Pancakes are a fun food I enjoy on occasion and when I do, they better be exceptionally good! Which means, I will make my own mix, using simple ingredients, from my family recipe below: no fillers, no fakes and no flour imposters. 

What’s a flour imposter? It’s flour impersonating a healthy food, because it is made from a healthy ingredient, it pretends to be healthier. But it isn’t because once the healthy ingredient is transformed it into flour it’s an...

Complete Meal, Resistant Starch, Fiber

This recipe is a delicious and healthy spin on a traditional risotto. Following the same cooking method of gradually adding the veggie stock & stirring frequently. Quinoa is a great substitute as a healthy grain, because it maintains its creaminess and full flavor, just like traditional risotto. Real parmesan cheese is key along with veggie broth as a base instead of water. This recipe is a must try to satisfy the whole family!

Ingredients

• 6 cups...

It's not just fresh ingredients! A healthy salad is just like any complete meal and includes the top three essential nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and satisfied: fiber, protein and healthy fat. Unfortunately, there are a lot of imposters that mimc healthy salad ingredients, which is why, you need to know more about what's essential and what to avoid. 

Learn more and follow the highlighted links below to my 9 favorite healthy salad recipes! 

FIBER FOUNDATION

Brussel...

YES, unfortunately food that we think of as healthy is commonly loaded with unnecessary fillers and fakes. These two smuggles are in addition to the first two you learned about last week: #1 Fat and #2 Flavor. The bottom line tips from last week were: "Add your own flavor, buy the plain version. And buy full fat or whole milk products.” Read more here to learn the other two “Fs” that cause food to fail the “healthy” standard.

#3 Fillers are fake food and are a...

Unsuspecting smuggled ingredients can derail your healthy eating by stimulating appetite, hunger and cravings! These 4 tips all start with the letter “F” and will help you when shopping for packaged foods so you can avoid unnecessary sugars, stimulants, fakes and fillers. In this two-part series, we’ll start with the first two things you need to know! And you’ll find examples and recommendations to help clarify too.

#1 Flavor variations most commonly include...

Not all Olive Oil is the same. Last week, I shared why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the healthiest oil and you learned about the abundance of counterfeits. Here you'll learn exactly which certifications to look for and where to buy it!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is like wine. The region where the olives are grown influences the flavor and color. The process and care as to how the oil is extracted and bottled is another key to quality. And finally, if it's not stored properly, it will spoil. But...

Have you been paying EVOO prices for counterfeits? Unfortunately, Olive Oil is another highly unregulated space. Which means there are a lot of imposters wearing the label of "EVOO" or "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" that don’t truly qualify as an EVOO. Most oils aren’t tested to certify the true quality of the oil and what's on the label isn't validated or verified. 

Fake vs. Real: What's the Difference? 

Real EVOO is the highest grade of quality awarded to olive oil....

Chicken, Cauliflower & Artichokes

Complete Meal, Protein, Meat

The flavors of this dish sing! The lemon coming through in the perfect way to make the dish the best spring time dinner in your rotation. 

TIP: Save time by using frozen artichoke hearts, available at Kroger stores and Trader Joe's.

Ingredients

• 4 large artichokes, trimmed and sliced (or sub frozen)
• one lemon, zest and juice.
•  4-6 chicken thighs (bone in skin on)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1...

Hunger and cravings are the primary signals your body uses to ask for the three key nutrients it needs to survive and thrive. Once it’s properly fed it will tell the brain to “Stop eating, I’m satisfied”. Fiber, protein and healthy fat are the three key nutrients that manage hunger and work best when consumed whole, in real, unprocessed foods. 

Fiber is essential because it stays behind in your digestive tract to feed your good-gut-bacteria that literally...