Lick the Bowl

As allergy moms, we have to learn how to re-feed our families from scratch.  Ten years ago, this was not a simple task as we did not have the explosive array of allergy free items we have today.  However, just because we have more extensive choices, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy.  In fact, I have noticed that the preponderance of allergy items is snack food, cake mixes, cookies, etc… Moreover, I found it curious that many food allergy parents such as myself, were actually gaining weight, probably because we were always baking for our kiddos so they wouldn’t feel left out at school, family events, birthday parties and playdates.  While I felt good about being able to provide these tasty alternatives, my fitness and nutrition goals were less than stellar and in need of an overhaul. As a trainer and nutrition consultant with a lot of experience in limited diets, I am constantly trying to create healthy alternatives that won’t break the caloric bank, pro...

I am the first to admit, I hate aging. My feet are achy as soon as they hit the floor in the morning, my back sporadically hurts, and my knees sound like a bowl of rice krispies. Throw in some hot flashes for good measure, thinning eyebrows, and more grays than I’d like to admit. Yep, sounds like 50 is off to a great start. Nevertheless, when I backtrack to the shadow of my former, younger self, I realize that 50 definitely has its merits. The Twenties  I use to roll my eyes at women in the salon who were getting their hair colored and I adamantly swore I would go natural when the time came. Of course, when the grays started to come a little more fast and furious than I would have liked, I went straight to the colorist. Clearly, my twenty-year old self had no idea what lay ahead.  While the twenties were fun, I always felt like something bigger yet inaccessable lay ahead. Being on the cusp of creating a life for myself was exciting and nerve wracking at the same...

No matter if you celebrate Valentines day or not, these desserts won't break your caloric bank and have a nice antioxidant punch from the berries and the dark chocolate. They are great anytime and are dairy,egg, gluten and nut free.  EASY HEART HEALTHY DESSERTS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY  Dessert #1-CHOCOLATE STUFFED RASPBERRIES (Approximate Calories 100 ) 20 Raspberries 20 Dark chocolate chips-roughly one tablespoon DIRECTIONS Stuff individual raspberries with chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Chunks) Dessert #2-VALENTINE FRUIT SALAD WITH CHOCOLATE SHELL DRIZZLE ( Approximate Calories: 140 per cup) 1 Blood Orange, or Cara Cara 20 Raspberries 2 Tbsp. chocolate chips ½ tsp. coconut oil DIRECTIONS Divide orange and raspberries equally between two goblets/wine glasses. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in microwave (approximately 1 minute) Stir until combined. Drizzle over fruit. Place in freezer for 2 minutes-chocolate will become a ha...