recipe

Raw Brownies

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Four years ago, I posted (yep, been writing this blog for over 4 years …. no major breakout new blogger award, but happy to still be posting, promoting Natori, and contributing to the world wide web) the recipe for Raw Brownies. Since many of you readers have not been reading since Day 1 (thank you to my parents and college girlfriends), I decided it was time to share this wonder of a recipe again! 4 ingredients, no refined sugar, super delicious, easy to make, no baking, holy ka-bomb done done done.

 

Rich, delicious, decadent and NO guilt!

Rich, delicious, decadent and NO guilt!

Continue Reading →

Savory Zucchini Pancakes

Josie Girl 5 Comments

Happy New Years! Happy 2016! I am currently in the process of coming up with my New Year’s Resolutions, and will post those on Monday.  In between my deep thoughts; mad rush packing up west coast for east coast (sob!); savoring the last minutes, hugs, and kisses with my brother, his family, and my parents; and waking up at 3 am to catch a 5:15 am cross country flight (no joke), I have had little time to thoughtfully compose the resolutions. So stay tuned! Until then, here is a recipe for some zucchini savory pancakes — nutritious and delicious.

 

Ingredients:

 

Ingredients

Continue Reading →

Matcha Latte

Josie Girl 6 Comments

I just hopped onto the matcha bandwagon and made myself a matcha latte! What is matcha (besides a word sounding like it is yiddish instead of Japanese)? It is a finely ground powder of green tea leaves. It is also all the hype in hipster, hippy coffee shops. And since I love all of the above (hipster, coffee, tea, Japanese, and hippy), I am now a matcha lover. Plus, it is gentle on your stomach, fights sickness, and makes you smarter. WIN WIN WIN. NO LONGER WILL I BE A BLONDE.

 

What's not to love about a green drink?

What’s not to love about a green drink?

Continue Reading →

Spiralizer

Josie Girl 4 Comments

I shelled out the big dough and bought another kitchen gadget; and I couldn’t be happier. YUP, a spiralizer. What is a spiralizer (good question, kinda sounds like a pencil sharpener)? It is a device that transforms vegetables into “angel-hair” strands as well as spiral cuts, shoestrings and ribbon “noodles” — amazing, right?

 

Spiralizer! Even the name sounds spunky and happy! SPIRALIZE!

Spiralizer! Even the name sounds spunky and happy! SPIRALIZE!

Continue Reading →

Gwyneth Paltrow Candy Bars

Josie Girl 2 Comments
Readers know that I love Gwyneth Paltrow as much as I love my kids (#joking #notjoking). So here is yet another recipe from her cookbook, “It’s All Good.”  Candy Bars! Hellooooooo healthy-ish Halloween treats! (way better than M&Ms). They are gluten-free and refined-sugar-free…  but heavy duty sweet.   But still healthier than a typical candy bar…..so go for it!
THICK GOOEY AWESOME

THICK GOOEY AWESOME

Continue Reading →

Gazpacho

Josie Girl 4 Comments

In July this summer (tear as summer is officially over. SOB!), my mom and I both tore out this recipe for gazpacho from the NYTimes. It looked simple yet delicious. It wasn’t until we recently had an abundance of tomatoes from the CSA that we decided to make it. And not to #humblebrag but HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING AND I AM A STAR CHEF. This would win every and any food competition ever. I am now a phenomenal chef — this rocked my socks off. (I actually know it’s all about the recipe and the fresh CSA vegetables… but I can dream I’m a great cook, can’t I?)

 

July 2015 New York Times.

A July New York Times.

Continue Reading →

Penzeys Spices

Josie Girl 6 Comments

A true sign of a friend is when you receive a gift that shows that they are listening (which believe it or not, people don’t tend to do these days) to your stories. Several months ago, I nauseatingly bored my bestie to death with the fact that I had recently cleaned out the kitchen of our Pound Ridge home, and had thrown out 3 garbage bags worth of spices from 1985. So last weekend, when we visited Pound Ridge, I was astonished to find a huge present from my friend containing SPICES. To anyone else, this might seem like a whoa, cool, gift. But to me, it was beyond thoughtful, considerate, generous, and heartfelt. My friend listened, heard, and responded. Amazing. And let me tell you, these are not just any spices, they are the KING OF SPICES. (I don’t usually get excited by spices, but let me tell you, these are above and beyond any other type of spice!)

 

Boxes. Yes, they are just cardboard boxes but the contents are magic.

Boxes. Yes, they are just cardboard boxes but the contents are magic.

Continue Reading →

Healthy Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Josie Girl 2 Comments

Morning! Last night, my hubba hubba husband was on HSN (Home Shopping Network) again representing Natori and selling perfume. Check it out here. Bravo!!!! And now, to the post…..Gwyneth Paltrow wins again! Her recipe for carrot pineapple cake (or muffins) is a champion winner. Hot dog, she sure knows what she is doing. These refined sugar-free and gluten-free carrot pineapple muffins are incredible — perhaps my favorite dessert recipe to date! Do me a favor and make these tasty desserts (or breakfast) today!

 

Final product.

Final product.

