Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas

Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas

New York City, and the surrounding area are about to get dumped on by a massive snow storm.  People are flocking to the store, raiding the aisles, and stocking up on supplies to last them until Spring. Me? I cooked up this delicious pot of stew, and plan on holing up in my apartment and eating leftovers while the storm blankets the city’s sidewalks with snow.  I can’t think of a better home-cooked meal to welcome the storm than this satisfying and healthy Italian Stew.  Continue reading

Kohlrabi and Summer Squash Fritters with Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Kohlrabi and Summer Squash Fritters with Yogurt Dill Sauce

Kohlrabi and Summer Squash Fritters with Yogurt Dill Sauce

I have made it my mission to cook as many healthy, locally sourced and seasonal recipes as possible this summer.  Not just because it’s summer and I have to be seen in a bathing suit in a week (eek!), but  mostly because when I eat well, I feel well, and that is really the most important thing to me when it comes to my diet eating habits. I hate using the word diet because I really don’t believe in them.  I feel that by restricting the foods I eat I often crave them more, leading to binge eating which is never, ever a good look.  I am quite petite, so I do have to eat less than other non-vertically challenged people, but watching what I eat is far different from restricting what I eat.  As you can see on this here blog, I do have a pretty strong sweet tooth, which I used to always try to deny.  But I found when I didn’t have that cookie, I’d wind up eating 10 later in the week, and that just wasn’t working.  When I allow myself to eat smaller portions of things I like, and truly enjoy them without feeling the guilt, then the cravings disappear and it turns into a lifestyle of conscience eating, rather than endless weeks of diets that fall short.  Continue reading

Kale Salad with Ricotta Salata and Creamy Avocado Dressing

Kale Salad with Ricotta Salata and Creamy Avocado Dressing

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend, Jordan, and I took a much needed long weekend away from the city. I love everything about living in NYC… the energy, the skyline, the food (obviously), the endless list of things to do at any given hour of the day… but let me tell you, it can get to be a lot. The noise, the crowds, the inconvenience of having to be anywhere on time, it can be unbearable sometimes.  If you live in NYC you will absolutely know what I’m talking about.  If you don’t then it’s hard to put into words…it can sort of feel like this.  Especially after this wretched winter, when everyone was surly and miserable because the weather was so incredibly oppressing, we were just over it and needed a weekend away. So we booked a long weekend at a small lake house in the Berkshires.  Just Jordan, our dog Brody and myself.  Continue reading