Fit & Full

One perk of recovering from surgery is an influx of love in the form of baked goods. This one came from my F.I.L and is the most perfect tahini chocolate chip cookie ever ever 🍪

Summer in NYC, I never knew heat until I stood on your subway platforms, I never knew expensive until I ate at your restaurants, and I definitely never knew traffic until I cabbed down 5th at 5pm.

You are inconvenient and sweaty, expensive and busy, but wonderful and exciting. I love your food, your parks, and your people. Thank you for a summer of lessons and challenges. I’m not sure what the future holds for us, but you’ve been the perfect temporary home.

I’m working on the list of some great food, but this love letter will do for now.

I HAVE CRACKED THE CODE TO THE PERFECT CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI
I’ll post the pesto below, but the world must know that I managed to cook the cauli gnocchi without 50% of each noodle sticking to the pan for dear life and never truly washing off. THIS IS A FEAT

GNOCCHI
Heat 1 tbsp avocado oil in large pan
Once pan is warm, add gnocchi and DO NOT TOUCH
Cover pan with tinfoil and allow to steam on medium
After about 5 mins, give the noodles a little stir, cover again, and continue to steam until fully cooked and slightly crispy

PESTO
Toast 1/2 cup pinenuts in pan over medium heat
Add toasted nuts + 2-3 cups fresh basil to food processor
Pulse to combine
Add 1 clove garlic, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast to processor and pulse again until fully combined
Add pesto to gnocchi, top with extra pine nuts and some peas and enjoy the best healthy pasta hack ever

Simple salads are the best side dishes and this one is spring in a bowl. It’s the perfect dish to put out at a dinner party because it looks fancy AF and is so quick to prepare 😎


Toss arugula (I used one whole box) with juice from 1/2 lemon, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp course salt, and a touch of pepper
Optional 👉🏼 add 1/2 tsp maple syrup for a sweeter dressing
Top dressed arugula with 4 figs rough chopped, 1 peach thinly sliced, and some thinly sliced parm
Before serving, drizzle a tsp of good quality balsamic on top and WALLAH! Pretty + delicious + easy .
taste

GRAIN-FREE CARROT CAKE BITES 🥕 🍰

With an ample serving of gingery cinnamon goodness, these are the energy bites I’ve been waiting for and a perfectly satisfying snack when that 3pm slump hits.

Grate 2 carrots (or use shred function on food processor)
Remove and set aside
In food processor, blend 1 cup pitted dates
Remove and set aside
Add 1.5 cups walnuts, 1 tsp ground ginger,
1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and pinch of nutmeg to food processor and blend well
Add dates and carrots back into processor and blend to combine (might require some help spooning mixture down towards blade)
Next, add 2 tbsp coconut flour, blend to combine, and another 2 once combined. Again, might require some help spooning mixture towards blade as it will be thick
Finally, roll about a tbsp each of batter into balls and arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to set in freezer for 15 minutes before serving.
Store in tupperware in fridge for a week!
Recipe inspo by

Kale Chopped Salad with Citrus Salmon⬇️
I ate the most perfect chopped salad at last week and took careful note of every ingredient so I could recreate it at home. Here’s my (very successful!) attempt! I swapped the quinoa for my fave salmon to add protein instead of grain, and used kale as the base!


SALAD

1.Massage chopped kale with olive oil and lemon juice (I made about 2 cups and used a tbsp olive oil and juice from 1/2 a lemon)
2.As kale marinates, chopped desired amount of apple, radish, avocado, pepper, black olives, jicama, pickled onions (read below for quick pickling method!) 3.Add all veggies to kale base
3.Drizzle dressing of 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp honey

SALMON
1.Line baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange salmon
2.Squeeze 1/2 lemon over fish
3.Sprinkle chili+lime seasoning, a touch of pink salt, and pepper and massage into fish
4.Thinly slice preserved lemon (can be purchased ) and arrange on fish
5.Drizzle about a tbsp of preserved lemon brine over fish
6.Cover and marinate in fridge (I let mine sit for about 3 hours) •Bake at 420 for 18 minutes
PICKLED ONION METHOD

1.Combine 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar in jar
2.Thinly slice 1 medium red onion
3.Bring 2 cups water to boil
4.Once boiled, place onion slices in strainer and pour boiling water over them
5.Add now partially blanched onion to jar with pickling liquid and allow to sit for at least 1 hour, can be stored in fridge for at least a week)
ENJOY! .

