lemon

Who doesn’t love chicken pot pie? Creamy, hearty chicken soup wrapped up in a warm flaky crust…it sounds dreamy, but it’s actually a nutritional nightmare! Not only are there far too many carbs and calories in the crust, but the soup itself is often filled with heavy fats and noodles that make weight gain easy. 

Here, I have a lightened up recipe for chicken pot pie soup that gives you the same flavors and comfort of chicken pot pie, while keeping you on track with your fitness and fat loss goals. Enjoy this warming recipe on a chilly day! 

It starts slowly. Icicles drip onto the sidewalks, snow mounds shrink under afternoon sunlight, and here in the Pacific Northwest, heavy, warm rains are ushered in. As spring approaches, our appetites desire light, fresh, yet still warming foods. Enter the classic vegetable soup.

When I stopped drinking coffee, I found myself missing a hot beverage in the morning. Craving the robust flavor, I would try drinking only a few sips, having not had any coffee in a week. This was a bad idea. The uneasy, edgy feeling would hit me harder than having 3 cups in a day when I was an avid coffee drinker. Soon, I realized coffee and I no longer agreed.

“Put on a hat–you’ll catch a cold!” and “Turkey makes you sleepy” are just some of the old wives’ tales you’ve likely heard growing up. Or, perhaps you had a mother or father who was particularly insistent upon herbal remedies like consuming raw garlic for colds and flus. While some old wives’ tales are just that–tales–we’ve gathered the ones that seem to have actual merit and thus a place in your kitchen, too.

Do you struggle with occasional heartburn?

If so, you are not alone. Many Americans suffer from heartburn or acid reflux symptoms. The conventional treatment is to prescribe an antacid – which at first glance sounds logical, doesn’t it? (I mean if you are feeling too much acid, then you need something to decrease it, right?)

Waking up in the morning or winding down from a long day, there is nothing like a good cup of tea. Good quality teas, however, can be expensive and hard to find. What's worse is when you go to reach for a bag, and realize the bag is empty. While most consumers rely on purchasing pre-blended tea bags, you can make your own tea using fresh ingredients already in your kitchen. A little creativity and prep is all it takes to be minutes away from a soothing mug. Here are a few tips to follow when delving into homemade teas.

I am a predictable eater, especially when I know what I love to eat. Beets are one vegetable for which I will always reach, and so I find ways to incorporate them into classics…like this bright and beautiful beet ginger hummus, pulsing with warming, slightly spicy flavors I love. This recipe is awesome not just for the flavor, but because it brings some real vibrant color into the kitchen during the winter season. It reminds me of the strong magenta of a peony or a really rich summer fruit, and the ginger in it warms like the feeling of summer sunlight. It’s delightful!

The short, cold days of winter make the season a vulnerable time – we get sick, we tend to feel languid and slow, and we become more sensitive, both emotionally and physically. I’m talking quite literally; I become sensitive to how my skin feels, to tastes, and especially to smells. It makes sense, given that we tend to spend more time inside during the winter months.

Growing up, my dad would frequently bring Chinese food home for dinner. Those amazing take-out meals usually consisted of lemon chicken, chow fun noodles, and Chinese chicken salad. Every single dish was always mouthwateringly good, but do you know which dish was the star? That’s right—lemon chicken. That unique, tangy, sweet sauce truly made it what it was. If you open up my family’s refrigerator, you’ll mostly see bottles of various sauces, and not much else (we’re sauce people, or connoisseurs, if you will).

Blueberry pancakes are a classic that many of us grow up enjoying, but probably don’t make for ourselves very often. Revisit this delicious breakfast meal with a vegan twist! These pancakes are egg-less, thanks to a banana substitute which also adds a bit of natural sweetness, cutting out some of the sugar that would traditionally be used. The blueberries and lemon create a flavorful combination, with the lemon bringing out the slight tartness of the blueberries. Top the pancakes with powdered sugar, fruit or your favorite syrup!

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