I was honored to be chosen recently as one of 30 bloggers in Lucky Foods recipe challenge. I wanted to make something still light enough for summer, but with depth of flavor and a little spice to match the heat of the outside temps. 

I feel like we had been in a food rut when it came to lunches at home recently and I was so ecstatic to receive the box of goodies from Lucky Foods, including this spicy spin on mayo, ,The Seoul Kimchi Mayo is creamy, spicy and goes so well on bowls, salads and sandwiches. It was exactly what we needed to bring life back to lunch time! 

I decided on a deconstructed vegan sushi bowl because I am a bowl lover and, as I said, I wanted to keep it light, cool, crunchy and fresh for summertime. 

Lucky Foods is a family-owned and woman-owned company. Their vegan and gluten free spring rolls have been a staple in our home and I was so excited when they expanded to sauces to spruce up our homemade dishes as well. 

What You'll Need
1 C. Jasmine or Brown Rice 
1/2 Cucumber, chopped
1/4 C. shredded carrot
1/2 of an avocado
1/4 C. chopped mango
1/4 C. shelled edamame
1-2 sheets seaweed, cut into strips 
Sprinkle of toasted or black sesame seeds
Drizzle on Lucky Food's Kimchi Mayo to taste 

Add in a bowl and enjoy! 

To get social with Lucky Foods, visit them at http://www.instagram.com/eatluckyfoods
or
​ http://www.facebook.com/luckyfoods 

I am having a winter love affair with bowls of all kinds. From my dimensional breakfast bowls like this one, to my daily lunch bowls that satisfy the deepest hunger of a breastfeeding mama I can't get enough.

As we continue to host our Friday Night Dinners, this past week my hubs and I were running late and pretty tired after a long week of a healing baby so Mr. Charming and our friend got Chipotle. Instead of getting one of their bowls, I decided to make my own for more options. 

Below is how I make my spicy, savory, ultra flavorful Chicken Burrito Bowl. So many textures, so many nuances of spice - a craveable must-have for your meal plan arsenal. 

Think of the possibilities you could incorporate. You could omit the beans and rice, add salsa and more veggies to make it Whole 30 and Paleo friendly. Swap out the sauce for a creamy cashew cheese. To make it vegan, lose the mayo and chicken and add bell peppers and spiced tofu. 

That's what I love most about bowls, the versatility. 

If you try it, let me know how YOU made it your own! 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyNutrishDish #CollectiveBias

Spring is in the air and that means time outdoors with the family + crisp, cool recipes.

​Our Miniature Schnauzer Charlie adores this time of year because he knows it means days at the dog park, road trips around the state and exploring the backyard to his little hearts content. I'm also enjoying the slower pace of spring as we are wrapping an issue of the magazine and summer will be a more leisurely time to play with the pups and nest to get ready for baby. 

After spending an early morning at a local farm with the hubs perusing delicious goodies, it was time to return home for lunch and naps with the pup.

Many of you have been asking me, that when I'm not making Charlie's food from scratch, what I feed him. There are many seasons of life where one may not have the resources, the time or the funds to make homemade dog food to keep on hand. It's important to know what brand to trust to make sure your fur babies are getting the best, in not only flavor and texture, but in nutritional value.  It's a delicate balance to ensure they're getting all of what they need. 

We chose the DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® dry dog food line because, like we do, she uses whole ingredients in her recipes. Our pups are family to us and it's important, knowing what I do about food and what it can do for our bodies, that they also get the best of the best. It's formulated for all size dogs too, which makes it a match for our 13 year old senior lab as well. 

I've been a fan of Rachael's for many years now, the heart she has for dogs and the quality of her product lines. Having my dogs on a wheat and corn free diet (like mama, like pups) I was ecstatic to see this new product emerge. Also free of soy, gluten, by-product, fillers or preservatives, I feel confident in knowing it's a food that can grow with him as he grows from puppy into a little man and into his senior years. 

Once the pup was fed, it was time to whip up something for me and the hubs. With Sunday being our meal prep and plan for the week day, I wanted something cool, quick and easy. So I took cues from Charlie's decadent dish, the DISH Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe with Veggies & Fruit, to create the recipe below for my Spring Chicken Salad.

Using some of the same whole ingredients founds in Charlie's nosh - green apples, cranberries and chicken became the stars of our lunchtime fare. Serving it with my favorite gluten free brown rice crackers gave us the whole grains needed to round out our protein packed meal. 

This salad is cool and refreshing and serves 2. The cranberries offer a welcome sweetness while the tart apple and spring greens lend a nice crunch. 

It was the perfect compliment to the refreshing homemade lemonade we picked up at the farm this morning and I felt good knowing Charlie was enjoying a meal that was also packed with vitamins and minerals that his little energetic, growing body needs. 

If you are wanting to make the switch or want to try DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® remember to gradually introduce the food by incorporating it into your current dog food over the course of 7-10 days. Slowly replace your dog’s current food with DISH until it’s completely switched over. 

We found it at Target and it was simple to find, located in the Pet Supply and Dog Food section of the store. Many stores carry it, and you can check the store locator for a store near you. 

Charlie adores this food and gets excited for mealtime, which shows me it's an authentic win in our household. 

