Most people have in mind when the new year begins it means starting fresh or lets start that diet and change our habits. The easiest way is to start small. Take baby steps. Your changing your way of eating long term not short term. Here are some easy steps to follow to get you on track:
 
1. Drink water instead of high sugar drinks – Stay away from carbonated drinks and stick with water

2. Try to eat healthy meals at home instead of going out to eat – eating clean at home is healthier than heading to a restaurant where not-so-healthy ingredients are used

3. When grocery shopping, read labels – make sure your not buying ingredients with additives

4. Use smaller plates – make sure you're controlling your portions and not eating more than what is recommended

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with coconut oil
2. Prepare the mushroom soup and friend onions – recipes below
3. Wash and trim about 2lbs fresh green beans (optional: shred in food processor for French style beans)
4.Place green beans in a pot and cover with soup.  Simmer for 10min until beans are softened.  Pour into baking dish and top with onions.
5. Bake 15min

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Healthier Fried onions
                          3 tablespoons coconut oil
                         ¼ cup non daity milk unsweetened
                          1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
                          ½  teaspoons salt + white pepper
                          ¼  cup gluten-free flour mix (or use brown rice flour)
                          1 teaspoon paprika
                        1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Whisk flour, paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a shallow dish. Toss onions in flour – then dip in milk – then toss in flour again. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion along with any remaining flour mixture and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes.  
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
4-5 cups veg stock 
fresh thyme – just pull the leaves from a few stems
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup raw cashews
 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour –whisked with 1/4cp veg stock
In a large pot sauté the onions in the oil until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and half the mushrooms; sauté for a few minutes more.Add the stock, herbs, pepper, and salt. Simmer for 15min. Add the cashews and sweet rice flour and simmer another 15min. With an immersion hand blender, blend   until smooth and creamy.   Add the other half of the chopped mushrooms and simmer 10 more min.

​Fall is here!
When cooking with seasonal produce you get the best nutritional value! For this season you will be seeing me incorporate more apples, beets, cranberries, all squash items and sweet potatoes into your weekly meals. Here is an easy fall recipe for those looking for a healthy simple seasonal recipe.

 
1.  Stick with a healthy routine during the week.
2. Try to cut back on alcohol from Sunday-Thursday.
3. Eat healthy foods before the event, so you’re not starving when you get there.
4. Drink a glass of water in between alcoholic drinks. (Good for the hangover too)
5. At events, eat only the foods you love.
6. Order lower calorie drinks.
7. Try to do physical activity before the event.
8. Live it up on the dance floor, you’ll be eating/drinking less and burning calories.
9. Select a smaller plate.
10. Get enough sleep during the week.

With Halloween coming up and lots of parties coming together, W.H.E. wanted to come up with a Wickedly Healthy Cocktail! With Spooooky Blood Oranges!!!!!! -  here is chef Sarah's recipe
Ingredients: <Serves One>
- 2 oz Blue Agave Silver Tequila
- Juice from one lime, (approx 1 oz)
- Juice from 2 Blood Oranges, (approx 3 oz)
- 1 tsp Agave Nectur or Honey
- Chili Sea Salt (Cayenne Spice & Sea Salt)

No matter if you’re a professional chef or just a single mother handling the household duties and the kids, food is the main staple of life.  We all have the daily meals but sometimes constructing and laying out a meal game plan can be hard to figure out.  First things first, the star of the meal.  The star needs to be some great protein like a whole chicken, a succulent steak, a meaty filet of fish, or for all you veggies, some really flavorful beans or vegetarian casserole. ​

​My husband and I just got back from our Summer vacation- a three-week road trip that took us through the California redwoods, the city of Portland, the Olympic national park in in northern Washington and down the entire Oregon Coast. We stayed with friends and family along the way, but we also did about a week and half’s worth of camping. One of our goals for any vacation we go on is to eat as well as we can (and we certainly did a lot of that in Portland!) So I take my camping meal prep seriously. It has to taste great of course, but it shouldn’t be to hard to cook or clean up after (I mean, I am on vacation here!). So, I put together a quick list of some tips to help you execute some great meals during your summer camping trips.