Living the WELL Life

Even in the heat of summer I love to spice things up for some hot and heavy action…in the kitchen.  This menu is perfect for a festive dinner party with friends or, better yet, a couples’ night.  Your taste buds will do the tango as you and your partner bring on the salsa dancing.  I kept these dishes on the light side because, who knows, you might need some energy for later

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I had some friends over for dinner last night and served two of my favorite dishes–Mock Tuna and Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts. They’re both from The Hip Chick’s Guide (although one I stole–with permission–from Christina!) so if you’ve made them ten thousands times, forgive me.  If you have not, now’s the time to throw a dinner party and serves these summer lovelies:  Read more

I was really angry at myself last week for enjoying the aromas of the food court at the mall and fascinated by the way I responded to those smells.  Is there a physiological or psychological trigger in those smells that ignited my olfactory and gustatory senses?  Will I always be affected or influenced by those smells…especially freshly brewed coffee, whose smell l enjoy more than its taste?  Or, will years of not eating those foods eventually make me immune to their allure?  I began to wonder why we eat, not just why we eat fried or greasy foods, but why we eat and when and how we begin to develop our eating patterns.   Read more

I know; I know. It’s controversial. Some say crazy, but what if we could reduce crime and violence by simply changing cafeteria menus?  A high school in Appleton, Wisconsin tried an experiment under the enlightened guidance of their principal, LuAnn Coenen. She wanted to see if she could positively affect the fighting, weapons-carrying and general lack of focus and discipline in the school by changing the food the kids ate.   Read more

Sometimes there is nothing better than having comforting breakfast foods to help wind down from a busy day.  There are plenty of treats on this menu; you might just have enough left over to jumpstart your morning!  Enjoy!   Read more

I always made a claim, even before parenthood, that I would do anything to not have a child who only eats chicken nuggets and french fries. You know, the kid that could eat at the most renowned restaurant with the broadest menu and would still want nuggets.  Read more

 I used to live at the Kushi Institute , surrounded by people learning macro, talking macro, eating macro and dreaming macro 24/7.  There was never any denial among us that food was powerful, even magical .  That was the glue that brought us together.  In fact, we were so steeped in the food thing that I had a non-macro friend say to me once, as I gabbled on and on about gomasio and brown rice  and how it was all going to save the world: "Jess, I think you are in denial of everyone else’s denial!"  Ugh.  It made me want to throw my kukicha tea at him!  Read more

In these hard economic times, people are watching their dwindling money do less and less. We also continuously hear about living well, eating naturally and preventing disease. These three basic concepts of a healthy life have taken on the aura of out-of-reach luxury. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Read more

June is National Dairy Month and I can’t help but cringe every time I see the “Got Milk” ads and hear nutritionists talk about the health “benefits” of milk and other dairy products.  Research shows that dairy is hazardous to our health.  If milk is so great for us why is 75% of the world population estimated to be lactose intolerant?  In addition to digestive issues, dairy consumption has also been linked to acne, allergies, Type I diabetes, and even cancer!  You heard me, cancer.    Read more

I did it.   Read more