My Mom left a day and a half ago and I’m still in mourning.

We had such a good time – it was filled with cousins, touring LA (movies, Venice beach, Hollywood Blvd), and many, many amazing meals.

After an amazing last breakfast (bld) and a trip to the airport, I came home utterly bummed and super sad. I ate a brownie for lunch. I sulked around. And then I pulled myself together and made these green beans. Even though I’ve been in a bit of a cooking slump lately, spending some time in the kitchen is always something I enjoy and usually makes me feel better. (If the recipe turns out well, I enjoy it even more!)

These green beans are simply delicious. I had torn out a recipe from Bon Appetit for Green Beans with Miso Butter, but the ingredient list was long and the process a bit tedious for me. I skipped most of the ingredients and process, leaving only my favorite parts. The miso adds wonderful savory flavor to standard green beans and comes together in minutes!

Eat them on a depressing afternoon, a sunny, fun afternoon or alongside some grilled fish, chicken or tofu with a side of brown rice.

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? 

Hey Friends! I’m here with another post of daily eats! I mentioned that I’ve been getting more into raw foods again (happens every spring/summer) which is why you’ll see some more raw foods than normal added into the day.

5.14.12 

Morning: For some reason this morning I didn’t feel like coffee so I had some green tea.

Breakfast 1: I got out the juicer (hadn’t used it since we moved to California) and made a lovely green juice. This one contained: cucumber, celery, pear, lemon and spinach. Juicing pros: what leafy greens produce the most juice? I didn’t seem to get much from the spinach…

Breakfast 2: 1/2 pear leftover from juice + almond butter

Workout: I took a 75 minute yoga class and it was perfect – really tough, but in a good way. Some of the people in my yoga classes are amazing and I kind of stare with my mouth open at the ways they can move their body. Someday?

Lunch: Was supposed to be an amazing salad, but my avocado decided it wasn’t quite ripe yet, so I was only able to use a small piece of it. This salad, though not perfect, was still delicious. A bed of herb green mix was topped with tomatoes, goat cheese and seasoned with balsamic + olive oil + salt & pepper.

On the side I had some carrots and celery + hummus and olive tapenade.

Snack 1: bowl of hail merry grawnola + coconut milk

Snack 2: scoop of impromptu ice cream while we were at the bike shop.

Dinner: teriyaki quinoa from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan + shrimp + bok choy. I’m clearly still on a quinoa kick, and this was a fun and flavorful way to have it for dinner.

 With a few bites of cookie and some good old crime drama on TV, I called it a day. My Mom is arriving today and I couldn’t be more excited to see her!

I go through a love-hate relationship with quinoa. I’ll go through phases where I make a batch every week and eat it up for quick lunches or dinners but then I’ll go months without making it.

After a pretty long quinoa dry spell, I needed something enticing to bring it back into my life. And I decided that something would be quinoa spring salad.

I combined cooked quinoa with a bright vinaigrette and then topped it with sauteed leeks and asparagus with some salty feta cheese and shrimp for extra protein and flavor. It was delicious! Since most of it can be made ahead of time, it is perfect for rushed weeknight dinners or packed lunches.

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! 

Spring seems to be a popular time for brunch.

Mother’s Day is a big day for brunches – coming up this weekend!  Wedding and baby season has most definitely begun, meaning lots of brunches for showers and celebrations. And then there are the brunches for no specific reason other than to get together with family and friends.

Here are some of my favorite brunch components – along with a few recipes I’m dying to try!

Beverages:

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Pots of Tea

Blood Orange Mimosas

Bloody Marys

Lemon Rosé Bellini via Epicurious

(image via Martha Stewart)

Eats:

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups via Martha Stewart

Homemade Granola Parfaits with Yogurt and Fresh Fruit

Fresh Bagels with Lox, Cream Cheese, Capers, Red Onion and Tomato Slices

Homemade Scones, Cinnamon Rolls or Donuts

Sesame-Crusted Crab and Mango Tea Sandwiches via Bon Appetit

Grapefruit Brûlée via Epicurious

(image via Epicurious)

Decorations:

Fresh Flowers – lots of them!

