Its Eating Disorder Awareness Week and in order to decrease the amount of people suffering from eating disorders we must talk about Fat Acceptance.

YES- FAT ACCEPTANCE. 

You see, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, the sociocultural idealization of thin bodies and the hatred and fear of fat bodies also referred to as Fatphobia or Anti-fat Bias is the best-known environmental contributor to developing an eating disorder.

I can look back at my decade-long battle with bulimia and see that yup, the fear of being fat was the greatest contributor for me. 

And I am not alone. All women in Western culture experience body dissatisfaction to a greater or lesser extent and I grew up believing one of the worst things I could be as a woman was fat.

These messages are rampant and come from our government, media, medical system, authority figures, social acquaintances, friends and family.

What’s alarming is that girls start to expres...

Okay. So you know when you make something and it is just SO good that you then make it multiple times in a row?

That happened with this Romesco. 

I proceeded to use it multiple days in a row with a variety of meals.

First as the sauce for a buddha bowl that contained roasted potatoes, broccolini, mixed greens and avocado.

Then as the dipping sauce for savory waffles made from hash brown potatoes, served with roasted broccolini, caramelized onions, avocado, herbs, and fried eggs. 

THEN as the sauce on flat bread. First I made this with a cauliflower crust, because that's what I had on hand and then this time with a flour crust that I picked up. Both were grade - A delicious, if that's even a thing. 

My point is, you are going to want to make the romesco and then make this pizza. And in time I am sure I will come up with more ways to use this Spanish dip.

INGREDIENTS | Makes two 10inch Pizzas (Serves 2-4)

Cashew Cheese:

1 cup raw cashews, so...

A couple weeks ago, I hosted a women's retreat and we ended up having some left over food like bell peppers. The Costco sized bag was more than enough and I was trying to figure out what to make with them before they went bad. 

The usual fajitas or burritos seemed uninspiring and I wanted something different.

Then on Valentines Day, my boyfriend and I went out to a local wine bar and ordered a Mezza Plate, which if you do not know is a Mediterranean crudites platter. On it was hummus, olive tapenade & Romesco. 

PERFECT! I thought. That's what I am going to make with these left over bell peppers and it turned out awesome. 

Like so freaking delicious I made it twice in the span of 4 days and used it for 3 different meals/recipes. 

You are going to want to make this, I know you will love it. 

INGREDIENTS

3 bell peppers (I choose one each of yellow, orange and red)

1-2 tbsp melted coconut oil

salt

1 cup dry roasted almonds

3 garlic cloves

4 tbsp apple cider...

This day was a whirlwind.

I had the amazing opportunity to go on KTLA, Los Angeles local news station to talk about healing my relationship with food and my cookbook, Vegan Buddha Bowls.

Not gunna lie, I was so scared, like hadn't slept well in a week, SCARED.

When I was first told that KTLA was interested in having me on, I almost didn’t do it..., this was SO FAR outside my comfort zone and that “dooms day” voice in my head got loud, telling me all the reasons why I shouldn’t, why it would be a disaster, why I’d fail.

Thankfully, my friends were there to support me, cheer for me and tell me I could do it. Truly, without them I wouldn’t have even wrote the cookbook, I was scared to do that, too! 

So moral of the story, just because you are afraid, scared, or terrified, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it or can’t do it (whatever it is: asking for the raise, leaving that relationship, choosing recovery or starting that biz) it just means you might...

As an Aries, I am no stranger to a lack of patience.

To want to just hurry up and be at my destination already- whatever it is (a skill, an emotion, a location, an income level or some place other than where I am currently at).

I want things to be like a light switch- quickly going from On to Off with the flick of my finger. But most things in life are not like that. 

They take time. They're a process.

You know... "it's about the journey, not the destination."

And this desire to rush things or to lack patience with ourselves in the healing process is something I encounter all the time with my clients who are working towards Food Freedom & Intuitive Eating. 

They are frustrated that they aren't *there* yet.

They want to just hurry up and be recovered already without having to actually do the work. 

They are upset that they still struggle with certain fear foods.

That thoughts of foods haven't completely gone away. 

That they don't have the lev...

There seems to be a reoccurring theme on coaching calls this week around foods that we are afraid to have in the house. 

Foods that we fear we will lose control around.

Foods that never seem to last more than a day. 

That whole, "once I pop, I can't stop" thing.  

One bite turns into the whole box/carton/bag. 

Maybe it's cookies, peanut butter, ice cream, chips, chocolate covered coconut cashews from Trader Joe's. Whatever.  

But here is the thing, we don't end up feeling "out of control" around a certain food unless we are actively trying to be in control of it in the first place. 

Our fear of the food is reflective of our level of restriction around it.

That means, to some degree you are shaming, guilt tripping, calling it bad or forbidden, judging or limiting yourself and that food. You wished you didn't want it or you're afraid you will gain weight.  

Whenever we say we can't or shouldn't have something, we create a charge around...

I don't think this recipe needs much of an introduction..., it speaks for itself, really. 

I mean- smokey, maple-y marinated mushrooms, layered with avocado, tomato & lettuce, between two slices of toasted bread slathered in mayo and you've got yourself a dream team. 

And it will take you to the Sandwich Championship. 

#winning

Serves 2

Ingredients

Mushroom Bacon:

2 Portobello mushrooms 

1/4 cup grapeseed or avocado oil

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 liquid smoke 

black pepper and salt 

To serve:

4 slices of toasted bread

mayo

lettuce

tomato

avocado

To prep the mushrooms, remove the stems and carefully peel of the thin layer of brown skin around the cap. Then in a plastic bag or large wide bowl, combine the mushrooms, grapeseed oil, tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, liquid smoke, black pepper and salt. Mix well and occasionally for 30 minutes, up to overnight, covered in the fridge. 

Then pre-heat...

It is with overflowing excitement that I share this news with you! 

Vegan Buddha Bowls is a book that I dreamed about writing and I can not believe it is about to be released. Wow. 

What a ride it has been!

Truly, I am so humbled and so grateful to have been given this incredible opportunity to share a book full with my creative energy and love for food.

To give you a taste of what you can expect, I am sharing an insanely delicious pasta bowl recipe with you today (it is below the pre-order details)! 

Whether you are vegan or simply looking to enjoy more vegan eats, you will likely fall in love with the recipes in this book. My goal was to create recipes that were delicious without being a huge undertaking. Like many of my readers, I value meals that come together quickly.

Another valuable element to this book is that *most* of the recipes are great for meal prep and keep well in the fridge. 

And of course, everything is served...

I used to think that the only way for me to be happy and at peace was to make my body look a certain way. 

But no matter what I did, the icky feelings I was trying to avoid by changing my body weren’t going away. 

And that’s because it wasn’t actually about what my body looked like. 

And that’s the good news. 

Because we all know how much time, money & energy goes into trying to control our body & weight. 

It’s exhausting. And often, it’s never enough. 

If positive body image really was a function of making our bodies look a certain way then that means we would have to spend the REST OF OUR LIVES fighting against & trying to control our body just to feel okay, because our body will continue to change as we age!

So it’s good news that that’s not what we actually have to do to heal our body image. 

And I hope that brings you some sweet relief.

But you might be wondering, well what's the "bad" news? 

If changing my body won't heal this,...

Fall is such an awesome season, the smell of cinnamon, the cozy hot coco by the fire, pumpkin spice everything.

And I really want to embrace the season but I kid you not, it was 90f degrees in LA yesterday so I went to the beach! 

Not complaining at all- the weather is reason #1 why I live here. 

But it has meant that I've been craving summer-ish foods with the desire for fall flavors.

So when I saw the Spice Apple Cider at Trader Joe's I knew I wanted to use it in a marinade for tacos (which I am ALWAYS in the mood for) and then this recipe was born. 

It's actually really freaking good!

The Spice Apple Cider adds sweetness as well as complexity in flavor that really shines through. I'm pretty sure you are going to love it. 

xo C

TACO THINGS

6 portobello mushroom caps, sliced in half

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup spiced apple cider (can substitute OJ but dude, the cider is #worthit)

1 (4-oz) can diced fired roasted green chiles

4 clo...