The new craze is all about juicing. I understand if it is hard for you to eat a large amount of raw fruits/veggies, so the easiest option is to obviously throw them into a juicer. However, depending on the quality of the juicer, some of the vital fiber can be potentially lost in the process. Plus, I just recently learned that if you do not drink the juice immediately, it oxidizes and loses nutrients that way too.

Do not get me wrong, I have definitely gone barking up the juicing tree, and I still juice every so often, but I am also back on the smoothie band wagon. So without further ado, let's get to it! I think the perfect concoction consists of the following: at least one leafy green/herb, mix of preferred fruits, almond/coconut milk, nut butter, and one supplement (chia, hemp, psyllium husk, flax, etc) and always, the 'cherries' on top: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raw granola, honey! It is truly scrumptious.

Here is my favorite right now, but it changes daily :)
1/2 ice cubes
1/2 cup almond milk
handful of spinach
1 banana
3 strawberries
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 a container of 0% fat vanilla greek yogurt
scoop of flax or other nutritious boost
pumpkin seeds

Fish tacos:
-fish of your choice, I like Tilapia for tacos
-red cabbage, green cabbage, slaw sauce (mayo, Italian dressing, sugar, pickle relish)
-mango salsa (mango, red onion, red pepper, green onions, jalapenos, fresh lime juices, olive oil, cilantro)
-corn tortillas
-fresh cilantro to top

Season fish with olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. In a pan, add of olive oil or coconut oil and saute fish until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes each side. Let cool.
In a bowl combine all the salsa ingredients and set aside.
In another bowl combine all slaw ingredients and set aside.
Put the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Then place fish on tortilla, slaw, mango salsa, and top with more fresh cilantro.
Enjoy with your favorite flavored margarita. I particularly like a grapefruit marg. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec, agave syrup, and tequila :)

Simple dish, but undoubtedly delish!

My dear followers,
I am sorry. I know it has been awhile since my last post, and I don't have any particular reason or excuse, but want you to know I apologize!

Anyways, I am going to shift gears a bit on the blog. In the past, I have mainly focused on sniffing out the new restaurants and then critiquing. Since I have gotten more into cooking, I thought I would share my favorite recipes with you. In the spirit of the new year and my goal to make 2014 my healthiest year yet, I am going to post whole, nutritious dishes that are also not lacking in the flavor department. Please comment and post anything you would like to see or any ideas you might have for my next blog worthy dish. Thanks for your support and back to blogging!

Since recently going through an organic food course, I thought I would fill you in on some secrets. First, I don't know if you have ever noticed at WholeFoods, but next to each price tag for fruits/veggies, there is also a number from 1-1000. This number is called an ANDI score. The ANDI score stands for Aggregate, nutrient, density, index. The highest score is 1000, meaning that particular fruit/veg is extremely nutrient rich. Some of those top ANDI score fruits/veggies are the following: Watercress, bok choy, kale, strawberries. I am going to be putting up dishes with lots of yummy high scoring ANDI ingredients. I am also going to be focusing on a 50/20/20/10 ratio. 50 percent produce, 20 percent grains, 20 percent protein, and 10 percent healthy fats. This is not going to be anything crazy strict, it's just always in the back of my mind when I create dishes.

Eating healthy for me is not to lose weight or 'yoyo' diet. It is not a one-week stand, but on the contrary, an ongoing, consistent, way of life. Sure, I have my splurges here and there, like truffle fries on a Sunday with a bottle of my favorite rose, Charles and Charles. You have to treat yourself every once in awhile. If you constantly restrict yourself of life's little pleasures, you will find yourself one day with no wheels left on your wagon, knee deep in a bag of McDonald's. That is why weekly treats are worth the splurge. We need to remind ourselves that we had a great week of health and we deserve that bit of cherry gelato. Along with treating ourselves, we must maintain portions. I am a firm believer in portion control. There are so many people out there doing everything right, eating healthy, but just eating way too much. In my dishes, I will also go over how much is the correct amount to be eating. No, I am not a Certified Nutritionist, but just someone who is truly passionate about health and feeling my very best. Changing your life style and pledging to eat healthy all the time rather than just sometimes,  is a permanent life change. You will feel your very best, I promise. And when you do have those splurges, like a bottle of wine, it doesn't hurt as near as much because the ground work you have laid down already (the nutrients) are still there to help support your hurting cells.