Centerpieces made with Citrus

(image via Modern Day Floral Blog)

Herb Gardens

What are you doing for Mom this year? 

I know a lot of people prefer sweet things for breakfast, but in my opinion, there is nothing better than eggs for breakfast.

They are healthy.

Pretty cheap. (My husband wishes I would buy the really cheap ones, but I refuse).

So very versatile.

And they definitely don’t need to be limited to breakfast. (I will admit that I eat them so frequently for breakfast that they don’t make an appearance for lunch or dinner very often, but I’m working to change that).

Eggs are pretty perfect on their own, but there are ways that you can make them even better!

• purchase Organic or Free-Range Eggs
• add vegetables! Think veggie-filled omelets, frittatas or eggs served over greens (a personal favorite)
• combine with a whole grain. Serve with some whole-grain toast, or over brown rice or quinoa with sauteed veggies.
• eat the whole egg! There are loads of vitamins and nutrients in eggs and they are usually found in the yolk.

Egg Recipes to Try:

• the perfect hard boiled egg
• baked egg boat via spoon fork bacon
• anaheim scramble 
• parmesan baked eggs via pinch of yum
• eggs benedict salad via epicurious

 What is your favorite way to eat eggs? 

Kitchen24 is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in West Hollywood.

It has a lot going for it – it is within walking distance, has a great outdoor patio and a whole list of fun, creative drinks. Oh, and the food is delicious. (Although, I just discovered this past weekend that they have very few appetizers which is too bad – I love appetizers).

Richie and I went for breakfast on Easter Sunday, I was there for lunch a few weeks ago with a friend from yoga and then we visited with my friend (and baby!) who were visiting last weekend for an early evening snack. So far, everything has been great. The California Eggs Benedict was ridiculous and the Cahuenga Chopped Salad was everything I wanted it to be.

I tend to go through salad phases – I’ll make and eat a salad until I get sick of it and then I’ll have to move on. So this chopped chicken salad, inspired by the one at Kitchen24 has been my latest phase.

All of the flavors and components I need in a salad are there: a combination of greens, salty feta, briney olives, protein-rich chicken, flavorful bacon, crunchy cucumbers and apples all tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the wise words on my “lack of posting” post. I just wanted to let you know what was going on with me these days.

I’m thinking that my next daily eats post should be another themed “diet or meal plan” post like I have done previously! They are so fun for me to do – hopefully for you as well.

5.2.12

Beverages: coffee + 1/2 & 1/2, water, green tea. The standards.

Breakfast: It had been a few days since I had eaten eggs so I was majorly craving them. 2 eggs + 1/2 hemp bagel topped with coconut oil. Possibly one of the best breakfasts ever…

Workout: 45 spin class with my favorite teacher. It was hard, sweaty and wonderful – all at the same time.

Lunch: Was eaten in two parts – I had some things that absolutely needed to be shipped out for work today, so I had to get them ready and drop them off before I could take the time to eat a real meal.

part I: kale & spinach dip (trader joe’s) + crunchmaster ancient grain crackers (that I brought home from the Celiac Disease Foundation Conference last weekend).

part II: lemon chicken & arugula salad (trader joe’s) on a bed of spinach. The salad is delicious and has a couscous and quinoa mix with arugula and chicken, but pretty small (about 300 calories) and definitely lacking in the veggies.

Snack: bowl of strawberries + kashi cereal (honey sunshine) + coconut milk.

Wine:

Dinner: I am working on a quinoa salad recipe, so this was the test run. It contained quinoa with a dressing, asparagus, leeks and shrimp. It was delicious and I’ll get the recipe for you soon! I served it on about 2 cups of spinach, wilted to bulk it up a bit.

I’m nibbling on some jelly beans that we’ve had for months now and headed to bed!

Have a wonderful weekend! Any fun plans?

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.