​And for those of you who know my heart for dogs, Rachael’s personal proceeds are given to Rachael’s Rescue, an organization that was created to help shelter pets in need. She has donated over $10M to date towards food, medical supplies and treatments for these unfortunate animals. A win/win for my dogs and those without a home. 
​

Have you tried DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®?  Or, do you have an adorable photo of your pup to share with me? Leave it in the comments below or contact me. Seriously can never have enough cute dog photos on the internet in my opinion. 

Do you have a favorite quick and easy go-to spring salad recipe? I'd love to try + taste! Share below!

It's officially Fall. This fact means my palette begins to crave all the fall favorites. Soups, stews, turkey, sweet potatoes and all the traditional Thanksgiving-related fixings. However, living in Arizona, it's still reaching triple digits and it doesn't sound like the funnest afternoon to have my oven heating the house to temperatures that will melt us.

That's where my Thanksgiving-inspired salad comes in. This is one of my favorite go-to lunches right now. Super simple, crisp and cool, I still get to please my palette with falls favorite tastes. Juicy turkey breast? Check. Sweet, tart cranberries, check. And to top it off I pair this with a cool, savory side of bacon and sweet potato salad and boom, it's like Thanksgiving and summer made a love child.

A love child of crisp, cool, crunchy goodness that bursts with all the flavors of the holiday season. 

Ingredients:
Fresh turkey breast, shredded
1-2 C. Organic Romaine Lettuce
Steve's Paleo Goods Cranberries (no added sugar or corn syrup)

Toss & top with a cranberry vinaigrette or Apple Cider Vinegar & enjoy! 

I've been really, really bad at doing recipe testing and food photography lately. Finishing up school for my diploma in Personal Nutrition, working full time, trying to start our family & blogging gets to be a bit much (don't get me wrong, I LOVE what I do, but by the end of the day, I'd rather make something I know it quick and nutritious. 

I'll get back to making more elaborate and yummy special stuff, but for tonight. Here's #WhatIAte. 

When shopping at Sprouts over the weekend they had a box of Organic Turkey Patties in stock - just two ingredients: Organic Turkey & Rosemary. They were a bit pricey, but with multiple case studies, work and the blog - paying $10.99 for a whole box was worth it to me to make sure I'm eating protein over carbs when I'm in a time crunch.

I bought a pre-diced container of organic onion while I was there too. Makes it so easy to throw a handful into the pan while the meat is cooking (I did 8 minutes on each side for the patty, I like my meat a little more 'done' than most.)

My friend and I hit Whole Foods while we were in the area (the closest one is about 25 miles from me) and I found a bag of Paleo cranberries. Again just two ingredients - cranberries & pure apple juice for the preservative/sweetener. I rarely do dried fruit, but for some reason I was craving a salad with fruit on top so I added some along with fresh organic pear on a bed of butter lettuce and topped it all with Apple Cider Vinegar to give it a tangy kick that will help detox. 

It's become one of my new favorite summer lunches. What is on your plate this season?

On a recent wellness retreat I wanted to make a hearty and filling salad for my friend and I after an afternoon by the pool.  I adore cobb salads tossed with fresh olive oil but didn't have any turkey breast on hand at the resort so I came up with this "no gobbler cobb".  It was a hit! The cool fresh tomatoes make it the perfect summer lunch dish!

Ingredients:
4 C. Crisp organic romaine or butter lettuce
8 Organic cherry tomatoes
4 Organic eggs, hard boiled
4 Pieces of nitrate free pork bacon
1 Medium sized avocado
Olive oil and sea salt 


Prep:
Split lettuce into two bowl, 2 C. each.  slice cherry tomatoes in half and toss in.  Cut up hard boiled eggs and add with crumbled bacon and cubed avocado.  Toss with olive oil and sea salt and serve. 

This recipe is not to be confused with my veggie pasta, where I actually incorporate gluten-free noodles.  This pasta is completely grain-free, 100% all veggies and it is amazing.  It's super easy, surprisingly very filling if you have a large bowl, and great hot with dairy-free butter or high quality butter/ghee if you tolerate dairy.  There are two options here in making this dish. The convenient way if you're on the go like I was on Easter, or the more involved option that I like to do when I'm home in my own kitchen.









Ingredients:
For on-the-go:
Pre-packed mix of shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrots

For at home: 
Broccoli Stalks 
Carrots
Red Cabbage
Earth Balance Dairy Free/Soy Free Olive Oil Butter
Sea Salt

Prep:
Wash all vegetables thouroughly.  Slice cabbage leaves into thin strips.  For the carrots and the broccoli stalks, you may use a mandolin or food processor to get uniform strips.  

For fresh, or bagged mix, heat Tbsp. of EB Butter over low-medium heat and place veggie mix in a heated pan.  Add a little more butter to your preference as well as sea salt and any additional spices or herbs of choice.  I'm doing a more gentle body detox right now, so I didn't add anything additional this time and it was still very flavorful.  Cook on medium heat, covered, until "noodles" are soft but still hold a little bit of crunch. 

Serve warm with a protein on the side.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, divided (if well tolerated) 
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, plus wedges for garnish
1 tablespoon pure balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 can (15 oz) organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced orange or red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
4 cups baby arugula




Instructions:
Heat oven to 375°. On a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, place potatoes in a layer; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes; let cool. In a bowl, whisk juice, vinegar, garlic, remaining 1/2 tsp sea salt and remaining 1/4 tsp white pepper. Add sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, and mint; toss; serve over arugula, and garnish with lime wedges.