Living the WELL Life

I don’t know what the weather was like in your neck of the woods, but Mother Nature brought a heat wave with her to Philadelphia this past weekend.  We saw record temperatures and even got an added bonus of humidity, inspiring me to create a “Glimpse of Summer” menu.  

There’s nothing better on a summer-like weekend than feel-good cookout foods: burgers, potato and greens salads, macaroni and pie.  Look no further.  My menu has you covered!  Invite friends to your backyard bash, take in the taste of what’s to come this summer, and remember to put on your sunscreen!        Read more

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I am a cat person.  I have a weird cat, named George, who does weird things like lay on my Korean massage bed like a human being .  That’s why I love cats… they’re weird.   Read more

To agave or not to agave; that is the question. It seems that everything today creates scandal and confusion…our food, our politics, our neighborhoods, how we exercise and now even our sweeteners, natural and otherwise.  Read more

Spring is in the air…and in the garden too!  It’s a wonderful time of year, providing us with a vast array of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.  I’ve created a colorful menu to celebrate the season; it’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the taste buds.  Enjoy!  Read more

A post that Christina wrote recently reaffirmed my belief that we must embrace all and get rid of our attachments to the labels “I’m vegan,” “I’m macrobiotic,” “I’m a raw fruitarian,” and “I’m a level 5 vegan who only eats what I can pick with my bare hands while naked.”  All these labels do is separate us. They build up our egos and small selves. When these labels get challenged we blow up, we flip out, we see things that aren’t even real and say things that hurt others. I had this experience recently where something I said was taken completely out of context and the person literally flipped out. I’m thankful for that experience because it helped me see how our attachments blind us and push others away.  We are all playing for the same team so let’s support each other!  Read more

We all want a great night’s sleep. Just about every expert will tell you that most of the ills plaguing modern society have some roots in sleep deprivation. Study after study tells us that not getting enough sleep impairs us in the most dramatic ways. New thinking even refers to fatigue as a modern illness. Our 24/7 connected lifestyle might just be increasing our risks for various diseases including cancer and heart disease, not to mention increasing the risk of obesity. So much for all that Facebook time we spend!  Read more

Are We Feeling A Little Irritable?
According to the principles of Chinese Medicine, the spring heralds more than the arrival of tulips and daffodils. This time of year, when the earth is re-born and energy rises, the liver becomes more active, enlivened, if you will. As energy warms, it’s important to nourish the function of the liver and to honor the season by adapting your food and cooking to the season.  Read more

It’s all the rage. Eating organically produced foods, supporting farm markets, CSA’s and eating locally have become as common in our language of food as food itself.  Read more

Everyone knows to lift with your legs.  Most people don’t do it, but most of us have heard that phrase somewhere, sometime.  I’m here to tell you (again) that lifting with your legs is extremely important.  However, it’s only half the battle to avoid injury.  You must also “protect with the abs”!  That means you must contract the abdominal muscles and stabilize the lumbar spine in the neutral position.  Those of you who have been “lifting with the legs” may have actually been putting yourselves more at risk of injury if you weren’t also protecting with your abdominal muscles.  This is because you can lift more weight with your legs than your back muscles.  But now you have more weight on an unprotected spine and thus, a greater chance of straining a ligament or blowing out a disc.  Read more

There’s nothing like cold weather to create the desire to get together, cook and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones…I love this menu!  Read more