COOKIE DOUGH BITES
These little spheres of bliss have taken the internet by storm and I will be forever grateful to for inspiring them. I made an easy swap for cacao instead of chocolate chips + a little less honey and BAMB! we’re in nutritious cookie dough business
RECIPE ⬇️
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup salted cashew butter
1/4 cup cacao chips
2.5 tbsp honey
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix, roll into 1-inch balls, refrigerate and eat them all because they are too delicious to control yourself 👌🏼

Nothing too shmancy here, just a perfectly nourishing morning smoothie that’s basically ice cream for breakfast 🍦
Recipe:
1 cup vanilla almond milk (I used )
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tsp greens powder (I used supergreens)
1 inch fresh ginger root
3 mint leaves
4 pieces frozen pineapple
Pinch cinnamon
Handful frozen spinach
1 scoop protein powder (I used )
Blend, pour, enjoy!
P.S I recognize a frozen breakfast in a polar vortex is a little extreme, but I wake up craving this 🤷🏼‍♀️

These are absolutely the best paleo chocolate chip cookies I’ve made (not to mention the best pic I’ve ever taken!) and I am in awe of for making recipes that are so easy to follow and consistently great.
I do not follow a specific diet or protocol, but I really like learning about different methods of eating and taking the pieces that make sense for me. The principle of refined sugar + grain free resonates with me just as much as crunchy on the outside + soft on the inside cookies do which makes these the perfect treat.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup almond butter
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted+cooled)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 chocolate chips (I use dairy-free)
Method:
1.Preheat oven to 350, line baking sheet w/parchment
2.Add almond butter, coconut sugar, coconut oil into food processor or bowl, process or mix until combined
3.Mix in eggs
4.Mix in coconut flour, baking soda, salt
5.Fold in chocolate chips
6.Roll into balls, arrange on baking sheet, bake for 10 mins
7.Allow to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy

This salad recipe is GREAT 👍🏼 and the perfect accompaniment to any potluck. It’s sweet, sour, and a touch spicy. Plus, it got rave reviews from and so we’re good!
You’ll need:
3-4 cups chopped kale (if you find a good quality pre-chopped bag, get that)
1 pomegranate (I used the cup of seeds for $4 and no work)
1 spiralized butternut squash (you can find this pre-sparalized too)
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1-2 tsp chili lime spice
For dressing:
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
Touch salt & pepper
Method:
1.Preheat oven to 350. Spray tray with avocado oil and spread butternut squash spirals, topping with a bit of oil, salt & pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, removing to toss halfway through (keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn)
2.Heat a touch of olive oil in pan, add pumpkin seeds, mixing so they do not burn. When they begin to toast, add chili lime spice, toss to coat. Remove and set aside once toasted
3.Toss kale with dressing, massage until soft (this is the KEY with kale! I massaged for about 10 mins and leaves were soft and delish)
4.Top with cooled pumpkin seeds, Pomegranate, butternut squash and enjoy a really healthy, really yummy, really easy shmeezy yet shmancy kale salad .

This recipe rules (obviously because is a queen) and a Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake really can’t suck.
Recipe ⬇️
1.Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking dish
2.In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup nut butter, 1/3 cup avo oil, 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce, 2 eggs or sub flax eggs, and 2 tsp vanilla
3.In a second bowl, mix 3 cups almond flour, 2/3 cups coconut sugar, 1 tsp baking powder
4.Add liquid to dry ingredients, mix
5.Fold in 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
6.Add to baking dish, bake for 35 mins, let cool before cutting
ENJOY

The most chocolatey smoothie ever tastes even better in your pjs and some fuzzy sox. This is how mornings should look, people!
Chocolate + Chia Protein Smoothie with Hidden Greens:
Recipe ⬇️
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds (GREAT omega-3s)
1 tbsp cacao powder (not cocoa! Cacao is high in magnesium and iron 👍🏼)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I’m currently loving the 365 one)
1 inch fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp greens powder (I use Supergreens with wheat grass, kale, moringa, spirulina)
1 cup frozen spinach (I buy and put it directly into the freezer)
1/2 frozen banana
1 tsp almond butter .