I am going to go over a few things I incorporate into my daily routine to help me function at a top level and feel my best!
1. Water, water, water. I drink it all through the day.
2. Take a whole food supplement. a whole food supplement is one made from the actual foods where the vitamin is coming from....example, iron comes from spinach so you want a multivitamin made from those actual foods. I love my pre-natal New Chapter ..... I take the pre-natal since I do not eat meat to boost my iron level in my diet....no mom, im not preggers hehe.
3. sweat. a lot of people go on these cleanses to detox...trust me I have been guilty...but the truth is our bodies are perfectly capable of cleansing themselves. sweating in a yoga class or on a run is a great way to get ride of some of those built up toxins. drinking water is another.
4. me time. with our crazy lifestyles, it is important to take time everyday for ourselves. take your dog on a walk, read your favorite magazine, just take at least 20 mins a day for yourself. if not we get tangled in chaos and our minds get bogged down.
5. this one is a new 2014 one for me, healthy skin care. our bodies need to be cleaned from the inside with healthy nutrient rich foods, as well as the outside of our bodies. I started using all natural facial products, and my skin has never looked better. It was quite a change for me, since I have been using the same products for 15 years, but well worth it! There are many natural skin care lines to choose from, but I recommend Acure. They have face and body cleansers/moisturizers/masks and much more. You can find Acure at Whole Foods, Alfalfa's, or Pharmaca. In addition, the products are usually on sale, so please don't hesitate to check it out!

With all that being said, enjoy!
Happy Health,
Ricky and Eddie (Emily)

Jonesies

World famous fries. Three words folks. From Thai ginger to Buffalo. The thin layered, perfectly cut, fries topped with literally whatever your heart desires is enough to sell itself. I'm an in-between type of fry girl. Not too thick, not too thin is my kind of 'close my eyes, zone out, late night' perfection type of fry if you're feeling me. Anyways, we went for the Wino Wednesday and let me tell ya, if you are in the mood for an adventurous wine tasting night, Jonesies is where it's at. They serve two white wines, two reds, each glass is five dollars. So mix and match,  and give your pallet a test. I have to give some props to the lighting and the design at Jonesies. I love a place that makes you feel at home and totally comfortable at the same time, even if you're on a blind date. They do it just right. White Christmas-type bulbs surrounding the main dinning area and amazing creative lighting fixtures at every table with subtle lighting make any dining experience more enjoyable. My overall experience at Jonesies was nothing short of delightful. I would say date night meets late night eats...the perfect combination of romance and comfort. Just go and see for yourself.

Osteria Marco

Osteria Marco is the ultimate 'go-to' restaurant. It's perfect for families before a show, for a first date, or just a weekly date night. I had been to Osteria Marco before and thought it was great. Awesome atmosphere and great food. This time I went for date night and with a mission in mind: determine why, on any given day of the week, customers are waiting out the door.

I figured it out. Location, location, location, along with a great, simple menu. I said simple because with the right location, there is no need to make the menu over done because the people will come regardless. However, the menu is lacking one major indulgence of Italian cuisine: pasta! I grew up in St. Louis where every restaurant on "the Hill" or any Italian restaurant for that fact, has homemade pasta and sauces. I am not undermining Osteria's food by any means, but I just think that if you are going to be an Italian restaurant you HAVE to carry this Italian staple. It offers a great array of food and is simple but done right. If I had it my way, Osteria would do everything the same, but show off the skills of Frank Bonanno more through some classic Italian pasta dishes.

My Roots

In this post i thought i would give you a taste of some of my st. louis favorites, which i will continue to add. this recipe comes from a local fast food chain in st. louis called Lion's Choice. this is the only fast food place i will actually eat at, mainly because if you saw the freshness of their beef you too would wonder why it is considered a fast food joint. Lion's Choice is known for their roast beef sandwiches and here is my healthier take on it, although it is not the same, its pretty dang close!

Lion's Choice Roast Beef and Swiss:
good quality roast beef, like Neiman Ranch
swiss cheese
Lawry's seasoning
good whole wheat bread or your favorite grilling bread

on the bread layer the roast beef and then lightly sprinkle with Lawrys then top with swiss cheese
in a broiler, broil the sandwich without the top until the cheese is melted, top with other piece of bread, slice and enjoy! serve with homemade potato chips or fries :)
more st. louis inspired dishes to come.....

Quick and easy caprese

This is a new twist on the classic caprese salad, my favorite go to salad for a dinner party :)
instead of regular tomatoes, I get roasted tomatoes from the salad bar. This adds delicious flavor!

easy caprese:
roasted tomatoes
fresh bococcini mozzarella
fresh basil
good balsamic vinegar
good olive oil

layer the roasted tomatoes in the bottom of a tarte pan, then layer on the mozzarella, then add the fresh basil. season with sea salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic.