Let's talk about living the good life as we hit middle age! We all know (and feel deep in our bones) how important it is to keep ourselves healthy and vibrant! So, today, we're going on a delicious adventure into the world of the Mediterranean diet—a superhero (think Wonder Woman) among diets! And it's not only about eating right but also about feeling amazing.

And guess what?

I've got a super scrumptious and easy-to-make dish for you—the Watermelon Arugula Salad!

I love soups. In fact, every Sunday (Soup Sunday), I make soup for the week — especially during the cooler months. Having soup on hand makes for easier meal prep throughout the week. Plus, most soups freeze well. So I can stock the freezer for days when I don’t have the time or bandwidth for preparing a meal from scratch.

In my household, we have different nourishing needs. My partner often prefers more meat. I prefer more vegetarian meals. For this recipe, I cook it up until the point where the lentils are fully cooked. After that, I divide the soup before I serve. I add the kale and corn to my soup and the Polish Sausage and spinach to his.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

This year our Crab Apple trees are fruiting to the point of limbs nearly touching the ground.

Now, if you are in upstate New York and have an apple tree in your yard, then you know that all apples are about to start abandoning their post. You may have already experienced these tiny tarts dive-bombing your car and your head. You might even be enjoying the sweet stench of those that are composting themselves right there on your lawn.

When a branch finally made contact with my thick head the other day, I realized that I needed to do something about it. Really?! Why on earth was I letting these wonderfully organic and insanely accessible food bits go to rot? And why-oh-why wasn't I enjoying the reaching up, squatting down, and all the wonderful movements associated with gathering my harvest. So I grabbed two of my largest bowls (one for each tree) and started collecting my bounty.

This recipe is one of my favorite summer Polish dishes! Traditionally, Chłodnik is served with warm mashed potatoes. Together they create a combination that is rich with flavors, varying textures, and contrasting temperatures. Every bite is a sensorial delight. 

Chłodnik (pronounced h-wo-d-neek, meaning cooler) is perfect for those hot summer days. Plus, this lacto-fortified bowl of flavor will nourish your gut with each bite. Thanks to those wee microbes, the soup is in a lacto-fremented kefir or buttermilk base, it keeps well for nearly a week as the live probiotic bacteria feed on the sugary starches in the veggies. It's one of those great dishes that can nourish your palate for days on end. 

This dreamy recipe will tantalize your tastebuds and nourish your dream-state.

Tart cherry juice is one of the powerhouse ingredients that live up to the ‘food as medicine’ hype. Research has shown that it can help to improve sleep, reduce muscle soreness & inflammation, and may even reduce belly fat. That’s a lot of goodness packed into these little antioxidant nuggets of juicy joy.

Tea is often the drink associated with bedtime, adding in a bit of tart cherry juice might elevate your bedtime ritual to a whole new restful level. This delightful elixir combines one of my favorite sleepy-time teas with the tangy taste of tart cherries.

Tart cherries are high in melatonin, the hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle, and a few small studies have shown that they have promising effects on sleep.

I didn't grow up eating fresh beets—only the ghastly canned variety at holidays. I absolutely abhorred every stinkin’ bite of those dirty, soggy excuse of a beet. It wasn’t until years later when I was working in fine dining that I experienced the divine flavor of perfectly roasted beets. Since that first bite, I’ve been hooked on beets. Roasting beets are still one of my favorite ways to prepare them.

A friend recently requested a Quinoa recipe and I instantly thought of this super-duper yummy Quinoa Breakfast. In fact, this is my favorite summer breakfast meal. It is simple, and I always feel ready to take on the world after eating it. I hope that you do too!

A Few Quinoa Facts

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is actually a species of Chenopodium grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. Yum! It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass and its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared that the year 2013 be recognized as "The International Year of the Quinoa." Yay!

This condiment is one of my trusty staples that I keep on hand for a dash of pizzazz. It’s one of those key ingredients that can make any meal delicious. If ya’ wanna know a wee little secret, I kind of pride myself on being able to make a fantastic meal when it seems there is nothing in the refrigerator. And this Chipotle Paste is one of my secret weapons! Plus, it keeps for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator and longer if you freeze it.

This is such a simple and delicious recipe! Recently I invited my partner’s mother over to teach me the ins-and-outs of making this classic Polish Soup. Once fall hits, I find that a mug of this nourishing goodness soothes my palate and warms my soul. I tend to make a batch of this every other week throughout the cooler months.