a vegan lifestyle. My first macrobiotic meals, at Casa de Luz in Austin and Green Vegetarian Cuisine in San Antonio, felt life changing too.

Although, I’ve only had a few macrobiotic meals so far, I love the way they make me feel. Balanced. Energized. Vibrant. Healthy. There is something to it and I want to learn more.

Read the rest of this entry

Fruity Spa Water

Standard

Image

Lately, my kids have been asking me to buy them Vitamin Water, ugh. Have you read the label on that stuff? The list of ingredients is super long…IT’S WATER for Pete’s sake. Some of the flavors can have up to 32 grams of sugar. Yikes. Or if you buy the Vitamin Water Zero the sweetener is listed as erythritol and rebiana (stevia extract) which might be fine for some people, but smacks of chemical engineering to me.

So, I decided to put my bare yoga foot down and say no to Vitamin Water, Gatorade and Powerade in my house. I’m not naive. I’m sure my kids will still drink this stuff from time to time, but I’m not buying it any more.

As an alternative, I proposed to keep jars of water in the refrigerator with yummy combinations of fruit. My boys were actually a little excited about this. I’ve seen this idea floating around Facebook and thought it was worth a try.

We put filtered water in mason jars filled about 3/4 of the way and added:

Orange + Lemon + Apple

Pineapple + Mango + Kiwi

Lemon + Cucumber + Mint (for me)

They are all really refreshing. You can get as creative as you like here. For a sports drink, you can fill a water bottle with half Fruity Spa Water and half coconut water for electrolytes.