Continue Reading →

Typical Summer Meal

Josie Girl 5 Comments

Here is a sample meal from my mother. And yes, she is a creative genius in the kitchen — she rarely looks at recipes and constantly uses her imagination to combine the freshest ingredients she finds. The key is organic and fresh veggies!

 

Tomato, Cucumber, Parsley, Anchovy salad. Fresh veggies from the CSA. True perfection.

Tomato, Cucumber, Parsley, Anchovy salad. Fresh veggies from the CSA. True perfection.

Continue Reading →

Healthy Banana Muffins

Josie Girl 6 Comments

A GP lover, I was on a mission to make the Jumbo Banana Muffins from Goop over the weekend, and boy, did they turn out amazing. GP knows what she is doing (or her staff does). Healthy — refined sugar free and gluten free — these muffins will be a huge hit in your office / home / belly. These moist, gooey muffins have an almond butter filling — an extra special yummy surprise in the middle.

Paired with coffee - muy bueno. Continue Reading →

The Forest Feast Peanut Butter Coconut Balls

Josie Girl 6 Comments

yum

 

One of the things I love most about spending my summers in Oregon with my parents is my mother’s cooking *AND* her collection of cookbooks. She literally could open up a cookbook library.  This past week, I came across a cookbook, The Forest Feast, given last year to my mother by my bestie. This cookbook is not only beautiful, but the vegetarian recipes are healthy, easy, and simple.   Here is my first find: peanut butter – coconut – no bake balls!  SO DELICIOUS!

Continue Reading →

Kelp Salad

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Recently, I have heard so many good things about kelp and its nutritional benefits. First and foremost, is kelp a noddle or a plant or a string? What is kelp??? Kelp noodles are a sea vegetable in the form of an easy to eat raw noodle. Made of only kelp (a sea vegetable), sodium alginate (sodium salt extracted from a brown seaweed), and water, Kelp Noodles are fat-free, gluten-free, and very low in carbohydrates and calories.

 

Kelp!

Kelp! (rhymes with help)

Continue Reading →

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Josie Girl 4 Comments

Sugar, dairy and fat heaven! Ice Cream Sandwich Cake! Oh my, worth every single bite. Based off of the following recipes from: Mommy’s Kitchen, All Recipes, and A Free Recipe. This is truly the easiest homemade dessert, perfect for parties and summer BBQs. (Also, be sure to read through the whole post for info on a special promotion!)

 

Ice cream cakes!

Ice cream cakes!

Continue Reading →

Raw Tortillas

Josie Girl 6 Comments
Tortilla Land tortillas make all the difference!

 

Last December when visiting my brother in Seattle, I discovered raw tortillas while rummaging through his fridge. In a matter of seconds, I became a fan. These authentic and fresh tortillas are made from simple ingredients (only 5 of them!) and no preservatives. Sold in many stores on the West Coast (Safeway, Albertsons, Costco), it was a little harder to pin them down on the East Coast. Thanks to my sister who lives in New Jersey, we got some… from Wal-mart!  And they are amazing.

Continue Reading →

Kale Caesar Salad

Josie Girl 5 Comments

I have always loved kale (Ken even considered naming our son, “Kale” instead of “Cruz” — true story), but this kale caesar salad has taken my love of the dark leafy green to a whole new level. Like, I could eat four heads of kale in one day and be happy and content. This is an easy salad, with a super tasty homemade dressing that lasts in the fridge for several weeks. Once I discovered the recipe from Epicurious, I have literally made this salad 2-3 times a week. I can’t stop, won’t stop, why stop. So here is the recipe.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients for Salad:

 

Ingredients

 

Continue Reading →

Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Even Ken thinks that they are tasty (hard critic!).

 

Every time I am at Whole Foods, I end up picking up a “Morning Glory” Muffin to snack on. Both my daughter and I love them:  sweet, moist, and healthy.  So I decided to bake a batch of them myself! After scouring the internet to find the recipe that suited my taste, here is the one I found on eatingwell.com. I modified them slightly and love the result! They are refined-sugar free, gluten-free (because I used gluten-free flour), and nutrient packed!

Continue Reading →

Healthy Banana Coconut Cookies

Josie Girl 4 Comments

The right size.

 

For the past couple of months, I have been more into *real* desserts than *healthy* desserts. But now that it is the start of a new, clean, fresh year, I am back to loving / craving / wanting / needing healthy desserts. And this dessert is the perfect one — incredibly healthy, no refined sugar, no wheat, real ingredients, easy to make, and super delicious. WIN WIN WIN — almost like digging into an overflowing ice cream hot fudge sundae. This recipe is from 101 Cookbooks, one of my all-time favorite food blogs. Check it out! And make these cookies! They are part banana bread — part oatmeal — part macaroon. All in one deliciousness!

 

Continue Reading →

Broccoli-Arugula Soup

Josie Girl 5 Comments

Theoretically, you could just go to the GOOP website and find this soup. But hey, it is more fun when I post, right? So full acknowledgement, this soup is copied EXACTLY from GP. AND IT IS SO GOOD! And healthy! And the perfect way to start the New Year! So go on and make it. And pretend that I was genius enough (or had the staff) to create it myself.

 

Ingredients:

 

Ingredients

Continue Reading →