You have heard how you should be eating but what does it actually look like? Amanda shows you what your plate should look like based on the

I recently gave a Mindful Eating workshop and wanted to share some of the main highlights for those that couldn't make it! I am also sharing the yummy Kombucha Sangria that I made for the event. Hope to see you at the next one! We are always being told what we should be eating, but how does that help if we still have a poor understanding of the how/why? Mindful eating is the practice of making conscious food choices in response to physical and physiological hunger and satiety

While completing my dietetic internship, I took a functional foods class. This class was the sole reason for why I love the idea of food being able to help heal the damage that has happened within our bodies. I learned so much in that class and it has shaped most of my philosophies on food today. The term functional foods refers to going above and beyond basic nutrition (if you want to read my article 'Basics of Functional Foods' click here). Within certain foods there are ph

I have been a vegetarian (technically a lacto-ovo-pescatarian if Kyle were telling people) for 9 years now. It was a choice I made when I was on a mission trip, coincidentally to LA. One of the people on the trip was a vegetarian, and all the food he ate looked so much more appetizing than what was on my plate. At that time I was a junior in college, studying nutrition, and eating horribly. If I remember correctly, cereal was my preferential choice for dinner most nights. How

As I mentioned before, Kyle will drink smoothies, occasionally. I am thankful for this because it is seriously the only time he even allows fruit near him. As of now this one is his favorite but I am working on others that might include some greens (shh.. don’t tell him). I chose these specific ingredients because they all benefit the body in different ways. The smoothie is full of berries, thus lots of antioxidants. I used wild blueberries, specifically, because they have mo

Food has been the most challenging part of our entire marriage. We always compare ourselves to the cobbler’s kid having no shoes. I am a dietitian whose entire life revolves around eating healthy, and my husband’s favorite foods are mac & cheese, chicken, cheese, mashed potatoes, french fries, cheese, candy, and, oh did I say, cheese. This makes for great entertainment for our friends and family, but causes frustration for this dietitian. Since moving to LA there have thankfu

I had the incredible honor of contributing to the online Darling community today. It was a bit surreal for me. I love the magazine so much from what it stands for, to the women behind it all, and of course the content.. all amazing! Having my take on nutrition be shared on that platform makes my heart leap for joy. I can’t wait to share more with that community in the future. If you haven’t already read the article click here and if you are coming to my site from Darling than

The Moscow Mule. I don’t think I had ever heard of this magnificent drink until we moved to LA. My friend, Lauren, told me that she really liked them and I nodded along in agreement in order to not look like a complete idiot. Needless to say, I ended up having to ask her what it was and admit that I had never heard of this drink before. Thankfully, she is from Texas – and I went to Tech with her – so she graciously told me without too much laughter. Now it has become one of m

BEETS. They are everywhere here in LA. Every restaurant has some kind of a beet salad. It could be beets with mozzarella and drizzled with balsamic, to salad with with beets, walnuts, apples, and goat cheese. Everyone has their version and it is apparent that it is a staple here. LA is definitely onto something. Beets are a really nutrient dense food. It contains potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and folate (just to name a

Cleanses. They are all the rave these days. You’ve got the Master Cleanse, the weekend cleanse, the jumpstart your body cleanse, and of course the drink this and magically be skinny cleanse. I think everyone usually goes for that last one. When people find out what my background is in they always feel like they can ask me a ton of nutrition questions. Most of the time I really enjoy talking about things with people and helping them learn something new about a certain topic wi

Chia Pudding! I don’t know when it started, but I have become a little obsessed with making this for breakfast. Well, that is when I remember to make it the night before. I make mine different almost every time, but the base is always the same, chia and almond milk. This specific one I made wasn’t my favorite (I put in WAY too much cinnamon), so I will give you a recipe I have done in the past. Chia is a new obsession for everyone these days. Why it seems to be so great is be

Cooking for Kyle and I can be, how do I put this lightly… challenging. I am a vegetarian and Kyle is a 12 year old boy trapped in a 24 year old man’s body when it comes to food. I am pretty sure that Kyle has personally kept Wonka in business, buying all forms of Sweet-tarts over the years. Also, his favorite foods consist of chicken (in all forms), mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, french fries, cake, donuts, and of course, candy. When we started dating I got Kyle to try his fi