These Stuffed Peppers are gluten and dairy free. I love to make more than I need, so I can use them for a meal during the week. By eliminating the breadcrumbs and/or rice, it’s a low sugar impact recipe too. In this recipe I used chopped portabella mushrooms because that is what I had on hand at the time, but you could use cauliflower rice as well. The mushroom filling includes fresh kale and basil, making it a nutritious as well as delicious meal. 2 lbs. organic, grass-fed ground beef (I like to make an extra meal for later in the week) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion chopped 3 portabella mushrooms, chopped ¼ cup fresh chopped basil 3 Kale leaves, finely chopped 4 *organic various color

I want to share this delicious gluten-free, dairy free, low sugar impact, recipe for Shephard’s Pie. It is so easy to make, and using mashed cauliflower, in place of mashed potatoes, it is light yet very satisfying and full of flavor. There will be plenty of leftovers to serve during the week as well! SHEPHARD’s PIE 1-2 cauliflowers (1 is sufficient, but I like having more for leftovers) 1 lb. ground chicken 1 lb. chicken sausage, casings removed 1 small onion, chopped 1 cup of Bellini mushrooms, chopped 1 16 oz package of Cascadian Farms Organic Mixed Vegetables 2 cups homemade chicken bone broth or Pacific Brand Organic Bone Broth 2 tablespoons organic butter 2-3 tablespoons of almond flou

Occasionally, I come across a book that I want to share with everyone who has touched my life. Books can often change the way we look at our lives, and this one has touched my life, in a profound, meaningful way. When I came across Immaculée Ilibagiza’s book, Left to Tell, I was curious to learn about her harrowing story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that took the lives of nearly one million Tutsis. Men, women and children, including her entire family except for one of her brothers, were massacred at the hands of Hutu marauders. “How can something like that happen in today’s world?” I thought. Immaculée found shelter at a pastor’s home, where she and seven other women hid from the deadly rebe

At first glimpse, you might not be so enthralled to put black garlic on your dinner plate. But looks can be deceiving. Does it resemble little jelly-like pebbles of coal? Sure. But its sweet, non-acrid taste and nutritional benefits might make you a believer (and the fact that you’ll avoid garlic breath after eating it doesn’t hurt either). HOW IT’S MADE Black garlic, which was created in Korea, is slowly treated with heat and high humidity over about a month’s time, which allows for a Maillard reaction—the same chemical reaction that browns bread and toasts marshmallows. The result is a head of caramelized, syrupy, balsamic-like cloves with a similar consistency to roasted garlic. THE BENE

Do you compare your life to other’s in a way that provokes inner shame or guilt? Our life’s journey is uniquely our own, and for most of us, we want to shove it under the rug, as if we are damaged goods. But, what if we could reframe our story, in a way that empowers us to learn and grow from each circumstance or struggle that we encounter. In my soon-to-be-published book, Finding My Way, Facing My Journey with Courage, I embrace my story, and its purpose is to show others, by example, the importance of owning, and learning from, our story. I personally was able to break free from emotional self-sabotage, when I realized this important concept. Life just got easier as I learned to tap into

In my book Finding My Way, Facing My Journey With Courage, I share my personal stories and struggles and how throughout my self-discovery process, I learned to get out of living on auto-pilot and to stop self-sabotaging myself. I learned the importance of self-awareness. Being aware, means to challenge our current mindset, and to question whether we are serving our well-being, or sabotaging our well-being. One of my favorite books on this subject is by the late Debbie Ford, The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions To Guide You To An Extraordinary Life, According to Debbie Ford, “These questions supply you with the wisdom you need to make what was previously unconscious, conscious, so tha

I can’t remember the last time I left my house in the morning without my smoothie. It has been my grab-and-go breakfast and often, lunch too. I have seen the benefits of treating myself this way, and my body thanks me for it. There are literally hundreds of ways to make a smoothie, and it all boils down to personal taste. I have experimented a lot over the years, and am always pleasantly surprised what I can come up with. Because I am dairy free, I omit using milk, yogurt or ice cream (these can add added sugar and calories, so check the label.) But that doesn’t mean I must sacrifice great taste. I use almond or coconut milk in place of milk or yogurt. I also like to add a source of prote

Living in New England, we are used to having to deal with Northeasters, followed by huge amounts of snow. I have always been a fan of crock pot cooking, especially on those snowy days, when you’re just in the mood for some comfort food, and are keeping with a healthy diet. But more importantly, cooking this way saves time and energy preparing for dinners during the work week. One slow cooker dish can be used two or three times, depending on the size of your family. You can freeze leftovers for the following week, and still have a prepared lunch to grab on the go, ensuring you stay on track with eating healthy. The crock pot is my number one cooking tool to use when making soups, stews, and d

