*This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. All opinions my own. 

Peach, Tofu Bacon & California Avocado Grilled Naan Bread Pizzas

It is officially summertime which means it's grilling time. You will catch me cooking everything from potatoes to cauliflower to pizza on the grill. It's a vibe.

And if you haven't ever cooked pizza on the grill before, well then you are in for a treat!

These pizzas highlight some of the best summer produce including peaches, basil, and of course, fresh California avocado. Locally grown California avocados are picked at their peak resulting in fruit that is fresh and consistent in taste and texture!

While you can absolutely make some pizza dough from scratch, I decided to keep things simple by using store-bought garlic naan bread which cuts down on the prep & cook time. 

Then I layered vegan mozzarella & ricotta with caramelized onions, tofu bacon, and finished it all off with balsamic glaze to tie it...

I was craving an ice cream cookie sandwich so I had an ice cream cookie sandwich.

Not fruit, not oatmeal with cinnamon, not granola.

A MF ice cream cookie sandwich.

Have you ever had the experience where you get a craving for something sweet and you immediately fear it? (sugar, carbs oh my!). You decide to *try* to curb the craving with something "healthy" or "clean." 

Back in the day I always tried to get rid of a craving for ice cream with sugar-free yogurt. (BTW it doesn't work). I'd eat the yogurt, not feel satisfied, and keep snacking on things until I was stuffed. 

Yet... I'd still have ice cream on the brain. I was full but not satisfied. 

Now I just eat the ice cream. I enjoy it, bite by bite, and really let myself savor it (not inhaling it quickly out of shame). 

When you resist cravings they persist.

When you honor them, you satisfy them, so they go away.

And then you can move on with your life instead of obsessing over the foo...

BIG GREEN LENTIL SALAD WITH GRILLED CAULIFLOWER PUREE

As you may know if you follow me on Instagram, I have been in Sedona, Arizona for the Quarantine. Been here since the end of March. 

One of the things I have been loving is the backyard and the grill. Two things we do not have in Los Angeles. 

Basically, I've been putting anything on the grill that I would typically put in the oven and well, it's been awesome. 

The grill obsession gave me the idea to adapted a @bonappetitmag.

The original recipe called for yogurt, but I decided to make a grilled then creamed cauliflower instead.

It’s delicious.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rinsed green lentils
Salt
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil, divided, more for drizzle
Black pepper
1-2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp vegan mayo, I used @followyourheart
3 tbsp vegan sour cream, I used @foragerproject
1 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, more if desired
1 rip...

*This post is sponsored by The California Avocado Commission. All opinions are my own. 

There are few things that excite me more than Summertime. 

I love the laid back vibes, pool and beach hangs, and of course the food.

While I enjoy all the seasons and their produce, summer has a special place in heart largely impart because it is peak California Avocado season. 

California Avocados elevate whatever dish they are added to in flavor, texture, and nutrition. And now the presentation!

For this delicious summer salad recipe, I sliced & folded the avocados into roses which are absolutely stunning and take this salad to new levels. 

While it is almost too pretty to eat, this California Avocado Rose Summer Salad is too good not to eat. 

It's made with mixed greens topped with roasted beets, strawberries, steamed yellow beets, grilled asparagus, toasted pecans, vegan feta cheese, California Avocado roses bathed in the most delicious strawbe...

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...

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...

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...