Hi friends! Have you been experiencing a heatwave in your neck of the woods? It has been hot and also unusually humid here in the San Diego area, and while I know that many of you have no sympathy for Southern Californians complaining about weather since we have it so good overall, let me tell you... having no air conditioning is not fun when a heatwave rolls around! I wouldn't mind it being hot out if I had some coolness to retreat to inside. Yup, you heard me right! My house has no air conditioning. This concept is pretty foreign to most Americans, but living near the coast in San Diego usually equates to cool breezes and mild temperatures. I don't think anyone in my neighborhood has A/C, and it's pretty manageable except for the couple weeks out of the year when it's over 90 degrees - ... [Read More]
vegetarian recipes
20 Droolworthy Avocado Recipes
If I had to name just one type of produce that I've become obsessed with in adulthood, it's probably avocado. When I moved to California, I quickly found out that avocado is readily available year-round here. We have a steady supply of avocados coming in from Mexico all the time, and then in spring and summer, local California growers offer an abundance of avocados everywhere from regular food stores to local farmers markets and little stands at the most random places on the side of the road. Growing up, I don't remember there being avocado around in my kitchen really at all, and my mom told me a couple of years ago that she had always shied away from them because she heard they were fattening. So, I convinced her that avocados are awesome, delicious, and not all that caloric if ... [Read More]
Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus
Sometimes the best place to get recipe inspiration is the farmers' market. I love strolling around on a low-key weekend morning and checking out what produce is in season, coming up with potential recipe ideas, and picking up some goodies to experiment with. San Diego area farmers' market are a foodie's paradise, because so much awesome produce is grown locally here - not to mention all of the amazing local purveyors around, including bread makers, nut butter producers, olive oil companies, bakeries... and the list goes on. Recently I got turned onto a local vegan crouton and cashew cheese company, and I've been sprinkling their products on everything! A few weekends ago, I was walking around the Vista Farmers' Market, and I kept seeing asparagus around. Since it's starting to be in peak ... [Read More]
Hearty One-Pot Ratatouille {vegan + gf}
Get your veggie fill with this hearty one-pot ratatouille! The recipe is ready in about half an hour & features peppers, zucchini, baby kale, potatoes & beans. It's perfect as a healthy side dish or for your main course! It's hard to believe that we're already a week into November. Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here and the holiday season will be underway! Truth be told, I don't get to be part of the Christmastime cooking festivities as much as I'd like. My husband and I always fly to the east coast to be with our families, and with all of the traveling around from house to house, there's not all that much time for me to be in the kitchen - well, my family members' kitchens that is. In recent years I have been able to make a few things for Christmas Day at my ... [Read More]
Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers
Hi friends! How was your weekend? Did you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day? I was flying cross-country all day Friday on the actual holiday, but I had a chance to celebrate the Irish holiday yesterday with my parents. I’m in Jersey this week visiting family, and went to a winery yesterday with my parents that had a live Irish band playing. It made me want to be back in Ireland hanging out at pubs with my family! So, let’s dive into the real topic at hand today: Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers - an easy Meatless Monday dinner idea! I’ve always been a fan of stuffed peppers, and for this recipe, I wanted to do something different in terms of grains. I usually will use brown rice for stuffed peppers, but this time I decided to try barley instead and loved it. I like to make ... [Read More]
Hearty Farro Greek Salad
This dish takes a twist on a classic Greek salad with the addition of hearty farro! After lots of holiday cookie baking and eating, it seems like a good time to focus more on greens, what do you think? You guys, I haven't shared a salad recipe in way too long. I swear, I eat salad all the time - apparently I just don't get creative and come up with new salad recipes too often. But today salad is making a comeback on Foodie Loves Fitness, and I promise you that this is one delicious meal idea! One of my favorite healthy strategies when eating out is to order a salad as an appetizer. It takes the edge off of my hunger, and I wind up eating less of my entree (which is bound to be something heavier) and taking some home as lefties. When it comes to at-home salad ... [Read More]