I find it so refreshing when I hear stories of people who have listened to their inner guidance, curious about their future, following their passions, and pursing their dreams. These are our future thought leaders, the movers and shakers, that take a leap of faith, regardless of what the outcome will be. They know it’s way better than living a mediocre life. They are willing to break down the walls that society places on them, to succeed. So, when my son, Billy, came to me and shared his new business venture, that is outside of his day job, I was curious about his why. I am using his own words: I am setting up this business because I am trying to fulfill a dream of mine which is being my ow

As I continue with my health coach training with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I am doing things that take me out of my comfort zone. As I move forward, I make a mental note to not get in the habit and fill in the blanks, of all the things that could go wrong, using fear, as my guide. Part of our curriculum, is addressing our fear of success. This affirmation was presented by Katheryn Coullautt, PhD, and I have placed it in my wheelhouse of positive thoughts, to choose when I begin to feel self-doubt creeping in. “I’m committed to a life worth living, to creating new things, and to becoming all I have yet to become. I understand that mistakes, setbacks, and failures, are part of my

Last week, I wrote about how important it is to know the value of your truth, regardless of what other’s are saying. In my new book “Finding My Way, Facing My Journey with Courage,” I write about this in more detail, using personal stories. In this blog post, I will share my book’s introduction and hope it will inspire you to live big, laugh hard, and challenge yourself each day. Embracing the Tapestry of Our Lives “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards” …. Soren Kierkegaard As I sit in my beautiful lake house, overlooking the majestic mountains of New Hampshire, taking in the beauty of all the pine, maple and birch trees, enjoying birds of different colors an

I was having dinner with a group of friends the other night, and was asked a question, that made me reflect and truly think about how to answer with honesty and integrity. No sugar coating, no bullshitting, pure honest to goodness truth. I am in the middle of a big book project, and have been pouring my heart and soul into this project for over two years. When I finally completed my manuscript, complete with professional editing and feedback, I felt proud of what I accomplished, and knew my book was going to help so many people break free from their own obstacles that hold them back. Helping others was my motivation. Throughout my book, that highlights the many obstacles, life lessons and wi

I was over a friend’s house watching the Patriot’s game and she served this delicious chili. It is full of flavor and easy to make, serve in the crockpot and it’s ready for gametime! Ingredients 1 lb Ground Beef 2 Medium Onions chopped 1 Large green pepper chopped 1/4 Cup Flour 3 Tbsp Chili powder 2 tsp Ground Cumin 2 tsp Dried Basil 2 tsp Dried Oregano 1 tsp Salt 2 Cans Italian style tomatoes undrained (28oz) 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Can (20oz) Chick Peas 1 Can Red Kidney Beans (15.5oz) 1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage removed from casing 3 Cloves Garlic, minced 1 1/4 tsp Tabasco Sauce Sliced ripe olives, chopped onion, chopped greedn pepper, chopped tomato,shredded cheese, co

Tonight I made a recipe that I have used before, but altered it a bit, as I am not using pasta, and trying to stick to my Paleo lifestyle. Ingredients: 1 TBS Avacado oil 1 onion, diced 1/2 TBS of minced garlic 1 LB ground beef (or turkey) 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets 1 24 oz. marinara sauce (without added sugar) I used Dave’s Gourmet Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil 1 can of crushed tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste Optional: Parmesan cheese Cauliflower Directions: Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and ground meat and sauté until browned, stirring to crumble the meat (add salt and pepper to tas

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl Celebrating the 4th of July with family and friends offers a humble reminder of just how precious life can be. This summer, I decided to take some time for me, slow down and enjoy life. Recently, I became painfully aware of all the business I was creating and all the doing of projects that I felt compelled to do. I was creating a boatload of unnecessary stress. Sound familiar? Then, I got hit with yet, one more wake up call. I underwent some recent health challenges that knocked me off my seat. My body was filled with pain

Exercise has always been on my personal wellness radar, but lately I seem to be getting either bored or injured more easily. I started finding excuses to skip my regular workouts and believed my justifications were valid. After all, as the body ages, it gets harder to keep the motivation train going. With that said, I knew if I stopped challenging my body (and mind) today, I’ll pay for it big time tomorrow. So I decided it was time to shake out the cobwebs, stir up some of that old energy and try something new. As I was driving through a neighboring town, I noticed a sign for a local yoga studio. Even though I take this route often, I never noticed this sign before. Today, it was calling my

As a parent, we always want to teach and guide our children to do the right thing. As adults, we use our own life experiences, the challenges we’ve faced, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way to influence our son or daughter’s growth. It starts early on from simple things like learning to share, showing kindness to others and being respectful to adults. This guidance helps form our child’s values, and will help build a life of happiness and success. As children grow into young adults, their values begin to change. There can be a number of reasons for this, ranging from adhering to expectations of a parent, keeping up with school pressure and fitting in with friends. This shift in per