The other day my husband and I were making vegetable juice and he asked me what the health benefits of celery were. I had to admit, I knew celery was healthy, but couldn’t come up with the reasons off the top of my head. I decided to do some research. Turns out, celery is not just good for carrying peanut butter to your mouth! It has a host of health benefits!

Weight loss makes it into most people’s New Year’s resolution lists at the beginning of each year or as we head toward bathing suit season.  For those of you who are trying to lose weight, there are a few things you should watch out for that could get you off track.

Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  The October edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology reports that women who don’t get enough sleep a night are at a higher risk to gain weight.  In fact, women who got less than five hours of sleep a night were one third more likely to gain 33 pounds over the next 16 years.  Try to get to bed a little earlier and create a quiet, dark sleep environment.

Do you find it hard to make healthy lunch choices? It can be hard to know how to pack healthy lunches, but with a little planning, you can eat healthy all week long! Here are some ideas for healthy lunches!

​Zucchini is a great little vegetable that is low on calories and high on health benefits. In fact, a medium zucchini has only 33 calories, but still manages to make you feel full because of its fiber and water content! This makes zucchini an excellent choice if you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier! Read on for more health benefits of zucchini!

Do you enjoy delicious pasta with a creamy sauce? I do! I had been seeing recipes for noodles made with zucchini, sweet potatoes, carrots and more. I wondered what they were like, but didn't have a spiralizer. Thankfully, my sister came to the rescue! 

When I was growing up as a vegetarian, my mom used to buy a product called "Nuteena". It was a peanut butter based loaf that came in a can. Unfortunately, it seems that they no longer make it, but I missed it. I came up with this recipe and its pretty close to what my mom used to make.

For a long time, fat was considered bad in any form and supermarkets were flooded with a variety of low-fat items. The truth of the matter is that they didn’t really do anything to improve health! Our bodies need fat to function properly. It just needs to be eaten in moderation and the right kinds of fat need to be consumed. Some fats are actually really good for you, some are kind of in-between, and others are downright bad for you!

I'm sure you've heard the buzz about fresh green juices. It seems everyone who's into health is drinking them! It can be a bit pricey to buy gree juices, but you can save a little money by making your own! The bonus is that you get a ton of nutrition and antioxidants in a serving of green juice. It is estimated that you get at least 5 servings of vegetables in a serving of juice! This is why I juice - my husband doesn't love to eat big salads like I do, and this is one way I can get lots of nutrition into him!

I checked my email and noticed that the theme for this last week's potluck was Healthy Food - trying to keep everyone's New Year's Resolutions going strong! Now, I always try to cook healthy foods, but I was still at a little bit of a loss as to what to make. (My husband was a huge advocate for PB&J sandwiches!) I finally landed on a recipe that I thought should fit the bill. (Original recipe here). Of course, I always modify my recipes to meet my specific dietary needs due to being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease (Low FODMAP diet plus vegan) and to meet my tastes! To make a long story short, I didn't bring any leftovers home and got lots of requests for my recipe. So, here it is, folks!

The thought of some delicious dark chocolate makes me smile! Throughout my life I can count on one hand the number of people I have met who don’t like chocolate. You may have read that dark chocolate has health benefits, but did you know its actually good for your digestion? It turns out the good bacteria, or probiotics, in your gut love cocoa as much as you do!