The short answer is no, it's not wrong to want to lose weight.

Wanting to lose weight is a totally understandable desire given the

THIN-OBSESSED, weight-discriminatory culture in which we live where our bodies are routinely & continually monitored & criticized by messages from the media, health professionals & people in our life.

I fully understand & have compassion for why people want to lose weight.

We live within a culture that makes us believe our bodies are a problem to be fixed & it's our fault if they don't look perfect or "look healthy".

There is nothing inherently crazy, irrational or wrong about wanting to avoid judgment from friends/family/strangers who might lose respect if we gain weight or wanting more social currency by being seen as more attractive/lovable/desirable if we lost weight.

You know what IS wrong though?

▶️The culture that convinces you to engage in harmful, extreme, obsessive behaviors just to be treated with hum...

*This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission but all opinions are my own.

Combining my two loves in life: pasta and California Avocados. Such a good idea, if I do say so myself! 

While I love my Italian roots, I am a California girl at heart. So making a plant-based, dairy-free (optional gluten-free, as well) version of my most favorite pasta dish, Fettichini Alfredo with California Avocado just made sense. 

Introducing California Avocado Alfredo Pasta.

And let me tell you it is dang delicious. 

The richness of the California Avocado brings the creaminess we all love from traditional dairy alfredo, while the cashews give it necessary thickness. While the onions, garlic, and nutritional yeast add a complexity of umami flavor and the lemon adds some zingy brightness. The sauce is so good on its own but coat comforting noodles with it and then weave in some mushrooms and you are in pasta heaven. 

Truly, there isn't a so...

Do you think that thin is more beautiful than fat? 

What if I told you that attraction to thinness is not biological.

What if I told you there are cultures that see fat as beautiful and thin as ugly.

Would you believe me?

From a place of curiosity, not judgement, I would question someone who believed their biology was responsible for seeing thin bodies as more attractive than fat bodies, as if it wasn't influenced by current socio-cultural ideology.

In reality, the beauty standard at any given time throughout history is influenced predominately by the group in power and is used as a representation of wealth and higher class.

In the western world, thinness became socially desirable long before it ever became a health concern.

And there are several examples of how the female body is used as a symbol of male wealth.

Historically, for example, during the Renaissance, voluptuous fat women were the epitome of beauty, largely in part because...

Those of you who have struggled with your relationship with food are probably no stranger to the feelings of guilt that can come when you eat something you said you weren't going to eat. 

What you might be less aware of is the impact that can have on body image. This post explains the connection between the two, and what to do about it. You can always watch this video if you prefer that to reading. 

Just the other day, I was voicememo-ing back and forth with one of my private 1:1 clients because she was having a bad body image day (something awesome included in my private coaching is unlimited texting access to me).

While there are several components to improving your body image, a component is to identify your triggers. It’s common to one day be totally fine with how you look and the next day feel like crap. So what gives?

Retracing your steps in the hours, days and even week leading up to the bad body image day(s) will help you w...

(*This post is sponsored by California Avocado Commission. All thoughts and opinions are my own) 

A comforting, classic meal that I have loved since I was a child is a loaded baked potato. It is truly nostalgic for me.

But it dawned on me recently that I had never thought to add California Avocados before. And let me just say, I am so glad I did because it is delicious. 

It's probably a surprise to no one that I am a huge avocado fan, (see Exhibit A below) so instead of using traditional sour cream, I decided to make a creamy, rich California Avocado "sour cream," PLUS, add additional avocado slices on top, because there is no such thing as too much 'cado. You know what I mean?

(Exhibit A)

The California Avocado "sour cream" is creamy, tangy, rich and bright, truly adding a complexity in flavor from familiar ingredients.

The potato is loaded up with vegan butter, roasted broccoli and melted vegan cheddar cheese then sm...

Easy, Comforting 30 Minute Meals have been the name of the game these days.

Well, actually, to be honest, I have been opting for 10-12 minute meals like frozen pizza and grilled cheese a lot as well. 

We have had lots of snack board dinners, too- which I do love but I haven't been as inspired to cook since this Quarantine, so when the inspiration hits, I take advantage and whip up something new.  

Today, I am bringing you a super easy, super versatile noodle dish. It comes together easily and is truly so flavorful and delicious.

It takes only a handful of ingredients, that can easily be swapped in and out based on what you have on hand. 

Think tangy, spicy, sweet, crunchy, creamy and noooooods.  

See below this recipe for substitutions

Things:

9.5 oz dried soba noodles

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 diced, medium yellow onion

2 carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces

Salt and black pepper

2-3 minced cloves garlic 

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

1 bell peppe...

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...

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...

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...

Now that I am officially done writing my first cookbook (it will be out January 2020) EKKK!

I am back in the kitchen making up recipes for the blog. I made this the other night and it was so good that my boyfriend asked me to make it a second night in a row.

Whip this up and then spoon-feed yourself this glorious dish.

You won’t regret it. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp coconut oil 

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 chopped medium-sized carrots 

Salt and pepper 

5 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger 

1-2 tbsp harissa paste 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

5 cups bite-sized, cubed sweet potato 

1 (13.5oz) can of coconut cream

2 cups vegetable broth 

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans

2-3 big handfuls of fresh spinach 

GARNISH

Chopped fresh mint

Sliced green onions 

Lime wedges 

DIRECTIONS 

In a medium soup pot, melt coconut oil over medium high heat. Once hit add onion & carrot, season generously with salt & black pepper. Stir occasionally for 3-5 mins.

Then add in the garlic & g...