I’m always looking for ways to make a recipe healthier.

Well, I take that back – there are times to make a recipe healthier and there are times when you should leave it be. Some recipes aren’t meant to be healthy.

But when the time is right to make a recipe a bit healthier – here are my favorite tips:

How to Make any Recipe Healthier: 

• reduce an ingredient! This can work with cheese or dairy products, mayonnaise, oil, sugar, etc. Play around with the amount to find the best result.
• swaps grains: Using whole grains (bread, pasta, tortillas) in place of white flour versions can help increase fiber and protein and can sometimes even decrease calories.
• reduced-fat products: In my opinion there isn’t much of a flavor difference between the full and reduced-fat versions of cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise. (Reduced-fat cheese is NOT ok with me!)
• add veggies! This is a favorite of mine – if a recipe calls for 1/2 an onion or bell pepper, use the whole thing! Veggies add bulk to your meal for very few calories. Serve entrees over lightly steamed spinach instead of pasta, and always add more greens and lettuce to salads.

How do you alter recipes to make them a little healthier? 

in a major cooking slump. Seriously. Please send help!

hanging out with these two.

eating delicious seafood from Santa Monica Seafood.

making a ridiculous purchase (Star Homes Map). It had to be done, but is SO not worth the money.

drooling over this recipe for french onion soup tartines from vegetarian times. Need to make it asap.

 (source)

getting more into raw foods again.

and then filling my belly with Indian food.

exploring San Diego a bit on a work trip. Must take road trip here soon!

Lately you’ve been…

Happy Weekend! 

Hi Friends!

You probably haven’t noticed, but…

This thing called life keeps getting in the way of my usual 4 posts per week schedule. As much as I wish this blog were a full-time job – or even a part-time job, it is a hobby and so as other priorities come into my life, this sometimes takes the back seat.

(source)

I have to admit that taking a step back from the online world has been good for me. I’ve been out getting to know new friends, visiting with my family here in California, going on job interviews and working with two great companies!  Three of my best friends also visited within a three-week span. Obviously my focus was not on the internet – it was all about cherishing my time with them. And then consequently, the home-sick feelings that would arise after each of their departures.

I know that no one is frantically wondering why I haven’t been posting but I wanted to let you know that as my blog continues to grow and evolve, I’ve put more of a priority on quality content instead of a certain number of postings per week. So though you may hear from me less at times, I hope that you still feel A Nutritionist Eats is still worth reading! Thanks for sticking around.

How do you balance real life and the internet world?! I’m starting to feel more of a balance as I’ve stepped back, but I could probably still do better. 

1.  going back to blonde
2.  seeing best friends!

7. featured on June Ruby

This Sunday is Earth Day, have you heard?

Do you celebrate or acknowledge the holiday? I will be working all day, but when I was a kid we used to go pick up trash along the side of the road that we lived on. I grew up in the country and people throw out trash and dump garbage all the time. It was a small gesture, but I sill remember doing it. My parents are what I would consider uber-green and always set a great example.

While I aim to be as green as possible all year-round, Earth Day is always a good reminder that I can do better! I do the standards: bringing my bags to the grocery store, carrying around my water bottle with me at all times and buying eco-friendly home cleaning products and organic food when possible, but there are definitely ways that I can improve.

Favorite, Simple Ways to Go Green! 

compost pail via simple human 

household cleaners, detergents via seventh generation

food kozy via kids konserve

glass water bottle via life factory

What are your favorite “going green” tips and tricks? I could add a few to my repertoire. 

1. eating this salad: greens + cranberries & walnuts + gorgonzola + champagne vinaigrette. Every day.

2. downloading fonts like it is my job.

3. enjoying California campfires at the beach.

4. listening to the Lana Del Ray album on repeat. I cannot get enough of her voice!

5. attending musicals like Jersey Shoresical. Yup, that happened.

6. drinking espresso. Everyday. I feel so Italian!

7. cleaning like a crazy woman (spring cleaning and visitors coming this weekend)!

8. hiking.

You??

Our dining area, if you can even call it that, leaves a lot to be desired.

We’ve got a hand-me down table – a high, four top with stools. It is great for our always-small apartments, but hopefully we’ll be able to serve a meal to our friends or family someday! It is literally impossible to fit 4 place setting on the table.

We won’t be moving into a bigger space anytime in the near future, but I still like to envision things.

When I think about my dream dining room, this is what comes to mind…

Complete with modern french doors leading towards a lush, green yard…

What would your dream dining room look like? 

table: blox dining table via CB2

white chair: ypsilon side chair via Crate & Barrel

metal chair: lyle side chair via Crate & Barrel

light: random light via DWR

slate + wood boards via West Elm

succulent arrangement: via Geninne’s Art Blog

There are many, many valuable reasons out there to create a meal plan every week. It saves you from making multiple trips to the grocery store, ensures that you don’t buy groceries you don’t need (which saves money and translates to less food waste), and also means that the “what are we having for dinner” thoughts at 5:00pm are eliminated. Which is one of the worst thoughts ever, don’t you think? It is definitely the thought that makes me lean towards going out or grabbing take-out on the way home.

I’m going to show you how I create my weekly meal plan and subsequent grocery list – I hope that you will share your tips if you are a meal planner, or if you aren’t, what is holding you back from being one!

Step One: create an outline of dinners:

• 1 new recipe (from a cookbook, pinterest, etc.)
• 1-2 simple: rotisserie chicken or some other similarly easy meal
• 1 fish
• 1-2 pasta night (or stir-fry, taco, pizza, crock pot, etc.)
• 1-2 open nights (for going out, take out, dinner with friends, etc.

*if you don’t plan specific veggies with the meals, be sure to pick up a few fresh and frozen vegetables for dinners

Step Two: create a list of the standard breakfast & lunches:

• eggs, cereal, oats, frozen waffles, toast, yogurt
• sandwich supplies, salads, frozen meals

I go really simple on the outline – no fancy paper or spreadsheet – just a sheet of paper so that it can be easily changed.

Step Three: create the shopping list. Be sure to include staples in your list (not having garlic for a recipe is horrifying)!

Step Four: go shopping, and do as much meal prep as you can ahead of time! Sometimes paying a little extra for vegetables that are already cleaned and ready to go can make a huge difference in how much time it will take to you prepare the meal. Or if you have time on the weekends, you can prep vegetables and make grains before the week gets busy.

Step Five: eat and enjoy your home cooked meals!

Or, I’ll do it all for you.

Do you plan out your meals every week? What does your process look like? 

1. eating korean bbq. We went out for my birthday to Ham Ji Park in Koreatown and ate pork ribs and pork neck & potato stew. Oh and because we were deficient on pork, we also had pork belly. Did I tell you I’m now obsessed?!

2. yoga-ing and spin-ing a lot! It feels great.

3. reading Tasty Food Photography, written by my blog friend Lindsay. It is wonderful and I recommend it!

4. not been watching The Hunger Games – I think I’m the only one?

5. eating dessert. A funfetti cupcake from Crumbs (along with 4 other mini cupcakes) to celebrate 29 – funfetti was amazing. Want more sugarrrrrr.

6. oogling this recipe for champagne + lemon sorbet + mint cocktail I found on pinterest.

7. been loving the life advice from you all.

What have you been doing lately??

Woah.

Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday. I still kind of feel like I’m 23.

(23rd birthday)

I still don’t really know what I should do with my life.

But if I’ve learned anything over the years,

it’s that you should take advantage of the opportunities you have.

You should always appreciate family.

And be sure to love your friends.

Just because you may not know what to do with your life, or have the perfect career now,

doesn’t mean it isn’t coming.

Work hard, play lots and love your life.

Smile.

Oh, and pick up some anti-wrinkle cream – you are already getting a late start.

(29th birthday)

Have any life advice for me?